you are trapped in here with us
What follows is an argument. This is an argument that I have often, in many contexts, but it always begins as a definitional argument. When we use certain terms, what do we mean?[i] Much has been written recently about the importance and desirability of sustainability in the watch industry. What does it mean to buy… Continue reading Some thoughts on sustainable watches
I have spent the last few days in the suburbs of a large city in Florida helping a family member recover from surgery. I am not normally a “Florida person”. Although I love all things warm and tropical and I find Spanish inflected English endearing, I prefer some changes in elevation and the semblance of… Continue reading Dystopian Watch Shopping
In 2020 the microbrand TrollDeep was founded by partners Jan Jensen and Alan Smithee in the Faroe Islands. In their initial Kickstarter campaign TrollDeep pledged to “make watches that you will buy” and with the quality and design that “won’t be too bad”. That initial Kickstarter only netted $14.74 and so the two began an… Continue reading TrollDeep, the Escapement Room Interview
Sometimes questions and situations reoccur in the watch collecting and enthusiast world. On forums and in private communications we are sometimes bombarded with collectors who require answers and seemingly have nowhere to turn. Luckily these answers do exist and have been collected and collated in the latest edition of the Manual for the International Society… Continue reading Consult the Manual (that’s why it’s there)
Ugo Boncompagni* was elected Pope in 1572. Before his ascension he had been a lawyer and papal legate. He is better known to us as Gregory XIII. He was a reformer and is responsible for what became known as the Gregorian Calendar. In this regard he is sometimes confused with the sixth century Pope Gregory… Continue reading The lessons that history teaches
Kaysia has written convincingly about what burlesque performers, drug addicts, and fictional vampire hunters and serial killers can teach us about watch collecting. (I learned once not to take a cigarette from a woman who was performing on stage and that I can, or could, inhale an entire Virginia Slims Menthol in one breath. But… Continue reading A Greek philosopher explains watch collecting
Greg: So, I will roll this your way: If you had malicious intent, what would be the worst watch advice you could give? I have seen this advice given and seen this applied by collectors to themselves: only have one watch per manufacturer in a collection. Why would we ever limit ourselves thusly? Why would… Continue reading Round Table No. 7: More Ed Anger than Dear Abby
Am I ahead of a fashion trend, or way behind? I will let you decide. I think that I am behind. Maybe the watch world is not fashion after all. According to the fashion industry consultants Heuritech, the fashion industry experience cycles in roughly twenty-year increments. First there is the “introduction” of the trend,… Continue reading Old man fashion
Gonna take a sentimental journeyGonna set my heart at easeGonna make a sentimental journeyTo renew old memories. -“Sentimental Journey" (music by Les Brown and Ben Homer, lyrics by Bud Green) In sixth grade (more or less when I was twelve) I had a stern teacher who was known for his discipline and his… Continue reading Gonna take a sentimental journey
I lurked for a few years before I ever made my first comment on a watch forum. I wasn’t sure that, even anonymously, I wanted to be outed as a watch nerd. Now I comment all of the time and even include enough biographical information that you could find me and punch me in the… Continue reading The mask slips
The Escapement Room 