Fast-forward to the present, and I’m one of the top commenters on the r/watches subreddit.

After receiving a long-sought promotion at work, he suddenly realized that the people he most looked forward to sharing the good news with weren’t people he had actual face-to-face relationships with—they were timepiece connoisseurs fond of uploading wrist shots to Instagram.

“It’s gotten to the point where members of the watch forum are the only people I really talk to—not just about watches, but about anything—and that can’t be good,” said Riley, wincing as he admitted that the person he felt closest to in life was a frequent poster with the username JackSkellington1985, someone whose real name he had never learned. “These people, most of whom I only know by their cartoon avatars and wouldn’t recognize if I passed on the street, are the nearest thing I have to friends in this world, which is really fucked up.”

“The fact that I’m quietly hoping to meet a long-term partner on here is almost more than I can bear,” he continued.

It’s all good, Andrew Riley.

https://old.reddit.com/r/Watches/comments/1rhi4s9/discussion_dfw_watch_meetup_looking_for_input/

[Discussion] DFW Watch Meetup — Looking for Input

https://old.reddit.com/r/Watches/comments/6c4gkd/meetup_successful_first_bay_area_rwatches_meetup/

[Meetup] Successful First Bay Area r/watches Meetup!

https://old.reddit.com/r/Watches/search?q=meetup&restrict_sr=on

[Meetup] Watches & Weirdos in Austin,TX. (Photos in comments)

https://old.reddit.com/r/Watches/comments/1kfcmie/cellini_nyc_had_a_watch_group_meetup_this_weekend/

[Cellini NYC] Had a watch group meetup this weekend, got to see some insane watches in the metal