Post by Nick Ferrell of DC Vintage Watches
In October 2019, the District Time watch show opened its doors for the fourth year in a row – this time as a two-day event at the District Architecture Center (DAC) in Washington, DC. Sponsored by NTH Watches, and hosted by Loren Sciurba of The Time Bum and Bill McDowell of McDowell Time Watches, the show featured a record high with over 50 brands and dealers represented. Fans of horology were able to slake their thirst for mainstream, independent, microbrand, and vintage watches, and those who registered took a deep dive into watchmaking with the popular The Horological Society of New York‘s watchmaking classes.
Despite our recent expansion to Los Angeles, DC Vintage Watches (DCVW) again joined the District Time show, as it is a proven value for the venue it provides for watch aficionados – including some of our regular clientele who attended one more this year – to handle both new watches and our vintage offerings. Again, we were repeatedly asked why we don’t open a brick-and-mortar store. While it seems like a great idea in general, the costs for us and other small watch businesses just wouldn’t make fiscal sense. As such, we love doing watch shows like District Time, as do all the microbrands we spoke with during the show. Many previous attendees returned this year, and some for both days, to shop for watches, check out upcoming releases, and try their luck in giveaways, which included over a dozen prize packages with new watches and accessories, as well as a vintage Stellaris (made for Sears by Seiko) that DCVW contributed.
Having attended watch shows elsewhere, I’ve seen it’s quite difficult to beat the value for customers offered the District Time show. Nearly all of the watches on display were priced below $2,000, making them accessible to most with a keen interest in watches, even if they are new to this passion/obsession. Coupled with the convivial environment of the DAC, and you have a fun and casual experience where attendees can enjoy a great variety of watches with zero pressure. We were rewarded with numerous chances to meet our customers face-to-face, some of which we had only spoken with previously via social media or email, to share our joint passion for watches.
We were heartened to see many familiar faces returning for this year’s show. We exchanged stories and opinions (in particular regarding Seiko and Heuer, vintage and otherwise), and shared our appreciation for fine watchmaking. As vintage Seiko has steadily gained popularity (it seems many are finally awakening to the exquisite value, in terms of both monetary worth and watchmaking skill), we had many more questions from show attendees than last year, and we relished the chance to evince our love for Seiko! Once more, the show served to build brand awareness and gain new customers from those in attendance – in other words, the show was again a success for all involved. Hundreds of watch devotees came to shop and talk watches at the DAC, despite the show falling on a three-day weekend. Clearly, many fought against the infamous DC urge to flee the city on holiday and chose to attend the show instead, while others from out of town took advantage of the long break to fly in for the event.
Once more, DCVW offers a big “thank you” to all that came out to see us at District Time, and we look forward to seeing what the next show in 2020 brings. In the meantime, please enjoy the gallery below showcasing the event. We hope to see you at District Time next year! ⬩
Photos Courtesy of Morgan Ferrell
