It’s that time of year again… top 10s and best/worst of the year. December is a good time for a retrospective, but I think it might be time for a different sort of reflection.
I bought a couple of “new” watches this year – within reason. I am a voracious consumer of the antique and the unloved, to buy anything new(-ish) is unusual. However, it is not like I can offer much here in terms of excitement, as one of the watches has been readily available for a short while from the brand, and the other was just a new edition of a previous collaboration. I also purchased a couple of randoms of very, very micro micros, so it is not like there is much to report on that front. I certainly cannot produce a Top 10. Would you care?
Perhaps this is a problem… what “new” new has there been this year, and how accessible is it from a lay-persons perspective? A lot from the micro- front, some new models of some more established brands (Bremont, Christopher Ward…), a lot of Seiko. A lot of reissues. Swatch did another collaboration with a friend from school. It’s all a bit same old, same old isn’t it.
I have mused about the ennui I feel towards everything at times on other platforms, not necessarily on here; I tend to reserve TER for rants and raves. I have all but disengaged from most watch media… I even temporarily deactivated my account on one platform whose algorithm is hell-bent on sinking anything members of this motley crew produce… I wonder if I was missed? I do believe one of the greatest threats to watch fandom, and the industry in general, is apathy… and I think we might be seeing the effects of this already kick in.
Name an exciting watch from this year?
Are you about to say the Christopher Ward The Twelve? The PRX smashed the integrated bracelet and affordable price-point before that, maybe too well as their turnover went down this year as people probably moved on from the hype.
Spinnaker Fifty Phantoms? Speculators and flippers have seen their pieces go from £2500 to £650 on average. Not quite so exclusive now when the brand introduced the blue version by way of apology as to the shitshow that was the launch.
Pelagos FXD? <yawn>
I think it is sad when it is limited editions, further versions, and reissues that seemingly prop up the majority of newer releases, it seems to suggest we have run out of ideas. It is hard to keep up with most, but I think you really need a decent USP to really stand out from the rest, and it is getting harder and harder to do so. It is difficult to remain engaged.
I am also aiming this at micros as well. There are a lot of brands doing good things at affordable prices, but there are a lot of brands doing good things at affordable prices. Why is your $650-1250 Sellita-powered watch better than the others? It’s well made, yes, but so is that brands. I find it harder to see why some brands want to try and charge $650-1000 for a Miyota-powered watch, you really need to bring your A-game to that one (I’m looking at you Orion Hellcat, that’s nearly $1000 if I bought new and shipped to the UK… you are not an Arken Alterum are you).
I find it relentlessly disappointing that Erebus kicked things off with a colourful diver… wake me up when it’s all over, when I’m wiser and I’m older. It’s safe. Safe sells. Good for them, bad for the industry. I voted with my wallet but, you know, best of luck chaps…
Kickstarter is worse. I think one of the most interesting designs I have seen is the 3CT Moons of Jupiter – Ganymede, Callisto and Europa. Currently sitting with 18 days to go, 3 backers and miles off funding… this is a play off the rounded Hublot MDM Geneve / Classic Fusion, a transparent dial riffing off the fact these Moons have hidden features beneath their icy surfaces (well… that’s what I’ve read into it), Sellita movement and the prototypes look banging. I am mortified that these might never see the light of day… yet endless boring diver after diver gets money thrown at them. This is why I believe we are at critical mass. I’m not entirely sure I have the answer as to what we can do differently, but I do know that it is getting harder and harder to swallow the same stuff again and again.
What do I honestly think was good?
The modern update to the Chopard L.U.C 1860 was interesting. Not exactly in my price range, but I think it is beautiful.
Vero Smokey Bear – any watch that says “only you can prevent forest fires” is a winner in my book. I prefer the ‘64 model, but both are fun, and my love for Vero is unwavering and justified.
The Timex GGS2 is a lovely watch that’s clearly trying to show that Timex are willing to try something different, I am genuinely surprised by how much I admire it.
Avoirdupois Force Majeure, but God-knows how I could afford one of those; go integrated of go home eh? Sorry everyone, this is one of the most impressive integrated watches I’ve ever seen, and that includes you VC 222.
The Arken Alterum reminds me of the Tag Heuer Kirium, and I love my Kirium. More jobbyness.
What can I add? Not much. I’m sure there are those of you who will counter with watches that are interesting, and that is fine. I did almost buy a Chronomat GMT two weeks ago, so it’s not as if I am adverse to hype and marketing. My Christmas present is a Spinnaker Piccard (I did give it to Santa to re-gift to myself), but that was bought secondhand at 50% RRP. It reminds me of my Corum Bubble whilst also being a fuck-off diver, and I care little for the opinion of others.
The Escapement Room 
I really feel you with this post. I love the idea of more watch brands starting up and thus spreading the hobby, but at the same time more brands make the hobby feel more “corporate.” All I see are Miyota- and Sellita-powered field or dive watches. An orange dial is not a bold enough design choice to set a brand apart from the rest. Micros are stuck between a rock and a hard place: make a genuinely interesting watch and lose heaps of money or make a watch that is as soulful as a brick and make money. Most of the blame lies on the shoulders of the consumer. I buy what I like, which is usually something unique or a little bit contrarian. I’m thankful that I’m not basic, to put it in other words. Everyone and their mom has a watch brand these days, which subtracts from the hobby, especially when they all make the same thing.
I’m with you on the algorithm of that certain platform, as many of my recent posts have tanked. By nature, I’m a bit of a loose cannon, but I’m never offensive just for the sake of being offensive, there’s always some humour or meaning behind my madness. I wrote a review for my Eterna Matic 1000 a while ago, which absolutely fell face-first onto the concrete floor because I was a little bit dirty. Some comments showed up in my notifications, but not on the post. The post was dirty, I won’t lie, but it’s not something that I would hesitate reading to my grandmother. The worst it got was the occasional innuendo and use of the word “scrotum.”
I’ll probably repost and edit that review here someday, because I feel like I’ve been wronged by our AI overlords.
Thanks for a great read!
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Most of the blame does lie on the consumer, but having spoken to a number, they do not see how this is a problem. I suspect that if you want to have something slightly leftfield you are going to have to pay handsomely for it as safe and boring will flood the “affordable” side of the market unless a brand has sufficient cache in dropping something unique. That is a very small catchment, and already hard to join the “clubs”, so to speak. I warn of homogeneity and apathy… we are sleepwalking into the next crisis. I do not believe it will be an economic crisis as watches are selling, and the micro- market is stable (for now), more of a cultural shock. Before you all know it, it will be triple figures for a non-dive or field with a USP with a waitlist of “get fucked”. Oh wait…
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