More than a shameless plug for Rescapement
It’s no secret that the mechanical watch industry is booming. Before September of 2018, Swiss watch exports had increased for 15 straight months. In a world inundated with technology, the mechanical watch industry is yet another that has seen exhausted consumers fleeing for objects evoking a simpler time. With the boom has come a corresponding uptick in publications covering mechanical watches.
Here are some of the best watch industry publications, websites and blogs
If you can’t find what you’re looking for on RESCAPEMENT, rest assured you can find it at one of the sites below.
Founded in 2007, Gear Patrol is a source go-to source for “product journalism.” Their content is fair from watch specific, but when they do cover watches, they do so in style. The editorial team has wonderful taste in all things vintage and modern, and tends to cover watches that are accessibly priced, meaning you can get realistic tips for your next horological purchase.
Worn & Wound focuses on covering independent and micro brands, providing a much needed platform for the smaller creators in the watch world. They provide great in-depth reviews of the latest timepieces, and even host physical events to gather these small manufacturers in one place.
Of course. The definitive source for all things high horology. They’ve also got a nice podcast now, and their “Talking Watches” series is always must-watch YouTube. Yes, they get pretentious, don’t always appeal to the every man, and as they move into commerce there becomes a conflict between editorial and sales, but it’s still the definitive source for all things watch.
A quarterly publication with a growing online presence, Revolution has been around since 2005. It’s developed a solid following and consistently produces great content, diving in-depth into vintage pieces or interviewing the decision makers in the industry.
Still more known as a physical than as a digital publication, WatchTime is perhaps the leading print publication for watches. Their online presence isn’t as clean as some of the others, but their magazine, published six times a year, is a great read for those who still prefer something more tactile.
Known as a fashion destination for men, Mr. Porter has also been upping its watch store and editorial content. The site is now owned by Richemont group (which owns Baume & Mercier, Cartier, IWC, JLC, Panerai, and other watch brands), so the content is obviously geared towards selling its own fare, but it’s a nice introduction to mechanical timepieces nonetheless.
Okay, it’s primarily a seller of pre-owned Rolexes, but I honestly love their content too. Foundre Paul Altieri publishes succinct, on-point articles providing overviews of Rolex’s (and sometimes other brands’) signature pieces, giving prospective buyers the baseline knowledge they need to be more informed buyers.
Forums
Whether it be brand-specific forums like Rolex Forums or general ones like WatchUSeek, forums are a great source of first-hand knowledge, from those who have owned, traded and bought watches for years. If you’re thinking about making a vintage purchase of eBay or Reddit, post it to a forum first to make sure you’re not about to buy a Franken-watch.
A Hodinkee product, Watchville is a watch news aggregator. It aggregates and sorts the watch news of the week, not only from Hodinkee, but from a variety of horological sites, making it a great one-stop shop for the week’s news.