Watch Affinity, 2021: A Year in Review

A Year in Review: My Favourite Watch Articles from 2021

This year has of course been another challenging one for everybody to put it lightly. As it was last year, Watch Affinity has been really important to me as a vehicle to continue to both enjoy the hobby of watch enthusiasm as well as continuing to learn more about the watch world.

I continued with my target of writing an article each week, and really I feel like I have both started to find my voice in my writing and grown more confident in what I’m doing. I have even seen the number of unique visitors per month to the Watch Affinity website more than double since this time last year, which is certainly encouraging!

Despite the pandemic again serving to restrict what might be possible, looking back over what I have written and what I have done has been a surprise. My biggest takeaway from the past 12 months is most certainly that with this hobby, whilst the watches of course play a huge part, it really is the people that you meet along the way which elevate the experience to a whole new level. To those of you who have played a part in this – a sincere thank you.

That said, I have I have picked my favourite watch articles from 2021 for you – I hope you enjoy!

It’s Complicated – Resonance in Watchmaking

Of all the articles I have written in my “It’s Complicated” series, looking at various watch complications in a bit more detail, this article on resonance is the one of which I am most proud. It was a really interesting and fun topic to learn about, given it is less a complication and more a scientific phenomenon that very few watchmakers through history have been able to master.

I was even able to speak with Claude Greisler of Armin Strom for this article which was a great opportunity!

Check it out: Resonance in watchmaking

In Conversation with Jean-Claude Biver

After having the great fortune to interview both Max Büsser and Ludovic Ballouard in 2020, I lost my confidence a little with it later in the year as a few other requests were ignored, and I decided not to pursue it any further at the time.

Speaking with a friend of mine early in 2021, he encouraged me to try and do this again, and I am incredibly thankful for that encouragement. As a result, I was able to do six interviews this year – enough to even add a new ‘Interviews’ page to the website! Included in this group, which I still can’t quite believe happened, was an interview with the industry legend Jean-Claude Biver…

It meant the absolute world to me that Jean-Claude would take the time to talk with me, and I think it speaks volumes of the man himself as well. An incredible opportunity, and easily one of my favourite watch articles in 2021!

Check it out: In Conversation with Jean-Claude Biver

Spotlight: Laventure Transatlantique GMT

When I was able to get hands on with one of the Laventure Transatlantique GMT watches, I was simply blown away by it. The quality of this watch was absolutely superb, and it was very easy to see why this micro / independent brand with its super-limited annual production is attracting a lot of attention from collectors, and they can even count Max Büsser amongst their fans!

Check it out: Spotlight – Laventure Transatlantique GMT

Spotlight: Rolex Milgauss Green Sapphire Crystal

With my articles, I try to write about things which are a little more off the beaten track. Obviously, there are certain specific watches I write about, and things like the GPHG Awards and OnlyWatch, but I try to supplement this with special-interest articles which are a little different.

This article looking at the green sapphire crystal on the Rolex Milgauss is, in my opinion, my favourite such article that I have written both in terms of the process of writing it, and the finished article. It was also one which I received a few great comments from people who had read it, including one on Instagram which read “I really enjoyed that article. That extra insight has really helped me appreciate the Milgauss even more. Thank you.” That type of feedback means the absolute world to me, as I’m sure it would any individual writing about a passion of theirs!

Check it out: Spotlight – Rolex Milgauss Green Sapphire Crystal

Laurent Ferrier Manufacture Visit 

During November 2021, I was fortunate to be able to squeeze in a short trip to Geneva for a few days with a friend of mine. During this trip, with great thanks to my friend Pietro Tomajer at The Limited Edition, we were able to pay a visit to the Laurent Ferrier manufacture!

Both my friend and I have been huge admirers of Laurent Ferrier for a long time (you might recall my first encounter with Laurent Ferrier watches in Geneva in 2019, and an earlier article this year about the man behind the brand and the brand itself), and I think it’s fair to say that we both really enjoyed this opportunity very much.

We got to see some cool memorabilia, a great collection of various pieces, the planned releases for 2022 (watch this space, next year is going to be a big year for Laurent Ferrier!) and the workbenches for the watchmakers and the decorators. A really great experience and one of my favourites to share with you all.

Check it out: Laurent Ferrier Manufacture Visit

In Conversation with Pietro Tomajer

This year saw me reach a bit of a milestone in terms of my articles, with my 100^th publication a few weeks ago. For that article, I wanted to do something special to mark it, and so I asked my friend Pietro Tomajer at The Limited Edition to see if he would be kind enough to do an extended interview with me – luckily for me, he was kind enough to oblige.

I should explain here that over the past couple of years, I have found that the area of independent watchmaking is one for which I have a real interest and have enjoyed learning about. Pietro and the team at The Limited Edition are specialist retailers, representing over 60 independent watchmaking brands, and this year we started working in partnership to help shine the light on various independent brands.

Beyond just this, Pietro has helped me a lot this year, including sharing his contacts and putting me in touch with people on numerous occasions, and even arranging for my friend and I to attend the GPHG Awards in Geneva on our visit.

Being able to mark my 100^th article with an extended interview with Pietro was my way of thanking him, and I think it is a really open and honest interview that makes for an interesting read as well – hopefully you agree!

Check it out: In Conversation with Pietro Tomajer

In Summary

Looking back, if you had told me that at the start of 2021 I would, in the next 12 months, have been able to interview Jean-Claude Biver (amongst several others), cultivate a partnership with a leading independent watchmaking retailer, and fly to Geneva to both visit the Laurent Ferrier manufacture and even attend the GPHG Awards, I would probably have just laughed at you.

And yet each of these things has happened; I am immensely thankful that they have, and taking a step back, I am quite proud of what I’ve achieved with Watch Affinity in 2021 and my favourite watch articles from the year.

However, as I mentioned at the outset of this article, it is the people who have joined me along the journey that have made this year extra special, and it serves to underscore one of the common themes amongst watch enthusiasts that whilst the watches are obviously great, it is the people that make the hobby really what it is.

I’ve really enjoyed looking back over the blog and picking out my favourites above, hopefully you might enjoy looking back over them too. Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued support, and wish you health and happiness for 2022.

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You might also be interested in:

• Watch Affinity, 2020: A Year in Review
• In Conversation with Max Büsser
• In Conversation with Ludovic Ballouard
• Watch Stationery and Gift Ideas
• Watch Books, Watch Boxes and more at the Watch Affinity Shop on Amazon (commissions earned)

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