The Dunning-Kruger effect in watch collecting spaces

This is a rant. Indulge me if you wish.

I was recently on Reddit and happened across a post in some watch-related subreddit I joined years ago. It revolved around some guy taking a watch to a watchmaker to have the acrylic crystal polished and SHOCK HORROR the watchmaker didn’t know what Polywatch was.

I try hard to be kind. Some days it’s the most difficult thing I do. The tone of the post was more curious than anything, but some comments were written with a subtle Reddit tone, i.e. they sounded like they were authored by people who thought themselves more intelligent than they actually are, i.e. people like this:

“So, you haven’t heard of Polywatch, good sir? I suppose you’re not a real watchmaker then.”

I have never bought Polywatch before. It’s not readily available in South Africa. There are much more economical ways to polish an acrylic crystal. Here’s a list of them:

• Wet sandpaper. Doesn’t need to be fancy. 600 to 3000+ grit should have you covered for even the deepest of scratches.
• Toothpaste. It’s a mild abrasive and will take out most fine scratches.
• Brass/silver polish. I use the Brasso and Silvo brands because they work really well on gold plated cases too. These will take out fine scratches like toothpaste.
• Polishing compound. You can buy a brick of the stuff and use it with a buffing wheel or a Dremel with the right attachment. Bear in mind this method is quick, but if done wrong you can melt the crystal’s surface, which will have to be sanded/polished off.
• Car polish. This one should be self explanatory and functions much the same as the toothpaste/metal polish methods.

All of these are cheaper than Polywatch, at least where I am and likely where you are too. The polishing compound and buffing wheel requires the most equipment, but for a watchmaker who likely already has all the kit, a brick of polish pays itself off quickly. I wonder if Mr Reddit knows that.

I believe I know the cause of this all. Marshall from Wristwatch Revival and other YouTube channels like his. I mean no disrespect to Marshall, as I’m sure he’s a lovely guy and we’d definitely get along over a cup of coffee. It’s moreso aggressive fans of his channel that are the issue. They think he’s a watchmaking guru. He’s not. He likely won’t be for years, and that’s nothing to be ashamed of; he’s a hobbyist, like me. I’ve watched many of his videos, because they are entertaining to listen to. Marshall has a great speaking voice and knows how to retain an audience, but he is not the best watchmaker in the world. I have seen many questionable techniques being used and choices being made that I wouldn’t recommend and in some cases would call totally wrong. That’s okay, it’s called learning, and he doesn’t call himself an expert. The same is true with me. I don’t even have all the fancy oild and greases that watchmakers of the 21st century do, but I lean heavily on techniques of the ’60s and ’70s, because they still work and allow me to service watches without having to spend a heap of money on big bottles of expensive oils that I won’t use up before they expire.

People tend to repeat what they hear, and the voice of a YouTube personality is louder than a sixty-year-old watchmaker in a dusty shop. Alex Hamilton is of the best watch repair YouTube channels, but he doesn’t do restoration content with hype music and epic transformations. His videos are more akin to a wise professor lecturing the art of watchmaking. It can be entertaining, in the same way attending a summit/conference for a subject you’re passionate about is entertaining, but a lot more technical than Wristwatch Revival.

The long and short of it is that when someone with a degree from Reddit University sees Teddy Baldasarre, Andrew Morgan, Nico Leonard, et cetera, rave about Polywatch, Christopher Ward, NATO straps among other trends, they think they know watches. If you just blurt out buzzwords they froth at the mouth like rabid dogs in heat. Seiko GADA NATO sailcloth sapphire value AR coating Hamilton in-house movement Christopher Ward titanium PVD finish.

Call me the whiny old watchmaker, but I don’t take anyone seriously on the technical nature of watches (or even the non-technical nature) unless they can tell me how to restaff a balance or identify unsafe locking in a normal Swiss lever movement. This may sound very elitist, but just because something is your hobby or you are passionate about it doesn’t automatically make you an expert. It’s like me calling myself a mathematician for instance. I know a lot more about mathematics than the average person and I’m passionate about set theory in particular, but that doesn’t mean I rank among Newton, Gauss, Leibniz, and so on. Saying otherwise is an insult to their work.

That’s my rant sort of over. The internet is awash with pseudo-experts who know everything and are vocal about the fact. Life is best lived when you approach every facet with humbleness and willingness to learn.

Most importantly, don’t go to Reddit University, it’s even worse than [academic institution of your choice].