IN THE NEWS: Hookswain Interviews Chase

In a recent interview, Jacob Sotak, founder of Hookswain, a Substack devoted to fly fishing, talks to Oak & Oscar founder, Chase Fancher, about his love of watches and fly fishing and how he sees the connection between the two. 

Jacob points out that, over the past ten years, "Oak & Oscar has become a central figure in the rebirth of American watchmaking with a dedicated following of collectors and enthusiasts." As many of those collectors know, in recent years, Chase has been merging his interest in watches with a more recently acquired passion for fly fishing. As detailed in the article, Oak & Oscar is now working with a skilled artist based in Arizona who brings these interests to life in a form of wearable art. As Jacob puts it, this project "captures the experience of the river on the wrist."

During the interview, Chase explains that, in the modern, digital world, watches are objects with staying power. "Most of us check our time on our phone. But a watch is so much more than just a way to tell time. Watches can be how we identify with the world, or a way to celebrate a milestone, or a major life event like a marriage or having a kid."

As far as fly fishing is concerned, he adds that, like watches, the hobby "also carries so much craftsmanship, so many stories...In both fly fishing and watches, there is a romanticism of craftsmanship and high quality materials and things that are timeless."

Read the full article here to learn about Chase's passion for fly fishing, all the cool places it's taken him, and how the quiet of the stream and the ticking of a mechanical watch offer ways to slow down in such a fast-moving world.