Opinion

Every watch geek has asked themselves this question at some point of another, "Maybe I should start investing in watches?". Is it a good idea? Read on to find out (Spoilers, it isn't unless you have a spare $250,000).

After a few months of pondering, I've finally figured out why I'm not excited by vintage reissues, no matter how great the individual watches may be. 

From German Fliegers to the British Dirty Dozen, watch geeks just love military watches. But why? What is it about these timepieces that make them so desirable?

In December of 2016, Vulcain announced that seven of their twelve employees were being let go amidst declining sales. So what would I do if I took over as CEO? Focus on what made Vulcain great, the Cricket.

What would I do if I suddenly became CEO of TAG Heuer? Cut down most of the references and reduce focus on in-house movements. And that's just to start with.

Yesterday Hodinkee and Zenith released a limited edition El Primero Chronograph that was sold on the Hodinkee Shop. It's a beautiful watch but I'm more concerned about the conflict of interest it presents for any future coverage of Zenith on Hodinkee.

I love writing about watches and for those interested in how I write about watches then look no further. 

In-house movements represent the culmination of potentially millions of dollars of investment, years of research and development and the accumulation of talented watchmakers who have the skill to pull it all together. But are they really all that important?

Mechanical watchmaking is obsolete and nothing will change that. We need to celebrate that. We need to support useless watches that only tell the time. We don't have to worry about keeping up to date with the ever quickening pace of technology.

The effect the quartz crisis had on the watch industry is still being felt today; it shapes how brands interact with their clients and how they make watches. Branding is the lasting legacy of the quartz crisis.