A Christmas Memory - A Repeat of Sorts

I think we call all agree that 2020 has pretty much sucked beyond belief, but it has certainly given us all an opportunity to reflect. And no matter how bad a year it has been, like all bad times, we can and will get through it.

As it is Christmas Day here on the North Shore, I am wearing my "Christmas Watch".  And contrary to what the rapacious marketing and PR departments of Richemont, LVMH, Conde Nast and anyone else expecting people to go into 5 figure debt for that perfect "Christmas to Remember" timekeeper, I am rather attached to this (at least in terms of price) much more modest one -

It is safe to say that at several key moments in my "watch career" this watch has been with me. A quick bit of backstory - and apologies to those of you already familiar. Back in 2002 I was (in hindsight) kindly relieved of my responsibilities of running Intrax English schools - a group of 4 ESL schools headquartered in San Francisco with other schools in Menlo, San Diego and Chicago. It was literally the Ides of March.  It had been perhaps two of the most intense, up and down, stressful and ultimately failure riddled years of my career. It was the type of job that had me nervously up at just before 6:00, in the office by 8:00, usually not leaving until 7:30 and coming home shattered. My phone rang non-stop, all day long. I felt I did improve some things, but am honest enough with myself to know that I failed much more of the time. I had a pair of bosses who led with equal parts fear and praise. In hindsight, they really didn't know any better, and for many of us we embraced the idea of being pitted against one another in conspiratorial enterprises that would have put the contestants of Survivor to shame. It was do or die, sink or swim, be a winner or hit the bricks.  After two exhausting years of desperately trying to please them, alienating my own team, and constantly looking over my shoulder for the next knife to come out (yes, duplicitous behavior was not only encouraged, it was often rewarded), I was almost grateful when I was handed my walking papers. 

What followed next was perhaps the most uncertain time in my life. San Francisco was booming, plenty of companies were hiring, and I had a LOT of interviews. I kept making it to the final 2, and not getting the nod. It was pretty disheartening. I was finally hired by Starbucks and sent through their management trainee program. After two months there I was moved to a very busy store as assistant manager, and following that I was finally given the keys my own place as a "temporary" manager that November. And then 2 days before Christmas it was made official and I became the manager.  

That Christmas Wendy gave me the Junghans you see in this story. With it there was a note, telling me how far I'd come and that she was proud of me and that I should feel proud too. That following May I interviewed and got a position working in admissions at a college and slowly, but steadily clawed my way back into a career in education, and later back to running programs and being a leader of people - something I was terrified to take on after my career meltdown in San Francisco. When I put on this wonderful token of my wife's faith in me, I know that as bad as things get, I can get to the other side.

This particular watch for many readers might seem unremarkable.  It was sitting in the display case at Seregin's in San Francisco. It was not considered a high end piece, and was deeply discounted to around $125 or so. But to me it is priceless. 

Over the years this watch worked with me behind the sales counters at Tourneau, and accompanied me on my inaugural BaselWorld visit where I interviewed for the DOXA job. It has had a few straps and I think I finally found THE one that suits it best - an ostrich from Lic straps of Belgium.

Wearing it I am reminded that nothing in life is guaranteed, and nothing is permanent, and that sometimes when you get knocked flat on your ass, the best thing to do is to get back up on your feet and keep moving forward.

So while we struggle with the realities of 2020 and hope for things to get back to normal, please remember that we are all in this together and we will all get to the other side!

Hoping your holidays are happy, healthy and that 2021 is as magical as 2020 has not been.

Keep the faith -

Henki

An Affordable Bauhaus Stocking Stuffer

From Sternglas Zeitmesser -

Courtesy of Sternglas Zeitmesser

It is safe to say that Bauhaus was always about design, not necessarily about luxury.  And in fairness, it has been a constant frustration for people who would like a Bauhaus style watch, but maybe don't have NOMOS, Stowa, or even Junghans money to spend on a watch.

Courtesy of Sternglas Zeitmesser

Enter Sternglas Zeitmesser.  Available with either a white or black.

Courtesy of Sternglas Zeitmesser

With black or  brown strap -
 

Courtesy of Sternglas Zeitmesser

  
Or with a bracelet -

Courtesy of Sternglas Zeitmesser

 A very nice Milanese option.

Courtesy of Sternglas Zeitmesser

The price is very, very reasonable.  About what you'd pay for a Daniel Wellington.

Here are the pertinents -

38 mm stainless steel case
Sapphire Crystal
50 meters water resistant
Ronda 714 movement

189,00 € on leather
199,00 € on stainless bracelet 

A Christmas Story - No Really!

I have gone on record several times saying that a Patek Philippe is not something you generally find under the Christmas tree.  In fact, I tend to say that about a lot of watches and frankly, if I am being honest, I don't know that I always feel a watch priced over a few hundred dollars is a "realistic" or reasonable Christmas gift.  This is not based on sales data, etc., it is more of a personal feeling that Christmas is, by and large, for sweaters, ties, maybe a nice book on watches... but as Christmas invariably involves multiple gifts, I often question how realistic it is for Mom and Dad or doting spouse to spring for a $3,000 (or more) watch as part of the standard yuletide haul.  And thus I find the ads advising us that Christmas is special and that if we really, really loved someone we would go into credit card debt to prove it, to be at best disingenuous.

But then again, there are events, occasions, milestones that just happen to coincide with Christmas and that (given a reasonable adherence to rational spending) can make for an exception to my "Grinch like" philosophy.

Back in 2000, I was living and working in Finland.  I was lured back to the US after 8 years abroad to manage a group of English as a Second Language schools with the corporate office based in San Francisco.  From the moment I arrived it was a race run at the pace of a sprint, requiring the endurance of a never-ending marathon.  Colleagues openly plotted against each other, mischief and ill will abounded, and my bosses, the two owners encouraged this behavior with unspoken approval for the combatants, and admiration for the most Machiavellian.   For them it was like the Hunger Games - fun to watch young, ambitious boys and girls fight it out and to see how far someone would go to get to the top of the pile to bask in the warmth of their approval.

I lasted a whole 2 years before being informed that my services were no longer needed, and my colleagues informed that I had "left to pursue new opportunities".  And then the internet bubble crashed, and there were no opportunities (new or otherwise) to pursue.  I struggled for 3 months to find any sort of job.  Former competitors called me in for job interviews only to spend the time picking my brain for intel on my former company.   There was no job, just a grand bit of Kabuki Theater for the Desperate.

And then by chance I stumbled into a Starbucks for a soul reviving cup of coffee, and nearly tripped over the table where a recruiting fair was going on.  I was asked to sit down, and four weeks and two interviews later I began working as a Starbucks Manager in Training.  That was July 1, 2002.  5 months later I was given the keys to my own store, a fairly significant raise, and was working with a pretty diverse, dedicated group of people.  

And that Christmas, this was under the tree -

Wendy had seen me admiring it for many weeks, and knew that I had made a modest deposit on it.  And unbeknownst to me, she had been in cahoots with Francis Z. of Seregin's to hide it from me, with Francis spinning an elaborate yarn of how sorry he was, but that the owner hadn't realized that I had made a deposit on it and sold it just the day before!  Francis took some irritation from me (which when the whole story was revealed made me feel pretty sheepish), and the day after Christmas when I came in to thank him for his part, he smiled, shook my hand, and told me to wear it in good health.

On the card that came with it, Wendy told me how proud she was of me, how I had been down but hadn't given up, and that I should wear this and always remember what is possible.

And now 14 years later, I look at the watch on my wrist and know she is right.

Yes, Really... Junghans!

Courstesy of Junghans

Okay - I LOVE my Junghans Max Bill.  But to be honest with you, in the past 8 years, Junghans has left me limp - and not in a good way!  But all of that changed today when I visited the Junghans site.

This is the Meister Chronometer from Junghans.

38.4 mm case, chronometer certified movement with 42 hours of power reserve - yes pals and gals, for me this one ticks all of the boxes!

www.junghans.de

Bogner by Junghans

Courtesy of Junghans

I think when most of us think about Junghans, we think about a designer - but in fact they have partnered with another designer and bon vivant - Willy Bogner.

This is a self-winding, 41.8 case.

So give Junghans another look - there's more than you think.

www.junghans.de

Something Old - Something New!

In the time that I have been doing this blog, I have met a lot of people in the watch industry.  Some more interesting than others.  I have to say that the brief chat I had with Thomas Ickler and his son Raphael over a hurried coffee at Basel was illuminating.  What I heard over and over in what they both were saying was how important it was to make something interesting.  Now, I would also say that they are both realists - but to some extent they are also dreamers - and in the BEST possible way!  

Courtesy of Archimede

This is the ARCHIMEDE Pilot OR 2 - a limited edition of 100 pieces.  This is the second iteration of the Pilot OR - issued in 2008.  That model sold out in a hurry, but for those of you who missed out, you have a second bite at the apple!

This is a classic pilot's watch with its heart rooted in another time - quite literally!  The mechanical heart that keeps this beautiful timekeeper beating is not what you might expect - the JH687 manufactured in 1960 by Junghans!

Courtesy of Archimede 

Here are the details -

New features of the OR2 include:

- New 3 piece Ickler case with brushed surface
- New Pilot's crown with logo
- Case back with 5 single screws
- Flat sapphire with A/R coating on both sides
- Option for a curved sapphire crystal with A/R coating on both sides
- Blued steel hands, manufactured by Ickler
- Superluminova C3

And I think one of my favorite things - you get to deal directly with the company!

The limited edition ARCHIMEDE Pilot OR 2 is available direct from ARCHIMEDE for

International customers
www.archimede-watches.com for Eur 740 (leather strap) and Eur 860 (steel bracelet), plus shipping costs

US customers
www.archimede-watches-us.com for US$ 1080 (leather strap) and US$ 1250 (steel bracelet), including shipping and US duties.

Bauhaus 101 - what your graduate SHOULD be wearing

Courtesy of Junghans and Chronometers.org

This the Junghans max bill Hand-winding 3701.  What makes this watch so fantastic is the total balance and proportion.  Hours, minutes, seconds.   This is a watch you put on while you're designing a city, or composing a symphony - or simply taking your kids to school.  


Avant garde, and every man.  A hand-wound mechanical watch that is not a victim of fashion or trends.    It will be with you for a lifetime.  


For the young man - or woman out there looking for a serious watch as they take that leap into the world - this is it.  And it is priced at a level where mom & dad can actually afford it!


Congratulations to all of the graduates out there - whatever you're graduating from!

Junghans, Max Bill and the Bauhaus

Over the past few weeks I've been catching up on some reading. About a year ago I received a biography on Charles-Édouard Jeanneret - also known professionally as Le Corbusier. What was interesting to learn was that his father made watch cases for, among others, Longines.

I then moved onto a relatively new book on some of the founding members of the Bauhaus and there was Max Bill who later went on to lead a group of Swiss artists that came to be known as the Allianz.

Of course I am also thinking about the Max Bill watch that Wendy gave me for Christmas in 2002.

This is the more "classic" size, hand wound (and would you really want it any other way?) and perhaps one of my all time favorite designs.