The Re-Edition/Reissue Issue: Living in the Shadow of the Original

Credits:  Article and images by Tamim Almousa @ Quill & Pad.  See the original article here - https://quillandpad.com/2024/09/07/the-re-edition-reissue-issue-living-in-the-shadow-of-the-original/

—————————————————————————————————–

Nonetheless, guitarists have the American Vintage ’62 Stratocaster, shutterbugs have the Leica M6, and fashionistas have the Prada 2005 Re-nylon Bag. All these are, more or less, reissues. AKA: re-editions.

The term Edition gets thrown around a lot in retail. It has been (for I don’t know how long) enjoying overwhelmingly positive connotations, alluding to exclusivity and rarity, often following flashy prefixes such as Special or Limited or Re. 

Dressed down, however, “Re-Edition” is just another way of saying “Re-Issue,” which is just another way of saying “Re-Production,” which is no good since it’s the antithesis of “Original,” which is what we like.

Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Day Date 70s from 2018

We like a watch from the ‘70s for the story behind it and for looks that reflect the era. A 2024 release that only looks like it’s from the ‘70s has no story worth telling. Nor does it represent the times. ‘Tis not but a sterile clone, neither here nor there, dwelling in the uncanny valley of the watch world, constantly reminding you of what it’s not: the real thing.

Seeing one in the wild bumps me. “Something’s off here,” I catch myself thinking, “but I can’t quite put my finger on it.” Not on the spot, I can’t, but I’m here now and we do have another page to fill, so here goes nothing.

A reissue, I gather, is primarily worn in hopes of duping folk into thinking it’s new-old-stock. But the watch doth sparkle too much, methinks, each facet perfectly aligning with the next, wrapped around a dial coated in paint so fresh you could smell it, black levels agape.

—————————————————————————————————–

Credits:  Article and images by Tamim Almousa @ Quill & Pad.  See the original article here - https://quillandpad.com/2024/09/07/the-re-edition-reissue-issue-living-in-the-shadow-of-the-original/