Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/09/16
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]In a message dated 9/15/00 2:21:14 PM Eastern Daylight Time, dcardish@microtec.net writes: << But my Seiko watch, in addition to its extremely accurate time keeping function, looks nice and is comfortable to wear (it's also an analog chronometer). Why should I penalize myself and replace it with some mechanical dinosaur just because it keeps accurate time? If someone has a fetish about that, they can just set the wrong time on it. It can keep the wrong time very accurately as well! >> You absolutely should not replace your watch or, for that matter, anything else you like, on the strength of anyone else's preferences (your spouse excluded, of course). There are certain watches which are so well designed and crafted that they represent the pinnacle of a particular genre of industrial design and manufacture. They are, in a genuine way, comparable to the Leica RF. No one, not even in this group, would go so far as to suggest that an M Leica represents the most efficient means of producing a photograph, under all foreseeable circumstances. It does, however, best reflect the photographic values and serve the needs of those who use it with respect and use it well. Moreover, the Leica M represents the culmination of a particular approach to the design and manufacture of photographic instruments. We believe in it, and we support it by continuing to buy products we generally consider to be unnecessarily expensive, so that philosophy may survive in an increasingly crass commercial and industrial environment. Frankly, I find the precision and craftsmanship evident in the Leica satisfying. It also, from a purely photographic standpoint, inspires confidence. Finally, I respect the traditional values, ethics and dedication of the people involved in the design and production process, throughout the distinguished history of the Leica. The same applies, in parallel ways, with all devices which would not exist but through the ingenuity of the human species. At their highest levels of design and execution, they become something more than mere tools for the performance of mundane tasks. They become industrial artworks. I believe the M3 is one of the most attractive industrial designs ever produced. I would visit camera shops when I was 11 years old, just to look at them on the shelves, see the display mock-ups, naively hoping one of the salesmen would offer me a closer look. There are also watch designs of particular distinction. In places like Germany and Italy, and more recently in Asia, watch collecting is a very serious pursuit. Not so in the US. As a result, we have sold a great many, probably most, of our finest older wrist watches to such collectors. In so doing, we have pretty much foreclosed any likelihood that wrist watch collecting will ever become much of a phenomenon in this country. I hope we will have more foresight and respect for the intrinsic value of the breed than to do the same with our Leicas. Joe Sobel