The Open Caseback

August 16, 2020

What battles are worth fighting in the watch community?

At the inception of The Open Caseback, I wrote "we're not the target audience." It was a reflection on the feelings of disenfranchisement many collectors and enthusiasts have. It fulfilled its role as the foundation, or a manifesto, to guide my writing efforts and those of the contributors. But it missed a key question that's needed more and more: what battles are actually worth fighting in the watch community?

August 9, 2020

What big brands can learn from independent watchmakers

Though independent watchmakers and the big brands occupy positions a world apart, there's a lot that big brands can learn from using transparency to build more personal consumer connections.

August 2, 2020

The timepiece that tested the watch community’s limits

There are limits to our horological comfort zone. And for me, nothing exposes this quite like the review of Beat Haldimann's H9 on A Blog to Watch.

July 26, 2020

Why watch brands and authorized dealers should be worried about the secondary market

Secondary market platforms like Chrono24 and WatchBox have positioned themselves to compete head-on with brands and AD's, whether the latter believes it or not.

July 19, 2020

When watches lost functional value, the watch community was born

The watch community, as a passionate and thriving group of hobbyists, would never be in this position today if watches did have functional value.

July 12, 2020

How social media platforms shape watch community culture

Having been active in both Instagram and Reddit watch communities since getting involved in the world of watches four years ago, I began noticing key differences which can tell us more about our own behaviour as collectors.

July 5, 2020

Why the watch industry struggles with the internet

I used to think the issues with the internet were due to the industry being fundamentally "old-fashioned". But I believe there is a deeper reason, rooted in the watchmaking industry's history.

June 28, 2020

The United States vs. Watchmakers of Switzerland

What aggravated the relationship between the US and Swiss watchmaking industries in the 1950's and early 60's? Part of the answer lies in a lawsuit: The United States vs. The Watchmakers of Switzerland Information Center, Inc., et al.

June 21, 2020

Watch brands risk alienating future consumers

You can’t blame young people for finding an industry that orients itself away from them, to be increasingly irrelevant.

June 14, 2020

Criticism is absent in the watch industry, but it shouldn’t be

How do we expect consumer and collector knowledge to grow when we struggle to find analytical content? Is the pinnacle of watch knowledge memorizing a bunch of reference numbers? I hope not.

Musings on horology and the watch industry