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This story originally appeared on the Gents Cafe Newsletter. You can subscribe here.


I assume that you are all familiar with this slogan of a famous Swiss watchmaker. It evokes an object that is elegant, qualitative and lasts long illustrated by black and white pictures of fatherhood and motherhood. We could apply this slogan to any personal item we treasure; and in my case, these items would be watches and vinyls.

Purchasing a watch is a selfish act. Often half hidden behind the sleeve, the pleasure will be for us to look at it (unless we wear a very visible one) and to appreciate its refinements or the story behind it. My personal collection started 14 years ago with a Tag Heuer Carrera to celebrate a new job and has slowly grown to a few more carefully purchased and curated pieces. The last one, a Nomos Club Sport Neomatik polar, is a present that marked the recent birth of my son. His name and birthdate are engraved on the back of the watch and the polar blue colour of the dial, with which I fell in love, represents the blue eyes of my boy. However, while purchasing and wearing these watches is a selfish pleasure (and we should not feel guilty for that), I like to think that my son will enjoy them as much as I do when I will hand them down to him.

I am confident in saying so because my brother and I recently received our father’s vinyl collection – an endless list of iconic and eclectic sounds, names and covers we have grown up with and that shaped our musical taste. Vinyls have a smell, a size that highlights the artwork on their cover and a particular sound and atmosphere. Moreover, vinyls – these vinyls – have crackles that testify to their history, especially those that have been listened to over and over. How many times have The Ronette’s “Be My Baby” or the Rolling Stones’ “Aftermath” put on fire a teenager’s room or a Saturday night party in the sixties? How many times have I heard Mark Knopfler or Eric Clapton’s guitar notes at home? How will these records sound in 30 or 40 years?

These records obviously matter to me, but the emotions they carry along are far more rewarding – be the family ties, memories, or the moment in life it was purchased. These objects have to live until I pass them to the next generation. Watches have to be worn carefully just as vinyls have to be listened to. What is the interest of an immaculate watch that has been sleeping for years in a wardrobe? The sign of the times on a watch and the crackles on a vinyl will tell a story to the next generation.

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