The Other Big Night at BaselWorld - Wine & Time!

So, small confession to make.  I was one of the five co-conspirators responsible for the Wine & Time pop-up event on Friday night in Basel.  

This was in many ways a first of its kind.  Rod, myself, Nas, Martin and Jonathan joined together to create a unique event where new, small, independent and emerging watch brands could come together in a private location, and share their watches with the press (print and digital), retailers & distributors, and private collectors & customers. 

The logic was fairly simple - for better or worse BaselWorld has grown into a very, very expensive proposition for watch brands.  It is not an accident that 200 brands (and that is the officially reported number) opted to give it a miss this year.  Our feeling was (and still is) that there are a lot of interesting brands out there that both the press and the distribution networks would like to hear about.  And so Wine & Time was born.

The idea started out reasonably enough.  We figured maybe 10 brands, 20 or so press folks, and maybe 10 - 15 retailers and collectors.  So maybe 50 people or so.  And, well, let's just say that the demand very quickly outstripped the space!

 
It was a unique opportunity for collectors and fans to meet the brand owners, see the watches, chat informally with some of us "alleged" experts, and enjoy a glass (or three) of great wine.

So did we have brands?  22 of them.

Okay, but probably no journalists, right?
a few less than 50.  

We actually had to close access to any further press folks 72 hours prior to the event, because as word got around, people were coming out of the woodwork.

And about the collectors, retailers and others?
Well, there were 122 attendees, I'll let you do the math ; )

Brands were encouraged to sell direct to any potential customers, and let's just say that several brand owners left with more money in their PayPal accounts than they came in with!

It was a unique event in that it wasn't the typical "brand dinner" that you go to, sit stiffly at a table and make awkward small talk.  It was
wide-open and friendly, and needless to say, we'll be doing it again!

So on behalf of my partners in crime, I'd like to thank all of the brands, suppliers, journalists, retailers, distributors and the collectors and fans!  It was a great night, and we can't wait until next year!

 We'll see you next year!
 
 

Channeling my inner George Jetson

People who write about watches can often be identified by what tribe they belong to.  But those tribes are not always so understandable and knowable at first blush.

Robert- Jan Broer who is responsible for the wonderful Fratello Watches site is known far and wide (and rightly so) for his knowledge, and more importantly his passion, for the Omega Speedmaster.

Tim Jackson is half of the dynamic duo behind Passion Fine Jewelry (Jana Jackson being the other half).  Passion is perhaps the most important retailer of independent watch makers in North America, if not the world.  But with his blog, Independent in Time, Tim carries the torch for those rare souls out there still doing it on their own - the independent watch makers.

Jack Forster may not have founded Hodinkee, but for many of us he made it SOOOOO much better. Moving from more than merely a promotional vehicle for both the brands and the site, Jack is one of those rare people that can (and does) actually take the time to dig a little deeper into a topic and actually find those esoteric little tidbits that make his articles far more than just posts about watches.

Courtesy of Bell & Ross

And if I belong to a tribe, it is perhaps the tribe of "Visceral Appreciation".  What I am drawn to, 9 times out of 10, has precious little to do with price point (low or high), complication (let's face it, I don't enjoy even the most basic aspects of home maintenance, how in God's name am I going to navigate a grand complication?), brand name (okay, I will say that Vacheron pretty much turns my crank no matter what, don't know why, but they do), or what everyone else says I should like (sorry Mr. Biver, not buying what you're selling but feel free to send more cheese).  Clearly I am a focus group of 1.

So getting back to that "visceral memory" thing.  This is the Bell & Ross BR 03-92 AEROGT.  It is one of those watches that, for whatever reason, jumped out at me.  It took me back to that time of wonder, where as a young boy I thought about a world much bigger and interesting than the small town of Oberlin where I grew up (population around 3,000, if memory serves).  When I was 10 years old, my grandfather had the wonderfully misguided idea that I should be given one of the very first LED watches that Texas Instruments made.  So for those of you wondering just how f'ing old I am, that was around 1978.  

I loved that watch!  I made sure that EVERYONE in my class saw it and went to great lengths to share not only how unique it was, but how special I must be because I had it ; )  

I hit the display button with the same intensity that a job seeker hits the refresh button on their email to see if they got the position they interviewed for the week before.  Needless to say, I don't think the watch was "ready for prime time" or for "Henki-Time" for that matter as after a few days it pooped out and was returned to Texas Instruments for service.  Within a week a BRAND NEW watch arrived from Texas Instruments!  And the repaired watch showed up a few days later!  Talk about customer service!!!  Unfortunately, while the after sales service was great, the actual quality of the watch was not.  Within a few days, both the new watch and the one that was repaired had both crapped out.  And my classmates made sure to share with me their "compassion" with that type of empathy that ten year olds are famous for ; )   

Needless to say, a lesson in humility was probably needed.  But that George Jetson / Buck Rogers / Captain Kirk inspired watch haunts me nearly forty years later.  And although they are COMPLETELY different things, I find myself drawn to the BR 03-92 AEROGT for those same, visceral feelings.  It is not rational, it is not based on research or analytics.  I simply like it.

Here are the pertinents -

Limited Edition of 500 pieces.

Movement: calibre BR-CAL.318. Skeleton automatic mechanical. 

Functions: hours, minutes and seconds.

Case: 42 mm in diameter. Satin-polished steel.

Sapphire case-back with anti-reflective coating.

Dial: skeleton. Metal appliqué indices. Metal skeleton Superluminova-filled hour and minute hands.

Crystal: sapphire with anti-reflective coating. 

Water resistance: 100 metres.

Straps: black calfskin stitched with red piping and ultra-resistant black synthetic fabric.

Buckle: pin. Satin-polished steel.

ALERT - Stolen Patek Philippe - PLEASE help!

I am re-posting this from Fratello Watches -

Your Help Needed! A Stolen Patek Philippe Nautilus 5726


Once in a while we are being confronted with the scum of the Earth that steals other people’s stuff. In the worst case scenario, with violence. On the 5th of July one of our friends was robbed during a watch trade in Amsterdam. It concerns the following watch:

Patek Philippe Nautilus reference 5726/1A

Serial number: 5686847 / 4587076

Reference number: 5726 / 1A – 010

Dial number: H900.936.THNT1

If you come across this watch or know more about it, please contact the Watches and Art blog. A $5000 reward is there for the one who is able to get this watch back to its rightful owner.

Photo shown above is not the actual watch but a similar watch. Please refer to the link above to see pictures of the actual watch and box.

Thanking Tempus Fugit readers in advance for any way that they can help!

James