My Journey Back to Being a Watch Enthusiast ... Started on a Cruise Ship

(Trigger warning for positive Apple Watch sentiment)

I became a watch enthusiast again on a Disney Cruise to Alaska. I had never been on a cruise before, and saw a something on the schedule that looked like a session with a watch expert in the Disney Wonder’s Crown & Fin Pub. I thought, "I’ll check out the pub, get a beer, and maybe learn something.”

Yeah, I can hear you saying, “You idiot, it's obviously an aggressive sales preso!” In my defense, I didn’t know that they had a watch counter in the ship store, so it didn’t cross my mind. But, yeah, I realized my mistake roughly 5 seconds into the presentation. I considered leaving, but I didn’t want to be rude … and I had a beer to finish. It was thankfully short, but was as hard-sell and of limited informational value as you’d expect. At the end, though, they brought out a passel of watches that they sold onboard, including a few Tag Heuer and several Bremonts.

And that was the moment the door to coming back to the hobby opened. Seeing a Bremont Descent II with the harbor blue strap and a S300 in blue was the first time in almost 13 years that I saw any watch and thought “Oh. I really like that. I want that.” And here were two that got that reaction out of me!

Let’s rewind.

I became a watch enthusiast in the early 2000’s. I was a regular on boards like TimeZone and WatchUSeek, and always popped into any watch store I passed by to check things out. It took me several years to finally buy my first “good” watch, though: a Monaco Vintage Limited Edition. I knew I wanted it as soon as I saw it, and it was my daily wearer for a couple years. 

I didn’t just get the Monaco, though: I also got the watch bug. After a few years, I added a Chopard Mille Miglia Gran Turismo XL on the Dunlap rubber strap, and eventually a Hamilton Khaki TeamEarth. As much as I loved all three watches, though, I never stopped looking for what was “next."

And then my now-wife got me a blue Omega Seamaster Professional 300M GMT on bracelet as an engagement present … and I was done. The Monaco was my ’nice’ watch, the Hamilton was my beater, the Omega served as an everyday/everywhere/travel watch (I guess that’s called a GADA watch now?), and the Chopard was the big piece of jewelry for when I wanted something with wrist presence. I more or less instantaneously lost interest in looking at other watches, dropped off the boards, and stopped going into AD’s, even when convenient. I enjoyed my quartet (plus a Timex Ironman for working out) for 5 years. I had inadvertently got what’s now called an “exit watch” and was content.

I then exited further, when I was gifted an original Apple Watch soon after it was released in 2015. The utility of the Apple Watch (e.g., notifications, directions, Apple Pay/Wallet app, glanceable info for things like weather), health and fitness capabilities (workouts, heart rate, movement/step tracking), and horological features (perfect time accuracy, world time, stopwatch with multiple views and splits, countdown timer, alarms) were and are unbeatable. For a few months, I tried wearing my mechanical watches in rotation with the Apple Watch, but the sheer utility made it too easy to just go with the Apple Watch and leave the good watches in the watch box.

So I went years without touching my mechanical gems, months without even giving a second look at the watch box, except to clean the dust off of it.

Now, back to a few weeks ago. I had been aware of Bremont before - I went to a watch enthusiast dinner that Nick English hosted in 2009 or 2010 when he was in California once - and always liked their products (yes, I know about Bremont’s prior issues; they seem to be in the past, and I like their designs and story, so I don’t care). But these … these strongly appealed. I had always preferred blue dialed watches, so the blue S300 seemed targeted directly at me. But I was surprised at how much the chunky Descent II - with its bronze bezel, thick titanium case, blue GMT hand, and harbor blue strap -  tugged at my heartstrings. It even felt and looked good to me on my 6 3/4” wrist.

Despite the pull, I just couldn’t pull the trigger while on the ship, though. Partly because I still had to choose between the two, partly because I was certain I could get a better deal back home, but mostly because I never make a big purchase without sitting with it a while to make sure that it’s truly what I want. My wife also had a really good point (but made clear that I could go ahead if I wanted to) - how could I justify buying a new watch whenI don’t wear the ones I have? And anyway, Disney had enough of my money.

So I decided when I got home that I’d try wearing my ‘real’ watches again and start researching other options (if I’m willing to spend a few thousand dollars on something, I better be sure there’s nothing else I want more). If I kept wearing them and still wanted one of the Bremonts - or something else - then I could make the purchase with a clear mind.

So the first day back, I started wearing them in rotation and dove into the boards, blogs, YouTube channels, and watchmaker websites. It took some adjusting to all the new companies, content producers, boards, and shifting tastes/discourse, but I’m finding that I’m enjoying the community as much as ever.  

I also moved my Apple Watch to my right wrist to see how it felt. Despite being self conscious initially, I found ‘dual wielding’ to work really well. The Apple Watch became a high tech bracelet, not a watch replacement, which feels right. I recommend trying it. 

So, am I going to get one of the Bremonts? No, not right now, at least. I’m going to take my time, and I’m having fun researching and learning. Those two Bremonts still appeal, but so do a few other pieces that have caught my eye: the Bremont S302 (I love the utilitarian yet classy look, and GMT’s are my favorite complication, even callers), Tag Heuer Carrera Glassbox (I’ve always liked the Carrera line, and this one is just about perfect, especially in blue), and the Tudor Black Bay Pro (it just felt and looked great), to name a few.  I’m also really interested to see the tool watch that Bremont’s new CEO teased for next year in an ft.com interview, and I’m intrigued by the idea of going with a microbrand watch (that’s also a much cheaper route!). 

I’m also learning/relearning what I like and don’t like (one example: I find bicolor, “Pepsi”-style bezels distracting and make a watch less legible). But I’m enjoying being ‘back’ in the hobby and community. And when there’s something I like that I see (and can afford, of course), I’ll be well informed enough to act, since there’s so much great information available.