To say I’m a watch guy, is a new thing for me to admit aloud, but something I’ve known most of my life. I don’t know why, but I’ve been drawn to watches since I was a little kid. So before I talk about my visit, I figure I should give a bit of background on how I got here.
My grandfather was an Omega guy, and had two beautiful automatic Seamasters he coveted. Unless he was playing golf, he pretty much always had one on. (I’m blessed to have these in my collection today.) My dad has never been a collector, nor was he big in to any brands, but almost always has one on. He’s been a Seiko and Citizen guy for years, and rocked the same Timex for probably 15 years when I was growing up. He owned a couple of nicer watches, which he wore when he and my mother would get dressed up. One was an automatic watch she gave him for their wedding, which broke. The other was a lovely Raymond Weil, two tone bracelet, that’s still ticking. In fact, when the Ryder Cup came to visit Medinah Country Club, my mom bought my dad a lovely Ryder Cup themed Omega. My dad, though appreciative, didn’t think he’d ever wear something so nice, and asked to return it. Doh!
Mechanisms have always fascinated me, both in clocks and watches, as well as the mechanisms in machinery. I work in engineering and manufacturing for my day job, and understanding how things work has been a passion of mine for a long time. One of my favorite parts of my job is walking a manufacturing floor with a customer and asking questions on all the various processes and parts that go in to what they make and sell. It’s actually part of how I discovered Oak and Oscar.
I can’t remember exactly when I got my first watch, but ever since I can remember, I’ve worn one, and over time, have come to realize that you can have a lot fun with it. From what I can remember, one of my first true watches was a Swatch. I had a few growing up and remember being pretty rough on them, and going through a few. Once I had grown out of Swatches, I graduated to digital watches - an old G Shock I got while on vacation in Hawaii, because after one surf lesson, of course you need a surf watch, then a couple Casio watches until they wore out. When I hit middle school and high school it was chunky metal bands from the likes of Fossil, and Kenneth Cole.
My “collecting” began after graduating U of Illinois, and getting in to full time work. I had a couple of decent looking watches, but none were over about $65 at the time, had cheap quartz movements, and always seemed out of battery. As I was making a bit more cash, and still living at home, I thought it might be cool to buy something a bit more expensive, from a more reputable watch maker, maybe even something Swiss. Quickly I accrued a few different pieces, Timex, Hamilton, ESQ and Seiko - but all quartz movements. It was only after a few conversations with a customer, that I learned how big a difference there is between the two types of movements. I loved all the watches. I bought them all for looks, and I do love the way they look. It wasn’t until my bought me my first automatic - a Tissot Chronograph, as a wedding gift, that it all clicked and I remembered back to my conversations with my customer, that inside this watch was such an amazing piece of engineering.
Being able to bridge the gap between my hobbies and work is something I love. I’ve marked most of the milestones of my career with the different quartz watches noted above. The deal with a foods company here in Chicago, I bought my first chronograph Timex. When I placed my first Director level Engineering executive, I bought a flashy rubber banded chronograph Seiko. It just became a fun way to celebrate. But after the Tissot, I said no to expanding the quartz collection, and began to see what timepieces were out there.
I first noticed Oak and Oscar on the wrist of outdoor and fishing photographer Dave Fason. He had taken it on a bunch of different adventures, and I believe wore it on a few different bands. I’m not a bracelet guy, so seeing all the different band options, plus the clean look of his white faced Olmstead caught my eye. When I saw their nods to Chicago in the name and design, I started doing some research on how and where they were made. I had no idea the size of their operations, and thought I might be able to call on them for work. After seeing they’re made here in the city, I knew I needed to hatch a plan to get my hands on one. When I first did some investigating I was on the precipice of changing jobs, and thought this could be the perfect life/work event to celebrate with a new watch.
Time passed and as I landed that new gig, and got to work landing my first seven figure deal, the opportunity to move on the Olmstead was near. As I took hold of the PO and signed all our service agreements, I kept the Olmstead in my virtual cart, even knowing they were out of stock. It was still great to process my order, and get in the queue. It wasn’t long before I received my email noting the watch was ready, which also included an invitation to come and take delivery at the HQ in downtown.
Chase and the team were great to meet and chat with while enjoying a beer and wandering the shop. It was a treat to see Nathan’s bench, and see some of the work he was doing. It’s amazing what he can do with the tools he has, and it’s incredible the unique small batch watches he’s done. Their office was awesome, and all too familiar - baseball mitts strewn about, fishing and fly fishing chochkees on different tables and shelves, and a cabinet full of bourbon. I’m a beer guy, so it’s a beer fridge, but all in all, it felt comfortable, and having the other owners there as well made it all very welcoming.
I’ve since had the chance to get to know Chase and spent a few days with the team and some owners in the Driftless last summer. It’s really a community of owners, and some really great people. I’ve gotten help with my photography, talked fishing and golf, learned about cooking and chef’s knives, and have always been pleasantly surprised how great the people are. It’s great to see what Chase has developed, extends beyond the watches. And all the while, he’s still developing some amazing time pieces - if you haven’t check out the Atwood.
Want to experience the same? Just drop them a note. Their office is always open to visitors with an RSVP and I highly recommend you take them up on the visit. I’m sure they’ll have a cold beer or a pour of bourbon on hand, and ready to share.
