This text, written by Fernando Diogo, is a particularly relevant contribution to the contemporary debate on the role of social observatories in collective life. Resulting from the opening conference of the colloquium "Observing in Social Sciences: a strategic commitment"—promoted by the Social Observatory of Vila Nova de Gaia, in conjunction with the Institute of Sociology of the University of Porto and the Municipality of Vila Nova de Gaia—this essay goes beyond the limits of the circumstances in which it was delivered, offering a wide-ranging reflection on the fundamentals, tensions, and challenges inherent in the institutionalization of social observation.