Watches
Inside the case: what you are actually paying for
A mechanical movement is a spring released at a controlled rate. Six specifications separate a fine one from an ordinary one, and only two are advertised.
4 min read · 12 September 2026
Watches · The bill after the sale
Cost of ownership
Purchase price plus servicing across the years you intend to own it, against the quartz and the do nothing alternatives. The number the price tag leaves out.
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Service intervals and prices are market ranges for good independents and brand centres. Adjust them if you have a real quotation.
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The reading behind it
Watches
The bill nobody shows you before the sale
A mechanical watch has a running cost. Across twenty years it is often a quarter of the purchase price, and it is entirely predictable.
3 min read · 10 September 2026
Watches
Chronometer, COSC, and what accurate actually means
A certification measures a movement in a laboratory before it is cased. What happens on your wrist is a different question with a different answer.
3 min read · 9 September 2026
The Friday file
One material, one number, one thing worth knowing
A short letter on Fridays: a single material examined, the arithmetic behind a purchase people get wrong, and the one line from the week worth keeping. No offers, because there is nothing to sell.