 Historically, dads are either the easiest to shop for or the most difficult. In the age of fit bits, apple watches, smart phones, and other 21st century gadgets, there are a multitude of options to choose from to honor and celebrate the father figures in your life. Instead of opting for the latest technological marvel, why not try the more classic route? A luxury watch never goes out of style. Why?
Whether it’s styled with a casual look or full-on business luxe, any man that wears a luxury style watch seems like they have their life together. Stability and practicality are always in fashion. Not only does wearing a watch elevate any look, it adds an additional air of sophistication and classic charm that otherwise can’t be replicated no matter how technologically innovative smart watches become.
I’m not saying watch wearers nowadays are rebels, but I am saying wearing them does set you apart from the crowd. Smart watches and fit bits have definitely become signs of wealth and luxury, but not only do they scream to the world that you are willing to drop hundreds of dollars on a coin sized tablet, but so many people have them at this point that sporting one doesn’t exactly showcase individuality. Luxury watches come in all shapes and sizes. You can also personalize it to fit your own stylistic tastes and you can always buy more than one for any mood, outing, or occasion.
Who wants to have their eyes glued to a black screen every day and all day? Where a phone or smart watch could become utterly useless in a variety of situations, your traditional luxury watch will always come in handy and does not depend on sufficient wi-fi service to come in clutch at any point of the day, especially when you’re running a little late to…well, everything.
Why stop at just standing out with your style? Support a Black owned business while you’re at it! Verdure Watches is an almost decade old company invested in providing quality luxury watches to folks of all different backgrounds, especially for the important men in your life. 
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What’s going on everyone! Hope all of you are doing well despite these wild times we are living in. Very crazy how the country and the world looks currently, but we can still look forward to better things that are ahead and find hope. I know its been a while since I wrote but I think timing is everything. For those of you that don’t know, my fiancé and I run a podcast/YouTube channel ((www.YoYoThePodcast.com & “Gray Speaks” on Youtube) where we talk about a lot of different life topics but we always like to add the Bible into it to really help us make sense of the many trials and tribulations that we all battle with on a daily basis. One episode is called “Character Vs. Reputation” where we go in depth of what those 2 words mean and the importance of making sure your character, or who you truly are, proceeds your reputation. i thought about it and came to the conclusion that this is a great topic to talk about in regards to watches as well.  Today, the most popular watch is the “smart watch.” I guess there are many reasons for that. Maybe convenience because you can do many things on it. Basically everything you can do on a smart phone, you can now do on your wrist. In my personal and most humble opinion, smart watches take away from the beauty of a true watch. There’s no character in a smart watch. They aren’t very unique when it comes to design, and there is no true story behind a smart watch and the inspiration behind its functionality is almost non-existent, other than some lights and sounds it makes. Being a designer, uniqueness and inspiration are absolutely important. I like for my watches to tell a story and to have the wearer feel rather special and unique when wearing it and to know that the designer really did have them in mind when making it. That once they pass this heirloom down to the next generation, they will have a good time explaining what it really means to them and why they decided to purchase it. A smart watch on the other hand, you won’t be able to pass it along to another generation because electronics become obsolete. Reputation is obsolete if it doesn’t speak to the upstanding character of an individual.  An automatic timepiece is never obsolete, especially a Verdure automatic. There is true character in the brand, and behind every watch. The character of the Verdure brand proceeds our reputation. We don’t care to keep up with other brands because we know God has chosen us to stand out from amongst the crowd. With us, it is more about providing a quality product for a great price. It is not just about a name, but the story behind the ‘Why’ of the brand. So invest in a watch that describes who you are. A watch that is unique and makes you feel as such. God made you beautiful and different from everyone else on the face of the earth for a reason and that is what Verdure is here to express. Your reputation means nothing if you are not being true to who God made you to be. So I hope you guys enjoyed this read as it is always a pleasure to drop off a few of my thoughts. God bless and be safe! Signing off, Eddie J  Celebrating Juneteenth
Within the African American community, June 19th is a special day for the simple fact that slavery here in the US was completely done away with in 1865, although President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation went into effect on January 1, 1863. There were many contributing factors that led up to this glorious day for all African Americans, but also to the country as a whole being that on paper they would no longer have the label of a country woven with slavery and oppression. Although it did not exactly happen this way, blacks were to be seen as having equal rights as any other American citizen. We at Verdure believe wholeheartedly that it was the Lord God that allowed for this day to finally come to pass, setting us as African Americans free from slavery and giving us the ability and right to strive for the things we had always longed for. Also, the same way that we were freed from physical slavery, more importantly we all as a human race have been set free from the bondage of slavery to sin and death by the precious blood of Jesus Christ. Any issue and injustice plaguing society and the world today was eradicated when Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead. Once we as a nation and world for that matter, believe in the finished work of Jesus Christ we all can freely receive that freedom and come to an agreement and live in peace and harmony with all and true justice will prevail. So on this celebratory day of Juneteenth, we at Verdure want to celebrate and remember a day where blacks were set free, and also how we all have the ability to be set free from the old ways of living and subscribe to the new way of life and freedom given to us by way of Jesus Christ. Take this day to reflect on the freedom of African Americans, and also on the freedom given to all men through Jesus Christ. God bless! Signing off, Eddie J What’s going on everyone, hope you all are having a blessed new year so far! I am truly blessed to be here for another year and decade and to be here to speak to my great supporters again! So a quick praise report, by God’s grace we have started the year off on a great note as we have expanded into the world of jewelry! That’s correct, The Verdure Collection features jewelry for both men and women with some exclusive designs that I will be putting out on the market, so if you aren’t already please subscribe to our email list for updates on new releases and coupons. Speaking of expanding into the jewelry world, God has blessed us and allowed for us to be in another jewelry store, Camille Diamonds in the Paramus Jewelers Exchange at 275 NJ-4, Paramus, NJ so go check them out and tell them that Verdure Watches sent you over! We know that by God’s grace, this is going to be an exceptional year for the Verdure Brand as we continue to expand into new territories and grow and we hope we can serve you guys in the best, most professional way possible!
So stay tuned because there is much more that God is going to do for us and through us and we pray that we can be a blessing to you all in this New Year! So be safe and God bless!  What’s on the inside? Is it reliable? How does it perform? These are all valid questions when watches are the topic of conversation. It is commonly said in the world of watches that if your watch is not “Swiss Made” or have a Swiss movement, or engine if you will, then it is not reliable and not worth purchasing. From my own experiences even before having a watch company, I believe that those statements are not true. I’ve had Japanese and Chinese movements in watches that have kept excellent time. Although the outer aesthetics may not have been up the par in terms of luxury, the mechanism which is most important to time keeping was exceptional.  A few requirements for a watch to be labeled Swiss Made are the incorporation of a Swiss movement, casing-up and final inspection in Switzerland and also the definition of the Swiss movement adopts a minimum rate of Swiss value of 60%. That may make one wonder, “Where is the other 40% produced?” The answer to that is, “It does not matter.” Lol. But to be quite frank the other 40% of parts can come from China, Japan, and other various places. If movements from these countries are looked down upon then why are these Swiss made watches using the components that they make? Great question! Lol. That shows that they must do quality work in these other countries if “Swiss made” brands still choose to use manufactured parts from these places because 40% is pretty significant. Unfortunately most people are fascinated by popular “brand names” and overlook the smaller guys who do great work and have great quality, all just to acquire prestige. Not to say that Swiss Made isn’t good because that is far from the truth. They are great watches, but we at Verdure are trying to change the narrative. Us small brands can do big business and do it in a major way. Why? Because we truly care about giving our customers our best in all that we do from our stellar designs and top quality materials to our excellent customer care all while saving them money and still being luxurious.  After much research and consideration we decided to go with a beautiful and reliable Seagull Movement in our latest Lure Collection. Our good friends over in China do great horological work when it comes to movements/mechanisms and we wanted to shed light on their expertise in using a Chinese mechanism as well as making an affordable luxury watch line for our amazing clients. We know the capabilities and know that it was put together by some of the best in the business.  This is kind of how I see us as human beings. Just because we don’t measure up to the standards of what society pushes on us doesn’t mean we are any less qualified to make an impact. (Psalm 139:14)
As a believer in Christ I don’t need the validation from anyone as long as I know God chose me and I know that what He thinks of me matters most. (1 Peter 2:9-10) However this does mean we will have to battle opposition. But we will always be able to endure and be victorious because we know who God truly is and who He has made us. Since we are made in His image, we are made perfectly by our Perfect Creator and it will show in the way we live our lives. When you are chosen by God, no one can take that from you. I hope this serves as a guide for when you purchase your next luxury timepiece (hopefully Verdure lol). Low price doesn’t mean cheap quality. For us it means that we care about our customers to make it affordable yet with quality components. Again, thank you guys for reading. It is always truly appreciated. You guys have a blessed day! Signing off, Eddie J. What’s up everyone. I’m back again, with something set apart from the usual. God has been placing on my heart to speak on some topics regarding young professionals. Mainly the different obstacles and pitfalls that we experience on a day to day basis. As professionals regardless of what industry you are in, whether it’s working for someone, or self employed, there will always be some obstacles worth learning from. In order to avoid disappointments that will hinder you from reaching your true purpose that God has set for you from the beginning you must become aware of the many obstacles young professionals face. Besides, these obstacles are only positioned in our life to test our faith that is certainly needed in order to grow, mature, and reach our full potential. So let’s get into it. 
 2. Distractions. I think this is one of the biggest obstacles that us young professionals face. Now these can come in a plethora of ways. Maybe some old habits/behaviors that are in the way of what we know we want to do and accomplish like procrastination and holding those important things off that we know need to get done. Maybe fear of the unknown like what if this goes wrong or even what if it goes right? Or maybe it’s some people in our lives. Some people just can’t enjoy that ride with us to the destination that God has for us because they are distractions and hindrances in our lives. Maybe some of the things they say and the thoughts and ideas that they themselves have for us are just counter productive and hold us back from progressing and moving forward. Thats not to say we shouldn’t love them, but we have to love ourselves enough to want better for ourselves and most importantly to be obedient to the Lord and fulfill the purposes and plans He has for us.  3. Lack of Faith. When I say Lack of Faith, I mean a lack of faith in who God is and His perfect will and plan for our lives. A lot of times we think we have total control of our lives and when one thing doesn’t go as planned, we get all out of sorts and frustrated because the plans we set for our lives and professions have been delayed or derailed. It’s in these times where we need to seek Christ and have faith in Him that everything will work out according to His plan. Let’s be honest we don’t know the future. We can make all the plans we want to but it is God who has the final say(James 4:13-15). A cancelled meeting, a deal that didn’t go through, a disgruntled customer/employer, a missed appointment, anything can throw us off but there can also be good that comes from it when we have the right perspective. Having faith in God and trusting in His plans certainly means being comfortable with the unknown and knowing that God knows all. Once we trust God with the unknown He gives a peace that “passeth all understanding” (Philippians 4:7), that is, peace that doesn’t make sense from a worldly/human perspective. In this day and age, that kind of peace is so vital and priceless. I know I have been through certain things in life and in business that others would be like “Yo how are you so calm and comfortable even after these setbacks?” And my response is that I know God is in control. His peace is inexplicable because it helps you to be calm in those tough times especially in our professional lives and still smile because you know that all is well. Since we don’t even know what will happen tomorrow, we need to have a foundation in Jesus Christ who knows the future and is in complete control of everything. That deeply rooted faith is what allows for us to keep moving forward with peace and clarity no matter how hard our professional and personal lives may get.
I hope you all enjoyed this read and I hope it may have been of some assistance to some of you. Once these 3 things are figured out, it’s so much easier to navigate in our careers and professions and in life in general. So God bless you guys! Until next time, Eddie J. What’s up everyone! I’m back again. I know you may not have been expecting me to be back so soon, but I like this outlet and how it allows me to communicate with you all so I had to share something else. So I decided to give you guys a few reasons why you should choose Verdure. I think this will be a good read and I hope you guys can continue to give me some feedback. So here we go! 
2. Versatility. I think it’s a beautiful thing that every Verdure Watch can be worn with literally anything. A suit, a dress, some jeans, some sweatpants, some leggings, you name it and a Verdure Watch looks like it is supposed to be worn with it. And it will still hold its elegance and class with any of these outfits.  3. Conversation Starter. Another great thing about Verdure is that it can be used as an ice breaker to start a conversation. I honestly have had many people tell me that as they have worn their Verdure Watch, it has sparked up many conversations. So you can say it does truly stand out even amongst the crowds. Something I feel is very special and unique about the craftsmanship of these watches.  4. It is luxury at a fraction of the luxury price tag. So personally I just can’t bring it upon myself to spend $10,000-$100,000 for anything, let alone charge that for a timepiece that I design. Now, that is not to say that I do not value my own work because I certainly do. But when You have people lowering their moral values just to be able to buy certain things to look and feel good and achieve status, that is when you have problems. Nothing in this world is worth lowering your moral values for. With that being said, Verdure is an affordable luxury brand. You should be able to feel nice and look good without breaking your pockets to do so. So if you like to look and dress nice without spending a fortune, it’s time to consider a Verdure timepiece.  5. Designed with love. As a designer, I would never just put any design out there without taking my time and being very particular with it. If I wouldn’t wear it myself then I would never release it for the public to spend money on it. I just can’t bring myself to do it. So every design is surely designed with love and with each individual client in mind to provide them with the best. I say client instead of customer because I think it sounds a bit more personal. Maybe I'm weird for that but oh well lol.  6. There is added value with Verdure. With Verdure, it is more than just being about fine timepieces. The word “Verdure” means strength, and I like to think that there is power in the time that you spend each and every day. What do you spend your time on and how does it affect you or those around you? Whatever you give your time to, you are giving power to those things and I believe that we all should be making great use of our time. I try my best to use my time to things that will ensure that God gets all of the glory in all that I do. Whether that is giving my time and attention to someone in need in whatever way, worrying about the needs of others and helping them with something or whatever the case may be. So here at Verdure we like to help people think on those things and what they are giving their time to. So each time you put your Verdure piece on, think of how to make the best of your time that day.
So altogether I hope that you guys truly enjoyed this read. Not only this but all of the things I’ve written thus far and I hope it truly gives you added value to your day and your life in general. Let me know what you think in the comments as I greatly appreciate all of you! Hope you enjoy and have a blessed day! Signing off, Eddie J  Yo yo! Just kidding, what’s going on everyone? Eddie J. back again for another edition of excellent blog posts. Lol. So today I just felt the need to get into our most popular collection to date, the “Sophomore Collection.” This one right here is really special to me because it is my 2nd collection ever released. After my first “Premier Collection” (and yes I will be making a post about that soon), I thought it was really time to elevate my game and get into some real timepiece excellence. After all, how can you grow if you don’t elevate what you are currently doing and step out of your comfort zone? So these beauties feature a sort of unorthodox half skeleton. You can see the mechanism in motion in each section of the dial/face, and in the sections that you can’t see the mechanism, there is almost a checker board sculptured pattern to provide for some fine detail. Not too loud but not too basic. I love the skeleton aspect because not only is the outside of the watch beautiful, but the gold mechanism on the inside is just as beautiful and it truly compliments the outer aesthetics of it as you look through the domed sapphire crystal. I like to think that as human beings it’s not just enough to look beautiful or handsome on the outside. Inner substance is imperative as well. We each need to make sure that our “insides”, if you will, are even more beautiful so the outer beauty compliments what and who we are on the inside. As a believer in Jesus Christ I am to allow the light of Christ to shine through me from the inside so that others can see Him in me and see how he has transformed me into a beautiful, new creation. Kind of how the gold mechanism of the watch shines through to make the entire watch even more beautiful. That brings me to think of the scripture verse in 2 Corinthians 4:16 which says, “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.” Though we are growing older and looks fade, inwardly we can continue to have that youthful, yet mature vibrancy that never fades and never grows old and also shows the beauty we each have in each phase of our lives. So I truly thank God for that. I also thank God that if you keep your watches in good condition, it can always look beautiful as if it were brand new for as long as you want lol.  Complete with a genuine leather strap and deployment clasp to prevent wear and tear from constant pulling like a regular buckle would, it is truly beautiful altogether. Also on the back of the case you can see the mechanism there as well with a sapphire crystal case back.
I’m telling you, beauty at its finest! Most importantly, with any watch I design, I like to be sure that it can be worn with anything. Suit, shorts, sweats, it doesn’t matter. Put on your watch with any outfit for any occasion and you will certainly turn heads. I may be biased, but this collection is really classy. I thank God for giving me a piece of His creative gene to be able to put things like this together. So if you haven’t yet, check it out! First 20 people to read this and leave a thumbs up 👍🏽in the comments will get a special gift sent to their email. That also means that you should subscribe to my email list! Hope you enjoyed the read! Signing off, Eddie J Hello again! it's been a long while since the last blog post, so I decided to come back on here but to speak from a bit of a different angle from before. so recently I released my newest collection titled the "Lure collection" and this one here is very special to me for the simple fact of what inspired it. so I would love to take this opportunity to let the public in to how I came up with the design.  so when you take a look at the face, or "dial" of the watch, you can see that it looks like a fish scale pattern. well, at home I have a fish tank and one day as I was sitting on my couch I thought to myself that I could incorporate somehow their scales into a design. also there is crushed up coral at the bottom of the fish tank, so the spiked design on the bezel signifies the crushed up coral.
for the past designs, I decided to go with 5ATM waterproof, which is really basic. you can swim with it but it doesn't mean you should. but it is still ok if you wash your hands and water gets on it, it will have no effect to the watch. With the "Lure Collection", I decided to make it 10ATM which means you can actually go snorkeling in it with no effect to the watch. Also, a new feature with our watches is the screw-down crown. Call it a safety feature for a few reasons.
ON the inside, we have a beautiful automatic movement. That's right, no batteries needed just like our "Sophomore Collection" and "Yves Medley Women's Collection". With the "seconds" hand located at the "6" position, if you need to time something for whatever reason, you can easily look to that sub dial "seconds" hand and time it right away. Like the rest of the Verdure pieces, you can wear these with anything. Jeans, a suit, a dress, whatever you want to pair it with, it will go perfectly with any attire. For this model I wanted to make a correlation with the Bible. Jesus said in Matthew 4:19 "And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." This also inspired the title of this collection, the "Lure Collection", and a lure is fishing bait used to attract the fish. As a believer in Christ, this is one of the main missions- to show the love of Jesus Christ to everyone that we come across, and being a great influence in this crazy world that we live in in order to bring glory to God and to "make fishers of men" by living according to the Word of God and proclaiming the name of Jesus in our every day lives. So along with the fishes in my fish tank, this too is what inspired the fish scale face of the watch. With all of my watches but especially this one, I would like for the wearer to truly think about what it is that they put their time to. In this day and age it is imperative to use your time wisely and to put it to things of meaning. For me personally I try to put my time to things that are pleasing to the Lord Jesus Christ. Spending time with loved ones, giving time and/or resources to someone in need, making some really nice watch designs for my great customers, anything like that lol. But I really appreciate you for taking the time to read this and to see inside the mind of the designer of Verdure Watches, Yours Truly. I hope you all have a blessed year and remember to make sure your time is "Time WEll Spent". Signing Off, Eddie J. Hoodie Season is fast approaching us. Out here on the east coast, fall fashion is really special just because of the different types of clothing that make their way on the scene. During this time, my hoodie collection is brought to the front of my closet. Sporty, casual, doesn’t matter. The hoodie comes in many different styles and flavors that you can incorporate into any outfit whether you’re just lounging/chilling and want to wear sweats, or you’re wearing a casual jeans type of outfit.
Let me be clear. During hoodie season it isn’t just about hoodies. It’s good to mix it up once in a while, so we can also do sweaters. Again, sweaters come in many different styles also which means we can be as versatile as we want. So let’s start up with some comfortable, lounge styled hoodies/sweaters like crewnecks, zip-up hoodies, pullover hoodies, etc. Say it’s a cool fall afternoon and you have some errands that need to be attended to. You’re a little pressed for time so you want to throw on something stylish but comfortable. For this we can throw on a simple crewneck pull over sweater. At this point, colors don’t matter which is the beauty about hoodie season. There are no colors that are off limits, but just for arguments sake, lets choose gray. A Gray crewneck pullover sweater with grey sweatpants. Or, if you don’t want to wear one color top to bottom, we can always mix match. A blue zip up hoodie with black or gray sweatpants works well too. Crushed Gold (@Crushed_Gold) a hot, new up and coming line has a lot of heat in their arsenal that you guys have to check out. They have ladies gear too so ladies definitely those out as well. check the visuals here and their instagram to get acquainted. I’ll also show a visual of what footwear to add to your attire. We’re going for the chill/comfort look so we have to be sure the sneakers match well. What I like to do is give an idea of the complete outfit and not just giving you bits and pieces, I like to deliver the whole package. So let’s coordinate. Right now we are going to match the hoodie/sweater with the shoes. For example if we have a blue hoodie let’s choose blue sneakers to go along with it. Or we can do all gray top and bottom, then for the shoe game we can pick anything. I chose to put the all-white Nike Air Max CB '94 to really give myself a cleaner look. Check the visuals to get a better feel of what I’m talking about. ________________________________________________________ Or maybe you want to be a bit more dressy than wearing sweatpants. You’re in the mood to throw on a pair of jeans, or cargo/khaki pants but still want to wear a hoodie or sweater. No big deal. This calls for maybe a dressier hoody. (Check the visuals to get a feel) Now again, we have to have the right footwear to make the look complete. Timberland’s, Nike ACG’s, Polo Ralph Lauren Roadway Boots, Clark Wallabees, the list goes on and on. You can do just about anything (except dress shoes with jeans. I really cannot stand that. Either you’re trying to dress up or you’re trying to be casual. No in between in my book lol). So when you’re doing your fall clothes shopping, keep in mind that you can be as versatile as you want. Mix and match is good in this case when it comes to colors. So get your gear right because you want to make sure you are all the way correct for this great hoodie season! Signing off, Eddie J |
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