How PuristS Discovered the Watch Community

AndrewD · 2014-02-19T14:37:22Z

AndrewD shares his journey of discovering PuristS, highlighting the community's expert discussions, welcoming atmosphere, and the impact it had on his watch collecting passion.

AndrewD

WPS member · Horological Meandering forum

29 replies5684 views0 photos

AndrewD shares his personal journey of discovering PuristS, detailing how a search for information on the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Grand Date led him to the forum in 2004. He reflects on the community's high-level discussions, extensive knowledge, and welcoming atmosphere, which ultimately inspired him to become an active contributor.

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I always had an interest in mechanical objects, small and large. Mechanical watches were included in that, but it took my fortieth birthday in 2004 for me to start researching a nice modern watch to mark the occasion.

A JLC Reverso was already on my mind, and a Google search for information on the Reverso range led me to the usual watch sites. But of all the forums I visited, ThePuristS stood out as something unique and special. The threads were interesting and opened my eyes to many different areas of horology. For example, I was most interested in movements and engineering (why else would anyone own a mechanical watch?!) but I soon realised that other aspects of design, aesthetics, wearability, history, reliability and servicing were just as important. The tone of the conversations were at a very high level, as was the knowledge and friendliness of the participants. The watches and collections were amazing (I saved some 20,000 images on my hard drive from those early years). And it wasn't just the watches - I found the people here to be interesting, learned, warm and of like mind on many topics. PuristS was a community I wanted to be part of.

But even so, it took me many months to post my first question. Somehow after that I managed to think of another 12000+ things to say!

How did you discover ThePuristS or it's evolution, PuristSPro?

Andrew

Ps. Here is the fruit of my first encounter with PuristS - the JLC Reverso Grand Date. Still in my collection. Thanks to PuristS past and present.

Key Points from the Discussion

Many members discovered PuristS through Google searches for specific watch models or comparisons, drawn by the high quality of posts and detailed reviews from seasoned collectors.
The forum is valued for its open-minded, polite, and respectful environment, contrasting with other forums that might be perceived as pretentious or focused on selling watches.
PuristS was initially perceived by some as a private club for the very rich, but this perception changed upon experiencing the community's genuine knowledge sharing and helpfulness.
The community is praised for its diverse membership, ranging from new enthusiasts to seasoned collectors, fostering an environment where knowledge is generously shared without pretension.
The growth of luxury watch brands and advertising in regions like Brazil and Australia is noted, often driven by increasing interest from Asian populations and travelers.
The idea of a 'first watches' series for seasoned collectors is proposed, to explore initial buying decisions, how tastes evolve, and the long-term satisfaction with early acquisitions.

The Discussion

MichaelC

Feb 19, 2014

And at the time, the only worthy platform anywhere on the "world wide web" was thePuristS, founded of course by the infamous-around-these-parts Dr. Thomas Mao. From the very beginning, I was captivated by the friendliness of the members and the substantial information. And I participated a while before acquiring my first AP (which I have thought to picture here in another thread and I will, soon). Thanks Andrew!

Dr No

Feb 19, 2014

. . . that told me about The Purists. At the time, there was only one dedicated forum catering to the English-speaking world - ours. I devoured it daily, and esteemed Marcus as a sort of demi-god (I hope he doesn't read this!). I don't think I even looked at the other forums. I met Thomas in '03 at a Purists G O function here in LA, and then a few times more, but we really didn't connect until the November '04 VC Overseas event. I'd been a lurker for years, but finally went online just to respon

palmasea

Feb 19, 2014

Andrew, Im also a lucky owner of a JLC Reverso grande date...and as much as I rarely wear it, it is my favorite of the non-super complication reversos! Cheers, Palmasea

ThomasM

Feb 19, 2014

ThePurist178? Glad to read you! TM

ThomasM

Feb 19, 2014

afterall, we don't show off here, we share! :-)

nilomis

Feb 20, 2014

When I decided to try to understand a little more about watches I landed on the old Purists site. At that time I had a bookmark folder and every morning I opened the forums that I was tracking and read and read. Never posted. Just reading. The Purists (the old one) was some kind of 90's forum that I believed was some sort of private club dedicated to very rich (now Thomas go to kill me) and pompous people. Time passes and I start understanding that other forums were full of second intentions (po

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