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Whiskey Watches and Watch Winders- Blog 1

We are so pleased to bring you our first blog of all things "Whiskey Watches and Watch Winders" which is near and dear to Craig's heart and topics that Mr. Zaligson thoroughly enjoys. If you have had the pleasure to visit us here at TimeScape and do business with Craig, he is always happy to share his honest opinion of all things watches and watch winders while sharing and enjoying a glass of fine single malt scotch with our patrons. This is how Craig has always done business.  The world of fine timepieces shouldn’t be stuffy or only for the few with disposable cash. Anyone who appreciates the intricacies, traditions history of horology and the meticulous nuances needed to produce fine timepieces and notable distilled spirits will relate and enjoy.

TimeScape has been in business since 1995 opening a one manned storefront in the suburbs of St. Louis Park, and then in 2003 relocating to the Minneapolis Hyatt Regency and having the famed Manny's Steak House as our neighbor. Craig originally started out in corporate America working with a national company in data compaction and storage to optical disk for the US Poison Control Center. That was when the IBM PC XT / 20 MB was the barnburner of the day. Craig came into the business of selling watches through his love and appreciation of mechanical timepieces and all things related to horology. Being well aware of the lack of dedicated watch stores in the Twin Cities, Craig found his niche and calling.  Hence TimeScape was born. With the help of his business partners, a famed local restaurateur, and a famous vodka distillery chairman, Craig expanded his business to benefit the true watch enthusiast that appreciated eclectic and diverse timepiece brands.

Most of the brands TimeScape featured were low production unique timepieces such as: Anonimo, Arnold & Son, Chronoswiss, Ernst Benz, Glycine, Graham-London, Giuliano Mazzuoli, Grand Seiko and Ulysse Nardin. Mainstream entry timepieces such as Hamilton, Longines and Movado were also added. Not only did he sell these high-end brands but wanted to offer care and maintenance of these fine timepieces becoming and authorized dealer to the top watch winder companies in the business which includes Buben & Zorweg, Scatola del Tempo, Orbita, Swiss Kubik, and Underwood of London. He then hired on an in house CSCM certified watchmaker to repair and service watches to become a full-fledged watch boutique. 

In the world of electronics, smart phones and now smart watches there is something to be said about the labor and love and art of a fine timepiece with the many complications and variety. A small complicated little machine that takes a steady trained and tested hand to create and bring to life with the only power source being the movement of the wrist or winding of the crown. Fine timepieces are given life so as to be appreciated for many years and then passed down to the next generation.  A fine timepiece is wearable art for the wrist.

We have showcased and hosted many events and continue to try and bring the world of fine timepieces to everyone. In 2013 we were pleased to sponsor the J24 US National Championship Races at the Wayzata Yacht Club at Lake Minnetonka and have hosted events with the British watchmakers of Bremont, featuring a British theme of English cheeses, port wine and stout ale. We have also featured events with Arnold & Son, hosted a private dinner with F.P Journe at the elegant Banks restaurant. We have been invited to and attended the Draw Party for the TCP 3M US Senior Championship Golf tour several times, and regularly feature our pilot's watches at the Flying Cloud Airport AirExpo Aviation Show. We have hosted several #REDBARMSP events, a get together for the local watch enthusiasts and attended First Thursday's Lavender Happy Hour Events. We also created our own Whiskey and Watches tasting event to coincide with our Watch Fair and yearly sale with a diverse tasting menu of unique whiskeys.  And lastly we have even been featured in the local Edina Magazine and sponsored and gifted the Minneapolis St. Paul Business Journal Executive of the Year recipient a Ulysse Nardin Dual Time wrist watch.We have showcased and hosted many events and continue to try and bring the world of fine timepieces to everyone. 

We are now located in the heart of the luxury shopping district of Edina Minnesota and have come into our own and look to continue to grow and evolve. Being in the watch business for 20 years we have seen much change and growth and want to share our knowledge and experience in watches and watch winders and make the experience fun and enjoyable to you out there who might just started discovering the world of wrist watches. I hope you will subscribe to our YouTube channel to get the latest blog videos and continue to follow us here. We always appreciate opinions and suggestions of what you want to see next.

Swiss Kubik

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Its About Time or Shall I Say having the correct time. Being in the right place at the right time is not possible if the correct time is not available. Swiss Kubik watch winders offer the perfect accompaniment to not only being there, but being there in a timely fashion. Constructed in a Modern & Contemporary anodized aluminum cube design measuring 4 x 4 x 4 and weighing 24 ounces, the Swiss Kubik Watch winder is small enough and light enough to fit in an overnight travel tote.   Powered by 2 standard “C” type batteries, the Swiss Kubik watch winder will have a lifespan of 3 years in continuous mode before batteries need replacement.

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What to look for in a summer watch

With the scorching days of summer upon us what better time than to pull out or purchase that perfect timepiece for fun, sultry, adventurous times. What makes the perfect summer watch? Of course water resistance is a must and rugged durability with comfort. With the land of 10,000 lakes you are bound to get out and enjoy them whether its water skiing, boating, or fishing, we love our lakes in Minnesota and having water resistance in your watch is a must.

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Airman 7

Here at TimeScapeUSA we have a special love for Glycine.  The scrappy little brand out of Biel/Bienne has been disappointing the naysayers by producing timepieces of consistent quality since 1914. 

In the same vein, the new Airman 7 is a tidy marriage of where Glycine is going and where it's been.  A model that debuted back in the late nineties, the 7 aspired to the kind of visual complexity then overtaking the rest of the industry.  Three separate time zones, each driven by a separate mechanical movement, all packed into one enormous 46mm watch case.

But like some libidinous sailor struggling to maintain a family in every port, how are you going to keep three movements happy in one can?  I'm here to say that the new Airman 7 somehow manages to stay happily married and still keep all the friends with benefits.

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Basel World 2015 - Eye on Basel

Your own Mr. Timepiece, watch enthusiast and founder of Timescape, is jetting his way to the big event. Yes, the place to be if one loves watches: Basel, Switzerland.  And if you are into yodeling, chocolate and great scenic vistas, also a good place to be. I am always awestruck upon entering the exhibition hall. It is a sense akin to being clothed in the aura of horologic history and legend, that stunning first impression of timepiece nirvana. And there are thousands of adherents like myself, advancing mere feet at a time, jostling to continue their pursuit of fantasy.                                                                                                              

I will be forwarding images and video from Basel. 

More to follow when I return.

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“Watches Are a Personal, Emotional Endeavor”

In the interest of enlarging the discussion, TimeScapeUSA will continue to host occasional interviews with members of the local watch enthusiast community.  I know Brian through #REDBARMSP and as a client interested in customizing his private pieces.  We exchanged a few notes by email regarding where he fits in the ecology of enthusiasts, and his perspective may surprise you.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                "A watch isn't just the timepiece; it's the history, tradition, and branding.  Many companies can make a solidly engineered product...that has no soul."  "You want my watch money, you need to be proven."

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Not All Wrist Watches Can Be Repaired

  Here at TimeScapeUSA we make it our mission not just to service your particular watch, but as many varieties of timepiece as possible but every once in awhile, to my shame as a technician and Student of Horology, I have to tell a client “No can do!” . Our “heirloom” pocketwatches were the Swatch watches of their day: stylish, mass-produced, shoddy items, priced to sell to people of varying means. Does this make such things impossible to repair?  Of course not.  It makes them impossible to repair at a reasonable price, commensurate with the value of the piece itself.  Parts are often unavailable, or made in such a way that they cannot be installed, so I must reluctantly council the client that to proceed would be folly. 

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