This is a typical Simon Cudd photo collage, with emphasis on both the watch and the landscape, of his favorite watch: a Rolex GMT-Master “Pepsi” from 1973, the year of his birth

If you are a regular user of social media in the watch world, then you are likely to have crossed paths with some of Simon Cudd’s work over the last few years. I certainly have, and his artistic images never fail to capture my attention.

Simon is a visually creative guy who, by his own admission, usually chooses to express his passion for things horological through images rather than the written word.

Simon Cudd

This is most likely a result of the fact that he graduated with a bachelor of arts degree in fine art printmaking from the Winchester School of Art nearly twenty years ago. “This is where I found a passion for photography,” he reveals.

After graduating, he worked at various jobs including as a photographer specializing in architecture and interiors.

“You could also say I’m addicted to social media through the various platforms,” Simon, an early user of Instagram, which suits his photographic instincts and creative mind, recently told me. “If I’m not adding to it, then I’m reading, following and ‘liking’ it!”

Bell & Ross BR01

The watch bug

“I have always liked watches, but the bug finally bit in 2007,” Simon, who now lives in Oxfordshire, explains how he arrived in the interconnected world of timepieces. The bug bit him when he knew he had to have a certain watch because, “I wanted to be different from all the other people that I worked with.” The watch that sparked his passion was the very masculine, square-shaped, aviation-inspired Bell & Ross BR01.

Entering the watch world fully in early 2008 as a “keen blogger” and a participant of various forums, Simon even set up his own watch forum in conjunction with a designer friend dedicated to the French/Swiss brand Bell & Ross.

As a consequence of that far-sighted, interest-driven venture, he was propelled into a full-time position as Bell & Ross’ community ambassador in 2011, where he liaised directly with fans of the brand and promoted it across various social media platforms. “I basically made people aware of the brand through my own passion and sharing my own interpretations of the brand’s message,” he said. He left Bell & Ross in late 2013 to pursue a more flexible freelance position that enabled him to work with multiple brands.

The latter includes working as a social media consultant, which he has continued to do alongside photographing timepieces to this day. Simon, who edited the U.K. edition of 0024 WatchWorld for a short time, also continues to pursue freelance photography and journalism.

In terms of personal watch taste, Simon enjoys a broad spectrum of timepieces. “My watch taste varies from simple quartz watches to mechanical and vintage timepieces.”

Simon Cudd taking a selfie in an interesting landscape

Simon is also interested in things outside of horology, which add other points of interest to his range of work. “It’s not all about photographing watches for me!” he laughs in answer to this possibly nerdy question. “I also have a passion for motorsports, landscape, architecture, lifestyle, and travel media, too.”

We hope that you like Simon’s image-rich Quill & Pad posts as much as we do. Please join us in welcoming him to our community.

You can see more of Simon’s visual wizardry and pictorial musings on his own blog www.cuddsville.com and his Instagram account.