Russell Sheldrake

Hi, I’m Russell and I’ve been a watch journalist for my entire career.

Technically I’ve been a published journalist since my school days, and it took me to work at an Ernest Jones while at university to pick up the watch bug and discover watch writing as a full time job. I’ve worked for print magazines, international news publications and everything in between whether it was in house or as a freelancer over the last seven years, and the common thread that has run through all of them has been my passion for watchmaking. You may have come across my work at A Collected Man, where I was the company’s first Editor and began their long form article production. While I was at ACM I developed a real passion for independent watchmaking and niche, neo-vintage examples from that funny transition period between vintage and modern.

Despite this long love of watches, I will always describe myself as a lover of stories above anything else. This is what attracted me to journalism in the first place, and keeps me coming back to this space every day. Discovering, uncovering, and eventually telling the stories that are tied up in the watch industry has quickly become a singular purpose for me, in whatever medium possible. It’s this love of stories which will hopefully explain my watch choice below a little better too. My first watch was a Hamilton Jazzmaster Day Date, bought for me by my parents as a 21st birthday present. It is incredibly sentimental, even if my tastes may have evolved since then. My favourite watch is by far my Tudor Submariner 75190. It’s a birth year model for me, and was not in perfect condition when I bought it, but that makes it all the more appealing, as it carries the physical marks of its life before we met. Speaking to a rich history that I will never know, but can happily add to. My grail watch I think fits the true definition of a grail perfectly, as it will forever remain out of reach for me, but embodies everything I want. A Rolex ref.6062 is a million dollar watch and carries perfect proportions, sporty (thanks to the Oyster case) yet classical with the triple calendar complication. If I could own a star dial variation of that for a short period in my life, I would die a very happy man.