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• Watch enthusiast who discovered his watches complain less than his kids when taking their pictures.
My personal Instagram feed had gotten so full of watch content that I figured it was time to split off a separate account…and then I wanted to join in the community, but had no posts, so that’s when I decided to combine hobbies and photograph my watches. Prior to that I’d only really photographed my dog and kids.
I also don’t usually post just one picture, there’s usually a series around it and in the caption I do share my thoughts on some aspect of the watch, straps or what I was trying to do photographically and that probably gives people more to react to which creates engagement too.
I don’t try and chase the Instagram algorithm, because it’s constantly changing and I’m not putting content out trying to maximize reach or gain followers, which is also why I stick to what I enjoy—still photography and not reels. Early on it just took faith that if I put out content I liked, maybe others would like it too.
so most of my photoshoots are inside with studio lighting—and my studio is my living room so I need to setup and tear down after each shoot. So I tend to use very easy setups…a 200W LED and a large pop-out diffuser and then Styrofoam blocks for reflectors/flags. I have softboxes, beauty dishes, strobes, umbrellas, but those are more involved and for the sake of ease, I don’t use them as much.
There were some popular trends at the time like flat lays with coffee beans, rope or using “A Man and His Watch” book as a prop; but when I started trying to put together a scene like that it just didn’t make sense to my analytical brain. So it took me a while to find a style that worked for me that could still create interest and that usually involves textures and/or light and shadows. I use lots of different $5 tiles from Home Depot for backgrounds and mostly shoot with a 90mm macro lens for a narrow field of view.
My engagement watch is a 2007 Breitling Colt and it’s the only watch I wore for 6 years. Every 5 years at anniversaries I started adding a nice watch. At 5 years it was a Baume & Mercier, at 10, my first Rolex (the 126600 Sea-Dweller) and then at 15 years one of my dream watches, the Rolex Pepsi. These were my permanent collection…but recently I was thinking about it and it felt like my sentimentality around these watches was getting fractionalized and when I thought about the idea of consolidating them into one grail watch that celebrates all my past and future anniversaries, it just made sense. I was able to sell my Pepsi and Sea-Dweller and take the money to turn it into a VC Overseas Dual Time. I believe that even if I no longer have the other watches, the memories and stories I have with them don’t go away and now I have one watch to wear on the special occasions around our marriage and because it was bought using the money from the other anniversary watches, it already has a backstory. Getting away from adding new anniversary watches every 5 years also means we can spend that money on a vacation for me and my wife to some place nice like Italy or Tahiti—and I will be wearing my Overseas on those trips.
because I think of a collector as someone who focuses on a particular area…a specific brand or category like Rolex GMT-Master II references or vintage Seiko divers. I think of myself more as an enthusiast, because I just buy the watches I like and that means a diversity of brands and categories and sizes. I have a 35mm 1974 Air-King and a 44mm PAM and lots of things in between. My next watch is likely to be one that is unlike something I already have.
With passionate brand owners designing watches that they want to own, they fill niches that the big brands ignore. A few of my favorites are Fears, Vertex, Nodus, Imperial and Dryden (even if you weren’t interviewing me).
Of the bigger brands/holding companies, if I could only have watches from one brand it would be Glashutte Original. The Pano line is incredible and there isn’t really anything like it without taking a big jump up to Lange, and the 39mm SeaQ is my favorite dive watch design.
and that item is usually either the sneakers or watch I plan to wear that day. Most of my clothes are gray, black or navy blue, so I dress in neutral colors and will add some color with a watch strap and/or shoes.
Even though it’s always good to buy a watch on the bracelet, I honestly wear mine on straps most often. I think straps can provide a good compliment to a watch and then coordinate with the outfit—especially a nice suede strap.
I also think that style is really about what you feel comfortable and confident wearing. Things are cool because you genuinely like wearing them. If you wear something just because you think other people think it’s cool, people can tell, and it doesn’t look authentic. If you like something, then wear it and who cares what anyone else thinks.
Ideally you want to be able to try a watch on first, but I know that that can be hard when some brands sell online only. But it can be worth it to travel to an event that has multiple brands exhibiting, because there’s nothing quite like being able to handle a watch in person.
Also, don’t compromise. If there’s a watch you know you really want, then don’t settle for a cheaper alternative. I’ve done this multiple times, but it just ends up costing me more when I inevitably still buy the watch I wanted in the first place. If you can’t afford it now, then it’s worth saving for it.
In my daily life, there is no one that cares about watches. Or photography. So at first, I was amazed to find some like-minded people and enjoyed seeing their passion for it too. It also exposed me to watches and brands I hadn’t seen before. Even though all of these relationships started online on Instagram, there are several people I’ve now met in person and it’s funny how I can hit it off with people from all over the world when the only thing we seemingly had in common to begin with was the love of mechanical watches.
This has meant for a lot of the watches I’m interested in, I either need to buy them or fly to watch events in other cities. Last year was my first time traveling to watch events and I went to WindUp (San Francisco), Intersect (Los Angeles) and Heartland Watch Show (Kansas City) and I had a great time at each one of them.
It's cool to be able to get to handle watches in person and see how they really feel on your wrist, but also, it amazes me how well people get along even when the common interest is watches.
Explore watch photography, collecting insights, and personal style with Corey (@EnthusedDad) in this Dryden Dialogue interview. Discover his photo setup, thoughts on microbrands (Fears, Nodus), the story behind his VC Overseas, and tips for new enthusiasts.
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