A recap of WindUp Chicago
2022 was the inaugural year for Chicago to play host to a Wind Up Watch Fair event. Put on by Worn and Wound and sponsored by Oris and others. It's a weekend-long shopping and collecting event.
This was my first time going to an event like this. It was also my first time going to any watch event that happens in person. To this point, my watch meet-up experience has been talking about watches online. That and the epic Friday Night Shit Show hosted by @on.her.own.time. This was an experience new for me, and my watch nerdery and I spent the better part of a week far too excited about it.
Being from Milwaukee, I am an hour and a half drive from Chicago. I opted to take the train from Kenosha and then use public transit to get around. That way I didn't deal with gas prices, tolls, or parking in a busy city on a Saturday. I would recommend this method. It's easier to catch up on podcasts on the train.
I spent the night before doing light reading on all the vendors that would be there. That way I was mentally prepared for who I wanted to see first leaving the rest for what time I had available.
Getting there shortly after it opened there was already a decent crowd. I briefly surveyed the room and headed to the nearest on my must-see list. Zodiac. After an episode of Ricos Watches podcast with Zodiac, I fell in love with them and had to see them in person. Having never dealt with a Zodiac watch in person I wasn't sure what to expect. But having drooled all over them on Instagram and their website, I expected great things. I was right. My favorite from them was the Sea Wolf 53 skin diver, followed by the newest color iteration in the sea wolf. Mike was an awesome guy to deal with, and his love for the brand and passion for Zodiac and watches is infectious.
From there I crossed off the rest of my must-see list. Oris and my grail, The Roberto Clemente Edition Big Crown Pointer date, and many others. VJ from Oris and his team were spectacular, ever helpful and smiling. Enthusiastic for the mission of Oris.
Next, Benrus, Citizen, Bulova, and their many storied pieces and helpful team. As well as trying on great pieces from Chicago based Oak and Oscar and their watch making demos. To John at Brew and Kat at Norqain. It was great to see everyone and talk watches and make new acquaintances and watch friends. Everyone was happy to be there and passionate about watches which made the whole event superb.
What I expected from WindUp
Oris, I expected to love, but not because they have my grail. Because they are a solid, established brand and have it figured out. Their booth was one of the largest, and they had an expansive selection from their catalog. I had handled some Oris watches before so knew what to expect with the build quality. My favorite (excluding my grail) from them was the ProPilot X in blue. The angular case and many details that give this watch a nod to fighter jets make this watch feel so damn cool.
Most Underrated
Bulova. Too many people sleep on Bulova. They're most known amongst collectors for the Lunar Pilot and a bunch of mall watch garbage. While I can understand that sentiment, I also believe it's completely off the mark. If you peel back the blingy mall watches and examine the brand and more of what they offer you will find a rich history. Bulova is rich in history and has watches they have resurrected from their archives. The Lunar Pilot is one. The A-15, the Hack, the MilShips, and more are all watches with an amazing history. You feel as if you've bought a vintage watch with a hell of a story attached to it, but it's new. The specs on their watches are more than adequate, the design is superb, and the price is affordable. Do not sleep on Bulova.
Surprised By
Autodromo. A brand I had no experience or real knowledge of. Automotive-themed watches? Hell yes, sign me up. They're great watches with fun little nods to cars and racing. Little red lines on chronographs or tachometer style dial text, or dials that look like gauges. super fun stuff. Enjoyed discovering this brand.
A Brand I Wanted To Get My Hands On
Brew. Brew watches resonates with me. No, they're not pilot watches and don't have a military history, that I know of. But they are coffee-inspired watches. As a self-proclaimed coffee nerd and addict, I was always interested in them. John from Brew, the caffeinated life behind the brand is a great guy to chat watches and coffee with. His designs are fantastic with details that coffee nerds love and anyone can appreciate. His use of color in some versions is so much fun. Grab a coffee and explore brew watches, I guarantee you're gonna want one if you don't already.
A Brand That Made Me Reconsider How I Collect and What I Love
Zodiac. As stated before I recently fell head over heels for Zodiac. This was my first opportunity to see them in person and they didn't disappoint. What I mean by they made me rethink how I collect and what I love as far as watches. They make great dive watches. I love pilot and military watches, but these dive watches, look great. I love watches with history, and they have it. You can see the design language and direct lineage from the historic to the current, no matter what color it is. They were ballsy enough to have some serious vintage pieces on display next to all their new watches. You can see right in your hands how the new came from the old. Color, they have colors, it's like a unicorn threw up on a dive watch catalog, but in a good way. Watermelon, blue and white, baby blues, oranges everything they have it all. I'm not a huge fan of bright and vibrant in-your-face colors. But these have been done so well, and despite the wild use of color, you can still see the design language throughout. it's not color for the sake of color, it's not Hulk Green because they can. It's vibrant and it's wild and it's oh so good. It makes me want to branch out and get some color. not the watermelon version for me, but some others. Hey, I'm new to color I have to start slow.
Wished More From
Citizen. I love Citizens, I own several. For a brand as large as Citizen, they had a few offerings of what I would expect and not much else. their table was underwhelming. The dive watches were pretty. But a catalog as extensive as there I expected to see a bit more than I could if I walked into any jewelry store. They have an impressive amount of amazing pilot watches and all I saw was a single NaviHawk, yawn. Sorry but next time, let's see more diverse offerings presented differently, I know you can do it.
In all, I enjoyed what I saw. the event was well put on, and the vendors were all top-notch. not all were brands I have a huge interest in or had offerings that sparked something in me. But that's not to say they aren't great watches and they did a great job. Everyone was great to deal with, we are all watch nerds at the end of the day. If you're near a Wind Up event don't think about it. Just Go. Here's hoping it comes to Chicago again next year.
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