100 (and Counting)
A look back at the year this blog became a real thing, and the posts that explain how.
By @midlifecrisiswatches · · 4 min readWe crossed 100 subscribers this week, in under four months. That number doesn't sound like much next to the accounts with six figures, and I'm not going to pretend it changes anything about how I write. But it's the first number on this blog that felt real. Not a vanity metric. A signal that a hundred people decided my inbox was worth a spot in theirs, and decided fast.
I want to use that as an excuse to take stock, because the honest answer is I'm in a better spot with this hobby than I've been in years.
The blog is finding its footing. Instagram is stronger than it's ever been. I'm talking to dozens of collectors a week now, in DMs, at ADs, at events, and I'm getting genuinely inspired by a lot of you. I've also upgraded my photography setup, most notably the studio, and there's a post coming on exactly what that took. For now, just know the pictures are hopefully about to get better. I'm working on it.
But the real shift isn't equipment or follower counts. It's that I finally have a vision for this collection. I know what I'm building toward instead of reacting to whatever showed up in my inbox that week. I'm more disciplined than I was a year ago, and it shows in what I'm buying and, more importantly, in what I'm not. And I'm building real relationships with a handful of ADs, brands, independents, and strap ateliers that I hope to patron for years, not just transact with once and move on.
None of that happened by accident, and a lot of it started right here, in public, in posts I wasn't sure anyone would read. So if you're new to the blog, or you've been here since the beginning and want the highlight reel, here are the five entries that best explain how I got from there to here.
The 140 to 40 Series
If you read nothing else from this blog, read this series. It's the spine of everything else I write. I went from 140 watches to 40, and the four-part breakdown covers the data that forced the decision, what I learned about buying, and what I learned about owning. It's the closest thing I have to a founding document.
Taking Back Time
This is where it all started. My executive coach told me to put the phone down. I somehow ended up with 140 watches instead. It's the origin story, and it's the one post that explains why I was in a position to need the 140 to 40 series in the first place.
There Are Only Seven Watches
My attempt at a unified theory of collecting. Every watch you'll ever want is a variation on one of seven archetypes, and everything else is a facelift. This is the post I get the most pushback on, which is usually a good sign.
Watches Are Terrible Investments. Buy Them Anyway.
A response to a friend's bull case for watches as an asset class, built on my own history in the sports card market and a thirty-year-old Cartier auction that undercuts the whole thesis. Watches are a bad investment by almost any measure. Buy them anyway, for the only reason that actually holds up.
I Take Pictures Of My Watches. Here's What The Data Says
I pulled 348 of my own Instagram posts and looked for patterns. I expected to find that photography was changing what I bought. I found the opposite. The collection was shaping the photography, not the other way around. This is the post that convinced me to take my studio setup seriously, which is why there's another one coming.
I Didn't Break My Rule. I Finally Had Time to Follow It.
The most recent entry, and the one that closes the loop. A Ming x Shapiro I passed on once, regretted watching from the sidelines, then got a second real shot at through an AD relationship built over years. The rule was never about price. It was about having enough time and trust in place to make the decision the right way.
A hundred subscribers is a small number in absolute terms and a big one to me. Thanks for reading, for arguing with me in the comments and the DMs, and for the tips on watches I never would have found on my own. There's a lot more coming, starting with that studio post.