Philip B. Soley, Horologist

[WATCH HISTORY]

A lever escapement watch by John Grant, London. Made in 1795. When this watch was made, George Washington was president of the United States 🤯

This understated, sublime timepiece has a solid gold case. At this time, Britain was the global leader in watchmaking - accounting for over HALF of all the world’s watches…

However in the coming century things would change as industrialization allowed other countries such as Switzerland and America to mass produce timepieces and import at a lower cost. English watchmakers were threatened but NOT willing to compromise on quality (classic Brit move!!)😆

As a result, the leaders in the industry shifted away from England, and other power houses emerged in the global field…

I hope you enjoyed this brief horological lesson!

Trend alert!! 🚨 Wearing watches around our necks is cool again. What do you think?

Mechanical timepieces make us slow down and think about time passing by. They allow us to disconnect from our digital world. When we wind our watch, we can feel our hands putting energy into the timepiece, bringing it to life. There is instant gratification when the watch begins to tick and the hands start to move. No batteries here - just hundreds of years of human ingenuity in the palm of your hand…

That is one reason I love what I do. People sometime comment to me that they didn’t realize my industry was alive and well. It is - and there’s more to come. I feel more people will get into mechanical timepieces as we become surrounded more and more by technology. So, come along with me. 😀

All these paint fumes have me feeling loopy

The clocks are melting and my coworkers are cats

I’m late for something…but I can’t remember what..

That’s probably enough internet for the day…see you later…

An understated beauty. This is a Liberty miniature carriage clock from the early 1900s. It’s English and is made of sterling silver with an enamel dial.

The picture doesn’t capture how tiny this beauty is! It’s only 4 inches tall.

When it was first made it likely would’ve sat at a lady’s dressing table or on a dresser in the bedroom. It needs to be wound once per week. Of course whoever owned this timepiece would have been very proud. It would have been a wonderful gift for a wife and would have been quite expensive for the average person to buy…

What do you think of this unique piece of English history?

😍

Fresh haircut & beard trim 🧔‍♂️✂️Who else is ready for the weekend? 🙋‍♂️

A lovely SS divers watch from the 1960s. I absolutely love the texture on this grey dial 😍 what do you think?

A lovely English Library Clock made by Webster London. Check out those hands! 😍

Minute repeating, astronomical pocket watch from 1964. On display at

Absolutely next level! 🙌

A Tudric Pewter time-only clock. English. Made in the early 1900s by Liberty & Co.

The case is hammered pewter (a tin alloy), and the dial is enamel. This small clock is an understated beauty. I’m in love!

I’ve seen a few of this style since I’ve been in England, but so far this is my favorite. Just look at the depth of color in that dial 😍

Sporting my bolo tie made by a Zuni artisan in New Mexico

Does this pic make you feel loupe-y?

A rare opportunity to take a picture of my entire watch collection. A variety of new and vintage, manual and automatic, quartz and mechanical. What do you think, friends? And more importantly, what do I need next?

A new for the collection. This Rado Elegance is pretty slick…don’t you think? 😎

[BEFORE 🆚AFTER]

A little bit of ❤️ and 🕦 can go a long way!

Orange and blue look great together. It’s not a combination you’d expect. They’re “complimentary colors”, which are colors located across from each other on the color wheel. These colors contrast and often make a bold statement. So that’s todays Labor Day look 😎 💥

[Rolex OP36] My trusty sidekick in two-tone Everose Gold. Ref #126201

Wait, did I say OP? I meant DJ. Too much wine! Lol

The clock wall! 😍 This picture is from 2020, so all the clocks have since been sold, but I still love this picture so much! Which one is your favorite? 🤔

Something you might not know about me is that I enjoy writing poetry in my free time. This horology themed poem was written a couple years ago. I wanted to capture the feeling of time passing us by, while we watch others succeed, feeling left out and left behind. At the end I remind myself that we will all have our moment. I often remind myself that my pace in life is all my own and is valid. 🕰️

I hope you like this poem. If you’ve read this far, thanks for reading, and thanks for being here ☺️

Hey 👋 Hope y’all have a great day! What watch are you sporting today? I’ve got this vintage automatic from 1950.

Todays productivity is sponsored by 😆 Lol. No but really…a little bit of caffeine is good…but if you have too much and start shaking…horology can become really hard. Ask me how I know.

LV in LV

Today’s is my Luminor Due. What are you wearing with your Sunday best? 🤵‍♂️

This is my late grandmothers clock. It has been in my family since it was made in 1885. My great-great grandfather owned a pharmacy in Ohio and this was proudly displayed inside. Now it’s proudly displayed at my house. This clock means the world to me and is one reason why I pursued horology.

July 4th, 2023 🇺🇸 I’m wearing my vintage Sea King today. This company is a perfect example of American advertising prowess mixed with Swiss level manufacturing and precision. Want to know more about this company’s unique and iconic history? Check out my most recent blog article. Link in the comments. Its a short & interesting read.

1969 Omega Speedmaster. Swipe to open its caseback 🤩😍

Rocking my 37mm Yacht-Master and white gold LOVE ring today. Plus a bonus workshop selfie 😆

Trying to stay cool in the 105 West Texas summer 🥵

I’ve really been feeling mesh bracelets lately. Especially the integrated ones. They’re really comfortable. I love this blue Universal Geneve piece. It reminds me of some vintage pieces I’ve seen.

These make me feel like a suave 1970s businessman. 🕴️ 🚬 🍸 I’ve been looking around to see if I can find an Audemars Piguet or Patek with an integrated bracelet to add to the collection. Send me pics if you see some designs you like 🙏 There’s some stunners out there.