Thinking Out Loud: A Historic Addiction...Wrist Watches
A sub-culture we common folk hardly know exists
There should be a website with a title something like The Neat Sh*t Newsletter. There are so many subcultures in the world that focus on interests that are so narrow only a small number of us realize they even exist, but they’re all interesting. Hmmm, that’s similar to the goal of Thinking Out loud; Spreading odd ball information around that most of the world doesn’t know about. Or doesn’t care about. I’ve been correctly accused of answering questions no one is asking.
We’re surrounded by invisible subcultures and a lot of us don’t know it. For instance, almost all of you reading this don’t realize that we’re part of at least one activity that the majority of the population hasn’t a clue exists. Think about it: Do you think the average American in the street knows people are actually building airplanes in their garages? Or there’s a lot of folks that collect and restore tractors? Some of them steam powered? It’s unlikely that many folks realize there are lots of guys who own and operate WW I and WW II (and some later) tanks. How many in the population even know what an old hit-or-miss engine is yet hundreds of their fans annually converge on a small town in the Midwest and put-put their brains out. There are hundreds of mostly invisible sub-cultures vibrating around just under the skin of what we laughingly call civilization.
Subcultures are often built around objects that are exotic in the extreme. However, some focus on objects we all know well but often don’t realize how exotic and expensive they can be. One of the least known subcultures idolizes the common wristwatch. But the wrist watches they’re idolizing are anything but common and re-define the term “affordable”.
First, an apology, when I sat down at the keyboard and started assembling wristwatch information, I forgot that years ago I had done an entire article for Flight Journal on the birth and development of pilot’s watches, which we all know and love (except me). The original goal here was to focus on today’s watch culture that is densely populated by those to whom “affordable” means something different than it does to those of us in the cheap seats. However, as I was digging around in the dust of my various hard drives, in a matter of minutes, I found myself neck deep in aviator watch info. All of it was interesting. So, consider what you’re reading now as Watch Blog Part One: The Big Guy Watches. Part Two will be Fly Boy Time Pieces and will show up in a couple of months. The history of pilot watches is very interesting.
Personally, I have a love/hate relationship with watches. Especially good ones. Yes I very much admire their quality and precision, but they aren’t made for folks like me. This is because I routinely destroy watches. At least once I had a watch deflect an errant piece of steel and spill its tiny guts out on the work bench. So, I can’t see spending a lot of money on something I’ll wear out or kill in short order.
Also, all I want of a watch is for it to tell me what time it is in a very basic manner. I want nothing but numbers and hands on the dial. Think about it: When was the last time you saw a watch with nothing but plain, easy to understand, very-non-fancy one-to-twelve numbers?
I have one important use for a watch: When the mag switch goes over to “start” (at which point I generally feel the need to pee), I want to glance at my watch and instantly see which number the big hand is closest to. The actual time is irrelevant. I want to see the big hand at the three, or whatever, at which point I hold up three fingers as a visual cue. I can remember that and don’t have to think about it. And I want a metal wrist band so I can just slide it on and forget about it.
15 minutes running though Amazon gave me exactly what I wanted: A Citizen, cost including shipping, $62. I bought three, immediately destroyed one and have a back-up in the sock drawer.
The big hand is on the seven. For my purposes, that’s all I need to know and all I need to remember as most of my instructional flights are one hour.
My son is something of a watch nerd and he’s what made me aware of the high-end watch fettish and in the process turned me on to Hodinkee.com. It’s a high-buck, super-new-technology watch-oriented website but includes some interesting feature stories one of which I’m linking here. It chronicles the watches worn by various actors in Top Gun: Maverick and traces back to what was used in the original and showed up in the latest. It’s really fun! However, since I don’t know enough about those kinds of watches to even ask an intelligent question, I found myself periodically googling the brands and models. None of them were $62. Hodinkee stated point-blank that “Top Gun: Maverick was the Best Watch Movie of the Year.” Like I said, watches can be a real sub-culture. Top Gun Watches
And then there’s this incredibly interesting/fun site that lists the watches worn by a long line of billionaires (Buffett Rolex, $23k, Bill Gates Citizen, $56.00, Ellison, $124K) and on and on. Billionaires
The watches of US Presidents range from cheap to WOW! (Clinton $100 Timex, G.W. Bush, $60.00 Timex, Regan Rolex $4k, etc.). Presidents
If you’re shopping for a high-end watch, here is the watch-Amazon of the high rollers. Don’t open this unless you’re sitting down. WatchShop
Because my son has made me semi-watch sensitive, I notice when something unusual crosses my path. When life slows down, which isn’t often, I sometimes watch Antique Roadshow and one day this popped up. This is my favorite. Check out the caption.
1) I like looking at watches whether online or in a jewelry store. However, I never buy them. I guess I’m still searching for the right pilots watch.
2) Kudos to the Vietnam Veteran who owned this Rolex, but I’m glad I was a tad too young to have to go there.
3) Pilots watches are kinda like leather flying jackets. You either own several or none, just ask Sean Tucker.
I want a backwards running watch. ( google to see) That'll make me feel younger every minute. You are as old as you think you are. Priceless.