In episode 9 of The worn&wound Podcast, we discussed what was at the time the newly released White Paper on Fine Watchmaking. If you haven?t done so yet, go give it a listen. But to summarize, the White Paper ultimately set out to define ?fine watchmaking? and the firms that embody that definition. The effort was three years in the making, and at the end of it all, the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie?the organization behind the White Paper?recognized 64 brands as being exemplary of this label.
We ultimately concluded our conversation feeling a bit cynical about the exercise. But we also wanted to hear a counterpoint from someone who viewed the whole thing in a different light, so we invited our listeners to hit us up with their thoughts. Well, one of our listeners, Allen Farmelo, took up that challenge and sent us a reply via email, and with his permission, we wanted to share that reply with you today. Read it below:
 

I just listened to, and enjoyed, your podcast on the White Paper defining fine watchmaking.  You asked at the end for counterpoint to what I would describe as your collective dismay at the paper, so I thought I’d offer some.
We live in an era in which digital technologies (especially the Internet, computers, and smartphones) have thoroughly reshaped the way we design, make, understand, buy, sell, market, value and interact with all kinds of things. As of this writing I’m 47, so I grew up in an analog world. My generation (X, o...