How many brands do you know where customers have renamed the products? Think about that for a second. Customers creating their own unique names for a brands products. It only happens with a few companies. And when it does, the nicknames become as important as the real name. It's what every brand would want. Fully committed and enthusiastic buyers who create their own language when discussing the brand. With watches, there are only a couple of companies that have reached this point. Swiss legends Rolex and Japan's Seiko. Yes, others may have the odd model with an affectionate name, but ..read more

  There's a long philosophical tradition of contemplating our mortality, with each culture expressing this through its own ceremonies and imagery. If you take the time to research the art and objects used to remind us of the fleeting nature of human existence, you're going to find a common theme. Skulls. There's a hell of a lot of skulls, often paired up with a lot of bones. Take the Parisian Catacombs. These underground tunnels literally hold the skeletons of millions of people. They're neatly stacked and almost civilised and they invite us to walk among the dead while considering th ..read more

  I have to admit that I'm the type of watch fan who wears a subtle piece under my shirt cuff. I may have spent hours researching a watch and unearthed its backstory, but aside from this blog, you'll not hear about it. Other watch enthusiasts want you to check out their wrist. The watch is there as a conversation starter and they proudly wear it to make a statement. It's another side of the watch world and for the big spenders and celebrities, it's a world of haute horology, colourful jewellery and hefty price tags. But there's also a niche market for buyers who want the same eye-catch ..read more

  As each new watch passes across my desk I have the job of digging into the brand's back story. With the smaller brands that usually means taking a quick look at the founder. It's fascinating to uncover the way each entrepreneur has approached the design and production of their watch and the varied backgrounds that led them into the world of horology. One thing is pretty consistent. The company name is usually self-explanatory or simple to understand. Despite the unusual layout of its watches, the name for Mr Jones Watches is very straightforward. There's a real Mr Jones behind ..read more

  One of the most enjoyable features in the world of niche watch brands is the way a founder's personality is expressed through the design of watches. You'll know what I mean. The founder has a background in car design so his watches work automotive styling into their aesthetic. Or the owner is a professional diver by day and at night creates wonderful dive watches. As much as I love that side of the watch industry, it was refreshing to get my hands on the Sport model from Holgar. You see, Holgar takes a very different approach to watch design than many similar-sized brands. Holgar s ..read more

I'll be the first to admit that there's no real need for a wristwatch. Sitting at your desk with the time constantly displayed on your laptop, your phone only a foot away and the radio updating you with the time every hour - you really don't need another timekeeping device strapped to your arm. There's probably a good argument that we need to pay less attention to the time. Indeed, this site is named after J G Ballard's dystopia where timekeeping was banned in an attempt to free people from the tyranny of the clock. But we can't view timekeeping purely as a need. If you're judging life by ..read more

There's a sweet spot where enthusiasm and skill meet. In the world of watches, there are plenty of small brands run by enthusiasts. They have boatloads of passion but often lack an eye for design or the spark of originality that allows their watches to stand out. You'll have also seen generic watch releases from fashion brands. They usually lack both passion and enthusiasm and add little to an already crowded market. So when I discovered a watch brand with a passionate founder who also has a proven background in watch design I was keen to find out more. And what better way to find out if ..read more

If it's not broken don't fix it. You'll have heard that saying a million times, usually because it rings true. It's certainly something that resonates with watch enthusiasts. Why change a successful watch design? If a watch functions well and buyers love the style, what would be the point of reinventing the wheel? It's why many brands make a Flieger-style pilot's watch or a Panda-dial chronograph. They're proven designs that will always sell. It's also why many companies make a Submariner-style dive watch. It's now an established style that transcends individual brands. It is the pictur ..read more

Hot on the heels of Avi-8's Flyboy Tuskegee Airmen comes a watch inspired by the RAF's Hawker Typhoon. The Tuskegee watch was a bit of an enigma - yes, it's a pilot's watch, but it had a dive watch aesthetic and referenced a specific era of American aviation. It's a handsome watch that I really enjoyed. But as I've mentioned in the past, Avi-8 is renowned for paying homage to Britain's Royal Air Force and its most legendary planes. In that sense, this latest release sticks much closer to the brand's DNA than the previous watch. It's militaristic, fairly large and raises funds for a good c ..read more

Names, names, names. That's the first thing I noticed about the young British brand Olivier Meylan. There are a hell of a lot of names associated with this watch company. Some of them weren't familiar to me - Rugby has never been my thing, so Jack Nowell, Henry Slade, Luke Cowan-Dickie and Dave Ewers weren't on my radar. But Russell Kane I was more familiar with. Then I came across a reference to Snoop Dogg. Really, a link between the famed US rapper and a microbrand watch company from Exeter? Having dug a little deeper I also found connections to some of the big names in Swiss watchmaki ..read more