Many people ask me why I like automatic watches, and it got me thinking…
Fine automatic watches do more than tell time. Perhaps most important, fine watches enforce our belief in the idea that time is important, because it is the one thing none of us can buy more of. Eventually, my time will run out and I will die. Perhaps wearing and looking into the face of a watch that cost you significant amount of money and/or effort to own, reminds us to value our time the same way we value our money.
Another more subtle way in which fine and expensive watches are not a shallow symbol of success, is that they demonstrate an appreciation for the time and dedication of the person who designed and built the watch–paratially by hand. Things created directly by human hands are inherently more special to me. Like a fine pair of leather shoes, that began with harvesting leather from an animal, tanning, and then working into a shoe, a fine watch is such thing made special by the time and dedication required by man/woman who created it with his/her own hands.
The final other reason a fine watch is more than a shallow symbol of success, is that it can reflect the style of the individual wearing it. All aspects of the watches’ design–price, materials, size, aesthetics, functionality (chronograph) digital vs. analog output, etc.–reflect personal style. Why is style not shallow What makes us humans so interesting is our differences; and fundamental to these differences is our own individual “style”, which can be much more than just the clothes we wear–although, I think the way we assemble our clothes is an absolutely real expression of our unique personality. Our individual “style” can be seen in the work we produce, how we speak, and how we think–all of which reflect nothing less than perhaps the most fundamental quality of the human experience: our values.
So, I leave you with but one example of a fine watch craftsmanship. It is the first watch to feature a mechanical depth gauge, and is water-resistant to 300 meters: http://www.jaeger-lecoultre.com/eu/en/watches/diving/master-compressor-diving-pro-geographic-navy-seals
