Hey there, team – welcome to the new site! Thanks for taking time to pull up and meet with me here. If we are friends or even just acquaintances, you likely are aware that I have been interested in watches, mechanical or otherwise, for quite some time now. I have many unnecessary and frivolous hobbies, but I classify my interest in timekeeping as of a higher order than the rest – that is to say, it is a real passion for me. I have decided to create this blog as a way to organize both my hot takes and more sensible thoughts regarding watches in one central and public location.
I can’t wait to share all that I can with you moving forward, but to establish myself as a peerless official source of unofficial advice, it may be good to start with how I ended up here. Truth be told, I lack a stirring origin story around watches; in fact, they were completely off the radar until I finished my junior year at Clemson University. One of the many characters I met during an internship that summer was Michael, a former investment banker whose impeccably tailored attire suggested he had never actually left his old occupation behind. Michael’s wrist game was similarly flashy but with a significantly lower level of capital committed than his clothes – a subscription service had allowed him to rack up a variety of watches, although for reasons I could not articulate at the time, they were decidedly modern and lacking in old world refinement. I remember seeing these watches and thinking they were cool but not captivating; this was most certainly the start of my interest in the hobby.
After briefly returning home to Atlanta before senior year, the conversation about what I wanted for my birthday eventually surfaced with my mother. I explained to her that I wanted the same subscription service for watches that my co-worker had. She laughed and proceeded to tell me that, in no uncertain terms, this was a braindead idea and that I should just hunt down one nice watch that will last more than a couple months. Well, there’s an insane thought – should quality not be a better price of admission than quantity? I ended up following her advice and punting on the subscription service entirely. Quick pause: this is the chapter in our short story where enthusiasm eventually craters into a money pit (thanks a lot, mom).
As it happens at the time, I didn’t immediately have the funds to acquire a watch of superior craftsmanship. Regardless, I resolved to start researching and consuming information the very next day. I learned what mechanical watches are versus quartz, the history of watch development, etc. It was here where I realized that education can be a potent drug, for once I found particular references and models I liked, I was unavoidably hooked. A couple years later, I purchased my Omega Speedmaster – this is the very same watch you may have seen in the thumbnail. That watch is deeply rooted in my life – motorcycle road trips, my wedding day, vacation abroad. It officially kickstarted a journey that continues now, and my hope is that perhaps it will guide someone else to great adventures too once my tenure as the watch’s custodian is complete.
Looking back on why I decided to get myself into this mess, I think the initial fascination was grounded in the “industrial”, or the technical and design aspect of watches. I mean, these things just look cool. You can’t slice it any other way – whether you love looking at dials or movements, there is a different flavor of ice cream for everyone. Watches come in all manners of shapes, sizes, styles, materials, complications and price points. There is certainly a lot of attraction to the idea of finding that one piece with enough gravitational pull to send you hurtling through your computer screen. However, the technical side of watches is still more iterative than groundbreaking – even though great companies continue to innovate and push the envelope, mechanical watch technology at its core hasn’t materially shifted in decades.
Fast forward to the present moment, and I think the nature of my pursuit has changed in favor of the romantic. This world is saturated (in a wonderful way) with stories about watches of legendary, almost mythic quality. Perhaps you are reminiscing about Dad’s Seiko that you remember him always having on in the backyard while reading the paper. Perhaps the subject in question is instead Paul Newman’s Rolex Daytona Ref. 6239, literally nicknamed the “Paul Newman,” which Paul was seen with quite frequently after it was gifted to him by his wife. My point in bringing two very different origin stories together is that they are equally important and help define why watches are great. These objects are talismans, sending us along to the next memory in making while helping us recall past adventures with fondness. Although watches are certainly technical marvels, the uniqueness of each example is primarily derived from its provenance and maybe a little patina on the side.
At the end of the day, all that I really want to accomplish is to help you find the watch, something special, that you can call your own and truly enjoy. We may not necessarily find the equivalent of the grail, the proverbial “Sword in the Stone,” but that will be the oasis we shall strive for none the less. It all starts with a conversation – perhaps unluckily for you, I just can’t shut up about this stuff. Talk soon.
Best,
Drake
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