Issue 195: Advice For Aspiring Watch Writers
Your nine-point plan for entering the thrilling world of watch journalism. Plus - Marteau's second sale and a preppy pennant pick.
Hello and welcome back to The Fourth Wheel, the weekly watch newsletter that realised all too late that this issue would have been much funnier as a parody. Must own a classic 911; outlandish taste in shirts or suits a bonus; obsessions with Leica and James Bond and cigars also absolutely essential. At any given time one must have two or three vintage brands and modern independents that you are ready to declare the next big thing, preferably after getting your own name down, and the ability to hear someone say “actually, I think the Royal Oak is overrated” from across a crowded party and get to them in under seven seconds to tell them they’re wrong, at length, without spilling a drop of champagne. Instead I have written an entirely serious guide to becoming a better writer. Forgive me. I hope it is still useful.
Attention watch brand owners!
I know quite a few of you read The Fourth Wheel: this is a heads-up that the Independent Watchmaking Report will be returning this year and I will be distributing the survey next week. Watch your inboxes and tell your friends. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, last year I created the world’s first international analysis of indie watch brands and published it as a report. I’ll be doing the same this May - but bigger and better in every way - and it all starts with the survey. So if you work at an independent brand, I will be in touch very soon. Drop me a message if you want to know more.
The Fourth Wheel is a reader-supported publication with no advertising, sponsorship or commercial partnerships to influence its content. It is made possible by the generous support of its readers: if you think watch journalism could do with a voice that exists outside of the usual media dynamic, please consider taking out a paid subscription. You can start with a free trial!
Here’s a little taste of what you might have missed recently:
So you want to be a watch writer?
I am asked surprisingly frequently for advice on becoming a watch writer. Sometimes by people who have already given it a bit of a go, sometimes by people who are just starting out, and I say surprisingly because if you have been reading The Fourth Wheel for long enough, or follow me on LinkedIn, you’ll know I don’t shy away from the fact that it’s not an easy way to make a living. But everyone has a different set of circumstances, and many people, I think, like the idea of doing a bit of writing on the side and getting paid for it rather than actually being reckless enough to try and make it their entire livelihood.
Getting paid is in fact a key distinction; I said I am asked for advice on becoming a writer, but what people really tend to be asking is ‘how can I find work as a writer’. The devil on my shoulder will always whisper something along the lines of ‘piss off, this is my patch,’ but I haven’t listened to him yet.
This is a slightly different thing, because although I don’t think you should be able to find professional writing gigs if your prose is horrible, it will be clear to all of us that you don’t have to be the next Hemingway or Fitzgerald to rattle off a few watch articles. By and large, people are generally not looking for a fine critique of their writing style - which is a shame, because they often need it. What is an even greater shame is that they will probably find someone to publish their work who isn’t interested in helping them improve as a writer as long as they deliver a trickle of page views. What follows is a beginners’ guide to achieving something more - the art of acquiring information, perceiving the compelling narrative within and delivering it to people in a form that they enjoy and find useful. That’s the idea, anyway.
It’s not enough just to like watches
If you are asking for advice on writing about watches I would hope you do like them, but having the beginnings of a collection - or who knows, perhaps a world-class one - and some strongly-held opinions about what Omega or Tudor should do next is not going to get you that far. It is far more important to be a good writer with an enquiring mind than to be a watch geek with time to spare.
You need a good editor
Knowing full well the irony of what I am about to say, having spent years now writing exactly what I want to whatever length I please right here on Substack, every good writer needs a good editor. I have worked with many, and whatever laments I may raise about freelancing in the mainstream media, one positive effect on my work is that it helps to retain some sense of discipline - by which I mean sticking to a word count, removing redundant material and staying on brief. Although as many commissioning editors would tell you, I stretch those limits all the bloody time; this is a liberty that you can occasionally take when you have developed a good relationship with a publication but objectively, is not great advice to follow. Do as I say, not as I do.
Anyway, a lot of enthusiast-led websites - and I think a fair few print magazines as well - lack the time, budget and dare I say it, journalistic grounding to know how to properly edit copy1. This isn’t the case at the biggest and best watch titles, but it is true of many places where an aspiring writer might get a start, especially retailers’ websites. With a few exceptions - Teddy Baldasarre might be one, although I can’t speak from personal experience, and Mr Porter when I worked there certainly was another - retail platforms don’t invest in editorially-trained staff. All of which is a roundabout way of saying that you may well find places willing to take a chance on a new writer, and by all means you should take them, because any experience is better than none, but pretty quickly you will probably realise that they don’t provide the level of feedback you need to improve as a writer.
