PORTRAIT OF…
A JLC CONNOISSEUR

The Blomman Watch Report

You’ve no doubt heard of The Blomman Watch Report, but few people know who is behind this word.

Blomman is a watch enthusiast from Sweden, whose name means “the flower” in Swedish. He works within IT with watches as a hobby. Although he is passionate about many watches and brands, Jaeger-Lecoultre is his favorite manufacture.

He has been actively participating to the online watch community for the last decade, and decided one year ago to create a blog, The Watch Observatory, with a group a friends. T.W.O. gathers individual blogs where they share about watches and watch related things, all with different focus areas. Blomman’s one is named BlommanWatchReport.com and focuses on Jaeger-LeCoultre.

How and when did your interest for watches start? And do you remember your first watch?

It started at the age of 3 or 4, looking at my father’s Omega Seamaster: dress watch, stainless steel case, stick index, white dial. He lost it many years ago…

My first watch was at age 6 or 7, a Svalan with green sunburst dial, brown bund leather strap.

A noteworthy anecdote or particular feelings with one of your watches?

The story starts with my – at that time – girlfriend telling me about an auction, like she does like 20-30 times a week: “Isn’t this watch like one of yours but in gold?”

Most of the times I had already seen the auction, but hadn’t taken into account the watch my girlfriend was talking about just because it was not featuring in my hunt list or because it was in bad condition… But this time, it was different. This time, it was a watch I had been hunting for many years: The Jaeger-LeCoultre E168 Geophysic in pink gold.

I obviously bought it, and sometimes later, I wore this watch for our wedding. And one day, for sure, I will pass it on to our son.

Jaeger-LeCoultre E168 Geophysic in pink gold.
Credit: BlommanWatchReport.

What is your approach to acquire knowledge about a model?

For a vintage watch, I try to see as many watches of the specific reference as possible, and to determine what is real and what is not. I use a lot of original documentation and books, and I try to reach out to other collectors. By cross-referencing all the information you get, you often come close to the “truth”.

For modern watches, it is more straight forward…

What is your favorite complication?

Minute Repeaters are probably the king, but they are out of reach, at least for me and my wish to always go deep into a theme.

So I would go for the mechanical alarm. And more specifically, I love the Jaeger-LeCoultre Memovox. I find the complication fun, useful and interesting, both from an aesthetic and technical point of view.

Jaeger-LeCoultre 3161 Memovox Parking.
Credit: BlommanWatchReport.

The 3 most iconic watch models?

To me, within Jaeger-LeCoultre, that would be:

• The Reverso – a model which can be recognized within the entire watch world, regardless of taste or brand preference. One of the first, if not the first purposely designed sports watch. A true icon which celebrates its 90th birthday next year.
• The Geophysic Chronometer – highly resistant to magnetism, a real tool watch in the shape of what would be considered today as a dress watch.
• The Polaris – a watch that contributed to define modern divers watches.

Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Grande Taille.
Credit: BlommanWatchReport.

Jaeger-LeCoultre E 168 Geophysic.
Credit: BlommanWatchReport.

Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris.
Credit: BlommanWatchReport.

Are you more modern or vintage? And why?

I think most collectors know me as a “vintage guy” as I post mostly vintage watches on my blog.

I enjoy and collect both modern and vintage watches, but I write mainly about vintage. Vintage is more interesting to write about, more challenging. Many times, you have to do your own analyze and draw a conclusion you believe to be true. Often, it’s not a one-time job to fully understand a vintage watch, it’s an iterative work. When you find a new piece to the puzzle, you may end up with different answers than before.

You need a much more “open mind” and “critical eyes” than with modern watches if you want to understand the vintage side.

Your horological grail?

Sorry, I do not have a “Grail”.

My interest in watches is very wide and I tend to focus in periods on different type of watches so it is hard to have just one “Grail”. I have a list of watches I’m interested in… In my mind, to have a real “Grail” watch, you need to be ready to exit and to give up everything to get THE ONE. And I am not…

Also, once you have been able to get your “Grail” watch – is it still a “Grail”? What if it’s not?

What would you answer if a friend tells you “I don’t need a watch, I have a cell phone that tells me the time”?

For me, collecting watches have nothing to do with knowing what time it is. If only for that I could also use my cell phone…

It depends on the friend: if he or she is interested in other types of art and crafts, or has technical interests, or is even a collector of other things, then I would try to explain the beautiful aspects of watches and watch collecting and why it is a passion of mine…

If not, I might say nothing… Or “good for you, what phone do you have?”…

How do you consider a watch collection: an investment, just a pleasure, or both?

If I buy a watch, I consider the money spent. I rarely sell a watch. If I do, most of the times it will be to a friend who asked for it repeatedly, and for a reference I have in more than one piece. You can buy watches by passion, or you can buy watches which you think will become a good investment … for me, most of the times the two are not the same, so I focus on the former.

To answer your question, for sure a watch collection does have a certain value, and the fact that it could be considered as an asset cannot be ignored, unfortunately.

My view is that if you start to look at your collection as an investment, it will kill your passion for watches. It may fuel another type of pleasure related to money… But it has nothing to do with watches or passion for watches.

I think this is also reflected on my blog and the group my blog is a part of, The Watch Observatory (@___T.W.O___ on Instagram): an important aspect for us is that we do this without any commercial interests. Watches are just for our own pleasure.

What’s on your wrist today?

Today is a watch from the mid 1940’s, the Jaeger-LeCoultre reference 2904 Triple Date with Teardrop lugs and yellow gold case.

This is a watch that has been with me for many years but I only recently started to really enjoy its company. With age my preferences towards coloured gold watches have increased a lot.

Jaeger-LeCoultre reference 2904 Triple Date.
Credit: BlommanWatchReport.

How many times a day do you watch… your watch?

Countless… To check what time it is? Not very often…

What model would you like to be detailed in a future “ONLY” book?

Difficult question.

It has to be a watch I know nothing or very little about but I am interested in… The Vacheron & Constantin Chronometre Royal?

Thank you.

Follow Blomman.

You can follow all Blomman’s activities and progress via Instagram or on his blog.