The Open Caseback

May 31, 2020

The case for “watch accumulation”

To me, there is a distinction between an accumulation and a collection. And by extension, the accumulator and the collector…

May 24, 2020

The plea from the American watch industry

For the last week, I've been researching the decline of the American watchmaking industry. I find the topic interesting because many of the major American watch manufacturers closed down during the 50's and 60's. You know, the time when 20th century American consumerism was at an all-time high. What happened?

May 17, 2020

Are watches really art?

Whenever I hear someone say, "buy watches because they're art," it often makes me think that they don't understand why people buy art. And by extension, they probably don't understand why people buy watches.

May 10, 2020

Examining the Time-Only Hype

Time-only watches are no longer, in part, the result of limited budgets, but rather a specific choice made by many.

May 3, 2020

De-escalating the handmade vs. industrial watchmaking conflict

There's always been something particular about the rivalry between handmade and industrial watchmaking that evaded me. It took me a while to figure it out, but I've realized it has to do with how the conflict is framed in moral terms.

April 26, 2020

Are the problems in the watch industry by design?

Why aren't brands listening or responding to the watch community? Is there a root cause to all of our gripes with the industry? The Luxury Strategy, gives us a hint.

April 18, 2020

Speculation vs. Passion — A dialogue of mixed messages

Everyone from auction houses to retailers to collectors participate in what is a display of mixed messages: Encourage passion. Encourage speculation.

April 12, 2020

Revising watch partnerships for the 21st century

The very nature of celebrity is evolving and in the watch industry hasn't caught up.

April 5, 2020

The dilemmas of restoration — a watchmaker’s take

While I am of the view that objects (and therefore identity) are in a state of perpetual change, I was still hesitant that I would irreversibly change the watch. What if I was wrong?

March 29, 2020

The industrial history of time (2/2)

Clocks on every corner and watches in every pocket didn't only increase the awareness of time, it also radically shifted people's conception of time.

Musings on horology and the watch industry