If you’re unaware of the court case in which Hamilton, a Swatch Group company, sued Colorado-based watch company Vortic for both trademark infringement and counterfeiting (the latter a felony), it’s likely because I was one among (I believe) two writers in the watch space to report on the case. My first article appeared in the… Read more »
This piece was inspired by my friend Pedro Mendes’s recent article on how he has established a set of rules that enable him to curate his watch acquisitions to the same high standards as he curates his wardrobe. After reading and cogitating his article, I found myself thinking there was something amiss, something did not… Read more »
Childhood Nightmares The second dream I can remember having was a nightmare. I was 2- or 3-years-old. I see the back of my family’s house turn inside out, its walls unfolding as if I were peering through some horrifying cubist kaleidoscope. From within the roiling walls, tank tracks begin crawling toward me. There’s no tank,… Read more »
It’s a thought that sparks every watch collector’s journey: “I can have more than one watch.”
This story was originally published on my personal blog The Hogtown Rake. My first watch, a Timex “Sprite.” The case is angular and small, about 33mm. The dial has no numbers, save for the date window at 3 o’clock. And as a kid I loved that dial: a background of deep blue wood grain. It… Read more »
As I escape time’s shackles, my watch keeps track of the time on my behalf. In this way, my watch is a fine companion, a trusty sidekick, and a friend. For over 30 years I’ve ridden motorcycles to quiet my mind. On a really good ride the deep silence of speed engulfs me, the edges… Read more »
Social Change & Style People who know I write and care about men’s style ask me the same questions every week: does tailored clothing have a future? Will this finally be the end of the suit? How will people dress after the pandemic? I attempt to answer these questions—trying to predict what will come—by looking… Read more »
Did you ever notice the same watches popping up in your Instagram feed? What about during “wrist check” on a YouTube channel or across different Watch Podcasts? It’s not a complex algorithm and it’s not a coincidence. Watch experts, from journalists’ to podcasters, handle a tremendous number of watches from various brands. Think about it. The… Read more »
Conspicuous Absence When Longines announced their new Spirit Collection, Charles Lindbergh – perhaps the world’s most famous pilot and an avid user of Longines timepieces – was not on the list of famous pilots featured for this release. Instead we got Amelia Earhart, Paul-Emile Victor, Elinor Smith, and Howard Hughes – all of whom also… Read more »
I get a lot of unsolicited messages via Instagram about watch-related opportunities, typically in broken English, typically so ridiculous that I just block the account. This morning, however, I received the following message, which I want to consider in the broader picture of watch counterfeiting. 1:1 products are replicas, or counterfeits. These items are entirely… Read more »