Closing The Circle - The Pitko

A bit more about me...

In the late 90s Wendy and I were living and working in Finland. My job had evolved and I was traveling to London a few times a year. And one time coming through Heathrow, I laid eyes on an Alain Silberstein watch. For the youngsters out there, it is important to impart the fact that the internet was not yet the highly evolved information/communication conduit that it has become. Around this time I had a Nokia Communicator -

Image: Arne Dedert/dpa/picture alliance

Suffice it to say, this was not the age where you could simply Google something, jump on a forum, or go to a "trusted" online watch news outlet (yes, that last one was a bit of sarcasm).

So from 1998 through 2011 Alain Silberstein and his watches were more of a construct for me than an actual thing I had seen in person. In 2011 I went to my first BaselWorld as a journalist. And on my last day there, who should be sitting at the bar next to me in the Palace than Mr. Silberstein himself! I introduced myself, asked him if an interview might be possible, he said sure. We exchanged cards, I reached out, and got the first of several "I am busy, but soon" replies. This went on for about a year, and then it would appear that Alain Silberstein, as a brand, was no longer.

Fast forward to 2015, and I found myself in Besançon, France -

This was something that I never expected to see, but it hit the reset button on my now full-blown Alain Silberstein obsession.

Fast forward again, nearly 10 years later and a friend reached out, letting me know that his Alain Silberstein Pitko was available. Decisions were quickly made, a trade was agreed, and a little over a week later it was on my wrist -

It came as just the watch head only, so I made a temporary swap from my stockpile of straps, while I look for a more long-term solution.

To be sure, this is a watch that has clearly had a few owners. It has some minor scratches, no box or papers. But to me it is perfect. And in many ways it sums up over 25 years of an unrequited crush.

I have had 2 Omega Speedmasters, 2 Seamasters, a Rolex Explorer and Date, even a Panerai B series. But this? This is most absolutely top of the heap.

Life is a long time, and I have been through several ups and downs since that stopover in London. But there is something to be said for that visceral feeling that just the right watch can give you!