Forget the Likes. Trust Your Wrist.

You don't truly know what you like until you've worn it.

In today's world, we consume watches through Instagram, YouTube, forums and countless other platforms.

Social media has been fantastic for the hobby. It introduces us to brands, references and watches we may never have discovered otherwise. It lets us compare designs, learn the history and enjoy some incredible photography and videography.

For many watch enthusiasts around the world, it is also the only realistic way to experience certain watches. Geography, availability, finances, or simply not having the right dealers nearby can make seeing particular pieces in person incredibly difficult.

In that respect, social media is wonderful. It has opened up the watch world enormously.

But we also need to understand what we are looking at.

When Enthusiasm Becomes Advertising

The line between watch enthusiast, content creator and influencer has become increasingly blurred.

There are now people whose watch content is, quite legitimately, a business. Brands may compensate creators through cash, watches, loan pieces, trips, events, hospitality, gifts, freebies or other commercial arrangements.

There is nothing inherently wrong with that. It is simply part of the modern advertising industry.

The difficulty for the viewer comes when the commercial relationship is not obvious.

A beautifully filmed wrist shot accompanied by a glowing review can look like one collector enthusiastically sharing a watch with another. Sometimes that is exactly what it is.

Sometimes you are looking at marketing.

And sometimes it can be remarkably difficult to tell the difference.

Even here in the UK, there are so-called 'influencers' who present primarily as passionate watch enthusiasts while also operating within the commercial ecosystem around brands.

Some may genuinely love watches - I do not doubt that many do - but as an audience we should remember that enthusiasm and commercial interests can coexist.

I can usually smell the sales pitch before they have finished telling me how the latest release has 'completely changed the game'.

Apparently the game changes roughly every three weeks.

And, miraculously, every watch seems to have 'surprised them on the wrist'.

Until the next one arrives.

I am being slightly sarcastic, of course, because this is not unique to watches. It is simply how advertising has evolved. The billboard became the magazine advert, the magazine advert became the banner ad and now, increasingly, the advert looks like a person you follow.

That is the world we live in.

It does not mean you should distrust everyone who creates watch content. Far from it. There are excellent creators producing thoughtful, knowledgeable work, and a commercial relationship does not automatically invalidate someone's opinion.

It simply means your own experience matters more than ever.

No influencer - paid, unpaid or somewhere in between - has your wrist. They do not have your proportions, your lifestyle, your preferences or your emotional response to a watch.

Which brings me back to the point of what I am writing.

The Screen, the Hand and the Wrist

Seeing a watch on a screen is one experience.

Holding it in your hand is another.

Putting it on your wrist is something else entirely.

And actually living with it can be different again.

No photograph can tell you how a bracelet drapes around your wrist. No video can properly communicate how the weight is distributed, whether the thickness bothers you, how the proportions interact with your wrist, or how a dial responds to changing natural light.

Specifications do not necessarily tell you either.

Two watches with identical case diameters can wear completely differently because of lug-to-lug measurements, case shape, bracelet integration, thickness, dial opening and dozens of other small details.

Then there is something much harder to quantify:

How does the watch make you feel?

That is where experience becomes invaluable.

I've Owned 'Grails' That Did Nothing for Me

Over the years I have owned and tried a lot of watches across vintage, neo-vintage and modern.

Every single one has taught me something.

I have had watches that I would once have described as grails. Watches I had admired from afar, researched, watched every single possible video on YouTube about, looked at repeatedly and convinced myself would be special.

Then I finally had one on my wrist and...

Nothing.

No connection.

On paper, everything was right. The specifications were right. The history was right. The reputation was there. Other collectors loved them. The photographs certainly looked good.

But my wrist did not care about any of that.

Equally, the reverse has happened.

I have tried watches that I would never have seriously considered from photographs. Perhaps the brand did not particularly interest me. Perhaps the proportions looked wrong online. Maybe I had simply decided, for whatever reason, that the watch was not 'me'.

Then it went on the wrist.

Completely different story.

Suddenly the proportions made sense. The bracelet felt fantastic. The size worked. Something about the watch clicked in a way photographs had completely failed to communicate.

Those experiences have probably taught me more about collecting than any review ever could.

Don't Dismiss the Brand

This is also why I do not think we should dismiss watches purely because of the name on the dial.

Brand perception is powerful.

We all carry preconceived ideas about certain manufacturers. Prestige, marketing, history, other collectors and social media inevitably influence those perceptions.

But try the watch.

You may still hate it.

Fine.

At least you will know why you do not like it, rather than simply repeating an opinion you have absorbed from somewhere else.

And occasionally, a brand or watch you had completely written off will surprise you.

Those surprises are part of the fun.

Experience More. That Doesn't Mean Buy More.

When I say collectors should experience more watches, I am absolutely not saying everyone should buy more watches.

There is an important distinction. Don't be an idiot like me and end up with a load of watches, of which I wear possibly four to six on a regular rotation.

Visit authorised dealers. Find good independent and grey-market dealers. Attend watch events. Go to collector gatherings. Talk to other enthusiasts. Try friends' watches when appropriate. Put something unexpected on your wrist.

A good grey-market dealer should not need to force you into buying something every time you walk through the door.

Build a genuine relationship. Be respectful of their time, show genuine interest and, obviously, do not become the bloke who appears every Saturday, tries on seventeen watches, drinks their coffee and mysteriously never owns a wallet.

Nobody loves a professional tyre-kicker.

But good dealers understand that relationships matter. A knowledgeable dealer who understands your taste can expose you to watches you might never otherwise have considered, and over time those relationships can become an important part of the hobby.

The same applies to authorised dealers, friends, events and collector communities.

Exposure builds experience. Experience builds taste.

There Is a Catch

There is, of course, a downside to exposing yourself to more watches.

Consumerism.

The dreaded NWA.

New Watch Alert.

Suddenly a watch you had absolutely no intention of owning 48 hours ago has somehow become 'essential to the collection'.

Trust me.

I've been there.

More than once.

This hobby can very easily turn curiosity into consumption, and there is always another watch waiting around the corner.

Experience does not have to mean acquisition.

Sometimes trying a watch is enough.

In fact, trying watches can actually prevent unnecessary purchases. I have lost interest in watches within thirty seconds of putting them on my wrist - watches I might otherwise have bought based purely on photographs and reviews.

That is valuable experience too.

Taste Is Personal

There is no objectively perfect watch collection.

We have different wrist sizes, lifestyles, budgets and personalities. Some people love small vintage watches. Others want substantial modern sports watches. Some collectors obsess over movements. Others care far more about case design, bracelets, dials or history. Some just want to flex with the wrist.

None of them are wrong.

Taste is not a competition.

And I think becoming a seasoned collector is partly about reaching the point where you no longer need everyone else to validate what you like.

Personally, as I have gradually honed what I perceive to be the perfect collection for me, I have realised that I could only have reached this point through experience.

Every purchase.

Every sale.

Every watch I thought I would love but did not.

Every watch I dismissed and subsequently loved.

Every watch I have tried without buying.

Even the mistakes.

They have all refined my personal taste.

I do not claim to be an expert on watches. I am not. I just like them.

There are people with vastly greater technical and historical knowledge of horology than I will ever possess.

But I have become an expert on one very specific subject:

What I Like.

And you can become an expert on what you like.

That is ultimately what matters.

Not an influencer's perfect collection.

Not Instagram's perfect collection.

Not the collection the market tells you to have.

Your Collection.

Social media can show you what exists. Reviews can educate you. Photographs and Reels can inspire you.

Influencers can introduce you to something you have never seen before.

Use all of it.

But then, whenever circumstances allow, go and experience the watches yourself.

Because the algorithm knows what will keep you scrolling.

The brands know what they want to sell you.

The market knows what is currently desirable.

But only your wrist knows what you actually want to wear.

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@awristology