Horology — a decade in review

What watch best represents the zeitgeist of the decade?

Without a doubt – The Rolex “Rainbow” Daytona ref. 116598 RBOW

Before we get too deep into it, it should be known that Rolex did not only launch rainbow gem-set bezels this decade. This practice actually dates back to the late 1980’s (to my knowledge), and primarily involved the Day-Date. For this decade, the rainbow gem-set is not specific to the Daytona, as Rolex has also released a gem-set Yacht-master 40 in 2017. So the question really is, why specifically the Rainbow Daytona, and not another rainbow bejeweled Rolex?

I’ve locked onto the Rainbow Daytona above all else because the decade was one of recovery, optimism, and excess. This watch could never have been born in 2008. It also represents changing tastes and changing wealth – Asia is now the center of the watch world. The fact it is a Daytona also plays an important role in the 2010’s, as its Paul Newman ancestor played a major catalyst to the new era of hype and exorbitant prices previously inconceivable for sports watches. In my opinion, the Rainbow Daytona embodies the broader zeitgeist of the watchmaking world to a comedically hyperbolic degree. It is a bejeweled sports watch – the metaphor many of us have experienced this decade in the connection between sports watches and ultra-rarity.

It should be noted that my position here is neither one of criticism or irony – I genuinely believe it is difficult to find a more poetic choice for the watch that represents the zeitgeist of the decade. Even though the rainbow Rolexes have merited some backlash on Instagram and watch forums/blogs, it’s important to remember a true zeitgeist is indifferent to individual tastes – it represents the collective spirit of the time. I do also genuinely like the pieces for the very fact that they are the most timely of Rolexes in the 2010’s. I sense JC Biver’s affinity to the Rainbow Daytona is for similar reasons … but we’ll have to ask him ourselves at some point …

What I personally enjoyed the most?

The rise of Instagram.

The rise of Instagram and decline of the watch forums has polarized the watch community. As far as I can tell from my own polling, it’s about a 60-40 split of love it / hate it. But it’s too easy to be nostalgic for the past and hyper-critical of the present. Overall, I see Instagram as a positive game-changer and an enjoyable development for the watch community in the 2010’s. Relative to the forums, it provides a better interface to explore watches, and the more instantaneous ability to communicate with collectors and enthusiasts.

I will add, nothing is perfect. Any reader of my blog can glean that there are a number of things that bother me about Instagram, both acted out by the community at large and various brands’ digital marketing efforts. There is certainly room for improvement – lots of it. Yet, as more and more collectors and critically engaged enthusiasts create educational content and keep comment sections alive and healthy, I’m more optimistic about the future of the watch community on Instagram than I ever thought I would be. Pages like @horology_ancienne and @the_art_of_horology have been eye-openers over the last year in realizing the watch community craves a deeper level of content than the usual wrist pics and product close-ups.

What’s to come in the next decade?

Your guess is as good as mine. 10 years ago, I would’ve never predicted the advent of Instagram, the standardization and scale of the secondary markets, or the sports watch scarcity. However, it’s cowardly to constantly criticize the present without offering a perspective on the future. So here are my predictions for the next decade:

(1) Improvement in materials and geometry.

Silicon is great (depending on your worldview…), however that is likely just the beginning. For a very long time, what was theoretically possible was not always practically possible. A.-L. Breguet famously said, “Give me the perfect oil, and I’ll give you the perfect watch. While we still don’t have the perfect oil nor the perfect watch, we are getting closer and closer. Brand far and wide have committed to innovation R&D – Omega, Rolex, Patek Philippe, Ulysse Nardin, Girard-Perregaux are just a few to commercialize their efforts. What we see is just the tip of the iceberg.

In my mind, there’s no greater (and more hopeful) indicator of what might be in store for the next wave of innovation than the Cartier ID Concept II and Breguet Classique Chronométrie 7727 10Hz. Both packed a strong punch on the merit of their innovation in the earlier half of this decade. Cartier’s ID Concept II brought a next level of engineering with a vacuum-sealed caseback to remove air friction, fibreglass mainsprings, and a radical 32-day power reserve. Though impressive, it was never commercialized whereas the Breguet was. Triple-axis gravity, oil-free 100 day power reserve here we come!

(2) Retail will fundamentally change.

It’s hard to find a single topic where nearly every collector and watch fanatic comes to consensus, but if there were only one, it’s that retail experience is broadly troubling for varying reasons. Retail spaces are unwelcoming. Sales personnel are too often under trained and dispassionate. They’re never a place to hang out and have a grand time. I believe, the future of retail is in building better community spaces – not better “retail” spaces. The Lavish Attic in Hong Kong is a prime example of a community space where seasoned collectors and new enthusiasts alike can congregate to talk shop. It’s a casual vibe – it’s more coffee on the couch amongst friends than robotic conversation with a sales agent.

(3) The further rise of independent brands.

This has been a great decade for independent brands in the watchmaking world. Many indies entered the decade merely hoping to survive, and many finished the decade thriving – none more than MB&F, Kari Voutilainen, and most recently, AkriviA. I suspect the momentum for many independent brands will only continue to build in the next decade, and it has to do with one key reason: the big brands can’t compete with the personability and customer service of the indies. The indies operate with a face and name. Would you rather own a watch, or own a watch, join a very small, tight-knit club, and become friends with the owner and visionary of the brand? It’s certainly a different offering, and it’s one that resonates with many collectors and enthusiasts. Indies just feel closer to the action, but maybe I’m just a romantic for small/midsize businesses.

Happy New Year – we’ll see how this ages!