My wife surprised me with a few dollars from her bonus last December, instructed me to spend it selfishly, hopefully not on another watch and certainly not on yet another Breitling which she feels is a little boring. Finally showed her my watch a few weeks ago over our morning coffees. She said that it is ok but pretty thick. Laughed when I said the lines on the case diminishes the appearance of chunkiness. She laughed harder when I told her that I bought the watch from a Breitling boutique and the price that I paid.

I read the particular thought expressed by Kevin O’Leary to my wife who has never met him but certainly sees the simple wisdom of not blowing your daily dollars on small luxuries. It is true that poor folks will not become rich by cutting back on expenses that they cannot realistically afford, it is guidance more for individuals who earn respectable incomes but have little or nothing to show for their efforts.

I have always preferred black and charcoal grey recalling my brilliant dad who lectured a well cut black suit is essential for weddings and funerals while a charcoal grey business suit is timeless as long as it is perfectly tailored from a fine cloth. During the past 20 months I decided to shake my watch hobby ennui with a few black ceramic timepieces as well as 2 well chosen black PVD models from some favourite brands. It is their responsibility to keep their offerings fresh and relevant if they wish to continue connecting with the marketplace.

My wife is shopping for a new spring coat by some young designer named Thom Browne from an online business, more affordable than buying from a brick and mortar shop, it is available in khaki or black. She is thinking the dark khaki because shades of brown are the new black. My suggestion is to stick with the old black.

A few springs ago I suffered a freak shattered left ankle, after surgery, there was no way I could rehabilitate my ankle in my ancient home( too many stairs), our older daughter agreeably offered to switch her modern condo with my wife and me for a few months. My cautious wife decided to safely store my watches in a few different discreet cubbies, knowing that our sociable daughter would definitely be hosting a few get togethers with her friends. I digress here and say that while I was living in our daughter’s condo, I was able to revisit a number of watches that I gifted to her over the years, pleased to note that she enjoyed and kept them in reasonable condition, a Hamilton Khaki automatic model fitted to an OEM bracelet which I gave her one Christmas when she was still in high school brought back memories of finding a good deal from a shop that was being shuttered due to a lapsed lease in a mall that I was passing by.

Upon returning home, my wife was unable to locate quite a few of my watches, we knew they were not lost but definitely misplaced. In fact it was not until we decided to plan an intense renovation during covid that I discovered a stash of 10 watches tucked in with my business suits which I never wear even before the pandemic.

None, I never knew people kept their watches in boxes until I joined the Crunch. I try to save as many extra dollars to buy my watches. I used to display my watches but that was when I collected vintage.

Pete McConvill is pretty much the only contend creator on YouTube that I watch with any regularity. I used to watch a few guys who restore watches but how many times can you see a watch taken apart?

I love watches but there was a period in my life when my personal finances were somewhat whimsical, went for 15 years without buying a new watch. After all mechanical watches really are a superfluity, nice but not essential.