Consumption Time

One of the things my grandma thrusted onto me when we were in Hong Kong was some money to buy a new watch. I tried valiantly not to accept, but she is a spritely woman at the age of 88, there's hidden strength in her frame!

So I'm going to match her amount plus a bit and find myself a nice dress watch that I can show her when I visit Hong Kong next. The funny thing is that I've never really noticed watches before, and had no idea what was good or what was bad. Of course, being Asian, I know my Rolex (or "Roflex", as I saw them in the dodgy Hong Kong markets).
I do remember that I had known the Patek Philippe brand (I liked their ads in The Economist) but was told off by more serious watch people when I repeatedly referred to them as "Philippe Patek". I have also subsequently realised that the brand is way beyond my price range.

So now on my mission to find a watch, I have been looking at websites, buying watch catalogs and checking out watch stores. There are so many brands!! And there's such a massive price range! At least I now kind of understand the terminology of mainsprings, complications, balances, calibres, and other watch mumbo jumbo.

There's a few options that are looking good at the moment. If anyone is looking for a watch, I recommend getting the "Wristwatch Annual" catalog. It is very thorough.

My photos have been posted up on flickr: Miami, Brooklyn Bridge, and San Francisco.