3-Watch Thursday #44
A week of creative writing styles
Good afternoon team,
I hope you’re having a great week.
Thank you to all the new subscribers this week. I assume most have come from this recent OT: The Podcast episode:
In case you have listened, please note the unfortunate situation in which Australia retains the Ashes has occurred (almost entirely due to some awful British weather).
I remain excited for the final test in the series, but I will refrain from guessing sports outcomes for the time being as I am clearly no Paul the Octopus.
Regardless, you’re here for watches. While we’re truly hitting the slow season in the watch media cycle as Switzerland goes on holiday, this week featured some really great writing so I’ll get straight to it!
A Horological Vacation: The Best Watches Of 2023, Reimagined As Holiday Reading
Two weeks in a row I find myself recommending a piece of work by Chris Hall over at Mr Porter, but this is so different to any piece of watch media I’ve read before.
Written as a short story, I started to read it and found myself pausing thinking I’ve never read a piece of watch writing like it.
You can read it for yourself here.
Like what you’re reading? Why not share with a watch friend using the button below!
Go on, you know you want to click it 👀
Buying, Selling, & Collecting Commit It To Memory: How The Way We Experience Nostalgia Is Changing How We Buy Watches
At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I am once again recommending a piece of work by Tony Traina over on Hodinkee.
This time Tony dives into nostalgia, both personal and collective, in an attempt to analyse why we’re loving vintage-inspired watches. Being neither American nor a 90s kid myself the exact instances of personal nostalgia that are referenced aren’t ones I recognise (I guess that’s the point of personal nostalgia), but I find it relatable in my own British, 00s kid way.
Tony’s thoughts on collective nostalgia are really where it gets interesting, highlighting the pandemic and the extent to which marketing could play a role here.
It’s a truly interesting piece of work, providing a take on why we are so obsessed with vintage-inspired watches at the minute.
You can read it here.
Quote Of The Week
Taken from the article above on Hodinkee:
If a sixth grader in 2023 streamed the same album every day like I did in 2004, we might think they're a psychopath, when literally the entire universe of music sits in their fingertips.
This is hilarious to me who considers themselves having only really grown up in the era of streaming music.
Last year during my exam period I listened to the most recent Alt-J album on repeat ending up in their top 0.0005% annual listeners on Spotify based on a couple of months of listening.
It’s safe to say I didn’t listen to Alt-J the rest of the year given I was triggered by the sound from then on.
Maybe I am a psychopath or maybe exams just do weird things to people, but I have a feeling kids today are the same and when they’ve found some music they’re really into it will still be all they listen to.
The Fine Print: An In-Depth Collectors’ Guide To The Patek Philippe Chronograph Ref. 5070
I love a good reference points style article and this is no exception.
Logan Baker over at Phillips has us covered with a deep dive into the Patek 5070, aka Patek’s first modern chronograph.
A truly brilliant read, covering absolutely everything you need to know.
Go check it out here.
That’s all from me this week.
Hope you have a lovely weekend when we get there.
All feedback is more than welcome here.
Owen