Strange

Many among us believe that no one ever notices our watches. Of course, what we really mean is no one ever comments on our watches, since we have no way of knowing what others notice or don't notice. My personal experience has largely confirmed this observation. However, there have been several occasions in which a stranger has noticed and commented to me about my watch, each occasion of which took me quite by surprise.

By far the most commented on watch I own is my Mark VIII Naval Destroyer, scarcely surprising when one considers the sheer mass of the piece. It's like having a gorilla strapped to your wrist. To me the funniest response was from a waitress at a local restaurant, who stared openly at it for a few minutes before approaching to ask if she could take a picture of it. She asked where I'd gotten it and I gave her the maker's contact info. No idea whether or not she ever got one for herself. Largely because of its über high visual presence I hardly ever wear it, since I tend toward a grey man esthetic.

Then there is my Mido Multifort which, owing to its Halloween colors, has drawn a few comments. They were all complimentary, not really surprising as it's a pretty attractive piece, orange band notwithstanding. I haven't tried wearing it with its black strap, so I've no idea whether or not anyone would notice or comment on it without the blaze orange furniture.

The one that most took me aback was several weeks ago. I was sitting at my local caffeinery deeply engrossed in my xword puzzle when a guy walked up and said 'I like your Sinn' in response to the U1 I was wearing. He clearly was familiar with the marque, and conversation revealed he was quite the WIS. First time I'd encountered a kindred spirit in the wild. What surprised me about it is that the U1 is a pretty low observable watch, in that it has very little color and nothing particularly eye catching about it. Then again, WIS do tend to notice the watches around them.