Delugs Ambassador: Shreyas @beans_and

We are pleased to introduce Shreyas (@beans_and_bezel) from Philadelphia, US as our Delugs Ambassador!

Read on to learn more his favourite watch brand and complication, his hobbies, why he decided to join the Delugs Ambassador Program, and more!

Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your background?

I'm an engineer by day, and addictively browse Chrono24 by night. I enjoy watch photography, and sharing my opinions about things that most people don't care about.

When and how did you get into watches?

I can't remember a time when I didn't have a watch on my wrist. I've been wearing wrist watches since I can remember - the earliest watch I remember is a Timex from when I was around 8 years old. The real addiction began after I got my first automatic, a Tudor Black Bay (smiley) in 2014.

Apart from watches and photography, what are some of your other passions or hobbies?

I enjoy science fiction, and progressive metal music.

What is your favourite watch brand and why?

This is a cruel question to ask anyone in this hobby. My collection is primarily dominated by MING watches, so I think it is safe to say MING is my favourite watch brand at the moment. I love their sci-fi-esque design aesthetic, their generous use of sapphire and lume, and their ability to curate a cohesive collection.

What is the one watch in your collection you never thought you would own, and why?

This would have to be my Omega 165.0324 'WatchCo' Seamaster 300. I've wanted the Seamaster 300 165.024 ever since I seriously got into watches. I find it to be the most attractive looking dive watch design ever made, and with the price of vintage watches increasing every year, I thought I would never actually own one. But I learned about the somewhat shady 'WatchCo' variants of this watch a few years ago, and was fortunate enough to find one at the beginning of 2023.

Are there any specific watch complications or features that fascinate you the most?

I've been gravitating towards the moon-phase complication lately. I find the whole process of being able to track (with whatever accuracy) the motion of a celestial body on my wrist to be quite humbling, and I also enjoy seeing my watch dial being used as a canvas for cosmic designs. In terms of practicality, I find GMT and WorldTime complications to be the most useful and I try to always have at least one GMT in my collection.

Do you have any daily rituals related to watches?

I always carry a microfibre cloth in my pocket, because you never know when you might find the perfect lighting for the perfect wrist shot. Always be prepared.

Why did you decide to join the Delugs Ambassador program?

Ken's journey with Delugs is very admirable, and he has always been a gracious member of the watch community and treated me with kindness. He does not insulate himself from his customers, and this has allowed his products to become the best in their class.

I've bought Delugs products for many years now, and I've been recommending their products to anyone in the market. So while the ambassador program gives me a nice title I can put on my Instagram page, my relationship with the brand and my interest in their products will continue to be what it always has been.

Top 5 favourite Delugs products?

1. Strap Folio (Large) - Brown: This is probably the smartest, neatest and most useful product in the Delugs catalog (I may be biased). You can read my essay on how this case changed my life on the B&B website.

2. Quick Release Spring Bars (Curved) - 1.5mm: I buy a lot of MING watches, and that usually means buying a boat load of curved straps from whoever will make them. But a unifying theme tends to be that they all use poor quality spring bars. Most will manually bend a straight spring bar, and that tends to result in varying degrees of curvature, which makes it challenging on watches with their lug holes close to their case. These spring bars have made previously unusable straps compatible with a lot of my watches, and I can't recommend them enough. The quality is great, the dimensions are perfect and the welded spring bar tabs are the cherry on top of an already delicious cake.

3. Brown Waxy Signature (Curved) Strap: There is something about this strap that makes it look good on every single watch I own. It is perhaps my most worn Delugs strap, and it has held up extremely well over the last year.

4. Green Alcantara Signature Strap: I like Alcantara as a strap material, and I've found what Delugs makes to be of excellent quality. These are lined with leather, but my experience has been that they are sufficiently water repellent for frequent use on sportier watches too.

5. Emerald Green Curved Rubber CTS Strap: This one is a recent addition to my strap collection, but has quickly become a favourite. The new design suits most of my MING watches very well, and they fit the curved lugs on most MING cases very snug which I love. The clasp has a micro adjustment hole on each side which has been great in dialling in a perfect fit.