There’s an absolutely fascinating biopsy over at On the Dash in which President Obama, as a horological entity, is split up the gullet, his innermost cogwork guts examined for hidden tourbillions.
Watch nuts (and I mean it oh-so-lingeringly, oh-so-affectionately) have poured through the stock photo archives, watching for the telltale piece on Obama’s left wrist for each shot. I find their obsession remarkable and laudable.
I think there’s something interesting in microcosm here about Obama’s great strength as a public figure, a leader: his ability somehow to be an identifiable, sympathetic fellow man to so many disparate groups.
My admiration for Obama is not knee-jerk liberal worship — I like him quite a bit, but I found his campaign promises depressingly nebulous, his campaign irritatingly messianic and his most slavish campaign followers fervent to the point of idiocy — but this admiration is largely inspired by Obama’s ability to get as introverted, as obsessed with the minute mechanical mannerisms of time as amateur horology enthusiasts to embrace him in their arms and ask, “What watch are you wearing?”
Or, for that matter, smartphone obsessives to wonder about his Blackberry? Who ever cared what watch Bush wore? What phone he used?
This quality of spiritual identifiable-ness won’t make Obama a good president by itself. I have no idea if he will be, in fact, and would not care to speculate on it… although he couldn’t possibly be worse than Bush. But this sympathic quality of Obama’s does make him an exemplary politician, not in the weasely sense, but as a representative of humans. It’s not why I worship him — I don’t — but it’s why I like him. And it’s certainly nice to like a president again.
Barack Obama’s TAG-Huer [On The Dash]
Dissapointed at his lack of tokyo flash. Got mine for christmas and it is flashydashy.
Dude, “pored”. “Watch nuts have pored over…”
Poured?
Many Watches? The article talks about two watches. There is the image above of the third, but many watches? Much respect to him for liking Tag though.
I’m a watch guy and I wondered what that big black faced chrono was that he’s been wearing. I assumed it was some kind of ETA 2824 based autowinder with an added chrono module. It turns out to be a disappointing Chinese made quartz unit with a Miyota mvmt. The Secret Service logo dial and the fact that it was a gift from his security detail is pretty cool though.
I just wonder why he wears his watch on his left wrist when he is left-handed. I’m a lefty and we mostly wear them on the right.
Who ever cared what watch Bush wore?
More to the point… does the man even know how to tell time?
meh! The frickin president of the United States of America better have frickin watch that shoots a frickin “Laser Beam” , that’s all I say.