Why The West Coast?

When my wife and I loaded up our Toyota Prius on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in October 2020, we expected to be returning home soon after enjoying a warm, beach-filled winter in Santa Monica as a respite from more than six months of New York City quarantines.

So the fact that, almost exactly three years later, I’m writing a column introducing myself as the West Coast Editor-at-Large of Revolution still comes as a bit of a shock. But I’ve grown to love Los Angeles and when Wei asked me if I wanted to share my excitement about my new home with the Revolution audience, I jumped at the opportunity.

I truly believe that Los Angeles is one of the best places on Earth to be a watch lover right now. LA is known for being the place where popular culture is made and trends are set – and that spirit of individuality and risk taking, that desire to be on the cutting edge of new ideas, and to express oneself, is evident in the watch community too. If you think that LA watch culture is all about gold sport watches and big name brands, you’re grossly mistaken. From visual artists who collect Japanese independents to fashion moguls obsessed with vintage complications to film executives that love shaped Cartier watches, people are following their passions and love sharing the journey with others.

My goal for this column and the videos I’ll be sharing on Instagram is to share that with all of you and to highlight what I know to be some of the coolest and most interesting watch collectors, watch dealers, watch makers, and watch enthusiasts you’ll find anywhere. I’ll also give my personal perspective on major happenings in the watch world – on the West Coast and beyond – and thoughts on certain new releases from time to time. And, who knows, maybe we’ll spotlight an incredible car or a historic piece of architecture here and there.

I can truly say that I’ve never been more excited about watches and the opportunities and possibilities presented in the watch world than I am right now. There have been ups and downs in the business and the hobby over the last few years, but watches are a legitimate part of the cultural conversation these days and fewer and fewer people stare blankly at me when I tell them I “work in watches.”

So while I might be in a slightly different place than I expected a little over three years ago when I ventured west, I’m psyched to be here – both physically in Los Angeles and here with you all on Revolution – and I can’t wait to start sharing the west coast watch world with you.