As a sales professional, there are a good times and there are bad times. Frankly, the last six months have been absolutely brutal. Whatever your political affiliation, there is just a lot of uncertainty in the markets I service thanks to things like tariffs, CDL regulations, and the loss of cheap credit. As a salesperson,I have access to some great tools but it all comes down to the grind of phone calls and door knocks. Things are closing out on the positive for 2025.

Gents, there was quite a bit of great discussion about the wearing of a hat and what would be proper etiquette. I would love to hear more on this subject if everyone wouldn't mind doing so. Being a hat man myself, I would also love to know how you have arrived to this decision. To start this off I feel I should give my thoughts. I feel wearing a hat is a great discussion piece but also feel that once you step indoors that it should be removed.

The Seiko 5 series occupies a strange place in my collection. I have two of them and they wear well. They are recognizable by non-collectors and aficionados alike. The movement is the standard for sub-$1000 watches the world over. There some great color ways ranging from bold to quiet. It has some drawbacks, though. The bracelets leave much to be desired (although I don’t care for bracelets anyway). The Hardlex is not as nice as a sapphire crystal used on watches at the same price. The SKX series was arguably more iconic and the Islander watch series has followed the SKX design philosophy more closely. The lume is average. I recently got rid of my PVD/black dial because it was unreadable except in my office. Still, these watches are here to stay and they belong in just about any collection. Do you have one? Do you like it? Hate it?

Some are not a fan, but I embrace the cold weather staple of the waffle knit Henley. It layers supremely well under button up shirts like flannels. It is the epitome of comfort and functional to the extreme. It’s working overtime today as I work from home.

Thank you to all who have served. And happy birthday to one of our favorite (fictional) veterans, Commander James Bond.