Over the past few years the guys at Hodinkee have quietly ramped up to become prolific producers of content, churning out watch editorial from all over the world. Two recently released videos are focused on subjects closer to home. The first (above) is another installment in the Talking Watches series –which shines a light on the collections of celebrities, athletes and aesthetes alike– profiles Man of the World founder Alan Maleh. You may have met Alan at one of the Pop Up Flea events, or maybe you have shopped at his store Gentry; anyone who has had even the shortest brush with him can easily recognize that the man is as product obsessed. He’s a prolific collector of everything from Japanese denim, to classic cars and of course, watches. This video doesn’t do him justice, though it is a nice glimpse into his (quasi-insane) watch collection.
The second video (below) covers the New York institution Central Watch. It’s a great place to buy a watch, trade one or to have something serviced. The only trick is figuring out how to find the place. If you aren’t familiar with the 45th Street passageway, you might need to spend some time wandering around the back channels of Grand Central. Once you do find it, your watch repair needs will be taken care of forever. Though, just remember to be patient. While the experts there will make sure your watch is keeping the right time, any old customer could attest to the fact that Central Watch certainly isn’t running fast.
Interesting piece to me–I collect vintage (mostly IWC) watches from the earliest pin-set up through my daily driver GST titan. Beyond them, like Mr. Maleh, I am driven by what appeals to me, and since I also collect high-end western boots, I was tickled when I ran across a genuine western scroll (like tooled leather) sterling-case watch on eBay. And that began my rehab journey.
My own watchmaker had finally retired, but I begged him to examine the movement which he declared to be Swiss, cheap and hopelessly broken. While I had his attention, I brought him a bag of old watches and ask if any would fit–not likely as he noted it was an odd Swiss ligne measurement. But, he called me later to say that he had found one that fit–a Longines from the 40s that was shockproof and in good running condition. He even rehabbed it, found some matching hands that fit the movement, but could not match the crown or severely domed plastic crystal; instead, he polished it to soften the scratches. It now runs perfectly–probably better than it originally did.
Last came the strap search: it has between a 13 and 15mm lugs (one each…) and I found a nice pigskin vintage (5/8″) strap on eBay, but decided to instead go with a Tiffany 15mm Swiss-made crocodile strap for security (old pigskin crumbles).
Hope I haven’t hijacked this thread but I thought it an opportunity to display this truly unique pioece and maybe have some knowledgeable comment on the casework which I consider superb, given how crude SW tribal craftsmanship has gotten over the past 50 years. I am especially amazed by the guilloche sterling dial with raised sorta-Breguet numerals…placing it in perhaps the pre-WWII era, or shortly thereafter at the latest.
It is very difficult to photograph, given the crystal shape, dial and case detail, but here are a couple of the newly finished project.
http://gallery.photo.net/photo/17716434-lg.jpg
http://gallery.photo.net/photo/17716422-lg.jpg
http://gallery.photo.net/photo/17716421-lg.jpg