Bites: When the story changes….
Hello and happy Tuesday again watch friends!
There are times in our lives that make us take a step back and take stock of what’s really important. This is what I want to chat about today, so first check out all the action that’s being cracking off on WC this week and then meet me again at the end for my ramblings.
You folks have been busy this week, so we have a Bites full of fun stuff!
Three quick bites from WC this week for those in a rush…
@Aurelian is gearing up for this years ‘One Watch Challenge’. Who’s brave enough?
@TimeToDesign teases us with the JM x WC watch collab.
Come and cheer on @mjosamannen as he attempts to go ‘perma one watch’ – “I will sell the rest”.
New members who I’ve seen posting this week…
@LegacyHann, @BattSG, @Aymenbenjannet, @Studio.Underd0g, @jmoldy, @krisnabiroe, @Skilly, @GSwaker, @Wristshotter, @theColleKtor, @chickenwrist69
Hot Posts:
This weeks topics that got the community talking…
@Vikingtimer – “Do you wear expensive watches to the beach?”
@vanished7 – “One watch you regret not getting?”
@honedwatches – “Passion and your other half”
@case_and_dial – “Budget diver dilemma”
@Johndobbs – “Do you lend your watches out?”
@brianmp21 – “Do you actually use your watch case?”
Meetups and Events:
15th May – The Rolex Daytona Story Online Meetup Talk and discussion – London
24th May – Meetup exploring British watch design with fears, Schofield and Studio-underd0g – London
3rd June – So Cal meetup: free drinks, free-food and a special guest! – San Diego
14th – 16th July - Windup Watch Fair 2023 - Chicago
20th – 22nd October - Windup Watch Fair 2023 – New York
Big thanks to @WatchBee for setting last weeks photography theme of “Light in the Crystal”. His very deserving winner was @apt.1901 with this beauty….
Come see the runners up and find out the chosen theme for this weeks photos here, which has been kindly set by this weeks guest judge @Aurelian
My picks from this past weeks watch releases.
Top row, left to right: RZE, Horage, Squale.
Bottom row: Frederique constant, Rado, Czapek, Jack Mason.
I also just noticed this limited edition tasty colourway for the Bel Canto, but I'm not sure if it was accidentally announced too early by Oracle Time, as the links to the article no longer work.
I decided it would be good to have a dedicated section for posts from the YouTubers, podcasters and brand owners in our community, so we can keep up to date with what they have going on.
@AnalogExplorer – “AE podcast: The aniquarian horologist Brittany Nicole Cox”
@The_Timest – “A day with Andrew Morgan a.k.a. The talking hands”
@Max – “A fun game with Andrew Morgan”
@Studio.Underd0g – “Hello WatchCrunchers”
@Ben_ImperialWatchCo – “The Royalguard 200 tropical”
@Unison_Watches – “Model Orbital”
@Max – “Do you actually want a GADA watch?”
@shorehamwatches – “Snowdon: less than one week remaining on kickstarter”
Longer posts from the knowledgeable and creative writers amongst the WC family….
@Velomax – “Why don’t we talk more about… Jaquet Droz”
@Porthole – “Pounding the pavement with Porthole: #1 Stratford Westfield”
@pdxwatch1 – “Windup San Francisco: A tale of four conversations”
@Catskinner – “Why is the 62MAS so appealing?”
@defsNOTgenta – “DNG’s Shower thoughts: The relationship between watches, watchmaking and music Part 2”
@mainreasontostay – “I’ve been wearing this watch for a straight month (almost) and I’m still wearing it”
@nooski – “Watches under the microscope: Vol 14 Casio Edifice”
When the story changes - Part I
There are certain moments in our lives that can open us up to a whole new perspective.
These 'life-view-changing' events are usually the big things...
When I delivered my daughter it all happened pretty quickly, and we weren't in a hospital at the time. You don't want details, but it involved me in an ambulance with two paramedics, a midwife and my new daughter (who was absolutely fine), being blue-lighted to the local hospital.
Now, you'd think it would be a scary situation, but actually the overwhelming emotion was just complete and utter relief that she was ok. When you suddenly have someone in your life that you have an all-consuming love for, all other thoughts for yourself are a distant second. Just like that, life priorities switched focus entirely to this other tiny human being.
14 years later, and she is a gobby, sarcastic teenager and I am counting down the days till she clears out to uni...
... Oh how things change...
However, I would still turn into something scarier than Cocaine Bear should anyone cause her trouble.
Then there is the other end of life...
Some years ago I used to work in a hospice.
It was a real honour to look after people in their last days and support their families through such a difficult time, but it could be an emotionally exhausting and draining experience.
I was only there for 6 months, and applauded those who had chosen to make it their career.
I remember at the end of one particular shift, I was talking to a consultant about how it must really make you reassess what's important in life when you’re doing that job long term.
"Yes." She said "It's hard to work here and still be bothered about the dirty laundry left on the bathroom floor."
She was right.
It did make you contemplate how trivial some things are when you are constantly face-to-face with the big stuff.
Now, you may think you know the direction my ramblings are taking this week...
"Urgh... she's going to tell us that 'watches are just watches'... make us feel guilty for bothering about them... tell us to stop caring about the little stuff."
Absolutely not.
The opposite.
I've come to see how much the little things in our lives actually do matter.
Perhaps even more than the big things.
Here's why....
1) Little things are most of our life
Simple maths.
Little things, done regularly, turn into big things over the months, years and a lifetime. The little pleasures you get from seeing your loving curated watch collection in its box, or that spark of joy you get from slipping your favourite watch onto your wrist. If you get just 5 minutes of joy from your watches every day that's 30hrs of happiness over the year.
And that's just from 5 minutes of watches.
If we can learn to appreciate the joy in some of the other little things in our lives... be it making a coffee, listening to our favourite album or choosing the perfect watch for the day... it all adds up to something much more meaningful in the bigger picture.
2) Broken windows
The Broken Windows theory is actually from the world of criminology. Very basically it's the theory that low level crime and antisocial behaviour (such as breaking windows) creates an environment that encourages more serious crime. By focusing on, and tackling, the lower level problems in neighbourhoods, police departments actual saw a reduction in the higher level crimes, such as homicides.
For some people’s lives, it can be a similar story.
Life can be exceedingly complicated sometimes. Our families, friendships, physical health, mental health, jobs, homes, education...
When everything starts to get overwhelming, I find getting the basics right is the stepping stone for sorting out the rest.
I know that if I eat well, get enough sleep and step out of the door in the morning looking put-together, I've taken the first steps in sorting out the rest of the day's problems.
Having a watch on my wrist is part of my daily routine that helps me feel in control. It's part of the little stuff that gets me ready to tackle the big stuff.
My watch is my Stormbreaker.
3) A moment to take a breath
Watches are good for our mental health in so many ways.
Loosing ourselves in the minutiae of watch details for while can give our minds a rest from the constant churn of thoughts around the bigger problems we have going on in our lives.
Like hitting the pause button, or taking the pan off the boil for a moment.
Having a way to give ourselves a mental breather is important, be it playing with the diving bezel, polishing the bracelet or loosing yourself in a few Youtube videos… so don’t feel guilty for it.
Go ahead and enjoy the little things.
Take pleasure in the sweep of that second hand and the way that domed crystal gives the dial a cool distortion.
Enjoy the time you spend winding and polishing your watch before putting it to bed in your watch box.
Be guilt free when you take a few minutes every morning to pick the perfect watch to pair with your blue suit or your red smoking jacket.
It’s important, and it all adds up.
Let me know your thoughts, or perhaps share the small watch related pleasure you indulge in that we could all perhaps take the time to appreciate more.
Take care my favourite watch-people.
Kaysia
Banner photo: Me and my daughter, chilling after all the excitement on her birthday.
Part-time 'writter' @ The Escapement Room, the NSFW watch enthusiasts blog. www.theescapementroom.com/
More from DeeperBlue
thanks for mentioning, appreciate it!
Ok this is leg numbing 🚽🧻 reading…
Life changes can absolutely change and change absolutely … ok I dunno what that means but sound cool 😉…
We all have life changing stories and some are going through them now… some great some bad… appreciate both cuz one cannot appreciate life without the other… hence I love the Yin and Yang theme of my collection…
I’m not gonna bore you guys with my story but like I said… Go trudge and keep going forward !! 🍻
Thanks for the mention! Really appreciated 😊
https://unisonwatches.ca/products/orbital
I totally relate with what you wrote.
Without brewing coffee, putting a watch on and walking my dog, my day just starts off in a bad way. I also take a few moments at work when I'm tired or overwhelmed and just stare at the watch I'm wearing (depending on my level of stress this may be for a few minutes and more than once a day haha).
I've been trying to be more present with myself and I've found that I deeply enjoy taking care of the watch I'm wearing, it's almost sort of a zen moment.
Great post Kaysia! 🍻
What a great way to put two important thoughts together, even though they seem contradictory at first glance.
Don't sweat the little things. When small things go wrong, adjust and carry on, don't let them ruin your day/mood.
Appreciate the little things. Take time to enjoy that cup of coffee, or the feel of the winding action on your favourite mechanical watch.
I don't have a great story to tell, but I can say that back in Kandahar a steaming cup of three-in-one coffee, some Zeppelin, and a camp chair in the shade made for some pretty great mornings.
First of all thank you for the mention, much appreciated 🙏.
Second I really enjoyed what I just read, very good, I wish to be able soon enough to travel and be present in the meetups, sounds like so much fun 😊.
Bites just keeps on getting better. You put a lot of work into this issue, Kaysia. Great job and thanks so much.
Thank you for another thoughtful post - and especially the little details (animated gifs) that add humor and life. 😀
One thing I've noticed is the Hot Posts always includes some content I've never seen...my algorithm apparently needs some help...I really appreciate this section
Thanks for the mention!
sometimes we just have to stop (buying new watch) and start appreciate and enjoying our current collection for sure. totally agree with you in this one 🙏🏻
sometimes we just have to stop (buying new watch) and start appreciate and enjoying our current collection for sure. totally agree with you in this one 🙏🏻
I don’t agree with your method !!
😉
Just because I read this post twice!! You deserved another watermelon!!
Boom! Spot on! Thanks for sharing your heart and mind, Kaysia. You put words into what I've been similarly going through the past 2 weeks... small things... broken windows... taking a breather. Getting a bad flu definitely got the ball rolling... forced me to stop, value the simple small joys of life, take care of my health (broken windows), and literally take a breather.
One small thing I definitely enjoy doing with my collection is regularly changing out the strap or bracelet of my watches, when its their turn on rotation. No matter how sick I feel, I still take some time doing so. Sheer pleasure. 😉
In the same vain, I simply enjoy brewing my own specialty coffee... even if I'm down with a bad flu. The wonderful soothing aroma of freshly brewed specialty coffee definitely helped me get well... and always makes my day. ☕
Fantastic post! 😀 Yes, taking the time each morning to choose one of my 7 watches to wear is an important part of my day, as is taking that morning wrist shot of it, usually in the car, just before I walk into the office. (Although, sometimes, it happens after I get to the office; in those shots, you most often see my battered Dell keyboard in the background! 🤣)
But you're right, it brings order to my day. Fun fact: I joined WatchCrunch 109 days ago. How do I know that so precisely? Because I posted my first wristy on my first day, and haven't missed a day since. After I got the 90-day badge, I started numbering my posts (e.g., Today is Day 109, Tissot Thursday! 🍻) I hope that I can carry on this tradition in perpetuity, and if I ever miss a day, I just know I will be devastated! 🤣
I am currently "building" a new house; the word building is in quotes, because I am not the one doing the actual, physical labor. But the money that is behind it is all mine. Because of supply chain issues, and labor shortages, this project has taken 14.5 months (it began in February of 2022) which is (according to the builder) about 10.5 months longer than it should have taken, in a pre-pandemic, pre-shortage world. When the project first began, there were already shortages, and the builder had said 6-7 months, instead of the normal 4. Well, we're sitting at roughly double that, although the end is finally in sight.
This is obviously a huge project, and I have spent many long hours fretting over it; but I have to say, when I took up this hobby, 109 days ago, it gave me a much-needed distraction from the day-to-day barrage of problems that my builder always seems to be calling me about. And I have learned a great deal about the mechanics of watches, and about their care and maintenance. And I have met a great group of people here, you and all the other Crunchers. (Special shout-out to my "Invicta brother," @Pallet_Fork 😀) In short, WatchCrunch has kept me sane through the last (and largest) part of this project.
The big things are bearable, because the little things establish order, through the organization of our thoughts, and the focus of our attention. Cheers! 🍻
I’ll spare you my useless wisdom plus one can get such wisdom by cracking a cookie 😜…and possibly some winning lotto numbers …
If you want a weekly column Ichi, just say!
'Ichi Insights'
Or perhaps
'Scratching with Ichi'
Thanks @Deeperblue !
Beautiful - and for me, relatable - story about having your child, who is now a strong opinioned young adult (mine is 11 yo now).
On the other side of that: I also see the same brevity of life on a sadly routine basis. Not a temp job, but my career. And it's not a palliative setting but one of the high acuity. Moments of happiness, however derived, are important and never trivial.
In our case it's often holding a coffee on a break and glancing down for a long look at a beloved watch.
My extreme cases occasionally cause me tremendous stress. I'm currently in a bit of a dark place from a recent nightmarish cardiac arrest and attempted ECMO where everything went wrong. So last week I was resorting to playing with a nice sharp knurled bezel on my Prospex LX when I needed to help get my mind out of a dark emotional spiral quickly. That strategy helped.
And in happier moments I delight in watching the golden second hand's languid and infinitely smooth glide, like time itself. Moonlight reflecting on a quiet ocean is the image Seiko would like me to see, and happily I own that literal memory quite well 😌 (this needs a spring drive vid here, not a pic, but site not quite up for that yet!)
BTW - you don't need the Hoff as an avatar! You're lovely! Do something like my avatar: don sunglasses and take pic in a pretty setting, from a bit of a distance. Keeps you nicely anonymous from the internet and you'll look like a supermodel to us geeks.😘
@WatchBee - my crystal reflect pics I forgot to upload last week 🙄🤪
I like them! Not many had multiple colours in the dial. It might remind me of a migraine, but it’s pretty!
I feel sorry for those further West from here. In traditional fashion, many things on WatchCrunch seem to be focussed around Greenwich - even the WRUW starts at a perfect 9am for me! It must be easy to miss the deadlines.
Anyway, I can’t remember if you’ve won yet, but I’m sure it won’t be long. I got my dubious badge yesterday, awarded for best “write up” (ie not photo) in the photo comp!
What a beautiful writing. I wish my English was as good so I can put words so nicely.
Watches create a small world for us where everything is all right and works as it should be. Unfortunately, it's not like this in real life and we have at least our little treasures on our wrists that we can admire. It really doesn't matter if it's multimillion-dollar piece or small plastic Casio.
It's memories with this watch that counts. When my daughter was born, her mother was out after the operation. So one of the first pictures of our little one was with my Laco watch. I know I will never ever sold this watch for this particular reason. Take care everyone.
Beautiful work, well said and absolutely agree. So many curated thoughts put so eloquently. Thanks Kaysia , great article! NB the little one was her 2nd birthday now a mum and I have a granddaughter around 15 months old .
This is quickly becoming one of the stand-out posts that I always look forward to seeing - thank you for the mention @Deeperblue 😊👍
One quirk of watches I almost always appreciate every day is listening to them. No, I can't afford those 6 figure minute repeaters, I'm talking about the movements!
Each watch has a distinct timbre. This is one of the most enjoyable details I've found in watches made from Ti.
The rhythm and sound should be consistent akin to the monotonous beat of a metronome, however, I've found that with all the intricacies within the case, there are occasional changes in pitch and even tempo. Albeit the latter is much more due to human boredom playing tricks, but taking that time is near meditative.
I'm sure you've listened to your baby's heartbeat so hopefully the comparison is apt for little everyday joys.
Very very true.
My new vintage Ingersoll is a great case in point.
It ticks SO LOUD! If it's laying on a table I can literally hear it across the room.
Rather than finding it annoying, it's actually more soothing.
Acoustically, Ti is apparently much better than steel, according to Chris Ward. Which was why the Bel Canto needed to be made of it! (Still got to test this myself)
I didn't know this!
Every day's a school day.
Thanks @Deeperblue !
Beautiful - and for me, relatable - story about having your child, who is now a strong opinioned young adult (mine is 11 yo now).
On the other side of that: I also see the same brevity of life on a sadly routine basis. Not a temp job, but my career. And it's not a palliative setting but one of the high acuity. Moments of happiness, however derived, are important and never trivial.
In our case it's often holding a coffee on a break and glancing down for a long look at a beloved watch.
My extreme cases occasionally cause me tremendous stress. I'm currently in a bit of a dark place from a recent nightmarish cardiac arrest and attempted ECMO where everything went wrong. So last week I was resorting to playing with a nice sharp knurled bezel on my Prospex LX when I needed to help get my mind out of a dark emotional spiral quickly. That strategy helped.
And in happier moments I delight in watching the golden second hand's languid and infinitely smooth glide, like time itself. Moonlight reflecting on a quiet ocean is the image Seiko would like me to see, and happily I own that literal memory quite well 😌 (this needs a spring drive vid here, not a pic, but site not quite up for that yet!)
BTW - you don't need the Hoff as an avatar! You're lovely! Do something like my avatar: don sunglasses and take pic in a pretty setting, from a bit of a distance. Keeps you nicely anonymous from the internet and you'll look like a supermodel to us geeks.😘
Having those small moments to break us out of a bleak mental cycle are so important.
🍻
I'm hoping Hoff will get me more followers 😆
I like them! Not many had multiple colours in the dial. It might remind me of a migraine, but it’s pretty!
I feel sorry for those further West from here. In traditional fashion, many things on WatchCrunch seem to be focussed around Greenwich - even the WRUW starts at a perfect 9am for me! It must be easy to miss the deadlines.
Anyway, I can’t remember if you’ve won yet, but I’m sure it won’t be long. I got my dubious badge yesterday, awarded for best “write up” (ie not photo) in the photo comp!
Glad that the badges have all been sorted now! 🎉🥳
What a beautiful writing. I wish my English was as good so I can put words so nicely.
Watches create a small world for us where everything is all right and works as it should be. Unfortunately, it's not like this in real life and we have at least our little treasures on our wrists that we can admire. It really doesn't matter if it's multimillion-dollar piece or small plastic Casio.
It's memories with this watch that counts. When my daughter was born, her mother was out after the operation. So one of the first pictures of our little one was with my Laco watch. I know I will never ever sold this watch for this particular reason. Take care everyone.
Best. Wrist shot. Ever.
Thank you for sharing such a beautiful photograph. 🥰
And your English is excellent! You wouldn't believe how many times I have to proof read Bites to get it sounding like something someone else might like to read 😆
Beautiful work, well said and absolutely agree. So many curated thoughts put so eloquently. Thanks Kaysia , great article! NB the little one was her 2nd birthday now a mum and I have a granddaughter around 15 months old .
What a beautiful picture!
It goes so fast.
I can't imagine being a grandmother but I'm guessing it'll be here in a heartbeat if it's what they choose.
This is quickly becoming one of the stand-out posts that I always look forward to seeing - thank you for the mention @Deeperblue 😊👍
Thank you for the kind words! 🍻
I try to always make these newsletters with love.
First of all good article!
Secondly the small memories I have ready collected with my anniversary Lorier Neptune, are some of the greatest memories of my life to date. Obviously birth of a child is a big deal, but the other small day to day, like a visit to the beach is just as memorable. And my daughter's first words were: "Liteths"...(lights). So while changing her diaper she still chants, "Lights" and points at my watch. Whether it has lume, a backlight or nothing lol.
Now she has started saying "Waach" in addition to "Lights". The other day we we at a Walmart, and as we passed the bargain jelwert, she saw this, pointed and said her two words TOGETHER in a kinda psuedo sentence phrase thingy!
Needless to say we came home with the watch, and it surprisingly stays on for awhile each day.
Thanks for mentioning! Hope you enjoyed the episode 🎙.