It would be an understatement to say that we’ve seen some controversial watches this year. This probably has zero impact on an average watch buyer, but for those of us who are immersed in the world of horological news and commentary, it’s been the year of divisive watches.
I get it. Fans can get possessive about their fandoms. They feel like they’ve invested their time and emotions in a particular narrative and they can be extremely vocal when they think that their investment has not been repaid.
The storm of protest that broke in response to the final season of Game Of Thrones made the show’s rampaging fire-breathing dragons look tame by comparison. A lot of people felt personally offended when George Lucas introduced Jar Jar Binks to the Star Wars canon. If Twitter had existed back then, you can be sure the sheer volume of blazing mockery and outrage directed at The Phantom Menace would have obliterated a whole fleet of Death Stars.
And before you think that this kind of fan entitlement is a modern phenomenon, Sherlock Holmes creator Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was inundated with complaints in 1893 (one woman allegedly even attacked him in the street) after he killed off the famous detective in The Final Problem. My personal sympathies go to the magazine that published that fateful story; they lost 20,000 subscribers as a result. The sold-out opening performance of Igor Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring, which had been greatly hyped, with tickets selling for double their usual price, devolved into chaos when the audience reacted unfavourably to the highly avant-garde performance. The different factions of cultural cognoscenti began quarrelling before directing their combined ire at the hapless orchestra.
It’s normal, but what I want to know is — is it justified? What are the limits of criticism, especially when it comes to something with a high perceived level of refinement, like watches? As individuals, we have the right to express our opinions, preferably in a civilised, reasonable way. As fans, how far can our expectations extend (if at all) in having our reactions and questions addressed by creators?
I don’t have any categorical answers on this, but the point is to ask the right questions and have the right kind of discussions on this. What do you think?
