In Use Since is where I keep notes on well-made objects that have outlived the moment in which they were produced.
01
A working collection
I collect mechanical watches, cameras, fountain pens, bicycles and the occasional domestic or desk object. They are different in scale and purpose, but I am drawn to the same things in each of them: a clear idea, good proportions, materials that age honestly and construction that can still be understood.
I do not look for untouched objects. I would rather find one that has been used carefully, repaired intelligently and kept close. Wear can be informative. So can a replacement part, provided it is acknowledged rather than presented as original.
02
How I document an object
I begin with what can be seen and verified: maker, model, materials, dimensions, condition and any history that came with the object. When a date or attribution is uncertain, I say so. A tidy story is not more valuable than an honest gap.
The longer notes are personal rather than definitive. They describe how an object feels in use, which details continue to hold my attention and what I believe a careful repair should preserve.
03
Keeping things in use
Most objects remain in the collection because I still enjoy living with them. Occasionally one becomes available when it no longer fits the direction of the archive. That does not turn the description into an advertisement; the same wear, repairs and reservations are recorded either way.
In Use Since is based in Lugano, Switzerland.