you are trapped in here with us
I had long hair. It wasn't styled into a man bun or braided or anything, it was just some hair that happened to be on my head. I was very different from my former self once I moved to Pretoria for university. Some political views changed, some remained. My faith did a full 180Β° rotation.… Continue reading My first time being a hipster.
It was a hot summer day in Brooklyn, not the one in New York, but Brooklyn, Pretoria. I had my first and likely only meal of the day on account of a 21-day fast at the time: a flapjack at my friend's place next door. My friend, Kat, and myself had been spending a lot… Continue reading What a kidney infection taught me about watch collecting
I recently bought my first Jaeger-LeCoultre. It's a manually wound Club model from the '60s or '70s. When I started collecting watches as a high-school student three years ago or so, I never would have thought I'd wear a JLC before I graduated university and started working a well-paying job. If there's one thing 2025… Continue reading Why you should and shouldn’t buy a Jaeger-LeCoultre Club
I have been dealing with a wave of ennui for the last eleven months. Every time something gets resolved, a new issue arises. I have been as interested as ever with watches, but I've grown to be more and more of a cynic. My tastes in watches have changed. I've been exploring more complicated stuff… Continue reading I remember what I love about watches. Seiko Lord Matic review
I have never been a fan of AliExpress watches. I've always found their designs to be a bit... unoriginal, broadly speaking. There are Chinese watches with original designs, like the Sea-Gull 1963 chronograph and Merkur, which, as a brand, has some very nice original designs. I have been tempted by those many times in the… Continue reading Uncharted territory: a review of my first Chinese watch, the Addiesdive 1000m.
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… Continue reading The Dunning-Kruger effect in watch collecting spaces
This blog post is going to be shorter than my usual works and for good reason. Like quite a handful of my posts now, watches are only related tangentially. It was the afternoon of Friday, 3 October. I had just finished writing my numerical analysis practical and my friends and I were going to treat… Continue reading The fragility of life
Bulova is a watch company with a storied history. I'm sure Greg has written more about Bulova than I can or should, but I know a fair bit of their history regardless. New York, 150-odd years, Accutron (see: "things that Ryan loves that are guaranteed to hurt him,") giant space chronograph, et cetera. Bulova wasn't… Continue reading Bulova and other American watch ramblings
I consider myself quite an amicable person. It's honestly not difficult to get along with a wide variety of people so long as you're open-minded and keep your ego in check. Whenever I spot those who have their differences from me, be it a difference in religion, or difference in opinion on whether pineapple belongs… Continue reading The End Is Near
This is perhaps one of the restorations I am most proud of. All it took me was a day to get it from a watch even the seller said was in "bad shape" to a beautiful and rare watch with a special connection to my hometown. Now, how did I get this watch? After I… Continue reading On the workbench part six: 24 hours with Ryan
The Escapement Room 