Hodinkee
Year In Review: Gaining A New Perspective On Watches
Reflecting on a time of change in the industry and my relationship to the horological world.
19,618 articles · 163 videos found · page 169 of 660
Hodinkee
Reflecting on a time of change in the industry and my relationship to the horological world.
Revolution
Monochrome
Independent watchmaking is the very fabric of MONOCHROME, the stuff that gets us excited the most, our literal raison d’etre. It’s been part of our DNA since the start of our platform, and naturally, we continue to advocate our love and bring you the best of the very best from Indie brands the world over. […]
Two Broke Watch Snobs
It's been almost ten years since we've started the Two Broke Watch Snobs podcast and when I sit back to think about that, I can't help but realize how much this hobby has monopolized my time and headspace. It's not really a bad thing, well not all the time. But this year I really tried to be mindful about how much this deep interest impacted my day-to-day life, especially all the time that it takes up between family and work obligations. The truth is-and I think deep down we all know this-watch collecting is an exceedingly unnecessary endeavor when you think about life at a macroscopic scale.
Hodinkee
In this week's edition of the House of Craft video series, Ben checks in with the longtime friend of Hodinkee, what he's been up to and what he's been wearing.
Worn & Wound
Just over a year and a half ago, I began writing for Worn & Wound. According to my author’s page, that has amassed a total of 14 pages worth of content – totalling, by my best estimation, around 110 articles I have done for the site. It’s hard to believe that I have that sort of library to look back upon. This is mostly due to the fact that, in June of 2023, I would have told you I didn’t know a damn thing about watches. Just a short eighteen months ago, if you would have asked me what a tourbillon was, I would have answered a fish that pairs well with citrus. Other than thinking of a watch as an accessory, I never gave them much thought – let alone the entire industry. I think, if you were to read back on those early articles, you could see this. I was, at best, timid – afraid to offend a brand or the Worn & Wound community. And, at worst, I was a fraud. And sidling in between those two poles of my own self-doubt, I would sit at my desk to parse a press release and convey whatever information I could gather to you, the reader, in the hope that you would believe in me as a watch writer. It wasn’t until this last year that that began to change. Practice makes perfect, they say, and I think if you do anything long enough you can get a handle on it. For me, the shift came when I stopped writing about what I thought readers would want to know and actually began paying attention to the market, and by extension the community, at large. I began to think of the wat...
Hodinkee
Sporty is as sporty does.
Worn & Wound
In December of last year, I wrote my first ever watch review: The Twelve from Christopher Ward. I remember sitting at a diner with a friend in Estes Park with the watch on my wrist. I was nervous. Nervous I’d drop it, or scratch it – maybe even lose it. I was nervous I’d have nothing to say. Nervous that even if I did have something to say (and I often do), maybe people wanted to hear it from someone else. Figuring out how to write wasn’t difficult as I’d written a handful of lengthy historical essays over the years but this style of writing was different. The answers I was seeking weren’t found in an archive. I was good at dealing with relative objectivity. Instead, writing about watches was rooted in subjectivity – and that was tough to navigate. I had to become comfortable with having an opinion. And possibly an opinion that some would disagree with. I had to figure out in this new style of writing what I felt about a topic and couldn’t rely on only what the facts and figures say. I had to ask myself, what do I say? The ease with which I was able to express my thoughts about watches came with a little bit of practice. Throughout the course of this year, I even got into the field with a couple of the watches I was writing about, which made me expand my comfort zone in more ways than one. In April, I drove the western portion of Route 66 with a bronze Oris Divers Sixty-Five Cotton Candy. I found some of my narrative voice while exploring the travelogue sty...
Hodinkee
For when we're feeling a bit extra.
Monochrome
In an age where the world is literally in the palm of our hands, it seems like the far corners of our planet are closer than ever. Yet, if we want to go there physically, we still face the challenges of adjusting to different time zones when travelling abroad. Not to worry, as there are […]
Hodinkee
The definitive telling of the last 29 years at Audemars Piguet, from the man himself.
Worn & Wound
My original idea when I was asked to contribute to this series was to focus on my favorite watch acquisitions of the year, explain why they’re noteworthy, and describe my thought process behind purchasing or trading for each. While I was writing about my Universal Geneve Ref. 842116 Tank and Seiko 6139-6002 Pogue, I couldn’t help but notice how far my collection has come over the last year or so. Since the purchase of my first wristwatch in 2012, it’s always been my goal to cultivate watch boxes filled with both timeless classics and rare oddities. Looking at my collection as this year concludes, I’m proud to say I’ve never changed this philosophy. It was with this realization that my plans for this article began to transform into a conversation about watch collecting identity. While 2024 has been quite the successful year for my collection and I, it’s also the year that I went from being an affordable watch collector to being …an affordable watch collector. You see, the watch collecting hobby is filled with subjective terminology. Words and phrases like “rare,” “new old stock,” “like-new old stock,” “budget-friendly,” and of course “affordable” frequently see usage on online auction platforms, social media, forums, and advertisements. While these are often used as buzzwords for sellers wanting their post to be boosted in search algorithms or by collectors wanting to flaunt their new purchase, I’ve always been fascinated by how pliable...
Revolution
Worn & Wound
At the end of last year, we made “resolutions,” and while I forgot we had done that until writing this post, I stayed pretty true to what I had said. I wanted to consolidate, focus, and potentially go big on a watch for my 40th birthday. I had to do the first to make the last part come true, and the second just kind of happened naturally. My tastes have changed quite a bit over the last two years, perhaps starting with the Bel Canto (shameless review plug). As such, I find myself drawn to a specific type of indie watch more and more, and frankly, I find most releases from large brands kind of boring. While that might be more of a “it’s not you, it’s me” kind of thing, I don’t see it changing anytime soon. But, back to my birthday, turning 40 was something I ignored until it was upon me. I’m not a big birthday celebration guy, but 40 felt different; it’s a bit of a terrifying number, thus it needed to be marked meaningfully. And, well, I can’t turn down a good opportunity to horologically spoil myself. However, to go big, I had to let several things go. While I’ll avoid the details, all said and done, I sold six watches and traded one, though in fairness, not all before making my purchase (you know how it is). I went down a rabbit hole of options, obsessing, as I tend to do, to such an extent that I even dreamed about scrolling Chrono24. Custom pieces, indies, vintage, big Swiss, maybe nothing; I pondered them all, even creating renders of potential be...
Hodinkee
Fancy something a bit more formal? Here are our picks for dress watch of 2024.
Hodinkee
Don't skip a crucial (and easy) step toward protecting your cherished collection.
Hodinkee
With prices seemingly ever on the rise, can you still get a great watch for under $1,500?
Monochrome
Since 2010, Ressence has slowly been paving the way for its unique way of indicating time, and the result is a highly recognizable brand with some pretty odd techniques. When Benoît Mintiens started his brand some 14 years ago, he had a strong vision of what he wanted to create regarding ergonomics and legibility. Essential […]
Hodinkee
Wild designs and glowing LEDs mark a return of extravagant '70s wristwear.
Revolution
Hodinkee
And a personal look at what I'm buying, selling, and holding now.
Hodinkee
This year sees the second installment of the buzzy art-meets-high horology auction at Phillips New York.
Hodinkee
A dive into the 'Heuer Champions' portion of the catalog, including many with ties to motorsport.
We visited the Czapek manufacture in La Chaux-du-Fonds and was taken on a guided tour of the facilities by the CEO Xavier de Rouquemaurel.
Monochrome
It’s almost upon us, the most festive time of the year. Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanzaa and plenty of others all kick off this month. And with it, there will be plenty of parties, dinners, social gatherings and other events filling up our agendas and keeping us occupied. To keep track of time in the most pleasurable […]
Worn & Wound
Welcome to the Worn & Wound Micro-Brand Digest, a semi-monthly roundup of new micro-brand news we’re following. This includes promising concepts, Kickstarter launches, restocks, and everything in between. Worn & Wound was founded over 10 years ago to support small independent companies and affordable micro-brands, and our passion for these brands remains strong. Here’s what has caught our attention this month. If you come across a project that qualifies for our roundup, please email us at info@wornandwound.com to be included. Houtman Watch Jason Liddell grew up in Western Australia and has always deeply appreciated the great outdoors. He is particularly fond of the iconic regions and landmarks in Western Australia, including the Murchison River and the Pilbara. Houtman Watches is named after the Houtman Abrolhos Islands, charted by the Dutch sailor Frederick de Houtman in 1619. The Houtman Abrolhos is the southernmost true coral reef system in the Indian Ocean and comprises a stunning chain of 122 islands along with their associated reefs. The first two series have been named after the rivers mentioned earlier, and their most recent collection is called the Murchison. This series showcases four dial and hand configurations, which include two field/dress watches, one field/sport watch, and one pilot watch. All these watches have a stainless steel case with a diameter of 40mm, a thickness of 11.5mm, and a length of 48mm from lug tip to lug tip. The interior width measure...
Worn & Wound
There’s a bit of dialogue toward the end of Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory from 1971 that goes: Wonka: but Charlie… Don’t forget what happened to the man who suddenly got everything he wanted. Charlie: What happened? Wonka: He lived happily ever after. An inversion of the typical “be careful what you wish for” sentiment that puts a rosy tint on the morbid but wonderful film, I can’t help but hear it play in my head when I look at the current state of independent watches. Once, there was a dearth of brands and originality, and now, there is almost too much. Well, not almost; there is. We went from a time when unique options were few and far between, making any that popped up all the more rare and exciting, to now, when they are almost common. I’M PRETTY SURE WE’RE CHARLIE IN THIS STORY What an absurd state of affairs! Am I actually complaining about there being too much originality? Well, no, but yes (mainly for this article and humor). You see, I used to be easily seduced by these new and unique pieces, but now, I have decision paralysis. Oh, the horror! In reality, this is remarkable. We’ve wondered for years what brands would do when the vintage craze ran its course and a need for originality returned. Rather than purely wild watches that depart from tradition entirely (though there are many), we’ve seen smaller brands invest in research, development, and craft to create watches that, at least, I would not have thought possible a handful of yea...
Hodinkee
In the third installment of our House of Craft video series, we sit down with one of today's most renowned young independent watchmakers.
Hodinkee
Our House of Craft NYC video series kicks off with none other than the former Knicks star and NBA legend.
Hodinkee
Not only is the watch from the set of Le Mans, but it is also the exact Monaco that drew McQueen's eye in the first place.
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