I do not remember my first watch. Clearly, it didn't have any lasting impression on me. My first favoured watch though, was a steely Swatch, mum had got me from Paris. When I was all of seven or eight, my mornings began with the sight of them winding their respective HMTs. I, on the other hand, cherished my non-fussy Swatch, and wore it with pride and delight from bed-rise to bedtime.
Some more years ago, I was party to an occasion between my grandfather and uncle, on the passing-on of an apparently simple looking classy black heirloom Rado. From scribbling a watch on my left wrist, to the glossy ads of Cartier on magazines, to the slight bulge on the date-display at 3 o’clock of Rolexes which caught my fancy, watches were to eventually become my favourite subject. How? Only time, beautifully crafted, would tell.
Apart from sourcing old versions of foreign magazines such as WatchTime and The Watch Magazine, I became a keen cultural observer. I started studying watch collectors across various fields of business, sports, and movies, and knew exactly which model of Luftwaffe adorned John Mayer’s bank vault, and how well-customized Rafael Nadal’s Richard Mille was for the tennis court. I also studied how the next-gen collectors invested in old timepieces not merely as a hot accessory, but as a dependable asset in their investment portfolios. Little did I realize that in the garb of those ticking seconds I was studying Branding, Economics, Luxury Management and Horology. I started admiring History and its magnificence when I felt the gush of joy on having to wind an old watch multiple times to revive its soul. I may have even accidentally landed upon engineering as I leafed through DW Fletcher’s Watch Repairing as a Hobby.
During my visit to Dubai with my ex-husband, I had shocked him when I emptied my then college earnings into a fabulous Seiko. It was no longer a grave matter if one had to surprise me for any (rare) accomplishment. Every successful feat of mine, would be handsomely rewarded with a model of my choice. With absolute delight I wear an inherited watch from one of my favorite aunts. The culmination of my PhD last year brought me a promised Tissot and a solar Seiko.
Surprisingly enough, it also took me to the Jaipur Watch Company in India, which integrated numismatics with horology to create a completely Indian craft. Visiting their factory felt like being in a candy store, and I was lapping up the vision of amalgamating the panache of contemporary design with the antiquity of history. It was here I understood the quality of being exclusive and discerning. To many of my friends, I do come across as a bore when I start unfolding the saga behind their new watch, but it is well worth it!
Is it all very time-consuming? As a matter of fact, my love for watches also evolved me into an efficient taskmaster with a thorough understanding of time-management. In no way could I earn those masterpieces had I not managed my career, and then took to understand how even during recession, vintage watches made more sense than their gold bar counterparts. Watch collection had terrible similarity with art collection, and there is only so much of a difference between an investor and an admirer. While an investor would readily buy the immediate demand, the admirer would research, save and finally invest.
Is it consuming? Yes. I understood what separated a watch from a valuable. No, it was not the aluminium disk bezel, or the sapphire crystal glass, or the kinetic movement of a Seiko which beats with the pulse of a wearer. It was about upholding a lineage and protecting something with responsibility. It is about knowing exactly which time-piece to pass on to whom. As I clean my two decade old Swatch, I feel the same satisfaction as having completed (is it ever complete?) my research on art and literature.
Some more years ago, I was party to an occasion between my grandfather and uncle, on the passing-on of an apparently simple looking classy black heirloom Rado. From scribbling a watch on my left wrist, to the glossy ads of Cartier on magazines, to the slight bulge on the date-display at 3 o’clock of Rolexes which caught my fancy, watches were to eventually become my favourite subject. How? Only time, beautifully crafted, would tell.
Apart from sourcing old versions of foreign magazines such as WatchTime and The Watch Magazine, I became a keen cultural observer. I started studying watch collectors across various fields of business, sports, and movies, and knew exactly which model of Luftwaffe adorned John Mayer’s bank vault, and how well-customized Rafael Nadal’s Richard Mille was for the tennis court. I also studied how the next-gen collectors invested in old timepieces not merely as a hot accessory, but as a dependable asset in their investment portfolios. Little did I realize that in the garb of those ticking seconds I was studying Branding, Economics, Luxury Management and Horology. I started admiring History and its magnificence when I felt the gush of joy on having to wind an old watch multiple times to revive its soul. I may have even accidentally landed upon engineering as I leafed through DW Fletcher’s Watch Repairing as a Hobby.
During my visit to Dubai with my ex-husband, I had shocked him when I emptied my then college earnings into a fabulous Seiko. It was no longer a grave matter if one had to surprise me for any (rare) accomplishment. Every successful feat of mine, would be handsomely rewarded with a model of my choice. With absolute delight I wear an inherited watch from one of my favorite aunts. The culmination of my PhD last year brought me a promised Tissot and a solar Seiko.
Surprisingly enough, it also took me to the Jaipur Watch Company in India, which integrated numismatics with horology to create a completely Indian craft. Visiting their factory felt like being in a candy store, and I was lapping up the vision of amalgamating the panache of contemporary design with the antiquity of history. It was here I understood the quality of being exclusive and discerning. To many of my friends, I do come across as a bore when I start unfolding the saga behind their new watch, but it is well worth it!
Is it all very time-consuming? As a matter of fact, my love for watches also evolved me into an efficient taskmaster with a thorough understanding of time-management. In no way could I earn those masterpieces had I not managed my career, and then took to understand how even during recession, vintage watches made more sense than their gold bar counterparts. Watch collection had terrible similarity with art collection, and there is only so much of a difference between an investor and an admirer. While an investor would readily buy the immediate demand, the admirer would research, save and finally invest.
Is it consuming? Yes. I understood what separated a watch from a valuable. No, it was not the aluminium disk bezel, or the sapphire crystal glass, or the kinetic movement of a Seiko which beats with the pulse of a wearer. It was about upholding a lineage and protecting something with responsibility. It is about knowing exactly which time-piece to pass on to whom. As I clean my two decade old Swatch, I feel the same satisfaction as having completed (is it ever complete?) my research on art and literature.
I understood the real value of time. Like knowledge, it is timeless.
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