Nestled at the tip of the Roaring Fork Valley, beneath the shadow of the continental divide and Ajax mountain, is the small yet glamorous mountain town of Aspen, Colorado. Amidst the shining pastoral views, along the brick-laid pedestrian malls of Cooper, Hyman and Mill, some of the finest watch and jewelry boutiques in the world can be found. In early August of 2024, amidst these gems of horological passion and curation, watch collectors from far and wide gathered to connect and celebrate in the inaugural Watch Week Aspen.

Created by Elizabeth Smith Hrubala, Managing Director of  Oliver Smith Jeweler, Watch Week Aspen brought the watch retailers of Aspen, fifteen watch brands, and more than 150 watch lovers together to experience everything that Aspen has to offer. Over the course of four days, there were cocktail parties and previews of new watches, but also opportunities for watch collectors to genuinely connect with one another amongst expert panels. All this was in addition to a taste of the natural beauty and wonders of the Colorado Rocky Mountains — those who went along on Bremont’s bike ride up to the Maroon Bells truly got a front-row seat.

“What inspired Watch Week Aspen,” she explained, “was first-hand experience of our small mountain town’s passionate and thriving watch community, something many may not immediately recognize. Aspen’s charm goes far beyond its breathtaking landscape; it’s the sense of community and camaraderie that keeps visitors coming back year after year. The idea was born from a desire to share this amazing feeling with others.”

As Oliver Smith is one of the prominent watch retailers in Aspen, it would have been all too easy for the events to be solely focused on their space, their brands, and their interests. But fortunately, that was not the intention or the result. Instead, multiple stores and retailers, like Meridian Jewelers and Betteridge Jewelers, alongside stand-alone boutiques like A. Lange & Söhne and Audemars Piguet didn’t hesitate to join in the festivities.

“Given that Aspen already boasts fantastic watch brands and retailers,” Mrs. Smith Hrubala continued, “the goal was to bring everyone together to create a unique, fun, and insightful experience for watch enthusiasts, nature lovers, and everyone in between. I truly believe we achieved that, and I couldn’t be more thrilled with the outcome.”

Coming Home

Known by many as an alpine playground for billionaires and the jet-set, Aspen is a town that offers some of the most beautiful natural environments for outdoor recreation anywhere in the world. But perhaps the most beautiful thing about Aspen, is not its dramatic views, luxurious boutiques and hotels, or the five star dining, but the vibrant community of people who create and bring all of those various elements together.

I grew up about 25 minutes from Aspen in the town of Basalt, spending my youth in and around the mountains that make up the Roaring Fork Valley — summers spent hiking, mountain biking and kayaking, and winters spent skiing. With weekly regularity I would make my way up valley on the local bus line, relatively unaware of just how special where I found myself really was. I would walk along the pedestrian malls, press my nose against the glass of stores I had no business walking into, and meet up with friends at the now closed Boogie’s Diner.

It wasn’t the real world, but instead an utterly idyllic one, the extent to which I wouldn’t fully come to realize or appreciate until I was woefully older. I learned to work there, growing up on construction sites in Snowmass and working at restaurants on Main St. or Cooper ave. It was in Aspen that I was first exposed to what the luxury world was and what it really looked like.

It was also in Aspen that I first learned about fine watchmaking, when my dad bought his first Rolex Submariner from Meridien Jewelers (then Hyde Park). He built three houses wearing that watch, and put it through all sorts of use and abuse. When I graduated from college, he gave it to me as a graduation present. That watch, and the others that I experienced in the beautiful boutiques along Aspen’s streets, always represented a world to me that was both slightly out of reach, but also incredibly inspiring.

But that’s the curious and beautiful thing about Aspen, and indeed the whole Roaring Fork Valley: it is this magnificent and picturesque combination of high luxury met with a grounded love of nature and life. It is fresh powder and après ski in the winter, and free Thursday night concerts on Fanny Hill with picnics brought from home in the summer. It is a cup of ice cold lemonade from Paradise Bakery on Galena St, which now sits in between Loro Piana and Brunello Cucinelli.

In many ways Aspen is the perfect analogy for the watch world itself – it has a reputation for being inaccessibly expensive and wildly exclusive, but at the same time, it is also a place that is warm and welcoming to those who embrace it with genuine joy and grounded enthusiasm. Like many of us, my journey into the watch world has not been a straight line. Far from it. But whatever twists and turns that line took, it all began in Aspen. To return now, seeing the vibrance and openness of the watch world blossom in that remarkable place, is something I will forever treasure.

As I looked out over the group of passionate enthusiasts and collectors, fielding questions on a panel discussing the state of the pre-owned market, I was filled with a deep sense of gratitude. I was grateful to be there, where it all began for me, sharing my two cents with a group of watch lovers — some new, some old — on what makes the watch world so special. I was grateful for the path that had led me here. I looked down to my wrist and was grateful to be wearing my dad’s Submariner, which has always meant hard work and aspiration, and kept me inspired through the ups and downs. Now, after all of the years, during Watch Week Aspen, and along with me, that watch had finally come back home.