This week we’re tackling more horological prejudices by taking a deep dive into a single burning question: why all the fashion watch hate? When we make the transition from horological civilians to watch collectors why is there so much hate for fashion watches (i.e. Timex, Michael Kors, Fossil, Kate Spade, etc.)? This week we argue that based on the accepted derogatory definition of a “Fashion watch,” all watches are fashion watches.

Show Notes:

Omega Seamaster 2254.50 Review
Casio <> Burton Snowboards Collab
New Seiko Presage LE Pieces (Inspired by the Vintage Monopusher)
Timex MK1 Collection
Shinola
ABTW Piece – Top 10 Watches That Get A Nod From Snobs
ABTW Piece – Top 10 Watches That Get A Nod From Snobs (2018 – part 2)

8 thoughts on “Ep. #164: Hey, Bro – Nice Fashion Watch”

  1. This was by far the best show I’ve heard from you guys. We buy watches because they look cool. Plain and simple. Very thoughtful comments mixed in with your typically hilarious irreverence. Thanks for doing this. Really enjoy the show. GO TIMEX!!

    Reply
  2. Many Christians were psychologically harmed upon hearing this episode. You guys went easier on fashion watches 🙂 I typically have associated fashion watches with consumption. But “trend” watches can fall outside that realm and be a consumption trap as well i.e. Vostok (of which I have an classic Amphibia), or limited edition versions of this and that.

    Reply
    • Also, ABTW posted a video in late 2017 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXS3Jrrv3DQ) that states in the intro that Timex has been producing movements in the Philippines since 1978. It was obviously made in conjunction with Timex (perhaps to inspire confidence in watch enthusiasts) in order to show off the facility as being a modern beacon of manufacturing.

      Reply
  3. Great episode…as some one mentioned one of the better ones! But sorry which one of you guys have NEVER hear of Burton Snowboards (the first and biggest snowboard brand ever) and Supreme (arguably the biggest urban brand over the past 10 years). I’m over 50 and i know these brands very well. Not to mention Supreme has done watch collabs with Rolex (i think it was a sub that they tagged) Tag ( a watch and a stop watch (which i’ve got one (and did i mention i’m old AF)) and a few other watch manufactures.

    Reply
  4. Good stuff! It took me about a week of commuting to get through the whole episode. 🙂

    I think you’ve got a few things intertwined in the “fashion watch” thing;

    * Know thyself – whatever watch speaks to you or moves you in some way, own that and rock it. I’ll never forget a friend’s weeding, where at two in the morning a rather drunk Scottish Marine (ret) decided to hold an impromptu scotch tasting class. First we tried it neat, then with water, then with ice. He proceeded to inform us that the CORRECT AND PROPER way to drink a whisky is, verbatim, “however the f*** you like” and I wasn’t about to argue with him at that point. Similarly, in the world of fountain pens, while there is some amount of snobbishness out there, most pen people I know react more to the joy someone has in owning a pen than the particulars of a pen itself – I’m happy that you found one you liked. (Watches are like fountain pens, plus a couple of zeroes on the end.)

    * Traditionalism – We love to categorize things. Dive watch. Pilot/Flieger watch. Field watch. Chronograph. Tool watch (still trying to figure that out). Dress watch. Fashion watches make a statement and don’t fit in the usual taxonomy, which can be polarizing. Also, story and history – like a watch carries the full legacy of its maker brand – can be harder to connect with emotionally in a fashion watch (or some microbrands). Hard for a traditionalist to accept something that looks like a trend or fad.

    * Quality. **THIS** is where I readily condemn fashion watches, but I’m happy to be wrong. Paying expensive prices for a fashion brand watch that doesn’t hold up – I mean falls apart or disrepair or outright breaks – is something I have a problem with. I wouldn’t say that fashion watches are inexpensive (maybe in the grand scale of watches, but still) but if they’re just not build to hold up, that’s wasted money. I’m not talking about value-per-dollar – I realize that you pay a premium for a brand name to be applied just under the 12, and that’s fine – but I have an issue with a tarted up low quality watch. It’s lipstick on a pig.

    I’ve owned two Fossil watches, which were bordering on the “fashion” side of the line. I loved the look. I didn’t love that the second hand on one decided to line up in between indices instead of on the line, and that the chronograph on the other one decided it would snap back to :02 instead of :00. That’s a problem for me.

    I also have a problem with the amazingly inflated prices on the higher end of the spectrum, but then again, I’m relatively new to this. My sweet spot for price ($200 and down, ideally under $100, maybe towards $300 if it’s special) keeps me squarely in the realm of budget, homage, and sifting-through-Alibaba watches. I’m fine with that.

    (And, as long as I’m here, I’ve recently bought my first auto watches – an Orient Mako XL Kermit and a Seiko Recraft SNKM97; I have a thing for green. I’ve got a Casio Duro and a Citizen Avion, so I have dive, sport and flight watches covered. And an Apple Watch. Now interviewing for a dress watch (green) and a meca-quartz chronograph because I love sweeping seconds and flyback but I don’t want to pay full mechanical chronograph prices. Ideas?)

    Reply
  5. Hey – hysterical show. Just so you know – there are a few of us who use our watches for the intended purpose. I travel with a Momentum Vortec, which has an alarm and GMT. I have used it for months at a time, while living in a tent, far from cell networks. I knew what time it was back in the US (for satphone calls), and used the alarm to wake each morning. Great watch. $300. I guess I could have used a G-Shock, but I do like the quick readability of an analog watch, and its just my prejudice, but I can’t get with the overly tactical look.

    Reply
  6. My wife got me a Fossil watch and a nice watch display case about 3 Christmases ago. I still wear the Fossil now and then, sometimes out of pure obligation to let her know I appreciated the gift, but also because, the damn thing actually looks really nice. It’s a rather large dial chronograph with an anthracite sort of gray look, with polished baton/stick indices.

    It was probably a $80 fashion Fossil, but it’s great for what it is and is actually one of the few watches I’ve ever received a compliment on in the workplace. Kind of funny but that’s the way it goes. It also may have been commented on because it’s big enough to be noticed. lol

    Reply

Leave a Comment