Fingerboards and watches… When you see these words side by side, you may wonder “what do they have to do with each other?”. Well, by reading this column hopefully I can get you more familiar with the subjects and their similarities. As a both fingerboard and watch enthusiast, I always wanted to write about the values that these two subjects have in common. The value of a well-made product, the story behind each pieces, and where they can lead you to. If you are a watch enthusiast yourself, hopefully this will be an entertaining article for you to read and empathize with.

Let’s begin by talking about each of their physical characteristics. From the late 1990s to early 2010s, the vast majority of the size (particularly the width) of fingerboards were 28~30mm wide. This was basically the only size that fingerboard decks were made in. Over time, around mid 2010s, the width of the decks became more wider, becoming available in 32, 33, even 34mm. When fingerboard brands started making 34mm decks, it was a big change in the market. Of course, when we think of a 34mm deck now, it is one of the most common and most popular size for a fingerboard deck. Similar to the evolution of fingerboard decks, wristwatches back from the early 1900 to the 1970s were also small in its size. The majority of watches in those era was 31, 32… 35mm at the largest.

Until 1972, when the Swiss watch maker Audemars Piguet introduced the Royal Oak “Jumbo”, with the size of a 39mm in diameter. “At 39 mm, the Royal Oak 5402 was the first Audemars Piguet watch produced in series and belonging to the oversized category” (Audemars Piguet Heritage team, Le Brassus, 2022). Watches since then grown in size gradually, now the size of 40mm in diameter became the “average” size for men’s wristwatch.

AP Royal Oak “Jumbo” Ref. 15202BC / Photo credit: Hodinkee

In terms of design, the variations for both fingerboards and watches are endless; the incorporation of new color combinations, new materials, and designs makes the concept of the product like a whole new thing. In the context of fingerboards, new variations of shapes such as cruisers makes the product unique to its brand identity. Brands also use materials such as carbon fiber, sometimes even metal. Watch brands release watches with different colored dials, also changing its variety of case materials from stainless steel to gold, titanium, ceramic, and platinum. Designs such as split plies of a fingerboard deck can be reflected as the “skeleton” dial of a watch.

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar Openworked in Black Ceramic / Photo credit: SJX Watches

There are reasons why professional fingerboard decks and luxury watches cost as much as they do. Mostly is because they are hand made, with a limited quantity produced. The thinness of the veneer used to make decks, the thousands of parts that construct a mechanical movement… It is not only about the cost of materials that decides the cost of the product; it is about the time and skills that contribute to creating one of those art pieces by hand.

However, while the ‘price’ of the product is measured by the seller, the ‘value’ of it is measured by the customer. As Hermann Simon says, “[p]ricing is about how people divide up value”, moreover “[t]he value we perceive changes as the product ages”(Confessions of the Pricing Man). The most frequent question asked to watch enthusiasts is “why do people still buy mechanical watches for that money when they can just check their phones to tell the time?”. The answer to that question is rather simple. It is because the watch is more than just a machine that tells the time. It contains sentimental values of the watch’s history, its struggles, and it reflects the owner’s story. The most valuable watches are the ones that have a meaning to you, a reminder of a particular event or a story. Such as your parent handing down their watch from worn for decades, or when you are gifting yourself a watch as a celebration for something special. Sometimes, even surviving through a war with it.

Fingerboards also reflect the person’s taste in art, functionality of the board, the tightness of the trucks, how the wheels feel on the surface, etc. Some watch collectors may only collect watches that costs tens of thousands of dollars, while others may enjoy the value of a $20 Casio watch. It’s not about the cost of the product, what really matters is what that product means to you. It doesn’t matter if you ride a $5 Tech Deck or a $200 fingerboard. If you enjoy it, that’s all that matters.

Fingerboards and Watches: More in Common than You may Imagine.

The Power of Product Packaging

Hand Painted vs. Heat Transferred: Film or CGI?