My Continuing Fascination With Watches

My daily watch... the Hamilton Khaki King Automatic.

Ever since I wrote the post a couple of weeks ago about some of the family timepieces that I have, I have been thinking about the strange (or not so strange) fascination that I have with watches. I guess it all started with the pocket watch that my dad handed down to me. I never gave much thought prior to that about the numbers strapped to my wrist but when I looked at the mechanical movement I couldn’t help but be mesmerized by the beauty, engineering, and design that keeps the world on schedule. Contrary to what the Emcee tells you, it is time that makes the world go round.

As I said before, I wear a Hamilton Khaki King Automatic every day. I have never had to worry about the battery dying and it keeps great time only requiring a slight adjustment every couple of months. The only thing that I have had to do over the last near decade is replace the leather band a couple of times. That was definitely not the case before I started my Hamilton as I usually ended up buying a new watch almost every year with the exception of a couple Swiss Army watches that lasted two years.

However, lately I have been thinking about changing things up a bit. There are a lot of different watches on the market which have Swiss automatic movements and many of them can be found at a reasonable price. Of course, there are others that are priced much higher. So I have started looking around at comparable watches on the market to my current timepiece. As a starting point, my current Hamilton is toward the lower range when considering the Swiss automatic watch market. However, there are a number of companies producing the same and sometimes slightly better quality than Hamilton while remaining in the same neighborhood price wise.

So far, Oris, Frederique Constant, Gevril, Tissot, and lightly used Raymond Weil watches seem to be the best options. The offer watches at roughly the same price point but can better accompany more formal attire. Obviously they all house Swiss automatic movements (most of which are mass produced by Swatch) and they all come with leather bands (steel bands for a few dollars more). It is a bigger decision than one would think as these watches are made to last a lifetime and I plan on keeping them just as long. But, in the end, they all hold their value so if you catch them at the right time or pick on up with some light wear you can probably get your money back in the future is needed.

I have never been a proponent of spending a lot of money on a watch like a Tag Heuer, Omega, Breitling, Rolex, and Cartier or on the truly luxury brands like Jaeger-LeCoultre, Patek Philippe, and A. Lange & Söhne. Unless you have the means to do so, these time pieces don’t make much sense to me. After all, these are still utilitarian items in addition to being works of art and amazing pieces of classical engineering. After all, this is one of the best accessories that a man can have regardless of the budget within which they are looking. But, for now, I will keep enjoying my stalwart automatic while the search continues for the right watch.

Sunday Search: Telling Time

Having spent the last couple of months sorting through family photos it was time to change things up a bit. Sometimes it can get a little repetitive looking at the two dimensional as it can be difficult at times to peer over to the other side of the lens. It is times like these when I like to pull open my dresser drawer and hold the items that have been passed down to me through the family. While there are a variety of items from rings and cuff links to spoons and other knickknacks, there is a small collection of watches that I seem to go back to more often than the other items.

The Timex at the top of the photo is by no means a valuable wrist watch. It is a very simple, heavily worn watch that my grandpop used to wear. That is where the value is for me. I don’t have many memories of my grandpop but there is something about holding an item that he wore every day that brings a sense of connection and makes me wonder what that watch had been through and where it may have been as well.

The pocket watch at the bottom of the picture is something that represents both sides of my family. My great grandmother gave this Howard watch from the 1920’s to my dad years ago. He added the chain where you can see his initials. A few years ago he passed this watch down to me and I have taken it all over the world while it has also served as inspiration for numerous creative endeavors in the past. It is something that represents my mom’s family and, while I don’t recall him ever using it, something that reminds me of my dad.

The three watches in the middle came to me at different times in my life. The Citizen on the right is the first watch that I bought and it served me well for a couple of years. The Invicta in the middle was given to me by my brother at the rehearsal dinner the day before his wedding when I served as one of his groomsmen. And the watch on the left is the one that I have worn nearly every day for the past eight years. My parents gave the Hamilton Khaki Automatic to me and it has not only served me well over the years in a practical sense but it also reminds me of my parents and their generosity whenever I slow down and take a moment to appreciate it.

All of these watches have stories behind them. Some old, some new. Some tell a little bit of the story of many family while others are simply a part of my story. However, I hope to pass these down to my son, along with the stories that I know, many years from now once I have had a little more time to enjoy them. Again, that is the true value in these timepieces.

Another Year, Another New iPhone

Picture via @Apple Twitter account.

In the not too distant future there will be lines wrapping around the block of people waiting to get their hands on the ‘latest and greatest’ Apple product to hit the market. As with previous releases, Apple held a massive marketing meeting launch party to announce the iPhone 6 yesterday. I would say that this is an exciting turn of events for me but I honestly wasn’t even aware of it until I turned on the radio last night on my way home. Oh course, my immediate thought upon hearing the broadcast was “didn’t they just release the iPhone 5?”

I have never been one to eagerly adopt the newest technology. I am surrounded by many such products on a daily basis at the office as clients roll out new innovations and reporters discuss their most recent conversations but, personally, I am perfectly happy being a little behind. In this instance, my iPhone 4S is still functioning (for the most part) and my computer can handle all of the basic tasks that I need it to process. With that said, Windows 8 still sucks.

I guess the most interesting part for me during this perpetual upgrade cycle that most people have bought into is the ebb and flow of expectations that people have for these products and the lengths to which they are willing to go to be one of the first people to own one. And all of this so they can have a sleeker design and a slightly larger screen or, for those unwilling to hold their phone, a watch that goes beyond the boundaries of James Bond and into the realm of unnecessary functionality. It's a freaking watch people. Screw the Jones’, this is more like keeping up with the Jetsons.  

In the end, the biggest winners in this adoption cycle is not the people buying the products. The people benefiting the most from these launches are Apple, the credit card companies, wireless service providers, and criminals looking for another way to access information. Well, this time around U2 got a good boost as well. Touché Bono!

As for me, I will stick with my now antiquated iPhone 4S until it finally dies. And when it does I will try to get another one as I don’t ever plan on spending $200 on a new phone and I don’t want to have to buy a whole new set of plugs for the iPhone 5. As for my watch, I’ll stick with my Hamilton as it does what it is supposed to do by telling me the time whenever I look at it. Thankfully, I don’t have to wait in line for either.