you are trapped in here with us
This year I am batting .181, which makes me the Dal Maxvill of online bidding watch idiots. I have only won 18% of the online auctions where I have participated. I lost one this weekend that was deeply frustrating to me and Chris because we discussed that I had found the perfect 1940’s military watch,… Continue reading Born to lose
I don't have a Patek Philippe Golden Ellipse. I want one. But I don't have the money for something like that. Nor, unless I win the lottery (and what's the probability of that ever happening?), I probably never will. It retails for above 62,000 USD, which is considerably more than what I earn in a… Continue reading Perfect is the Enemy of the Good, Or Compromise is not a Dirty Word
Upon reflection I realize that I know nothing. What little knowledge I had gleaned from the world of vintage watches could not fill a Chinese teacup. Whatever rules established by voracious consumption and vicarious living through enthused enthusiasts sharing their watch lives do not always translate to confident experience. Sizes. Goddamn sizes. Why are they… Continue reading Matters of Size and Size Mattering
Many watch collectors and enthusiasts use the term “strap monster” unironically and frequently as if it describes an actual attribute of a particular watch. For this bit of inanity, we can blame YouTube sensation and weak mustache aficionado TGV. He claims to have coined it and I for one, will gladly let him take it.… Continue reading Towards a theory of watch strap aesthetics
What you see here is a 1920s (I wanna say 1926 but I could be mistaken, this could a model from a later year, maybe 1928) Rolex Oyster. It has a "3-piece cushion case" and is 32mm. Supposedly it's the one of the first, if not the first "waterproof" watch. I have an opportunity to… Continue reading Peak Vintage Rolex
There is something that I don’t understand about the online vintage watch market. I have theories, but just really guesses about this particular problem. If you have been paying attention to this space you know that Chris and I pride ourselves on being able to find diamonds in the rough, underappreciated watches that don’t have… Continue reading Inflation hits the Dollar (Watch)
In the first installment of this occasional series, I advocated for gold watches, small watches, and non-round case shapes. My arguments were sound and due to their obvious correctness, I don’t feel the need to defend or revisit those points. There is more to explore. But first, I want to step back and note a… Continue reading Watch Fashion for the Unfashionable Man (Pt. 2)
I've been stalling. I honestly don't know how I'm going to do it. But I continue to dream of owning just one watch. It's not exactly as easy as getting rid of all the watches, either by selling them or giving them away. The challenge is more nuanced than that. What do I do with… Continue reading I Dream of a One-Watch Collection, Part Two: The How
Chris: Partly inspired by the recent furore over the latest Credor reissue (did you know Genta designed a watch for Seiko?), and mainly by general ennui, let us commit the ultimate sin and take shots at one of the saints. Who wants to kick things off? Ryan: Have you ever been betrayed by someone you… Continue reading Round Table No. 14: Genta – will we ever move on?
My birth year was the year that we lost Buster Keaton and gained Salma Hayek. Kwame Nkrumah lost control of Ghana. The Black Panthers were founded. The Flintstones left the air. Walt Disney died just before the first Kwanzaa. This was the year that we first saw It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown! and How… Continue reading Birth Year, you are bringing me down…
The Escapement Room 