My Philosophy
I figure this should be one of the early blog posts here, as it forms the basis of many of my interests and hobbies. As such, it determines what I write about, what I choose to purchase and review, and how I write about those things. As a reader of what I write, you deserve to know these things upfront.
First, and perhaps, foremost, I am not a professional on most of the things I write about. I consider myself a hobbyist or an enthusiast. I might claim some amount of professionalism if I am talking about photography and cameras, but that’s an exception to the rule (I’ve loved cameras and photography since I was a kid.) As such, take anything I say with a grain of salt. Do your own research. There are a ton of actual experts out there sharing their knowledge, be it through their own websites, social media, or video sites like YouTube and the aptly named TikTok.
I am a utilitarian. I will take function over form almost every time. In my mind, a tool, designed around its function, will produce an appealing form. There is really no need to embellish it unless those embellishments enhance the function. Let’s take watches as an example. The primary function is to tell time. Adding a calendar complication enhances this function by adding granularity to the time. You know more precisely WHEN you are. Adding precious gemstones to the crown or dial may add beauty (and expense), but it does nothing for the function. In not so many words, I’ll take a casual watch over a luxury watch, which leads us to my next point.
When it comes to most things, I’m cheap. I like things that anyone can afford. If I enjoy something, everyone should be able to enjoy it. I hate elitism, and I will never look down my nose at someone if they cannot afford the expensive things. Price can be very subjective, based on brand reputation rather than actual value or even labor required to produce. Frankly, in many hobbies, particularly with watches, cheap does not mean bad, it may simply mean mass-produced and common. And there is nothing wrong with collecting and enjoying something common if it brings you happiness.
I love history. I was one of those guys who really, REALLY sucked at memorizing place names and dates in whatever history class I was in. Yet, for whatever reason, I still loved learning about the events that shaped who we are. Not just in my country, but all over the world. What this means for my readers, well, that remains to be seen. I am guessing, particularly as I go through watches, is that items I talk about are likely to come from all over the place. Already, one of the first watches I plan to service comes from Russia. I will hopefully get into the history of the companies that make the items I talk about.
Those are just a few things to know as I start up this new site. Don’t expect expensive things on here, do expect me to challenge gatekeepers and trolls who take things far too seriously. I will do what I can to keep things interesting and frequent (a challenge I had with other blogs I have attempted to keep.) I’m hoping by consolidating several interests into one site, I’ll be able to do a much better job of that.