Ticking Through Time: Exploring the Wind Up Watch Fair in NYC
For those who don’t know, I am a total watch nerd. My fascination with watches started thanks to my younger brother, who was into luxury watches long before I was. The first watch I ever bought was a Timex Chronograph from Macy’s on 34th St in Manhattan after I moved to the Big Apple for a job at 21 years old. Fast forward to today, my collection has expanded massively and includes watches ranging anywhere from $500 to $3k+.
The Impromptu Journey
This year, the Wind Up Watch Fair, the biggest micro and sub-luxury brand watch fair, took place right in the heart of New York City at Centre415. On a whim, I booked my ticket, and next thing I know, I was back in my old home, Manhattan.
The Fair Experience
The Wind Up Watch Fair is a three-day shopping event that brings together watch brands and enthusiasts like myself in a fun and engaging environment. Hosted by Worn & Wound, a major voice and authorized dealer in the watch community, they hold this event annually in cities like Chicago, San Francisco, and New York City. The fair is 100% free and open to the public.
Travel Woes and Central Park Bliss
My day started at 6am when I boarded my flight to LaGuardia. Note to self: never book a Spirit flight again. An unruly passenger delayed our flight, and the police had to remove her. Fun times.
The weather was perfect, and after landing, I went for a run through Central Park. After a solid 5k, I lined up for the second, biggest day of the event.
Entering Watch Wonderland
Doors opened at 12pm sharp, and there was already a huge line of geeks ready to spend their hard-earned money on these "pointless" timekeepers. In line, I overheard groups talking shop about watch brands, and it was electric. I felt like a kid in a candy store.
First Impressions
Once inside, you're greeted with a lovely guidebook and thrust into the foyer where multiple EDC (everyday carry) brands and some smaller, new watch brands pitched their products. Wren Watches and Makina Watches were among the first brands that caught my eye.
Wren Watches - New York brand, created by the team behind Wrist Enthusiast, a popular watch-focused blog and voice in the community.
Makina - Filipino brand, highly awarded for their bold, unconventional designs. One of their most notable and recent releases include their collab with the Paris Olympics
Liquid Courage and Panels
To the left of the fair, a cash bar sponsored by Bruichladdich Distillery offered drinks and tastings of their finest Islay Scotch Whiskey. In the same room was the watch fair panel where brands and watch YouTubers took the stage to talk watches, the state of the market, and the community.
The Main Hall Madness
The big rush of the crowd filled in as you’re greeted first by the Christopher Ward team, one of the lead sponsors. CW has, without a doubt, been the most exciting watch brand of the year and it was no surprise to see them front and center. Meeting Mike Pearson, their brand director, was a pleasure. I’d been a fan of his work since his days working with Zodiac.
Among the 20+ brands on the first floor, my favorites included:
William Wood Watches - Unique timepieces using upcycled firefighting materials. Easily the most unique of all the brands I saw throughout the entire event, too bad I have no firefighter ties!
De Rijke & Co - Dutch brand designing watches specifically for drivers. Their fun moon-phase watches were particularly pleasing to the eye.
Out of Order - Italian brand known for their distressed, “Damaged in Italy,” finish. Not everyone’s cup of tea but their cocktail line of watches are definitely worth a look.
Shinola - American brand based out of Detroit. A true symbol of American watch making and revitalization, they make watches, leather goods, bikes, and other accessories.
The Second Floor and Oris
Moving up to the second floor is where your jaw really drops. As you come up the stairs, you’re greeted by Oris, one of the last truly independent Swiss watch brands and another lead sponsor of the event. Their lineup is truly one of a kind, and their newest diver, the Diver Date 39mm, was on full display, having been released just a couple of weeks ago.
An Overwhelming Showcase
Once you turn the corner, you’re met with an almost overwhelming showcase of over 90+ watch brands! I couldn’t believe my eyes. The sheer amount of trust these watch brands have for a free event open to the public was incredible. Before I even took my camera out, I spent almost two hours just gawking, trying on watches, and chatting with the different brands to get a feel for their work.
Among these 90+ watch brands, my favorites included:
Bravur Watches - Swedish brand with a focus on sport watches and Scandinavian design. Their vibrant colored chronographs give bigger brands a run for their money.
Boldr Supply Co - Singapore-based brand known for creating rugged, stylish, and functional timepieces. Their field watches and Pokemon lineup are worth a look, especially if you want to catch em’ all!
Echo/Neutra - Italian brand producing Swiss-made watches with classic Italian design. Picking up their gorgeous moon-phase field watch and their latest release, the GMT chronograph, could boast a solid two-watch collection.
Haim Watch Co - Chicago-based microbrand with timeless design and modern aesthetic. Easily one of the standout watches of the show, their “Viajero,” is a beautiful world-time dress piece that punches WAY above its class.
Laco - German brand known for their precise timepieces, particularly their legendary pilot watches. You either love or hate their minimalist designs. In this case, I did finally fall in love after seeing their latest releases in my favorite colorway, neon.
Lorca - New York-based microbrand with old-school looks and modern detail. Their first ever release was already a stunning GADA (go anywhere, do anything) watch, but their “Model 2,” knocks it out the park.
Squale - Italian-Swiss brand renowned for their professional dive watches. One of my favorite watch YouTuber personalities is a HUGE advocate and deisgner for this brand, TGV. It was great to meet the team behind such a historic brand.
Traska - American-made microbrand known for its durable, vintage-inspired, everyday wear watches. For those looking for that truly classic combination of looks, whether it be a dive, GMT, or everyday wear, Traska offer’s some incredibly clean and understated products sure to scratch that itch.
My Second Purchase: Mr. Jones
Needing to pick up something for my wonderful wife, I found Mr. Jones Watches, a London-based brand founded by Crispin Jones. Known heavily in the watch community for their quirky, art-forward designs, it was lovely to see their famous “Ricochet” watch in-person. As I was making my way through their offerings, one stood out perfect for Erica. I think you all can agree this timepiece I picked up for Erica is a smash hit!
Final Stop: Zodiac
Rounding out my day, I had to swing by my favorite watch brand of all, Zodiac. This historic Swiss brand, founded in 1882, is known for pioneering the first dive watches, introduced as the “Sea Wolf” in 1953, alongside Rolex and Blancpain. Their designs, in-house STP movements, and fun colorways have had my heart since my first ever luxury watch purchase two years ago, the neon-green “Super Sea Wolf.”
Surprise, Surprise!
At this point, I was more than a few drinks deep and had just met Jody Musgrove, the founder of Erebus Watches and face of the hilarious watch YouTube channel, “Just One More Watch.” The vibes were high, and I was in a great mood. This combination of energy led me to my third and final purchase of the day, the Zodiac Sea-Chron in galaxy blue. I had my eyes on this since its release, and seeing it in person prompted me to complete my three-watch Zodiac collection, though my back pocket didn’t agree with this decision.
Hats Off to Worn & Wound
My hat is off to the Worn & Wound team for this expertly executed three-day event. This was, without a doubt, the biggest watch fair in the world. I luckily got the chance to meet and speak with Max, the founder of Watch Crunch, who mentioned that the fire marshall told the staff to start limiting people as they were exceeding 10,000 attendees. The talent and craftsmanship of the people and the brands at this event were next level. To imagine that some metal timepieces on your wrist—a century-old technology—can bring people of this magnitude and size together is truly a sight to be seen.
As Worn & Wound said,
“This was an undeniable signal to the watch industry at large that enthusiasts cannot and should not be ignored.”
