Intro and Watchfinder Gathering

Hello, I'm a first time WC poster also fairly new to the collecting/horological community. As such, I haven't had anything particularly new or interesting to say yet, especially compared to everyone else here. So for my first contribution I thought I'd shamelessly springboard off of the celebrity of others - in this case, @AndrewMorgan and the @watchfinderofficial crew.

Last night was the last leg of the Watchfinder US tour, in Philadelphia. It was my first watch- related event - quite the introduction! First, it was great to just meet other enthusiasts; everyone was friendly, happy to chat, and pretty much everyone had impressive, beautiful, interesting pieces. It was also my first sighting of Grand Seikos. To me even the best photography doesn't do them justice (so now another item or three added to the wish list....)

Andrew was as you'd hope from his videos: knowledgeable, with a dry wit, and an easy conversationalist - so much that if you didn't know who he was, you'd have assumed he was an attendee rather than the star of the show (though obviously everyone was gravitating towards him). His lovely wife Charlotte was also such a pleasure to chat with. I'm afraid I may have taken up too much of her time and prattled on, but she was (still) amiable and was even kind enough to show me her CW The Twelve (which I may now also have to get). Watchfinder team members were also there - very friendly and ready to answer my annoying questions. But no Tom, whom Andrew revealed was an AI bot that, due to software limitations, was rendered without hair.

I don't really have any other photos to share sadly, but then I think that was kind of the point of being there - there are nuances you miss from photos and videos, both with watches and people. And while what brought us all there was watches, it was the conviviality and conversation that made the evening special. With absolute sincerity, I was humbled and blessed to be there. Thank you, Andrew, Charlotte and Watchfinder!