FEATURE: The Exit Watch, What an Awful Idea!

The other day I came across an article which discussed the newly minted phenomena of the 'Exit' watch. Apparently the previous term 'grail' watch has become so overused, tarnished and generally devalued that a new concept was necessary to take it's place. The 'grail' watch is still apparently a 'thing' but the 'exit' watch is truly next level.

So what is the difference?

Well, a grail watch, has always been (to my understanding) a watch that one aspires to own one day, a watch that is not defined by value as such; because one person's grail could be a £1000 Seiko, while another's could be a £1,000,000 Patek Philippe, and nor is it necessarily by definition an 'achievable' goal. For example; I could easily hold up a £20,000 Royal Oak Offshore as my grail watch, but whether I would ever bring myself to spend that kind of money on one watch even if I had it in my possession is besides the point.

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I must say, personally I've never really had a 'grail' watch as such. There are watches that are out of my price range that I'd like to own, such as the Monaco 24 Gulf, or more fantastically the Monaco V4 (with or without the tourbillon), but they aren't an all consuming passion and they certainly don't warrant the term 'grail' watch for me. I like my watches too much to put one above everything in that way, and while I do have a nominal 'favourite' in my collection (and yes, strangely it is the one I paid the most money for) it definitely doesn't give me ten times the pleasure to wear it as a watch that cost £400.

So then, what exactly is an 'Exit' watch?

Apparently, the 'Exit' watch is more than just a grail; a grail watch is something you aspire to own, but the 'Exit' watch is the last watch you will ever own. It is the ultimate watch, the one that renders all future purchases pointless, the one you will perhaps be buried wearing... the perfect watch that makes your life complete and takes you out of the watch game forever.

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It's a nice idea in theory, but I can't help but think that it's more than a little flawed as a concept. Any watch collector knows that what rings your bell today can seem tired and dull after mere weeks of close acquaintance, so the idea of 'one watch to rule them all' seems dubious at best. Besides, who wants to be taken out of the watch game altogether? That's a terrible scenario to contemplate, where's the fun in having one watch that makes your life complete when you can have ten or twenty or thirty?

Nah, this 'Exit' watch mallarky is definitely not for me, I couldn't even begin to think of one watch that could sate my watch-lust for good. If anything it's more likely to inspire me to want more but of a higher value and that's not good for my bank balance (or my marriage). No, I really must recommend you forget all this 'Exit Watch' nonsense as I sincerely believe no good at all can come of it!