Recently I returned to an old hobby of mine, which is to collect watches. Basically, it's about getting interesting timepieces, wear them, learn how they work, and then put them away to revisit them later.
This return got me thinking about other things I like to collect, such as fountain pens and film cameras. And with that came the inevitable question… Why do I gather these things among my possessions? I could say that I love writing with my pens (and I have several bottles of ink to prove it). I could also claim that I'm passionate about taking photographs and carry a camera to work often enough. However, why do I need to have multiple versions of an item when one should suffice. Worse yet, why do I have several samples of old technology when there are tools that do the same task even better?
We collectors of old gear like to say that they still have some kind of humanity left in them. They were assembled thinking about the final user, not the final sale. That's why I enjoy wearing a different watch every day, because they were meant to be useful and pretty. As for my pens, there's no pleasure like sliding a nib loaded with smooth ink on velvety paper.
Major drawbacks here? I never really know the time. None of my watches agree on it.
I am Francisco Solares-Larrave, and this is my carefully curated perspective.
