Interview with Stephanie and Arthur

Once you start getting into this hobby, it’s always fun to get to meet more and more people that love the same thing as you do! You can geek out about the newest releases and figure out what your next pick up will be. But what if you’re already married to them and you can do that all the time? Well, in my opinion, that’s as cool as it get. 
 

How it All Started

Hello everyone! We are Arthur and Stephanie from Washington D.C. We both work in the aerospace industry on airplanes and rockets, respectively, but that’s about all we can say for now. Yes, we do argue over which is cooler.

We met in school at the University of Virginia, studying mechanical and aerospace engineering in … quite a while ago. We bonded over differential equation problem sets and physics lab reports. Very romantic.

 Arthur: I inherited my brother’s Tag Heuer Aquaracer Chronotimer in 2008, and that opened my eyes to a world of watches I never knew existed. For a long time after that I couldn’t afford much else, but in 2013 when we were married Stephanie gave me a Frederique Constant Classics Manufacture and the whole thing kicked off from there. We bought ourselves watches for our 30th birthdays saying they would be “only watches for life” and that didn’t work. [laughs] I bought an Omega Planet Ocean

Stephanie: In 2015 I started researching and trying on watches. The goal was to find one timepiece that I could wear everyday, for all occasions, forever.  I bought a quartz Cartier Tank Francaise. I still love that watch and wear it regularly, but the process leading up to that first big purchase sent me down a rabbit hole. As an engineer, I initially regretted not choosing a mechanical watch, so that led me to my next piece, a Nomos Tetra Kleene. It wasn’t long before Arthur got sick of hearing me talk about watches all of the time and started getting interested himself.
 

The Collection
 

Arthur: The first watch I can remember was a Timex Ironman, followed shortly thereafter by one of those 90s Shark surf watches with the velcro strap. Sadly I have neither these days, but I remember them quite vividly. At the time I felt like a real big kid getting a watch. But there was a gap of years where I didn’t wear a watch between high school and inheriting the Tag.

Stephanie: Perhaps a bit cliche, but the first watch I remember is a Lorus Mickey Mouse. I found it in an old jewelry box a couple of years ago, changed the battery and matched it with a bright red strap. It’s part of the regular rotation now.

Arthur: I guess I would summarize it by saying that I like variety, but mostly within the realm of modern sports watches. I have at most one watch per brand, and enjoy having a variety of movement types. I have manual three handers, automatic three handers, a spring drive automatic, chronographs with different movement types: manual and automatic with column wheel and cam/lever actuation. I think I gravitate towards watches with aviation history because of my career, and functional appeal, and often with a bit of technology thrown in, like new materials for movement parts (e.g. silicon) and cases (e.g. ceramic, titanium). I have Swiss, German, and Japanese watches covered.

Stephanie: Arthur is much more methodical in his collecting than I am. I tend to be a bit more impulsive so my collection is all over the place. Watches that are 36mm seem to be my sweet spot and I love color. I have a few treasured vintage pieces that were given to me by family members. And let's not forget about the drawer full of G-Shocks and Swatches that I still reach for weekly.

Arthur: My absolute favorite watch is a watch I never thought I could possibly own, but then it happened. That is my Rolex GMT Master II 126710BLRO “Pepsi” on jubilee bracelet. I actually hesitate to mention this sometimes because I don’t want people to think I’m a hype chaser, but this watch actually means a lot to me. Earlier in my career I worked as a flight test engineer on a plane that used to be in service with Pan Am, so the history of the GMT master reminds me of that really exciting time in my life. I would say close second and third are my IWC Pilot Chronograph Top Gun (more aviation with some modern materials) and my Tudor Black Bay 58 for its perfect proportions and absolutely charming looks.

Stephanie: It’s so hard to choose! I think the watch that is the most “me” and the one I enjoy wearing the most, is my Zenith Defy Midnight in blue with a diamond bezel. The design is fantastic, the movement works wonderfully and is stunning to look at. I’m not usually one for bling on watches, but the diamond bezel just works here - plus, no scratches! I also kind of love that I have never seen anyone else wearing this watch in real life. Given my profession and general interest in all things space, the starry dial with Zenith stars makes this watch really perfect.

The Community and its Hype

Arthur: Glashutte Original and Girard Perregaux. That said, I haven’t yet put my money where my mouth is on either of those. But they’re on my list for the next year or two, if I’m able. My tastes are gradually drifting towards dressier watches and towards watches with greater craftsmanship involved in their creation, so I think those would make sense to explore.

Arthur: The Glashutte Pano watches are more than just affordable Lange derivatives. The value is pretty crazy and they are doing some things with the design and execution that Lange does not - like both digits of the date being on the same vertical plane. I certainly would be a lot more comfortable wearing a GO on a regular basis than a Lange, as well. And from GP, my hot take is the Laureato is actually one of the best looking integrated bracelet sports watches. I prefer its softer lines to the really angular nature of the Royal Oak, for example; and it doesn’t have the Shrek ears of the Nautilus… and you can actually buy it, so that’s a plus.

Arthur: Automatic Watches are a must for me! As an engineer I really connect with the mechanical nature of a watch. But where’s the manual option? Winding is fun and tactile. Manual wind chronographs with display backs are so good to look at.

Stephanie: Manual for me! I have a soft spot for manual wind watches and a surprising number in my watchbox. I like the ritual of winding my watch in the morning. I tend to swap out watches daily so having to reset the time regularly doesn’t bother me at all.

We’d love to see people being less influenced by new release hype. What are the chances that in over 100 years of wristwatch-making history the best next watch for you is the one that came out this week?

Working in Aerospace

Arthur: One of my favorite things working in the aerospace community is the common love of cool machines. Even if people aren’t watch enthusiasts, they can really appreciate what they’re about because there are so many engineers around. There aren’t as many cool watches to be seen as you might think, but when you do see them, they’re great.

Stephanie: I agree! Rockets are just cool, and that never ever gets old. But my favorite part is the people. I get the chance to work with really really smart people on a daily basis who are equally passionate about space. I’m lucky that many of my closest friends are part of the space community too.

Arthur: I think my love of watches tie into my job! I love the mechanics of machines. It’s one major part of what drives me to do my job. It’s also a major part of why I love mechanical watches. It pushes me towards watches with aviation heritage so I can have more things I love in a single package.

Stephanie: Space and watches have such a storied connection. But more than anything in my day to day life, it’s a great conversation starter and way to get to know the people I work with. I find someone always has an interesting story to tell about the watch they’re wearing, even if they’re not an enthusiast.

Being New Parents

As new parents, we look forward to our daughter asking about watches! Our daughter Celeste was born in May 2021 and we already have a Swatch Flik Flak for her. We would love to get a Parchie Pal for her soon too. We do worry that if we push it too hard she’ll get turned off, so we need to think carefully about how to introduce them. In the meantime, “R is for Rolex” is on her bookshelf.
 

 Stephanie: She can borrow any watch of mine as she wants as she grows up. I think sharing this passion can be a great way to teach many important lessons. Of course I’m excited to teach her how to tell time in the next few years. As she gets older, learning how movements work is a fantastic engineering education. But perhaps most importantly, there’s a lot to learn about responsibility and appreciation.

Arthur: I’m really bad at sharing my watches because I’m so OCD about their condition, as Stephanie can attest. I’ll let her speak to this one. I think my cold heart will slowly be melted as Celeste gets older and I’ll want to let her borrow what she wants.

Special and New Pieces

Arthur: Stephanie gave me the Frederique Constant the night before our wedding and I wore it with my tuxedo as we got married. You can’t really beat that. One I bought myself is my Omega Speedmaster, which celebrated my promotion to my first managerial job in the aerospace industry. It seemed a fitting celebration. If it can go to the moon, it can sit behind a desk telling people what to do with airplane research.

Stephanie: I was fortunate enough to be able to buy a 36mm candy pink Rolex Oyster Perpetual to celebrate the arrival of our daughter last year. I wanted to find the perfect birth year piece that will be passed along to her one day. I think we told our watch dealer I was pregnant before many friends and family so we could get on the list as early as possible, haha.

We actually just bought matching Jaeger Lecoultre Reversos to start the year right, so we probably need to pump the brakes a little after that. I got the Reverso Classic Duoface (Large) and Stephanie got the Reverso One Duetto on a bracelet. After many canceled trips in 2021 due to COVID, we felt it was time to do something fun and celebrate the new year. 
 

Arthur: Not sure how it will work financially [laughs] but I always have my eye on other things to come. I’m hoping to add a Zenith Chronomaster Original to the collection this year if I’m lucky enough to be able to.

Stephanie: The correct number of watches is always N + 1, N = Current number of watches. I’m not sure what’s next though! One day I would love to own a two tone Daytona.

Arthur: I’m not much of one to sell. I try to buy slowly so that I don’t have regrets. So I’m going to try to hold on to everything I have and enjoy it.

Stephanie: Yea, I wish I could let go, but I bond with my watches through experiences and once memories are created it’s hard to imagine selling. I like lending watches to friends, particularly those that are just getting into the hobby, so they can use my collection to figure out their personal style and interests. 

Thanks for reading! Make sure to follow Stephanie and Arthur on here @tick_tick_vroom and @shewatchestheworld 

Make sure to comment below and if you have any suggestions who we should interview next! 
Have a good one!