In the Essence of Time…
The titles and labels are numerous, however, for those of us who are (let’s just put it out there) obsessed with watches, clocks, timepieces, etc., we all come back to the same fascination and deep connection with this object that allows us to keep…time.
Lately, I’ve been thinking about this idea that, “time is both our enemy and our friend”, and if you’re like me, being conscious of time is something you just can’t escape.
That being said, the sartorial aspect of timekeeping does offer an attractive proposition, and I would venture to say that menswear recognized this concept very early on in the process.
My fellow negroni comrade, Matt Hranek posits in his timekeeping homage, A Man & His Watch, that watches tell the world a bit about who you are. I couldn’t agree more and would add that menswear and style share much of the same philosophy.
At the Royal Artisan we celebrate the ethos of the artisan and part of that appreciation is indeed, the passion being transmitted; i.e. telling the world a bit about who we are.
From simple movements to grand complications, plastic cases to precious metals, quartz digital display to sub-second dials and beyond, the way we tell time can be quite revealing.
My love affair with watches began many, many (many) moons ago, and I’ve long been a lost cause, however, each time I glance down (or over) at the order of the day (the watch choice), I’m immediately reminded of who I am and who I wish to be. My watches have the ability to do that; my tailored clothing has the ability to do that, my vinyl records, my negroni, my Toscano cigar, and the list goes on and on.
As the title of the article so dictates, “in the essence of time”, it’s absolutely true that time does have an essence whether time is flying (pun intended) or we are striving to slow it down embracing all the futility that comes with the experience.
There’s a saying in Italian, “il tempo non esiste”, which translates to, “time does not exist”. A beautiful and philosophical phrase which actually there are several scientific theories which speak to this notion (we won’t go into detail here), and in large part I agree, however, I’m of the mind that it’s more of mindset and consciousness than literal sense. For if we didn’t have time, there would be no reason for these pieces of art on our wrists and we would have to find some other object to obsess over.