The mechanical watch hobby can spiral totally out of control like a Beechcraft 35 Bonanza in a flat spin. If you don't
PARE this down to something controllable, your hobby itself is going to get its own hobby: watch winders.
This happens when your mechanical watches have day and date complications. Unless you keep your stable of watches wound, eventually one or more will stop and then your time, day, and date won't be correct when you want to wear it, At this point you have several choices:
1. Set the time, ignore the day, ignore the date.
2. Go through the process of setting it right - which may be minor or may be a hassle.
3. If your watches are automatic, buy a watch winder. A watch winder simulates your wrist motion. You can program rotation direction, frequency of rotation, all sorts of things. There are many styles to choose from, different wood, different designs, different capacities (1 watch, 2 watches, etc.). People can buy watch winders to match their home decor.
4. Ensure all your watches are Ulysse Nardin GMT Perpetuals. These have pushers for advancing or setting the hour back. So, on December 31, 1999, at 2200h (10pm), you can hit the "+" pusher three times and the watch will then show January 01, 2000 0100h. Nice. Push the "-" three times and you're back to where you were. That's easy in software, but it's magnificent when done mechanically.
I went to a jewelry store in Seattle to see a new one in 1999, just to hold it. Price: $27k. They are less today, but still highly expensive.
An enticing combination of a platinum exterior and an easy-to-use mechanical complication inside, meet the innovative Ulysse Nardin GMT +/- Perpetual watch.
www.grayandsons.com
