Published! | Upscale Living Magazine | Shoot with SVW

STOKED!!! A word to describe my feeling upon seeing my work published in a magazine recognized as the world’s luxury portal magazine which caters to affluent and prominent audience. I am really honored to have this special collaboration with Strickland Vintage Watches and I am equally happy to be given this chance to work with them in featuring their elegant and luxurious time pieces.
Published on Upscale Living Magazine

Shoot for: Strickland Vintage Watches
Model: Sarah Jean
Make Up By: Katareyna Haberman

Jeruel Photography Jeruel Photography Jeruel Photography Jeruel Photography JeruelPhotography_SVW_004 Jeruel Photography
Here’s the article by Bill Strickland you may also find it on their blog.

Wrist and pocket watches have never merely indicated the time. A memorable watch always has carried with it a certain element of class distinction. An elegant watch symbolized refinement a hundred years ago and it does today.

Those who have prophesied the death of the mechanical timepiece at the hands of technology do not appreciate a watch’s deeper significance. Despite speculation otherwise, various electronic gadgets have – in no way – eliminated the need for a good wristwatch. While a cell phone can be an easy means of communication, its use in telling time is a bit like microwave cooking: common, unsatisfying and banal. In fact, in most relatively proper social situations, interrupting a conversation to fumble for one’s phone is terribly gauche.

In the elite social arena, wristwatches are not only surviving, they are flourishing. Fine auction houses such as Sotheby’s and Antiquorum; along with great makers like Patek Philippe, Vacheron Constantin and Jaeger LeCoultre are well aware of the enduring relevance of a fine timepiece.

Casual social situations aren’t the only circumstances where a wristwatch is appropriate. In business, grappling for one’s cell phone versus discreetly glancing at a wristwatch is considered sophomoric and can mean the difference between gaining and losing a client.

“I’ve had conversations with new associates brought in to represent us,” aNew Yorkpublisher told us. “One of the first things I make sure of is that they have an appropriate wristwatch. I’ve had them walk into my office wearing thousand dollars shoes, looking at their cell phones like mailroom clerks. It may be appropriate for their dorm rooms – it isn’t fitting for our image.”

Wearing the right wristwatch in a professional setting is both polite and powerful. Often there is uniformity in business attire and few ways to convey a sense of individuality while maintaining an aura of elegance and success. In a room where everyone is wearing the same expensive suit, one can set oneself apart with a distinctive watch and make a strong, refined statement.

Ultimately, a great watch is a work of tactile or “functioning” art, like a fine automobile. And, like an automobile, construction, performance and appearance should be considered when selecting the right machine.
Good watches are resilient and expertly made; well-engineered and mechanically sound, whether they are new or vintage. A well-made watch fosters a comfortable relationship with the wearer. And, like relationships, some watches are more complicated than others.

Some watches are time-only; others incorporate increasingly exotic functions applicable to almost every well-heeled diversion, from aviation to yacht racing. There are tachometers and fly-backs and functions that indicate the day, date and current phase of the moon. Performance also can mean accuracy: For those who require the time to the millisecond, a vintage timepiece might not be accurate enough. While older watches can be calibrated to keep time within a few seconds a day; some newer watches can keep time to within a fraction of a second a millennium via the frequency of the caesium atom.

Choose the look of a fine wrist or pocket watch as you would any other work of tactile art. In visual art, it is “your eye, your wall and your money”; in fine timekeeping, it is “your eye, your wrist and your image.” When it comes to basing a decision to buy a watch on style, to thine own taste be true.

And for those of you who prefer to subjugate personal taste to the advice of others – we’re here to help.

For men, today’s taste is leaning toward either a classic vintage look or a clean Minimalist wrist stance. Garish is out, understated is in. Mechanical movements – either manual wind or automatic – are strongly preferred.

Deco and the “period look” also are very “in.” Ralph Lauren’s fall collection – one of his best yet – is an homage to the English upper class of the early 20th century. Patrons are clamoring for the sparkle and elegance of the Jazz Age, with buyers and designers looking longingly to a time of Old Hollywood, New England andPark Avenue.

What’s on the radar this year for ladies watches? Platinum and diamonds, emeralds and sapphires; enameled cases and unusual shapes are on everyone’s wish list. Also, women are wearing men’s rectangular and oversized pieces, as well as midsize “sport” or “boy’s” watches.

In the Ivy League, young ladies are wearing their grandmother’s teardrop watches from the ‘50s; with black rope bands custom-fitted to their wrists. Also in the Northeast, ladies ribbon “wristlet” watches of the Teens and Twenties are very popular.

Military pieces from the first and second world wars also are highly sought-after, especially when fitted with correct canvas or Cordovan straps. Oversized watches for women, along with rose gold and diamond dials are all good looks.

A great watch is a necessity and an expression of good judgment. It is both utilitarian and sartorial; artistic and pragmatic; useful, like shoes or a haircut. You’re going to be judged by your watch, so best find common ground between what you like and what others find attractive.
In subsequent issues, we will explore the variations of fine timepieces in greater detail: differentiation in vintage watches and comparisons of new timepieces from the world’s finest makers. For now, there’s only one “fine watch” rule we want you to remember: Wear one.

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