Backing the black sheep
Why this newsletter is about the colourful, overlooked watches everyone else walks past — and what you'll get out of it.
Most watch content is about the same handful of grail watches, shot on big wrists, talked about in a reverent hush like you’re not allowed to actually enjoy them.
This isn’t that.
I’m Dan. I’ve got a wrist that measures a hair under six inches — 15cm, if we’re being exact — which means roughly half the watches the internet loses its mind over simply don’t work on me. Too big, too thick, hanging off the side like a dinner plate. And the strange thing is, almost nobody online shows you how a watch actually wears at this size. So I figured I’d be the one who does.
But the small wrist is only half of it. The other half is taste — or, depending who you ask, a lack of it.
I’m drawn to the black sheep. The weird colourways. The references the serious collectors quietly skip. The dial in a colour that has no business being as good as it is. The cheap thing that punches so far above its price it’s almost rude. I’d rather wear something with a pop of orange and an off-the-wall strap than another safe black dial, and I think a lot more of you feel the same than the algorithm would have you believe.
Watches should be fun. They’re not a flex.
My own collection runs the whole way from Casio to Rolex, and I treat every piece in it with the same amount of respect — which is to say, plenty, with absolutely zero snobbery. A £40 watch that makes you grin is doing its job just as well as the one with five figures on the tag.
So here’s the deal. Every couple of weeks you’ll get one short, no-waffle issue with three things in it:
What’s on my wrist — the watch I’m actually wearing, and how it sits on a sub-six-inch wrist.
One bit of news worth your time — not a firehose, just the thing that mattered, with my honest take on it.
A black-sheep pick — an overlooked, colourful, or just plain interesting watch worth hunting down.
No hype, no sponsored gushing. If something’s ever gifted or paid for, I’ll tell you straight — every time. Your trust is the only thing I’m actually building here.
If you’ve got a small wrist, a soft spot for the odd one out, or you’re just a bit tired of seeing the same five watches everywhere — pull up a chair. You’re in the right place.
Hit subscribe so the next issue lands in your inbox. And do me a favour: reply and tell me what’s on your wrist right now. I read every single one.
You’ll also find me making proper wear-reviews over on YouTube and posting most days on Instagram and TikTok — all @ondanswrist.
Backing the black sheep. Let’s go.
— Dan