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The boredom and the cure - a epiphany
I have felt increasingly bored with the whole idea of WISdom lately. This weekend however, after searching for information regarding a cheap Japanese homage watch I suddenly realized why I had become so bored - I had crossed paths with a epiphany:
a (1) : a usually sudden manifestation or perception of the essential nature or meaning of something (2) : an intuitive grasp of reality through something (as an event) usually simple and striking (3) : an illuminating discovery, realization, or disclosure b : a revealing scene or moment
Aye, the revelation was something that I had felt but not understood. You see, I realized the more watches I´d had and the more their monetary value had increased as a consequence of upgrading through the years, the more jaded I´d become, finally reaching the point where I had little enthusiasm to even bother looking at the Friday threads, as what fun is there to look at all those same boring models over and over again? - dweller this, mariner that, master there, moon on the sky and so forth. On a word: boring. On two words: really boring. On three words: boring as hell. Really.
So, the epiphany... Basically it goes in line with the old saying which states that "the enjoyment is not in the kill but in the hunt itself". While that is true it is only the surface of a deeper phenomena that we will be discussing shortly. - I get much enjoyment of the social and historical aspects that are a part of the WIS game. The last time I remember being truly thrilled was when Mike (Mr1973) told the background story of his Oysterquartz 17000 and the meeting he had with the guy that made it famous - Reinhold Messner.
 Threads like that seem to be rare these days. The norm nowadays is - more or less - the 5 year old´s eternal play of show and tell. And of course, because of varied reasons - most of the pieces shown and told consist of the same old usual suspects as already stated - dweller this, mariner that, master there, moon on the sky and so forth. Boring.
I am not saying that the usual suspects are somehow "off" or "bad". They are a bit like the way teenagers dress however: they are so individual and unique personalities that they all dress alike, wear the same brands, the same jeans, the same bags, sneakers and so forth to the point that they become clones of each other. Ditto your average late thirties/early forties salary-man who wears a Rolex Submariner.
The TZ-UK as a group seems to have upgraded considerably during the past few years. Thus a much greater portion of what is being discussed (show and tell) consist of what used to be those coveted, and aspirational makes and models. You may ask yourself what comes after fulfillment of reaching the grail? -Right. Another grail or a hangover. - Usually its both.
This place used to be full of enthusiastic WIS amateurs with a plethora of interesting and obscure cheap and cheerful watches no one had seen before. Nowadays it is mostly just - dweller this, mariner that, master there, moon on the sky and so forth. On a word: boring. On two words: really boring. On three words: boring as hell. We, as a group (talking about the long time members) have become semiprofessionals or professional WIS. Jaded. It is usually so that when something that was done first for sheer pleasure becomes "too important" the joy of doing it seems to evaporate at the same rate the importance level raises.
I have had a hard time accepting that I get more pleasure of wearing my most cheapest watch instead the ones that cost multiple, even over 20 times more than the "cheap and cheerful" one does. Monetary value is a poor indicator for enjoyment and interest. I have learnt that it is usually the other way around - the higher the price, the more "industrial" and "cold" it gets and the other way around. Vintage Rolexes are interesting. Modern Rolexes are not (you know what I mean, no need to get defensive). Cheap Homages born out of curiosity and enthusiasm are interesting. Re-made brands with bought visibility and false claims are not.
Honest homages and vintage pieces have stories to tell. A modern dweller, mariner, master or moon do not as they were born vampires: to suck money out of the audience lured to them by the stories related to their vintage forefathers. This is not to say a modern dweller, mariner, master or moon could not be important and form a story with its owner. Of course not, but that story is a private one, not something shared by the community. So what about the boredom and the cure as stated on the name of this thread? They revolve around the same thing: money.
Anyone with deep enough pockets or disciplined enough to save can march in a watch-store and come out with a modern dweller, mariner, master or moon. Finding a cheap and cheerful vintage piece or a honest homage that defies it´s monetary value in spades is another thing altogether. Those you can share with people alike yourself. People who are drawn to them because of the hi-story.
Just think about it - which watch gives you most pleasure? Would you trade that to a modern vampire? Remember - the grass is always greenest at the bottom. Once you´ve reached the top you are already on your way back down again. WISdom is not a route with an ending. It is circle - once you´ve reached the point you began from the scenery has already changed so it´s a new journey altogether. The best stuff always happens in the beginning. Once we acknowledge this we can all start to enjoy our hobby that much more. Luckily there is so much for so little to be had out of the parameters of the usual suspects.
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