This is WristWatchReview.com, the longest-running site on the Internet for lovers of mechanical, quartz, and digital wristwatches. Our goal is twofold: to create an open forum for discussion about what William Gibson calls “the very finest fossils of the pre-digital age” and to bring our own experience and intellect to bear on a market that is often opaque and seemingly irrational.
Why do I love wristwatches, and when did this obsession begin? I fell in love with my father’s mechanical Seiko diver when I was ten years old, and I’ve been fascinated ever since by the design and engineering that go into a fine wristwatch. Mechanical watches were the high tech of their era. The sheer complexity involved in creating a small, perfectly functioning timepiece in a case the size of a few stacked quarters is remarkable. To engineer—and eventually collect—a fine watch, or even one that wouldn’t normally be considered “quality,” requires precision, intelligence, and a flair for the quixotic. Again, to quote Gibson’s excellent essay My Obsession: “They’re pointless in a peculiarly needful way; they’re comforting precisely because they require tending.”
Watches are one of the few things we still have in common with the generations before us. Since the 16th century, people around the world have carried watches. Now, as phones, computers, and smartwatches weigh us down in an information-saturated world, we’re reminded of the ephemerality of technology. If Ben Franklin came back today, he’d likely consider our iPhones witchcraft—but our watches, small, self-contained, and perfect, would be instantly recognizable. The world has changed, but seconds still fold into minutes, and minutes into hours.
I founded WristWatchReview in 2004. It remains one of the oldest and most established watch blogs online. Thanks for visiting.
Editor – John Biggs – I live in Brooklyn, NY and write about technology, security, gadgets, gear, wristwatches, and the Internet. After spending four years as an IT programmer, I switched gears and became a full-time journalist. My work has appeared in the New York Times, Laptop, PC Upgrade, Surge, Gizmodo, Men’s Health, InSync, Linux Journal, Popular Science, Sync, The Stir and I’ve written a book called Marie Antoinette’s Watch about the most famous and mysterious watch ever made. I was former East Coast Editor of TechCrunch.com.
Managing Editor – Patrick Kansa – Since John is over in NY, it seems only appropriate that I’m over in the “Second City” of Chicago, IL. And while he’s no longer a developer, I spend most of my day as a database developer. My interest and appreciation for watches has certainly grown over the past few years, and I enjoy the fact that I get to learn even more while reviewing pieces right here on WWR. While I lean towards mechanical ones these days, I don’t shy away from the quartz watches, even in my personal collection. I’m @PatrickWatches on Twitter and Instagram, and you can also find us over on Facebook.
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Welcome to WristWatchReview, the longest-running site on the Internet for lovers of mechanical, quartz, and digital wristwatches. Our goal is two-fold: to create an open forum of discussion about what William Gibson calls “the very finest fossils of the pre-digital age” and to bring our own experiences and intellect to bear on a market that is often opaque and seemingly insane.
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