Warning: long post. The summary is that watch talk makes a conference more interesting. I'm sure there are some other really good stories you guys can tell. Let's hear them.

This is my first year working our annual computer conference since starting with the watch hobby. I was excited at what I might see; I hoped there might be a lot. Here was a chance to know, are mechanical watches really a niche product and not really appreciated by many others? Would everyone have smart watches, since this is a computer conference after all? I wasn’t really sure what to expect.

I scheduled some time in Charlotte on my own on Thursday. I was looking for service/repair options. The small town I live in and the larger town I live next to don’t have a selection of watch makers that will work on my recently acquired 145.022-69 Speedmaster. They would work on a time only watch but the chronograph was too much. I ended up finding what I think is a good candidate in Charlotte. They employ 2 watchmakers on site. I was able to talk to both of them. One has been there since 1980 and the other since 1988. They said they would hire another if they could find one. Interestingly enough to me, they both had European accents. All that taken together seemed like a good situation. I went to 2 other places that were not quite so impressive.

They had a look at my watch and then they looked it up on the reference card. It was a Category 3 which meant around $700 plus any parts for a service. I don’t have experience with cal 861 service but I have the impression that is in the ballpark. Then I asked about the cal 564 Constellation. I expected that to be a simpler category. They looked it up and to my surprise, that is Category 4 because it is “very old”. Come on; it’s only 5 years older than me. The older of the guys said "I know that movement. It was popular when I started watchmaking. I learned on that movement."

It didn’t take long for the watch talk (from me) to start. When people would ask what I’ve been up to since the last conference, I told them my activity has been almost exclusively watch related and not computer related. Then I would show them and give them the story about the birth year Speedy I was wearing. I didn’t find any other enthusiasts that day, but it was just conference preparation. The attendees would show up on Friday.

I worked the registration area most of the time. That was a good place to look out for anything interesting. Mainly I would out right ask someone to tell me about their watch. Sometimes they would come to the desk and ask me a question. I would say “I’ll tell you the answer but you have to tell me about your watch first.” It went really well. One guy had a Seiko from the 70s that he’d had for ages. Another was wearing a Bulova Precisionist and left his Hamilton Khaki at home. I told him I wasn’t trying to show off but I brought 3 watches with me. I was doing the same thing there that I would do at home. I wear a different watch every day. Another showed me his Seiko “Bloody Monster”. I hadn’t heard that moniker before; he said it was due to the red markers. That was the first time I had handled one of those. The bezel action on that one was surprisingly smooth. Later in the conference, he also gained the distinction of being the first person to ever come up to me and ask me about my watch. That was fun! He asked “Is that an Orient Mako,” to which I replied “It is the Mako USA.” He was excited and told me that they aren’t for sale anymore, which I did not know. The Mako II is out now with the movement upgrade. One lady told me about her Glashuette Original. She ordered it some time ago, but it was late arriving. Apparently there was a flood and production was delayed. They offered her another watch with a pink band that was available immediately, to which she replied “NO”, she wanted the one she ordered! I think she made the right choice (pink band, yuck). I thought I had a picture of it, but I can’t find it. I asked one guy about his watch and he couldn’t pronounce the name. He said someone was moving out of a house. The watch was in a box on the curb with some other cheap watches, essentially in the trash. I asked to look closer. Not having a loupe, I used the phone to take a picture and blow it up. To my amazement, it was labeled Audemars Piguet. He told me “So you know what that is.” And he told his friend, “See, I told you it was expensive.” I don’t know if it is real; I haven’t done any research. It looks a little too inexpensive for an AP. I’ve never seen an oval AP. It’s quite a story either way though.



The best experience was with a guy I have known off and on for 9 years now. He and I served on the board of this computer conference in the past. Even with that, I could never get him to talk much. That is just how he is. Well, watches changed that. I noticed he was wearing a Breitling. I asked him to tell me about it and the transformation was spectacular. His face lit up, he started telling me about how he’d loved watches since he was 11. He told me about a homage he’d worn earlier because he couldn’t afford the real thing. Then last year his wife found this 1983 watch and bought it for him. He told me how he just loved the cobalt blue dial and the gold bezel. All the while he was smiling, he looked happy, his melancholy demeanor was gone and he wouldn’t stop talking. I’ve never seen him like that before. The whole weekend trip was worth that 20 minute conversation!

The watch talk had a great side effect. I would see the people throughout the weekend and we always smiled and greeted each other again. I would point out to them other people that had mechanical watches too so we could all make the connection with each other. It was really nice. I ended up meeting and talking to a lot of people that I normally would not have. It afforded another way to make a connection with someone quickly.

 

Nice thread you began.

There's probably no one within 60 miles of me who buys a watch anywhere other than Wal Mart.