you are trapped in here with us
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
(Written May 2025) I collect/hoard vintage watches. Very few people keep the box of a product for fifty years. Hell, few people keep the box for more than a week. This means that when you buy a vintage watch, ninety-nine times out of a hundred, you get the watch, no more, no less. That being… Continue reading The joy of a box and papers
I wanted to watch an Austin Powers film the other day. My mother has Apple TV, which is the only streaming service that has the Austin Powers series. I don't know how the payment system for Apple TV works, but if you want to see Mike Myers say "shag" while stuffing your face with popcorn,… Continue reading Why pay when you can go outside?
Watch content has been a circlejerk for a while now, we all know that. I grew tired of hearing about the latest and greatest best value Miyota- or Seiko-powered micro brand "disrupting the industry" many, many moons ago. I've been tired of hearing about people whining about Seiko QC and questionable moves like killing the… Continue reading Sick and tired (yelling at clouds)
As parents, we frequently find ourselves telling our kids "No" A LOT and a good chunk of those "No's" are delivered with no real reason behind it besides, "I said No". We can't articulate why the answer is no, we just know it is. For me, some watch purchase decisions are in this category. On… Continue reading That Nagging Feeling
The Escapement Room 