Howdy,
Went to Watch Week Aspen yesterday.
Aspen hasn’t been cool for years. But still. I thought I’d talk to more at the gig who appreciated the fine art of watch making. Mostly, the crowd seemed dull and colorless. Their attraction seemed to be status. I find it odd that people with the dough to afford a $100k watch are so freaking insecure.
I love Rolex - their nonprofit work, the craftsmanship, and service. Their watches are a work of art. Gawd willing and the creek don’t rise, I’ll get one.
However so far on my horological trip, most Rolex customers I've been exposed to - yesterday, at the Rolex store, or online - are persona non-grata. This admittedly anecdotal view is formed from reading their posts, watching their videos, or talking with them. They seem to be all about the Benjamin’s - as if a watch is some kind of financial instrument. This in complete contradiction to Rolex's stated goals of sustainability, wanting customers who'll hand their watches down from generation to generation.
Of course, there are true fans of the art of watch making - my friend Jeff being one. I just wish I'd meet more of them. Hope springs eternal.
More oddity and befuddlement. If ROI is what’s driving their purchase, one can realize far better returns parking their bread in an index fund. From what I've seen the aforementioned Rolex crowd 'got a lot more money than sense.
I wore my Weiss Cardinal to the Aspen gig. Most I talked to would glance at my wrist to see what I was wearing, but not ask me about it. Maybe for them no bling is no bueno? Or maybe the addiction to devices that’s so prevalent in our society has wiped out their ability to interact with another at the level of human to human? Oi.
I love my Cardinal - what it stands for and the story. To me it’s a micro investment in friends and neighbors. However right now it's falling short on accuracy, which is important to me. I've contacted Weiss, maybe there's something wrong with it. If so I know they'll take care of it.
Speaking of accuracy - and snobbery. My Grand Seiko Spring Drive Snowflake shines bright. In the last 30 days it was only 11 seconds fast. Beats a Rolex, Omega, or watches with 6 figure price tags. When I mentioned this to some of the folks I chatted with in Aspen, they brushed it off, replying with some variation of “Well. It’s a quartz”. As if Spring Drive is lower in the horological pecking order. When I told them there’s no battery - it’s a quartz crystal powered by the movement, one snob said “Well I’m not explaining it right”. I thought to myself, no dude, you’re not even close to understanding how the Spring Drive works. Not wanting to pee on their parade, I smiled and kept my Kale hole shut.
I see this foolish snobbery often. If every person on earth wore a Spring Drive, the combined power generated to the quartz crystal wouldn’t power one light bulb. Okay, a Spring Drive isn’t purely mechanical. Grand Seiko is made in Japan, not Switzerland. Phooey. It’s a horological breakthrough and I’m both proud and happy as a hooker with new shoes to wear my Snowflake.
A fool and their money are soon parted.
On the upside, I talked to a few nice people. I saw Casey and Natalie, which is always a pleasure. I talked to a couple young people who went to last weekend's Grateful Dead 60th celebration in San Francisco that I was at. They seemed genuinely turned on and curious.
Getting turned on, being curious, and questioning authority is a really good thing. As are community and standing for those with the least. More of this please.
tty next time,
