[f]How you want to shape the hobby of a watch

I recently published an article on whether social media can cause monoculture in watches. This article explained how mere exposure to the same thing is how we all chase it. This makes me feel like there is a unique way to practice my watch hobby. In this article, I would like to explain in a bit more in depth how we shape our own hobbies.

My goal is not to teach you how to experience and practice the hobby of watches. It’s exaggerated and hypocritical. Rather, I aim to provide potentially liberating ideas about ignoring the public and setting up personal courses. Let’s jump in!

Lessons from my other hobbies

The idea in this article came from my other hobbies – playing the guitar. From gear reviews to lessons, it consumes a lot of guitar content. I realized I was becoming more and more frustrated with myself. It seems like a Virtuoso Master Player is a YouTuber or Instagrammer on any guitar.

After that, I was exposed to two pieces of advice in a rather short time. I watched Steve Vai’s video, where he made an important point about the technique. I’m going to rephrase his point, but there’s no need to chase the perfect technique because there’s no such thing. Instead, you need as many techniques as you need to express yourself. It was a simple yet truly liberating idea.

The second advice came from Dr. Andre Fludd, a guitar teacher. He said finding your style with the guitar is something you get with a handful of very specific techniques. He made it completely clear how each new technique actually requires daily maintenance costs. In other words, you need to make a very choice and really want to master what you’ve learned. This is difficult when consuming a lot of guitar content, as it is constantly bombarded by “learning this cool technique” content. Fludd introduced the idea of ​​practice debt. In other words, it is recommended to be selective as each new technique you learn will add to your daily practice load. This was another liberating idea that felt like a breath of fresh air in my overloaded mind.

My hobby is just a hobby

Allow me to love playing the guitar for a few more seconds. After absorbing the two ideas above, I subscribed to Dr. Andre Fludd’s online learning community. He shares lessons, comes with other guitar students and offers a place to share your progress as you go. I clicked on some videos from other students and guessed what? Instead, I saw people like me struggle through basic scales and chased the 1% improvement that day.

For the first time in a few years, I felt that my performance was fine. Finding a 1% improvement on my pentatonic scale is a fair goal today. After that, I hang my guitar on the wall, learn something, spending some time in a deep, relaxed focus, I feel satisfied and happy.

This is tied to another video I recently saw in Alastair called “The Grindification of Hobbies.” Again, in other words, his point was that we turned our hobby into a job. I want to compare myself with the high performers who stand at the top of social media algorithms and share our progress and skills… These things undermine the core functions of the hobby – get away from your daily struggle and enjoy it for reasons other than enjoying it.

Image: Deangelis Fine Watches

Now, please monitor your hobbies

If you believe in social media, watch hobbies are equally competitive and normative. Also, if you follow a few popular accounts, owning a collection of 50,000 euros seems totally normal. In addition to that, you also need to be a semi-professional clock photographer. Ideally, there’s also a side hustle, selling watch straps and creating Netflix quality videos about watches. Oh, and you also need to make money from your hobby through clever buying and selling.

I went down this path, followed work with my watches, wrote books, and later started a watch brand. I still love watches and am grateful to have been able to turn my passion into my work. But what do you think: That’s my job right now. I really need my guitar hobby to the side to relax and clean my mind. I still think I’m monitoring my hobbies, but I’m now experiencing similar stress and anxiety from work, just like when I was a former consumer behavior consultant.

This is not about SOBs. I love what I do and feel enthusiastic and passionate about my work. It is a privileged position. My point is that it’s not the usual way to experience a hobby. In fact, it’s the opposite.

How to shape your watch hobby is fine

Returning to the heart of what it means to have a hobby, I think it’s an activity you’re engaged in during your free time, bringing joy without any pressure. There are no thresholds regarding how skilled you are, how knowledgeable you are, or what you achieve. Simply involvement in activities is a hobby.

When talking about clocks, this can take the form of an infinite number. Reading Fratello without owning a single watch is a hobby. Learning about the watches soldiers wear during World War II can become a hobby of watches. Tweeting around with old mechanical watches is a hobby. Taking photos of cool watches you find for the people you meet will become your watch hobby. It can also be a hobby to attract high complications with precious metals.

Image: awco

The key is that you are completely free to shape your tastes and your character. You will not “graduate” as a watch lover by heartfelt knowledge of all modern Rolex reference numbers. You can’t say you need to own at least 2,000 euros or more before you become a “real collector.” When accessory brands start sending free things, you won’t become a “true enthusiast”.

Zoom out

All of the above is the result of our world being more connected than ever. This is definitely a blessing, and it gives us the power to explore more people and connect with like-minded people around the world, but that’s at a cost. If you consider a handful of outliers as standard, content that triggers online engagement can start enforcement on you. This doesn’t just create monoculture. It also normalizes a very specific form of practicing watch hobbies.

I sincerely hope that this doesn’t apply to you. We hope that your watch hobby is fun, relaxed and a source of positive positivity for you. However, if you experience pressure, stress, or even anxiety, we hope that some of these ideas can offer alternatives. There is a time and place to maximize performance, usually in your career. Hobbies should be the opposite – release valves if you do.

I want to hear from you, Fratelli. I’ve found myself practicing my watch hobby. And how do you keep it fun and light? Let us know in the comments section below!