The World Wide Web
The world of horology is niche but unique and interesting to explore. Like most of focused subjects, the world of horology developed and published vastly by many industrial experts, the manufacturers, independent authors, sales experts, and watches enthusiasts in the borderless world of Internet. You may ponder topics from many forum gestures and opinions too (don't forget the many many blogs dude!). The advent of World Wide Web (www) has face lifted the traditional way of knowledge sharing. Every second, every day, there are many horology articles published. Humongous! You may numb you fingers if you want to browse and click interesting subjects over the Internet. Some nuts might browse for hours. Me among the many nuts! Honestly, since the pass eight to nine years, ever since I own a laptop and having personal Internet connection this addiction has never subside.
I love to read watches reviews, comments from viewers, forums, e-catalogue, and any articles about watches until I become myopic! Honestly, sometimes I do not have any specific subject to search for and end-up googling. Google Image is my favourite tool! Hah-ha, I guess we do it all the time. Download some nice, sexy, and curvy watch images! This habit has been my daily routine (almost!) and at one time I have stored almost 210 gigabytes of various horological references in my external storage drive. Hence, I have saved a long list of http links populating my browser bookmark. But, the external drive crashed with no chance of revival and retrieval few month after i started blogging. A huge lost of blogging reference which I intend to use. Back-up the back-up, lesson learned.
My new external storage drive. Need to mirror meh?
Lucky me. By browser bookmark is safely stored somewhere. Click image to enlarge. Find something interesting?
The Books and MagazinesI bought many monthly, quarterly, bi-annual, and annual wrist watches magazines. I found some of those magazines are informative – rich of horological knowledge but some are merely advertorial. The cheapest yet rich with colourful photos of new and trendy big boys’ watches is the World of Watches magazine. I miss the first issue but I have the second until the latest. The magazine cost only RM10 per issue. It’s a bi-annual publication. For me, this is an advertising medium. Not a pure horological reference. RM10 for thick colourful pages! The publisher don’t sell magazine. They sell advertising space. Anyway, this magazine is a good compilation of sales catalogue. I also bought plenty of the monthly International Watch magazines, some new and some back issue. I bought many back issues from bookstores at Amcorp Mall and Sungei Wang Plaza. The magazine cost only RM18 per new issue five to six years ago but now catches RM28-RM34 per issue. The back issue only cost me RM10, some RM8 per piece. But seriously, this is a must have reference if you love technical expect of the modern watches. I love this magazine.
Quarterly published Watch Time is amazing. I do not buy new issue, back issues can do. It is very-very interesting horological publication. There are plenty of reviews, pictorial-demonstration, focussed articles, critics, industrial trend and analysis, and many presentation of horological icons. I bet you will love this magazine. If I am not mistaken the price is now uphill to RM48 per issue. The Watch Critics, a bi-lingual publication from Hong Kong is another good reference. I love vintage watches. In this magazine you can check hammer price for Swiss vintage auctions. What is rare and most sought after? There is a specific section for this in the magazine. Read the English if you don't know how to read Chinese characters.
Annual publication! I only buy the Malaysian annual from elite group publications like Tick-Talk and The Peak Selection/The Peak. I can’t afford the international publication because most annual magazines centre-staged the annual watches line-up and trend. Interviews with familar industrial icons and the Swiss Houte Horlogerie always be the anchor articles. Usual suspect! Expensive, but nothing less like an annual watch catalogue. Other than these, I also bought the Revolution and Timewerke magazines for my reference. Not to forget, a stack of Chronos and Luxe back issue. All these reference are to keep me updated with the latest trend and horological advances.
On the bookshelf – need a stronger cabinet because the magazines are thick and heavy.
"I also keep watches catalogue books, pamphalets, and manuals. Reading catalogues? Hmmhh… Why not productive reading? Hey, learn from sifu la brader. Takpun sembang-sembang la dengan collectors. A good advice came from the dark side. Be inquisitive, I will be! May the force be with me. Muahaha..." – thetick-thetick
