What's something I could buy today that'd be most likely considered a heirloom in the future?
What makes something an heirloom?
21–30 of 79 posts
Re: What makes something an heirloom?
#22What's something I could buy today that'd be most likely considered a heirloom in the future?
A high-quality mechanical wristwatch.
Re: What makes something an heirloom?
#23Love those watches. These days you’ll hear people refer to an object as an heirloom, like an heirloom couch, which is typically an expensive object that has potential to be an actual heirloom. By definition, for an object to be an heirloom it has to be passed down through generations, but I like the use of it to refer to an object’s quality, which correlates to its potential to be passed down. Only then, when you tal…
Nice, which watch you thinking? Something a bit off the beaten path? Vacheron, Journe, Laurent Ferrier perhaps?
Re: What makes something an heirloom?
#24Exciting! A few years ago, as an academic design researcher, I pondered the same question and wrote a few research papers.
Like the author, my inspiration for doing this work had come from a vintage watch I received from my dad!
Turns out, there’s a rich literature in design and psychology research on the heirloom status of objects. And more generally, on why and how people imbue things with value.
Here’s a link to the page from my academic projects archive, with citations: https://www.baytas.net/work/computational-heirlooms
We even went as far as to apply for (and receive) a grant for UX design research, exploring how to create for heirloom value in the digital world. I’ve moved on from academia since then, but AFAIK our PhD is working on it at KTH in Stockholm: https://www.baytas.net/work/digital-preciousness
Re: What makes something an heirloom?
#25What's something I could buy today that'd be most likely considered a heirloom in the future?
That’s not a question any of us can answer. It’s gotta be something you cherish. And in a way that your children would know it, and associate you with it.
Most dinner plates aren’t heirlooms. But the fancy china that reminds your kids of Thanksgivings and their graduation dinner might be.
Or furniture. I actually have the dining room table my grandmother bought in 1960something. It’s not even all that fancy. But… thanksgiving. The crappy centerpiece I made as a 7-year-old kid proudly featured there for the next 2 decades. The best beef stroganoff I ever had. The table is a mid-century modern design and slightly clashes with the house it’s in. But I don’t care because it holds so many memories.
Other examples in this thread are often mechanical things. Like old cameras. I’m wondering if this will still hold for future generations. Digital stuff just doesn’t seem permanent enough to be passed down.
Re: What makes something an heirloom?
#26My dad dug out of his B-17 navigator's desk a chunk of German flak that missed his head by about an inch. The only reason it missed him was because he had just turned to grab his flak jacket. It was his good luck charm for the rest of his life, and is a prized heirloom. It's about an inch and a half long, just right to carry in his pocket for his subsequent combat missions. Maybe an heirloom is an object that is simu…
That's a pretty cool artifact, but I don't think it has to be simultaneously worthless -- there are plenty of heirlooms that would be worth money at a pawn shop.
I'd say an heirloom is any object that has a much greater value among a small group of people who are related to each other.
Re: What makes something an heirloom?
#27I cast a tomato in table top epoxy. It is in my will and will go to possible kids or my brother. It will then be an heirloom tomato.
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Re: What makes something an heirloom?
#28The Rolex Oyster Air King is one of my fave watch designs. It's so simple but elegant when paired with a nice leather strap.
I collect watches, about half are Swiss, and the other half are Soviet pieces - most of which are older than me.
The Air King gets a lot of time on my wrist, it's small, and beautiful. A lot nicer than the modern AirKing designs with their colourful dials.
Re: What makes something an heirloom?
#29I cast a tomato in table top epoxy. It is in my will and will go to possible kids or my brother. It will then be an heirloom tomato.
Does the epoxy prevent any kind of rotting?
Have you heard of the epoxy hot dog?
Re: What makes something an heirloom?
#30For someone who wants to create heirlooms today, how would you go about it? Something sturdy and well made, but not so valuable that it’s tucked away into a box (like the Rolex in the article). The watch that I rock today (a smart watch) is well made but I don’t see it being useful in 50 years much less 20.
Honestly, the answer is a Rolex (or another mechanical watch) that you actually wear. A lesson my father taught me was that things were made to be used; the Rolex in this article is just an asset, not a watch.
That, or another piece of jewelry is an obvious place to start. Essentially, anything that has utility, and you use it for that task.