The Deep Track
The place for watch talk, from affordable watches to high end luxury watches and everything in between. The home for humble, honest watch enthusiasm.
Exploring watches and more through culture, adventure, and personalities. This is a discussion of how curiosity drives enthusiasm, pushing us to explore and even confront our own boundaries. Interests explored will cover a deep field, Hosted by watch industry veteran, Blake Buettner.
The Deep Track
The Deep Track, Ep. 102 - Hidden Gems, Rough Royal Pop Rollout, & More ft. Producer Josh
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This week producer Josh joins the show to tackle the fallout from the AP x Swatch Royal Pop release, and assess what the pocketwatch says about the broader enthusiast space. We also chat about the influence of “luxury” in how watches are presented to us, and how our experiences in the independent and micro brand scene tell the real story of the industry. Finally, we ponder the effect of influencers and social media on collecting from a personal perspective.
Show Notes:
Audemars Piguet x Swatch Royal Pop
Urwerk x Ulysse Nardin Ur-Freak
Seamaster 120 Plongeur de Luxe
Ep. 39 with Jesse Marchant of Lorca
Time + Tide x Beaucroft Solaris GMT
Hello and welcome to the Deep Track Podcast, an exploration of watches, trends, and culture with a few adventures in between. I am your host, Blake Bettner, and I am in studio today with Super Producer Josh. Josh, it's good to see you, man. It's been too long.
SPEAKER_00Likewise, man. It's always good to see you.
SPEAKER_03Yeah. Brent in a Lafayette, Indiana. Thank you for sending in a note saying that you appreciate when you hear Josh on the podcast. And I said, you know what? So do I. I got to get back in and record. So I reached out to Josh and here I am this week. Just because there's a lot that's happened that we haven't had really a chance to catch up on, and events, new releases, stuff like that. So I thought it'd be fun to get in here and talk about some of the things that have been going on lately. You know, I guess the first thing that I want to talk about, um which we can just kind of get out of the way, because I don't know how many thoughts you're gonna have on it, is which I'm sure you know what I'm gonna say right now, is uh a certain collaboration uh from Motemark Began Swatch. Before we do any of that silly stuff though, let's do a let's do a wrist check. I see you got something cool on your wrist, you got something cool on the table here. Uh what's going on? What are you wearing today?
SPEAKER_00Um I have a Seiko SQ100 sports. I have no idea what the number after that is, some long number that no one would ever remember. Um of those like neo-vintage pieces. Um uh I picked this up because I really wanted to be like one of the cool kids and get one of those like tag 2000 watches from like the you know late nine late 90s or whatever that a lot of people want. And I wanted to get like a clean one and they're like you know, retailing on eBay like around like four or five hundred dollars for a good one. And I you know, I like them, but I just didn't want to pay that much for them. And I actually have you to thank for this, uh, for finding this uh for finding this watch because you did uh a video about a Seiko SQ something a while ago, something it had like a sort of like an Angular case at like the four o'clock or whatever. The crown was like at four o'clock.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, it was it was an SH.
SPEAKER_00SH something.
SPEAKER_03Something 23, I think. Uh yeah.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, but it's very cool. It was a very cool case, and that took me down a rabbit hole that took me down another rabbit hole, and then I discovered a whole bunch of these like SQ 100, 150 watches, sports watches, and they look very similar to the to the Tag 2000. Um, and in some cases I think they look better. And I'm like, it's a you know, sim of a similar quality watch for 200 bucks less on eBay, and there's a whole bunch of them.
SPEAKER_03It's cool. It's it's it's shocking almost when you when you kind of dig under the surface sometimes what you'll discover. Even for a brand like Seiko, you think, like, uh yeah, I know, like I know Seiko watches all that kind of stuff. But look, there are eras, there are little pockets that I'm like, what is this? What's going on? Uh and this is one of look at the bezel. I feel like there's an era there where they, you know, brands would do more interesting things with bezels. Yeah. Like do some weird design with the bezel. And it feels, you know, it maybe like feels a little throwback or 90s or something now, but it's got a like character that you just don't really you don't really see very often.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, like I mean, I like this a little bit better than the even the tag bezel because it's like it's different enough where it's something that you don't really see today, but at the same time, it's not quite as, for lack of better words, funky as like some of those tag bezels are. Some of them are really out there on in this line, but this one in particular uh really caught my eye, and then I uh added this two-tone anachronous strap for a two-tone watch.
SPEAKER_03So it's I like this how it's good con on the strip. It's not like a normal two-tone, it's like split uh down its center and the whole length of it is like gray and gold. Which goes perfectly with the with the watch, uh actually, which is great. Uh I like that. So this is a new find of yours, huh?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I got this like maybe a couple of months ago, so still pro still uh relatively new, and I really like the way it wears. I mean, it's the it's everything you love about a quartz watch because I feel like if you're gonna get a quartz watch, or not if you're gonna get a quartz watch, but like you can make it be you could have it be super thin, so it wears beautifully. Yeah.
SPEAKER_03Yeah. And uh you should get a quartz watch, because there's a lot of really cool ones out there. Yeah. And uh I'm wearing a quartz watch as well. I'm wearing a CWC, uh titanium diver 300. Yeah. And it's a fixed lug design, which I've obviously have a real soft spot for. And uh I don't know if I've worn an FXD since I picked this thing up.
SPEAKER_00You still have your FXD?
SPEAKER_03I've got a couple, yeah. And uh but now they just kind of you know, now I'm like, I don't know, do I get out of Tutor altogether and just go all in? No, I mean something like this, I don't know.
SPEAKER_00It looks good.
SPEAKER_03It's cool, right? And you know, the FXD, it's um you know, it's not like it's a versatile watch and that you've I can dress it all up and down. And you know, neither is this. So it kind of like fills the same function. Yeah. Uh but it's even like a little bit funkier still in an FXD. Yeah. And it's got like the great like military history, backdrop, all that kind of stuff. Exactly. You know, which I'm not like diehard about, but it's cool. It's like a cool part of the story and the design of it and all that kind of stuff. So so I appreciate it for that. Uh and of course, uh uh quartz movement. Yeah. Which is uh which is great.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, it looks it looks great. And it also like it kind of reminds me of the there's I was it's kind of funny. I I'd kind of been looking at that and uh was the Jacques Bianchi um those are cool too.
SPEAKER_03I love that watch actually. It's just with the destro with the crown on the left, and I wear my watch on my left, it would like go into the bend of my wrist. So I don't know, it makes it like kind of a non-starter, but I really, really like that watch.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah. There's something about that. Like I initially uh because you were at Intercept, right? Uh was a couple months ago. Um is that what it's called? Intercept that that that watch fair. Yeah, I think that's what it is. Yeah. Yeah.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, you're in New York over uh by the Hudson Yeah. Yeah, by the Hudson yeah.
SPEAKER_00But I remember walking by their booth and I was just like, initially that wouldn't be the type of watch that stopped even in my tracks, but it kind of like, you know, you when you walk by something, you're just like, oh, I've seen that before, and then I was like, and then I just reverse back and I was like, no, wait, that is kind of cool. It is cool.
SPEAKER_03And bro, and Brock was there. Shout out to to Brock. Uh I don't think he was at their booth. He was uh uh somewhere maybe with um Jeff uh Mark II. Uh um not Jeff, Bill. Uh but yeah, I I it's that's one of those watches. I think the first time I saw one was in here. Devin, the first time Devin was in on the podcast. I think he had one on.
SPEAKER_00Oh, he was wearing one that day.
SPEAKER_03And I had not seen one in in The Flash, and it was something that I saw in pictures. I was like, oh, cool. And uh and then I when I handled it in person, I was like, whoa, this is because there's there is a quality about the cases that you can get when you're using a quartz movement that just feel I don't know, there's like some magic to them. Like they're just a little bit thinner, you can just be a little bit more like tight with all the tolerances everywhere it feels like. So it just feels like a like a almost alien-like on the wrist, which you do not get in pictures. So that's why like some of these things you really just have to put them on. I'm sure that watch is the same way. It's just kind of like, you know, oh yes. And it just kind of clicks. Yeah. If if you're into that kind of thing. I don't know. Um you know, if if it goes with the theme of the watch, the design of the watch, it doesn't feel like a compromise has been made to accommodate an automatic movement just for the sake of having a mechanical movement. Exactly, right? Yeah. Which is, you know, I don't know. Like for guys like us, it's like neither here nor like if it is cool. Um, you know, and I appreciate plenty of mechanical movements, obviously, but uh, you know, that's not like the only hang up that I'll have on a watch. And it's it's like surprising how how it can really open up like the options for the design if you just opt for quartz.
SPEAKER_00It becomes a benefit in other ways that where other people might see it as like a down like you know, uh something to look down upon or whatnot. But yeah.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, I I I guess I've never quite understood that argument completely that like you know it's it's not real watch, or you're not like a real collector if you have quartz watches or anything like that. I mean, obviously, technically is obviously a watch is something that you wear on your wrist and you're in your in your telling time. You know, it might speak to something different than like you personally enjoy about collecting, but I don't think you should just like lock off the block off that part of the hobby just because of of of the of that reason. You know, I think there's still interesting stories and watches and designs being expressed in the court space in a different way. And obviously, you know, I've love mechanical movements and I've appreciate them all the way up and down the scale, of course, right? Like it doesn't take anything away from from that. Uh so and maybe this is a good segue into talking about uh a watch that uh not even a watch, uh a pocket watch. I guess it's still a watch. Um uh the the the royal the royal pop. And I was thinking about this uh after I had kind of recorded my initial reactions um to the watch, you know, that it it it has that System 51 movement. Do you think that's an important part of this thing's identity, that it has that m hand winding mechanical movement? Even though it's kind of you know cracker jack box style mechanical movement or whatever, like would you rather it be a core I don't know, like what does it does it does it um add anything to this thing?
SPEAKER_00I think so. Like I actually think that that that it with it being a system 51 movement, actually really you know, for the person out there that's buying this that knows nothing about watches, uh this is probably gonna be like their first interaction with with any sort of mechanical watch whatsoever. You know? Yeah, that's true. And that's that's who I was kind of thinking of when when I saw that this was going to be, you know, I also don't think, you know, and granted you probably know this better than I do, that I I kind of doubt that AP would have done it if it wasn't some sort of mechanical watch in some way, shape, or form. At least I'd like to think that.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, that's true. I mean they you know it's not like they've never done quartz movements before, like they certainly have. Uh but uh but yeah, I think that's a good point. And it does kind of considering the target audience for this kind of thing, it just kind of adds that extra layer of discovery, not only for that kind of classic Royal Oak design language, but also for using something purely mechanical like that. Yeah. Um so taking a step back, like, do you what do you think of the thing as a whole? Were you surprised by it?
SPEAKER_00Were you like, oh, I was I mean, when I first heard about the announcement, I was very shocked by it. Um of course we all saw those AI renderings of the uh you know, which like just I feel like this is the first time that I've noted that I've thought that like this is a problem almost. Yeah, yeah, in a way that I don't think we've ever really seen with other watch releases before. I mean, we've seen AI renderings of watch of of you know of predictions and stuff like that, but not in this sort of fashion where people were like, this is the real thing.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, a lot of posts going live, yeah, you know, latest, you know, whatever from AP. And it was kind of it really created this gray area of like, what is this? Is this real? Where did you where did this come from? That um I'm sure suckered a lot of eyeball, you know, views, which was the whole point. Yeah, you know, obviously. But no, I totally agree with you.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. I mean, I think, you know, I I think when I when I initially saw it, I was AI was shocked because I was just like doing the I was like in my mind, because I was just like, wait, AP's not part of Swatch Group, right? So I was just like, it was shocking that they were going the shocking that they did that. Um, and then when I saw that it was going to be a pocket watch, I thought, uh obviously I was thinking about like, you know, the the sorts of things that people are carrying around, um, you know, whether it's on their bags or on their purse, like the laboo-boos and stuff like that. And I was thinking, I was like, oh, that could be a cool accessory for somebody that wants to have something that's a little bit different, something that's you know moderately functional, um, but also looks cool. And to be honest with you, I'm not gonna lie. I I as someone that's not really interested in the that as you know, as the uh as on a uh what's it called? As someone that's not really interested in the royal oak all that much, yeah, I I thought the designs pretty cool. I I really did, and then I didn't realize the sort of the I like I really like the way they married the sort of stories between the history of um AP's pocket watch and then from was it called the Royal Pop Performance the the the swatch that they swatched uh no, I think it had some reference to some some pop I think pop was in the name or something.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, it's it's analogous to it.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, but I I thought it was cool how they sort of married the two histories between the brands in that way. Um so overall, like, you know, you know, if I just ignored uh, you know, everybody's sort of negative thoughts about it and stuff like that, just purely thinking on my own, I was like, I actually thought the collaboration was interesting, I thought it was cool, I thought it was relatively unique. Um, but the rollout is where I have most of my criticisms with it. That's where that's where I'm that's where I'm at.
SPEAKER_03Right. They they it's not limited or anything, but you know, you can only get it in these like six places all around the world. So like they know what they're doing. Like they're creating exclusivity by restricting the access to it, even if it's not a limited thing. Uh, which obviously is like a part of the plan and the design and all that kind of stuff. And then it gets on like mainstream news and then it blows up and all the great. Uh, but now like kind of they're in this like weird situation of like, well, they can't manage the release of this thing safely. Yeah. What are you gonna do? Like, are they gonna default to like a broader distribution strategy and put it online and to go directly? Like, I don't know, like what like why not? Like, would that take away anything from this collaboration? If it was just like went live online.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, that's that I mean, that's the thing where I feel like they could have I mean, and maybe I've never done this sort of thing before, so obviously, you know, I'm not trying to throw too much criticism out there, but like to me, I feel like they could have done some sort of like either like numbering or lottery system where it's like, hey, you go online, um, you try to order however many orders you get, you can pick it up at this store, and that way you could still have the appearance of people could pick it up at this time. And that way you can still have the appearance of all these people going to the store, but really the only people that are showing up in line are people that have already pre-ordered what they were able to get online.
SPEAKER_03I feel like Nike's done this and the sneakers app and stuff like that.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, we've seen this before. And the thing is, the the other reason why I also feel like there's no sort of real excuse for this is because we saw similar things happen with the release. Now, maybe not so much with the Blanc Pond swatch, but really with the release of the moon swatch, we saw we know, we saw some incidents happen um where people were waiting in line and stuff like that, and also the reseller stuff and all and all the sort of negative things that come along with this sort of hype culture nonsense.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_00And that's where I'm just like, you guys had two previous releases to sort of sort the these sorts of things out. And while I do think, you know, from a PR perspective of having people waiting in line, there is that does create the sort of hype that you want, but you could have made this much safer for people, at least to a certain extent, of them not having to feel like they have to s people have to, you know, stampede over each other and fight over spots in line. Or sleep on the street for six days or sleep on the street for six days. You know, like you can still get the the optics of of this thing looking like it's something that people really want without having to essentially put people's lives in danger or having to um having to deal with the resellers in that way.
SPEAKER_03Yeah. Yeah, no, I I completely agree. I hope that's something that can get sorted out. Uh you know, I I I doing doing like like I mentioned earlier, something like the sneakers app, you know, where if a hot Jordan 1 is coming and then it's just a well, here's the time of the release, you know, you you go into the app, you hit, you know, you get in line, basically, and then you get an email 10 minutes later, 20 minutes later, got them, or more likely good luck next time or better luck next time, or whatever it is, and then and then that's that. It doesn't feel like it's still it's it's still exciting and fun.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_03You know, there's still a bit of like, ooh, am I gonna, you know, and you still like you're getting into the thing and there's cool graphics around it. Like it's a fun thing to interact with. Um but if I had to go and like literally fight off people in a store, like I I don't know of anything that I want that bad.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, exactly. I have never felt that strongly about anything that I need to get that is not consequential to my life. Yeah, right, right.
SPEAKER_03If it's you know, the next pandemic and it's you know, bread and water and something and my kids starving, then it's a different story, maybe, but like watching them.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, but which go what did you think what did you think about the release like when you first heard about it? And how did you did you know about it beforehand or anything?
SPEAKER_03Um I had caught a little bit of wind of it, but uh um but but not much. And uh I was genuinely surprised as well. Uh you know, and then the more I thought about it, the more I thought, oh, that you know, that it makes sense. I think it'll be a good thing for for both of them if it's handled right, and and uh I like that it's different with the with the pocket watch, as you said. You can accessorize it in different ways, and that'll be fun. Uh you know, I don't know if it's something like that for for me. Yeah. Um but I I like it. My you know, my son liked it. He's almost 14. You know, I feel like that's a you know, oh, it's fun. You know, when I think back to like the early 90s when I was about his age, you know, this is exactly the kind of thing that would have been like really fun about swatches, you know, colorful swatches, limited edition swatches. You know, I would have reacted, I would have been like, oh, this is really fun and this is cool. You know, and I'm always the one complaining about, oh, this industry needs to kind of need more of that fun and uh and where it's not taking itself too seriously. And I like that it is a brand that generally we might think of as taking itself very seriously in on RPK. Exactly. Doing this, so it kind of clashes. You know, I I brought up on on my last episode about the, you know, the uh the like quarter million dollar Black Panther watch with the cartoon, that's like maybe not taking itself too seriously, but in like the opposite way that I want to see. And you know, to me that is more like reputationally sus than these things are. Uh so you know, to me it feels like in you know that it's been done in like the right kind of spirit. And so um yeah, I I mean I I'm I'm I'm curious to see how this will evolve and develop and you know, if if other iterations will will come out of it, as they've obviously done with um the moon swatch and and I think even the scuba. Uh I know that has been less popular. I like that one though.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I I uh if I was gonna get one, that would probably be the one.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, yeah, it like the black one, it looks like just like the 55s. Like if I was Blanc Quan, I'd be a little like, okay, this is getting a little like yeah, it's gotta be like bright color. Like, you know, the Moon Swatch, you're not gonna mistake it for an for a for a steel speedmaster. Uh these obviously you're not gonna mistake for for any watch, because it's not, you know, the that's Cuba. It gets a little close uh there. But uh no, but overall I think it's it's it's generally like kind of a good thing. And I I have been surprised that you know the amount of like just kind of general cynicism uh around it. And I've noticed that a lot more uh just in general, in in a lot of enthusiast spaces. The just general you know, if you get on Reddit, if you go on Instagram, it's just kind of like the gut reaction. It just brings you down. Like, oh you know, nobody's allowed to have fun anymore. It has to be it's it's honestly it's a little depressing.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, it is, it is because I mean, on one hand, I'm not trying to cape for like uh, you know, big these big corporate, you know, like a corporate group like Swatch or like a huge or like you know, or a big brand like AP. Like I'm not trying to save them or anything like that. But if I'm just thinking about it and looking at it objectively, I'm like, it's fun. Like it was fun and like and I don't see any problem with the actual product. I don't see any I like I like the way that like I said, I like the way they went up, I like the way that they went about it in terms of the the the how they created it. It's just the ro it's just the rollout. I mean, and if you don't like it, it's fine. Like, I mean, we broke we're both in agreement, like it's not for us. Like I'm not I'm not buy I'm not buying one. I I wouldn't, you know, I'd buy one for somebody at you know at the right price or something like that. Um but I just think it's fun and like you know, and there's nothing wrong with fun, even if it's not necessarily for us, you know. Um but I do think it's just a I think a lot for a lot of people it could just be one of those really cool accessories. I mean, it reminds me of like uh Tamagotchi, like when we were younger or something like that.
SPEAKER_03Something you know, this will be one of those, like you know, now you look at these like mood boards from the 90s, or what was life like that? You know, it's got these few kind of things on it. This is gonna be one of those things for like this for this era, yeah. Because it's like that cultural kind of stamp. Uh so which which which I think is interesting.
SPEAKER_00Actually, I I got a question for you, because this sort of crossed my mind too. Um do you think that um AP and Swatch are maybe have been paying attention to smaller brands collaborating, and maybe that was the inspiration by going outside of the group? I know I may I was gonna feels like a little bit of a stretch, but I've been thinking like I know I've the little bit of time that I've been collecting, it's like I've been noticing that more and more that you see brands that are not necessarily a you know, they're largely independent of each other collaborating with each other.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, i i i it's interesting, right? Because there's there's there's kind of like a a few different flavors of these kinds of things. There's like a uh a watch brand collaborating with like an artist, you know, which is great. And they'll bring like the flavor of their art into the design of the watch or you know, a musician, obviously Otomar PGA has done b before. Uh and then and then maybe the other rare side, watch brand and watch brand coming together to do to do things. And I think it can work really, really well when it happens. Like the um uh the the Urwork Ulise Nardin or Freak, like that was kind of like a perfect marriage to me. And I was like, Yeah, very cool. You know, and that's like you know, way out there. Um you know, I'm not gonna buy one of those or anything like that. But it uh it was cool, it was just one of those like, oh, this is cool. These are like really creative minds coming together, just like two artists coming together and and the you know, the work syncs up well and it's like awesome. You know, to me, I think that's what it like does it make sense? Yeah. Like is is there something so you know, I I think with with the AP and the swatch, it's it's like a design being rendered in a different way and a different kind of color material that Ottomar Priet can't do.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_03So, you know, it it is kind of you know, what is swatch bringing to the table? You know, they're everyone says plastic, obviously. But it you know it the bio ceramic, whatever you want to call it. Like it's it's its own thing. And uh and obviously like kind of the bright colors and just kind of like lighthearted take on it. To reach um you know customer that they that they weren't otherwise going to reach. Uh and then there's another one too that I wanted to mention because I was at an event um for its release here in New York a few weeks back, and that is with um H. Moser and Reebok. Oh, yeah. Which was another great callback to the nineties around the pump. And uh this was a great shoe. Um 1991, uh the dunk contest, D Brown, the peekaboo just was like a big cultural moment. And sneakers, I think, were like really kind of hitting a crescendo, right? Of like the Jordan had been around for a little bit. I think this is the year the four came out. Yeah. All-time great design of the Jordan, Tinker uh Hatfield design. Yeah. And uh, you know, Rebach like swung for the fences with this thing. And then of course D. Brown's wearing them, and like before he goes his dunk, like bends down and pumps up the street.
SPEAKER_00It's a moment.
SPEAKER_03Like you couldn't ask for anything. Yeah, it was a moment. It was a moment. Uh at the event, by the way, D. Brown was there.
SPEAKER_00Wait, what?
SPEAKER_03D Brown was there. They brought him out. I'm like, oh, this is I like I remember collecting the cards. I remember what like this was a big thing. For me, like an impact moment, like an imprint moment. Uh, you know, and uh so so I thought it was like awesome. I knew immediately. Like in my introduction article of the watch, I put a big picture of D. Brown doing the dunk. And you know, I talk about mostly just the cultural kind of impact of that thing. And uh I I it really kind of bummed me out that the number of people that were like, who's that guy? What's that? Yeah. And I was like, what I felt like maybe they should have I don't know, they should have found like sneaker influencers or people in that space to do something with. Because then they would have like highlighted the cultural significance of the shoe and been introduced to a brand like Moser for probably the first time. And I mean it's a $40,000 watch, but like I think they did it with a lot of respect and it's cool. It's like a it's not just like the thing logo on the dial or something. Like they literally made a new part of a movement that you pump to wind it. Like, that's cool.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_03You know, uh, and I think you it was it it just bunged me out to have just kind of like a bunch of the VICs and wealthy clientele surrounding me, who have no idea, no appreciation. Here I am like kind of bouncing around like, whoa, this is cool. Uh I guess that brings up like a whole other kind of issue with the the kind of disconnect that I feel from like just luxury, probably which I've probably felt my whole life. Like any situation, I've I feel uncomfortable with that kind of a thing. But when you get down to the kind of the nitty-gritty details, I appreciate and I jump in and um uh so it's it's it's it does create this kind of like disc disconnect that sometimes I have trouble navigating.
SPEAKER_00Oh no, I feel the same, I feel the same way. I mean, like, I mean, I think I've even I'm not even sure if I've ever said this on wax or not, but like I think you know, I think I probably mentioned this then mentioned this to you like the first time I even like walked on Fifth Avenue to like go into like it I've walked by these watch boutiques for many years and until until I started recording with you years ago, like um I wouldn't even feel comfortable to walk in there.
SPEAKER_03Like you to think that it would be the door's locked, the dude's standing right there, like you gotta like kind of come in, you know. They you know they press the button and uh like it's an intimidating thing.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, and it still feels awkward. I mean, at least I feel comfortable enough to be like walking into any boutique now, but at the same time, it it is not like it doesn't feel so inviting um when you're what's it called, when you're just walking off the street and and people are, you know, and then people are really sizing you up.
SPEAKER_03Or at least it feels like I mean immediate sales assistant, you know, what do you what do you need? What are you you know, why are you here kind of a thing? It's like okay, I can I I just you know I like watching. Can I just uh can I just chill and like check out some of these watches? Some places are better at that than others at being like, yeah, of course, you know, this is a cool spot. You can you can you can do that. Some of the boutiques that I'll go into like uh when it's a boutique opening, I'll ask that to the manager, like, so is it cool? People just come in here and chill out? And of course they'll always say, Yeah, of course. But it's I think they they need to put off a better vibe. You know, and maybe it's the the kind of events that they host, or the peop I don't know what it is. I guess the in general there will always be this dichotomy. Like they are they are trying to reach a buyer that is maybe very different from the likes of you and I, or just like the average enthusiast. But the average enthusiast is maybe like a lifeblood of keeping the brand relevant in some ways because of how they talk about it, how they keep it in the general consciousness.
SPEAKER_00And knows more about the watches.
SPEAKER_03And they know a lot about like they're the ones nerding out, like they're the ones creating the content around the stuff sometimes or talking about it in forums. And that's what, you know, you know, Mr. Rich Guy who wants to buy some rich guy stuff is looking up online, and that's what the kind of stuff that they find and learn about it, and they'll they like it. You know, that's that's how like that's like a discovery path, I think, for a lot of people. Uh at least if they're anything like me, I don't know. I I don't know. I not that I pretend that I understand how like wealthy people go about buying stuff. I don't. But you know, a part of me is like, do they do they sit down on the computer and like research re-research, is this watch any good? You know? If they find like, oh, this is a cool watch, it's $100,000 or whatever, do they type into Google, is it a good is it a good watch? And then go onto the forums and read about or are they just like, I don't care.
SPEAKER_00It's I feel like someone has to tell them what's good. Like, you know, I don't I have no idea. Like they have people that do this? Yeah, they have people that tell them what's good.
SPEAKER_03We could be those people, just like I I'm capable of.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, oh yeah, no, you're for sure. For sure. I mean, I'm not rich, but you have definitely told me a few things that have influenced me into buying a few things here.
SPEAKER_03And uh and I don't I I don't care about selling anybody anything. Like I'm I'd be the world's worst salesperson, but I like I'm there are things that I'm genuinely passionate about and that I appreciate that I like to talk about. If other people have the means to go and buy it, then good for them. Yeah. You know. I don't know. But I I I feel like uncomfortable put it being like, you know, if if somebody was making a purchase decision based on my recommendation, even though I know that a lot of articles that I've written have probably sold a lot of watches. Oh yeah, for sure. Like I'm I bet the my articles that I've written about the FXD have probably sold more FXDs than any other.
SPEAKER_00You know, it's funny about that. Uh I was in uh Philadelphia um visiting some family this past weekend, and I bumped into a friend who I haven't talked to in a while, and he's what's it called? He he's also one of these people who like we've kind of known, we've known each other for a very, very long time. I've known him since since like high school, like he grew up around the corner from me. And I knew he's been really into watches, and he I think he sort of knew that I was doing podcasting for a while, and uh I name dropped your name, and he was just like, Oh yeah, he just did a he just wrote his first article for Hudinky in a little while, right? Oh and then I can't remember um what watch he said he just bought. He's just like, Yeah, he definitely talked me into getting this watch.
SPEAKER_03Well, I hope he likes it. Yeah, uh but yeah, it it is that kind of thing. And I you know, I have uh I've like I've like altered my life in some ways around the FXD, you know, like learning how to dive and going through all these experiences, and and um stuff that I otherwise would not have have have done. And uh and it's it's not that it's like a part of my personality or anything. I don't know. Like it's just a watch that like connected with me. And there are a lot of watches that are led the same way, and there's there are a lot of watches if you type in the reference number and review that are mine, are that sitting at the top, you know, one or two spots of of Google. So I know people come across them and and and read them. So it's like a responsibility, you know, I suppose, but I would never put in a review like you should buy this. Yeah. You should definitely buy this watch, you know. I'm like, yeah. And I try to be fair about and upfront about that kind of stuff in in the articles and and you know. But value in how we think of it is very different from person to person to um to person. So, you know, I guess that just kind of makes it all different and unique, and I want people to find their own. And and you know, from my perspective, I want to do like shed light on a part of the um hobby and industry that doesn't just naturally get the limelight. Yeah. Right? There are a lot of kind of the the hype stuff and and all that. You know, celebrate that stuff too, it's cool and and and all that. Uh but there's so much other stuff that's like cool that's kind of in the shadows that you maybe have to look a little bit for that I want people to understand and know. And also know that you can you can take part in this, you can have all that stuff, you can buy some of these watches from these great brands that are selling you know, twenty, thirty, forty thousand dollar watches now that you that are selling what really that had made watches that were really cool that you can find for a thousand bucks, two thousand bucks, or or or there's a lot of gems to be found.
SPEAKER_00I mean, like you were um you posted about um that uh was it that Seamaster was it a Seamaster 300? Yeah, it's a 120, Seamaster 120. Yeah. Yeah. Like that thing was really I mean, that is such a cool watch. Again, again, a watch that I think me and you have had talked about this before, but again, it's like a watch that like I've never been drawn to the Seamaster. I mean, I know it's not the Seamaster 300, but it's similar. Yeah. Similar esque. But I was just like, I've never really been all that drawn to that watch. But every every once in a while you'll drop one of these like gems from 10, 15, 20 years ago from a from a line that I was like not familiar with, but is very adjacent, or just like a version of it that I've like would have never been like, oh, I don't like that watch, but I like that version. Like I would wear that version.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, completely the same boat. I'm I've never been a huge like semester 300 guy. Um, but this one like is uh it's just cool. And omega like you know, like I was saying earlier about uh uh Seiko having these these like huge pockets of just kind of unknown watches are really cool. Like Omega is exactly like that are you never see them at a at a you know on Instagram or on a MIP or whatever, you know, or I'll post a picture on Instagram, it'll you know get like 10 likes or something. If I post a couple of the tutors, it's yeah, a thousand likes or something like that. I'm sure that has something to do with the algorithm. Yeah. Like putting it in front of I don't and you know, in all honesty, I don't I'm not very good at social media, so I'm sure maybe I did something wrong uh with it, but like there there are a lot of watches, you know, and then that's kind of like what makes sometimes life tough for me because the stuff that I want to write about is not the stuff that people are are typing into Google or or just finding organically.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_03Uh so I can write something about a watch and it will not really do much or get many views for a long time. But over a period of time, yeah. People will discover it and people will and then if I can start talking about it, or you know, if someone more popular than me discovers it and wears it, then awesome. And and then people will find another piece of content from me, kind of like, you know, you know, talking about it, which is uh which is cool. And then this is like that's kind of the fun of this hobby. It's just like the sh the depth of it.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_03Like none of us should just be walking around with all the same few watches that you know we see on Instagram that are popular.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_03Like there's too many cool watches out there. We should all we could all have our own kind of curated weird cool collections that speak to us. And and and I and I you know, I think people really have to disconnect themselves from like, well, you know, how is this gonna be popular with my friends or on Instagram? Or and and that somehow kind of like reinforces the that it's okay to spend money on it because it's popular. And you know, I I should say you should never buy a watch for like investment purposes or anything else. You should buy a watch because like it's like the way that it it's history, the way it makes you feel, the way that it looks, all that kind of stuff. And um you know, if and if you if you need it to be an investment, then maybe you're trying to buy too much of a watch. Yeah. Like maybe step back and watch it like, you know, it just is what it is. And if you just own it and wear it for the next like 20 years and then it gets lost or whatever, then it's not like it's you're ruined financially or something like that. Exactly. Uh and that's like a that's like a tough line, I think, for a lot of people to to identify because I think you are drawn into the space by cool watches that you see on Instagram that that that are flashy and that are beautiful, and and don't get me wrong, I I look at those pictures and I'm like, oh, very cool. Um but I think you you have to have an understanding of of the rest of it to really kind of of like everything that came before, everything underneath it, all these other kind of like hidden gems in in in places um that really kind of bolsters your appreciation not only for the popular stuff, but also for just kind of the space as a whole and how other enthusiasts approach the the this the space, you know. It there's there's just too much there uh for it to be so one-dimensional and homogenous, yeah.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, there's something there for everybody, and I think sometimes uh just sort of to your point here too, is like um I think sometimes I I s I cause I consume a lot of watch content now, like a lot, probably a a very unhealthy amount of watch content. Um and I sometimes hear, especially over like the last maybe like couple of months to maybe maybe even the last year about like the state of the watch industry, about how it's not doing as well. And mostly they're talking about the Swiss, like the the bigger brands, the Swiss watch, Swiss watch industry and stuff like that. And granted, like I'm not trying to say that I don't care as much as about that, but I'm just like I as a collector, as an enthusiast, I just feel like I couldn't have gotten into this at a better time because I just feel like there's not only I mean there was I mean before I started collecting, obviously there was tons of watches out there to be found and had, but like I feel like it's there's no better time because you can find them if you really want to.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, there's so much out there now. It's uh it's it is a good time to to to be in to be into the space. And and it is it is one of those things you kind of have to separate, like you see the uh kind of report on the the health of the yeah, yeah, well, the sale 2.8% here, 4% there, whatever, and you're kind of like what is that what does that mean? And then you go to like the show or like uh the thing that you went to at the time and tide with the British Royal. And you see all these new watches from like none of that stuff is represented in the Charles Schwab report or whatever, Morgan Stanley report or something like that.
SPEAKER_00Like, what like what do you think what does that mean? When people make content like not to not to knock anybody else's content, but like when people talk about that stuff all the time, I I'm just like, yeah, I like why do you care so much about it? I mean, like, I mean, to to to the extent of like, okay, if you really care about a brand and you want to see the health of that brand continue because you want to because you like that brand, you care about it, and you want to keep buying watches from them, that's a the legitimate valid reason to care. Like, but like when I but like I don't feel like it's not affecting my life, it's not affecting my pockets, it's not affecting the amount of watches that like it's not because like if if like if you know I'm not trying to pick on Rolex here, but like I mean even though they're doing fantastic. I think no, they'll they'll be all right. They're doing they're doing fantastic. They're never talking about Rolex doing poorly. But like, you know, but if they were what it's called, but if they were doing bad for a quarter or something like that, like it's it's not gonna take away from me being able to find other watches that I would be would be interested in because there's just so many good, there's so many good, you know, whether it's stuff that's already out or new brands. I mean, there's just so much, there's just so much to choose from that I just feel like I I feel oh I feel happy at the end of every week to see new releases from all kinds of places and all corners.
SPEAKER_03So Yeah, I think there's there's you know, when I see those reports come out, A, I'm I'm naturally kind of skeptical of the accuracy of some of that stuff and how they're they're vetting the information there. B, I'm not an economist or something, so I'm not gonna like look at it, get on the podcast, and then like make commentary on it like I'm some expert in interpreting economic data around this stuff. And it's not around a full set of like clear numbers, like I don't have the PLs of these brands. Like, you know, I'm not that guy, right? And I and I'm not gonna pitch myself as that guy. Uh it's it's like and it's the same reason that I don't r really generally pay attention much to like the auction season and a lot of that stuff comes up. And I know a lot of just like you know, I I also like art a lot. I think you like art as well. Absolutely. There are great local art shows here in Brooklyn. My wife and I go every year to a few of these kind of big ones around here, and we love, we'll spend half a day that walking around meeting the artists and chatting with them and talking about their art, how they they make it. Um, and I I don't also pay attention to like the art auction scene uh for whatever like the latest divinity. Yeah, I don't know. Like it's like I pay less attention to that stuff. But what excites me is the like people around me that are making really cool things. Um or or I guess like it gets artists from all around, but it's like Brooklyn has a really good scene for you know for artists, for independent artists that are doing really cool things. And it's the same with the watch. Like I pay attention to the stuff that I find interesting. You know, you know, when I'm uh in the Netherlands and I go to some museums and I see some work by the Dutch masters, moving, beautiful, I love it. Nothing, you know, not knocking. Yeah, I love it. It's it's great, just like you know, I like uh a Daytona or something like that. But like the stuff that I'm gonna get excited about is that you know, and I can go and like meet the artists down there and and talk about their work and what's you know, what's motivating them and what inspires the work, all that kind of stuff. And it's the same with if you know around here, if you go to some of the events, um, you know, that intersect is is a great example.
SPEAKER_00And there's more events now, too. And there's more events now. There's more events, there's more I mean, granted, like I I know what's it called? I know we always feel like New York is the epicenter of the universe, but like, but but the truth of the matter is like uh like you know, what's it called? When I met you like, I don't know, five, six years ago now, like, or probably even longer than that, but like uh like there wasn't a what's it called, like Baltic has Baltic Baltic has a boutique here now, Time and Tide has a Time and Tide has their own boutique here now, uh Lorca has a boutique here now. Yeah, um Brew does pop-ups all the time and I'm not sure if Jonathan has a has a boutique here yet.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, and he and those cool pop-ups in his body.
SPEAKER_00I'm surprised he doesn't, but I'm sure he could if he wanted to, he could.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, I'm sure, yeah. I'm glad you mentioned Lorca too. We gotta get Jesse back on uh back in here.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, because I was surprised to see I was surprised to see that uh because I still got like an email because I'm on his email list or something like that. Um but like you see, like over like the last like couple of years, I'm just like all I see is more growth. Like when I look around, I just see more growth. I see I meet more people that are interested in watches. And granted, I'm looking for people that are more interested in watches, but I see just more people, I see more growth amongst many different brands. I see more, despite the fact that some people feel like there's too many brands, there's still more brands coming out.
SPEAKER_03So it's like Yeah, look if you if you've got something interesting, you've got a good point of view, you've got a good, like a unique design language, you've got whatever, have at it. If your motivation is like, oh, I could make a lot of money by selling a watch that looks just like a Samaritor, then like, okay, we probably don't need you in this in in the space. But at the same time, I don't know, have have at it, I guess. But uh I don't know. Like I just want to like I there there's there's no shortage of just really interesting, unique creative visions being expressed right now, which is which is awesome. You were just at the uh British Watchmakers Day at the Time and Tide studio. I went in there when it opened um and and got to see it. I thought it was really cool space, um which is uh downtown. Downtown Soho Soho area. Soho area, yeah. Not too far away from uh like watches of Switzerland.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, like around I think it's like around the corner or something like that. Yeah, two blocks away or something.
SPEAKER_03It's uh it's in a good little spot there, right? Um what were you know, did you see anything cool? What was the experience like with the British Watchmakers?
SPEAKER_00Oh yeah. Like I'll I I'd probably say I saw a few things. So I actually thought I was gonna walk out of there with a Bocroft because like I had it in my mind to get one of the uh I never remember model names, but it's like they're sort of like Goddess style watch, but the one that's like in it's like a red wine dial. Um and um like a lot of people have talked about that as being like one of the best, like I hate the term value for money, but like it's it's just true. I think it's one of the best value for money watches. And the only reason why I didn't end up walking away with it is just because you know, sometimes you just know when you put it on. Like I I I can't even put my finger on why I didn't like I swore I was gonna walk out of there with it. You still thinking about it now? No regretting it all? No, but you know what's funny? I walk I didn't get that watch, but I ended up getting I what's I didn't end up getting anything, but the watch I I was actually came away more impressed with was their um their new GMT. I really like the case and the finishing on the new GMT. Um and then they have the collaboration one of that GMT watch that they did with Time and Tide, which has like a gradient dial that looked really sweet. Like I when I put that thing on, I was just like I had to do like a I was just I was I had to do a double take. I was just like, am I gonna walk away with this watch instead instead? And I and I didn't only because like you know, I I think we always have like those two or three watches that you know like you're saving for and you don't want to be. I I mean I've definitely the my love of the of uh Seiko vintage Seiko quartz watches has definitely been a nice side quest for a while. So I'm trying to get back to the main quest watch. Sure, sure, sure, yeah, yeah. Um but you know We might never get back there though. Who knows? I might never actually get back to the main quest because I've been side questing all year long. Um but um yeah that GMT um that new that beat GMT from Bocroft um is really sweet. Like the like it it fits perfectly. I think it's like a 38 or 37 millimeter case. Um it's uh what's it called? Uh in the what in the collaboration they did with Time and Tide, uh that that gradient dial. I think it goes from like a burnt sort of like burnt uh brown color to like an orange or like a orange or reddish color at the bottom. Uh it was just gorgeous. I hadn't really really seen a gradient dial in quite that way. And I think it was like a relatively matte finish too. So I thought that that was pretty cool too. And then because it was like a relatively matte finish, it really made the the polishing on the hour marker or on the on the hour markers really pop. Um and then and I and I also like the fact that the bezel was, I think it was brushed, and then it had a really slim chamfer around that uh around the nice details. Yeah, it's just a really nice details. Um and and then the the main GMT um the what's it called the regular one that they because like the the GMT they their GMT is new to their to the to their brand. Um and the that dial was really cool too. It was like a nice aquamarine color, really beautiful. It looked pretty in pictures and it looked just as stunning. Um in person. And then I also um really liked the the new Denison sort of dual time. They had a dual time before, but like they had this one comes with like a really cool beads of rice bracelet or like a sort of like pebble is beads of rice bracelet. Um and I just no, it's not on embargo.
SPEAKER_03Okay.
SPEAKER_00No, that they've they've they've shown pictures and released pictures, okay. Stuff like that. Trust me. Yeah, yeah. Um I've got something sitting in the landbox. Yeah, I'm pretty sure it's I'm pretty sure it's not that because they've they've definitely released pictures of it and stuff like that. So um, but it's cool. It can't like it comes in green, brown, and blue, and it's like one is like a one side is like a lighter color of the hue, and one color one side is a darker color of the hue. And then one of them is like one side is like in Roman numerals, and the other one is just in like these sort of, I think it was um sort of like stick hour markers. Um and it was just uh a really cool piece. I'm not sure if I'm cool enough to pull it off, or do I or like in the sense where I'm just like I'm not sure if I dress like I'm not sure if it really works with the way that I dress, but I feel like I'd have to dress for that watch every day. Yeah, yeah. You know what I'm saying?
SPEAKER_03I was gonna ask you about that like color because it's it's great. Like I always love seeing like big colorful designs, but then I always end up defaulting to like black watches. Black tile, black vessels. Yeah. Uh but you like you generally kind of wear like neutral colors, but like you'll have a colorful hat because the accents would be colorful, right?
SPEAKER_00Accent and colors, yeah.
SPEAKER_03So that's like a watch, you know. Yeah. Like you can let your hair down a little bit with the with the watch, right?
SPEAKER_00I mean, I think I could pull it off. I would just go, I I could pull it off. It's just one of those things where like I don't really want to think about like, oh, I've got to dress up because I'm wearing this watch today versus, you know, I just want my wardrobe to feel like no matter what I grab, tends to work. Tends to work no matter what. But the star of the the the watch that I actually came away most impressed with, even though I don't think it's for me, um, was the uh Anoma watch. It's like the one that's like shaped in like a sort of like a sideways triangle. Yeah, it almost looks like a um like the little badge that they would wear like in Star Trek, the transporter beeper or whatever. Yeah. Um but that thing was real I really liked the way that it wore. I have no idea what the dimensions were on it, but the case of that was cool. The finishing on it was beautiful. Um I remember talking to the um to the owner uh and the and the watchmaker, and he was really what's it called? He seemed really cool, walked me through all the details. The one thing, one detail I really liked too is like on the is the way the um the bracelet uh was sort of like integrates into the um into the case because it looks like really I almost it almost looks like the strap passes through the backside of the watch. Um but it does, but it actually doesn't. But I just like the way that he really almost sort of hid the strap of where it attaches to. Um and I thought that was a really cool lot of thoughtful details. Really, a lot of thoughtful details. But like the the finishing on that watch is great. Um he also had the one that was um uh I don't know if he oh it's a good like I granted I have no idea if this was in Bark, but there was one with the hammered case, like the the the case had the sort of like this hammered look to it, and I thought that one was really I don't think I would I would want that watch, but I just thought it was like you could tell like a lot of craftsmanship went into it. So I thought that was really cool. But that's like one of those brands I had seen some videos on and what wondered, like, oh, that looks really cool. But seeing it in person, it was even more impressive in person. Yeah. What did it go? What did you see while you were there?
SPEAKER_03So I didn't like um I've been to uh I wasn't there for the British Watchmakers Day, uh, but I've been there to the to the New York one. They've got all the cool brands. I've been to the London studio as well, which is also a really cool space. Uh and I think they've you know they've got a lot of the like kind of like great you know, micro brands that are independent, you know, whatever you want to call them uh brands right now. Uh and you know, I think it's great that they're all in one place that you can go and check them out. If you're if you're local to to New York, I would definitely recommend going there. Uh I think they've they they've you know credit where it's due, they do some nice collabs and they've had some really nice collabs in their back catalog as well. I I really like the stuff that they've done with Zenith in the past. Um and they'll do collabs with the with all kinds of different uh brands at all kinds of different uh price points, which I think is really cool as well. Um and uh, you know, I think it's good to have um just uh their presence in in New York to do stuff like like this. You know, so I'm yeah, I'm curious if they'll start to do any other kind of like bigger events in and around New York. Um, you know, they seem well primed to do something like that. Um the Baltic like world timer thing with those stone dials, though, as far as like a watch that uh that I think is cool. That's pretty cool. That's a pretty cool watch. I mean, Baltic has like a really kind of refined, clean like it's like old school coded, but it doesn't feel like a vintage watch, right? Like it really walks this fine line that I that I that I appreciate. Uh I so I thought that was a pretty cool watch. And it was a pretty cool take. And I think they they do they work with stone dials like in a pretty interesting way that kind of like subvert your expectations uh for how stones uh are usually used, which which I think is cool. Um I don't own a Baltic. I don't know if I've ever owned Baltic.
SPEAKER_00I've come so close many times. There is a Baltic I would there is there's definitely one that's been on the back burner for a while. Um it's like the the ermatique but in block with uh but in bronze. I think that I think that looks pretty. I've I've put that on many times. I've been to in their boutique I've even put it on many times, and I'm just like I'm going to circle back to this. It's when sometimes when you know that something is not too hard to get, it's like alright, I'll I'll get to that when I get to that. But I really like that world timer. I really like that world timer too. Like I thought it was really beautiful. And um yeah, and to your point, like I I'm I'm starting to get a little bit tired of stone dials um because everybody I feel like is Is it too many?
SPEAKER_03Is it is it like overrepresented now?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I I mean I I do see a lot of brands over like the last two years have done a lot of stone dials. And I'm not anti-stone dials. I actually really like stone dials, and I've liked to see I've liked the revile like the the sort of like the new plethora of them and everything like that, but not everybody I think does them really well. Um but I think Baltic in particular does them very well. Um, between the World Timer, and even before that, I think it's like the Prism or the Prismatic, I think they had, which was the Prismic. The Prismic, yeah. Yeah, the Prismic. Um yeah, the stone dial versions that they did of that, I think were really cool. And then they did the ones that were like the the the boutique exclusives where it was like after each city or something like that. I think New York had like the the J dial or something like that, or Malachite dial.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, I think there was four of them that they did. And one was like bright orange. Yeah. Um yeah, those were sharp. I like them because they don't they don't like um obviously fit into one genre of watch. You're kind of like what you know, is it a sport watch, a formal watch, or whatever? Like it's no, it's just its own thing.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_03You know, which is cool.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, it feels really yeah, the Prismic feels really, really unique. Like I think I don't think it would be something that I could rock because I feel it's a little bit too elegant for me, for my personal taste. And I kind of feel like that way personally about the brand in general to a certain extent, but I really like to your point, they walk that fine line between like doing something that's like a modern vintage, but it's its own thing. Um and I just think the the quality of what they for what they're doing is is really good. And they always seem to be like the design choices are always seem to be really, really on point.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, absolutely. Um, you mentioned uh that you have, you know, you've been on these side quests and you're trying to get back the main quest of saving for a watch or two. What's uh what's uh what's the end uh goal there? Is there is there anything that you're like, okay, I gotta get back and get in line with for this?
SPEAKER_00So there's three. Um and three of them. So there's so there's three, and I'm not really sure which one comes first. Um I think the the one that I'm really landing on is I really uh really really have not been able to get the Traska jump hour off of my mind. It's not out yet. I have no idea when it's going to be out. I have I have I've commented on on uh more social media posts by them than I would like to admit to. Really enjoyed seeing this in person. But that jump hour though, yeah, what's up with that jump hour? What's up with that jump hour? Uh and then I saw them at Intercept too, and I was just like, they're like, oh yeah, we're still trying to fur find some things. And uh they showed me some new color, they they did some uh uh they showed some new potential colors um at uh Intercept uh um that I also thought were cool, but I still just like the original one that they showed. Um I I think honestly, I I kind of heard through I don't know if this is true or not, but like I know that they they sent like a prototype to one of the for one of Teddy's videos that he did with Mr. Wonderful. Um yeah, yeah, but anyways. Um but apparently I think he said that there was uh the he liked it a lot, but it didn't have enough contrast. So I don't know if that's influenced um when the that they've made any changes to that. Um hopefully not, because I liked it the way it I liked it the way it is. But um and I have no idea. This is purely speculation. I mean it could have just been like they're gonna release it whenever. Hopefully they gotta stick to their younger. Yeah, I I hope that I hope that that's uh that's not the case, but that that's probably the the number one that I would I I would like to get. And then of course I like both of the Lorca models that Jesse has out. Like, you know, I I've had a soft spot for those ever since he's released them.
SPEAKER_03So they are fan they are fantastic. They're both fantastic. They're both like um I don't know, they're they're they're they're subtle, but they have so many like just great refined details to like just get lost in a little bit. But they're also like easy to wear every day. Uh they just like really hit this great spot. And they're um you know, there's nothing like bombastic about them, but they just still feel so unique and like their their own thing. They like they you know if if you've been at an event, you've had a a chance to meet uh Jesse, he's a wonderful guy. Yeah. And he they they they really feel like a reflection of his personality. He makes beautiful music. Uh in you should look him up on YouTube. It's J Jesse Marchant is is his name. And uh it's it's like it's like him kind of come like all these kind of You can feel uh for lack of better words, you could feel him in the watch.
SPEAKER_00Like he's a like for lack of better words, he's a cool-looking guy. He made a cool he made a cool-looking watch. Yeah, he makes cool music.
SPEAKER_03Like he yeah, he's a he's a very cool guy. And uh uh I I I'm excited to see how um like where he goes from from here. I know he's talked to me about other things that he's that he's thinking about, um, but you know he's he's uh he takes a time to kind of like okay, to kind of get the get it the way that he wants it, you can tell. Yes. Which which is which is great. Uh he's also local here, so we gotta get him we gotta get him back in the podcast um to chat with him about what he's what he's what he's cooking lately and talk about music. Maybe we'll get him to bring his guitar. Do you think he he could do like a live set in here for us?
SPEAKER_00It's funny, we've done a few like little small even though like we're not designed for music, but we've done like a few little small live performances and stuff like that.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, like your own little tiny desk.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. So someone did something really fun recently, too. I'll show it to you after the pod.
SPEAKER_03All right. Uh we'll we'll we'll leave it at that. Uh Josh, thanks so much for uh for sharing your thoughts on all this important watch news. No, it's always fun. I will leave links to everything that we talked about down below, and you can find uh a lot of the reviews that we've talked about. Um I'm still working on lining up some of the reviews for the watches that were released at Watches and Wonders, so you can keep an eye out for that. All right, that'll do it for this episode. Thank you so much for tuning in, and until next time, take care.
