Excuse me, could you recommend me what are the main topics in which a new watch enthusiast should throw himself into?
Could you tell me the differences between the various types of movement?
And what about a volume where the mechanism of an automatic watch is illustrated in a detailed and simple way?
And again:
I would like to buy my first watch, but I am undecided between a sporty and a classic, could you advise me which are the best brands on the market?
For the summer I would like to buy myself a diver, but damn, there are so many on the market! Which one will suit my needs best?
Welcome back friends of IWS, as you may have guessed, today’s topic is a tough one, and affects us very closely. Today we will try to clarify and give you some advice on how to take your first steps in the world of watchmaking.
Are you ready? Let’s go!
P.S. If you are impatient, do not worry! Here is the link to our article “The 10 Best Watches To Start Collecting“. Time has come for you to join the fray!
Passion knocks at the door
Cars, watches, travel, whatever it may be, when there is a passion knocking on your door, go ahead and open them – albeit with caution, I would recommend – but always listen to what that passion has to tell you.
Opening the doors to a passion means opening your mind to something new and unexplored. Something that, regardless of everything, will broaden your horizons, enrich your knowledge and quench your curiosity.
But how to face a passion in a concrete way, how to cultivate it and above all what are the channels to rely on in order to grow it in a healthy and robust way? We at IWS tried to answer these questions providing you with some tips through which all the watch maniacs like us can draw on to start this wonderful passion.
The CRU Rule
Undoubtedly, young people who approach the passion for watchmaking today find themselves very much at an advantage over their own alter egos in their position until the early 2000s.
Today’s digital world makes an infinite amount of information available to us with extreme ease. Internet websites, IG pages, forums, online magazines and YouTube channels are just some of the main platforms within which infinite worlds and sub-worlds open up, where it is not always easy to find your way around.
My main advice is to follow the CRU rule, which stands for Competence, Reference and Usability.
Competence is the main feature. If a source is competent, they will be able to provide you with correct information and complete content, useful for building your idea on the subject.
The reference, on the other hand, represents the authority on the subject. The more references, of a site, of a channel, of an IG page, the greater the credibility of the source you are drawing from.
The usability of a content, on the other hand, be it digital, visual or paper, defines the pleasure of consulting it, of doing it in a smooth and practical way. As complicated as an argument may be, if treated in the right way it can be understandable, light and fun for the consumer.
Let’s start from the foundations
Let’s get to the heart of our path and try to recall the entry level topics that I would like to recommend to a new watchmaker enthusiast.
It is useless to beat around the bush too much guys: it is right, as in all fields, to start from the basics. And what are the bases in the world of watchmaking? Well, the types of movement. Manual, automatic mechanical watches and quartz watches. Do not be scared, it seems a difficult subject, but I assure you that it is not, and above all for a novice it is sufficient to have a clear understanding of the types of movement and the different operating principles.
Of course, thousands of possible insights and variations on the theme start from here, but let’s not skip the steps, it will be time and your constancy to feed the passion. It is a bit like courtship, calm and focus on the goal, if you are good the surprise always comes after dinner.
To learn more, I refer you to the beautiful article that you can find on our site that defines what animates an automatic watch.
Another topic that I insert right into the manual for those facing this world, is undoubtedly concerning the aesthetics of the object.
I want to be honest with you: the technical characteristics are very important, impressive, and sometimes they will astound you, but I am sure of two things: the former is that the 1989 Porsche 911 3.2 is the best car ever.
The latter is that your heart will beat faster anytime your eye falls onto an object that suits your taste best, which you value as the most beautiful.
Here I suggest that you read our article and the most important and disruptive watch designer ever existed: Gerald Genta.
I do not want to weigh you down by defining the canons of beauty of a timepiece. I consider beauty as an abstract, subjective, light and enveloping concept, exclusively dependent on one’s personal tastes, but I want to take advantage of the moment to give you a couple of tips on what are the aesthetic aspects of a timepiece you may want to consider.
Starting off with the dial, it works a bit like a person’s face and is undoubtedly the very first thing we look at, the first real discriminant of judgment. Remember, the dial never lies: its style, its composition, its workmanship tells us a lot, almost all about the type of object we have in front of us.
From the dial we understand whether it is a classic or sports watch, we can appreciate its complications, we can perceive both its character and the use that can be made of it. To make you understand the concept better I want to do a test, a little test.
Let’s consider a diving watch and imagine its dial. What do you see? If you are oriented towards soft tone on tone shades and precious stones instead of indices, then we have gone a little off topic. If, on the other hand, you are imagining a beautiful, important and clean dial, we are on the right path. The sub dials in fact stand out for their very high legibility, almost always made possible by large color contrasts between indexes and back, not to mention the large and fluorescent spheres.
On this subject, I refer you to a couple of very interesting articles in our magazine: the first deals with Patek Philippe’s craftsmanship, while the second one offers you a complete guide on Rolex stone dials.
Let’s now consider another predominant aesthetic feature of the watch, the case. Without a doubt, the case represents the point of union between the goldsmith’s art and the art of watchmaking, it defines the distinctive feature of the object, its functionality, protects the movement, and gives its wearer its sought-after character.
There are different types: the carrè case, the tonneau, the rectangular, the triangular and the tortue, just to name a few. For further information, I refer you to this specific article, in which we covered thoroughly the topic last July.
Continuing the path between the aesthetic aspects to be taken into consideration, due importance must be given to the bracelet. It is the most purely aesthetic element of the watch, and we can find it in different types of materials: leather, nylon, rubber, alloys of more or less precious metals, ceramics, and many others. Don’t forget, guys, the three main characteristics that a good bracelet must have: comfort, resistance and harmony with the style of the watch.
If you want to learn more, I recommend the article “how to choose a watch bracelet“, to be completed with the guide to the different types of clasps.
We have seen what the entry level arguments concerning watchmaking are. Now, let’s take a step forward and face the next step, dedicated to getting to know the main brands in the sector.
And here, dear friends, another equally rich and complex world opens up. The approach that in my opinion is fundamental and that makes a connoisseur a good connoisseur, and don’t be scared, it is not a complicated as it may seem, is the identification of the distinctive trait of each maison.
Try to understand the lines, the characteristic features and the details that define the brand. Get lost in the various websites of the houses, download the technical data sheets and listen to the specific reviews. This type of training on the subject will help you over time to recognize the various brands, collections and models more and more quickly.
When you are a little more experienced, I assure you, it will almost become an obsession to observe the watches worn by people, trying to immediately recognize their maison and reference model.
Very well guys, I enjoyed giving you some advice regarding the main arguments to be faced once the call arrives. Let’s now have fun together by finding out which are the main information channels through which to feed your passion.
On paper
Whether it’s a technical manual, an illustrated volume or the history of a specific reference, the world of watchmaking lends itself wonderfully to ending up in a good book. I want to open the door of my home library and give you some interesting titles where you can start and deepen your passion.
“Wristwatches: The Models That Made an Age” by Paolo De Vecchi & Alberto Uglietti
This is a large illustrated volume for all wristwatch enthusiasts. A real journey through the great brands of world watchmaking and the most iconic and representative models that have made their history. Thanks to the thousands of color photographs, it is really an easy and immediate volume, particularly suitable for those who enter this world for the first time and want to know the main players who share the market.
“The Mastery Of Time” by Dominique Fléchon
It is a wonderful volume that tells the measurement of time from ancient times to today through stories, images and documents, treating watchmaking as something unique between art and science, fueled by the continuous search for perfection of man. It is a book suitable for both beginners and experienced enthusiasts.
“MOONWATCH ONLY” by Grégoire Rossier & Anthony Marquié
Telling you what the iconic Moonwatch represents for me in a few words is not easy, wanting to summarize “my first passion”. Therefore, the Omega Speedmaster reference guide could not be missing in my library.
The book deals in detail with the history of the original Omega Speedmaster and any other subsequent references produced, through the description of every single detail of the references and the anecdotes that accompanied the astronauts who wore them on various missions. Wonderful and particularly suitable for those wishing to learn more about the topic of “vintage watches”.
“Gentleman: a timeless guide to fashion” by Bernhard Roetzel
Who makes bespoke shirts in London? How to tie a flawless tie? What are the best watches in the world? The Gentleman offers all the answers that we boys are looking for by offering an overview of classic men’s fashion and valuable information on the sources of purchase, teaching us to juggle the fascinating universe of men’s clothing and accessories with due skill. These guys are so good.
Here there are some other very interesting book we recommend!
Patek Philippe Minute Repeaters – “The book”
Jaeger-LeCoultre – Reverso by Nicholas Foulkes
Audemars Piguet 20th century complicated wristwatches
Rare watches, vintage cars, clothing, travel are just some of the interesting topics in which it is possible to get lost. Whether it’s to find inspiration, to draw on information, or simply for fun, the world of Instagram is undoubtedly a bottomless pit for all of us enthusiasts.
But how can we orient ourselves in such a vast basin? First of all, never forget the CRU rule we discussed earlier. Following it does not only mean enriching your baggage with true and complete information, but allows you to broaden your knowledge by making it more and more competent on the subject.
Secondly, and this applies to all media, always approach with a critical eye, make the information yours, think about it and always express your point of view on the subject. Before suggesting some interesting profiles to Instagram, I leave you the last tip. This is especially true for newbies, do not follow a lot of pages, especially during take-off, the less is more rule is more important than ever.
@a_collected_man
A Collected Man was not born as a media for information. To say the truth, it is a selling platform. However its pictures will leave you astounded and the selection of rare and fine timepieces and the careful and rich descriptions will add to your knowledge each and every time.
@themasterofspeed
What did I say before? My first passion right? When it comes to the Omega Speedmaster, this account is definitely one of my favorites. Let me tell you a secret: the passion for the world of watchmaking is also due to this profile. I highly suggest to give him a follow, as his photos of particularly rare references are a reminder for followers in the continuous search for the models presented, increasing their skills and passion.
@alessandrosquarzi
When it comes to style it is difficult not to mention Alessandro Squarzi. His page is a crazy journey through vintage cars, vintage watches and made in Italy clothing. It is important to follow this type of guy characters to always get inspiration and understand new points of view. In this regard, I leave you the link where you can enjoy the interview conducted with him from the topic “How to start collecting watches with Alessandro Squarzi” .
@wmbrownproject
When it comes to passions for gentlemen, Matt Hranek and his Instagram page are an institution on the subject. Defining himself as a lover of watches, traveler, eater and drinker, anyone who follows him will discover how easy and fun it is to venture into the world of watchmaking, vintage cars, fabrics, leathers and negroni … click here to access the complete interview.
@IWS
It is not an attempt at self-sponsorship, let’s be clear, I am really convinced that a novice who follows the Italian Watch Spotter page can quickly discover how easy it is to approach the world of watchmaking. The page is in fact sparkling, simple and fresh, with many links that will take your mind for a walk between curiosities and unique insights. And if you are reading this article, you already know that…
Some more Instagram accounts we strongly suggest:
@horology_ancienne
@goldberger
@rolexpassionreport
@thejourneguy
@thehourlounge
Magazine
Having gone through the best books in the industry, and seen some of the most interesting Instagram pages up close, it’s time guys to enter the world of magazines.
First of all, I would like to state that they represent the most complete sources, providing the reader with many arguments on the subject, suitable for any level of preparation. They are normally structured as multimedia containers that, crossing specific arguments, range from sector articles, interviews, photographs, videos, and many other contents. Let’s see some of them together.
Hodinkee
Complete magazine on luxury watches Hodinkee can offer news, reviews and information regarding the industry to all those who enter this world. For those wishing to learn more about the main brands in the sector, I strongly suggest consulting the dedicated page. Inside you can select all the brands of wristwatches covered in the magazine.
IWS – Italian Watch Spotter
https://italianwatchspotter.com/
Well there is little to say, as I mentioned earlier for our Instagram page “if you are reading this you already know”.
Jokes aside! Here at IWS, we give our best to stand for what CRU rule means to us. We started with one thing in mind, making horology great again! And this means making it more accessible and fun but keeping the highest standards of quality and competence.
Here you will find curiosities, untold stories technical guides as well as the very basics of the watch industry.
Other magazine that are doing a very good job are:
Watchonista
ABlogToWatch
Final Remarks
Guys, we have reached the end of our journey. I truly hope that with this article I have left you not only a little practical advice, but also that you have increased your thirst for curiosity towards the wonderful world of watchmaking.
In conclusion, I want to go back to what was said at the beginning, reminding all of you that passions are nothing more than the strong emotions we feel in life, that push us to dedicate ourselves to something we love. It is therefore essential to find them, cultivate them and be carried away by them.
Author: Jacopo Invernizzi
Translated by: Enrico Della Guerra
