E EDITOR’ S NOTE
E EDITOR’ S NOTE
CRAIG HESTER craig @ isochronmedia. com
WELCOME TO ABOUT TIME
When Gary Girdvainis told me some five years ago about his idea for a magazine devoted to attainable watches, my immediate response was to tell him it was brilliant. Honestly, I doubt I could even list all the watch magazines, blogs or websites devoted to high-end watches that most people can only dream of owning. These publications are great for voyeurism of the masters of horology. But for us regular Joes it rarely becomes more than that. Watches under $ 1,000, or even under $ 2,400( the cut off for About Time), get scant mention in these publications – usually relegated to a small section in the back if there at all. When it comes to editorial coverage in print of attainable timepieces, About Time stands alone. To be sure, there is more coverage of these watch brands online, particularly if you include groups on Facebook. But for us old schoolers like me, holding a high-gloss, well-written magazine in your hands is still a genuine pleasure. So when Gary asked me if I would be interested in becoming the editor of About Time as he began his relaunch of IW magazine, I didn’ t hesitate. Many readers may know me as the owner of the Détente Watch Group, a company that imports timepieces into North America largely from Eastern Europe and Russia. What you may not know is that my first career was in the media and the chance to be at the editorial helm of a magazine, especially one devoted to a topic I have such personal passion for, is something I couldn’ t pass up. I want to thank Gary for his faith in me and tell all the readers how much I am already enjoying serving as editor and look forward to
the fun that will be leading About Time with Gary. Also, I would like to address the proverbial“ elephant in the room” right here in my first editor’ s note. Yes, our company will continue to import watches and some of you may know we are in the process of launching our own watch brand. Those watches will, of course, continue to be covered by About Time. However, when it comes to any watches our company engages with, the writing and editorial control for that will remain 100 % with Gary. I will have plenty to keep me busy covering the other great timepieces that fill the pages of About Time. As far as the future of the magazine, Gary and I are already working on lots of great ideas for new and innovative coverage. In this issue you’ ll find an article about Time Visions, an online watch retailer that specializes in producing their own high-end watch photography. We want to have more coverage of the retailers who bring you the best in attainable timepieces. We want to create more in-depth coverage of micro brands, with the goal to highlight those that will be the most intriguing and well-built for your wrist. We also plan to expand and further develop our online reporting while maintaining the features and sections you enjoy in each issue. Thanks for being a reader and I look forward to serving as editor. My goal is to learn along with you every day about the array of watches that represent the bulk of the timekeeping universe.
Craig Hester, Editor
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