Dr. N.
For our new column "The Spirit of the Time", we propose a two-part interview with one of our readers, an intellectual who we will call CF. This is the second part: you can read it here the first.
Before leaving you to this fascinating reading, we remind you to comment on our articles with your questions and curiosities, to increasingly meet your interests and passions.
Interview with CF – part two
Dr. N.
So he said that an automatic movement brings the watch closer to life... But isn't this the same for the manual? Doesn't he also need a living man to function?
CF
This is certainly the case, but the contact is less strong. It is as if the hand-wound watch checks for the user's presence once a day. Obviously, even the automatic machine does not draw energy from humans at all times, but it has a reserve from which it draws. From a theoretical point of view however, it is more directly connected to the human being. It could be said that the manually wound clock stops working if the man stops thinking about it, while the automatic one stops when the man's life also ceases.
Dr. N.
Or rather, the automatic watch ceases to draw support if man ceases to live, the manual one if man ceases to think about it. But aren't thought and will perhaps higher functions than mere subsistence in life?
CF
They are the result of rationality. When it comes to hand-wound watches, I find that there are four moments in which man draws on his own logos or ratio: the conception of the watch, its construction, winding and the act of looking at the watch. Now. In the automatic watch the winding takes place without the presence of rationality, but this must not be a demeaning factor, on the contrary, it is an indication of a very close relationship with the act of living. We don't think about breathing, we don't think about circulating blood in our veins, we don't think about the act of digestion. However, this happens and is linked to our life. Also, Dr N, do you think it would be “higher” to wind your watch by operating the crown or, for example, by working on a painting? Writing a poem, admiring nature during a walk?
Dr.N
I would add a fifth moment, that of maintenance, essential for a mechanical watch (by the way, have you taken a look at the Chronosect network of trusted laboratories for your timepiece?). I hadn't actually seen the issue in these terms. Thank you for broadening my horizons and those of our readers. The time (as this word seems to have meaning today) at our disposal is over. Thank you very much and I hope you will be our guest on these columns in the future too.
CF
Thanks to you for this opportunity, it was a pleasure to share my thoughts with your audience.
