Part III: Independent Watch Blogs
When I started toying with the idea to start an independent watch blog focussed mostly on Girard-Perregaux, I was full of prejudice. Blogs, something for cooking recipes or the lonely traveller’s diary and how could I attract any attention for my blog away from well-established forums or the like? However, there was also a lot going for it. I’m in full control of the content as well as the look and feel and I can build it over time at my leisure.
In the previous parts I + II, I have stressed a lot about “Independence”. What do I mean by this? First and foremost, financial independence. I have absolutely no financial gains from running this blog. Compared to an online magazine or a forum, running a blog only costs you very little per year. I have no sponsorship nor do I receive any advertising fee or get any money for any kind of clicks.
The second, very important aspect for me is the following. I would say that at least two thirds, probably more, of the watches I discuss and review on my blog are actually owned by me. These are watches I personally like, collect and paid for with my own hard-earned cash. Naturally, that means that I don’t really need to convince myself that these watches are good, but overall it is not my intention with my blog to provide product reviews.
Yes, I do sometimes share watches that I do not own, that I had the pleasure seeing at an exhibition or when meeting friends. In addition, I do keep contact with Girard-Perregaux, mostly with the Museum Curator which helps getting some information not available in the public domain. But I will never take anything in return.
As I write about watches I like, it is quite logical that I’m mostly positive about them. I do not see a problem with that as writing only scathing reviews may be entertaining but not exactly a positive contribution that lasts. On the other hand, I have absolutely (pun intended) no problem with raising a critical voice, like with some of the very recent creations from Girard-Perregaux.
So what drives me writing “The GP Chronicles”? I have a fulfilling sense of building something that grows and gets bigger and more complete, like building a house. While Girard-Perregaux may still be a niche among Swiss Horology, it’s a very fine niche and being a niche also has its advantages. There is simply not much else available on the Web that gathers content about GP watches. As a result, I do hope that “The GP Chronicles” will become something like a reference place for anyone who wants to know something about Girard-Perregaux. That would make me proud, which would be worth to me more than any money in the world.
I hope to put more focus and content into the GP Reference Model Database over the next few months to further support my objective. Coming back to the more general topic of Independent Blogs, knowing that you are not alone with your passion and attitude is an additional motivation. Under the roof of T.W.O we have today three independent blogs covering different areas, but I know for sure that the other two bloggers have the same intentions and principles and we hope to “recruit” more blogs to join T.W.O, making it an independent entry for passionate horological content.
The Blomman Watch Report – museum quality watches, mostly vintage with box, papers, brochures, buckles, hang tags, merchandise…
The Watch Baron – Club Patek – high end horology from a Patek and Rolex collector that is never shy of sharing his views of the world
Part II: Watch Forums and Instagram’ers
Part I: Watch Journalism
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Part III: Independent Watch Blogs
When I started toying with the idea to start an independent watch blog focussed mostly on Girard-Perregaux, I was full of prejudice. Blogs, something for cooking recipes or the lonely traveller’s diary and how could I attract any attention for my blog away from well-established forums or the like? However, there was also a lot going for it. I’m in full control of the content as well as the look and feel and I can build it over time at my leisure.
In the previous parts I + II, I have stressed a lot about “Independence”. What do I mean by this? First and foremost, financial independence. I have absolutely no financial gains from running this blog. Compared to an online magazine or a forum, running a blog only costs you very little per year. I have no sponsorship nor do I receive any advertising fee or get any money for any kind of clicks.
The second, very important aspect for me is the following. I would say that at least two thirds, probably more, of the watches I discuss and review on my blog are actually owned by me. These are watches I personally like, collect and paid for with my own hard-earned cash. Naturally, that means that I don’t really need to convince myself that these watches are good, but overall it is not my intention with my blog to provide product reviews.
Yes, I do sometimes share watches that I do not own, that I had the pleasure seeing at an exhibition or when meeting friends. In addition, I do keep contact with Girard-Perregaux, mostly with the Museum Curator which helps getting some information not available in the public domain. But I will never take anything in return.
As I write about watches I like, it is quite logical that I’m mostly positive about them. I do not see a problem with that as writing only scathing reviews may be entertaining but not exactly a positive contribution that lasts. On the other hand, I have absolutely (pun intended) no problem with raising a critical voice, like with some of the very recent creations from Girard-Perregaux.
So what drives me writing “The GP Chronicles”? I have a fulfilling sense of building something that grows and gets bigger and more complete, like building a house. While Girard-Perregaux may still be a niche among Swiss Horology, it’s a very fine niche and being a niche also has its advantages. There is simply not much else available on the Web that gathers content about GP watches. As a result, I do hope that “The GP Chronicles” will become something like a reference place for anyone who wants to know something about Girard-Perregaux. That would make me proud, which would be worth to me more than any money in the world.
I hope to put more focus and content into the GP Reference Model Database over the next few months to further support my objective. Coming back to the more general topic of Independent Blogs, knowing that you are not alone with your passion and attitude is an additional motivation. Under the roof of T.W.O we have today three independent blogs covering different areas, but I know for sure that the other two bloggers have the same intentions and principles and we hope to “recruit” more blogs to join T.W.O, making it an independent entry for passionate horological content.
The Blomman Watch Report – museum quality watches, mostly vintage with box, papers, brochures, buckles, hang tags, merchandise…
The Watch Baron – Club Patek – high end horology from a Patek and Rolex collector that is never shy of sharing his views of the world
Part II: Watch Forums and Instagram’ers
Part I: Watch Journalism
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