What is a “Grail Watch” Anyway?

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The phrase "Grail Watch" gets thrown around quite often by watch collectors. It's a name that calls back to the Holy Grail of Arthurian lore. The Holy Grail would grant the drinker healing powers, immortality, or some other mystical feat. It was greatly sought out by man, and we've adapted the phrase to mean something… Continue reading What is a “Grail Watch” Anyway?

The Quartz Crisis of 2025

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As watch enthusiasts, there's often this feeling that we should care more about mechanical watches than quartz ones. We're told that mechanical watches "have soul", and that "quartz is boring". Well, I'm a watch enthusiast, and I love both quartz and mechanical watches. What is The Quartz Crisis of 2025? The Quartz Crisis of the… Continue reading The Quartz Crisis of 2025

Round table #18 – vintage trifles

Chris: Greg had an idea for a vintage round table… How about, vintage desires and vintage regrets? Why you have or have not dipped your toes in? Todd: My vintage regret is a birth year Timex. I thought I wanted a birth year watch, but after receiving one and wearing it a few times, it… Continue reading Round table #18 – vintage trifles

No, you do not need the new thing.

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Most watch media is trying to push you to buy something. It could be a "review" that is thinly veiled advertising, or someone who is banking on you unknowingly buying via their affiliate link. It grinds my gears that it's not more transparent, but I think it exposes a deeper issue. Do you really need the… Continue reading No, you do not need the new thing.

In the Prize Box

In Chris’ vintage buying guide (pinned to the top of our page) he warns about certain brands as being particularly susceptible to being “fakes” or frankenwatches, especially if bought from Asian sellers. And here I was on a Saturday morning, with two of one of these brands in my hands and the certainty that one… Continue reading In the Prize Box

A Year Trapped in the Escapement Room: Heritage, History–and since We’re Alliterating–Hyping Horology

It's been exactly a year since I first started writing for the Escapement Room. I used to do a post every week or so. But eventually that died down to maybe once a month. I'm a relatively new collector. I don't have a lot to say about watches. Mostly I wrote about my preferences and… Continue reading A Year Trapped in the Escapement Room: Heritage, History–and since We’re Alliterating–Hyping Horology

The Road to 10 Watches

If you've been following my watch enthusiast journey on WatchCrunch (sue me, Greg 😉) for any significant length of time, you are likely aware that I have a good number of watches. Presently, I have 24 watches in a wearable condition (working, keeps reasonable time & has a strap or bracelet). Yes, this is sort… Continue reading The Road to 10 Watches

First there is a watch…

When I was sixteen, right at the start of summer, I did something profoundly stupid. It involved alcohol and paramedics. My parents rightly punished me. The original idea was to ground me for the whole summer. I would be relegated to mowing the lawn and watching television by myself without my friends, going nowhere. This… Continue reading First there is a watch…