The WatchTime Q&A: Meet Our New Senior Editor, Zen Love
One could say it took me only one pandemic, one lunch and two attempts over the course of three years to finally convince Zen Love that he’d be the perfect fit for the editorial team at WatchTime. This October, Philly-based Zen Love has joined the WatchTime team as Senior Editor. He has been professionally involved in the watch media industry for over a decade, formerly at aBlogtoWatch, Gear Patrol, and Revolution. He has an unusual name. Yes, it is his real, given name. But most importantly, he is a pleasure to work with, and he always makes sure that even the nerdiest content remains approachable.
Before you get to enjoy his writing, we thought it would be best to sit down with him and talk about what makes him tick:
What made you fall in love with watches in the first place?
In watches, I find an antidote to modern urban existence that so often feels saturated by the likes of memes du jour and disposable products. I don’t think I’m alone in craving genuineness, and while quality, thoughtfully made items of all kinds interest me, I think watches scratch that itch particularly well. I can be in a bar, a train, a grocery store or wherever, and a watch will act like a private little dot of yang for me among the yin. Be it a pragmatic tool watch or some feat of engineering and craftsmanship, both play that role for me, if in different ways.
What is the one watch you’ll never sell?
Like so many who have since fallen down the rabbit hole, it all started for me with a TAG Heuer. In my case, it was a 39mm Carrera Twin-Time on a steel bracelet with a silver dial and GMT hand tipped with a turquoise-ish arrow. When my stepfather gave it to me as a gift for the combined occasion of my birthday and finishing my master’s degree, I was essentially ignorant about watches — like, clueless.
That watch got the hell beat out of it for years as my daily wear and only watch. It was later researching the question “why is my watch so expensive?” that ended up drawing me deep into the watch world. I still wear this Carrera, will never sell it, and it helps me maintain perspective. It’s not a watch that was made for enthusiasts, but rather one meant simply as a handsome, refined, legible, practical, robust daily wear for someone perhaps concerned with more consequential things than the minutiae of watch collecting. That helps keep me grounded as a career in this industry often gives me the opportunity to experience watches and engage in discussions that would cause the uninitiated to scratch their heads.
Why should someone follow you on Instagram?
If you’re into that kind of thing, my Instagram account @zlo_watches is mostly about the watches I get to see, try, and photograph. Sometimes those are the newest or most coveted watches in the world, sometimes they’re what I happen to be testing, and sometimes they’re what I happen to be wearing from my own humble collection. I’ve been lucky enough to have put the most expensive watch ever sold on my wrist before it auctioned for ~$31 million, as well as to have tested amazing watches ahead of release so that I can share them right at embargo time.
You’ll also be able to see some of the places and experiences that the odd but fortunate career of watch media has afforded me. Most of my pictures are taken using a Canon 5D Mark III or a Fujifilm X100V, on-site at events or at home.
Where can readers meet you?
I’ll of course be at WatchTime New York 2024, meeting, greeting, schmoozing and perhaps a little boozing. It’s slightly cliche, but if I’m being honest with myself, the social and community aspect of this hobby and industry is a big part of why I’m here. I love to meet collectors, enthusiasts, newbies, and readers and talk about any corner of the horological world. Got beef with one of my articles? Want to ask about my weird name? (Yes, it’s my real, given name.) Wanna talk about food, history, whiskey, photography, thrifting, G-Shock, or Japanese denim? Let’s discuss.
Otherwise, I’m often found at watch-related events in NYC and around the world. If you happen to be in South Philly, where I live, I’m happy to pop downstairs for a coffee or drink in the neighborhood to talk watches.
What kind of stories are you most interested in?
I tend to look for the why in everything first: why was something created? Why is it worth knowing about? And why should you let me be the one to tell you about it? My approach is that every story should have an angle, but also leave the reader with a sense that they understand all the most relevant elements and context of the topic at hand. That could be an affordable microbrand watch, esoteric high watchmaking, the history of an obscure watch feature, how something is made, or why a new watch is noteworthy. A subject I often enjoy is the use of materials in watchmaking.
Whatever the topic, however, I’m allergic to presumptuousness and pretension. No one is reading my words because I’m the one who wrote them or because they have nothing else to read or do — at least, that’s the assumption. Moreover, I want newcomers to the hobby to feel welcome, even if that means spelling out information and context that’s already familiar to those deeper in the game. I have faith that this can be done in a way that remains entertaining to seasoned enthusiasts and collectors, as well. At least, that’s the goal.