Category: Start Here

A personal origin story and what you’ll find here

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An itch that started with my grandfather’s HMT

I was eight when my grandfather slipped off his HMT Rajat, pried open the case‑back with a battered pen‑knife, and showed me the oscillating rotor. “It powers itself as long as you keep moving,” he said, half professor, half magician.

That tiny swinging weight—no batteries, no screens—hooked me for life. The allure wasn’t price or prestige; it was engineering poetry you could wear.

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Fast‑forward to adulthood: tech life, restless hands

By day I’m a tech consultant untangling cloud architectures and spaghetti code. The work is cerebral, digital, ephemeral. Watches became my analog counterweight—gears you can actually hear ticking after a day full of Slack pings.

In the past few years I doubled‑down on the hobby because:

1. Depth – Horology is an endless rabbit‑hole: movements, finishing, micro‑brands, history.
2. Mindfulness – Winding a mechanical watch each morning is a 10‑second meditation.
3. Community – Nothing sparks conversation like spotting a familiar dial across a conference table.

I’ve already infected my wife, brother, and a couple of colleagues with the bug. This blog is simply the next, inevitable spiral: learn more together and pay forward what I pick up.

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“Spend less than you make, and invest the rest”

Morgan Housel hammers this idea throughout The Psychology of Money:

“Spending money to show people how much money you have is the fastest way to have less money.” — TPoM, Chap. 7

That resonates. I earn a decent living but prefer value over flex—which is why you’ll see me index more on affordable watches under 2K. It’s a sweet spot where craftsmanship meets pragmatism; wealth you don’t see belies the real flex. That doesn’t mean that I don’t drool over the more expensive timepieces, which I’m sure most of my readers do as well. So, I’ll surely create content spotlighting such watches, their brands and the history behind them.

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My first “serious” watch: Sinn 104 St SA

Last year my wife surprised me with a Sinn 104. It nails everything I love:

• Tool‑watch toughness
• Day‑date complication (beats checking a screen)
• Design that toggles between boardroom and barbecue

It also proved you don’t need a Swiss marquee to own a lifetime piece—another ethos you’ll see here.

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But … didn’t you ditch the Apple Watch?

Yup. I wanted less beeping on my wrist.

Problem: I still need health metrics and multiple time‑zones (family in India, clients worldwide).

Solution:

• Oura Ring Gen 3 for covert fitness tracking (battery lasts a week; no glowing rectangle).
• A rotating roster of mechanical watches with use‑case complications: GMT hand when traveling, day‑date for office cadence, timing bezel for workouts.

Call it digital minimalism with analog flair—and yes, it squares with the cost‑conscious mantra because the ring replaces annual smart‑watch churn.

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What to expect from this blog

1. Plain‑English explainers – Movements, servicing, water resistance, lume, you name it.
2. Curated watch reviews – Always under $2 k, with real‑world wear tests.
3. History & stories – From HMT’s role in post‑Independence India to Sinn’s aviation roots.
4. Buying used, safely – Marketplaces, red‑flags, and negotiation scripts.
5. Money matters – Total‑cost‑of‑ownership calculators and “buy once, cry once” spreadsheets (coming soon).
6. Interviews & community spotlights – Everyday collectors, not just influencers.

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How you can dive in right now

• Subscribe to the newsletter (form in the sidebar).

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Thanks for stopping by—wind your watch, stay curious, and let’s demystify mechanical timepieces together.

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Next up: “Mechanical vs. Quartz vs. Automatic—A 5‑Minute Primer.” Stay tuned.