cazalea
[Seiko Moderator]
20945
I was nominally in the automotive industry for 25 years
My jobs involved writing & editing technical information for professionals - service, diagnostics, labor estimating, parts catalogs, residual values, etc. I enjoyed it a lot and took me to many places around the world driving fun cars and going through factories and dealerships. But it was really the “information” business, collecting and condensing and reselling data about a subject I loved. Best of both worlds, really. And in the meantime I bought and sold about 50 cars, not as a business but as a car nut.
Would working in watches kill your love of the hobby?
What do you guys think? When I had a guitar retailer and pedal co, it killed my love of guitar for a while, and even now I barely play guitar compared to before. Things went quite well, but working on guitar related stuff 10 - 14 hours a day, and then pla...
Not many people can actually have the good fortune to work in an industry of their hobby ..
I don't know, but I think this depends on your job function, because I think it will be different if you are in Marketing/Sales, R&D, watch restoration or repair, or a watchmaker. For me, I have the thought of working in the watch industry like a Sale...
Something thats on my mind too for quite some time now but with the same thoughts like you!!
Not sure if it will ever happen but would think it would be kinda cool .
Never try, never know :)
I'll think about it but for now, I'm enjoying being the customer and be pampered, haha...
Perhaps it’s not just guitars
but all of the other things that accompany having to make a go of a viable business. When I was a pro photographer, I loved every single minute of it and was doing it 24 hours a day, but of course I hated the business end of it which was a total drag and ...
I was doing big budget
(250K - 500k per job) fashion so it would be like a Hollywood director going from Titanic to home movies. I’m completely out now but there are parts of it I really miss. Mostly the energy and creativity.
I think you’re right.
I resisted ever working in the car industry for exactly that reason. I can wrench on my cars or go instruct drivers at my leisure. If I need to do that for others I think it would kill the fun. I think the same could hold for watches. They are a fun diver...
I was nominally in the automotive industry for 25 years
My jobs involved writing & editing technical information for professionals - service, diagnostics, labor estimating, parts catalogs, residual values, etc. I enjoyed it a lot and took me to many places around the world driving fun cars and going throug...
Some thoughts on working in watches
This first paragraph reflects the experience of a friend who worked in a store for about a year Selling luxury is hard work and requires skills I didn’t have. Luxury goods customers are looking for a next watch to buy, on the hunt for just the right...
It may
I think clueless said it best, very few people have the good fortune of making a livelihood out of their hobby. And for those that do, they are very, very lucky. I’ve actually thought about this before. After being with the same small business for 2...
Changing jobs is a b*tch, isn't it?
I think many of us have thoughts to change something in our professional lives and chase the rabbit elsewhere. Too bad it's pretty much always starting from the bottom. And we have only that much time left.
I made the switch from hobbyist to pro
The main differences are that A) it makes you focus even more on the stuff that you think is actually good vs the sea of bs. And that B) we all do go through ups and downs with any hobby and having it as a profession doesn't allow you to modulate your exp...
Hi Steve, as I recall, I bought a watch from you … or wait, did you buy one from me?
It was so long ago - you drove down in a new Aston Martin and we made a swap in San Clemente? Must have been 20+ years ago. Mike
Difficult to say as I've been in the business for 25 years
I wasn't collecting before... it was a job before it became a hobby. Once it became not just a job but my hobby the work part became a lot more fun! I still love watches dearly to this day, but as Steve points out, as time goes on I'm much better suited t...
Depends……
Retail would suck unless I could curate the inventory ( vintage, used )….. For me, most watches as just depressing (boring, too blingy, some fatal design flaw, too big, too small, overpriced)….. The design or repair part might be cool…..
Yes. That said, I know of one guy who, after early retirement, went . . .
. . . into a business he had a passion for and successfully made it his second career. Fast forward to the 5' 40" mark if you don't feel like watching the whole video. This clip was recorded early in the pandemic - Stiix Billiards reopened successfully. W...
It Happened To Me ...
50 years ago when (as an avid motorcyclist to this day) I thought nothing could be better than working in motorcycles. So ... I took a sales job at a local dealership. 6 weeks later I was in motorcycle overload. Luckily, I quickly quit that job and the fi...