If you're a self-proclaimed watch geek (and I’m betting you are), the name Watch Studies is probably already familiar to you. It’s a go-to resource at the crossroads of horology and photography—two passions that often go hand in hand. Watch enthusiasts have a natural appreciation for beautiful objects, and capturing that beauty to share with others seems almost instinctual. The content on Watch Studies is invaluable, whether you’re just starting out in the hobby or you're an experienced content creator looking to refine your skills. Personally, I’ve learned a lot from their tutorials on lighting and composition.

The man behind Watch Studies is my dear friend Verne Ho—an accomplished photographer, designer, and creative director based in Toronto. In 2021, Verne launched Watch Studies to explore the creative intersection of his two passions. In this interview, we dive into his early exposure to watches, his creative process, and his deep obsession with Cartier.

Tom: What do you think makes a good watch?

I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not the type of collector that stresses about specs. A great watch is one that makes the owner happy, full stop. Often, I think this translates into a timepiece that is designed to meet their aesthetic taste, built to suit their lifestyle, and offers some unique charm that extends from their personality or projects their ambitions. Obviously these are all subjective, which is part of what makes watch collecting so fun.

"A great watch is one that makes its owner happy, full stop." 

Tom: What was it about watches that first captured your interest?

I think my love for watches started as an appreciation for them as artefacts of design and style. The passion quickly deepened as I realised that watches could be powerful time capsules that help us mark or remember meaningful moments in our lives. There are very few other items we consistently wear through all the ebbs and flows of life, so watches naturally become an extension of who we are and a part of the journeys we go through. It was this idea of having beautiful physical mementos representing all the chapters of my life that really cemented my love for watch collecting.

Tom: Tell us about your tech background and how it’s influenced your view on mechanical watches?

I’ve been very fortunate to have had a fulfilling career in design and tech prior to starting Watch Studies. With it, I think I’ve developed a heightened admiration for watchmaking and all the little decisions that go into creating a beautiful product. 

Having spent the better part of my career working on large scale technology platforms, I appreciate that decisions don’t exist in isolation, but rather, that great products come out of a cohesive system of details working in unison. Watches are a wonderful embodiment of this same principle.

"Watches are powerful time capsules that help us mark or remember meaningful moments in our lives." 

There’s a pragmatism to every design decision that goes into a watch that resonates with me as well. I believe that design is a tool for problem solving, and even the most superficial of details can still serve a practical purpose.

Overall, I’d say that my career in designing digital products has intensified my curiosity, love, and respect for other fields of design and engineering, and that has only further fuelled my passion for watches.

Tom: What drives you to create?

When I first stumbled into online watch communities, I was admittedly a little intimidated by the fact that most conversations focused on the technical side of watches. Sharing beautiful photos, and by extension, beautiful stories of my watches was simply my way to get my foot in the door as a more sentimental collector.

I believe visual storytelling is an incredibly powerful tool. It’s also a much more accessible craft than most people would think. So, with Watch Studies, my goal is to give people the fundamental skills to join the conversation with stories of their own. The opportunity to help others create meaningful stories is what drives me to create.

Tom: What is your biggest inertia to creating content?

Losing sight of or not understanding the purpose and goal of the work. Creating content is a high-cadence exercise and it can be easy to fall into auto-pilot mode. When this happens, occasionally the objective can slip out of view, making the work feel like a bit of a grind.

Taking regular breaks and allotting time to think and reflect (and not just create) helps keep me centred and calibrated to a goal. This gives my work a sense of direction to measure progress against and, overall, it makes content creation a lot more enjoyable.

Tom: What advice do you have for budding creators?

Define your goals. Understanding what you and your content are trying to achieve is imperative to your success. Don’t live by vanity metrics or by someone else’s goals. Figure out what you personally want to do and define what successful outcomes will look like. And definitely revisit those goals periodically to recalibrate.

Tom: What is your approach to watch photography?

With watch photography, my goal is to tell an engaging story about the watch. I think of every photo as having an implied before or after – micro moments that string together with the photo itself to relay a mini story arc to the viewer. I might construct this story by leveraging the environment around the watch, an interaction with the owner, or simply by playing with the lighting and mood of the shot. Storytelling is what makes a photo engaging and is what allows a photographer to pull a viewer into their world and get lost in it. This is why I think it’s important to have some kind of narrative at play in my photography, even if it’s subtle.

"Storytelling is what makes a photo engaging and is what allows a photographer to pull a viewer into their world and get lost in it." 

Tom: Tell us about your obsession with Cartier?

My love for Cartier started with the birth of my daughter Atlas, as I was picking a special timepiece to commemorate her arrival. In line with her name, I chose a large steel Cartier Santos for its roots in aviation as one of the world’s first pilot watches. Two years later, when her little brother Jet was born, I completed the set with a medium Santos to mark the milestone. The goal is to eventually pass both watches to them when they get older.

Beyond the sentimentality though, I find myself really drawn to Cartier’s design-forward approach to watchmaking. I love the style and distinction that every piece in the catalog exudes, characteristics that I feel are important in my own collection and that also reflect my personal ambitions for myself. 

The brand’s rich heritage is simply the cherry on top. It’s hard not to appreciate the long history of iconic shapes every time I have a Cartier on the wrist.

-FIN-