WHO TO FOLLOW: Let @lume_shot get you all the right angles

Ricardo Sime

The amount of talent and entrepreneurial personalities within the watch world constantly surprises me.  For such a niche hobby, it seems that every other person I encounter is either creating or planning to create. From photographers, to specialists in their fields, these individuals just seem to be wired differently than most, making it impossible not to be enthralled by their work. This week’s Who To Follow, @lume_shot, is a great example of this.

@lume_shot is the Instagram page of a watch collector by the name of Eric. I’ve known him for a little while now and though I’m introducing him as a collector, he is much more. In the span of five years, he has gone from a small YouTuber chronicling his watch-collecting journey, to creating some amazing videos. His watch mod videos, in particular, are some of the best on the platform.

Last week, I got a chance to meet up with him and listen to some of his future plans and current projects. It was quite a treat so I hope you enjoy.

Eric, how did your interest in watches begin?

“Growing up, I’ve always been interested in watches because my dad wore his (now vintage) Seiko Flightmaster every single day. He wasn’t a watch guy, just someone who enjoys watches in general, but that’s what made me think: “I definitely want to get into watches if I ever lose interest in my current hobby’.”

What hobby was that?

“Before watches, I was very into custom-made folding knives throughout my early teens. I guess in ‘watch terms’ you could consider custom folding knives to be like watches made by independents.”

Why did you lose interest in custom knives?

“I fell out of that hobby because I became too preoccupied with the market value of these knives. The stress far outweighed the enjoyment. I immediately shifted gears into watches. One, because of my dad and his Seiko Flightmaster, but two, the knife community is kind of tied to the watch community. I would see pictures on IG where knives were being paired with watches, mostly Panerais and Rolexes. I began researching what Panerai and Rolex were (I knew nothing about the brands except that they were expensive ), which started my watch obsession and I fell in love with it. After experiencing what “market value” and “value retention” could do to someone’s enjoyment in a hobby, I never have and can confidently say that I never will care about how much my watches are worth. I just want to wear and have fun with them.”

That answers how you fell down the watch rabbit hole. How did that transition to your videos on YouTube?

“Video was something I always did in my free time. Since elementary school, I would borrow my parents’ camera and just film whatever I was into at the time to put up on YouTube. This was during the very early days of that platform, 2006-2007. Filming and editing was just so much fun. It wasn’t until I got into watches that I started posting regularly on YouTube because I had no one to share this passion with in person, so Lume Shot was created.”

I have to say, your videos are top notch. The lighting is great and how you present the content is relatable.

“Honestly, I had no idea how to use a camera until the pandemic started and we were forced to stay home. That’s when I sat down and started to learn how to film and edit videos properly, which was also when I started to take YouTube / cinematography seriously as well. I always film watches with the intent to highlight features that people may not see through unrealistically immaculate CG / VFX videos found online.”

Eric has managed to make quite a name for himself through his YouTube channel, which recently broke 100,000 subscribers. That has led to him getting noticed by major brands, who like his aesthetic and style of shooting. As a result of these successes, Eric has decided to double down on making high quality videos; recently creating a new studio that incorporates more and better equipment. It’s this focus in his pursuits that leaves no doubt in my mind that @lume_shot is worth your viewing time and, at the very least, worth your follow.