I was recently contacted by my friend Karishma Karer. Karishma lives in Mumbai and has been involved in the watch world for almost two decades. She is a leading horological voice in India, having first written for Watch Market Review Group and then launching luxury magazine Hands on Time 14 years ago. She has also been the group editor of Australia’s Hours & Minutes.
Together with Sarosh Mody, who has also been involved in watches for a couple of decades now, Kari created The Hour Markers, where she also specifically, but not exclusively, addresses women. If you go on the platform what you will not necessarily see are so-called ladies watches. “It is a domain where we share the love and knowledge with the unbounded individuals; for whom a timepiece transcends beyond an inanimate object,” she says.
With the monotony of lockdowns, Zoom meetings, and a general ban on personal interaction right now in the age of Covid – as well as the fact that we all miss seeing each other, which is when we would generally chat about watches – Kari had the idea to do an occasional Zoom chat and record it to release on her platform.
For this first edition of “Who Needs A Book Club!” Kari also invited my old friend Sandra Lane. Aside from being a bundle of fun, Sandra is very knowledgeable, honest, and opinionated – characteristics I love in my friends. Sandra has been in fashion and luxury for about 30 years, switching full time to watches and jewelry in the last ten.
Though a world-roving Nomad, Sandra, who was born in New Zealand, has been based in Dubai for many years. She has been editor of the Middle East edition of Revolution and the leading Arabic-language watch and jewelry magazine as well as a contributor to a number of other publications.
Here the three of us discuss several topics – some quite embarrassing! We didn’t want to make it too long, but I thought a lot of what we said might be interesting for anyone, regardless of WIS level. “I sincerely believe that ‘we women’ are looked at as ‘women of the watch industry’ rather than peers or individuals of the industry that we have been a part of for decades,” Kari aptly says.
We touch on buying a first watch, basic at-home care of mechanical watches, how to be taken seriously as a female in watches, and the best watches to gift a man or a women – it is after all Valentine’s Day!
We strapped our finest on our wrists – so much vintage! – and poured ourselves some coffee (or tea) before diving into the world of watches, candidly sharing what we thought.
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