Why I Got Into Watches

By Araz Shahbazian

It started innocently enough and turned into a full-on interest: watches. Not as status symbols — as tiny machines. Once you learn that a mechanical movement is hundreds of little parts working together with no battery at all, it's hard not to be a little obsessed.

What really hooked me is the design. A great watch face is a masterclass in restraint — every line and marker earning its place, nothing wasted. It's the same thing I love about a well-designed car: the discipline to leave things out. Good design usually looks simple because someone worked hard to make it that way.

I also like that a good watch is timeless in the literal and figurative sense. A classic design from decades ago still looks right today. In a world where most tech is obsolete in two years, there's something grounding about an object built to last a lifetime and then some.