you are trapped in here with us
This post is heavily inspired by Greg's post Inflation hits the Dollar (Watch), which you should take a few moments to read sometime for a broader perspective on the phenomenon I'm discussing. Greg spoke about dollar watches, watches meant to be sold for a dollar way back in the day. Westclox, Timex and Kienzle did… Continue reading Should you buy a pin-pallet?
Watchmaking is broad. A watchmaker is expected to be in command of the skillsets of the engineer, the jeweller, the businessperson and even the artist. How much a watchmaker is expected to know of each of these facets is determined by his or her customer base as well as his or her willingness. Many watchmakers… Continue reading Finding joy in the little jobs
Obviously not, that would be stupid. That's like saying I'm done with breathing or drinking beer. It won't happen. That being said, I can't help but notice a pattern in my buying and interests. I'm diversifying, not in watch type or function, because dress watches and old everyday watches (watches that did everything, like my… Continue reading Am I done with watches?
This isn't my first rodeo. I've worked on other people's watches before, namely two Citizens among others from a professor at North-West University, a Tissot Navigator dive watch and a Tissot PR 516 with an ESA electronic movement from my watchmaker. I've spoken about all of those with varying degrees of detail. Some projects just… Continue reading On the workbench part one: Zenith Stellina service watch
For those of us fortunate enough to have met our grandparents, we know that as one ages, one becomes more like a child: more fragile and more dependent. Our track and field grandfathers struggled to get to the post box. Our yoga instructor grandmothers couldn't bend down anymore. Most things deteriorate with age. Cars are… Continue reading They don’t make ’em like they used to…
There's an antiques market on the first Sunday of every month at the Nelson Mandela Square in Sandton. The stars finally aligned and I got the chance to go. This was my experience: I felt small. There were quite a few stalls, maybe twenty or so, selling everything from teaspoons to clothes, with a good… Continue reading Antiques hunting
I love having my car's engine rebuilt. I love repainting my house. I love visiting my doctor when I'm perfectly healthy. What kind of idiotic masochist takes pleasure in such activities? They're a lot of effort and are definitely not cheap, so why do people seemingly look forward to those tasks/events? Well, they don't, at… Continue reading Beating a dead horse: I’m a masochist, but those guys…
It's roughly ten minutes to two and I'm laying in my bed. I don't smoke and don't plan to start, but I'm sure a cigarette would do me well now. My trusty (somewhat) Kienzle travel alarm clock is wound up and running next to my ear. It's loud, but it doesn't bother me. I'm used… Continue reading Come what may, I love what I do.
I've always found that the best way to prepare for an essay is to write a whole load of nonsense about anything under the sun. I often recycle stories from this blog when in need of something to write. It's as easy as, scroll, summarise, submit. (See, alliteration helps too, especially in first additional language… Continue reading Preparation for my creative writing exam (a post about mayonnaise)
Translation provided at the end of post. Die ontbloot van geskiedenis deur horlosieversameling. Wat maak 'n horlosie spesiaal? Vra twee mense en jy sal drie antwoorde kry. Beweging? Styl of voorkoms? Waarde? Die lys gaan aan. Ek glo dat 'n horlosie word spesiaal deur die persoon wat hom dra. Suid-Afrika in die 1950s was tien… Continue reading βThe Escapement Roomβ nou in Afrikaans
The Escapement Room 