Latest Review
February 9, 2023 
In this spotlight, photographer and bonafide collector, Erin Comite (a.k.a. @pockettrinkets) takes us through her love of gear, photography, and NOMOS Glashütte watches.
Hey Erin, thanks so much for taking part in our latest spotlight. Tell us a little about yourself!
Hi, I’m Erin Comite. I live in NYC with my husband and a miniature dachshund. By day, I work fully remote as a network engineer. Any downtime I have is typically spent somehow absorbed in the watch realm, where I’m either taking photos and editing them, or obsessively researching timepieces. I have a couple of small collections of timepieces, pens, and other trinkets—and I like to photograph and share them in groups where others do the same.
You’ve been an avid watch enthusiast for several years now, but your love for gear seems to go back even longer. When did your love for “pocket trinkets” first start?
As far back as I can remember, I’ve always collected trinkets. I’m trying to think of where it all started and I’d probably say it was between collecting marbles, rocks, and coins from different countries. I have a fairly large collection of pocket watches as well. It all kind of stems out from there. I’ve befriended a number of machinists and makers over the years, and really admire their dedication to creating something unique for someone else to enjoy.
You’re a fantastic photographer and have a great eye for colors. How did you initially get into photography?
When I turned 14, I asked my parents for a digital camera—just so I could stop borrowing theirs. That was it for me. I took photography courses throughout high school and helped maintain my college’s darkroom. For about six years, I developed my own photos and used an old Canon AV-1 that a cousin had passed down to me. I’ve always felt it was important for me to have photography remain a hobby, while also focusing on a career separately. I didn’t want it to ever become something I stopped enjoying if the stress of a deadline or harsh criticism got to me.
Over time, I’ve become the unofficial archivist for my family and friends. I’m in the middle of reorganizing my photo archive right now. The process is making me want to be more intentional about the act of taking a photo and what should be saved, because I ended up with thousands of discards. Because I’ve taken that archivist role, I’m constantly going back into that library when someone asks me to cross reference a memory, and by being more deliberate in photo taking, it makes that photo recall process much easier.
That’s so interesting. So how do watches fit into your love for everyday carry items?
I’d hate to be caught in a situation without the right tool, knowing it’s sitting at home on my desk or display cabinet. I always have a Swiss Army Knife or some small tool pack with me at any given time. For me, a watch is simply another one of those tools. I’m not one to keep watches hidden away in a safe never to see the light of day. We’re only here for a short time so we may as well enjoy them. It’s never made sense to me to save wearing certain pieces for special occasions only. I’ll even wear one of my watches when I’m in just sweatpants and a hoodie, lounging around at home.
It feels weird to me to start my day without a watch on my wrist. If there’s anything you can count on with me, it’s that I’ll have at least one watch on my wrist at any given moment. Ever since wearable fitness trackers became a thing, I’ve kept one on one wrist and a mechanical timepiece on the other.
I’m also big on color coordinating. As silly as it is, it’s kind of fun to match your outfit and gear for the day with whatever watch you’re wearing. For a decent amount of time I would photograph and share the items I had with me daily, matching textures and colors with different timepieces. It’s just something fun to do each day.
You have several NOMOS watches in your collection, what is it about NOMOS that draws you to the brand?
The biggest thing that has always stood out to me about NOMOS Glashütte is how inclusive their advertising is. It means a lot to me to be able to look at a watch and see wrists from people of all different backgrounds. Their website always shows watches on different skin tones, wrist sizes, and there are no restricted sections by gender or anything of the sort. It’s a welcome change from how other brands tend to advertise. A watch is a watch. There’s no need to restrict who should like what design, and I love that about NOMOS.
A big issue I always ran into with watch straps was how they were designed for larger wrists and I’d end up having this awful overhang of the strap and end up butchering them trying to add more holes to secure the watch to my wrist. Imagine my surprise when I learned NOMOS carried XS strap length options. It’s honestly the attention to detail, knowing that people are all different, and adapting to that truth that makes NOMOS one of my go-to brands.
I currently own two NOMOS watches in my collection. My first NOMOS was the Metro date power Reserve. It was designed by Mark Braun and is 37mm. It’s such a fun, quirky piece—I was drawn to the pop of seafoam green in the power reserve indicator, how slender it was, and its open caseback. My second NOMOS watch was the Club neomatik Atlantic. This piece is also 37mm. I love the blue dial, the little pops of seafoam green in the minute marker, and the tiny neon orange seconds hand.
Speaking of German engineering, you’re also a Leica owner. I’m curious about your thoughts on the similarities between these two German brands and why they are staples in your kit?
Growing up, I always looked at Leica cameras as unattainable, and associated the brand with the photographers I’d studied in class. The same thought process came with watches like NOMOS and Montblanc pens (another German brand!) I never thought I’d acquire.
At the end of 2013 I realized I’d spent more on constantly swapping lower-priced cameras than I would have on what I really wanted, and I stepped fully into the mirrorless, full-frame world and bought my first Leica—the M240. I was already used to shooting only manuals, and I adapted fairly quickly to the rangefinder shooting experience. I love how Leicas have a very straightforward forward menu system. The biggest adjustment for me was that I was now bringing my camera everywhere with me—I never wanted to miss a moment.
This will sound cliche, but shooting on a Leica system felt more like actually creating something than just snapping a photo, like going back to shooting film. I’d think about what I wanted to get from a shot more carefully and end up taking fewer photos versus taking dozens of shots at a time to comb through later and being disconnected from the moment. The Leicas themselves are very sturdy unlike the plasticky/almost flimsy feel I was used to in the past. I feel like I’m carrying a well made tool that will last and take whatever I can throw at it.
My NOMOS watches were my first experience branching off into the luxury watch world. Similar to my experiences with cameras, I went through several watches over the years, thinking I could never go beyond a certain threshold. But I realized that threshold was just an expression of my comfort zone, simply a fear of what monetary value I would be willing to own and wear on my wrist. Ultimately, I decided to save for what I actually wanted and I now have a tight knit curated collection of pieces that I’m truly happy with. Sure, you can buy any camera, watch, or pen, and it will “get the job done.” But there can be a difference between a functional tool and a pleasurable experience.
You recently spent some time with the new NOMOS Club Sport neomatiks. What are your initial thoughts and impressions?
The new NOMOS Club Sport neomatiks, both the 37mm in petrol green and the 42mm date in blue, are great everyday watches. The 42 is the bigger brother and was released a year earlier. Apparently, it’s popularity led NOMOS to release a new, smaller size. I’m intrigued by the versatility of being able to keep it on the metal bracelet 100% of the time, or swapping straps out easily with the quick change spring bars. I don’t need to go into detail over the anxiety-inducing process that is changing straps and hoping to not scratch your watch… or worse. But if you’re up for it, NOMOS makes a tool kit to help make adjusting links on the bracelet even more stress free.
The dials on these Club Sport neomatiks are total chameleons. Their colors change depending on light from the surroundings. I wear blue and green daily in some form, be it jewelry or clothing, and I like to match my outfits accordingly. I tend to favor the watches in my collection that have numerals on the dial as a personal preference to be able to tell the time quickly.
These pieces can be worn with casual attire, or when you need something a little more dressed-up. I could definitely see myself swapping out the bracelet for some different straps depending on the occasion. The bracelet wears comfortably, and the watches themselves are slender enough that they vanished nicely under my sleeves throughout the day.
Finally, when you get up close and personal with these neomatiks’ dials, subdials, and display casebacks—these watches are infinitely intriguing. The consistency and cleanliness of their tooling and finishing is evident.
We know how much of a techie you are, but what is it about mechanical things like watches and cameras that continues to keep you hooked?
I actually find that the two worlds (mechanical and digital) can mesh together nicely. I use both on a daily basis, like I mentioned earlier. I definitely tried giving up mechanical watches for a bit when I got my first fitness tracker, but I was always missing my mechanical watches. I keep my mechanical piece on one wrist and my digital tracker on the other paired with Bluetooth headphones, which for me are a must.
At the end of every day I make it a point to sit down and reflect on the day, and actually write things down—with an actual pen, in an actual journal. Working in tech, I’m typing all day. That moment to just put a pen to paper and actually write things down is relaxing. Just like I try to cycle through my watch collection, I do the same with my pens, using a different one each day of the week, using different color inks or writing instrument types. My current go-to writing instrument is a Montblanc Heritage Collection Rouge et Noir Special Edition Rollerball. But I love fountain pens as well. Cleaning a fountain pen, filling it up with ink, and making sure everything is in working order connects directly back to that fondness I have for manual photography and mechanical watches.
I know that my digital devices are just a vessel for my data until the next upgrade. But I don’t want to give up those tools and how helpful they are to me, so I don’t. As for the mechanical pieces, I don’t want to give up the charm and memories I associate with them. I can remember what watch I was wearing on a trip or during a special event. My watches wear over time, scratches and scuffs happen, and they are inevitable and in the end It’s always nice to have that history put into a piece.
Do you have any advice for someone looking at their first NOMOS watch?
If you can see a NOMOS in person, take advantage of that. It’s so helpful to be able to try these pieces on and see how they sit on your wrist to compare sizes. These two Club Sport neomatiks are a perfect example of that. There are so many different NOMOS watches to choose from in different shapes and styles that it’s hard to go wrong. With NOMOS, there’s something for everyone, I mean that!
Click here to learn more about the Club Sport neomatik 42 date blue and here to learn about the Club Sport neomatik petrol.
