Welcome to Right On Time

What is it?

A newsletter. About watches, and the business and culture surrounding them. It’s written by me, Felix Scholz.

When is it?

Currently fortnightly, on a Friday (in Australia).

Why now?

There’s two real answers to this — a functional one and a more ideological one.

First, the functional. I recently finished up at my old job, and suddenly have the means and the time to pursue projects I’m passionate about and believe in.

This brings us to the ideological. There’s never been more easily accessible information about watches out there than there is today. Watches as an enthusiast category have never been more accepted, and there’s some great content out there. It can be overwhelming. It can also be hard to filter out the content that’s simply a rehashed press release, or uninformed or, as is often the case, overly informed by the relationship between writer and advertiser. None of this is inherently bad — but for me, living and breathing this world, I find myself wanting more, or at least something different. I’ve got stories I want to write (as well as half-formed opinions), that will never be published, if only because they fit into the editorial too-hard basket. Man cannot survive on listicles alone. On the other hand, I’ve got stories that are too small and personal to make it on a larger platform.

Which is where this newsletter comes in. Small scale, unencumbered by the commercial realities of a bigger business and inherently personal. I’ve been a big fan of newsletters for a long time, and I’m not alone. In an era of paid-for clicks in a media marketed dominated by Facebook and Google, it can be refreshing to return to a format that has been around for millennia.

What can I expect?

So, fair warning, it’s going to contain a lot of watches. So if these words — Nautilus, Bathyscaphe, and Submariner — have specific, watch-related meanings beyond the more generalist underwater world association, you’re in the right place.

Basically, Right On Time is a place for me to talk about watches in a more personal, unfiltered way. Something not always possible when I’m writing for other titles or platforms. So expect a more personal take on watch-related news, products and happenings — equal parts informed and insider with just a dash of rumour.

I’m also really looking forward to having a more engaged relationship with my readers. Typically I hit ‘publish’, and that’s pretty much that. There’s the odd social media comment, but it’s a one-way dialogue. Right On Time can be more. Want to know what I think of a particular watch? I can tell you that. Looking for some specific information? I can help. Want to get a #realtalk take on the trade fairs and trips? I’m there for you.

And finally, you can expect Right On Time to change. I’m typing this with one vision in my head, but I’m fully prepared, and hoping the newsletter will change along the way. But be clear about these things. It will be a newsletter. It will be ad-free. And it will be about watches.

To find out more about the company that provides the tech for this newsletter, visit Substack.com.