Watch Hangouts!

As promised, this week we’re talking all about watch hangouts!

Keeping it pretty light this week so I can talk more about a meetup that happened just a couple of short weeks ago. One of the best parts of participating in watch culture is the meetup aspect. Some of us in the watch culture aren’t satisfied with just one watch. We have a need to feed off one another and learn more from the watch tribe. Gathering together with friends over drinks, food, and shared interests is what drives society, and when you add watches as the topic, for me, you’ve hit the sweet spot of a pretty wild enthusiasm. As an extroverted person, you really get me going when you can combine socialization with watches.

For my better half, however… well, let’s just say she tolerates but isn’t exactly ready to join this world just yet. But thanks to a couple of other great friends, I think even she had an OK time hanging out with us.

As you all do, we have our cohort that we are extra chatty with on social media channels. Those that we can really connect with and go beyond the errant like or random comment. There’s the group that you share their content, comment on, like, joke with, and some that you even regularly chat with to share what’s new or coming in your own little watch world and even into personal stuff. I live in the Pacific Northwest in Washington State. The part of the state I’m in, however, is really a watch desert and literal desert… yes, we have those in Washington!

Here in my desert, we don’t really have a thriving watch community or shops for that matter. So I make my trek about 3 hours due west to the Seattle/Bellevue area when I have the opportunity to check out the latest offerings in the metal!

On this particular journey, I was able to connect with three great people in the watch world: James (the_timist_ig), Andrew (bigfatmeows_watch_journey), and Conor (Watches_and_blunders). James and Conor are co-hosts of the world-famous Timist Podcast Series, and Andrew has a great page and a growing collection of watches that drives envy as he grows his collection as rapidly as humanly possible. As some of you may also know, Conor is an AD, and since he had to work, he missed some of the fun earlier in the day but added to our fun by showing us all of his cool wares. He also gave up sales to hang out longer than we should have asked him to, but I’m sure we’ll make it up to him one day over drinks!

All three have been great to get to know and talk to, and they bring different things to the table when it comes to talking watches. It made for a great gathering and fun to chat in person rather than just connecting on the interwebs.

The idea came about when I mentioned (with very little notice) that I was going to be in the area on a random Saturday. I had no hopes that these guys would be able to break away from valuable family time on the weekends. All of our jobs take a toll, and it’s great to have well-earned breaks from the drive of our jobs. But the troopers they are, they pulled themselves from their lives to come “hang out” with Kim and myself, and it was fantastic!

We decided that food and trying on several watches were in order, and the day started out at Din Tai Fung - a favorite restaurant that if you haven’t had the pleasure, you really should put it on your list of great restaurants! James, being the sweetheart he is, even brought gifts in the form of G-Shock swag and a sweet Oris hat! So kind of him! We also shared the obligatory wrist checks (Omega Speedmaster Professional 50th Anniversary Edition, Rolex 41 Datejust in White, and my Black Pelagos 42 mm OG).

Off to a great start with watches and food, we then decided to go bug Conor at work to try on the pieces he had. I’ll throw images in here to give you an idea of the pieces, but his shop has a lot to offer, and it was thoroughly enjoyable to just try on pieces.

My wife is not into watches. She’s not really into me being into them either… something about the cost or something. Anyways, I’m not out buying everything under the sun. We talk before major purchases, and it’s not doing any harm to the relationship with how I handle my “habit.” Kim was extremely nervous that this would be the day that we just skip the line and walk out with a new Explorer or Submariner on wrist… not on her watch at least. But the really fun part was just trying to get her to ease into the experience of luxury watches. It can be very intimidating to be told you’re holding $40-50,000 worth of watches, and you don’t want to do any harm to them. James was a pro, bringing Kim out of her shell, and with every piece that Conor handed to each of us drooling away over the extravagance, he’d turn to her and say, “Kim?” Coaxing her to try on or at least hold the pieces to try and be a part of the watch idiocy that was taking place for the rest of us.

She did finally break down and try on a Cartier, though she admitted that square watches aren’t really her thing. Though it should be noted that watches in general aren’t her thing, and she was a trooper for participating at that level and not just ditching us for the other shopping options that surrounded us at this location. 18 years of marriage and counting. I’m very appreciative that she just hung in there and wanted to be with me through what was no doubt an extremely boring experience for her… and one of prevention so that I didn’t go off and buy a new Rolex. I’ll have to wait for that first piece for another day.

James, Adam, and Andrew…in order!

It was a really great day and wonderful experience! Sharing this interest/hobby with others is what makes it so enjoyable. I like learning what I can from others. I like experiencing the pieces that make them excited. I like seeing what they bought and even trying on things that I won’t likely get to ever own or that they felt were the pieces to prioritize in their collections. It’s the variety that makes it so pleasurable.

This was an experience that I want to emulate more frequently. Perhaps Kim won’t be diving into the watch world with me, and that’s okay. I’m enjoying this community. Also excited for Chris & Jason as they just founded the new RedBar Virginia Beach! Another excellent way to connect with your local watch enthusiast community! I highly recommend you find your local enthusiasts and find a way to meet up with your local crew!

Thanks for the brief story and letting me share my joy over the recent meetup!

Thanks for reading!

-Adam