Where TGV points the finger at the purposed watch snobs of the world he should really hold up a mirror to the anxiety of homage wearers over their watches because frankly, no one cares. Everybody I have met who wore an expensive watch and was open to a conversation was a nice person, and that was irrespective of whether I wore a Rolex or a Seiko. Sure on some corner of the internet, you may find them, but even there the fact that they could just be trying to get a reaction out of you because it often is so easy is usually completely overlooked. What struck me about this line of thinking is that except for some pubescent boys at my school I have yet to meet a true watch snob in the real world who fits TGV’s description. What this line of thinking does is perpetuates a divide in the community between the snobs, anybody who doesn’t like Steinhart or Squale, and open-minded modern gentlemen, who like to wear whatever the governor does.

And when this does happen the reasons according to him all boil down to social insecurity, weakness of character, and vulgar elitism. What he, and much of his viewership, seem to assume is that most people who for example own a Rolex loath a Steinhart. That this theory does not, however, hold true (actually the word first appeared in the 18th century to describe apprentice shoemakers), is in my eyes a great example of the well-meant half-truths TGV likes to spread. Watch any video of his and when the topic inevitably pops up he will tell you the Latin origin of snobbiness, that being sine (without) nobiliate (nobility). TGV is very active to combat what in his eyes is snobbery. What it primarily boils down to in my eyes is snobbery. Therefore these are the issues I take with him, whose remedy could truly allow him to go onwards and upwards. I think TGV is in a unique position in which I believe he has not fully peaked and would be disappointed to find out he has plateaued. Does it have to be this way? No, and this is not meant to be an attack on him but rather a heartfelt criticism from a long time viewer and former fan. This is not to say he or his content is outright bad, but the more I watch his videos the more I start to fear he is creating misinformed collectors. Lately, things have however been taking a turn for the worse.

I mean how can’t you like the guy, he exudes pure class. I personally have spent more time than I care to admit watching his videos, and I used to have a great time doing so. He has reviewed almost every watch that a budding collector on a tight budget comes across, and at an impressive level of detail at that. Approachable and friendly, what made him stand out for me was that he focused on cheaper watches and made the watch world a whole lot more approachable for many people.įor those just coming into the hobby, he remains in my eyes the best place to start within the bewildering world that is the one of watches. When he arrived he presented a welcome contrast to guys like The Watch Snob and Archieluxury. I have been following him now pretty much since he has been on youtube. Though he admits that the quality of the audio is not as high as it could be, visually speaking his videos are simply incredibly pleasing to watch.

As a trained audio engineer his skill and profession show. The quality of his videos is great, and a clear evolution can be spotted particularly when you pay attention to his intros which are some of the best in the game. Success is not random in my eyes, and that is no different for TGV. This makes the success of TGV even more impressive though as with almost a quarter of a million subscribers and 50 million clicks he has managed to become the number one horology related content creator on youtube. As active as our community is, I always have to remind myself that it is a fairly small community, and most people do not really care about watches all that much. He entered the watch scene back in 2014 and has since then taken it by storm. Tristano, the Urban Gentry, the Governor TGV has many names.

The timepiece gentleman controversy