Am I a sucker for advertising?
Apart from his wedding ring a man needs just one piece of jewellery and that should be a good watch. We’ve all heard that one right? … or in my case used it many times to justify the purchase of a new Rolex to my bemused wife and friends. This is a phrase no doubt dreamed up by a bright young marketing executive, but there is some substance here none the less. Ostentatious jewellery when worn by men can be viewed as flashy, indicative of a certain class or culture and is almost always out of place in the board room. While it seems unfair that we boys are robbed of this form of self expression, to our rescue comes the wristwatch, a perfectly acceptable expression of style, taste and wealth. Whether hiding shyly behind a cuff or bursting fourth in all its glory as we check the time for the umpteenth occasion that hour (a symptom every new watch owner will testify too) a great watch can add a finishing flurry to any outfit or look, from the board room to the beach.
In this blog I hope to explore the world of automatic watches, so, quartz lovers, look away. Why do I love automatic watches so much? Its hard to say. From the exacting beauty of form, function and design, to the antiquated allure of clockwork, I’m infatuated with the watches I own, covert new models jealously and feel utterly naked without that reassuring weight on my wrist.
I’m not as deluded to think anyone is interested in my opinions beyond this brief introduction, so my ambition for this blog is to explore the horological community as a whole. From global brands, to independent watchmakers, second hand dealers, emporiums, forums and groups. I enjoy buying and selling watches enormously (albeit on a very small scale) so through this blog I hope to share with you my passion for the subject along with the passion and stories of the people I meet.
So where do I begin? While I would like to believe I follow my own path, advertising is undoubtedly a powerfully manipulative force. Current trends in watch advertising highlight the masculine qualities of a good time piece. There are obvious analogies here to the motor trade (a good friend once referred to my Rolex Deep Sea as a penis extension for the wrist.) In every men’s mag and broadsheet we are bombarded with images of fighter pilots, scuba divers & yacht-masters, all enjoying a quick peek at their beloved time piece at a crucial moment of flying, diving or sailing. Has the watch industry cashed in on our need for speed? If they have then its a very smart move indeed, as this is an area the motor industry has had to leave well alone (speeding we all know is carbon costly) I digress.
Arguably the most masculine and long established ambassador to the world of horology is James Bond. Who could ignore Roger Moore cutting his wrist bindings with the rotating bezel of his modified Rolex Submariner seconds before plunging into a shark tank? A genius piece of advertising, and a powerful memory for me. I spent weeks after watching Live and Let Die trailing round H.Samuels trying to find a watch that vaguely resembled both Bond’s Rolex and my birthday budget. I finally settled on an Accurist and boy did I love that watch.
Bell & Ross, one of my absolute favorite “fashion” brands (we’ll come back to this distinction later) have taken the concept a step further. Their entire range is based on classic aeronautic instruments. A Superbly subtle nod to the extremely manly world of flying and pilots. Brietling are not so subtle, they plumb for sticking jet planes smack bang in the middle of most of their ads and Rolex launched their entire GMT range with an exclusive range of watches for Pan Am Pilots. That’s some proper manly stuff right there and like it or not we lap it up.
Its obviously about more than my masculinity (or lack of.) I get enormous pleasure from wearing my watches, its a personal thing, its about brand heritage, engineering, owning something classic and timeless and I love the idea of handing my watch down to my children. I’m hopelessly attracted to beautiful and useful objects, and watches tick both these boxes. But do I feel just that little bit more manly as I grip my steering wheel and look down to see a Rolex glittering in the passing street lamps. Yeh probably. Does my watch have a lazer in it? Not that I know of. Do I love the sheer beauty of timeless engineering and function? Absolutely. Am I also a sucker for advertising? Most definitely.
