There’s No Single Right Approach To Watch Enthusiasm — Shaping The Watch Hobby How You Want It

I recently published an article on whether social media causes a monoculture in watches. The article went into how mere exposure to the same stuff makes us all chase it. This makes it feel as if there is a singular way in which the watch hobby must be practiced. In this article, I would like to go a little bit deeper into how we might instead shape the hobby for ourselves.

My aim is not to tell you how to experience and practice the watch hobby; that would be pretentious and hypocritical. Rather, I aim to offer some potentially liberating thoughts on ignoring the masses and setting a personal course. Let’s dive in!

Lessons from my other hobby

The idea for this article came from my other hobby — playing the guitar. I consume tons of guitar content, from gear reviews to lessons. I noticed that it made me feel more and more dissatisfied with myself. It seems as if every guitar YouTuber or Instagrammer is a virtuoso master player, leaving me feeling wholly inadequate, no matter how much I practice.

Then, I was exposed to two pieces of advice within a fairly short time. I saw a video of Steve Vai, in which he made a crucial point about technique. I am paraphrasing, but his point was that there is no need to chase perfect technique, as such a thing doesn’t exist. Instead, you only need as much technique as you require to express yourself. It was a simple yet truly liberating idea.

The second piece of advice came from guitar teacher Dr. Andre Fludd, who stated that finding your style on guitar is about becoming good at a handful of very specific techniques. He perfectly articulated how each new technique requires daily upkeep in practice, meaning you need to be very selective of what you learn and truly wish to master. This is hard when consuming a lot of guitar content, as you are constantly bombarded by “learn this cool technique” content, making you feel as if you are always just one insight short of decent playing. Fludd introduced the idea of practice debt, meaning that since each new technique you learn adds to your daily practice load, you’d better be selective. This was another liberating idea that felt like a breath of fresh air to my overloaded mind.

A hobby is just a hobby

Allow me to stick with my love of playing guitar for a few more seconds. After absorbing the two ideas described above, I subscribed to Dr. Andre Fludd’s online learning community. He shares lessons and offers a place to come together with other guitar students and share your progress as you go. I clicked through a couple of videos from other students, and guess what: there was none of the virtuoso-like flying across the neck that I was used to seeing everywhere. Instead, I saw people like me struggling their way through basic scales, chasing that 1% improvement for the day.

For the first time in years, I felt that my playing was okay. Finding 1% improvement in my pentatonic scales is a fair goal for today. I can be satisfied and happy when I hang my guitar back on the wall after that, having learned something and having spent some time in deep, relaxed focus.

This ties in with another video I had recently seen by Alastair, called “The grindification of hobbies.” Again, paraphrasing, his point was that we turned our hobbies into work. Comparing ourselves with the high performers floating to the top of social media algorithms, wanting to share our progress and skill… These things detract from the core function of a hobby — to disengage from your daily struggles and do something you enjoy for no other reason than enjoying it.

Image: Deangelis Fine Watches

Now on to the watch hobby

If we are to believe social media, the watch hobby is similarly competitive and normative. And if you follow a handful of popular accounts, it seems completely normal to own a €50k collection. On top of that, you also need to be a semi-pro-level watch photographer. Ideally, you would also have a side hustle, selling watch straps or making Netflix-quality videos about watches. Oh, and you also have to make money from your hobby through clever buying and selling.

I went down this road, chasing a job in watches, writing a book, and later starting a watch brand. I still love watches, and I am grateful that I managed to turn my passion into my job. But guess what: it is now my job. I really do need my guitar hobby on the side for relaxation and to clear my mind. While I still consider watches my hobby, I now experience similar stress and anxiety from my work as I did when I was a consumer behavior consultant before.

This is no sob story; I love what I do, and I feel engaged and passionate about my work. That is a privileged position to be in. My point is that it isn’t a normal way to experience a hobby. In fact, it is the opposite.

Any way to shape your watch hobby is OK

If we go back to the core of what it means to have a hobby, I think it is an activity you engage in during your free time that brings you joy without pressure. There’s no threshold in terms of how skilled you are, how knowledgeable you are, or what you accomplish. The mere engagement in the activity is the hobby.

When talking about watches, this can take an infinite number of shapes. Reading Fratello without owning a single watch can be a hobby. Learning about the watches worn by soldiers during the Second World War can be a watch hobby. Tinkering with an old mechanical watch can be a hobby. Taking photos of cool watches you spot on people you meet can be your watch hobby. Collecting high complications in precious metals can be your hobby as well.

Image: AWCo

The key is that you are completely free to shape the hobby to your preferences and character. You don’t “graduate” as a watch enthusiast by knowing all modern Rolex reference numbers by heart. No one can tell you that you need to own at least one watch over €2,000 before you are a “real collector”. You don’t become a “true enthusiast” when you gather so many followers that watch accessory brands start sending you free stuff.

Zooming out

I think all the above is a result of our world being more connected than ever before. While this is undeniably a blessing, empowering us to explore so much more and connect with like-minded people across the globe, it comes at a cost. When you see a handful of outliers as the norm, the content that triggers online engagement can start forcing itself on you. This doesn’t just create a monoculture; it also normalizes a very specific form of practicing the watch hobby.

I sincerely hope this doesn’t apply to you. I hope the watch hobby is fun, relaxing, and a source of engaged positivity for you. However, if you experience pressure, stress, or even anxiety, I hope some of these ideas can offer an alternative. There is a time and a place for maximizing performance, and it is usually in one’s career. A hobby should be the opposite — a release valve, if you will.

I am curious to hear from you, Fratelli. Have you ever caught yourself practicing your watch hobby in a way that doesn’t truly suit you just because it felt like the way you were supposed to do it? And how do you keep it fun and light? Let us know in the comments section below!