INSIDER VIEW: Finding joy in watches is all we have
I recently wrote about how right Swiss brand NORQAIN is to come at everything it does with a sense of unfiltered fun, in particular the recent ‘golden ticket’ Willy Wonka-style launch of its Freedom GMT Enjoy Life ‘Holiday’ Limited Edition watch.
As unique as NORQAIN’s take on enjoyment is, it’s actually served as a reminder to me that there’s joy wherever you look in the watch industry. In fact, I’d go further and say that joy is all we have.
Long after the point where everyone can agree that watches serve no particular practical use, it would be extraordinary and counter-intuitive if brands and retailers alike didn’t tap into products and experiences that make customers feel better about themselves. One could argue that the whole luxury industry is founded on this simple premise.
Inside the July edition of Watch Insider, there were numerous examples of happiness, whether it was through human connection, glorious design, or immaculate story-telling.
In conversation with the charming Tom Dixon from Schwanke-Kasten in Milwaukee, I felt nothing but positivity exuding from him. “Family businesses are hard to operate so now it’s me and my son, Charlie,” he told me. “I get to watch my son take over and do an outstanding job.”
As a father myself, I can’t think of anything more pure and fulfilling than the custodian of a family jeweler, who’s put in a lifetime of graft to keep the business going and improve it, handing the keys to their son or daughter to keep the legacy going. Those that don’t feel vicarious joy through this are the type who meet the Ghost of Christmas Past once a year.
I can’t think of anything more fulfilling than the custodian of a family jeweller, who’s put in a lifetime of graft to keep the business going and improve it, still feeling excited about the prospect of getting out of bed and coming to work every day.
And what about Peter McAuley, the owner of Northern Irish brand Nomadic Watches — in what world did Peter wake up one day and decide that he wanted to begin a long journey to put Belfast watchmaking on the map? It’s a plan that, logically, should never have gotten out of first gear.
And yet here he is, five years in, with his own boutique and customers flying in from the States, Canada, and beyond. It’s ‘pinch yourself’ stuff, but it’s absolutely brilliant. Kudos to Peter and all the hundreds of other entrepreneurs in the industry that take a seed of an idea, water it with hard work and skill, and then enjoy the blossoming of delight that follows.
As a woman who works in the industry once said to me: “This is PR, not ER.”
The point was simply that the watch industry should understand its place in the vast and complex ecosystem of life. No-one is saving lives by creating masterpieces or putting on wonderful events, but what’s the alternative?
The grind of life is largely out of our hands, so if watches can turn a few frowns upside down, then I feel like that’s a perfectly worthy accomplishment.
