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.

Three Months!

It seems like I just posted the two month blog yesterday but here we are just over three months since our son was born (three months and three days to be exact). There have been good times and hard times throughout the last month as our son has become aware of more and more of the world around him. He is slowly learning little pieces here and there and now communicates in his own way with us (especially when daddy comes home from work). That moment when he turns his head and smiles at me is, by far, the highlight of my day.

Everyone said that these days go by fast and while there are certainly times when time seems to move very slowly, I really don’t know where the last three months have gone. It is a blur of work and baby with a few memories from lodge meetings and other events. Everything seems to have faded into unimportance while the specific moments of seeing my son do things, see things, react certain ways, and sooth us remain vivid in my mind. Even some of the unpleasantries that have been experienced are quarantined into the recesses of memory. It is a hard thing to explain but many of you know exactly what I am talking about.

There are times when I have come through the door after a particularly long day at the office and everything seems to just fade away. Other times I have come home later than usual knowing I have to get some more unavoidable work done but lacking the energy to do so… sneaking up to his crib and watching him sleep is all I need to keep going and keep working that night. And when I am at work and my mind begins to drift, I think about my son and I get back on task knowing that if I don’t finish things up during the week, I am going to have to spend some time away from him on the weekend tethered to my computer… I have managed to avoid working on the weekend for some time now.

It has been an interesting and quick adventure so far. There has been a lot of poop and a lot of laughs, many headaches and numerous giggles, a few hard days and countless beautiful moments. All the while we have watched him grow still not quite believing that he is here and that we are a family of three. Things have changed so much and as he understands a little bit more of the world around him we are eager to introduce him to new places and experiences and that is exactly what we have planned for the next three months.

Firearms Friday: The Calm Of Cleaning

As I have written before in the past, I am not a fan of cleaning. It is definitely not a secret. I like having a clean and organized space but I could do without the process by which that is achieved. I know for certain that I am not the only one that feels this way but, like many things, there are always exceptions.

I have found that there are many people like myself that dislike cleaning in general but actually enjoy the act of cleaning when it comes to firearms. You would be amazed, well at least those of you unfamiliar with this set of tools, at how many cleaning products the average gun owner has at their workbench or in their cleaning kit. There seems to be a solution for ever kind of grime, a brush for every surface, and a new product coming out every few months that is supposed to make the process easier.

While I have limited the supplies that I have and use on a regular basis every once in a while I will try something new. While those solvents and cleaning tools are fine for a little while I find myself reverting back to the old way of doing things. It is a time consuming process no matter how you approach it but it is one of those things that lets you just tune things out for a few minutes. No other form of cleaning has the same effect.

Maybe it is the detailed work that is involved in making sure every corner is cleaned. Maybe it is the importance of making sure that everything functions properly. Maybe it is the appreciation for the engineering, design, and overall beauty of the workmanship as the carbon is removed. I actually think it is a little bit of each of those things.

And I know that I am not the only one. I have had this discussion many times over with people I know are not the tidiest human beings but their firearms are impeccable. It is one of the oddities that is within many of us. I guess it is similar to the person that frequently washes and polishes their car but that could care less if the dishes are piled up in the sink. I am sure that there are other examples but that is the one that comes to mind and that seems to most closely parallel.

Of course, I have also seen those people who just don’t clean anything or actually have the opposite situation… they keep everything in their world neat and organized but they never clean their firearm. I have seen many accidents and witnessed beautiful pieces of engineering ruined by this neglect. In the end, there are some cleaning projects that can be put off and there are others that can’t be postponed.

Maybe the enjoyment that many of us have in the process of cleaning will slowly grow and include many other aspects of our daily lives. You never know, it could happen. Until then, I will just focus on the small things and continue looking forward to the end results of others to motivate myself in getting it all done even if it is sporadic at times.