YES! Mathey - Tissot!

There is a lot of snobbery in Watch Town and Watch Town adjacent. It often reminds me of the scene in Bottle Shock where the somewhat uptight English wine merchant brilliantly played by Alan Rickman defends his contempt for California wines (unknowingly) to California vinyard / winery owner played by Bill Pullman, and Pullman calls bullshit:

            "You're a snob, it limits you" 

I had the very great pleasure of meeting the folks at Mathey-Tissot at Time to Watches in Geneva last month. I picked up a modest (but damn good looking) Mathey-Tissot quartz piece. And I noticed some real beauties lurking nearby. And upon further reflection, I found this beauty.

Courtesy of Mathey-Tissot

This is the 1968. And while my quest for a birth year watch has proved fruitless for some time, this wonderful time machine quite well scratches the itch for me!

It is special.

The case measures 41 mm in diameter and is of stainless steel. The movement is Landeron's self-winding 73B. 

The asking price? So totally fair at $2,579.00 US.

I would highly, HIGHLY recommend that if you're in the market for something special, have a good look at the Mathey-Tissot 1968. 

There is a LOT of noise, posturing, and posing in Watch Town, but the 1968 absolutely strikes a chord with yours truly, it is something that stands on its own. 

I hope to have more Mathey-Tissot goodness to share in the coming weeks.

Brand Ambassadors - 3 I'd Like To See

So, it is time once again for the "semi-annual" Tempus Fugit appeal to the PR & Marketing Mavens of Watch Town to take a bold step to recognize 3 athletes who set out to win the Olympic 200 meters in Mexico City, and wound up changing the world. 

So not unlike a pitch meeting, I am going to throw some of Watch Town's favorite bon mots first:

Tag Heuer's
"Don't Crack Under Pressure" 

Tudor's 
"Born To Dare"


And throw this picture -

Not feeling that one?  How about this for the big dogs in Biel/Bienne -

Courtesy of the AOC Media Centre

I am sure that someone on the Omega team could come up with a snappy tagline.  Maybe:
"Recording the moments that changed the world."

Watch Town is, indeed, a curious place.  There is almost a desperate longing to be attached to celebrities, star athletes and history makers.  And don't get me wrong, I like sports, movies and astronauts as much as the next guy or gal.  But after everything is said and done - it's just talk.  
Empty and pointless.

Now I know what you might be thinking - "Don't get political, stick to watches". Curious to relate, human rights are not and should not be viewed as political. And honestly? The three men standing on the Olympic podium in Mexico City back on that October night in 1968 weren't calculating how much money they would be pulling in from shoe sponsorships or becoming watch brand ambassadors, or getting a guest appearance on Hawaii Five-0. They were thinking about something bigger than themselves. They were feeling then, like so many of us are feeling now - that the world needed to change.

Peter Norman is no longer with us, but his nephew the film maker Matt Norman is, as are Mr. Smith and Mr. Carlos, still putting themselves out there, giving talks and educating. And maybe I'm just sentimental, but I think it would be nice to see some real heroes as brand ambassadors.

So Omega, Tudor, Tag-Heuer, Breitling or anyone else out there - here are some brand ambassadors that actually stood for, and continue to stand for something positive. Even more than 50 years later.


Watch Town execs still not feeling it?  Okay, maybe a bit of Henki-lore to help push the idea:

Tommie Smith like John Carlos and Peter Norman was pretty much cast out of the world of track and field. He went on to lecture and teach and along the way wound up in Oberlin, Ohio where he (if memory serves) taught sociology and also coached track. I attended Eastwood Elementary with his son Kevin. Truth be told, at the ripe old age of 6 or 7, I had no idea who Tommie Smith was, and certainly less of a clue about the Mexico City Olympics.  We were in the library, and he said -
"I want to show you a picture of my dad."  And he grabbed the most recent copy of the Guiness Book of World Records and turned to the page where his dad's photo and world record were listed.
"My dad's still the fastest man in the world!" At least, that's what I remember him saying.


If you want to know more about the story behind that seismic event in 1968, and learn more about the "third man" - Australian Peter Norman as well as Tommie Smith and John Carlos, I highly recommend the film Salute -

Fathers and Sons

I think for many of us, our fathers' watches hold a special place for us.  Even if they are not exactly our style at the time, like your brothers and sisters you grow to be quite good friends as adults.

This Mido Ocean Star was my father's.  It was given to him on a fairly hot and muggy July day back in 1968 in Zanesville, Ohio - one day before I was born.  Ironically enough, his father had planned to have the watch engraved July 10th (the next day), but had held off on doing anything until I made my debut.

My friend Ali and I were talking about fathers and sons as he finished the servicing of my dad's old Mido, and he shared with me an old saying he often heard - "If you're grown up, healthy and can look after yourself, then he (your father) did his job.   And you even got a watch in the bargain!"

Leave it to Mr. Athari to put things in perspective!