While it has been said for some time that young people are losing interest in watches, I learned about an interesting gathering on Twitter. The group, called CWYE, is made up of people under the age of 25. Their stance of welcoming anyone who loves watches is perfectly reasonable, and the timepieces they own are all quite nice. Why did they decide to gather around watches?
CWYE is a group made up of watch enthusiasts under the age of 25. It stands for "Community about Watches by Young Enthusiasts." There is no membership fee, and the group's main base of activity is Twitter, with information shared through a LINE group, making it a group that is characterized by connections centered around the internet. They have published two newsletters so far. While you might think it's a student initiative, the level of their work is quite high. CWYE is always looking for new members. Anyone under the age of 25 who loves watches is welcome.
Interview and text by Masayuki Hirota (Chronos-Japan)
[Article published in the July 2018 issue of Kronos Japan]
"Watches are primarily an adult hobby, but I wanted to let people know that young people can enjoy them too."
CWYE is a group of young watch enthusiasts. It was apparently founded by students in the Kansai region. When I expressed my desire to visit them for an interview, I was contacted and told to come to Bar Samboa in Umeda, Osaka. I thought we would meet at an izakaya, but instead we were greeted at a long-established bar celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. Just as I was imagining what kind of people they would be, four well-dressed people showed up right on time. Their responses were far more gracious than mine. Mr. K, the vice-chairman, told me about the history of the founding of CWYE.
"Mr. O, who serves as the committee chairman, and I happened to be at the same university. I sold a watch I owned over the internet and found out that he had bought it." They eventually got to know each other on Twitter and met in person in August 2015. This was the beginning of the founding of CWYE, a group for young watch enthusiasts. Incidentally, the group currently has 95 members, which is quite large for a group of watch lovers. Five of the members are women, 30% are working adults, and the youngest member is a junior high school sophomore, so the membership is quite diverse.
"Watches are considered an adult hobby, but we wanted to let people know that young people can enjoy them too," says Mr. T, the public relations manager. Like Mr. O and Mr. K, he is also a university student.
Each of them has an interesting story about what sparked their love for watches. Committee chairman O says it was the movie "Death Note." "I saw the lead actor, Tatsuya Fujiwara, wearing a Citizen Alterna watch and became fascinated with watches." Vice chairman K says his love for watches led him to work in the watch department of a department store at the age of 19. "I would use the money I made from selling watches to buy more," he says. T says that his introduction to watches came when he happened to see a Hamilton watch. He later bought an Orient mechanical watch and became engrossed in the world of watches. Y says he's loved watches since junior high school. "I bought an Orient mechanical watch when I was in my third year of high school."
All four of them own what might be called good watches. However, as students, it seems that raising money is quite difficult. Mr. Y says, "As a result of my love for watches, I started taking on more part-time jobs. I work four days a week." Mr. O, who owns Hublot and Audemars Piguet, says that while his family is quite wealthy, it has nothing to do with the watches he owns; he makes money by buying and selling watches. "It took me five years to build up my current collection," he says. It's not money that's troubling Mr. T, who is struggling in a different way. "Joining CWYE changed my life. Because I was called in even though I had an exam the next day. As a result, I had to repeat the year." Mr. T says, "Without a loan, there's no way I could have bought a watch."
But why were they so fascinated by watches? I certainly collected watches as a student, but I don't think I had the same passion for them. "Watches are the pinnacle of hobbies," said Mr. O. I couldn't agree more. While money and knowledge are always better, I also believe that watchmaking is something you can enjoy even without them. Mr. K said, "Watches are a trigger for pursuing something new. When you get to the bottom of it, it makes the other things you own better too. If I hadn't discovered watches, I might have become interested in clothes or shoes." Of course, he is the kind of person who frequents the long-established Bar Samboa, despite being a student. Perhaps he found his passion in watches.
Looking at the watches the four brought, the differences in tastes were striking. Mr. O favors a Hublot Big Bang and a Rolex Daytona, Mr. T is interested in El Primero's silicon escapement, Mr. Y brings a connoisseur's Reverso and an Old Inter, and the theoretician Mr. K brings a Rado Diastar and an Orient Grand Prix 100 Swimmer. They say that one of the Tokyo members owns a Breguet Marine.
Normally, with tastes so different, it would be hard to find common ground. But even during our interview, they each spoke about their favorite watches. The reason, they said, is that they won't allow anyone who denigrates the tastes of others or tries to force their values on others to join, and will expel them. Their desire to create a club where people can be proud of their favorite watches, regardless of price or brand, may be due to their youth, but it is an extremely pure one. Just under three years after its founding, the club has around 100 members. CWYE seems to be doing well, but how will it be run in the future? Currently, the upper age limit for joining the club is 25. Won't the four of us here lose our membership in a few years?
"We are thinking of extending this to include the under-28 age group and continuing it into the future. However, once they turn 30, they can buy a luxury watch with their bonus, and once they turn 40, their values will change and they may start looking at things other than watches." Indeed, they are very calm.
The CWYE gathering featured an astonishing array of luxury watches. However, as the group emphasized, anyone under the age of 25 who loves watches is welcome. Given the four members' stance of not belittling other people's possessions, it seems that anyone, no matter what kind of watch they own, would be welcome. Mr. Y also commented, "I used to only have Orient watches, too. But I would take photos with them next to Hublots."
Shooting cooperation
Bar Samboa Hilton Plaza East
Address: Hilton Plaza B2, 1-8-16 Umeda, Kita-ku, Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture
Phone: 06-6347-7417
Business hours: 11:00-23:00 (last orders 22:30)
