Watch Affinity, 2022: A Year in Review

A Year in Review, Watch Affinity in 2022

If 2020 and 2021 were marked by the pandemic, I think 2022 was certainly the year that we started to see a return to normal, albeit a somewhat new normal!

Whilst this blog has continued to be a vehicle for me to enjoy this hobby, 2022 has also seen the world start to open up again. Without so many restrictions or red tape when it comes to travelling internationally, my favourite thing for this year has most definitely been being able to get back to sharing this hobby with other people.

So often amongst watch enthusiasts you hear it said that the watches come second to the people – whilst it might be a cliché, that doesn’t make it any less true.

The various events that I have attended this year have led to so many incredible opportunities that I am going to cheat a little bit for my first pick.

The return of watch get-togethers and exhibitions

Bernhard Lederer's Central Impulse Chronometer

I’m cheating a little bit here, because I don’t have a single article which covers this from the past 12 months. But thanks to the return of events such as London-based Subdial’s quarterly Clubhouse get-togethers, or The Limited Edition’s collectors’ events with guest independent brands showcasing their pieces, I have had the chance to interview the likes of Davide Cerrato, Bernhard Lederer and Landon Stirling of Horage, or handle watches like Lederer’s Central Impulse Chronometer shown above.

(As a side note, you can sign up for Subdial’s quarterly Clubhouse get-togethers, or reach out to Pietro at The Limited Edition for more information on their collectors’ evenings in London. A huge thank you to both Subdial and The Limited Edition – I understand putting these events on is not easy, but I am hugely appreciative that you do!)

Another example is that following one auction preview at Phillips in London, I ended up in Geneva for a day trip a week later to see Vianney Halter’s La Resonance. Better still, I even managed with the short notice to coincide this visit with a quick visit to Rexhep Rexhepi’s Akrivia workshop! I will be forever thankful to the team there for fitting me in, I had a great time looking around and the visit ended with being able to talk to Rexhep himself for 10 minutes or so, which was a fantastic opportunity.

These events collectively have truly been the highlight of the year for me; being able to meet new people and share this crazy passion with like-minded collectors is far and away the best part of this hobby.

One new addition in this area was that 2022 also saw the first ever International Festival of Time, a completely new addition to the watch events calendar in Waterford, Ireland, with a focus on independent watchmaking. I am excited to see what this holds for the future!

Check it out: International Festival of Time in Waterford, Ireland

Watch Brand Logos

I have written a few articles that you might best categorise as ‘general interest’, where I explore something a little more off-piste. One such article that I wrote this year, which I particularly enjoyed putting together, was exploring the symbiology and semiotics around logos employed by watch brands.

In researching this, I found some obvious and some less obvious examples of different logos and what they mean. I also got some really positive feedback around this one, and looking back at it now, it’s definitely one of my highlights!

Check it out: Watch Brand Logos

The OAK Collection

As the world started to open up, 2022 saw not only the return of events and get-togethers, but also exhibitions. I have attended a few this year, including for the Royal Oak 50th anniversary, A. Lange & Söhne at Phillips, and more recently Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Reverso Stories, but my favourite was most definitely the chance to enjoy the personal collection of Patrick Getreide at London’s Design Museum.

There are watch collections, and there are watch collections. This is most definitely the latter.

With several hundred individual pieces on display, including multiple unique pieces and even Patek Philippe pocket watches that belonged to the legendary collector Henry Graves Jr, it was an incredible opportunity to see the kind of thing I will likely never get to see again – another definite stand-out memory.

Check it out: The OAK Collection – One of A Kind Watches

In Conversation with Ondřej Berkus

At one point earlier in the year, I noticed on Ondřej’s Instragram account @hodinkyberkus, that in addition to watches, he made rings as well. I was on the search for a wedding ring and reached out to Ondřej to see if he could help. Ultimately, I now have my wedding ring set to go, and I asked whether he would be interested in doing an interview for the website.

This was one of my favourite interviews to date, and apparently yours too, as this went on to become my most engaged with post on Instagram, one of my most visited pages on Watch Affinity, and even got a shout out on Monochrome Watches!

Given this particular post all started from my search for a wedding ring, it is one that I’ll always remember. Thank you, Ondřej!

Check it out: In Conversation with Ondřej Berkus

Vintage and Modern Watches – The Pros and Cons

For me, this is an article that I had had in the back of my mind for a very long time but didn’t quite know what to do with it. So, finally being able to turn the idea into something tangible is something I am pleased to have been able to do, and I really enjoyed it as a thought exercise as well.

The pros and cons of vintage versus modern watches is more a warren than a mere rabbit hole, and putting the article together certainly got me thinking… even so, I’m sure despite my best efforts I missed a few things out as well!

Given the amount of time it took to turn this idea into an article, it is something that I am glad I can look back at now as having written – there aren’t many articles like this for me, and that’s why this also makes the list.

Check it out: Vintage and modern watches – the pros and cons

In Summary

This hobby continues to amaze me. Each year when I’ve looked back at what I have done with Watch Affinity, there always seems to be incredible memories with people at their core. I have had the absolute pleasure to meet and speak with many people from the industry, and some I never thought I would get the chance to meet.

As always, it has been a pleasure to look back over this past year, and it really does make me excited to think about what this next year may have in store!

Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your continued support, and wish you and your families health and happiness for 2023.

If you have any questions, or want to share your thoughts, please get in touch via our Contact page, or via our Instagram.

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