Further - 7 Days and More with the Paulin Neo B

A few observations about my wife Wendy. She is really pretty - but that is an easy (and obvious) one. She is kind, and far more patient than I could ever be. She is Canadian, albeit a dual citizen of the lower 48 now, which probably explains the kindness and patience. She is far smarter than I will ever hope to be, and she is always finding some interesting new thing, be it a podcast, a story, or a far-away town well off the beaten path that makes me question whether or not she has some telepathic link to the universe at large that the rest of us lack.

One of my favorite writers (albeit an occasionally short-fused one in real life... sound like anyone we know?), Richard Ford wrote a wonderful essay about his wife Kristina for Esquire (US edition) back in 1990.  I remember reading and being knocked out by it, cutting it out and putting it up on my wall next to my desk my final year at the University of Oregon back in the summer of 90.  Should you wish to read it in its entirety you can find it here -

https://classic.esquire.com/article/1990/6/1/kristina-ford

In the essay, he shared a comment that many of us married to remarkable women get from friends and acquaintances, essentially -

How did a guy like you get a woman like her to marry you?

And while he offered a few very witty ripostes, my simple answer is that I got lucky.  And I continue to get lucky, so far I've enjoyed a lucky streak of 26 years. For another possible answer, Mr. Ford turned a John Milton/Branch Rickey (and God knows who else) quote on it's head -

"Anybody with any brains knows that design is always just the residue of luck".

And yes, I've had enough luck for several lifetimes.

Wendy has an interesting eye, particularly when it comes to watches. You can't really assign a "type" when it comes to what she likes: 

• My Omega Seamaster 30 (circa 1962) purchased for approximately $30 US in a Turku, Finland flea market.
• A briefly owned and loved (and still deeply missed) Rolex Explorer. 
• A bright red Angular Momentum sport model (one of my personal favs).
• A Nomos Tangente (great watches, absolute turds working in the PR office - that's my comment, not hers).                                                                       

She's not really impressed by brand names or celebrity ambassadors. She likes what she likes based on her own opinion. And...

This is by long way of saying that Wendy has been wearing the Paulin Neo B for the past few days and like Mikey of Life Cereal fame, I think she likes it. 

So I'll be back next week with an update and final impressions - stay tuned.

And stay lucky!

Seven Days (and More) with the Paulin Neo B

When you're on the B (or even C) list, you frequently don't get the press release, and brands are not always falling over themselves to send you a loaner watch for review. But every now and then, you will see something that catches your eye, and you decide to go for it. This is one of those times ; )

Last month a reader had forwarded me a link to the Paulin website. I suspect, in hindsight, that he/she might have read the release info on Quill & Pad (which I read a week or so later). That evening I mapped out which model I liked - which would be the Neo B (the yellow option) and opted for the cordovan strap (which you see above).

So from here on out, please keep in mind that this review is that of a cash paying consumer, not of someone who was sent a loaner sample. On the purchase side, I will say that when I finally did communicate with someone via the Facebook page's messenger function, they were polite, friendly and helpful. I received my order confirmation on October 21 (a very warm and fuzzy message thanking me for my order, and informing me that I would be getting a notification when my watch shipped). So I marked November 1 on my calendar (the day shipping was scheduled to start), and then... I waited for November 1, not unlike I used to wait for the first kick of the football season. November 4 came, and I reached out again via Messenger and got an update that yes, shipping had started, and my watch should be shipping soon. So, a wee bit vague, but fair enough. And then this past Monday, the 9th, I received an automated email from UPS that my watch had shipped. And true to their (UPS's) word, it arrived this afternoon. Now in truth I am of two minds on the communication from Paulin. On the one hand, they are a small family business and although communication was not as standard or timely as I would normally expect, all of the messages were warm and friendly.

My Neo B arrived on time as promised.  One suggestion that I would make to Paulin is to require a signature for delivery. Luckily, I was working from home (in-service day for those of us in education in the US), and was able to pull it off the porch right away. 

I love the packaging on every count.  Paulin has a nifty custom wrapping paper surrounding the box, and I'll level with you gentle reader, it's the little things that make a difference. 

Some more of the groovy wrapping paper!  

And then a wonderfully simple, recyclable bit of packaging -

And finally, the grand reveal -

I have to be honest, I was almost a wee bit sad that there weren't any more little touches to remove. In terms of the Paulin packaging it is definitely from the Goldilocks school of design - not too much, not too little, but beguilingly just right!

And now for the watch itself -

The watch itself is very well finished.  The dial is bright and shiny and it is truly a pleasure to wear. One small initial suggestion would to use a slightly more tactile crown. It is not the easiest to "get under" to set the watch. Not a deal breaker by any extent, just a little fiddly.

It's only been a few hours, but it is on my wrist and ticking away smoothly. 

And I LOVE IT!

That's it for the initial feedback, Friday/Saturday I'll provide some more in-depth feedback.

Stay tuned!