Almost a year ago now, a long-lost friend of mine from Oberlin, Ohio reconnected with me. We had a great evening having dinner and catching-up. And when we were walking back to his car, he asked me what my favorite watch was - asking about the super-expensive/high-end manufacturers.
I smiled and told him that some of my favorite watches weren't crazy expensive, or ultra-complicated. More than anything else, a watch had to speak with me.
No, that is not a typo. For me a watch needs to do more than speak to me, it has to speak with me. Watches tell time, but they also tell a story. Not just about the person who made the watch, but the person who wears it. And it is this intersection of stories that fascinates me.
So I thought I'd start something new, and I'd write about what I found to be special so far this year.
The timing is ideal as we are now past both BaselWorld and the annual American fair at Las Vegas.
So lets get started, first up -
This is the Nordic Seasons Winter from GoS.
Buddhism is a challenging life - I strive not to be drawn by possessions. But this watch does well and truly call to me. I spent some time with it (albeit indirectly) today as Patrik is in town to meet with some watch stores. And tomorrow we will be showing this as well as some other fantastic pieces here in Santa Barbara.
What is striking to me is the dial - a blue, but not just blue. It radiates an energy and feeling beyond what you'd find in something merely painted or printed. This dial was, in fact, conjured. Make no mistake, this is no charlatan's trick. Heat, and liquid, and tempering. All brought together to create a singularly perfect dial. This dial is not an accident. The process is intentional - each dial that GoS produces is unique. It is truly one of a kind. But it is no accident. An accident would happen once. True INTENTION and belief and execution - that is what makes the GoS watches SPECIAL. And that is NO ACCIDENT.
True beauty, as I've often heard said, is more than just face value. The work on the movement is superlative! The winding action is top shelf. The hands are unique and made one at a time. It would have been much easier to buy hands, but that was not the idea. So these hands were created by the team at GoS. It would have been easier to make one dial from Damascus Steel and simply take a "copy" and reproduce it like so many Thomas Kinkade "paintings". But again, that was not the idea. The idea was for something special. And this is where the stories of creator and owner dovetail. Because like all great watches, the GoS watches represent a true collaboration between the creator and the owner/wearer.
We have so much in our lives that is made by "committee". Mass production to match our mass consumption. I don't eat at McDonald's and I don't want to spend thousands of dollars on a Big Mac for my wrist. So enough! If a pair of artisans are ready to put themselves out there to produce something unique instead of something that is safe? Well then that is something I want to see.
I have experienced four unique Nordic Winters. And what I did not recognize until the fourth, was that they were so very similar to my own Northern Youth in Ohio. Little daylight, long and unrelentingly romantic nights. You would walk outside with just a hint of dampness in your hair, and it was frozen - STIFF! You would yearn for the spring, and almost regret its arrival. I know that maybe makes no sense. You reveled in the unrelenting cold - just as you longed for the warmth of May and June. I would love to tell you that there is something rational in all of this, but true love is like that. Rational goes out the door and your emotions take over.
And it's hard not to be romantic about watches.
So, if you're within hailing distance of Santa Barbara, join us tomorrow - so we can share with you something that is special.
I smiled and told him that some of my favorite watches weren't crazy expensive, or ultra-complicated. More than anything else, a watch had to speak with me.
No, that is not a typo. For me a watch needs to do more than speak to me, it has to speak with me. Watches tell time, but they also tell a story. Not just about the person who made the watch, but the person who wears it. And it is this intersection of stories that fascinates me.
So I thought I'd start something new, and I'd write about what I found to be special so far this year.
The timing is ideal as we are now past both BaselWorld and the annual American fair at Las Vegas.
So lets get started, first up -
 |
| Courtesy of GoS Watches |
Buddhism is a challenging life - I strive not to be drawn by possessions. But this watch does well and truly call to me. I spent some time with it (albeit indirectly) today as Patrik is in town to meet with some watch stores. And tomorrow we will be showing this as well as some other fantastic pieces here in Santa Barbara.
What is striking to me is the dial - a blue, but not just blue. It radiates an energy and feeling beyond what you'd find in something merely painted or printed. This dial was, in fact, conjured. Make no mistake, this is no charlatan's trick. Heat, and liquid, and tempering. All brought together to create a singularly perfect dial. This dial is not an accident. The process is intentional - each dial that GoS produces is unique. It is truly one of a kind. But it is no accident. An accident would happen once. True INTENTION and belief and execution - that is what makes the GoS watches SPECIAL. And that is NO ACCIDENT.
True beauty, as I've often heard said, is more than just face value. The work on the movement is superlative! The winding action is top shelf. The hands are unique and made one at a time. It would have been much easier to buy hands, but that was not the idea. So these hands were created by the team at GoS. It would have been easier to make one dial from Damascus Steel and simply take a "copy" and reproduce it like so many Thomas Kinkade "paintings". But again, that was not the idea. The idea was for something special. And this is where the stories of creator and owner dovetail. Because like all great watches, the GoS watches represent a true collaboration between the creator and the owner/wearer.
We have so much in our lives that is made by "committee". Mass production to match our mass consumption. I don't eat at McDonald's and I don't want to spend thousands of dollars on a Big Mac for my wrist. So enough! If a pair of artisans are ready to put themselves out there to produce something unique instead of something that is safe? Well then that is something I want to see.
I have experienced four unique Nordic Winters. And what I did not recognize until the fourth, was that they were so very similar to my own Northern Youth in Ohio. Little daylight, long and unrelentingly romantic nights. You would walk outside with just a hint of dampness in your hair, and it was frozen - STIFF! You would yearn for the spring, and almost regret its arrival. I know that maybe makes no sense. You reveled in the unrelenting cold - just as you longed for the warmth of May and June. I would love to tell you that there is something rational in all of this, but true love is like that. Rational goes out the door and your emotions take over.
And it's hard not to be romantic about watches.
So, if you're within hailing distance of Santa Barbara, join us tomorrow - so we can share with you something that is special.
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