From my perspective, 2026 is going to be an important year for watch enthusiasm and for watch enthusiasts. The internet, especially social media, has made the watch world a big, nebulous, highly polished, and somewhat impersonal place, and I believe most of us are into watches at least in part for the personal connection to other enthusiasts. Authenticity supports relevancy, and as we see the final declines of COVID-fueled hype, relevancy–both to the choir and the congregation–will define the brands, watches, and stories that actually matter. I think it’s possible that we may look back on the past few years in the same way that film nerds think about the 2011 installment of the Oscars (Google that if you will).
James Stacey
2026-01-05 16:00:00