Thomas’s 2024 New Year’s Watch Resolutions: A Decisive Year In Any Case
I belatedly wish you all a happy new year, my dear Fratelli! As one of the last Fratello writers to jot down my 2024 horological resolutions, I hope you’re not tired of this theme yet. I can only promise that my plans differ quite a bit from those of my colleagues, so this article should be a bit different. Not least of all, this is because there is major uncertainty in my near future.
As you have surely read before, I am in the middle of starting a watch company. After more than a year of development, 2024 will see me launch my debut watch. Naturally, this will affect my watch-collecting hobby, whatever the outcome. If you are tired of the VPC-related talk, you’d better skip this article; I cannot possibly look ahead to 2024 without getting into it here. If you’re still up for it, let’s dive into it together!
Looking back on 2023
Starting a watch brand has been a longtime dream of mine. However, it took writing and publishing my book on the vintage Datejust for me to gain the required confidence. “If I pulled this off, perhaps I can go one step further,” I told myself. By that time, unfortunately, my family was struck by some hardship in the private realm, and my plans went into the fridge. Come 2023, there was light at the end of the very dark tunnel, and I had gained a newfound insight that life was too short to postpone my dreams. With that in mind, I officially started VPC in January.
This meant that my watch-collecting hobby was put on pause for a very simple reason — money. Starting a business, especially a watch brand, is extremely costly. I took out a significant business loan and dialed my private expenses back as far as I could. This was a year of few indulgences and frivolities.
My watch collection shrunk quite a bit. I sold six watches and acquired one in return. My Panerai Radiomir PAM00210 took the place of several watches that saw too little wrist time. In a broader sense, I did have an awesome horological year. I wrote dozens of articles for Fratello, sold out my book, and had an absolute blast developing my watch. I initially expected to release it in 2023, but that turned out unfeasible. It will certainly happen this year, though.
Resolution #1: Launching my watch in 2024
Of course, my biggest watch-related resolution for 2024 is to launch my VPC Type 37HW. I should receive the fully functional samples within a few months. Unless we uncover serious unexpected shortcomings, that means I should be able to open the presale this spring. I need a little bit of time to do great photography with Morgan. The samples will then go on a little tour across some other media outlets before the presale for the first production run opens.
That first run will consist of 300 watches, 100 in each of the three dial colors. So, to put it bluntly, my resolution is to sell 300 watches this year. The success of the presale determines whether I am left with a healthy startup watch brand or a serious debt. In case of success, I might continue collecting watches, but it will be in a different way that I will explain in a moment. In case of failure, my current watch collection is collateral for the business loan, and I will have to sell all of them. Simply put, watches will be sold this year. I just have to work my butt off to ensure they’re all VPCs, not ones from my private collection.
Of course, I wouldn’t have done this if I didn’t believe I would succeed. So for the remainder of my 2024 resolutions, let’s optimistically presume that the watches sell out in 10 minutes and that VPC is now a real watch company.
Different watches for 2024
One thing is clear: I have become more interested in different types of watches than I was before. I am a huge fan of the GADA-style watch. As you may know, the VPC Type 37HW is my vision of the ultimate “go anywhere, do anything” wristwatch. I set out to develop my dream do-it-all timepiece, and I am proud to say that it looks like it will turn out that way. With my very detailed initial concept and designer Max Resnick’s over-performance in making it come alive, this is indeed turning out to be everything I look for in a GADA watch.
This has, in a way, ruined other watches of this style for me. My King Seiko, for instance, was one of my favorite watches. I have, however, sold it since I simply fell out of love with it while developing my Type 37HW. Even if the project fails, I will have the working samples to wear, so I am covered in this area. This quenched my long-held desire for a Rolex Explorer ref. 114270 as well. The Omega Aqua Terra that I enjoyed so much during my review of it is also no longer alluring to me. I just don’t see myself wearing any of them over my very own watch.
So I find myself lusting after watches that do not operate in the same realm as VPC — watches that will never overlap with anything I may do with VPC in the future. My Radiomir is a great example. I love its design, and I will never make anything like it myself, so it has a place in my watch box. And there are others like that. Let’s cover a few that have a particularly strong siren call for me.
On the 2024 wish list: Cartier Santos Galbée XL
One watch that lives in a different realm from my own is the Cartier Santos Galbée XL ref. 2823. It is my preferred version of an iconic, historic design. This is the exact reference that my colleague Daan rocks. Fascinatingly, he almost single-handedly popularized this reference on Instagram. Some people now even refer to it as “the Daan watch.”
Although you might argue, as Daan did, that this is also a GADA watch, it wouldn’t serve that purpose for me. To me, it is a landmark design. I love the signature Cartier dial layout, one of the few on which I appreciate Roman numerals. The case and bracelet teleport me to early 20th-century Paris. I also love the size and stance on my 17cm wrist.
I came close to buying one in 2023. It was either the Cartier or the Panerai. It remains on my wish list for 2024. I am quite sure that I will purchase one at some point, and if not this year, then sometime soon after.
On the 2024 wish list: IWC Big Pilot’s Watch 43
Adding a Radiomir to my collection has been an eye-opening experience. I figured it would be a bit of a gimmick outlier in my collection. I was almost sure it would be a watch that I would only wear occasionally when my mood, outfit, and plans for the day were just right. Boy, was I wrong! I wear it all the time. It showed me that I can easily wear more extreme watches. And that activated a latent desire for something else — something from IWC.
I have always admired IWC’s (Big) Pilot’s Watches. I don’t particularly like the way the 46mm models sit on my wrist, though. A Mark XVIII had been on my wish list for some time but never quite at the top, taking concrete priority. But then I had the chance to spend time with three of the four sizes of current IWC Pilot’s Watches. As you can read here, I fell for the Big Pilot 43.
I will never develop a historic Flieger-style watch under VPC, so there is space in my mind and watch box for an IWC. The Big Pilot 43 might just be the one for me.
Breguet Classique 5157
On the 2024 wish list: A Breguet
Something that is currently missing from my collection and will also never compete with VPC is old-world Haute Horlogerie. Breguet, in particular, has my attention. I love the classical aesthetic of the Classique line with those subtle guilloché dials. I haven’t, however, had a good chance to try enough of them to come to an informed decision. Daan’s ref. 5907 looks a tad too small on my wrist. RJ’s prospected ref. 5157 might be the one, but I’d have to see how that looks on me.
Breguet Classique 5907
I would probably opt for the rose gold version. It is as classical and as preppy as they come, which I love with some jeans, a white T, and sneakers. A hard contrast like that just works for me. Interestingly, I don’t think I would ever wear it formally.
On the fence for 2024: Rolex Submariner ref. 14060
My final entry is one of my favorite watches of all time, the Rolex Submariner 14060(M). To me, this is the best generation of Submariners to wear daily. I love the modest, subdued aesthetic paired with reliability and a rugged build. It is quite similar to my Explorer II in that sense, which is my most-worn watch.
Weirdly, I have never owned what is one of my all-time favorite watches. When I was in the position to buy one, they had broken the €10K mark, which I wasn’t willing to pay. I had already said goodbye to the idea of ever owning one, but now that they have come back down somewhat, it is very tempting. I know many will find this a boring choice, but I just feel this watch is close to perfection.
I am on the fence, though. I plan on developing a VPC diver next. Although it will not look like a Submariner at all, it will be a subdued, simple dive watch at a similar scale. In that sense, it will be a direct competitor for the same wrist time as a 14060. And I just know that I will reach for my design over a competitor when it comes down to it. This, then, is on the “maybe” list.
Closing thoughts
There you have it — my very uncertain watch resolutions for 2024! Even in the best-case scenario, I will certainly not add all of these watches in one year. But these are the ones that are currently on the shortlist. Will I have any funds? Will I still own my current collection come 2025? Will I even be interested in other watches once I have my VPC? I simply cannot predict any of this at the time of writing. And that fills me with anticipation and excitement. Whatever happens, 2024 will be a pivotal year for me. There will be massive changes for the better or worse. The only certainty is that there will be changes.
There is only one thing to do — keep pushing to make the dream come true. The rest will follow naturally. Come on, 2024; I am ready for you!
Since you have probably already shared your 2024 resolutions under my colleagues’ articles, let me finish with a different question. If you were to develop a watch of your own, what type would it be? And how would it affect your collecting hobby? Let me know in the comments below!
