Esquire Essentials 2026 for Style & Wellness

Every year we cook up the ultimate cheat sheet called Esquire Essentials, a curated list where we personally sift through countless options to handpick only the exceptional and truly cool products, services, and experiences that are worth your time and attention.

In the third installment of this year's Esquire Essentials, we round up the pieces and services worth knowing, from fashion and watches that will elevate your everyday style to fitness and wellness services that can help you achieve your goals, as well as products designed to support your sexual wellness.

This ultra-lightweight smart health-tracking ring only weighs 2.4 to 3.6 grams (depending on the ring size) and can monitor sleep, recovery, heart rate, and movement. It features a durable titanium exterior and a medical-grade hypoallergenic inner shell. The ring can withstand water pressure up to 100 meters deep, so it can be worn while swimming and showering. The battery lasts 4 to 6 days on a single charge, depending on whether you use chill or turbo mode. It's available in five colors: Raw Titanium, Aster Black, Matte Grey, Bionic Gold, and Space Silver. Unlike some competing smart rings, all data and insights are accessible for free without a monthly membership.

Polarity Wellness Club is a membership-based wellness and recovery space that takes a holistic approach to helping people move, feel, and recover better. Its services range from physiotherapy and pain management to specialized care for conditions such as scoliosis, as well as wellness programs for seniors. Members can also make use of its recovery facilities, including a dry sauna and cold plunge, recovery boots, infrared red light therapy, and guided stretching sessions. Rounding out the experience are services such as body composition analysis and resources for mental clarity, bringing together physical recovery and overall well-being in one space.

Makati Shangri-La's Health Club features an indoor gym with rows of cardio machines, from treadmills to stationary bikes, and several weight-training equipment like weighted balls, dumbbells, kettlebells, and fitness racks. Its outdoor facilities include a swimming pool, with two 25-meter lanes cordoned off for doing your laps, and tennis courts. The best thing about it is that you don't have to be checked in at Makati Shangri-La to use these facilities. A day pass (from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.) costs P1,900, and can be purchased online; or via ClassPass for a two-hour slot for eight to 10 credits (equivalent to at least P800). And, yes, that includes access to the sauna, cold plunge, steam room, and hot tub in the locker rooms.

BeFit stands out for making a well-equipped, spacious gym experience more accessible. Its 1,300-square-meter Alabang location has more than 100 pieces of modern equipment, dedicated workout zones, Pilates and yoga studios, and 24/7 access, making it convenient for members with different schedules and fitness goals. Beyond the usual gym setup, members can also take part in specialty classes such as HYROX and have access to wellness services including massage chairs, nutrition consultations, and physiotherapy. Memberships start at P999 a month with no long-term lock-in, giving members access to a more premium gym environment without the usual high cost or lengthy commitment.

ClassPass is a monthly subscription service that gives you access to a large network of fitness studios, gyms, salons, spas, and lifestyle experiences through a single app. You pay a monthly fee to receive a set number of ClassPass credits, and Use your credits to reserve workout classes (like yoga, cycling, and HIIT), open gym times, or wellness appointments (like massages and facials). Different classes cost different amounts of credits depending on the time of day, location, and class popularity. Unused credits roll over to the next month as long as you keep an active monthly plan. What's nice about ClassPass is you can try different workout styles and wellness providers without committing to a single gym or long-term contract. The membership also works in multiple cities and countries, making it easy to use while traveling.

MindNation is a mental health app designed to give you easy, real-human support whenever you need it. Unlike many apps that use automated bots, MindNation connects you directly with real psychologists, doctors, and coaches. It is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, so you can text or do a video call the exact moment you are feeling overwhelmed or stressed. If you ever face an urgent crisis, the app also has an instant SOS button to get you immediate help without waiting. Beyond talk therapy, the app helps you stay on top of your daily mental health. You can use it to track your mood, take quick quizzes to see how you are doing, and listen to relaxing audio guides or worksheets that teach you how to handle stress. It is also built for companies, offering special support for teams, families, and workers going through tough life transitions. It puts a complete, friendly support system right inside your pocket.

The Hyperboost Run is a lightweight shoe designed for daily runs. Its lower profile gives you a more grounded feel, while the Hyperboost Pro foam provides responsive cushioning, making it versatile enough for easy runs to faster-paced workouts. What's great about this shoe is it absorbs more of the impact so your leg muscles don't have to work as hard, reducing leg fatigue and preserving your energy. It creates a bouncy sensation that makes running feel faster and easier. The men's line is available in six colorways and is priced at 9,500.

Aivee Men All in One Facial Fluid keeps a men's skincare routine refreshingly uncomplicated. Designed as an easy, everyday step, it brings hydration and essential skin care together in one straightforward formula. Perfect for anyone who wants to build a regimen without the hassle.

Sexual wellness includes paying attention to how you feel in your body. AllNite is a supplement marketed for men’s performance support. It may appeal to men who want to explore that part of their routine, but it should not replace a medical checkup if erection problems persist. Evidence for herbal supplements as a treatment for erectile dysfunction remains limited.

Comfort matters during sex, whether you are alone or with a partner. This gel adds glide and a cooling sensation, giving men another way to explore what feels good. Lubricant can help reduce friction, while the cooling effect adds a different feeling to touch. Men in studies report using lubricants for both comfort and pleasure.

Solo pleasure can help men learn what kinds of touch they enjoy. Mosh has two textured surfaces, so they can try different sensations and control the pace themselves. There is no need to focus on performance or a particular outcome. That freedom to explore is part of a healthy approach to pleasure.

Pleasure does not have to follow the same routine every time. Juke adds adjustable vibration that men can explore alone or with a partner. It offers a way to talk about what feels good and try something together. Sex toys are a common part of both solo and partnered sexual play.

Solace lets men adjust the pace and pattern of stimulation through an app. They can use it for solo play or share control with a partner remotely. Having control over the experience makes room to explore preferences without rushing. It is one option for keeping pleasure playful, including when partners are apart.

The Dior Hooper Low-Top Sneaker is a refined take on what you could possibly consider everyday sneakers, since it understandably comes from a heritage luxury brand that is known to hold a lot of influence on both high fashion and general street casual wear.

With its clean, simple look and its subtle branding, the Hooper Low-Top is an understated option that could easily slot into your everyday rotation. It's the kind of sneaker that would help you elevate your style even with the simplest outfit. These shoes go for about P63,000.

The Mini Saddle Heritage Messenger Bag puts Dior’s iconic Saddle language into a compact, everyday format. Its structured flap, signature Heritage buckle, and adjustable strap make it as practical as it is polished, while the compact proportions keep the look modern. It’s a good manifestation of big things coming in small packages, or in this case, substantial presence. You can pick this up for about P125,000.

Our most affordable item on our list is by homegrown clothing brand CommonHaus with their basic slim-fit shirt that only goes for P499.

We were thoroughly impressed by how robust these tees look and feel. Commonhaus runs on this philosophy; it is better to wear pieces that you can just throw on without thinking and those options that work with generally every color combination.

Their Basic Slim Fit Shirt proves that a good basic doesn't need to be complicated. Its slim, clean-cut silhouette makes it an easy foundation for everything from casual denim to more polished layers.

The easiest way to give an outfit some attitude? Start with the sunglasses. From TKG Lifestyle's Gentle Monster, the Lo Lou 01(GR) pairs a bold square frame with green lenses for a look that does plenty of talking on its own. These frames go for P13,800 on retail.

The Two Man Scramble Shorts gives the everyday short a little more personality. The Two Man Scramble Scooter Short brings a relaxed, utilitarian edge to the summer uniform—proof that dressing down doesn’t have to mean dressing boring. Cop these for P8,340.

The Human Made Graphic Tee is a reminder that good graphics can carry an entire outfit. Human Made’s graphic tee brings just enough nostalgia and personality to make the humble tee feel like the main attraction. Price: P6,990.

Whether you're actually putting in the work or just being performative, the Carhartt WIP OG Detroit Jacket has been making rugged-looking cool threads long before workwear became a fashion subculture. Its boxy silhouette and sturdy construction give it the kind of effortless attitude that makes it work on the job—or just look like you could. These jackets go for P15,990.

The Carhartt WIP OG Double Knee Pants take classic workwear proportions and make them work for the modern wardrobe. The loose straight fit, reinforced knees, and utilitarian details give them plenty of character without trying too hard. Grab these trousers for P11,290.

There are few names more closely associated with the birth of the modern luxury steel sports watch than Gérald Genta, and among his 1970s creations, the IWC Ingenieur has always been the understated one. In 1976, Genta redesigned IWC's Ingenieur into the Ingenieur SL Ref. 1832, giving it an integrated bracelet, a distinctive five-screw bezel, and a graphic grid-patterned dial. In 2026, IWC is marking the 50th anniversary of that landmark design, making the Ingenieur particularly relevant this year. IWC itself describes the 1976 Ingenieur SL as a design that helped define the new category of luxury steel sports watches with integrated bracelets.

The contemporary Ingenieur Automatic 40 retains those unmistakable Genta signatures but makes them more wearable for today. Its 40 mm stainless-steel case, integrated bracelet, and five-screw bezel give it the presence of a luxury sports watch without the visual shouting of some of its more famous contemporaries.

For 2026, its 50th-anniversary milestone makes the Ingenieur more than a handsome steel watch—it is a reminder that, among Genta's many influential 1970s creations, this has remained the quieter, more understated go-to.

The Rolex Perpetual 1908 is what happens when one of the world's most recognizable watch brands deliberately turns down the volume. Named after the year Hans Wilsdorf registered the Rolex name in Switzerland, the 1908 draws inspiration from Rolex's early Perpetual watches while presenting them in an elegant contemporary 39 mm case.

Its slim profile, domed-and-fluted bezel, small seconds at six o'clock, and restrained dial give it a distinctly old-school dress-watch character.

"Value" in a serious watch list should not simply mean the affordable watch. It is better understood as the point where the combination of heritage, engineering, design, and everyday usability becomes particularly compelling.

The Tudor Monarch makes that case particularly well in 2026, the year the Tudor celebrates its centenary. Reviving one of its historical lines, the new Monarch combines a classical, almost vintage-inspired personality with thoroughly modern watchmaking. Its 39 mm stainless-steel case is finely faceted, with polished and satin surfaces, matched by a distinctive two-link faceted bracelet.

The dark champagne-colored, vertically brushed dial features an unusual mix of Roman and Arabic applied numerals, giving the watch a character that is immediately recognizable

This distinct combination of a design ethos that is actually compelling, credentials of intricate modern engineering, and the intangibility of heritage makes the Monarch a particularly timely definition of value.

Now we get to an actual budget (P27,000) option and a quartz-operated piece. A lot like last year, we went with a battery-run chronograph piece, or the Seiko SSB479 with a reverse panda dial. This watch has been on our radar for the better half of the year and for a dang good reason: it evokes a luxury sport feel at a ridiculously affordable price. While you aren't getting the most expensive materials with a watch at this range, this is something you would reserve as your beater piece that you can throw on without really worrying about scratching it. You don't have to gingerly move your wrist around with this speedy Seiko on your wrist.

The elephant in the room is that it really leans on scratching that vintage itch for many folks, and it does so valiantly without shamelessness cloning stuff from Rolex and Omega.

Hardly anyone is talking about this piece, and let us be the first ones to put you on this banger of a beater.

There is a fascinating misconception surrounding the Vacheron Constantin Overseas: because its visual lineage belongs to the same 1970s luxury-sports-watch revolution as the Royal Oak, Nautilus, and IWC Ingenieur, it is sometimes associated with Gérald Genta, but it was actually designed by Jörg Hysek.

The 41.5 mm white-gold case is only 8.1 mm thick, yet houses Calibre 1120 QP, a 276-component automatic perpetual calendar movement measuring just 4.05 mm thick. It displays the day, date, month, leap-year cycle, and moon phase and requires no calendar correction until 2100.

This is where the idea of "old money charm in a modern watchcase" becomes particularly appropriate, not as a statement about wealth, but about aesthetic language.

Yet all of that is wrapped in a contemporary overseas case designed for a more active, less formal life, with interchangeable white-gold, leather, and rubber straps. It is essentially old-world watchmaking dressed in modern sportswear.

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