I’m all in. I will say up front I’m not at all interested in the high horology watches that only wealthy cats can afford.
I think there are plenty of watch companies out there making interesting and affordable (a month’s salary or less) watches. One slice of that is the North American micro-brands. Sure, they are using Japanese or Swiss movements, but their style and QC is darn good and you can actually write to the owners and they write back. No one seems interested in covering that story.
Hope you’ll take this in the right spirit Tony: but why not go back to being a lawyer? You will earn enough buy all the watches you love. And you can even write about your watches in your free time.
Once you make watches your job, you cannot really enjoy them, or express your taste and knowledge honestly. Why be beholden to this industry? Don’t work for them when they should be working for you, Tony the Consumer.
Dude, count me in for that “Founding Member” slot when it opens. I love what you’re doing and am so glad you’re launching your own “thing.” Also love that you’re partnering with Veblenist. I own a few of their straps and I always refer people to them. Best straps in the game! Congrats, Tony!
“I find these small nuances to miss the plot for me. A small detail like this is different than the others but doesn’t provide anything meaningful to make it more collectible.”
This perfectly and succinctly sums up what I have been trying to articulate (all be it, very poorly), for a long time. I understand that "meaningful" means different things to different people, however, I don't think small nuances should hold court outside of our own personal preferences.
agree. details can be important insofar as they validate a watch's originality, but assigning arbitrary premiums can feel a bit too much. Of course, if you truly have a personal preference for certain details – aesthetically, or perhaps for what they represent historically – that's a different story.
Tony,
I’m all in. I will say up front I’m not at all interested in the high horology watches that only wealthy cats can afford.
I think there are plenty of watch companies out there making interesting and affordable (a month’s salary or less) watches. One slice of that is the North American micro-brands. Sure, they are using Japanese or Swiss movements, but their style and QC is darn good and you can actually write to the owners and they write back. No one seems interested in covering that story.
Best of luck!
JR
old warrior, even older novelist
thanks for the comment, jr. and yes -- i appreciate many of the brands you're talking about and plan on covering them more :)
Hope you’ll take this in the right spirit Tony: but why not go back to being a lawyer? You will earn enough buy all the watches you love. And you can even write about your watches in your free time.
Once you make watches your job, you cannot really enjoy them, or express your taste and knowledge honestly. Why be beholden to this industry? Don’t work for them when they should be working for you, Tony the Consumer.
will discuss in a future post, but yes, i'm currently balancing both. and yes, it does allow more freedom :)
Looking forward to the bright future of Unpolished, Tony, and seeing where it takes you (and the rest of us). All the best for the next chapter! G
G, thanks so much for the support as always
Dude, count me in for that “Founding Member” slot when it opens. I love what you’re doing and am so glad you’re launching your own “thing.” Also love that you’re partnering with Veblenist. I own a few of their straps and I always refer people to them. Best straps in the game! Congrats, Tony!
Thanks as always George, you’re the man!
Gruenberg:
“I find these small nuances to miss the plot for me. A small detail like this is different than the others but doesn’t provide anything meaningful to make it more collectible.”
This perfectly and succinctly sums up what I have been trying to articulate (all be it, very poorly), for a long time. I understand that "meaningful" means different things to different people, however, I don't think small nuances should hold court outside of our own personal preferences.
agree. details can be important insofar as they validate a watch's originality, but assigning arbitrary premiums can feel a bit too much. Of course, if you truly have a personal preference for certain details – aesthetically, or perhaps for what they represent historically – that's a different story.
I guess TGN won’t be my only substack subscription anymore!
🙏love those guys
Veblenist is the bomb.
100%!
Greatest Sounding Idea in the World: What if I made my hobby into my job...
Worst Idea in the World: Making your hobby into your job...
sometimes true, sometimes not