The Watch Collectors' Club runs regular events where we teach members a little about watches, watchmakers, watch

A club for everyone who likes watches.

For the Swiss Watch industry, the period of the 1970s is most commonly known as the Quartz Crisis. It is commonly understood to be a time period when inexpensive quartz movement powered watches led to a rapid decline in the sales of mechanical watches, which led to huge trouble amongst many Swiss watch companies and suppliers. In actual fact, the rapid adoption of quartz movements was only one part of the Swiss industry's troubles, and this article will explore what happened.

At the start of the 1970s, the industry had an unusual structure, designed in the 1930s to save the industry from the Great Depression that followed the Wall Street Crash of 1929. The industry was made up of thousands of small parts suppliers and fairly small brands, all organised under umbrella organisations backed by the government and the Swiss banking sector. The largest of these was called Ebauches SA, which later became ETA SA, and then Swatch Group.

This worked very well for the industry in the years after World War II. The watch companies in the USA and Europe that had switched to manufacturing material for the war effort struggled to move back into watchmaking after the war ended. This allowed the Swiss companies to dominate booming post-war economies, firstly in the United States and then in Europe. In 1960 Swiss companies had a 60% share of the US market. Unfortunately for the Swiss, this industry structure was poorly positioned to move from manufacturing mechanical watches to electronic watches in the 1970s.

The Japanese watch companies benefitted from the restructuring of the Japanese economy after their defeat in the war. Across Japan companies focussed on becoming low-cost producers of all kinds of manufactured goods, and then shipping those goods to new markets in the Americas and Europe. The watch industry was no exception. Japan was also a dominant player in the rise of the electronics industry in the 1950s and 1960s. While America led in the invention and production of electronic watches, with the Hamilton Ventura (1957) and Bulova Accutron (1960) and world leaders in their niche, the Japanese were very close behind. 

At some point in the early 1960s, watch companies realised the most successful elecrtonic watch was going to involve a movement powered by a quartz crystal, which had been used to power electric clocks since its invention in 1927. It took until 1969 for the first quartz wristwatch to be launched, the Seiko Astron. It was very expensive and only available in Japan. 

The Swiss had formed a consortium of the top watchmakers in 1962 to work on a quartz movement and succeeded. It launched only a few months after the Astron, and was known as the Beta 21. 

Unfortunately for the Swiss, the movement was much larger, heavier and power hungry than those made by the Japanese. Within only a few years the Japanese continued to improve their movements at a rate that the Swiss couldn't match. Despite the introduction of the Beta 22 movement which was much thinner, the whole project was cancelled in 1975. Unfortunately for the Swiss, by 1975 Seiko alone managed to ship 1.7 million quartz watches and an astonishing 25 million by 1980.

The Japanese succeeded at a much faster rate than the others for three reasons. Firstly, the associated micro-electronics industry booming at that time in Japan, allowing for easy sourcing of parts and expertise. Secondly, the US watch companies focused more on high-end electronic and digital watches like the Pulsar. Finally, Switzerland had little to no experience building the electronic components required to put into the quartz movement, so their movements were big, bulky, and lower quality with higher power consumption. Seiko vertically integrated the production, making every part themselves. They still do this, and this led to their success at bringing the costs down (as well as improving the mechanism and patenting their improvements).

Unfortunately for the Swiss, two other things hit the watchmaking industry at the same time; a sharp rise in interest rates and a sharply appreciating currency against the US Dollar. Swiss interest rates had been around 3% and the currency was pegged at a fixed rate to the US Dollar until 1971. This was a very stable period for the Swiss watchmaking industry and it was able to sell into the United States with great success. 

In the late 1960s, Governments around the world were struggling to deal with bouts of high inflation after nearly 20 years of relatively low inflation. The decision to de-peg currencies and for each country to regain full control over monetary policy is known as the "end of Bretton Woods", and had dramatic consequences.

When the Swiss Franc de-pegged from the US Dollar, the Swiss National Bank, in charge of the money supply and interest rates, decided to fight inflation very sharply. This raised interest rates and the Swiss Franc appreciated quickly. This meant that anything exported from Switzerland to other countries was much more expensive. The scale of the rise was extraordinary. In the first 18 months from the start of 1972, the Swiss Franc gained 29% against the dollar. By the start of 1975 it was another 14% higher, and by 1978 it was another 38% higher. Interest rates reached 10% in 1974 in Switzerland and the country experienced a recession. 

This combination of technological change, high interest rates, and a severe loss of price competitiveness in their largest market saw many Swiss companies go bankrupt. The brands folded and many of the suppliers. Over the course of the decade employment in the industry fell 60%, and over 40k people lost their jobs. Many famous brands closed down almost entirely, and while some have been resurrected today, many are still gone. 

The history of the watchmaking industry has many fascinating periods, but like all history is complicated and always depends on the viewpoint of the historian. Making it simple to understand is a key aim for The Watch Collectors' Club, as understanding brand history is often very important for watch collectors. Many people enjoy learning about where watches have come from, what inspired them, and how the technology was developed. We hope to bring more historical information to you in an easy-to-understand manner. If you liked this article, please let us know, and also tell anyone else you know who might be interested. Our events always include some informative content, and all the details can be found on our events page.

What was the quartz crisis? Was the quartz crisis the only problem for the Swiss watch industry?

What happened to the Swiss Watch Industry in the 1970s

An explanation of why the Swiss Watch Industry collapsed in the 1970s.

The Swatch watch is an icon for many reasons. It is a design icon. A low cost option who need to wear a watch as a tool to tell the time. It helped save the largest watch company in the world, and it has pioneered the display of radical modern artwork on watch faces and straps. It has inspired young people to love watches and collect interesting models. It introduced rubber straps which are now being sold by the very finest watchmakers on earth. It comes in more colours and designs than you can imagine, is sold everywhere, and the best thing of all? When the battery runs out they will replace it for free in store.

The Swatch was launched in 1983 and was an instant hit. The simple looks, accurate quartz mechanism, waterproof case and comfortable rubber strap all at a low price, were very appealing to the public. Bright advertising with Red and Blue watches, and brochures full of fun activities showed this was an exciting watch for all ages. 

Lightness on the wrist and a range of small sizes made it very easy to wear. Within a couple of years of launch, the company responsible for this watch, then called ETA, were producing all kinds of crazy designs. They were limited edition, often in conjunction with up and coming young artists, and were released in what today we call "drops", launch events at swatch stores where people queued for hours to get one.

The watch has been hugely popular ever since, selling over 100 million in itd first 10 years.

The goal of the ETA company was to produce a low-cost watch that was still Swiss Made. At the time the industry was under intense competition from very low-cost digital and quartz watches that flooded onto the world market in the 1970s from Japanese companies such as Seiko and Citizen . The Swiss watch industry struggled and consolidated. To get the price down they had to not just make something powered by a quartz electric movement, they had to be able to make it cheaply too. 

The answer was to make it out of plastic. This was radical at the time as Switzerland was a country famous for centuries of case making, but a plastic injection moulding machine was cutting edge and extremely expensive. The ETA company (now Swatch Group) bought one and it took them 15 months to make a prototype work.

They welded the case together and reduced the whole thing to 51 parts, far lower than any other watch made in Switzerland. The original design was all black with a black dial, but the most obvious way to stand out was to use different colours of plastics. This led to the explosion of designs that are the hallmark of the range.

Swatch remains an enormous watch brand, with a range of products across different price points. Over the last 40 years, they have added Chronographs, all metal versions, new movements, other interesting functions, and of course, numerous limited editions are on sale at any one time.

Most interestingly, they now have a service where you can design your own Swatch. Using the template of a see-through Swatch in two sizes, they provide different imagery for you to move around until you get exactly the design you want on your watch. They do collaborations and have both geometric and visual images to choose from. This is a fantastic way to get a unique watch at a reasonable cost. The images available change regularly, so it is worth checking every now and again to see if something catches your eye.

In 2022 Swatch did something truly radical in collaboration with their Sister brand in the Swatch Group, Omega. They created a Swatch-style Moonwatch. The Moonwatch is the name given to the Omega Speedmasters which have been to the moon, in particular the model that was first to be worn on the moon in 1969, the Reference 105.012. This year, Omega have contributed many design ideas that have been seen on various Omega Speedmaster Professional Moonwatches over the years, and Swatch contributed their expertise in making quartz movements and plastic cases. To make it even better, they made the cases out of Bioceramic, which is partly made of biological material to make it more environmentally friendly.

This watch is called the Moonswatch, and has succeeded in boosting the profile of Swatch and also the Omega Moonwatch. The watches are only sold in boutiques and have been sold out daily since launch. The range of colours and design details combined with the Moonwatch heritage has been very popular.

This collection is not limited in production and is expected to be sold for many years. It is likely Swatch look for more combinations with other brands to continue their long history of exciting and unusual designs.

There are plenty of Swatch collectors! Even people who love mechanical watches have often been tempted by an interesting and colourful Swatch. There are so many interesting designs, often very contemporary with the style and art of that year, that there are many collecting options, suiting everyone's taste. There are famous see-through versions, versions with artists who went on to become superstars, versions containing famous historic artworks or landmarks, and as mentioned above, now there are unique, customer-made versions. In 2015 a collection built up over 25 years sold for a total of $6mn USD in Hong Kong, and it contained 5800 watches, every one a Swatch.

A small search online reveals there are Swatch collectors out there with hundreds of models. This compares to the author's more modest 4, three of which he wears and one of which he keeps "box fresh" and unworn.

Swatch watches are affordable, varied and highly collectable. They're fun, easy to wear and attractive to all ages. We at The Watch Collectors' Club enjoy appreciating all kinds of watches, from the simplest and affordable models to the most complicated hand-crafted masterpieces. What matters is what suits your collection and your taste, and Swatch certainly has options for all. We look forward to seeing your Swatches at our events in future. You can find all the details on our events page and on our Social Media channels.

How did Swatch watches get made? What made Swatch so popular?

Swatch - the making of a Legend

How Swatch watches came to be and why they were so successful

At The Watch Collectors' Club we believe that anyone with more than one watch has a watch collection. This is because we find that as soon as someone buys one watch they really like, they swiftly find they are thinking about another one. This is the mark of someone who is starting a collection. We also want people to know that watch collecting is easy, it can be very simple. This Blog Post will talk about some of the simplest ways to start a collection.

A Collection is a group of objects that have been brought together with a deliberate purpose. So in the case of watches, there are many reasons you could have a few of them. For example, if you like to wear a watch all the time but have a different watch for different purposes, one to wear all day, one for the gym, one for a night out, and one for special occasions, then that is a collection based around your use for them. We wrote about what makes a watch collector earlier this year, and it goes through the different types of collector we've met. 

When I first started collecting watches, I started browsing eBay. I wanted a low-cost vintage watch that was different to what I'd been wearing before. I didn't know much about watches at all, but knew I wanted something a bit different and saw buying a vintage watch as the most affordable way to buy a top Swiss brand. I chose a Jaeger LeCoultre, one of the most famous historic brands.

When it arrived I was delighted with it, despite the somewhat battered dial. It was light, kept good time, and looked really different to anything I'd seen anyone else wearing. 

I immediately wanted another one! I started searching for more vintage watches from Jaeger LeCoultre in my price range. Most of what came up were simple, time-only pieces from the 1950s and 1960s. Their small size and simple design really appealed to me. I soon bid on another, this time in all gold. I won the bid and again, was delighted when the watch arrived.

I started researching a lot more about Jaeger LeCoultre, and before long I had discovered the famous Reverso, the world's first sports watch, and the intriguing series of military watches Jaeger produced in the 1930s, 40s and 50s. I also grew to respect their heritage, history and important position in the Swiss watch industry. This all combined to make me more of a fan of the brand, and be proud to try and build a collection of Jaeger LeCoultre watches.

My story is the same story many watch collectors have. They like a type of watch and they collect similar. In my case it was following a brand, but in other cases, it can be a type of watch, like Dive or Pilot's watches, a style of watch like gold or bronze cases, a model of watch like the Seiko Day-Date models, or even something rare like watches with left-sided crowns (the part you use to wind the watch).

We recommend buying what you like, and doing the research as your interest grows. We at The Watch Collectors' Club are always happy to help you with your watch research, find out more details about the watches you have or like, and can point you to good online resources. We encourage people to look at vintage watches as they are often very good value. We encourage the exploration of microbrand watches as they are so interesting and can offer incredible value. We especially love any collection that is the result of passion and enthusiasm, and the great thing about our watch Meetups is we are finding people full of both, whether they have one watch or hundreds. 

We don't care if your collection is broad or niche. Whether is specialised and expert or simply what you like most. All of them are interesting watch collections, and all of them are easy to get started, and once you've started, you'll probably keep going!

Getting started really is as easy as buying something on purpose, and seeing how you feel about it and whether to continue down that route. As I learned more about watches my interests changed, and after buying the Jaeger LeCoultre Dirty Dozen Watch (featured above), I started to buy other watches. Firstly from Breitling, another brand that had always interested me, and then from other brands too. I now have a wide-ranging collection that includes watches I would never have dreamt of owning when I started. You can start anywhere, and we encourage you to simply go for it. Buy carefully of course, and you can use the How To guides from our Blog. Most importantly, don't be afraid of your own taste. 

Don't be afraid to ask us for help if you need it, and we at The Watch Collectors' Club would love to hear all about your collection. Please sign up for our email list, and you can join one of our watch events either online or in-person, and follow us on social media. 

How do you start a watch collection? What's the best way to collect watches?

How to Start a Watch Collection

We explain how starting a small watch collectioncan be very easy

To celebrate the 60th Anniversary of James Bond first appearing on our screens, Christie's Auction house in London are selling some high value memorabilia from the most recent film, No Time to Die. We will go and see this memorabilia as the two watches worn by Daniel Craig (playing James Bond) are for sale. We will hopefully be able to try them on and you can even leave a bid! 

Following our visit to the Auction House we will walk up to the Watches of Switzerland Store on Regent's Street to look at more watches and possibly even have a Martini; shaken, not stirred of course! 

Please sign up to let us know you are coming, and then we will meet outside the main entrance of Christie's at 2:00PM.

A visit to Christie's to see the Bond watch worn in No Time to Die

Join us to see and even try on the watches worn by James Bond in No Time to Die

Watch Collectors'Club trip to the James Bond Auction

Join The Watch Collectors' Club at Bremont Birmingham on Thursday 22nd September from 5PM for an evening exploring the fantastic Supermarine range. We'll be looking at the history of this range, the features, and the associated benefits of buying a Tool Watch like this. You'll get to hear all about how it came about, the main functions, plus tips on when and when you can wear it. The Boutique will provide their usual excellent hospitality, and there'll be loads of watches for us all to try on!

A joint watch Event at the Bremont Birmingham Bullring Store

Watch Event at Bremont Birmingham, Bremont Collectors Event

The Watch Collectors' Club and Bremont Birmingham

The Watch Collectors' Club at Bremont Birmingham

The Watch Collectors' Club are delighted to welcome Richard Benq, the founder and CEO of Studio Underd0g, one of the hottest new microbrands to come onto the watch scene in the last two years. We will introduce the range of Bicompax colourful Chronographs that have been causing excitement across the watch world, we will hear Richard's story of how he turned a lockdown project into a full time job, and we'll hear all about his design inspirations.

You'll be welcome to join in, ask questions and let him and us know what you think of this amazing range of watches. It's free, on Zoom and you can sign up right here.

We talk about their fantastic range of colourful watches with the founder of Studio Underd0g

Have your questions answered with Studio Underd0g Founder Richard Benc

Virtual Event with Studio Underd0g

Virtual Event with Richard from Studio Underd0g

Hamish Robertson

Sports watches are watches that are sporty looking, robust, reliable and waterproof. It is by far the largest category of watches made today. Our event this week showed that as more and more watches are designed and invented, including digital and smartwatches, how people think about sports watches is changing. This Blog Post will guide you through where they came from, what they are now, and where to look for more examples.

There are a few ways to think about this. A sports watch can be: 

    A mechanical watch that suits sporty looks and sporting activities

    A smartwatch that precisely measures and tracks your sport

    A digital watch that can time your activity or measure other important timing functions

    A vintage watch designed to be worn while wearing sporty clothing, but not designed to be used while playing sports

At first glance, this may seem too much to all be called one category of watches, but there are common features across them all. Crucially, you can use these features to find a really great watch, even if you don't want all the tools it comes with.

It is now possible to get smartwatches designed explicitly for a certain sport, such as golf, or multifunction watches that contain the potential to track hundreds of activities. All-purpose smartwatches like the Apple watch series have apps you download that are very precisely tailored to specific activities. Some digital watches now have specialised functions for hobbies or sports, such as the tide timers found on Casio G-Shock, the many digital dive computer watches, and digital or hybrid watches for pilots.

Since the invention of the world's first sports watch, the Jaeger LeCoultre Reverso, watch companies have tried to make watches suitable for more active lifestyles. In the early 20th century this was primarily a problem of waterproofing, solved by Rolex and peers in the late 1920s with the Rolex Oyster, and then it was a problem of shock absorption, which has been solved many times in many different ways.

In the second half of the 20th century, sports watches were developed primarily for diving, and we also saw many watches inspired by motor racing and watches made for mountaineering or polar exploration.

The features developed for these purposes led us directly to the watches we see today. They all have certain features that have proven very popular for watch buyers, whether or not they actually will go diving, climb a mountain, or race a car.

Very simply, a sports watch needs to be robust and hard to damage, often leading to a thick and sturdy case. It needs to be waterproof and it needs to be easy to use, with a clear dial and functions.

When we look across the most hyped watches in the world right now, such as the Patek Philippe Nautilus or the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, we see all these features are present. However, there are so many interesting brands out there that you should take the time to look for interesting sports watches that you haven't seen before.

Last summer we looked at a whole series of watch Microbrands, and many of these got started by making a Dive watch or Pilots watch. Similarly, many highly technical brands create tough but easy-to-use watches for people who want to do outdoor activities. These brands, like Luminox or Squale from Switzerland, or Christopher Ward in the UK, provide interesting mid-range sports watches.

The Watch Collectors' Club is here to help you explore the watch world. Our watch events focus on different kinds of watches and help you share your watch stories. We create educational content to help you learn more about how things in the watch world work, and we are always happy to answer any questions you may have. If you like what we do, please tell anyone else you think will enjoy it, and make sure you follow us on social media.

What watches are sports watches? What makes a sports watch?

What is a Sports Watch?

We consider sports watches of all types.

You might see the term automatic watch and wonder what it means. It is very simple. An automatic watch is a mechanical watch that winds itself. All watches are electrically powered or mechanical. Those which are electrically powered are either digital watches or are powered using a quartz-based timing mechanism. They might have moving parts, such as hands and other functions like stopwatches, but their power ultimately comes from a battery. Automatic watches are a type of mechanical watch.

Mechanical watches have no batteries, they have to store all of their power in a spring called the Mainspring. As it unwinds, the power from the spring powers the watch functions. This spring has to be wound up either by hand, by turning the crown on the side of the watch or can be wound up through the movement of something else. In almost all watches this is done by a part called a Rotor, and the rotation of the Rotor winds up the mainspring. The rotor is designed to move either in both directions or back and forth between two points. Most rotors spin in both directions and charge the mainspring only when moving in one direction. They move thanks to the movement of the wrist.

If the watch is designed well and worn daily, then the watch will retain power almost indefinitely, as the action of wearing the watch all day will see it retain power to keep time through the night. 

The amount of power a mechanical watch contains is called the power reserve, and you will often see this described in the unit of hours. A 48-hour power reserve means that when the mainspring is fully wound the watch should not stop for 2 full days. 

What are the benefits of an automatic watch? 

The largest benefit is that you don't have to wind it up very often if you wear it regularly. You should remember to wind it up fully if it does stop. The automatic mechanism is meant to "top up" the power not generate all the power needed to wind the mainspring fully. 

There is no battery that needs replacing, however, the watch does need servicing and should be serviced at least every five years.

Many automatic watches today have a see-though case back allowing you to see the rotor. This allows manufacturers to have playful designs and very attractive rotor mechanisms related to their brand. Many people enjoy this design feature of automatic watches. 

We hope that this short article helps you understand what an automatic watch is. The Watch Collectors' Club exists to help you learn more about watches, from the basics to the finest complications. We run regular watch events where people share their knowledge and stories, and you can find more details on our website. Please follow us on Social Media for all future details.

How does an automatic watch work? explain an automatic watch

What is an Automatic Watch?

We explain exactly what an automatic watch is.

What is an Automatic Watch? - in Under 500 words.                                    

There are many millions of watches out there that do only one thing. Tell the time. They have no date, no fancy features, they just tell the time. Their job is to do that reliably, accurately and safely. We call these time only watches.

Achieving this took a surprisingly large amount of innovation in the watch industry during the move from pocket watches to wristwatches in the early decades of the 20th century. It was not simply about making everything smaller; putting a mechanical device on the wrist exposed it to far more movement, dust, and water risk than when the watch was kept in a pocket. This meant that technology had to improve at a rapid pace and it hasn't stopped since. Accuracy and reliability in watchmaking remain the goal whether the watch costs $10 or $1 Million.

It is possible today to buy a reliable digital watch for only $10, and a reliable mechanical watch for around $40. You can also pay millions of dollars for a handmade watch that also only tells the time. Two of the most popular watches in the world, the Rolex Oyster Perpetual and the Patek Philippe Calatrava only tell the time and have long waiting lists. So how do high-end watchmakers sell their time-only watches for thousands of pounds, and why are some of them so famous?

Why are some time only watches so expensive?

The story of making watches more reliable and accurate is ongoing. Some big watch companies design and make their own mechanisms, so-called in-house movements, aiming to bring out new and improved mechanisms every decade or so. Some do it with great fanfare, such as Rolex, others do it more quietly, but the quest to make watches better continues. These brands see technological development as a core part of their offer to customers.

Continued innovation in high-end watchmaking leads to higher accuracy and reliability, and most notably in recent years, a much longer service interval. Watch companies used to recommend a mechanical watch be serviced every 2 or 3 years, but now regularly offer 5 or 7 years guarantees on a movement and expect no service need until then. This is a massive benefit to the wearer and has come about thanks to huge amounts of research and development. These improvements cost money.

The watch world is still dominated by brands made in Switzerland and Japan. Both of these companies have a very high cost of living, and thus the employees of watch manufacturers and their suppliers based in these companies are very well paid by global standards. Similarly, the costs to manufacture are much higher than in other parts of the world. For customers who want their watch to be Swiss or Japanese-made, they have to pay these higher costs.

Finally, some watch companies hand adjust and hand finish their movements. This is incredibly labour intensive, and this labour is expensive, wherever it is done. The more hand-crafted a watch is, the more expensive it will be. 

Why are some mechanical watches so cheap?

There is a very simple answer to this: Asian Manufacturing. The excellent progress of simplifying movement design made by the Japanese over the course of the 20th century was then added to the sheer scale and quality of Chinese high-volume manufacturing. Citizen Watch Group make many of their low-end movements in China, and Seiko make many of theirs in Malaysia, but using Chinese-made parts. 

This enables simple movements, including time only movements, to be made at very very low cost as they make tens of millions of them. The same is true of quartz and digital watches.

However, these movements are not particularly accurate, and can often break. They are accurate to around 45 seconds variance per day, which over a week can lead your watch to be 5 or more minutes out. When they do break it is often not worth the cost of a service to fix them, they are usually replaced entirely by the watchmaker.

The good news is that the availability of these movements, plus ones made by Chinese manufacturers, has enabled the creation of a huge number of new Microbrands, allowing enthusiasts and entrepreneurs to start their own watch brands for very small amounts of money. We wrote a whole series of articles on Microbrands last year, and we love seeing what new ideas people dream up. Low cost movements allow this, without taking anything away from the higher-priced movements sold by other watch brands.

In 1927 Rolex introduced the first wristwatch to be a proper "hit". The Rolex Oyster was the first waterproof watch to hit the big time, with the Rolex brand and watch name marketed widely, something still unusual for watches at the time. They even put the watch in fish tanks in jewellery store windows to prove its claims! In 1932 Rolex added the Perpetual automatic, or self-winding movement, and this watch was even more successful. The watch has been so successful they still sell it today, 95 years later. The current version is powered by the Rolex Reference 3230 movement, which is the culmination of a century of improvements, with the latest version having no fewer than 91% new parts compared to the previous one when it was introduced this year.

The Patek Philippe Calatrava is the simplest watch in the Patek range, and for a firm most famous for complicated timepieces with many functions, it is still a very popular watch. Its simple design was influenced by the German Bauhaus design movement in the early 20th century. In 1952 it was given a revolutionary new automatic movement, and it has featured one ever since. The relaunch of the watch in the 1980s saw it given the name Calatrava, which it has retained ever since. Remarkably, this name is now so iconic that some people are referring to time-only watches from other brands as "Calatravas", despite it being a Patek Philippe brand name.

There are many more iconic time-only watches from the great Swiss and Japanese brands, such as the Jaeger LeCoultre Reverso, and the Credor range made by Grand Seiko. They are often priced as true luxury watches, even if they don't have the most complex functions or movements, they are well regarded by collectors and very reliable for their owners.

The fact that time-only watches are the most numerous available means there are many very reasonably priced vintage watches available. This is often a great place to start if you like a watch brand but cannot afford its current range. You can buy incredibly high-quality watches for relatively little money, so long as you are very careful. See our guide to buying vintage watches for more details about how to get started.

There are so many watches in the world with interesting functions, fancy complications and crazy designs that it is easy to overlook the fantastic range of time-only watches on the market, from the youngest Microbrand to the most prestigious high-end Independent watchmaker. They are also the most accessible way to buy the big brands, whatever the price point. We at The Watch Collectors' Club don't have a favourite time-only watch but we see many in our members' collections. We hope you will join us to explore this part of the watch world. Please follow us on social media and make sure you are on our mailing list so you don't miss out on any of our events.

Why are some time-olny watches so expensive?

Exploring Time-only Watches

We explore the range of watches that simply tell the time.

Why are some time-only watches so expensive?

We're already half way through 2022 and it's been a great year so far building momentum for The Watch Collectors' Club! We've held 12 Events, with more planned this Sunday (details here) and in July. Last Tuesday we had our general Meetup in London, and it was a fantastic success, with a great mix of watches and people from different backgrounds. When watch lovers come together it's really easy to have a good time, and we keep proving it! 

It's the biggest brand in the world and there are a lot of them, but it's always lovely to see some Rolexes. No fewer than 8 were brought along on Tuesday! There were both new and vintage models, and it was especially nice to see the two Explorer models side by side. There are definitely two of the more subtle watches in the Rolex range. With their distinctive dials and tough construction, they are great daily wearers.

On the vintage side, there were some fascinating Elgin Drivers watches, which have hinged lugs to allow you to wear it on the side of the wrist while your hands remain on the wheel. I'd never seen or heard of these before, and they are a great example of the idea that you'll almost always learn something new at a meetup. It's one of the most fun things about them.

Finally, we had a nice range of High Quality Swiss and Japanese timepieces, some rarer than others, but all remarkable to see in person! Let's hope future meetups are as blessed. If you have something you're proud of and would like to share, please do come along.

Our audience and following continue to grow, and we will hold at least one online and in-person event every month from now on. If you have any event ideas you'd like to see us create, please let us know. In the meantime keep an eye out for our event promotion on our events page. 

We are building our educational resources and hope to launch our Club Membership towards the end of the year. If there's anything you think we should cover then do let us know! What do you most want to learn about? 

We are currently hiring interns, so if you want to intern with us or know anyone who likes watches and might jump at the chance to intern for a startup (paid, of course!), please send them our way.

As part of our ongoing development, we have changed our website domain and will change our email address after this week. So please update your safe senders, as all future Blog Posts and event communications will come from: join@thewatchcollectorsclub.com

Thanks for following us and please do give us any feedback about what you'd like to see us cover, any event ideas you have, and if you like what we're doing, tell anyone else you know who likes watches. The bigger this community, the more events we can run, and the more fun we will have.

June Meetup HIghlights and Watch Collectors Club Plans for the summer

A selection of fantastic watches from our Meetup earlier this week.

The Omega Speedmaster is one of the most famous watches in the world. Since its launch in 1957, there have been many changes, improvements, case shapes, and limited editions, and the watch that was the first to land on the moon is rightly famous and popular. The one that preceded the Moonwatch is also huge in terms of popularity and importance; this watch is referred to as the "Ed White". A simple classic design, and a famous movement, or mechanism, the Calibre 321, led to great popularity among collectors. This Blog Post will explain what is so special about it and why you might want one.

The fact that the Omega Speedmaster qualified to become the official watch issued to astronauts at NASA, the US Space Agency, is well known. The toughness of the tests it had to pass is not.

They were crazily difficult and the competing watches from Rolex and Longines-Wittnauer failed at least one of them. The tests included high temperatures of 93 Degrees Celsius (200 Fahrenheit), a temperature fluctuation in a pure vacuum test to mimic space, and very aggressive acceleration, decompression and vibration tests. That any watch survived them is remarkable, but the Speedmaster came through them ticking. This model, the Reference 105.003, entered the history books and is now known as the "Ed White".

How did an Omega Speedmaster become the Moonwatch?

On March 1st 1965, the watch became the official Flight Qualified watch for all Manned Space Missions and therefore NASA ordered watches directly from Omega to give to astronauts during training for their missions. Previously, astronauts had supplied their own watches.

Ed White was an early member of the NASA Astronaut program in the 1960s.  He is remembered for being the first American to "walk" in space. This means he undertook activities outside the small spacecraft in which he was orbiting the Earth. Most excitingly of all, he used a small gas-powered gun to move through space away from the vehicle, and he timed this movement using an Omega Speedmaster strapped to the outside of his spacesuit. In fact, he wore two Speedmasters on that trip, a journey known as the Gemini IV mission. 

As the first mission after the Speedmaster had passed the NASA tests and become the official watch for astronauts (which it remains to this day), it was very successful and proved that Omega had chosen correctly. The Spacewalk was 23 minutes long and proved the equipment was good enough to survive the tough environment of space. This test directly led to the momentum for the Moon landings four years later.

A tragedy cemented Ed White's legacy as a pioneering astronaut. While conducting a test for the Apollo 1 launch an accident on the launch pad saw the crew cabin containing three astronauts burst into flames. All the men died quickly, and the Speedmaster Ed White was wearing then was destroyed. His son inherited the other, and today it survives in a watch collection in Japan. The Speedmaster worn by the other astronaut on the Gemini IV mission, James McDivitt, is now held in the collection of the Smithsonian Museum in Washington D.C.

The original Ed White is called the Speedmaster Reference 105.003 and is one of the most collectable Omega watches. There are plenty of them available as they were made in great numbers to celebrate the certification by NASA. There are many good and bad examples, so it is important to be careful if looking to buy a vintage watch. The most useful reference website for all Speedmasters of this period is the Speedmaster 101 website.  

In 2019, to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Moon landing, Omega recreated the famous Calibre 321 movement by exactly copying one from an Ed White belonging to another astronaut, Gene Cernan. He flew with this watch on the final Apollo mission, Apollo 17 in  1971. The following year they released a brand new version of the Ed White model, which is an exact copy but made to modern standards. You get the 321 Calibre but made of modern materials, such as the Sedna gold coated base plates. It has modern lubricants and also the case is now 50m waterproof with a Sapphire case back. This has proven an exceptionally popular offering from Omega and is a great premium Speedmaster for those looking for something new.

The Watch Collectors' Club believes exploring the history of Speedmaster watches is worthwhile precisely because there are so many of them, and their involvement with NASA's various space programs means there are many fascinating stories. Understanding the differences in the details can be a lot of fun. The Ed White remains one of the most popular amongst collectors, and we hope we've explained why that is. For more content like this to help you learn more about the watch world, join our monthly watch events and make sure you follow us on Social Media.

What is the Ed White watch? What's the Speedy Ed White? Who was Ed White?

The story of the Speedmaster "Ed White"

Exploring the origins of this classy vintage and modern Speedmaster

The name Abraham-Louis Breguet is one of the most important in the history of watch-making, and his innovations are still found in the watches we wear today. Many of the features we take for granted all came from this one workshop over a period of around 50 years between 1775 and 1820. His success in selling to Royal Families across Europe created a trend for complicated watchmaking as a status symbol that continues to this day.  

A company named after him still exists to sell fine watches, focused on some of his inventions and modernising his style. Read on to learn more about the master of watchmaking and France's greatest ever inventor, commonly known as Louis Breguet.

While the history of watchmaking is mostly a long series of continual improvements, rarely does one man invent so many different things as Louis Breguet. He was a true innovator, continuing to look to solve problems experienced by watch owners of the time. His focus on practicality and usefulness was different to other expensive watches of the day, which often had decoration, jewels, or impractical case materials such as porcelain or gold. 

He not only invented various mechanisms we find in many watches today, such as a device that automatically winds the watch using movement, but he was also highly influential in watch dial design and innovative materials.

Breguet watches were easy to read. His design ideas for dials, hands, and numerals or numbers, led to features that have been in use ever since. His watch dials were made from metal or porcelain, and were very simple. He used a process called engine turning to create the effects that show the watch functions so well. Dials made like this are less reflective even when made of gold and easier to read. His design for a power reserve, a function that tells you when you next need to wind up the watch, is a classic wedge shape that has been replicated on watches ever since.

He invented a new font for numbers, and they are now known as Breguet numerals. He invented a hand design that made it easy to precisely see what minute it was on a watch with only one hand. These are called Breguet hands by everyone who uses them and they can be found on the current Breguet company's watches.

Breguet designed watches and his workshop of craftsmen made them. They used stock parts made in Switzerland and added the complications, or functions, in the Paris workshop. This allowed for many complications such as calendar features showing the date or day of the week, moonphases, and sounding mechanisms such as the minute repeater. Making these functions reliable and beautiful made Breguet the must-have watch for the rich and famous across Europe. 

The company did not just make watches for the rich. The workshop came up with a clever way of making very high-quality watches for middle-class customers, albeit at a high price. This watch was called the Breguet Souscription. In modern English, it means Subscription, as the watch was paid for with a deposit of a quarter of the price in advance. To keep costs down, the company made them very simply and made them in batches. Both of these ideas were unusual at the time. There is one hand, which is quite long and has a signature "Breguet circle" halfway along to help you see it quickly, which points to a fine track that allows time telling pretty close to the minute. 

In a 50 year career, the number of technical improvements Breguet invented is too many to list, so we will consider three here:

Overcoil Balance Spring: The beating heart of a watch is called the Balance, and this contains a spring. This spring needs to be very reliable in its "springiness" so that the time-keeping is reliable. Making the final "coil" of the spring slightly higher and a different shape from the rest of it allows the main body of the spring to keep its shape more consistently over time. You can see in the picture below the higher final coil going over the rest of the spring, hence the name overcoil. Breguet discovered this and it has been widely used in Balance and Mainsprings ever since.

Tourbillon: A Tourbillon is a very clever device that serves to offset the impact of a pocket watch always being kept vertically in a pocket. It rotates the entire escapement, which is the time-keeping part of the watch mechanism. This means that gravity acts on the spring evenly over time, regardless of the watch's position. today, this complication is unnecessary given improvements to the regulation of other parts of the movement, but when it was invented it was very helpful to keep the watch accurate. The name Tourbillon is French for Whirlwind, as the whole thing looks like a blur of motion when it is moving. 

Self-Winding System: Breguet did not invent the self-winding watch but did make the first reliable mechanism, as he improved on an invention by the great Swiss watchmaker Perrelet. This used an oscillating weight to tick back and forth winding up the mainspring that powers the watch while the user walked around. A variety of this still powers most of the automatic watches we use today.

At this time top watchmakers were very well known across elite society in the country they lived in. Breguet was more than this. He not only survived the entire French Revolution and restoration of the monarchy, he managed to sell watches to everyone involved, including a large number to Napoleon's family. He was made Master Chronometer to the French Navy and even sold watches through a branch in Russia. His workshop sold over 6,000 watches while he was alive, and his son sold at least another 7,000. Breguet was the first true genius of both watch design and watch marketing. 

The next time the industry saw anything like this was the foundation of Patek Philippe in the mid 19th century and their immediate success and sales to the British Royal family following the Great Exhibition of 1851.

It is widely known that the very first record of a wristwatch comes from Breguet's workshop, although sadly the watch itself was lost long ago. The workshop records contain an order and manufacturing process details for a watch to be worn on a bracelet ordered in 1810 for Caroline Bonaparte, Queen of Naples. It is sadly not known what happened to this watch. It is also not understood why this was the only order of its type!

The company Breguet today was resurrected in the 1990s. It is owned by the Swatch Group and is one of the top Haute Horologie manufacturers in the world. Their watches today are based on the fine craftsmanship of Breguet's original workshop, and their technology focus is extremely interesting, creating complications and mechanisms that are at the very top of watch industry engineering. As a result, Breguet watches can be very expensive but are always worth looking into thanks to their fine detailing and incredible craftsmanship.

Abraham-Louis Breguet founded an incredibly productive and important watch workshop. There are so many innovations and inventions to explore that we could write many future Blog Posts on this issue! The Watch Collectors' Club is here to help you explore all areas of the watch world, including the most famous figures of the past. If you like this kind of thing please look out for our events to discuss all this and more with other enthusiasts and collectors. 

Abraham Louis Breguet Innovative watchmaker and inventor. Who was Louis Breguet?

Was Abraham-Louis Breguet the most innovative Watchmaker of all?

A Short Introduction to Louis Breguet

We at The Watch Collectors' Club are bringing a new kind of watch event to the world. We want to make it easier than ever to learn more about watches. We want to help you explore the watch world and learn more about the watches you are interested in. You might then ask yourself, what makes it a Club? What is a Watch Club? Are there any watch clubs near me already? What do people do at a Watch Club? This week, we will answer all these questions and more.

A Watch Club is an organisation where people come together to talk about watches and share their interest in them. Most of them are small and based in a town or city so that members can meet regularly. Some have grown to have large and diverse memberships, such as the Redbar Crew, or Time4aPint in London. Since most of these organisations are amateur run and focused on socialising, they do not market themselves (other than on Instagram: @redbarcrew @time4apint) and are not that easy to find. I only heard about them by word of mouth after I moved to London. 

A Club by definition hosts events regularly. They want to become a place people can rely on, and see the same faces at regular events. This is so that people can become comfortable with the event format, know the locations, and of course, start to make friends. The more comfortable people are the more fun they will have and the more they will want to come back. This is why Clubs are successful across so many aspects of life. It is exactly the same for Watch Clubs.

It is NOT a watch buying club. In recent years, some businesses have been established that take a subscription and send a monthly watch in the post in return. We do not think this merits the name Club, as it doesn't have any of the benefits of a normal Club. It is simply a different method of selling watches. Unfortunately, these businesses often have a poor reputation, as after a good start they struggle to maintain the same quality or consistency of watch delivery, and customers get very unhappy. In our opinion, they are best avoided and are not something that should be thought of as Watch Clubs.

They are also different to watch fairs and shows. These are held regularly so that people can buy new watches or trade second hand or vintage watches. They are good fun and a great place to see an amazing range of watches, but they are not about talking and learning, they are more about learning and buying. We often have a great time at watch events, and The Watch Collectors' Club has already given talks and taken members along, however they are not Clubs themselves, they are primarily about buying or selling watches.

We believe a Watch Club should be similar to other kinds of club, for example, sports clubs or hobby clubs like Chess Clubs. It should be a place where people come to discuss and share their passion for that topic, thing or activity. They should come together in-person and meet people interested in the same area. The beauty of watches is that they are small, easily transportable and easy to examine. Online, there are so many great pictures available or it's relatively easy to take your own watch pics.

In the case of watches, this means people bring along some of their own watches to a Meetup or Get-together organised by the Club. Over the course of the evening or event, they can see a whole range of watches and hear people's stories all about them. At online events, participants will probably listen to a short presentation on a topic and discuss that, or they can discuss recent industry news and new releases while looking at pictures of the watches they are talking about.

These sound very simple, and maybe you are thinking they wouldn't be worth the bother of going to. I can assure you however that they can be so much more interesting and fun than you imagine. If you are interested in watches then hearing someone else's passion for them will only inspire you. If you've always wondered why something is the way it is in the industry, or about a particular watch, these are the perfect places to get questions answered, however silly they seem. People are often delighted to tell you how they bought a certain piece, how they found it, and most of all, what a watch means to them. I have had more surprises and heard more entertaining stories at watch events than at almost any other type of event. It's why I'm building a Club to hold more of them.

They are also an awesome place to get your questions answered. You could spend a lot of time reading Blog Posts like ours, and hoping Google is delivering you useful answers to your queries, but when you want to learn about things like buying watches online, researching a vintage watch, or learning more about a certain brand, asking people with experience is often much more interesting. This is equally true at online and in-person events.

Unfortunately there just aren't that many watch clubs around the world. While RedBar has done a great job of establishing groups in different countries, the UK has 7 different "chapters" for example, progress has been slow as it requires people to volunteer to organise and promote the events. There have been some events organised by popular Watch Youtubers, and there are fairs and shows for the buying and selling of watches. 

The Watch Collectors' Club wants to change this. We want to become a global Club that arranges online events on a regular basis that anyone can attend, and then as many in-person events as there is demand for, wherever they might be. We are starting in London since that's where we live, and are the third watch club in London right now by our terms. In future, we hope to have events all over the UK, and then all over the world.

If you're interested in joining us, then please try one of our events. We hold at least one in-person and online event per month, every month. We recommend you join one of our online events to find out how easy it is to have fun talking about watches from the comfort of your own home. If you are close to London, then please come along to one of our Events, either our general meetups where we share our own watch stories, or a partner event where we may have some interesting new watches to look at.

We explore what happens with a watch Club, and mention some established places to go.

Many people love watches but don't think they are a watch collector. They think there are rules, standards, or levels that must be reached to become one. They think that it requires some knowledge they don't have, certain watches they can't get, or some other requirements set by a mysterious "they". None of this is true. The world is full of watch collectors quietly going about their business and enjoying their passion for watches without a single thought about whether they "qualify". This Blog Post will explore what we think makes a collector, and tell you about some of the Collectors we've met as we've been building The Watch Collectors' Club.

Who is a Watch Collector? What makes a Watch Collector?

We at The Watch Collectors' Club say that anyone with more than one watch is a collector. Many immediately disagree, so let's explain. Collecting is about choosing, it's about assembling a deliberate set of items using your own choice. It doesn't matter how many items that is. If you have one watch for the office, one for the gym, and one for special occasions, that's a collection. You've carefully assembled it for different uses. It suits you, it could have more for other occasions, and maybe you get a new one for one of those purposes every now and again, e.g. a new fitness watch, but broadly, it's a set of watches that is very practical. 

This reasoning does not take anything away from it being a collection. It is the most natural type of collection in the watch world, and anyone who takes an increased interest in watches finds it very easy to add to. Celebrating something special? Get another watch for the occasion. See something you like that will work on an everyday basis? Add to your day-to-day watch and hey, you now have two to choose from each morning. Like something fun, robust and unbreakable? You can now wear something different to the gym or when doing some DIY or Home improvement.

It also does not take anything away from anyone else with a larger or more specialised collection. One person's collecting habit is entirely exclusive to another's. There are no rules. Everyone has different tastes, and everyone can be a collector.

Once you get past the most natural form of collecting, for use, there are a few more common reasons people collect. The first is because they like the brand. Some of you will feel this is superficial, or for status, or because people like showing off. In fact, it is much more complicated than that. Some people do collect a certain brand because of the status they attribute to them, especially Swiss luxury brands like Rolex or Patek Philippe, and that's OK. If that's important to them, great! It doesn't take anything away from people who collect for other reasons. 

Many people collect brands simply because they love what the brand does. Consistent design language and high-quality finishing? People love that. Long history of dive watches and incremental improvements to the characteristic Bezel? People love that. Expertise in case materials and colour? People love that. Low price points and endless variations? People love that. These are aspects of the brands Rolex, Omega, Rado and Swatch, four Swiss brands that have many dedicated collectors around the world.

Some people love to collect a certain type of watch.  We've covered Dive Watches, Pilots Watches, Motor Racing related watches, Dress Watches and many more here on our Blog, and there is no denying that some people just fall head over heels for one of these categories. While each category is clearly quite different, there are a huge range of companies making watches across these types. There are both old, established companies like Omega, the large conglomerates and of course Microbrands making fantastic watches in all these categories. Including vintage, the choices for a collector can be as wide or as broad as they like. There are also many many niches to fall down that are even more specific, such as Military Watches, Field Watches, or watches with interesting and rare complications, like these two:

My favourite reason to collect watches is the reason I collect them. I buy the watches I love. I have a broad collection and it has a few themes, but I'm not that focused on it. It's led to a wonderful adventure building The Watch Collectors' Club, but I don't spend much time on the collection itself. 

If you like watches and start buying them, you'll often find yourself buying more. This is a collection that develops purely from passion. As you explore, you learn a bit more, see watches you didn't know existed, and add to your collection. Again, this is a very simple way of collecting, and it's a great one. It doesn't matter that this is very simple, just that you like them.

The question of how focussed a collector or collection may be is always hard to answer. Is it focused to collect one brand? One type? One style of watch? We've met people who do all of this, and we've met some people who take it even further. In only the last six months, I've met someone with a collection of Royal Navy Diving Watches that were issued to service members in the UK. And no other watches! A very very focused selection of watches, even within the Military Watch area, and the passion and enthusiasm that Collector displayed were astonishing. Another guy came along to one of our Meetups who has over 500 examples from one brand of one type of watch from only the 1950s, 60s and 70s. Here's one of his: 

Another set of collectors seem to enjoy small areas of the watch world for a few years and then move on. This is surprisingly common. Right now I know a few people obsessed with rare mechanical Seiko watches from the 1970s. They are delighted with dial details, serial numbers, and movements. They are taking a very deep dive into a small part of the watch world where the watches cost minimal amounts of money. It is all about the joy of discovery, comparison, and sharing that passion with the (small) number of people interested in the same area. 

These guys have ranged around the world of watches over years, with their intense focus falling on different watches as their passions move. They buy and sell watches to facilitate this ever-changing focus. They are not stuck in a certain area, they don't care what others think of their collections and they know what they enjoy most - the hunt for pieces they are focussed on.

One of the world's most famous collectors, widely interviewed and very active on Instagram, collects fancy watches from famous makers, but all with interesting and unusual case shapes. He also collects round watches with so-called double-signed dials, where the dial has both the watch brand and the name of the jeweller it was sold at printed visibly. With these two areas of focus, he's built a staggeringly beautiful and varied collection. He has travelled the world to make purchases and meet other collectors of similar models. He is kind, helpful to others, and comes across very well as a pillar of the online watch community. You can read about Roni Madhavani and his collection here, or watch and learn about the pieces here. 

He is an example of how some of the most famous collectors in the watch world are very focused. Some, but by no means all. For one of our events this May, we are visiting a superb collection showing the highlights of an enthusiastic rich collector from Singapore. It has ten different sections, and that's just the highlights! It's in London at The Design Museum and you can come along with us. Find all the details on our Events page.

The final type of collector we want to highlight today are the enthusiasts who want to support upcoming brands and new watch ideas. They collect the first watches that launch on Kickstarter, or that they hear about on forums or Instagram. If the new watch brand does well and adds more models with more launches they may support them by buying every one that comes out. This happens regularly in the world of Microbrands where product launches may be a few hundred dollars, and also happens at the very high end of Haute Horologie, when master watchmakers leave a big brand workshop to start under their own name. A group of dedicated collectors take great pleasure in helping new entrants get going by committing to their first creations.

We believe that two watches make a collection and people with two watches usually end up with more. We also believe that the watch world is nothing without its collectors, whatever they are into and whatever area they focus on. The sheer variety and number of watch collectors we've come across in only a few years shows us that there is so much more to share and learn about the watch world. Anyone can be a collector, call themselves a collector, and embrace their passion.

The Watch Collectors' Club is here to help you enjoy and explore the watch world. Whether you have a passing interest, are starting a collecting journey, or have been collecting for years, we want you to join us to share your watch stories. Our in-person and virtual events are the perfect place to come and share your interests, however focused. You'll also have the chance to hear why people own the watches they like, and since everyone's taste is so different, you never know what is going to show up. Collecting is a deeply personal endeavour but is much more fun when shared. Find our events page here, and if you know of anyone with an interest in watches, please let them know where to find us.

How many watches are in a watch collection? What makes a watch collector?

The Most Difficult Decade

Swatch - The making of an Icon

How To Start a Watch Collection

What is a Sports Watch?

What is an Automatic Watch? - in Under 500 words.

Why are some time-only watches so expensive?

June Meetup Highlights and Club Plans

The Story of the Speedmaster "Ed White"

Was Abraham-Louis Breguet the most innovative Watchmaker of all?

What is a Watch Club?

What makes a Watch Collector?

How to Buy a Dress Watch

Willy Breitling and Inventing the Modern Chronograph

The Rolex Explorer Everest Controversy

What is a Tool Watch?

What happens at a Watch Meetup?

Introducing The Rolex Daytona

How to Research a Vintage Watch

My Watch Collecting Journey - a hobby that's become a business

January In-Person Meetup Highlights