Greg
We haven’t had one of these in a while. We haven’t had much in a while. To be frank, my desire to write anything watch related is in remission. I really don’t care what Rolex and Tudor released at Watches and Wonders. I also don’t care that Longines made their signature dive watch less objectively ugly. They aren’t marketing those at me.
I am wearing a new vintage watch from the 1960’s. It is one of those niche Hong Kong brands that came and went in that decade before all production was moved to the mainland. For the first time since 2020 I don’t have any watches in my watch list on eBay. I need to divest more than acquire, but I am not inspired enough to do too much of that.
What is filling your thoughts and days now that the watch fever has broken? Since we started this watch blog, I have changed jobs and been elevated the chairmanship of our local housing authority. My youngest is about to head off to college and I am of two minds about that. I can’t believe that it is actually happening. It seems like yesterday that she was running around the house in a Disney princess dress and wand. I am nostalgic by nature (hence the vintage watches and fountain pens) and I sense a funk coming on.
If I have run out of things to say about watches on a regular basis I may fill space with thoughts about housing policy. It is my other hobby. What is occupying your time if not the Escapement Room?
JC
Wonderful hearing from you. Three sub 9 children and a house remodel have kept me extremely busy. I’m also on a long fitness journey so a lot of scrolling time has been replaced with picking up heavy things and putting them down.
The things we humans do.
I haven’t posted on WatchCrunch in over a year now and it’s almost certainly for the best. I do occasionally miss writing long form watch content but have negative desire to optimize for engagement. I can’t deal with the average WC (or any watch forum) poster anymore and so I abstain.
That doesn’t mean a lack of watch engagement. My watch Whatsapp group is filled with WC refugees and we take turns roasting each other, complaining about Watches and Wonders, carping about watch YouTube content, swapping parenting tips/memes, and a million other things. There is a particularly vibrant discussion currently on two tone-itis and its potential remedies.
I also still buy watches, perhaps with a bit less reckless abandon. I recently bought a Seiko SLA043 that I enjoy entirely too much and am wearing a neovintage Chopard 1905 that I acquired for gold weight.
I have a number of ideas rattling around my brain for a long form watch post but little time to write them. I keep telling myself I’ll get around to it but time continues to slip.
Alas.
Todd
Benevolent HOA leader Greg? That takes some getting used to. [Way more exulted than that…Editor.]
Like both of you, the average user of watch forums is getting tiring. I still frequent Watch Crunch but find I’m only skimming the surface most days.
My interest in watch writing is also winding down. Maybe it will pick back up? I do have a post for tomorrow the 19th and a few dozen drafts I can’t seem to finish.
Watches & Wonders has really never held much fascination for me in the past 4 years since I got bitten by the watch bug, probably because I know I’ll never buy any of the watches shown there. I am a person with a huge appreciation for craftsmanship and some of the most exquisite watches are introduced at Watches & Wonders, so maybe I should pay more attention to it. However, me ogling watches I’ll never own seems like a good way of driving myself insane or to a place I’d rather not be.
So why be on Watch Crunch or other forums? I’m not sure. I know I’ve found some local friends via Watch Crunch and would like to think that I’m friendly enough with other members across the country that we could be friends if we lived close enough.
I guess there’s still value enough on Watch Crunch for now to override all of the inane content. For now.
Sherwin
Hey. Long time listener first time caller.
I haven’t thought of watches in a significant manner in a while. I had maybe a brief burst of enthusiasm a month ago when I got my Timex Expedition North Mechanical. That was a gift though so no real active participation in getting it.
Just a few days ago I got my 1940s JLC RAF military watch back after 3 months in the shop. I am overwhelmed by how underwhelmed I felt. Is it possible that watches are no longer a thing to behold? Have I inadvertently turned it into a white good in my head?
Last time I was active in the Escapement Room I was attempting to cut back to a one-watch collection (I’m not gonna debate about the nomenclature, call it a collection or don’t). I almost made it. I stopped at 3 watches. I remember thinking how empty it felt, the collecting, the culling, collecting again, culling again. So I just stopped. If I’m honest, I don’t miss obsessing over watches. I do miss writing about watches. But I don’t know to what end.
Anyway, hope all is good and still ticking.
Ryan
Many life changes have happened to me too. I changed courses from Actuarial Sciences to Geology. While they seem totally unrelated, the department of geology gets many refugees from the maths department.
Anyway, I’ve slowed down a bit with watches thanks to my Omega Constellation. I realised that in order for me to “level up” or get the next big thing, I’d have to spend quite a bit of money. One of my friends wants to take the watch off my hands quite badly, and he usually pulls through with a nice trade deal. The guy who sold me the Omega is a great guy. He’s my age, but I’m business as opposed to higher education, managing a shop or restaurant or something on top of his buying and selling. I help him out with appraisals and valuations for watches and he’s kind enough to get me some good deals every so often.
Watches slowed down and on old hobby came back: fountain pens. Greg will remember our brief chat about them a while ago. That was the day before I found a nice second hand Montblanc Meisterstuck Classique 145. It’s a nice pen, but the nib is just a little too broad to dethrone my Sheaffer Triumph Touchdown for daily writing. There’s a lot in common between watch repair and fountain pen repair. Shellac, swearing and expensive mistakes happening in the blink of an eye. While no particular watches are on my radar, I have some pens I’m looking to get, particularly a Sheaffer Targa and Conway Stewart. There are also two relatively affordable Montblancs for sale, niche models, a Carrera and a Noblesse. Fountain pens is the only hobby of mine where I can afford gold, so I can justify it as an investment if I buy the pen at close enough to melt value.
Being serious about my studies really changed how I approached watches. I’m nowhere near as active as I used to be, simply because sometimes I’m trying my hardest to identify cleavage in a mineral and getting it absolutely wrong. I’ve been busy and I haven’t touched my cleaning machine in ages. I haven’t added anything to my non-fiction writing projects in just as long.
I have a draft or two I wrote up in moments of inspiration or boredom, but like many of us here, many days it feels like I’ve run out of watch things to talk about. I still don’t get turned on by modern Tudor. I still think modern Longines is okay. I still think vintage is king and dress watches rule. I can only say this once a month before everyone gets bored or catches on. Maybe I’m overthinking it.
My next post will probably be about my Constellation; the draft has been sitting almost complete for ages. After that, expect to see a small fountain pen cameo.
Paul
Hey crew!
I’ve been very busy with my freelance work, the writings I do for PrimerPeak.com, editing over at RangeRival.com, and my YouTube channel. Since my last article for us last year, my channel has grown quite a lot. I’m even making ethical (non-shilled) money with it too!
I’m still hosting our twice-monthly watch meets here in Utah (which I’m grateful to be doing). As for watch-interest, it’s still been on cool old stuff, and for the local things here in UT. We’ve got a lot of enthusiasts here, and a bunch of microbrands popping up too. I’ve also been working part time with a friend at his watch & clock repair shop, which has gotten me hands-on with even more watches. However, I’ve still not bought anything since 2024, and am feeling fine with that.
I’ll probably make an article or two in the near future. My Kinetic article (and the video too) have both gotten good views, which I’m pleased with. Views aren’t the reason to create works online, but getting eyes on things certainly feels good.
Chris
Sorry… missed all this.
I changed careers and have spent the last 9 months in intensive training. The end is in sight and, hopefully, a new role.
I’ve also taken up endurance racing, so my free time is spent in the gym or pounding the pavement. I’m leaner than I’ve ever been, but the downside to losing a fair bit of weight is that your clothes don’t fit and you have to learn how to sit again because your arse disappears. Sitting used to be fun, now it’s a form of torture.
I still buy watches, and it’s just randomness on a whim. I did think about buying an old drum machine and a TB303 clone the other day, for the combined total of a new watch, like the old me who was into other things, and I then changed my mind and bought a couple of Casios to mod instead. I guess I know what I like, it’s not going to stop.
I too need to thin the collection down. I have been good at wearing watches for long periods of time – the latest beau was my Citizen Promaster Sailhawk. I fix a lot of old divers and Citizens now, and I am slightly obsessed with Citizen in general. Currently I am rocking a new Casio WS-1700H. I have very little else to add in terms of watch-talk… I like digital again?
Why do older models of ana-digi always drift out of sync?
Why did Pulsar (Seiko) think having two separate movements in their NX series was a good idea as they need realigning daily. The NX04 could have been so much better if the analogue and digital displays actually worked in tandem.
Why don’t we see much more ana-digi in new releases? Breitling stopped all of theirs bar the Emergency. Omega did a version of the X-33, but no other weird models for a long time.
Anyway, I digress.
I hope you are all doing well.
We should write more…
(Search parties are still looking for Kaysia…)
The Escapement Room 