Keeping the Faith - Holthinrichs

After a year long winter that seems to have lasted a decade, we are slowly seeing a potential new spring cautiously peeking around the next corner, but for many it could still be a few months off. COVID has pretty much kicked the snot out of all of us.

The big dogs who were able to keep moving and (as far as I know) also managed to keep the majority of their teams employed are to be commended for their resilience. 

But what has been most impressive (to me) has been not merely the resilience, but the blossoming of a handful of small, and I'm going to use one of my most hated words here - artisanal brands. 

And this is now one of those times when my writing and watches that I personally own converge, this is now a: 

"Why I Bought It/My Opinion As Fact" piece -

Now I can only go by what I see on wrists of some of my erstwhile colleagues from the Fourth and Fifth Estate at BaselWorld (and again, it's been a minute), but I think it is safe to say that I tend to worship at a different church than most of them.

You may have noticed those large banner ads and "sponsored posts" here at Tempus Fugit... oh yeah! That's right, this is a self-funded venture! So to that end, I tend to spend my dollars pretty selectively. More to the point, true confession - I don't tend to buy watches other than the occasional Swatch these days. Don't get me wrong, I have a weakness for sneakers and fountain pens. But when it comes to watches I have gotten to a point where I truly am not all that interested in getting anything new, with a few possible exceptions. More to the point, I have sold or simply given away just about my entire personal collection. So it takes something special to get my attention.

Enter the Holthinrichs Raw Ornament "Henkitime" -

I have known Michiel Holthinrichs for a little while. He was a founding member of Roderich Hess's Wine and Time event at BaselWorld, and is a HYPE2019 alumnus. And it was during Basel 2019 that I became, well, somewhat obsessed with the idea of getting a Raw Ornament for myself. A plan was hatched - slow, steady monthly payments to the Holthinrich's account were even more slowly accumulated, a final version was agreed upon, and last week my erstwhile obsession became a wrist bound reality -

Now to understand why the Raw Ornament is the Shit That Killed Elvis (remember, this is my opinion as fact), it's important to understand "What Makes Henki Run". I have spent the better part of two decades living and working in Watch Town. While there are many beautiful watches made by exciting brands, I tend to gravitate away from the obvious.

I once went to a job interview where the second question asked was - 

"What is your favorite ice cream flavor?"  

For the record, it's pistachio. 

And if I think about so much of what is out there, on offer from the mighty to the small is either vanilla or chocolate. Or in some instances, a runny sicky-sweet version of rocky road. Or put another way, shock for shock value.

But what is special about what the folks at Holthinrichs are doing is borne out in the resulting watches. Watches are made one by one, and with the exception of the 3D printing machine, everything else is done by hand. Yes, they could simply send the case design to a case maker and simply bang out a bunch of them all at once. It would be faster and certainly cheaper, but that is not the watch that Michiel Holthinrichs and his team are interested in making. 

And odd though it sounds, you can feel that dedication when you put it on your wrist. Not just see it, but feel it.

There are plenty of nice watches out there. And I can't and won't attempt to speak for anyone but myself. But with so much choice out there, when you plump for something special, it ought to really be something special. The Raw Ornament is special (even without the custom "Henki" iconography). And the best thing about what Team Holthinrichs is doing? Yes they are making watches, but it is much more than that. A Holthinrichs watch is made with passion and integrity, and while it would have been easy to copy someone else's designs, they have stayed true to their vision. And as I said before, you don't just see it.  You feel it. And in all honesty?  That's why you should want it.

The Brutal Elegance Ornament

From Holthinrichs for Revolution and the Rake -

Courtesy of Revolution & The Rake

This is the second variant of the limited edition collaborative pieces with Holthinrichs and Revolution and The Rake. Known as "Brutal Elegance" this is based on the Raw Ornament but with a twist of "Breguet sais quo" with a lovely numeric scale.  

This version is limited to 10 pieces.  Here are the pertinents, straight from Revolution -

Model:	Raw Ornament
Box/Papers:	Yes/Yes
Functions:	Hours, minutes and small seconds
Material:	Stainless Steel
Dimension:	38mm
Dial:	Dial with a sandblasted-type finish contrasted by high-polished angular applied Breguet numerals
Case:	3D printed surgical 316L steel in Holthinrichs' signature raw finish which looks like a sandblasted treatment but is actually the way the metal emerges from the 3D-printing process
Movement:	Hand-wound
Strap:	Buffalo leather strap handmade in Germany
Lug Width:	20mm

The Cruyff Turn - And Michiel Holthinrichs

As a Northern Youth, I realize in hindsight that I probably had an unhealthy obsession with soccer (football), and later cycling. But I was not so interested by what was nearby. Professional soccer, at least the big time NASL version was long gone after a very short flirtation with American soccer fans. And as per cycling, we had a similar sort of rise and fall that for the most part peaked in 1984 when Connie Carpenter and Alexi Grewal both medaled in the Olympic road race. Europe fascinated me for a lot of reasons. One? Unlike many of my friends whose parents worked for the college (and therefore had in many cases spent at least one year abroad for their parent's sabbaticals) Europe was more of an idea, a fairly abstract construct to me than an actual place. More than a physical location to me, it was a passionate, lingering kiss on a dark winter night when I read about the exploits of my heroes. It was a promise of what might lie beyond the small Ohio town where I grew up. And I pledged to make my way there and find out.

Despite what I am sure many people will say, the United States has yet to produce a true soccer (football) prodigy. In truth? I don't think any country save 3 truly have. Argentina gave the world both Maradona and Lionel Messi. And say what you want about Maradona's moral character, in his prime (and even before and past it) he could turn on a dime, and deliver the ball the length of the field with a sniper's accuracy. Fed Ex meets football, Diego delivered. Mr. Messi is still dazzling crows. Brazil gave the world Pele, and there aren't enough writers in all of the world to do him justice. All three of these men are legends. And there is no disputing their talent. But one man truly changed the way that the entire world thought about soccer. And that was Johan Cruyff. He never did win the World Cup. At club level he was wildly successful, but what he did with his Dutch teammates in the 70s was truly revolutionary. The Netherlands is admittedly a small country, and what they built and accomplished in a fairly short period was remarkable. And it's one thing if your teammates and fans praise you, but your rivals? Franz Beckenbauer noted -

"He was certainly the best footballer Europe has produced."

Apart from the medals and the fame, Cruyff was famed for being, at times, contrary - which is probably why I admire him as much as I do. But he was not contrarian without reason. In hindsight what is abundantly clear is that he thought differently. One of my favorites? During a game, if he knew that he had no chance of getting to the ball, he would not run. Why should he? It was wasted energy. And as a coach he would encourage the same. Now, in my playing career I had several (in hindsight) not too talented coaches who felt that hard work and effort would overcome a lack of talent and imagination. Balls would be smacked far down field without direction or idea, and I would be berated if I did not blindly run after them in vain, like a harnessed greyhound hopelessly chasing the mechanical rabbit at Wonderland's dog track. If only that were true, Oberlin High School would have had 20 state championships ; )

Okay, so what the Hell does that have to do with watches and Michiel Holthinrichs?

The Cruyff turn was (and let's be honest, still is) the single most bad-assed maneuver ever done in a game. It took imagination, skill, and a willingness to trust himself in doing it.
And in all honesty? The design and execution of the Holthinrichs watches bears many of those same qualities.

Logic would tell you, if you want to make a watch, you simply design it. In so far as a case goes, you vet case makers from near and far and find the manufacturer who can stamp it for you at a price you can live with, you order your movements ready-to-go so you can drop and play. And frankly? Unless you have lost touch with all sense of reality and common sense, you will job all of this out to an assembler/white label company to do everything for you - just like some of the people paying "homage" to your ideas will do later. I mean, life is short, right?

But Michiel Holthinrichs is, clearly, a different kind of dude. A trained architect, he wanted his own design - not "influenced" by anything other than his own grey-matter. He could have farmed out his ideas to a case maker, but preferred the control that contriving a case through a 3d printing process would provide him. While it is true that the Holthinrichs cases are crafted by a contractor specializing in 3d printing, they come back more than a bit rough, and far from ready.

Courtesy of Holthinrichs Watches

I've shaken hands with Michiel and I can tell you that while they are the hands of an architect and artist? They are also the hands of an artisan and a craftsman. I don't think he is going to be a "hand model" for print ads in fashion magazines anytime soon. The case of a Holthinrichs watch is one that has experienced more hands-on time in the finishing process than nearly any watch (regardless of price) you may encounter.

I am (despite myself) a bit of an Hublot fan. I find Carlo Crocco's original design pretty beguiling. Gold case and rubber strap! Not something that readily comes to mind. It was such a departure that you can't really say that the idea came from anywhere else but within. And that is the same for Holthinrichs.

I would like to think that the world is sufficient of sharps, confidence men and quick buck artists. A few recent releases that border on plagiarism (if such a thing exists in design) tell a different story. Someone is always ready to ride on coat tails and glad-hand the press and other select sycophants. It is, simply put, some pretty shameful shit.

In many ways, COVID-19 has been (albeit radically brief in comparison) our own modern-day version of the Dark Ages. Our worlds have been upended, and we have been untethered from our moorings. We float now more uncertainly in unfamiliar waters.

I can't claim to tell you what the watch buying world wants. But I can tell you what I want. I want people with the sack to put themselves on the line and create something themselves to be recognized as original. I want to have a relationship with the the watchmaker. I don't want to "buy" meaning or recognition as it is defined by a press release. I want to have a conversation that might lead to a relationship. I don't want to order from the menu like everyone else.

And most of all? I want to be beguiled, just as the world was back when a skinny kid from Amsterdam could have played it safe, but decided he would rather "do me".

Not unlike the Ornament series created by a certain young watch maker from Delft, there was one, true, Cruyff Turn. The rest are merely hollow efforts at imitation.

I'm Real!

All you copy cats out there, get off my tip
'Cause I'm James Brown with the Full
(Full Force!) Ain't taking no lip

James Brown w/ Full Force - I'm Real

With a recent new release from a brand with less shame than a particularly bent politician, I would like to think that the world of watch enthusiasts and micro brand owners would have a bit more self-respect.  Clearly, that is not the world we live in.

I would rather embrace the real thing, and the REAL THING was introduced by Michiel Holthinrichs of Holthinrichs Watches some several years ago.  Imitation may be reputed to be the sincerest form of flattery, but I prefer the real deal.  And owing to this, I shifted some items from my collection, and put down my marker for this bit of awesomeness -

Be real.