FISCAL BALANCE

Having spent my 2025 budget already in 2024, I still managed to secure at least one decent watch that ticked every box that mattered to me

- WORDS AND PHOTOGRAPHY RUCKDEE CHOTJINDA

I enjoyed contributing to this "Many More Hands" series of articles in 2021, 2022 and 2023 (the latest of which is called Yet More Hands). Actually, let me rephrase that. I was thrilled to be part of this annual initiative because the concept resonated deeply with me.

Journalists like us can write any number of watch articles, and they may all seem like routine work in the course of our profession. Even enthusiasm for any timepiece may be construed as feigned, or any praise dismissed as words with ulterior commercial motive. But there is absolutely no doubt here, however, as (Ashok and I, and Zara, theoretically) put our own hard-earned money into buying what we advocate. Besides, we are able to set aside the neutrality that we traditionally maintain for our work and share our views from the perspective of a true watch buyer.

Many interesting watches are released each year, but only a few are within my reach. Remember, I am based in Thailand where the minimum wage is $16/day and a typical desk job for a college graduate starts at $1,000/month. There is also a 5% import duty on watches, plus 7% sales tax, which further compounds the matter of relative inaccessibility compared with the developed world. For the purposes of this article, I can reveal that my responsible watch budget is approximately $10,000 annually, although I am known to be irresponsible at times.