Q: How did you get into watch collecting?
I’ve always appreciated watches, but confess I never actually wore them until the first Apple Watch came out in 2015. Since then, I’ve felt bare without them, and after a few years of always having one in my wrist, I began getting into mechanical watches, which I now wear almost exclusively.
Q: What was the first watch you ever owned?
As mentioned above, the Apple Watch was the first watch I can remember buying with my own money. But as far as mechanical watches go, I bought a gold Fossil Inscription with a skeleton dial, which I was enamoured by at the time. Looking back, this was a fairly basic, cheap and nasty watch, but it’s a watch I still own, a reminder of the first time I really appreciated the mechanics of an automatic movement.
Q: Do you have a watch with a particularly interesting story behind it?
A year ago, when I started properly building a watch collection, my mum give me my grandfather’s old vintage Accurist watch. It’s a beauty, smaller than any other watch I own, and realistically, a tad too small for my wrist. But I love it dearly, and still wear it regularly. It’s over 50 years old, and impresses me on a daily basis. That something as old as that still ticks is truly a testiment to the art.
Q: What is one piece of advice you have for someone just getting into watches?
Watch collecting has it’s ups and downs, much like any hobby. Although it can be as expensive as you want to make it, there will be mistakes made, whether it be a watch you thought you wanted and ended up not liking, or an impulse buy. Pace yourself and over time, you’ll build a collection you can be proud of.
Q: What brands have been getting your attention lately?
As much as I love the household brands, I’m finding a lot of enjoyment in exploring numerous microbrands at the moment. I think there’s a lot of value in lesser known brands, and you can get a lot of watch for less money than you’d think.
Q: What is your grail watch and why?
Whilst I have many watches I’d love to own some day, from a multitude of renowned brands, I think my grail watch is the Omega Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon Apollo 8. From the dial, to the strap and the incredible case back, it’s as close to a perfect watch as any other I can think of.