Mateusz Wójciak about his channel Gingin Watches, passion and creating a watch collection.
Mateusz Wójciak, better known as Gingin, stands out on the Polish YouTube scene as an independent creator who is not afraid of his opinions. He is a long-time enthusiast, collector and customer of our store. For this reason, we became a partner of his YouTube channel without hesitation. We also invited Mateusz to talk and asked a few questions about his work and perspective on the industry.
Chroneo: What inspired you to start your YouTube channel and how did you decide to focus on watches and watchmaking?
Mateusz : The main reason for starting the channel was that I was tired of the form of discussions on Facebook groups, where I had been active for years. At some point, I got the impression that we were going full circle and discussing certain topics endlessly, constantly citing the same arguments. Such is the charm of a Facebook group, the lifespan of topics is very short, you rarely go back to old posts. I wanted the time I devote to these discussions to result in something lasting, something I could go back to, link to someone.
So I have been thinking about this channel for a long time, but I didn't have the courage to appear in front of the camera.
Later I lost a bet with a friend and as the loser I was supposed to do a review of any watch. At that stage I didn't know if it was a one-off or the beginning of something new, but the feedback from the community encouraged me to continue, for which I am extremely grateful.
Chroneo: What has been the most rewarding part of building the GinGin Watches channel and community for you?
Mateusz : The answer is in the question. The most satisfying thing is the community itself. I have a group of regular viewers, with whom I talk almost every day. I also reply to every comment under my videos, and sometimes there are several hundred of them. This discussion seems to have no end. Thanks to this, I really feel that I am building a community, I feel that I am contributing something to it, that I am useful. This is the best motivator to share passion. And I think for every person with true passion, the greatest reward is when someone wants to listen to them.
Mateusz : I strongly emphasize that I do not only provide information, but also dress it up in my subjective opinions. I want people to get to know me and watch my films because of me, to know my approach to watches and know what to expect when clicking on my film. Of course, some people like my opinion, others don't, but you have to take that into account.
Chroneo: Has YouTube become a form of work for you and would you describe being a YouTuber as your current profession?
Mateusz : It is not my job in any way. The scale of this undertaking means that it will never make economic sense, it will never be a gainful job.
In theory it was supposed to be different, I wasn't supposed to spend too much time on it, but in practice I got so involved that I willingly devote a significant part of my week to recording, planning, discussing. But it's not work and probably never will be. But that's good, because then it would lose its charm.
Chroneo: Would you say that in this case you have already developed your channel to a certain size and you do not plan to expand it further?
Mateusz : I am aware of how limited the potential is. I estimate my audience at 10-15 thousand subscribers and I can't scale it infinitely. Instead, I prefer to focus on refining my videos and visual aspects. Of course, I am also constantly developing myself, training my pronunciation and trying to get rid of bad habits. I have never performed in public, so I am constantly learning.
Mateusz : I have immersed myself in this hobby even more. While I have always read watch media, now I do it very thoroughly and systematically, in order to be able to review watch news, which is the most important series on my channel. In turn, when I prepare for a review, I try to look at a given watch a little from the side, to build my opinion anew. Thanks to this, it seems to me that I look at things a little more broadly, I notice more than before. Which makes this world seem even more fascinating to me.
Chroneo: What trends in the watch industry excite you the most right now? Are there any that you think are overrated?
Mateusz : The most exciting thing for me seems to be the return of jewelry watches inspired by models from the 70s, the best example of which are designs from Piaget, i.e. Andy Warhol or Polo 79. Although large brands are quite cautious about this topic for now, this space is being filled by microbrands. However, the most overrated trend is the in-house movement, especially in watches from the PLN 20-30 thousand range. These movements contribute nothing, and in the future they will backfire on us.
Chroneo: Are there any watches you've reviewed that completely changed your opinion of them once you had them in your hand?
Mateusz : Most of them somehow changed my opinion, because almost every watch gains on closer acquaintance. But I don't think there has been a watch yet that has changed my opinion so completely. Maybe because I review watches that I like. Most of them are my watches, from my collection, but even those that I borrow for reviews I choose according to my preferences, so that wearing them will be a pleasure for me. Maybe in the future I will start reviewing watches that I don't like and one of them will manage to charm me.
Mateusz : I won't be original, I would only advise them to choose a watch that they really like, not to be influenced by the opinions of others, trends, prestige pyramids and other nonsense. Contrary to appearances, it is very difficult, especially when we try to find out as much as possible before such a purchase, read groups and forums, watch films. And the second piece of advice would be to reach for a used watch. Most of us make a poor choice for our first watch and it's good to have a scenario of how to get out of this choice. And used watches, apart from a few exceptions, usually have a loss of value already recorded, so changing your mind, selling this watch and buying a new one is much less painful than in the case of new watches.
Chroneo: How did your adventure with watches begin?
Mateusz : I bought watches as a child. I remember when I was 11 I went to a summer camp and on the first day I spent all the money my mother gave me on a watch. I also watched Formula 1 and the Bundesliga, which made me dream of TAG Heuer. It was my biggest dream and even though I knew about Omega, Rolex and Patek, TAG Heuer was an ideal for me - just as unattainable as other brands.
Chroneo: So the TAG Heuer was your first serious watch?
Mateusz : No, not really. I had the misfortune of ending up on watch forums, where unfortunately I read a lot of bad things about TAG. Of course, such forums broaden your horizons a lot, but I think that a herd taste is created there and it strongly influences the perception of watches. It took me a very long time to cut myself off from opinions from the Internet and be guided by my own opinion and what I personally like. I actually bought my first TAG Heuer only 2 years ago.
Mateusz : Always. I had it with every watch. Based on experience and awareness of what I like and what I look for in a watch, I always bought the next one as the perfect one that combines all the good features. In reality, it turned out that it wasn't so rosy and I had to look further.
Chroneo: Do you plan what your collection will look like?
Mateusz : No, I've learned not to plan purchases. The most desired and long-awaited watches actually bored me the fastest. I started to take advantage of the opportunity to buy or exchange in order to try new things. So whenever there's an opportunity, I take advantage of it, often even deciding on a watch that I wasn't particularly interested in before. For me, watches are a journey, an adventure in themselves. My collection is always in the construction phase, there are no permanent elements in it, and for me it serves to gather experience, which I value more than having something permanently.
I always say that watches are not Pokemon, I don't have to collect them all.
Chroneo: Where do you hope to see the watch industry – and your channel – in the next five years?
Mateusz : As for the industry, I won't make any predictions, because I don't feel like I'm a part of it. I'm a customer, a recipient, and I have no influence on its shape. So I don't really care what it looks like in five or ten years. I just feel that watches will be more and more expensive, and the brand tax will be a bigger and bigger part of the price.
As for the channel, I hope it exists and I continue to make videos. That in itself will be a success for me.
Chroneo: Mateusz, thank you for this conversation, we wish you more watchmaking discoveries and good luck in further developing the channel. We invite all those who have not watched Mateusz yet to the channel Gingin Watches .