The One That Got Away - And Came Back Reborn

I am convinced that the Four Noble Truths were originally penned with the watch-obsessed in mind. And although I am a semi-functioning Buddhist, I accept my imperfections, not the least are that I eat meat, and I like shiny things that keep the time.

Enter the MeisterSinger Edition Primatik 365 -

Courtesy of Meister Singer

Clapping eyes on this last month at the Wind-Up show, I was reminded to try and keep control of my longings and desires, or as was written (albeit originally in Sanskrit), Taṇhā. 

The Primatik 365 is a wonderful time machine. The case measures 41.5 mm and is of stainless steel. The movement is Sellita's SW270, which has been modified to suit the needs of MeisterSinger's single handed functionality. It also includes both a date and power reserve function.

But more than anything else, I was captivated by the look and feel of the Primatik 365. It is clearly legible without being spartan. It is colorful and fun without being garish. It is, at least to my eye, very nearly perfect. Your mileage, of course, may vary ; )

It is limited to 100 pieces and is very reasonably priced at just North of $2,500 (if my memory serves me correctly).

So I am going to hit the pause button and ask you to hop in the Way-Back Machine with me. We're heading to those thrilling days of yesteryear, specifically 2003. 

Now at that time, I was living in San Francisco. I had just gone through a fairly major life shift. Wendy and I had moved to the US after 8 + years overseas (Japan, Portugal, Finland, UK), and I had been relieved of my duties at my first big-time job. I then slugged it out as a Starbucks store manager in a pretty ragged-out location which boasted, among other things, a fairly aggressive rat population. I would get up at 4:00 AM, walk across a still (mostly) sleeping downtown San Francisco, and open up the store, each time grateful I had not run across a predator. I would work my (usually) 10 hour shift (don't worry Howard, I'm not going to get litigious about all of that unpaid overtime), and after that I would grab my suit bag, and hot-foot it over to Tourneau. I would take a quick "hooker's shower" in the men's room, slip into my suit, and work the floors of a very small store, and hopefully sell a few watches. I would get home about 9:30 and share an hour of conversation with Wendy before going to bed to get up and do it all over again. 

And then the sun came out again (at least professionally) and I got a job at a college, re-entering my "field". And after a month, I saved up my lunch money and wandered into Seregin's. This was back when they were behind the big Macy's on Union Square. And that is when I became acquainted with a new (to me) German brand, MeisterSinger. They had one model in 3 different colors. I chose the one that this current one is based on -

Courtesy of Meister Singer

Francis Zanneti was working for Paul Seregin back then. And if ever there was someone who would have rocked a watch podcast it was Francis. He was the one who coined the ultimate watch descriptor:

"The Shit That Killed Elvis!".

Francis explained that I was the first person in San Francisco to buy one, and it was likely I might be one of the first owners in the US full-stop. And that watch meant a lot to me. It reminded me that life, inevitably, moves forward. No matter how bad things might get, those moments of failure, of doubt, of fear? They are temporary. As, it would turn out, is watch ownership. A good friend really admired my MeisterSinger. He was going through a bad time, and I was pleased to see my MeisterSinger go to someone in need of a confidence boost.

Flash forward literally 20 years (and I kid you not, nearly down to the day), and we were wrapping up our booth at the Wind-Up show in New York. I am getting wine and beer for our fellow exhibitors and I look up and realize that I am pouring for Rainer Eckert, the Co-CEO of MeisterSinger. Needless to say, I felt compelled to share my MeisterSinger story with him. And thinking back on it, I am reminded that life is a journey, there really is no set destination - and wouldn't it be boring if there was? 

Nothing is permanent in this life, whether we are ready to accept it or not. But we will always have memories, both good and bad. Time will march on, with or without us. So take those moments to reflect back, to look forward, but most importantly? Take time to enjoy the present.

My Eyes Have Been Opened

One of the great things about doing Tempus Fugit was I got to travel the world, see a bunch of cool watches, hob-nob with big time brand managers.

One of he great things about stepping away for nearly a year? Is finally coming back to appreciate watches and the people that make them.

My eyes have been opened. This past weekend, while doing brand duty, I got to walk around the other tables at the Wind-Up show and I got to see something first hand that really captured my imagination -

There are plenty of watches out there. There are very few brands that strike their own path. And that is why I am so taken with March-Lab's AM2 Slim Automatic -

Courtesy of March-Lab

A truly original design is something that is pretty much gone from watchmaking. But the AM2 is original, is fun, and honestly could be worn every day in nearly every situation. I am smitten.

As I said, my eyes have been opened. I want this watch, and so should you. And best of all? This lovely horological bijoux is assembled in one of my all-time favorite places on earth, Besançon!

Here are the pertinents -

• 36 mm square 316 L steel case
• Thickness 11.32mm
• 100% Swiss La Joux-Perret Automatic Movement
• Assembled in France in Besançon
• Around 68 hours of power reserve (ideal for the weekend!)
• Sunray or brushed dial
• Hours, minutes, seconds, date
• Personalized date stamp MARCH
• Strap width 20 mm
• Bevelled sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment
• Green skeleton screwed back
• Water resistant to 10 ATM / 100M
• 2 years warranty

Very reasonably priced at $1,491.00 USD on leather.

Check it out here -

https://march-lab.com/

The Stars and Stripes Forever

Ordinarily I am not super fussed about movement decoration.  That's just me, and should not be taken as any sort of definitive statement as to the importance or lack thereof.  I think the main reason is that it is usually something reserved for mega-high end pieces.  Or, as in the case of a certain would-be movement manufacturer based near the sunny Pacific coast, the end result of "finishing" of the movement renders a look not dissimilar to something being polished with a hot Hershey bar.

And that is why the Stars and Stripes offering from Stowa caught my eye.

Courtesy of Stowa

The look is at once industrial, and whimsical.  The basis is the ETA 2801-2.  And instead of trying to be something that they are not, the folks at Stowa laid out an achievable design that fills, but does not overwhelm the canvas of the base movement.

This is a limited offering from Stowa and there are a few incentives for those interested in purchasing a watch with this option:

If you order your hand wound Stowa watch with this option, you can get it at a very special price.  For the early birds who order a hand-winding Stowa watch priced below 750 Euros before October 24th, this movement upgrade will cost the princely sum of 50 Euros.  But wait!  If the price of the watch is 750 Euros or more, then the movement upgrade is free!

But as with anything special, it is time sensitive, and limited in scope.  After October 24th the price of this movement option will increase to 150 Euros, regardless of the model you order.

Stowa also stressed one final point 

(at this moment we have around 50 movements available, not knowing if we can do this version of movement anymore !) 

My understanding is that the Stowa website will be updated TOMORROW (that is Wednesday, October 19th), to add this option.