ScrewDownCrown

This episode is also available as a blog post: http://screwdowncrown.com/2021/11/20/do-you-miss-depreciation/ I recently had a fascinating conversation with “D” @dooboolooabout his new Furlan Marri watches, contrasting them (perhaps surprisingly) with his new R. W. Smith “micro architectural wonderland” which he recently took delivery of, after a 5 year wait! We then got onto the topic of how depreciation has changed the collecting mindset… and this post gives us a glimpse into collecting in what I call the “endgame league” – I’m sure D will disagree! I hope you enjoy the perspectives.

A few days ago I was reading this post about how our preconceived notions might hinder our decision-making… I thought it was applicable to watches, and wanted to share it here with a few comments. This episode is also available as a blog post: https://screwdowncrown.wordpress.com/2021/10/05/you-might-actually-like-it/

So, it seems Phillips, in association with Bacs and Russo, are now doing collaborations with watchmakers to create limited editions for friends of the auction house. A brief chat with my friend “C” aka. @running_sands helped shed some light on this new development. This episode is also available as a blog post: https://screwdowncrown.wordpress.com/2021/10/01/phillips-collaborates-with-watchmakers/

A week ago @nycwatchguy started blogging too – which is good news for the watchfam. In his most recent post he discusses “The rules of engagement” for brands in the watch world… and I thought I would share some frameworks to help folks understand with a little more detail how brands think about the process of allocating a watch to a client. I still agree with him, that it would be nice if brands were more transparent, however, I think we should not hold our breath. This episode is also available as a blog post: https://screwdowncrown.wordpress.com/2021/09/26/how-does-watch-allocation-work/

I never thought I would see the day where I wrote about Vacheron Constantin, and the post was anything other than glowing praise. Many will already know how much I love the brand, and although I only own one watch from their collection, I had, and perhaps still have every intention of owning more of them (although they probably won't sell me one again). I think the Vacheron executives have become too arrogant, too quickly, and it is extremely disappointing; Even if this behaviour is par for the course with hype brands, people who have seen and experienced the 'old Vacheron' have every right to feel disappointed. Sure, this will perhaps become the new normal for the brand, but let's talk about it anyway. This episode is also available as a blog post: https://screwdowncrown.wordpress.com/2021/09/23/whats-the-deal-with-vacheron-constantin/

Yesterday, over lunch with the infamous @nycwatchguy and @f1ptb… we discussed the concept of purchases under pressure. In the current environment this issue is far more pronounced, due to the rise of limited editions, the increased popularity of independent watchmakers (who have lower supply inherently) and because of general hype with any popular watches – often fuelled by the influx of profiteers into the watch game, who tend to pose as genuine enthusiasts or collectors. This also raised the question of what defines a “genuine” enthusiast anyway; and when is it ok to sell a watch without being labelled a flipper? Thoroughly enjoyed the conversation, and thought I would share a few of the insights here. This episode is also available as a blog post: https://screwdowncrown.wordpress.com/2021/09/07/purchases-under-pressure/

I came across an article about Alexander Graham Bell and his approach to increasing productivity; I thought it would be a useful post for a Sunday evening, ahead of a new week. This episode is also available as a blog post: https://screwdowncrown.wordpress.com/2021/08/15/productivity-using-alexander-graham-bells-approach/

The "Front Page Test" is an easy ethics standard which requires asking yourself: "How would I feel if the course of action I am considering were reported on the front page of the local newspaper or in a popular blog?". The idea is, if you feel this would be uncomfortable or create problems for you, then the best course of action is to change the intended course of action. Simple as that. This episode is also available as a blog post: https://screwdowncrown.wordpress.com/2021/07/26/the-front-page-test-for-watch-collectors/

Have you ever heard the term "Yak shaving"? Either way, I found it had some applicability to watch collecting, so I decided to share some thoughts on this; while slightly obscure and not wholly enlightening... hopefully still educational! This episode is also available as a blog post: https://screwdowncrown.wordpress.com/2021/07/21/yak-shaving-and-watch-collecting/

I watched a TED talk by Bill Burnett ... so I decided to share some of his ideas and connect them to watches. This episode is also available as a blog post: https://screwdowncrown.wordpress.com/2021/06/06/how-and-why-do-you-collect-watches/