Bites: My controversial take on the top 3 moments in watch history
Happy Tuesday fellow Crunchers!
Thank you for joining me for our virtual coffee get-together this week.
I hope the New Year is treating you kindly and you are doing well with your watch resolutions! I am trying to stay true to my word and (slowly) walking to Mordor with some equally crazy Crunchers who are joining me. Currently day 4 and we have done 20 out of the 660 miles 🥳
The banner picture today is from @hakki501, the winner of last week's photo challenge on the theme of 'Rest and Relaxation' (come join in this week's photography post with its foodie theme) and the coffee pictures this week are thanks to @Darkoverlord and @Oldmanwatches. I don’t know what the cake and ice-cream thing is in @Darkoverlords picture, but I want it (less so @Oldmanwatches 80 year old coffee).
And lastly, before we dig in to this week’s topics, a quick hello and welcome to some of our new WC members this week… @greyfoxhound, @TeddyMorgan, @CanadianWatchMonkey, @timcameron, @Gasanche, @Bostman4, @ddg1993, @criticalmiss118, @505jmarti40, @Finriky, @Scrambler1200, @Milan902, @KionVibjerg, @ZenOhm, @iGadgetman, @commonloon007. 🥳
There are so many new people joining all the time I can’t possibly mention everyone, but I’m looking forward to seeing you all on WC!
Now, down to this week's...
3-6-9
3 interesting ideas, 6 cool posts and 9 awesome photos.
This week, my controversial top 3 'Critical moments in watch history'.
- The protestant reformation in Switzerland
- The creation of the Rolex Watch Company
- The First World War
Nope. No Quartz. No Smart watches.
Let me explain…
#ProtestantReformation
In 1541 John Calvin, a VIP Protestant leader at the time, fled religious persecution in France and headed to Geneva in Switzerland, taking his 'minimalist' religious ideals with him. He was the OG severe protestant, and his mission was to save the souls of Geneva with strict moral order. Dancing and card playing were made illegal, as were most plays. No other reformation city took the drastic measures that were seen in Geneva and as you can imagine, there was no place for personal adornments in Calvin's city. Jewellery was band and all of the cities’ jewellers were left jobless overnight.
Fortunately for them (and us) Calvin felt that watches were a useful functional item and so their production was permitted. With the aid of French and Italian watchmaker refugees, the entire jewellery industry in Geneva turned their hand to a new craft. Swiss watchmaking was born and its massive influence on the watch world continues to this day.
Absolutely, there is a discussion to be had as to whether the Swiss name still means what it once did, and whether the concept of the Holy Trinity still holds true, but there is no denying the benefits the Swiss watch making industry has brought to the world over the past 400 years.
#BirthofRolex1905
Oh, the complex relationship we enthusiasts have with this brand.
One crucial fact we must remember, is that we ‘the watch community’ are of very little importance in the grand scheme of the watch world. It is the casual purchasers who mean the most when it comes to sales figures, and Rolex has played an absolute masterstroke over the years with its business model and marketing to watch muggles.
For decades Rolex has connected its name to world events, elite sports, high luxury and pop culture, and as a result that crown is now seen as a symbol of success across the world for many watch and non-watch people alike.
"Ok", you say, "That makes them successful… not necessarily important."
But think about it. Rolex is responsible for bringing a huge amount of capital and public interest into the watch industry, but not just through their own watch sales. As @Edge168n discussed in his post 'Reflections on the Rolex Waitlist (or How the Rolex Waitlist Saved the Watch Hobby)', Rolex is a gateway drug for many watch enthusiasts, and they frequently move on to other brands as either their interest grows or their patience for ‘waiting for the call’ wains.
It is because of this level impact on the non-watch community and pop culture for decades, that the birth of Rolex deserves a place on this list.
For an interesting discussion about whether the Rolex hype machine will eventually implode check out @doitforthedials' post 'Will The Hype Cycle Kill Rolex Like It Did With Supreme?'
#TheFirstWorldWar
The least controversial on my list I feel.
Prior to WW1, wearing a watch on the wrist was seen as a very effeminate affair despite watch manufacturers trying desperately to change public perception and tempt men into the wristwatch trend. It wasn’t until the brutal trench warfare of WW1, which necessitated that both hands were free for weaponry and other essential military equipment, did men’s watches move from the pocket to the wrist for ease of use. When these brave men returned home, they changed the perception of the wristwatch from ladies jewellery to something that men wore with pride. This massive impact on the trajectory of watch-wearing is why WW1 takes the final spot on this list.
To see some beautiful watches from those early days of wrist-wearing check out @WatchYourIntruders post ‘Watches from each decade - Share your watches Part 1: The 10s' and @LRFAntiqueWatches post on 'WWI Trench Watch Case Back Inscriptions'
So those are my top 3 critical moments in watch history.
Are they controversial, or are you nodding along?
Am I crazy not to include the quartz crisis?
Let me know your thoughts and top 3 moments in watch history, if my puzzles are too hard for you and post a picture of what you're drinking today!
Thank you for reading my friends!
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Weekly Watch Puzzles!
Anagram: A MINT PICCOLO
Cryptic clue: ‘Tense up and rent’
The @Edge168n ID the watch challenge:
Last weeks answers: Nato strap, Watch dial, Hublot Big Bang Steel Blue.
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Part-time 'writter' @ The Escapement Room, the NSFW watch enthusiasts blog. www.theescapementroom.com/
More from DeeperBlue
Thank you so much for the mention. I’m happy to be part of the community. I’ve received wonderful and positive comments. I’m very glad I joined. All I have seen so far is Great content and great people. Thank you. I hope you all have a blessed day.
Thank you so much for the mention. I’m happy to be part of the community. I’ve received wonderful and positive comments. I’m very glad I joined. All I have seen so far is Great content and great people. Thank you. I hope you all have a blessed day.
Always great to have new folks onboard 👍
Awesome bites as always.
That 3d glasses watch picture hurts my brain.
Awesome bites as always.
That 3d glasses watch picture hurts my brain.
I know. It hurts me to look at it 😆
I just grab an internet picture and chuck a filter on it I'm afraid!
Maybe be a difficult one this week!
These delicious Bites are always fun to dig into. Thank you @Deeperblue !
These delicious Bites are always fun to dig into. Thank you @Deeperblue !
Thank you Celine!
They are made with love, though I do tend to go off topic, meaning they are more "Random thoughts running around my head this week" than a 'Weekly Round Up' as such. 🤭
I will try to stay on topic in future 😁
Wow! So cool to be mentioned and what a great post!
Wow! So cool to be mentioned and what a great post!
So cool to have you here! 🥳
Thank for the mention on my post about WWI trench watch case back inscriptions!
I chose my 3 events because they are specific circumstances in history which were a very unusual/unique set of events that drastically accelerated the watch industry.
Development of portable time pieces could have happened (and probably did) in multiple places at the same time. No specific event involved.
Watches going to the wrist for men, I agree was a massive move, as they are the big buyers in the watch world. Ladies watches have to fight for attention with jewelry etc. Hence why WW1 was included.
Cheap watches were happening regardless of quartz (Ingersoll, HMT). So I don't think quartz development was that big a deal in that regard.
It certainly is! 😄
Thank for the mention on my post about WWI trench watch case back inscriptions!
You are more than welcome!
I love case back inscriptions. I have some from the 50s and 60s but none from earlier.
True, true. Definitely quartz was important, but Swiss watches still by far make up the majority of watch sales today. Quartz was a blip that got rid of brands that were probably on their way out at some point anyway 😆
Thank you Celine!
They are made with love, though I do tend to go off topic, meaning they are more "Random thoughts running around my head this week" than a 'Weekly Round Up' as such. 🤭
I will try to stay on topic in future 😁
Meh, staying on topic can be boring.
A touch of random ramblings is more fun in my opinion :)
Units sold, I think you are very probably right, I mean more market share in 💲💲💲
If we are talking number of watches on wrists, then yes, I'm sure I'd have to concede to quartz being more widespread 👍
'Increased accessibility' seem to be what people find the most impactful moments.
The point of a watch is(was) to accurately keep time. Quartz advanced that by orders of magnitude. In fact, for any computer to work, it needs accurate timekeeping. So your phone/desktop/laptop, or whatever you are reading this on, has a quartz movement in it. The entire computer age could not exist without it. Quartz movements were around before they put them in watches, but the watch industry increased development immensity.
I feel you over simplify.
Yes, accurate time keeping is a major goal, but if it was the be all and end all of watches then why do we even have mechanical watches any more? Why care about non-functional design elements? Why care about colour other than in terms of legibility? Why care about history or heritage? Why mess about with knackered old vintage pieces?
Watches are about so much more than time, and I would be bold enough to say, always have been.
Great round up buddy, thanks and agreed on all 👍
Yet another great read, @Deeperblue! 💯 You really got the knack for this unpaid WC job... hehe. 😜 Definitely spurred good convos and POVs.
Big thank you too, for selecting my photo for the Photo Challenge of the Week. Never realized my photos were part of the competition because I shared them only to spur the rest of the WC Community to share their shots. Big thank you nonetheless! Congrats as well to all the runners-up! Great shots too. 🍻
Nice read, Thanks!
Congrats @hakki501 ! I told you you're too humble about your photography skills. 🍻
Thanks, pare! Just learning from the other more excellent photographers here on WC. 🍻
A good list! 🍻
I have to say, having 'The invention of stealing' is a pretty broad number one!
I like your railroad thinking though.
I'm surprised no one has said sundials yet. I'm glad you weren't 'that guy'.
Sundials you say..?
Whenever I walked by this part of our university, I always was fascinated by its relative accuracy, so long as the sun was out, and it was more or less during the summer months. @litoben knows where this is. 😉
Great stuff. Keep it comin pls. 🤙🏽
Thanks for this post ♥️ The first point of the list was news to me, but consider me informed now. Thanks ☺️
Thank you for your thoughts and insights. I love how we all come at this from different perspectives. 🍻
As I mentioned to @tonmed it appears that huge importance is given to events that have resulted in increased accessibility of time keeping.
I find this very interesting to consider alongside our dislike of 'inaccessibility' in the industry. Rolex waiting lists, difficult to obtain moonswatches, even limited edition releases to a degree.
I wonder if it is linked to an underlying desire for 'fairness'? 🤔
Interesting you mention fairness, I just came across this yesterday once more with the Fifty Fathoms 70th anniversary release. Blancpain finally makes it 42mm, but it's limited edition, sold out in minutes or seconds (who knows!), botched the whole online sale for that matter according to many...
I think the issue with fairness is that it can be a subjective concept. Especially in business, if you ask my commercial team they will tell you: "In business, no one gets what they deserve, they get what they negotiate". This applies to life in general from my experience.
I don't think Swiss watch brands are purposely trying to piss off many enthusiasts, but they certainly do. I think all this is really, is a combination of an industry that has been slow to adopt modern methods of marketing and distribution and the deep desire of some to remain a "special" luxury item. Special many times means exclusive, exclusive obviously means not easily accessible.
I do think they miss the mark in some respects though. Many watch enthusiasts drive average cars, buy average clothes, have average jobs, yet we spend thousands specifically on watches. Luxury watch owners the world over are not just the wealthy or super wealthy, but much of the middle class. I feel brands are recognizing this, but things like social media and mass accessibility to information has changed the world of marketing and importantly the world of wealth perception. Brands can now very easily create hype, which initially caught them off guard, but they now fully use (or overuse) this to their advantage.
The sad truth is also as much as we all complain, any of us would likely take the opportunity to buy an "exclusive" item. Rolex lovers and haters alike would be hard pressed to turn down a Rolex if simply offered to them. Many just won't go out of their way to try and obtain one, but no one will turn it down. If you say to yourself "I would turn it down out of principle" I say let's put you to the test and see how that dopamine and survival instinct treats you in a real-life situation. Unless you already own such things, it's a hard thing to resist your heart's desire (or what you think you want).
I think we just need to keep "negotiating" with brands. They do listen sometimes, or eventually. We just gotta keep that wheel squeeky so they don't forget we're watching them like hawks haha.
Great round up buddy, thanks and agreed on all 👍
Cheers mate! 🍻
Great stuff. Keep it comin pls. 🤙🏽
Thank you friend!
I will aim for weekly as time allows 🍻
Interesting you mention fairness, I just came across this yesterday once more with the Fifty Fathoms 70th anniversary release. Blancpain finally makes it 42mm, but it's limited edition, sold out in minutes or seconds (who knows!), botched the whole online sale for that matter according to many...
I think the issue with fairness is that it can be a subjective concept. Especially in business, if you ask my commercial team they will tell you: "In business, no one gets what they deserve, they get what they negotiate". This applies to life in general from my experience.
I don't think Swiss watch brands are purposely trying to piss off many enthusiasts, but they certainly do. I think all this is really, is a combination of an industry that has been slow to adopt modern methods of marketing and distribution and the deep desire of some to remain a "special" luxury item. Special many times means exclusive, exclusive obviously means not easily accessible.
I do think they miss the mark in some respects though. Many watch enthusiasts drive average cars, buy average clothes, have average jobs, yet we spend thousands specifically on watches. Luxury watch owners the world over are not just the wealthy or super wealthy, but much of the middle class. I feel brands are recognizing this, but things like social media and mass accessibility to information has changed the world of marketing and importantly the world of wealth perception. Brands can now very easily create hype, which initially caught them off guard, but they now fully use (or overuse) this to their advantage.
The sad truth is also as much as we all complain, any of us would likely take the opportunity to buy an "exclusive" item. Rolex lovers and haters alike would be hard pressed to turn down a Rolex if simply offered to them. Many just won't go out of their way to try and obtain one, but no one will turn it down. If you say to yourself "I would turn it down out of principle" I say let's put you to the test and see how that dopamine and survival instinct treats you in a real-life situation. Unless you already own such things, it's a hard thing to resist your heart's desire (or what you think you want).
I think we just need to keep "negotiating" with brands. They do listen sometimes, or eventually. We just gotta keep that wheel squeeky so they don't forget we're watching them like hawks haha.
Wise words. I agree with your comments on the Rolex test 👍
I love the 3 events you mentioned. I think the quartz crisis making watches more accessible to us a larger portion of the population who didn't have a matching snuff box is important too. It both shook up the watch industry itself, buy also made watch collecting much less "serious" of a hobby bringing more informal enjoyment of watches to the masses.
Great post as always!!
I feel you over simplify.
Yes, accurate time keeping is a major goal, but if it was the be all and end all of watches then why do we even have mechanical watches any more? Why care about non-functional design elements? Why care about colour other than in terms of legibility? Why care about history or heritage? Why mess about with knackered old vintage pieces?
Watches are about so much more than time, and I would be bold enough to say, always have been.
99% of watches sold more them 30 years ago, we’re sold because someone needed to know the time. The reason we think of them as items of desire, is because that was Rolex’s only play when they could no longer sell them as work horse time pieces, which is what they were about before the crisis.
@Edge168n
@Edge168n
Longines master, 29mm. A classic.
Man the distortion made that one hard, I couldn't tell what was a design feature and what was just the photo.
I do think I got the lady sizing correctly.