Tony Sylvester is a force of nature. You might know him as a fierce dandy or devoted gourmande or seen him on stage singing with the band Turbonegro or in the Timothy Everest store. If you are passionate about some far outpost of the sartorial realm then chances are he is too and happens knows more about it, which is not a problem since he’s easygoing with his expertise. He’s also one of the rare people who’s reached the level of dressing marksman where he can get away with things mere mortals cannot. So don’t try to dress like him—and don’t try to outdrink him, for that matter. Tony is catholic in his tastes, his Watch List is historically and stylistically wide-ranging, obsessive in the best sense. It also shows why his rudimentary foreign language skills, as he says, come from eBay.it and .fr translations.

'The Andover Shop Bottle Green Velvet Smoking Jacket' Made in Italy Sz: XL Nw/T!

“From probably the most consistently ludicrously priced seller on eBay, I present this perfect smoking jacket. Makes me ponder just how many smoking jackets one man needs?”

ARNYS x HARRIS TWEED PARIS (NOW BERLUTI) SPORT JACKET 100 % WOOL SZ 56 9000 $

“Here we have the textbook ‘too good to be true’ eBay offer. An Arny’s tweed jacket for under $100 OR MAKE AN OFFER!! Everything’s fine til the eighth photo, but then all is revealed. Still part of you is saying ‘but it’s an Arny’s tweed jacket….’”

VEUVE CLICQUOT CHAMPAGNE BASEBALL CAP HAT BRAND NEW

“File this one under ‘Ghosts of missed purchases past.’ I never did pull the trigger on that vintage Perrier Jouet cap for £6 a couple of years back. So this Veuve cap is a suitable substitute, right? RIGHT?? Of course it isn’t. It has a Velcro strap.”

VTG Polaroid Cool Ray Sunglasses Brown Bonjour Hexagon Frames 160 Retro Unisex

“Firstly, is there a better brand name than Cool Ray? They make me nostalgic for being a kid when my dad’s shades seemed very high tech with their Polaroid stamp. Like what an astronaut would wear. Can still picture myself in a Slim Aaron’s Palm Springs scenario rocking these.”

Slippers sulka formal shoes 11.5 uk 45,5 velvet gala savile row red slippers

“Not only do I take a perverse pleasure in watching items I’d never buy, I apparently also coordinate them with other items I won’t buy. See the Andover smoking jacket above.”

Northwood. Merchant Taylors' School by P.A.Buchanan.

“It just seems slightly daft for a 46 year-old man to be wistful enough about his old school to buy an vintage postcard of it. Especially when he was asked to leave.”

Vintage 1950's Rolex 18ct Yellow Gold Cellini Wristwatch

“You could get rid of that Speedmaster or Sub that literally everyone has, and get three of these. It tells the time. You’re never using those bezel and Tachometer anyway. Cellini > GMT.”

THE WATCH LIST is a regular series where friends reveal their auction obsessions.