Dispatches from a Minneapolis meet-up

Cool!!! Did people place their watch boxes out for people to view??? I’ve never been to a watch meetup. Not sure how they work.

Those are some heavyweight pieces.

Yup! Lots of trust, generosity, and general community. No qualms about people trying on or handling . . . always polite to ask first though . . . but after a while it gets kind of chaotic and it's generally okay to just go for it so long as you're respectful and use common sense (I brought a microfiber cloth to wipe down any watches I handled, for instance). I think folks kind of go in acknowledging that everyone comes from a different situation, is in a different place in life etc. (obviously a retired executive is going to have a different collection than someone just out of grad or business school or med school or something . . . and that ultimately we're all just there to admire watches, learn . . . and drink wine or beer/eat cheese haha. I found it kind of wild that some folks wearing Black Bays were all "Oh, it's just a Black Bay . . ." and were kind of sheepish about it and I wanted to be like "Dude, that's a solid watch. Yeah, lots of people have it but no need to be shy about it. Wear it proudly." Lots of people have a Speedmaster pro . . . doesn't mean that stopped people from admiring and handling different references that were on the table. Great place to try on watches (esp. for sizing) you're thinking about without going to a boutique . . . and you're not going to get this kind of selection in any boutique.

My take away? I used to think I would be forced to get a Speedmaster reduced or a FOIS, but I think I'll stick to my guns now and pull the trigger on a limited ed. Speedy Pro (the Gemini spacewalk with a gorgeous reverse blue panda). Another takeaway I won't pull the trigger on b/c of self-restraint and the fact I prob don't need it in my collection even though my heart might say otherwise? . . . The Nomos Zurich world timer isn't too freakishly large for me . . . and even got the "Yeah, you can pull it off" from a couple of others. Of course, you can't trust other watch enthusiasts sometimes to tell you the truth haha.

There were a couple of nice vintage Pateks but sadly didn't take photos. Holy Trinity was well represented for sure. On the Rolex front? Kermit, Batman, Hulk, lots of Pepsi, Explorer, Explorer II, some vintage pieces, a couple of gold ones.

Good lord, that sounds really dangerous.

Very cool. Must have Been really fun!

Awesome post! 🤩

Thank you for sharing this with us

Keep up the good work 🙌🏾

🍻

That Nomos Zurich worldtimer is so appealing! Good to know that it doesn't appear to large on wrist, even though for now I'm also restraining myself, maybe waiting for a limited edition like they did with Fratello...

In any case that looked like a great gathering and loads of fun! Some wonderful pieces in your pictures 😍

The Zurich lugs, despite being typical Nomos fangs, angle down quite a bit which helps even on a smaller wrist. Note: I have a 6.5 inch wrist in the summer and it wasn’t entirely out of the question.

Dang, definitely don't have those type of heavy hitters, but id love to attend the next one!