Masamasa Hirota, editor-in-chief of the watch magazine Chronos Japan, has opened a snack bar for watch lovers! The first customers are tired (?) men in their 40s who are part of the responsible generation and who collect watches as a hobby while raising their families. How do they manage to enjoy their watch hobby with limited pocket money? We get a real glimpse of their opinions.
Text by Yudai Sendagi
[Article published on January 28, 2024]
The watch hobby of tired men in their 40s
Masamasa Hirota, editor-in-chief of Chronos Japan and webChronos, hosted a gathering of watch enthusiasts in their 40s at a bar in Kabukicho, the city that never sleeps. The theme was "The joy of enjoying watches within your own limited scope and how to manage the money for it."
The three people who gathered on this day were Mr. Ono, the president of a small business, Mr. Abe, an office worker in Shinbashi, and Mr. Daisaku, a systems engineer. Each of them is not only dedicated to their work, but also married and raising children in their 40s.
Not only do the three have different occupations, but the watches they purchased this year range from a Blancpain x Swatch Bioceramic Scuba Fifty Fathoms, an Apple Watch Ultra, to a cheap Casio. However, they all share a passion for watches. The four of them, including Hirota, enjoyed a lively discussion about watches as they sipped their drinks.
Photography and editing: Hosoda Yuto (this magazine)
The conversation begins with Hirota asking, "How do you balance your hobbies with your real life?" and then expands in all sorts of directions, including the amount of money he is willing to spend on watches, his watch collecting using online auctions, and his favorite brands.
The discussion was particularly lively when it came to "how to buy a watch without getting mad at your wife." Ono argued, "Just don't tell anyone (that you bought one) so they won't complain." She went on to offer her own excuses, saying, "Just say, 'They're all Casio.' 'They're rare G-Shocks.'"
Abe agreed, saying, "As long as it's not noticed, it's fine," while Daisaku, who likes cheap Casio watches, added, "Casio is good (because it's hard to notice)." However, in the end, they realized that "good watches have big boxes, so they can't be hidden."
Daisaku told the group about a man who restores old watches and sells them on online auction sites. He revealed that he follows the man's account and keeps a constant eye on his activities.
Abe says he has been to real-life auctions before, but unlike online auctions, which can be completed with a single click, he hesitated to actually raise his hand to bid, and was unable to purchase the item he wanted.
In the second half of the talk, Hirota spoke about the reasons why they continue to pursue a watch hobby. Each of them shared their reasons for loving watches: "Because I love machines" (Abe), "I want to use them as fashion items" (Daisaku), and "Watches are wearable works of art" (Ono).
