I Found a Cult Parallel to ThinkPads

This article is a transcript of a video that you can watch by clicking the thumbnail below. Hence, certain statements may not make sense in this text form, and watching the video instead is recommended.

Transcript

Most of us have had “buy it for life” experiences, and there are a few such brands or sub-brands in pretty much every consumable product genre. I knew a few like the ThinkPads that can potentially outlive the owner, Subaru and Toyota for a similar reputation in the automobile industry, and Logitech in computer peripherals (like this almost 12-year-old M185 that refuses to die). Recently, I discovered another, which is Casio, in wristwatches.

I also found that G-Shock’s are just another level as these things are built to last a very very long time.

During my recent deep dive into the world of wristwatches, I learned about terms like wrist-check, watch logs, state-of-the-collection, and much more. I came across a cult where people collect, enjoy, share, and celebrate their wristwatches, just as some of us do with our ThinkPads.

There is also a huge aftermarket of parts and mods that one could use to further customize and subjectively improve their watch beyond Casio’s original design.

The way we ThinkPad-ers can go on and on about a machine that few people think is way beyond outdated, these people are geeky down to details like whether the countdown timer on their decades-old digital watch allows auto-repeat.

Am I about to join a cult I did not even know existed? Stay tuned, and we’ll find that out together in the next video.