Now, let's answer. This time I'm not kidding, it's really long (lol)
I have a question.
How many people will you truly love in your lifetime?
Ah, it's okay. I don't drink alcohol or do anything dangerous (lol)
No, watches, especially vintage watches, are just like people.
The other day, I had a conversation with a customer and asked, ``Are vintage watches easy to break?''
Well, it's a question I've been asked many times over the past 15 years.
I am a kind-hearted person, and I will respond kindly and politely to anyone like this.
“Aren’t new ones unbreakable?”
Replying to the question that came up. If you answer this on a test, you'll get 100% 0 points (lol)
The history of wristwatches is said to have started in 1901 when Brazilian aviator Santos Dumont ordered one from Cartier.
Considering that there were two world wars, its authenticity is uncertain.
There are other major events that have led to the modern era,
History and historical facts are only for reference and cannot be trusted 100%.
But what we can say with certainty is that wristwatches have "existed" for over 100 years.
Wristwatches have been improved many times since they were powered by a spring.
Eventually, it will evolve into something that runs on batteries.
Many people still don't understand "hand-winding" and "automatic-winding", so
Simply put, it should be easy to understand if you imagine a ``wind-up toy'' that moves by turning a screw.
I will omit the detailed history this time,
What I want you to think about is that over 100 years ago, clocks were powered by springs.
And isn't it a pretty crazy idea to make it practical?
Watches from such a long time ago probably had structural defects.
Above all, "external factors" such as gravity, temperature, and humidity could not be ignored.
However, the craftsmen of the time were thinking about how they could overcome these causes.
As a result of repeated experiments and tests for practical use,
We have achieved mass production.
That's right, the watch you own now is the result of all sorts of ``results'' such as the history, wisdom, and efforts of watchmakers.
It doesn't matter if it's cheap or expensive, it can be called "the wisdom of humanity."
But what really made me realize how amazing human beings are is that most wristwatches were put into practical use in the 1940s.
For the past 40 years or so, we have been making things that tell the time using screws, gears, springs, and other parts in small cases like this.
I'm so moved that I'm about to cry, but I'm still here, right?
After that, the Swiss watch industry reached its peak, with hundreds of watch brands popping up.
And World War II.
Still, Switzerland, a neutral country, manufactured watches, and in the 1950s they evolved from hand-wound watches to automatic watches, making them fully practical watches.
(Personally, I think automatic watches from the 1950s and later are better in terms of practicality, so I'm going to do that here.) However, a presence that can threaten the Swiss watch industry has emerged from "Japan" here.
It seems that ``watch repair'' became one of the jobs in Japan, which became a defeated country in the war.
Repairing and adjusting the clocks owned by the occupation forces,
Although it may not have been a vocation for Japanese people who are good with their hands and are serious, it seems that they had a good reputation.
How do I know this?
One of the craftsmen we work with is an elderly man in his 70s.
Apparently, he had been a watch repair craftsman since his father's generation.
However, at that time, he was not taught any work and had no choice but to steal.
When I hear about the history of watches like that, I can't stop crying.
that? Not really?
So, getting back to the topic, it seems that wristwatches were among the imported goods after the war.
Watches are extremely expensive items.
Wristwatches were something that only wealthy people such as large landowners could own.
Among them, the clock with "OMEGA" written on it is said to be the first imported clock to enter Japan.
SEIKO is a well-known watch brand that aims to reach the top of the world based on its OMEGA and many other watches.
This is the moment when the history of Japanese watches begins.
I hope to write about domestic production before the war someday.
Roughly in the early 1950s, the company manufactured watches such as "Super" and "Unique" with the aim of popularizing wristwatches.
After the birth of ``The Crown'', ``Marvel'', and ``Kronos'', which are still handed down as masterpieces,
In 1960, "Grand Seiko" was introduced.
The pinnacle of domestically produced watches, aiming to be the world's best watches.
From then on, the history of Japanese watches began to overturn the Swiss watch industry.
In the 1970s, battery-powered wristwatches began to become popular around the world.
The Swiss watch industry, which specializes in mechanical watches, was hit hard by the ``quartz shock'' that is said to have occurred in 1969.
After that, he spent more than 20 years of misfortune.
I've come this far while writing that I'll omit the detailed history.
Now on to the main topic, but if tomorrow is early, please take a break (lol)
Mechanical wristwatches were mostly completed in the 1960s.
Most of the accuracy, durability, and structural issues have been resolved.
In other words, even though it's 2018,
Machines from over 60 years ago are still working well.
This proves that vintage watches are hard to break, and at the same time,
Since we sell them ourselves, we can say that we can also "fix" them.
In other words, "vintage watches" are not easy to break!
After all, the only mechanical thing that has been working properly for over 50 years is a watch?
There aren't that many.
The roots of ``vintage watches'' are watches that are carefully thought out and created by watchmakers to pass on to future generations.
What's more, the best products, created in an age when people had plenty of time and money, continue to shine and work as wonderfully as ever.
A watch made with and for people.
It is the result of a product that is "industrial" rather than "commercial".
"No two things are the same"
This is because the year it was manufactured, the place it was sold, the people who acquired it at the time, and the people who used it.
How to use each, differences in maintenance, differences in storage...
It is an item that exists in such a different environment.
And even if you have the same model, the conditions are completely different.
How many items will you encounter under different environments?
And what are the chances of getting them?
10 times? 50 times?
Wouldn't it be better to have five satisfying encounters?
Because if you think about it, you don't have dozens of "best friends", right?
The first thing I wrote about is that "vintage watches are the same as people".
If you compare it to a person, the era you were born in, the house you lived in, the environment you grew up in, the number of people you met, the words you exchanged,
We all have different ways of thinking and thoughts, right?
How many times in your life will you meet someone you can truly love?
That's why encountering vintage watches is like meeting people.
What I was able to meet that day at that place was "fate" itself.
“The watch you can find today, on that day, in that place, is the one you should get.”
How would you feel if the person you fell in love with moved on to someone else?
I'm sure it must be so frustrating and painful that I can't help but dream about it.
The same goes for vintage.
I can't tell you how many times I bought something in my dreams and was disappointed when it didn't turn out to be real.
I want you to have the courage to take a step forward, and at the same time,
There's nothing more interesting than being able to show a deep understanding of what ``vintage'' is.
It's true today, but the next time we meet, it will be different.
It's like the sky today will look different tomorrow.
Why not try out such a “once in a lifetime” experience?
The vintage watches here are waiting for you to come.
That's a nice summary, but let's talk about something that fans of current products may not want to hear.
"Even if some models are old, if they are repaired by the manufacturer, the machine will become brand new, just like the current model."
In other words, the image that vintage items are destroyed is completely wrong.
More on this next time.
