One of the great things about collecting watches is the diversity of offerings and the wide variety of products in every price ranges. While this can be a source of frustration and confusion, there are more than one web site, blog, or watch enthusiast group, ready and willing to help. For the price range that I would consider entry level (under $5,000 and up to $7,000) few blogs do it better than Worn & Wound.
Zach, Blake, and the rest of the Brooklyn-based blog produce a constant stream of quality, unpretentious reviews (text and video) of what they call value-driven watches. I've been a fan and frequent visitor to their site and YouTube channel since it's beginning in 2011. And perhaps the thing I appreciate the most is that they have resisted moving to the higher price ranges and maintained their focus in that entry-level bracket.
One of the things that the Worn & Wound crew do to keep their audience engaged and to introduce the many different indie brands they cover to a wider audience is an annual watch fair. Using the moniker Wind^Up, the fair is open to all. It's a no-tie affair, easy to attend event, that they have done in the past at New York's Chelsea Market, attracting over 10,000 attendees during one weekend. This time the gang decided to bring the goodness to the west coast, in their first Wind^Up outside of their home base.
Located at an industrial elongated studio, blocks from Union Square, the place feels more like an intimate boutique with close to 30 brands showing their products (some selling with special discounts for show attendees). While a few well known brands like Oris, Audomoto, and Junghans, are present many are niche watch and accessories brands that I had never heard of before, but was happy to discover.
Talking to Zach many of these are repeat participants who made the journey to San Francisco to meet watch lovers and potential future customers. But above all, the constant you can see and feel is a relax, no pressure, happy attitude, all over. A sort of "di-stiffication" of watch fairs and a gentle introduction of new brands to watch nerds.
Also, downstairs you will find more indie makes and get a chance to talk to the creators of Collins, Gavox, and Bespoke Watch Projects as well as a nice collection of vintage watches from Those Watch Guys.
No matter what your level of interest in mechanical watches or collecting, if you are in San Francisco, I'd highly recommend going to 459 Geary Blvd to visit the Wind^Up fair. Last day is Sunday May 20th.
The boys from Brooklyn are back with their (now annual) watch fair event in the heart of San Francisco: Wind^Up. Using the same location as last year, Zach, Blake, and the rest of the Worn & Wound crew managed to assemble 30+ plus watch brands to show their novelties and in some cases new watches being introduced for the first time at the fair.