Wood is one of the most reusable commodities on this planet. It is also one with the widest choice of variety and origin. It gives the skilful designer the freedom of producing beautiful products without the need for massive industrialization. This natural commodity has finally arrived back again into the mainstream manufacture of watches.
Why is this important? Well, the first thing to consider is what is the function of your watch? Do you wear it because it tells you the time or because it is part of your personal fashion statement…or maybe both? We all put on our watch every day as part of “getting dressed” in the morning without even thinking about it. It is part of our morning ritual, like brushing our teeth or combing our hair. But for some people it is more than that.
There are two extremes of watch owners. On the one hand there are those who wear the cheapest Casio watches on the market and on the other hand those who wear the most expensive Rolex they can afford. They all tell the perfect time within a fraction of a second so what is the difference between these two categories of watch owners?
It can only be the level of self-satisfaction or of making an impression to the outside world. What do you think when you notice someone who is wearing a Rolex? They are not poor and are therefore probably very successful. That’s exactly the judgement he or she wants you to make. Why would they ever spend upwards of $1,000 on any watch…just to tell the time? The current Rolex advertising campaign states that “it doesn’t just tell time, it tells history”.
It comes down to satisfying a personal need of self-importance and outward impression…not telling the time. This is why Rolex owners love their watch and look at it hundreds of time every day and not just to check the time. So what about the vast majority of us who cannot afford a Rolex or a similar watch in the upper price category? Are we all condemned to wear a run-of-the-mill piece of hardware on our wrist that only tells the time?
Get Colin Buckingham’s stories in your inbox
Join Medium for free to get updates from this writer.
I once had the chance, more than 30 years ago, of visiting a Seiko watch factory in Suwa, Japan, in the mountains about three hours west of Tokyo. It was a clinical production environment, manufacturing more than 3 million watches every week. I also met the research engineer at Seiko who discovered the use of the quartz crystal as a means of maintaining a precise frequency standard, which helps to regulate the movement of a watch, making the timepieces very accurate. It was the pinnacle of mass production.
This is where the re-emergence of a watch handcrafted in wood comes in. With the advanced precision quartz movement, it will always provide you with the exact time so now you can focus on the design. Every wood watch is unique. There will be no other watch exactly the same, something the use of wood guarantees. It will be a talking point amongst your friends and family as they take notice of your new expression of individuality.
It is also now at a price point you can certainly afford. This will allow you to consider acquiring more than one so that you can adapt the watch you wear to the other fashion choices you make. You will have a relationship with the watch you put on your wrist every day. You will notice how light it is, how good the natural wood feels on your skin and how you are making a statement to the world about your commitment to the environment.
You will now be able to experience the same feelings of pride that Rolex watch owners enjoy. You will take a look of pride several times a day and not just to check the time! It also allows you to consider a wood watch as a fantastic gift for the people you care about. You can be sure they don’t have one and will be also delighted to enjoy the same benefits of this new trend in watches. Make a statement, be different, wear wood.
Colin Buckingham
