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What Makes Me Tick

About What Makes Me Tick

I am the resident storyteller and opinionator on Quill & Pad. According to Mrs. Ecton, my seventh-grade English teacher, the only subject I was able to more or less master was myself, so that’s what I write about! I’ll be sharing my thoughts on watches, those who make them, and those who love them, with the occasional shoe story thrown in because everyone knows the saying: “Your minute repeater chimes better when you’re wearing John Lobb.” I seriously believe that you can’t go around wearing a fantastic watch with crappy shoes. (And vice versa.)

Entries by What Makes Me Tick

Why You Shouldn’t Get Your Better Half Interested in Watches

March 31, 2024/1 Comment/in Highlights, Thoughts & Opinion/by What Makes Me Tick

“What, another watch?” she almost screamed in disbelief no sooner than I had opened the front door to our little love nest. Rewind to last week. I had been looking for a Roger Smith Series 1 for some time now, and Jones, my watch dealer, happened to finally locate one. I thought that I had played it pretty safe, so I really don’t know how she could have noticed. But then what happened next changed the rest of my life.

Why I Pimped My Rolex Explorer II

March 25, 2024/6 Comments/in Highlights, Collectors and Collecting, Rolex/by What Makes Me Tick

The watch nerd that WMMT is, he rarely immediately wears his new watches, putting them aside for a few days and letting the anticipation grow. When it finally came time to wear his new Rolex, he took it out of the box and proudly put it on his wrist. And then horror struck: he didn’t feel anything, not a thing! Zilch, nada, niente! What to do?

Why I Pimped My Rolex Explorer II – Reprise

April 8, 2023/5 Comments/in Highlights, Collectors and Collecting, Rolex/by What Makes Me Tick

The watch nerd that WMMT is, he rarely immediately wears his new watches, putting them aside for a few days and letting the anticipation grow. When it finally came time to wear his new Rolex, he took it out of the box and proudly put it on his wrist. And then horror struck: he didn’t feel anything, not a thing! Zilch, nada, niente! What to do?

6 Ways To Spot A Fake Watch, Even If You Don’t Know How To Spot A Fake Watch – Reprise

November 6, 2022/1 Comment/in Highlights, Collectors and Collecting, Thoughts & Opinion/by What Makes Me Tick

One evening, WMMT was sipping away at his ex-wife’s stock of 1945 Pétrus with his buddy Slippery Steve and contemplating a few of the essential questions in life, the kind that rarely find a real answer. Is there life after death? Can you really wear brown shoes after 6:00 PM? Is his Audemars Piguet a fake? Following on that conversation, Slippery Steve and WMMT offer you six easy ways to recognize if your watch is fake. No prior knowledge needed and entertaining photography guaranteed!

How Do You Top The Sensational De Bethune DB28 Maxichrono? By Customizing It, Of Course – Reprise

October 22, 2022/1 Comment/in Highlights, De Bethune/by What Makes Me Tick

What Makes Me Tick loves watches made by small independent artisans because they fully embody the visions of their makers, who have put blood, sweat, and tears into creating them. Among the independent brands, De Bethune is most probably his favorite. In fact, no “probably” about it: De Bethune is his favorite. Here’s how his customized DB28 Maxichrono came to be.

Why You Shouldn’t Get Your Better Half Interested In Watches – Reprise

October 9, 2022/3 Comments/in Highlights, Thoughts & Opinion/by What Makes Me Tick

“What, another watch?” she almost screamed in disbelief no sooner than WMMT had opened the front door to his little love nest. Rewind to last week. He had been looking for a Roger Smith Series 1 for some time now, and Jones, his watch dealer, happened to finally locate one. WMMT thought that he had played it pretty safe, so he really doesn’t know how she could have noticed. But what happened next changed the rest of his satirical life.

Why I Pimped My Rolex – Reprise

April 10, 2022/29 Comments/in Collectors and Collecting, Rolex/by What Makes Me Tick

The watch nerd that WMMT is, he rarely immediately wears his new watches, putting them aside for a few days and letting the anticipation grow. When it finally came time to wear his new Rolex, he took it out of the box and proudly put it on his wrist. And then horror struck: he didn’t feel anything, not a thing! Zilch, nada, niente! What to do?

6 Ways To Spot A Fake Watch, Even If You Don’t Know How To Spot A Fake Watch – Reprise

November 14, 2021/5 Comments/in Collectors and Collecting/by What Makes Me Tick

One evening, WMMT was sipping away at his ex-wife’s stock of 1945 Pétrus with his buddy Slippery Steve and contemplating a few of the essential questions in life, the kind that rarely find a real answer. Where do we come from? Is there life after death? Can you really wear brown shoes after 6:00 PM? Is his Audemars Piguet a fake? Following on that conversation, Slippery Steve and WMMT offer you six easy ways to recognize if your watch is fake. No prior knowledge needed and entertaining photography guaranteed!

Vintage Watch Snobbery – Reprise

June 6, 2021/1 Comment/in Highlights, Collectors and Collecting, Vintage/by What Makes Me Tick

Standing before What Makes Me Tick’s eyes was the most perfect of God’s creatures, a wonderful mix of Audrey Hepburn and Penelope Cruz. He thought his heart had skipped a beat, and he heard the chimes of every single minute repeater Patek Philippe had ever created – all chiming at exactly the same time! Six months later the gentle creature and he were married. This extraordinary story reflects the marvelous world of vintage watches: finding the rare bird, linking it to a story, and never letting it go.

How Do You Top The Sensational De Bethune DB28 Maxichrono? By Customizing It, Of Course – Reprise

January 31, 2021/0 Comments/in De Bethune/by What Makes Me Tick

What Makes Me Tick loves watches made by small independent artisans because they fully embody the visions of their makers, who have put blood, sweat, and tears into creating them. Among the independent brands, De Bethune is most probably his favorite. In fact, no “probably” about it: De Bethune is his favorite. Here’s how his customized DB28 Maxichrono came to be.

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