“Here's the story they don't want to tell: eight companies make 95 percent of the whiskey in America...And all those different brand names are just that. Brands. Perhaps no word sums up the death of truth in America better than the word brand.”
― Wright Thompson, Pappyland: A Story of Family, Fine Bourbon, and the Things That Last
Regular readers will note that I have, over the years, tried in vain to reconnect with my father (who shuffled off his mortal coil some 16 years ago). These same regular readers will also note that I have held onto the idea of Mido as, I had hoped to be a communication device, a way to connect to him. And in truth this has probably been a fool's errand. Which, I suppose, makes me a fool on a fool's errand. With that said, I did something that - in truth? I will probably do again, and again in some variation. I tried to lay hands to a watch that would be like the Mido (if not identical, at least ring true in feeling) to the same Mido watch that he received the day before I made my grand appearance. That day was July 10. The watch pictured above is a "Franken" watch in the most craven of terms. It was, in fact, until recently not a watch at all. It was purchased some three years ago on Ebay (sorry, but their fawning and showering of money on "A Blog to Watch" does not even remotely guarantee you're getting what you paid for). In this happy instance? It arrived as advertised - a case, dial, crown and set of hands from a former watch maker. "Just add movement"!
But alas, Betty Crocker was not a watch maker, and this attempt to reconnect to the old man was as fraught with misteps, misunderstandings, and frustration as my teens.
I am by no stretch the most gifted watch writer out there. Ben Clymer, when he actually takes the time to write someting? Is beyond eloquent. Wei Koh - if he could pause on the name checking / dropping and stop looking for the $10,000 word? A wonderful story teller. If and when The Rake can solve their distribution challenges? I'm all in.
But there is something that I maybe know a bit about. And that's longing. I have sat at the table, sharing stories about what led me here. Robert-Jan Broer coined a phrase (albeit trying to explain my blunt speech at a "recruitment event" held by Ebner to get ahold of large amounts of watch journalism content at bargain basement prices. A friendly note to Ebner about 10 years overdue - next time serve actual food, not stale bread with dubious smelling sandwich spread and tap water. This was during BaselWorld some years back. And I had looked around the room, looking for the person that didn't belong, and realized it was me. And I asked the question - "Why do we write about watches? Is it money? Presents from brands? Comped travel to fun destinations? Is that really why we got started in this?"
My point was - and continues to be - it had evolved into a business that traded on ego and appearance.
And in fact? Only Robert Jan and I gave actual answers!
He asked me -
"Do you mean, what was the trigger?"
In essence? What had gotten all of us interested in watches in the first place.
Now in fairness, I don't remember his answer as I was getting the "stink eye" from another now well-known and well established Dutch watch media mogul. But my answer was - "Mido".
So we're going to dive into my latest dive down the Mido rabbit hole over the coming week - so stay tuned.
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