Team Watchonista’s Resolutions For 2022
As 2021 draws to a close and in honor of New Year’s Eve, our global team shares what they’re looking forward to in the new year and gives some insights on how they’d like to see their personal watch collections evolve in 2022.
By Watchonista
If two years of living in a pandemic have taught us anything, it’s to expect the unexpected and prepare for anything. Looking back at our 2021 predictions and resolutions, we’re saddened to see that the world hasn’t quite yet returned to “normal.”
Still, as you’ve read about on the pages of Watchonista, the watch industry is alive and doing remarkably well.
We asked some of our now 20+ team members to give us their resolutions for 2022. And we’re not talking weight loss, dieting, or exercise. We’re talking watches!
Marco Gabella, Chairman & Executive Publisher
Despite my interest in collecting watches since the ‘90s, I’ll never buy a watch at auction again! However, my resolution to stop bidding in 2022 is more of an arithmetical conclusion. To put it plainly: I can no longer afford to pay what the market asks to satisfy my hobby.
It’s a sad thing to say, but I’ve been prepared for this eventuality for some time, seeing as I was priced out of my ability to acquire art more than a decade ago in a similar way. But, to be honest, I wasn’t expecting to see such rapid growth in the desirability of independent watchmaking. That said: I must admit, I also have many of those pieces on my wish list. Besides, I’m happy independent brands’ horological achievements are being recognized by the community.
My resolution, however, doesn’t mean I am done collecting watches; I am just opening myself to alternatives, just perhaps not the big names making headlines.
Andrew Luff, Chief Executive Officer
My resolution for 2022 is to catch up with all the watch gang that has been sorely missed over the past two years. Due to canceled shows and trips, I haven't seen collector friends, watchmakers, or journalist colleagues. My fear is that some of the shows will be canceled in 2022, but it's still a perfect excuse to meet somewhere else in the world and bring everyone back together. I can't wait to share good times and a mutual passion for watchmaking, cigars, food, and wine.
Josh Shanks, Editor-in-Chief
If 2021 has taught me anything, quality over quantity is the new normal. I hope, in 2022, the watch industry continues this shift by doing fewer events and novelty releases but keeping the ones that they do execute impactful and qualitative. I also hope for a Breguet Classique Ref. 7147 for my 40th birthday.
Elena Fichtel, Copy Editor & Fact-Checker
As a newer collector, I want to expand my collection. Unfortunately, I’m torn as to how I want to proceed.
Do I want to be more mainstream like my Seiko x Rowing Blazers? Do I want to go vintage like my Zodiac Dr. Pepper? Independent like my Oris Upcycle? What about microbrands? I don’t currently have any of those. Or, do I knuckle down and attempt to get my hands on a turquoise Rolex Oyster Perpetual 36 or even a white-dialed Explorer II?
So I guess, besides adding a watch or two to my collection, my 2022 horological resolution is to figure out what kind of collector I want to be.
Ash Longet, Communication & Project Manager
I don’t want any “iconic,” “must-have,” “most complicated,” or (even worse) “investment-grade” timepieces in the new year. No, I want one genuine, emotional, ridiculously “mine” watch. That is my watch resolution for 2022.
In the constant race for hype, quantity, and the perpetual desire to buy this or that gorgeous watch that we are surrounded by 24/7, we pay less attention to the real emotion and the real “why” behind owning a watch. The way I look at a timepiece, the way I smile at it, or the way I think about it while not having it on my wrist, is what will trigger me for my next purchase.
Liam O’Donnell, Senior Photographer
In 2022, I will endeavor to create more meaningful memories with the watches in my collection. I want to be more conscious of them during important moments throughout the year and to slow myself down to enjoy them more. Because ultimately, these watches will outlive me, and I want those memories to be passed along with them.
Kat Shoulders, Social Media Manager & Photographer
My new year’s resolution for 2022 is to be more content with my current watch collection. Instead of purchasing watches on a whim, I hope to make more impactful decisions and only purchase pieces that mean something particular to me. I want to add the type of watches that tell my story in 50 years.
Steven Rogers, European Editor
In 2021, more watches than ever caught my eye as potential additions to my collection, and I fell down the rabbit hole finding out more about them. But suffering from analysis paralysis, I ended up purchasing very few of them. In 2022, I want to change that and pull the trigger more often. If the last two years have taught us anything, it’s that we need to live in the moment.
Rhonda Riche, Editor-at-Large
I want to support more independent watchmakers. But I also need to invest more in maintaining my existing watches – this means new straps, cleanings, and repairing the date display on my Brazilian market Omega Dynamic which is stuck on Sexta-Fiera.
J.J. Owens, Marketing Coordinator
In 2022, I want to stop falling prey to wearing a watch solely because of the air around it. I think we can all agree that 2021 was the year of the hype-beast watch, and it’s hard not to react. We tend to be incredibly aware of others’ opinions and the “watches of the moment.” So, in 2022, I want to champion designs and makers that elicit the childlike joy true collectors know all too well.
Vittorio Della Canonica, Project Manager
For me, a watch tells more than just the time. It is a reminder of time’s scarcity and the speed of life. I don’t want to wear a watch because of its hype or prestige; I want a watch that empowers my decisions and accompanies me wherever I go. That is why, in 2022, I hope to find a watch that features these peculiarities and will allow me to wear it with pride, no matter the brand, quality, or complications.
Mike Espindle, Contributor
I think the trend in generalist watch design needs to continue. Until generalist watch designs began becoming more common a few years ago, if I were a woman, I would have been insulted by what the watch industry thought I should buy.
I can’t think of many watch designs that can be perfectly executed in stainless steel, so I hope that in 2022 stainless steel executions from very find high-end watchmakers are no longer an exception.
And lastly, I’ve been waiting for this for years, but I hope 2022 is the year we see a bump in non-circular case designs. Bring back the square, cushion, and rectangular cases!
(Photography by Watchonista)
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