DISTRICT TIME
filling every flat surface in the room, and well over 100 people were seen on Instagram. They want to be the first to see prototypes and find
crammed in there so you could hardly move.” brands most people haven’t heard of yet. And they bring a ton of ques-
Over time, the partners have improved the show. In 2017, they
tions for the owners. I love it that our attendees really respect what the
moved it to its current home at the District Architecture Center (DAC), brands are doing, and in the last two years, in particular, they arrive
a spacious, stylish venue in DC’s bustling Penn Quarter neighborhood. ready to bring some of those watches home.”
In 2018, they settled on the District Time name. “Microbrand Meetup
As successful as the previous years have been, Loren and Bill are
sounded like a private event,” said Bill, “and frankly, right from year one thinking bigger. “We want District Time 2019 to be part of a greater
we had established independent brands like Doxa on board, and more #DCWatchWeek,” said Bill. “On the 10th and 11th, Vail will host his
recently, authorized dealers bringing watches from Nomos and the Microbrand University nearby, which is an ideal opportunity for folks
Grand Seiko collection, so it was never exclusively micro either.” who are just starting watch brands to learn business development
Another key change was the addition of a principal sponsor, techniques. Then our show will be the 12th and 13th at the DAC, and
Janis Trading Company, the maker of NTH watches. “Chris Vail [Janis’s we’re talking to the Horological Society of New York about conducting
owner] has been a huge supporter of the DC show since day one,” said their four-hour beginner’s watchmaking class both days.”
Loren. “The energy he brings is phenomenal.”
District Time has matured since the first event in 2016. Last year,
“Of course, we’ll have a whole crop of watches for sale too,”
Loren added. “Most of the brands from previous years will participate,
between the vendors in attendance and those that had sent watches and we expect quite a few new ones too. That’s really the whole point,
or accessories for display or as door prizes, over 40 brands were right? To get that huge variety in one place.”
represented, not counting the wide variety of new and vintage watches
At the time of the interview, the 2019 roster was still in its infancy,
brought by dealers. Attendance in 2018 was about 400 people for a but we still had to ask which ones would be there. Bill put on his Trump
5-hour show. “It’s amazing how excited and knowledgeable the crowd voice, “Only the best brands, all the other brands are losers!” he chuck-
is,” said Loren. “They drive in from all over the mid-Atlantic, they are led. “We are still working on 2019, but you can see last year’s roster
waiting at doors when we open, they know most of these brands, and on www.dcwatchshow.com. We expect to have many of those same
they are looking for watches that they have read about in the forums or brands return, plus more,” he said, “but people really need to check
the website for updates.”
“We’ve had watches from all over,” Loren added. “Last year, Mike
Blythe of Draken Watches flew in from New Zealand, and Chip Yuen of
Aevig was there from the Netherlands and brought the Holthinrichs col-
lection too. Benjamin Chee has sent his high-end Chinese Maison Cela-
don watches every year, and last year he debuted his new Millésieme
Swiss line. Collins Watches and the formerly local DC Vintage Watches
fly in from California. Elshan Tang of Singapore has sent Zelos and
Ventus watches. James Henderson’s table was like the UN; he brought
some amazing stuff from Minase (Japan), Sartory-Billard (France), Revo-
lo (Netherlands), and Montfort (Switzerland). We’ve also attracted local
brands like Hager, Tsao Baltimore, and McDowell Time of course. John
Kiel of WatchGauge had a huge display with almost a dozen brands for
Above: McDowell
at a table
sale. Last year was amazing, and by extending the show another day,
we hope to attract an even greater variety this year.”
When asked what lessons they have learned from hosting the
previous three events, Bill did not hesitate. “Start early!” He exclaimed.
“Having done this event for a few years, we’ve kind of figured out how
to run the show, but it’s amazing how many small details crop up as
the event draws near. We really have to stay very organized and try to
Right: Vintage
Seiko Prize
knock out tasks as soon as possible.”
“Time is a killer,” Loren added. “Bill and I both have careers, fami-
lies, a host of other responsibilities, and our own watch-related side
102 | AboutTime Magazine