Horology, which has become reduced to a market serving platitude. With popularity, watches have become predictable, and regrettable. Horology’s fundamental ideals are compromised for the market, lost in plain sight, leaving only the impurities precipitated from it. Here’s the bottom line for me: I still like watches and properly executed horology. One generation ago the hobby didn’t even have a name. The internet and resultant communication between like minded enthusiasts did spur the market and lead to some great new things. It’s what came on the coattails I have a problem with. The saving grace is that the two edged sword of success gives some companies the ability to invest in true horological innovation; it’s just harder to see the wood for the trees.
Velociphile’s Journey into Watches
He makes some solid points, my comments on a related article:
http://amateureconblog.blogspot.com/2008/02/reviving-swiss-brand-names.html
Veliciphile seems to make three key points, one I fully agree with, one I agree with, sort of, and one that is not so well considered.
Popularity breeds a slew of crap manufacturers. Yes, there are hordes of crap watches, frequently knockoffs, that give decent, self-respecting watch wearers the shivers with shoddy workmanship and slick marketing.
It has companies resurrecting old names that they don’t really deserve to. True enough, but… The other side of this is that they preserve continuity of names that would otherwise be at risk of dying out as the younglings and computer bedazzeled technophiles stop bothering with their watches as they have cellphones to tell time with. Does Swatch Group really have the moral high ground producing Hamiltons? Would I rather see Hamiltion die out? Yes, it is a Swiss movement with an American name, but an important name and a passable movement. How about the Omega from Swatch Group? Tough call regardless.
The coolness of horology is gone. This is that “People like it so it can’t be cool”, Punk, adolescent, silliness. Yes, there are the ignorati (Thanks V-phile, I will plagurize that one shamelessly) who make an excess of noise, but it gives you someone to snub and inform. If their ignorance is terminal, to heck with them, and I’m not going to let them take anything from my pleasure in watches and their role in history. I won’t give an uneducated boor that much power over me.
I still like V-philes blog, and I’ll keep reading it tho’.