Talking Watches: With Jos Bautista

October 07, 2015

Jos Bautista crushes baseballs for a living. In 2010, the former part-time player exploded on the scene for the Toronto Blue Jays with a Major League-leading 54 home runs. He hasn't slowed down since; over the past six seasons, he has hit the most home runs in baseball. (Bautista finished the recently completed 2015 season with 40 home runs; his Blue Jays begin the playoffs on October 8th against the Texas Rangers.) And so when all that success led to a lucrative, multi-year contract, Jos decided to reward himself by rekindling a childhood passion: watches. This is your official HODINKEE Talking Watches with Toronto Blue Jays slugger Jos Bautista. Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Safari Edition When Jos decided to get back into watches in 2011, he first purchase was the AP Safari C and to this day it maintains a special place in his collection for that reason. He appreciates that it works both with a T-shirt and jeans and in slightly more formal situations. The Safari remains one of the most popular watches Audemars Piguet has ever made. Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Shaquille O'Neal Jos's second AP was the Royal Oak Offshore Shaquille O'Neal edition. As someone who approaches watch collecting partly as an investment, Jos now looks mainly for limited-edition pieces, and as he says in the video, he thinks it's unique to collect the watch of another elite athlete in a different sport. Panerai Luminor 1950 'Bronzo' Jos is a Panerai guy, in part due to the brand's storied history supplying watches for the Italian military. Most importantly, he likes the Panerai look C his current favorite is the Luminor Submersible 1950 3 Days, better known as the "Bronzo." Panerai Radiomir S.L.C 3 Days Acciaio Another of Jose's favorites among his collection of Panerais is the Radiomir S.L.C 3 Days Acciaio. As he says in the video, it's clean, classic, and doesn't have a date window C something he's developed an aversion to as his collection has grown. Chopard Mille Miglia As he gets deeper and deeper into watch collecting, Jos generally seeks out limited edition pieces in unique materials. The Chopard Mille Miglia in gold checks both of those boxes. Bell & Ross BR 01-92 Gold Jos is also a big fan of the aviation-themed watches of Bell & Ross, and the piece that gets the most wrist time is this BR 01-92 in gold. Calibre De Cartier While most of Jose's watches are relatively casual (he says he may get into the Patek/Rolex scene once his career is over and he attends more formal events) the Calibre de Cartier in rose gold is his current special occasion/dressy watch. Hublot Oceanographic 4000 M Diver While he admits it looks huge on the wrist, Jos enjoys wearing the Hublot Oceanographic 4000 M. Black on black in carbon fiber, it is his sole dive watch.