Is it such a surprise that a company making timepieces is slightly obsessed by the seasons of the year? Even in an era when the weather seems to be consistently burning our centuries defined expectations of ‘normal’, our brains still anticipate and react to the changes happening around us.
The long, stuffy summer afternoons are subtly switched to a reworked shorter and crisper affair. Banks of dew hang over the fields early in the mornings. Evenings outside suddenly require long sleeved clothing instead of shorts and sandals. Farmers are frantically harvesting the fruits of spring and summer before the first frost announces itself.
Best of all the gritty summer haze transforms into a sharp, smoky, autumn cut. The light is cleaner and contrast rich. The magical golden hour now lasts for whole evenings. Nature is slowly preparing for winter, and we know this will shortly bring a joyful riot of colour, inspiring a frantic clicking of camera buttons as we try to capture this fleeting moment. Forests shed their light swallowing summer cloak of green and begin to glow in yellow, orange, gold, red and brown.
We could slip into melancholy now that a process of death and decay has begun, but instead the autumn spectacle fills us with wonder. The gold warms our souls just like the flickering flames of the winter fire will soon warm our homes. Our Scandinavian friends have a whole dictionary devoted to the delights of the darker part of the year and the joy of being wrapped up, warm and cosy whilst outside the weather rages.
Autumn is the time to start re-appreciating the finer things of life: a comfortable chair and good book, a finely brewed hot drink, things made by skilled hands. If summer is time for outdoor adventures: Supersede season, autumn is absolutely Omnium o’clock. Stainless or gold, pink, blue or white dial, grey or black strap: its uncluttered simplicity and classical form is a perfect reminder that simple things can also bring us unbridled joy.
What is your favourite season?