FRIDAY WIND DOWN: 7th August, 2015
Felix Scholz
Look down at your no doubt lovely timepiece. What time is it? Wind Down time! This week had everythingl. Laughter. Tears. Deep thoughts. Denim. Let’s get to it.
What happened?
Oh boy, do we have conflicting feels about this one. On the one hand it delivered a few genuine LOLs. On the other, it perpetuates all the worst d-bag stereotypes and takes a bunch of easy shots at some great watches. But we take solace in the fact ‘GSElevator’ can’t spell Franck Muller and confused Datejust with a ‘Just Date’. Just stop.
Do you know what Team Time+Tide do in the hours when we’re off the clock (if you’ll pardon the pun)? We read other watch sites. Yes, really. Ticktocking is one of our favourites. Stephen Hallock doesn’t post often, and it’s not all about watches, but when he does it’s worth it. This guy knows his stuff. This shouldn’t be a surprise as he used to be the head of MB&F North America.
What actually mattered?
After starting the week with some of history’s most famous lost watches, we asked people to share their own stories. Well. We weren’t quite prepared for the deluge of grief that followed to be honest. Misadventure, theft, watches pawned for certain cosmetic improvements and just plain bad luck – you shared it all, and we were overwhelmed. These were the stories that rocked us.
THE LAST NIGHT A WRISTWATCH SAVED MY LIFE STORY
“I actually had too much to drink at a RedBar meet up in Toronto… And when I say too much, I mean I couldn’t see straight. I stupidly went to the bar with my watchroll… Which included 2 family heirlooms passed down from my grandparents – long story short, I lost it. I was completely broken, and this event actually made me confront the fact that I had a drinking problem. 8 long days later, a staff member from the bar called me and had found my roll, and returned it. Not a hair out of place. I’ve never felt so fortunate, and this event changed my life. I finally got my drinking under control and haven’t been drunk since. I’m a much better person because this happened, and my watches mean more to me now than ever.” @timetowatch
THE INSULT TO INJURY STORY
“My house was robbed a few years back and I had one of my Longines stolen that wasn’t in the safe from wearing the day prior. The police told me they recovered the watch and identified it via its serial number but I never was able to locate where it went after they found it. I felt like it was stolen twice.” @micksquires
THE HURT IS ENDLESS STORY
“I fell in love with a Montblanc Timewalker big date when I was in high school. Silver dial, brown alligator strap… awesome color combo. I lusted after that watch for years, and I told myself I would buy it when I got a job. Years later, I finally bought it. A few years ago, my watch was stolen. I replaced it with a chronograph version, but it still hurts to think about.” – @bruinfolife
THE ‘I DON’T FEEL SAFE IN NEW YORK CITY’ STORY
We also shared @J.on.t’s story about losing his Omega on the mean streets of NYC and were pleased to see such an outpouring of support. And don’t worry @captainmortsik – we’re going to move onto happier topics soon.
The week in numbers
15: The number of Omega watches from the 2015 collection that were presented at the Utzon Room of the Opera House in Sydney in the middle of the week. What left an impression the second time around? The cheerful Rio Bullhead and the hot dials on the ladies collection. Mother of Pearl all day long.
41: T+T followers who shared their lost watch stories. You’re all great.
620,000: US dollars you’ll need to shell out for a watch like Dmitry Peskov’s.
3: The number of Time+Tide staff wearing denim shirts (out of three) today. Unplanned. Uncoordinated. This magic just happens sometimes. And then we write about it. There may be a denim theme to our next wish column in The Aus. Because all we lacked today was THIS. Happy trails everybody.