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.

Changes Still Pending

Another month has already passed and I am finding myself in a slightly better situation than before the last stated meeting. The notice is just about done and should be out in a day or two, the minutes will be completed by the end of the week, and various communications have already been taken care of. Of course, there are always the lingering items, emails, and letters that will surely persist up until the moment we all converge upon the lodge but that is just part of the routine.

However, there is a pattern that has carried over from the summer. One that I am not too happy about and will have to be addressed again. The bills remain unpaid and checks still need to be drafted. We didn’t have a full roster of officers at the last stated which prevented us from taking care of these essential items in a timely manner and now, later in the month, our schedules are completely out of sync and the communication which we rely so heavily upon has dwindled.

There are moments when I really don’t know what else to do. Time is something that I have very little of and the lack of consistency from month to month is wreaking havoc on my calendar. After a long day at the office I just want to get home and spend time with my wife and son. This is why I have all of my meetings at the lodge and other gatherings scheduled well in advance. It would be one thing to have our meetings on some other consistent night during the month but the jumping from block to block on the calendar is not something that works for me.

We have addressed this exact issue in the past, several times actually, and have put forth a plan to get things done on time but, as of today, there is no change. It won’t be long before I once again have to field numerous calls from the brethren regarding this issue. It may seem like a minor glitch to some and it was at first but not it is a major problem and one that has at time had me seriously considering stepping down at the end of the year. The only things that have stopped me have been the encouragement of other brothers and the simple fact that there are many more aspects of this office that I enjoy compared to those that bother me.

Hopefully the next few days / weeks / months will bring about a change for the better and those fleeting thoughts will fly away (at least for an extended period of time). I guess we will just have to continue waiting and see what happens… hopefully my phone doesn’t start ringing again. In the meantime, there is just over a week to go before the next stated meeting and I have a job to do.   

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.