Time Piece

Monday, April 21, 2008 9:58 am By BigLig

So, ever since I got the Macbook Pro I've felt uncomfortable enough wearing a wrist watch that I've stopped doing it.
I've been a little uncomfortable with it for a while, although I love my wristwatch: perhaps my wrists are getting fatter. It was never quite the same since I fell on it awkwardly (the watch, not so much the wrist.) But with the Macbook, it was Ti scratching on Al every time I typed and I did not like it.
Of course I still need to know the time and I'm too old to get into the modern style of using your phone as your watch. The answer, then, seems obvious: a pocket watch. By the way, Steve Jobs, that's what that little pocket in your jeans is for.
What I'm looking for: a new watch (old is beautiful but I also need reliable), attractive, not insanely expensive, a full hunter (never quite liked half hunters), mechanical, stem wound, a way to see the movement running (although seeing the mechanism thru the front often seems to make the face too busy. Oh, and I want it to play the tune from "Per qualche dollaro in piĆ¹", but I'm not holding out much hope for that.
So, obviously, like any geek, I know all the words, but where can I source such a thing? You can get them in High Street jewelery stores but there's not much of a selection and they're pretty obviously sold as either retirement gifts or as decorations for wedding suits. Google can find me plenty of beautiful and expensive hundred year old examples. But apart from that - not much luck.
Then, yesterday, as mentioned below I got my idea to follow people on Twitter based on finding interesting tweets on the public timeline and, if their history and blogs are also interesting, adding them.
Almost immediately @RhiRhi mentions she has some new stuff on Etsy - so I go over to take a look, since I've never heard of Etsy. It turns out to be a sort of eBay for hand-made crafts. RhiRhi has some very nice knitware on there - love the worm scarves in particular.
But then I have a brainstorm. Hand-made craft stuff - might someone be making watches on there? Well, turns out there is: check out this beauty for a start.
And what's more, I also had a second brainstorm, because a lot of the more ornate watches on Etsy are being marketed to the steampunks. And I know where they hang out - so if Etsy doesn't have what I want, then I bet someone on Whitechapel will.
After two brainstorms I really ought to go lie down, but work beckons.

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