If you want to see watch reviews that are packed with great information and not dumbed down, then I suggest browsing YouTube to look up WatchBox Reviewsย by the smooth-talking Tim Masso. Mr. Masso is known as the “horological officer” at TheWatchBox.com. While Tim’s job title might not be one that you have ever heard of before, it is a great descriptor for someone with the amount of knowledge stuffed into Mr. Mosso’s brain. He can fit more relevant horological information into one sentence than most, and every single fact will be spot on. This guy must eat, breathe and even dream about watches in his sleep because his mastery and presentation of the subject matterย are impressive for someone who looks younger than your typical grizzled watch expert. Don’t let his youthful appearanceย fool you. Tim Mosso knows his stuff and has been an online watch authority for years.
Tim Mosso. Photo: TheWatchBox.com
You tend to pick up names and recommendations on the watch forums so I was already familiar with Tim’s reputation. As a watch nerd who consumes tons of watchย content, I am constantly looking for watch reviewers who I can trust. That is to say, they should have a ton of knowledge and not just spout platitudes like “it’s pretty” or “I like it”. There are literally hundreds of these videos to be watched on the WatchBox Reviews Channelย and they can easily entice you into video binge-watching-mode, eating hours of leisure time without you even realizing it.
I dare you to watch some of Tim’s reviews and not be impressed with his smooth, commanding delivery. His overviews of the watch might be the next best thing to holding it in your hands yourself. He has a way of discussing a watch in exacting detail using watch making lingo and maybe a few $10 words like “panache” or “ecru”. Heck, I am not going to lie… I had to pause some of the videos to do a quick dictionary check to see if he was using the terms in context. I can honestly say I have not found one mistake yet. This guy is good! I put a few examples below that typify Tim’s approach to a short and sweet watch review.
I really like Tim’s rapid-fire approach to reviewing a watch. He covers all the important points discussing size, interesting design elements, and interesting facts. Make no mistake… these are sales-related videos to help move merchandise from the TheWatchBox Store but don’t let that detract from the expert knowledge that he is sharing. These videos are a gift to the watch community who is filled with all types of enthusiasts who like to research watch models before they attempt to buy it.
If you do not know,ย TheWatchBox.comย is a seller and reseller of luxury watches, and that does have an effect on the types of reviews that you will see on the channel. If you are looking for a Seiko SKX007 or a microbrand review, then you might want to look elsewhere. Instead, you will find the largest names of the Swiss watchmaking industry on review, which includes Rolex, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Panerai, Omega, Breitling, Zenith, IWC, Ulysse Nardin, Audemars Piguet, Breguet, Patek Philippe and much more. A couple of more down-to-earth watch brands like Oris might sneak in every now and then.
TheWatchBox.comย is in a unique position as a watch reseller to review past and present watches. I have been surprised to see reviews of rare watches from many years ago, let’s call it the era of the early internet. These watches are not necessarily vintage (yet), but they arrived on the scene before all this online coverage of watches was so prevalent. This means a watch that was popular in the 1990s and early 2000s might actually get a modern high-res video review on the channel. You just never know what you will see and the pages of videos will entice you to explore brands and models that you think you know and others that you may have no knowledge of at all.
There are hundreds of excellent watch reviews by Tim Mosso that are worth watching.
I would call this kind of watch review a well-honed sharp product overview with a little salesmanship thrown in. That is not a bad thing because I believe that Tim is telling you what he really thinks about a watch, even if it would work for his 16 cm wrist or not. It is also clear that Tim loves to make these videos. I feel that he shows a real joy in describing the nitty-gritty details of a watch in around 5 minutes. That is a more difficult feat than you might think, and I would be hard-pressed to do it myself, even on watches that I own and know intimately. You try it without rambling and see how you fare…
I am probably not the only one with this opinion about Tim’s watch reviews. I constantly see his name or his reviews referenced in the online forums, and this is a picky crowd. Just looking at the number of video views will be enough to tell you how often the videos are watched, and it can be in the multiple thousands per episode. Whether you are researching a specific watch or just want to learn about the great variety of watches available (with historical context), Tim Mosso’s reviews for TheWatchBox.com, are a great way to do it. Who knows, you might just end up buying a watch from them too. There is also longer format video shows by Tim and friends on the WatchBox Studios Channels, but that is another story for another time.
