Last Week In Watches N°23

It’s another quiet week in the world of watches.

With Geneva Watch days now just a month away, anticipation is building. Friends in Switzerland are heading out on holiday, enjoying the last of summer before school begins and we settle back into a familiar seasonal rhythm.

There is something fitting about the industry slowing down for a few weeks. Watches are objects that are meant to accompany our daily lives, and August feels like a good time to step away from the constant industry news cycle, and pay attention to whatever watch is on your wrist.

Let’s get into it

Partnering with Malaysian pewter maker Royal Selangor, a firm with over a century of experience in the craft, MING presents a titanium cased 37.06 with a Royal Selangor hammered pewter dial. The watch is even delivered in a hammered pewter presentation box.

It’s a beautiful sight to behold. This collaboration feels thoughtful and connected to brand, location, and heritage all at once. I wish more brands could find and deliver on collaborations like this. Congrats to the teams at MING and Royal Selangor — very well done.

Limited to 88 pieces and available starting August 6th for CHF 5,000.

This interview began with a simple question: “Why is the British Prime Minister wearing an £80 t-shirt?” and developed into a beautiful defense of craft.

James Eden, CEO of Private White V.C., doesn’t just explain why craft matters, but how to recognize it. I suspect anyone who is fascinated by handmade and craft objects will enjoy this discussion as much as I did.

Last week I published a single Last Week in Watches.I have an essay on craft coming this week, it simply took longer to finish than expected.

I’ve also had a number of people ask when my thoughts on Rolex were coming. The honest answer is I am still thinking through them.

What I thought would be a straightforward essay turned out to be a far more complicated subject. I keep returning to something my friend and former colleague, Josh Srolovitz, Director of Trading at the 1916 Company, said of Rolex:

Looking back through time Rolex is really one of, if not the first brand, to understand the importance of product placement. Having their watches on the wrists of those who changed the course of history, or impacted the world in a significant way, world leaders, celebrities, athletes, and musicians alike. Every year during the watch shows in present day Rolex never does anything crazy. They stand firm on their path to perfection and do nothing to jeopardize that. Their stability in both design and presence in my mind makes them the glue that holds the watch industry together. They don’t try to be anything that they are not. On a daily basis I am fortunate enough to be surrounded by the most beautiful and rare watches despite that I still get excited by Rolex’s everyday. It may be the product of brilliant marketing, but that doesn’t mean that it is not a brilliant product.

Thank you for your patience.

This week: Thoughts on craft, maybe Rolex, and maybe something else. The editorial calendar is still a pretty fluid concept over here, but the focus on craft remains clear.