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Other hobbies/Obsessions?

2shea

So is it just watches people on here are obsessed with or have you other interests?

For me it's Motorbikes. Watches came first but I love my bike and everything to do with it.

Two costly hobbies but it keeps me occupied.

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Cyclingtourist

Some more items from my cycling history collection.

Cadburys were Quakers and anti-alcohol social reformers who tried to encourage people into healthy pursuits away from urban temptation so cycling was a pastime that featured in many of their adverts.

A point of sale display card from about 1900

A journal advertisement from 1887

An early cycling map of the Bristol area by Bacon from the mid-1880s showing tricycles that were popular with women (due to dress conventions) and older men for reasons of respectability or lack of the necessary athleticism required by high wheelers.

Cyclingtourist

In the 1920s & 30s the British Ordnance Survey illustrated their map covers with fine illustrations that were classics of graphic art design. Their most admired artist was Ellis Martin who had been a war artist in the Great War.
This is an example of Martin's work 'A Cyclist seated on a hillside'.

Rover were a respected British bicycle manufacturer and they produced a special model for the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC). This is it in the Rover catalogue for 1911.

Cyclingtourist

Another interest of mine is polar exploration, particularly the so called 'golden age'.

There are lots of books on Shackleton and Scott and I have many of them but this one is fairly rare. It's a numismatic book by Seaby's listing the Antarctic and Artic polar medals awarded by the Royal Geographical Society between 1818 and 1961.

Northern Monkey

Cars and tech/gadgets for me.

redlead

Northern Monkey wrote: »

Cars and tech/gadgets for me.

Speaking of cars and tech, I was cleaning out my second car yesterday which is used and abused being honest and there is a little side compartment in my boot. To give an idea of how long crap has been sitting there, there was one of my accountancy revision books from 2010 in there.... But anyway, I found one of those iPod Nano things which I'm guessing is of a similar vintage or older . Just goes to show how fast tech goes out of date. Its really pretty much an antiquated piece of technology now.

I've just sort of fallen out of love with tech over the last few years. I find most of it now is just stuff you really don't need, sort of commercialism gone mad (maybe it's always been like this, I don't know) . Seem as we are in the watches forum, a smart watch is the classic example. It's not doing anything you don't already have in your pocket isn't already doing for you, yet every Tom, Dick and Harry seems to have one.

Cyclingtourist

As my username indicates I'm an avid cycle tourist. Been doing it regularly for the past 20 years, mostly in France and Spain but also Cuba, Sicily, Portugal and of course Ireland.

This was me in 2004.

Northern Monkey

^^^Where is the watch?

Cyclingtourist

Northern Monkey wrote: »

^^^Where is the watch?

Probably on the handlebars. Wrists need to get the sun. As it is you develop cyclists' body tan, white body and tanned arms, legs and everything above the neck line.

IrishPlayer

Cyclingtourist wrote: »

Probably on the handlebars. Wrists need to get the sun. As it is you develop cyclists' body tan, white body and tanned arms, legs and everything above the neck line.

Aah but the tan mark is a sign of a true watch guy

njburke

Northern Monkey wrote: »

^^^Where is the watch?

Never mind the watch, the Brooks saddle is the focus here. I'ld trade a good saddle for a good watch on a cycle like that.

Cyclingtourist

IrishPlayer wrote: »

Aah but the tan mark is a sign of a true watch guy

Ash but in 2004 I wasn't a watch guy, just a guy with a watch.

Cyclingtourist

A new addition to my 'cycling ephemera' collection.
This is a cycling route guide from London ("for all cyclists & roadmen") published by the Victorian equivalent of eBay 'the Office of the Bazaar Exchange & Mart '.
The map dates from the early 1890s when cycling was becoming the domain of the middle-class rather than the preserve of the wealthy it had been before the introduction of the safety frame, chain drive, pneumatic tyres and mass production.

Often the advertisements are as interesting as the publications themselves. I love the 'Weak Men Scientifically Treated' promoting electrotherapy, one of the quack-remedies popular then.
In cycling publications I've never come across advertisements for watches but in the late-Victorian period there are many for cameras as amateur photography was developing (no pun intended) at the same time as cycling was becoming more popular.

Cyclingtourist

Thought I'd post (virtually) these two postcards from my 'cycling ephemera' collection as a bit of light relief. Neither were originally published as humorous but I find them funny.

This one dates from about 1905. Shows a very staged looking bicycle accident in an equally unlikely location. Looks like the poor guy had a collision with a grey squirrel and lost his leg without managing to shed a drop of blood.

This is WWI vintage. A card published on behalf of the German Red Cross and shows what looks like an Austrian soldier escaping wild-west style from Italian troops in an Alpine village.

Thirdfox

I've actually never heard that proverb before - why "a bad name kills" - and how does it relate to cycling/nursing? Or is the postcard saying that if "those bloody cyclists who never obey red lights anyway

" don't obey rules etc. they'll develop a bad reputation?

^Tongue in cheek as I do cycle to work/for fun too and you can be sure I always obey red lights

Cyclingtourist

Thirdfox wrote: »

I've actually never heard that proverb before - why "a bad name kills" - and how does it relate to cycling/nursing? Or is the postcard saying that if "those bloody cyclists who never obey red lights anyway " don't obey rules etc. they'll develop a bad reputation?

^Tongue in cheek as I do cycle to work/for fun too and you can be sure I always obey red lights

Apparently it's a Scottish proverb or rather their version on a general proverb against 'bad mouthing' people and spreading gossip. The guy who's having his leg bandaged doesn't look like he's going to heal anytime before the compo case is over.

Here's a card that was meant to be humorous.

blue5000

I've already admitted that I do a bit of blacksmithing, this tends to have a few knock on affects, like a keen interest in 'old stuff'.

I have to confess I have more hammers than watches.

I don't deliberately collect them, it just sort of ............you know,

happens.

Seeing as these pics are a few years old, maybe I should take another pic and see how many I have now:D

Edit; there seems to be quite a few squares, you know the type that carpenters use, in various places too. Is there a (polite) word for someone with a 'thing' for squares........?

And tape measures.......

njburke

Very interesting hobby there, I do enjoy watching videos of a Damascus blade being made. I made a chisel in school and still have it.
What kind of stuff do you make/repair. Do you do any farriering?

IrishPlayer

After seeing those hammers,got me thinking of this

My great Grandfather's, recently changed a bathroom sink tap and it was the only one that could fit in the gap. It was the first time I used it since my Grandfather passed away.

My Grandfather and I were more like best friends,spent summers fixing, painting around the house,that spanner and black tape we could fix anything:D

dakar

blue5000 wrote: »

Edit; there seems to be quite a few squares, you know the type that carpenters use, in various places too. Is there a (polite) word for someone with a 'thing' for squares........?

Maybe you’re a closet angler?

Wibbs

I've already asked him are there half decent rivers around where he is(I suspect there are...), so if he's a closet angler I'll get him outa that closet loud and proud.

Got my silk line all greased up(missus!) and the flies ready.

Cyclingtourist

blue5000 wrote: »

I have to confess I have more hammers than watches.

You need to start a sickle collection.

I'm wearing my Vostok diver.

blue5000

njburke wrote: »

Very interesting hobby there, I do enjoy watching videos of a Damascus blade being made. I made a chisel in school and still have it.
What kind of stuff do you make/repair. Do you do any farriering?

Mostly farm related recently plus some tools. I don't go near horses.

Cyclingtourist

As I posted in my Waterbury thread I got a new addition to my collection.

Apparently it is scarce, probably because first it is cheaply bound and secondly because within a very few years of its publication in 1887 the diamond frame safety bicycle with pneumatic tyres like we have today transformed the cycle market.

I've never before seen a cycle publication that even mentions watches so it was a surprise when I saw this had a small section about the type of watch to wear when tricycling.

Note: a guinea was 21 shillings.

The end of the section on watches can be viewed by clicking on the final attachment.

OldBean

If I remember correctly, the Waterbury Watch Co went on to be Timex?

Cyclingtourist

OldBean wrote: »

If I remember correctly, the Waterbury Watch Co went on to be Timex?

You may well be right. When I was Googling 'Waterbury watch' I found Timex have a modern range of watches using the name 'Waterbury'.

OldBean

Cyclingtourist wrote: »

You may well be right. When I was Googling 'Waterbury watch' I found Timex have a modern range of watches using the name 'Waterbury'.

Not sure whether this belongs here or in your other thread but found a small bit of history here:

https://www.timex.com/the-timex-story/

..and another few pieces about how Waterbury was going under and reformed as Timex

Cyclingtourist

OldBean wrote: »

Not sure whether this belongs here or in your other thread but found a small bit of history here:

https://www.timex.com/the-timex-story/

..and another few pieces about how Waterbury was going under and reformed as Timex

I think that's Timex trying to give the impression that the Timex brand (1950-) has been around longer than it actually has.
According to Wikipedia Waterbury were taken over by Ingersoll which eventually became part of U.S. Time Corporation in 1944.

Thanks I'll put a bit more of history up on the Waterbury thread.

Great how two different 'obsessions' have interlinked.

TheRepentent

Always found how they cameup with the name timex....time + kleenex = timex :eek::D

OldBean

Similar to Cyclingtourist, I was/am (thanks to the pandemic) into cyclotouring. After a few years off the bike and changes to life I've definitely retired the lycra. The faith of my bike was sealed a few weeks ago when I popped on a hitch for our dog and her new trailer. Today I mounted the rear panniers back on to my (now) only bike, which I built from scratch as a do-it-all commuter, trail, road, touring and city bike, all achievable with about 5 mins with an Allen key, adding/removing racks. Photo below of her in her heyday, a look which she is currently rocking.

Starting small, my wife and I have been doing some smaller bits - the Waterford Greenway is great, and we're hoping to the Royal Canal from Maynooth to the Shannon soon.

Other obsessions, there's been a few over the years. I had a pretty great camera collection that I sold on to students. No regrets apart from my pro medium format kits - the internals of my old Hasselblads were as beautiful as a manual wind watch.

The last few years I've spent a lot of time (hot) smoking food. We've a v small back yard that's more smoker than yard, and like we'd get a good few meals a week from fire. It's a lovely way to cook.

The great thing is I get to tie a lot of these in together - cooking over fire after a few hours on the saddle, lovely! My wife has taken over photo duty though, with a little Oly XA to bring on cycles.

Edit: oh - and I forgot a coffee obsession, I've a lovely coffee set up at home now, along with some travel kits for work. At home I'm all about filter coffee, currently using a bonavita drip set up with a chemex and mid tier grinder. A few years ago I got pretty close between my current career and a career in coffee tasting. Outside of home, I want cappuccinos with a nice bright roast. African coffee is currently in peak season and I love natural coffee, which gets an unpredictable and funky/boozy flavour from being left on drying racks in the sun.

Which brings me on to booze hobbies - good beers, whiskey (specifically rye!), natural wines and cocktails..

Wibbs

Interestingly in the US in the late 19th century and before military men wore a wristwatch and made it more widely popular it was noted that they could be found among various sportsmen including cyclists. It was still considered "out there" as a male item. Fine if being "sporty" but otherwise not really on among men of breeding. That the wristwatch* was very popular among women did nothing to help in those days.

*usually a small pocketwatch in a leather holder that could be worn on the wrist. EG