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. 109 - Gear that Prioritizes Substance Over Style with Wesley Smith
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This week, Wesley Smith returns to the podcast to chat about summer travel, the gear we’re using, and how some of us have taken a step back from social media and why. This episode contains insights on the how and why of the content and products we produce, and what motivates each of us. The gear oftentimes isn’t as important as the doing. There are still a few hats left for purchase - huge thanks to everyone that has picked one up, please tag The Deep Track if you’re showing off your fit on social.
Show Notes:
Autodromo Group B Night Stage II
Hello and welcome to the Deep Track Podcast, an exploration of watches, trends, and culture with the few adventures in between. I'm your host, Blake Bettner. This week I welcome back to the podcast Wesley Smith of Standard H. We talk a little bit about watches, a little fashion element in there, as well as photography, and maybe just a tiny smidge of F1. In this episode, though, we really kind of get into the motivating factors behind the kind of content that we want to create, the kind of clothing and products and stuff like that that he wants to create, and really kind of the why underneath it all. I also get into a little bit uh about why I've been off social media as of late and kind of rethinking my approach to developing content uh as a whole, including some things that you can maybe look forward to in the future. It's a really fun discussion, and I appreciate Wesley coming back onto the podcast to chat with me about it. Uh, before we get into the discussion, there are just a few deep track hats left for purchase. Thank you to everyone who bought one and picked one up. I hope you're enjoying it. Uh tag me on uh social media and maybe I'll see you the next time I am on there. But I appreciate you supporting uh independent watch media uh truly. And if a blue corduroy hat isn't your thing, keep an eye out for potential future products uh to come during the next quarter. All right, with that out of the way, please enjoy this week's discussion with Wesley Smith. Wesley, it's good to see you, man. How are you today? Good morning.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, good morning to me. Uh already finished my cup of coffee, which um uh I feel like I need another already. Um, but uh I got a glass of water instead.
SPEAKER_00Uh there you go. Sounds like uh a glass of wine might be in the cards before um before too long for you today, huh? One of those days.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, maybe a shot of whiskey at 11 a.m., maybe. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00You know, we'll see. It's afternoon somewhere, right? Uh it's it's it's been a while. We've uh, you know, I feel like we're we go through this kind of like late summer slump, midsummer slump of kind of like the industry kind of shutting down, people going on vacations, people getting their kids out, all that kind of stuff. Uh so it's been a lot of like travel. I've been kind of bouncing all over the place. I'm assuming it's been the same for you. Um where you where you've been at lately, but maybe before you tell me that, what are you what are you wearing on your wrist today?
SPEAKER_02Oh god, I've got nothing on yet. Nothing on. Oh my goodness. Well, my longa one's over there. There you go. It's just right back there. So that'll that'll that's been on wrist for the better part of like eight, nine days straight. Uh just got back from Chicago, so that was the only watch I took with me.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Um, I literally got back at like 11:30 last night. So um, yeah, by the time I went to bed, you know, it's midnight, got up at 6:30, already got two loads of laundry done, talked to the gas company, coffee's had, babies napping.
SPEAKER_00Productive morning, look at you.
SPEAKER_02You know, just all kinds of balls in the air. Um, yeah, you've been traveling. Where have you been?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, uh, Canada, oh well, uh Madison, Wisconsin, uh, Florida, just recently. Where else was I somewhere else? Is this work related? Uh both. It was all of the above. Um, my son went to a summer camp up in Canada, like a real rugged, like outdoorsy thing where they go and like portage and camp and do all this kind of stuff. Or I guess in Canada they say portage.
SPEAKER_02Uh portage, of course. Portage. Is it in Quebec?
SPEAKER_00Quebec is he was in he was in Ontario. So um, you know, it's uh it was good for him. Uh you know, living in New York, I feel like you gotta get out and you gotta get, you know, you gotta get your hands dirty, you gotta touch some grass, right? As as they say. Yeah, yeah. So it was one of those, you know, no phones, no screens, you just get out there and you rough it uh for a bit with uh in like small groups. So um so he had a blast, and that was like a two-week thing. So we went up to Canada and spent a few days in Toronto after we picked him up. I'd never really been in that city before. Um what a great spot, right? Um, it was it was lovely up there.
SPEAKER_02I went for um the Toronto Time Peace show. I guess that was two years ago now, which is hard to believe. Because I believe it was August that time. Oh, was it?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I wonder if it was in town and I just missed it, maybe. I don't know.
SPEAKER_02Um, I think they've changed the scheduling now. Like I think I think Toronto might be earlier in the year. I can't remember, honestly. Like, I it the only reason I'm not doing it is really because of like the import duty and all that stuff. And I find that like if people want to order my stuff, like they can, of course. But yeah, I got like a lot of pushback from people complaining about tariffs and all this stuff, and I'm like, well, I I don't have control over this guy. Um so yeah, it was uh yeah.
SPEAKER_00I mean, so shout out to those guys, and you know, obviously, if you're in Canada, go support the show. We you know, yeah, Jason's great, everything's support that kind of stuff, um, of course. And uh, but I yeah, I I went through I probably did like, I don't know, maybe four or five weeks where I like did not get on social media like at all. I was gonna say I actually noticed. Yeah, I noticed, yeah, yeah. Well, I well, that was my thing. I was like, nobody's even gonna notice or care. But it was like it was good for my mental health. It was good to kind of just like step away from like, you know, here's what all the like hip cool people are doing all the time, and then feeling like, oh boy, I'm missing like everything. Uh, and just kind of go, you know, really kind of just get into my my own world and kind of fall into my other hobbies a little bit. Because I feel like that generally helps me kind of creatively, kind of reset uh what are the kind of things I want to talk about and how I want to like build content and um you know, re-establish old partnerships, old friends and stuff like that. It's like it's healthy for me instead of feeling like I'm always kind of behind or having to chase something. Yep, because that's what like the hip kids on Instagram are doing. And I don't know why it like gets into my head sometimes. So it's it's good for me to kind of just like step away from from that stuff, I think, for a little bit and uh and and do my own thing, which has been great, like over the past month. And um, oh and I was just down in uh Long Beach Island um earlier this week. Uh and then yeah, we we went to Madison uh after after Canada, and then I was diving down in Florida um with the with a watch brand, and I've got I'll have a big story coming out uh uh later this month on that with the watches.
SPEAKER_02Whereabouts in Florida were you?
SPEAKER_00It was in Miami or in the Miami area. Uh so I stayed in this place, Biscayne.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, Biscayne Bay.
SPEAKER_00I think that's yeah. Key Biscayne. Key Biscayne. And boy, what a you know, I guess I'll say outright, I'm not a huge like Florida guy, and uh Miami's never really like been my scene. Uh, but there's a lot going on here, and it seemed like everywhere I looked, there was like new buildings popping up. Uh oh yeah.
SPEAKER_02There's a lot of money, a lot of private equities moving there, a lot of uh I think venture cap is moving there. Uh I think Black Rock might be moving there.
SPEAKER_00Okay, all that kind of thing.
SPEAKER_02There's like all this, like a lot of money is leaving Manhattan and going to Miami.
SPEAKER_00Interesting. Yeah, it's it's got a we interesting vibe, and you know, very very pretty, of course. Um, yeah, great, great weather, obviously. Uh, but it definitely kind of you know get the vibe of like you know, you gotta have like kind of the latest car, the latest watch, the latest whatever to kind of feel relevant in the in the area.
SPEAKER_02Uh people say LA is superficial, and um I I feel like there's a lot, yeah. It's I I feel no offense to those in Miami, but it's kind of like you're what you're feeling is exactly how I feel when I go there. You're okay. So I'm not crazy, right? You have to have like an RS6 Audi or else no Audi at all. Yeah. Uh or like I've never seen so many Lamborghini Urus. Is that is that already pluralized? Urus Urusai. Yeah. Um yeah, it's it's um I don't know. I kind of full disclosure, I feel like that sort of like uh that is is it permeates down there. Yeah, it they definitely want to know like their status is known, you know.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, and I'm I'm surely that's just kind of like the CNBC and city center. I'm sure there's great communities in the suburbs and stuff that I'm just like on unaware of. But you know, that that kind of stuff is just you know, not my speed, obviously. Probably not yours uh either. So um, but I but overall, like I had a great time diving with the people that I was with, and uh getting back in the water felt great. Um, so uh uh and I was there with uh I don't know if you know Ed Ree. He's um from um he's out in uh San Francisco area. No, LA. He lives in LA uh area. He does stuff for blog to watch, he's a great photographer. Um but anyway, he he was I was diving with him, and uh and I'll he he'll be on the podcast next week. So we'll talk about it. He got like certified, he just got certified like to go on this trip and all that kind of stuff. So we'll talk about all that kind of uh kind of thing. But uh but no, it felt great to get back in the water and then uh just getting back here. Um I don't know if you saw I'm in the I'm in the apparel game.
SPEAKER_02Uh I was just about to say, I just saw that you launched a hat, right? A corduroy hat.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I I yeah, I got um I had these these a corduroy hat or just a real small run made, and uh they're actually already almost gone. There's just a small uh a few left. Um, so this which has been great, uh, you know, because I I wanted to put it out there as a way for people to support independent watch media without you know ads and partnerships and that kind of stuff. So sure, yeah, you know, I I feel like it's something that would be fun to do maybe like once a quarter or something, get like a different kind of product um going and stuff like that. So um, so yeah, that's it's it's yeah, that's the kind of stuff that I've been keeping myself busy with. I've been out with like my cameras a lot, shooting a lot more film. I've got an event with Leica this this weekend that I'm excited about. So you know, like I said, none of the stuff I put on like Instagram or anything because it's just kind of like me focusing on um uh I guess I don't know, like really kind of like falling back into the things that make me like excited and the experiences that make me like want to stay in and around this space, right? Because I feel like then that ultimately ends up with me creating higher quality content and better content in the long run.
SPEAKER_02Um, and kind of clarify what I want to be doing. So with your Leica event, is that tell me about it. Is it a group thing? Is it just you like because most watch events, like I'm sure your dive trip, obviously involve more than more or less, it's probably going to involve several journalists, right? So, like, are you doing something directly for Leica yourself, or is it you and other journalists like uh writing about a new camera coming out, or like what's what's the so it's actually uh I I it's a good question.
SPEAKER_00I'm not sure exactly who is all going to be there. I think it's a small group, and uh it's all through um camera west. And I who I've dealt with before, I think you've probably dealt with before. I've bought cameras and stuff from them. I've I've bought watches from them before. Uh, so I have a good relationship with them. They opened recently, how about recently? I guess it's maybe been a year or so now, a place in Soho here in New York. So it's through them that they are doing an event with Leica where we're doing a photo walk for people to experience the new SL3P. Yeah. S S3L SL3 SL3P is what it is, right? Like the newest um camera of theirs. So uh so I'm gonna go and I'm borrowing one to and then I'll walk around with it. I'm gonna take my M6 as well and get some film shots, and uh, and and yeah, so I'll get to experience the camera and uh and I'll do a whole write-up about it next week and and and my thoughts on it. So yeah, I'm excited.
SPEAKER_02So I was at um their opening party for Camera West's store on Maiden Lane in San Francisco, I believe in April. And uh Dave Herring, who I've recorded a podcast with, um he's I guess when is that coming out? That might be next week or the following week. I can't remember. My podcast with Dave, who's a Oh, just recently, yeah. This is all like within the last few months on us. So uh Dave did a photo walk with the camera West. It sounds exactly like what you're doing. I was gonna say, did they bring in um like a famous photographer or anybody of note to leave?
SPEAKER_00They do have a photographer, yes, that is coming in for it. The name is not on the top of my mind right now.
SPEAKER_02It might be Dave. I don't know. Who knows?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, that would be awesome. I you know, I've if you did this, like I'm I'm really excited, and I was really like thrilled to be invited to come out and do this and try this. Uh so I've I've I've really been kind of on the on the film train lately, but um, you know, I've I've shot a number of of Leikas. I've never shot an SL though, so I'm really excited to do that.
SPEAKER_02I haven't either actually, but I know like Brett Curry shoots it a lot. Um, I think he even uses it for video. Um but uh yeah, Brett's the man, obviously. He's got all kinds of goodies.
SPEAKER_00But well, yeah, it's great. I like the idea of like and obviously if you're into this kind of stuff, you're always kind of looking for like new interesting experiences, right? That kind of like keep it um I guess interesting and fresh and and and something for you to learn, right? And if you're curious about this stuff and you're you're passionate about photography and gear and all that kind of stuff, it's always fun to go hands-on with something like this, especially for with something like a like a Leica, you know, like a new Leica, you know. But I think I'm always kind of in the back of my head, there's always kind of this thought of like, is there a new system that I could move to that would allow me to like get rid of a whole bunch of other gear? Like if I could consolidate everything from like you know, these bodies and these handful of lenses to like a single body and like one or two lenses. Like my my and it's it's it's almost the same with watches and other things that you collect. It's always kind of like that. Okay, well, if I can consolidate this and get rid of it and then get like one better thing. You know, it's I don't know, it's it's it's maybe it's just the way that my head works.
SPEAKER_02Cameras are tough for that, I think, because sometimes the M look is gonna be different than the SL look, I think. Um, and so it better is very subjective, you know, in that sense. And then of course, like what I I've I go through this all the time with like the lens idea, right? Because like um, could I shoot black and white on my M11? Yeah, I mean I could just convert all those images to black and white. Yeah, uh, but I have an M10 monochrome that I love and it's incredible.
SPEAKER_00And for the pixel peepers, it's probably that much crisper, right?
SPEAKER_02Well, I mean, I think so. I think it's dynamic range, I think that has a lot to do with it, but I also don't like the Apo lens on the M11 in color. It looks way too clinical, but I love using it for black and white because of the sharpness and all that stuff. So it is kind of funny how those can sort of play or not play the way you want them to play together. Um so it really is like that one lens lives on my monochrome, and I don't use anything else. Um, whereas with my M11, I typically go from like 50 to 28. I've got a couple different lenses there. Macro, I yeah, I got a macro adapter for it, um, which is great.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, it's uh they're they're they're fun systems like to use all around. Yeah. And uh and you know, I I of course I love shooting with with the M6, um, which is which is obviously film. Um, and I've got a I've got a uh lens lab uh lens coming in incoming for 35mm. I've got a uh 50 on it uh right now, but I think the light lens lab is it.
SPEAKER_02Light lens lab, yeah.
SPEAKER_00It's not the titanium because I don't have a titanium m6. My M6 is like the all black yeah, sure, sure, sure, sure. For some reason, I feel like the all-black film cameras like go pretty hard. Uh mine are, yeah. And that's why honestly, that's why I like the new SL3P, because it's like it doesn't have the red dot on it, doesn't it? Like it's just all black with the Leica, you know, and I feel like you could you could maybe gray out the Leica and it would look like pretty, I don't know, like it would look pretty sweet.
SPEAKER_02Uh so but I customization, yeah.
SPEAKER_00Exactly. And I think the the the uh something like the SL3P in the M6 could be great, just like two camera absolutely like solution.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, film and digital, yeah.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah. And uh, you know, I mean I've got a handful of other old film cameras that have been handed down by family members and stuff like that, but um, but the like is.
SPEAKER_02Honestly, if you want to do like everything all together, like I mean a Q3 is really kind of hard to beat, and it gives you the one lens and you can crop and you have 60 megapixels, which is more than enough.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Unless you unless the deep track is sponsoring, you know, a billboard somewhere, yeah. Like which you could do with a 60 megapixel camera, probably.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, well, I I you know, I like the idea of at some point maybe getting like um being able to scan my own negatives um with with like a hundred mil macro lens on something like like an SL3P or not, I mean that obviously would be like overkill, right? But when I go on a lot of like work trips, uh and you know, I'm in wherever it may be, and sometimes it's maybe rough and tumble, or sometimes it's high luxury, whatever. Like it's uh I've gotten accustomed to having like kind of a bigger, serious body with me, the or the F1 races or something like that that I can kind of shoot appropriately and the body can like handle it right. Um, and I've got this the Sony A7R5 now for that, which isn't like super fast, but it's like been fast enough for my needs. And then I've got you know a cadre of lenses over here and stuff like that. That's kind of like a pain to to to go around with. Um so like something kind of of that ilk, I do love the uh like the Q343, uh, is definitely like a great, but I feel like anytime I would grab that to just go like walking around the city, I'd probably just grab my M6 instead. And yeah.
SPEAKER_02And it just because what do you what do you think of shooting is so much more fun? Sorry, what do you typically shoot on your M6?
SPEAKER_00So I've got a uh I've got a 50 millimeter on there, right? 50, okay, and that's generally been it's just it's a zeiss and it's only it only goes it's only an F2, so it's not like one of those super factors.
SPEAKER_02So it's like the Sumacron version from Japan. Got it. Yeah, cool.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_02What what do you use? By the way, is that an auto droma?
SPEAKER_00It is an auto droma. It's the night stage, it's the uh nice uh that blue, that light blue checkered night stage.
SPEAKER_02Uh those were uh great promotional videos and or uh photos that he did for that watch. Dude, they're sweet, right?
SPEAKER_00And I the group B is a pretty awesome watch in general.
SPEAKER_02And it is, yeah.
SPEAKER_00I keep wondering, like, and O'Brien's got a lot else going on in his life, and uh, you know, dad now and all that kind of stuff. Um, but I'm I'm curious how he will follow it. Like, is there another generation of a group B? Because that watch seemed to just like hit so hard. Like, is there like an evolution of it, right? Like, you know how all of the uh like the endurance race cars and stuff that we like, they'll get these evolution packages, and then it'll be like the 499 Evo that will come next year. He needs like a group B Evo that's like maybe got a few refinements and stuff, you know.
SPEAKER_02He would have to call it like evoluzione or something like that. Evo's taken by Max Booser, of course, you know.
SPEAKER_00So yeah, that's uh that's that's that's true. Uh but I think uh you know, the con like the idea of like a refined or evolution, you know, of the group B is uh is very appealing to me. I actually have the the chronograph version, the group B chronograph uh in night stage as well.
SPEAKER_02Uh is that slightly larger in size? Because the group B is like 39, right?
SPEAKER_00Uh it's yeah, it's in that realm. This is it's I don't know if it's that much larger diameter-wise. Obviously, it's just kind of like a little chunkier in the mid-case. And all that stuff. Um but these are great-looking watches. I've always had a soft spot for these things.
SPEAKER_02Uh same, same. Um, it's funny you're holding up a shur microphone. I also am recording on a Shur microphone. I was driving with Tony Trainer the other morning um in Chicago, and we passed a Shur office. Oh, did you? And I was thrown off because the the sign out front was like I can't remember what the background color was. I think it was black or gray or something. But Sure was written in this bright green to the point where like I'm usually seeing it in sort of black or gray scale or some variation, right? So I'm like, oh yeah, sure, sure, SM58 microphone, whatever. But the way this was written, I thought it was like a lawn care building. Was it a different brand? No, it was the same. I asked Tony, I was like, is this sure? I was like, is this like lawn mowers? And he goes, No, it's like the microphones. And I was like, Oh my god, of course. Yeah, like sure, SM58, you know, whatever. Yeah, I was like, I've never in a million years seen this brand displayed in bright green before.
SPEAKER_00Dude, if it works, well, we need that on the microphones, right?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, it was really funny. Yeah, I thought it was like a competitor with John Deere, you know.
SPEAKER_00Maybe that's their next move, right?
SPEAKER_02That's right.
SPEAKER_00Uh, so how was Tony Traina? Uh Tony, if you're listening, you owe me an email, buddy.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, Tony's great. Um, well, let's see. Uh Chicago was great. The weather was like kind of rainy, cloudy on the front end, and perfect on the back end. So, like the last two days, like let's see, Tuesday, Monday, and maybe even like Sunday evening, where there were actually, I know Sunday evening was beautiful, but um, it was raining on Friday when I got there. Saturday was just kind of gloomy, rainy, off and on. And then by the time there was like an open bar party after this menswear show that I was attending all weekend, and Sunday was like everybody was outside, uh sort of overlooking the river outside the mart, and it was just gorgeous. Like it was so beautiful, and that like little bend in the river there, where it sort of comes to a Y, let's say it's just every building around there is like glass. So you get all these like bright reflections of the blue sky and the clouds passing, and it was just and then the water, of course, it's gorgeous.
SPEAKER_00Do you have uh do you have a camera on you?
SPEAKER_02I just brought my phone this trip because it was so like I mean uh I I mean it was just so go go go like like never before. This was not like a travel trip for me, quote unquote, where I would like document, let's say, um using using a camera. It was like running gun, all videos shot vertically, like doing a bunch of reels and which I'm behind on, of course.
SPEAKER_00Reels, what's that on Instagram?
SPEAKER_02Instagram reels. Oh, those okay the the video, like you know, sort of short clips. Um yeah, you have been off social media, haven't you? Oh yeah, that stuff, yeah. Yeah, yeah, dude. I I don't know. I I wonder what that would do to my business and or engagement if I just took a month off or six weeks. Trust me, I'd love to. Um, but I don't know.
SPEAKER_00Probably didn't do me any favors either. But my my mental health, uh, it did it did a lot.
SPEAKER_02So can you I mean, without going too deep, what what was going on that like you needed to clear your head about? Is it like comparison being the thief of joy type tip? Or what what is I mean a little a little bit.
SPEAKER_00I kind of you know, I get in my own head of like, okay, I want to like go take um you know a road trip up to Maine and and go slow and stop at these places to photograph and take these cameras and these watches and then we'll write this thing about it. And and then you feel like you can't do that if I get on like Instagram and then I see oh, there's all these people that are like at these events and doing these things. FOMO. Like I need to be concerned about this stuff, or oh, I wasn't invited to that, or I'm didn't go to that, even if I was invited, I don't know. Like it's just like there's all these things that I feel like I'm not keeping up with, and it becomes like kind of overwhelming for me. And then I feel like, oh, like I'm not enough of a presence here, or I'm not doing enough, I'm not at enough events. But then when I stop and think about like what they're actually doing, and it I don't really find it personally very interesting, um, or the kind of thing that I want to sp to sp like, you know, look at me in front of this like fancy car and this expensive watch and this new like I don't find that kind of content personally very compelling. So, you know, for me it's it's like if I set that stuff aside and and I need to kind of focus on the things that I do find interesting is substantive and things that I would maybe have more uh insights talking about, and you know, taking a 10-day road trip up to Maine is probably more like the kind of thing that I would find more interesting. But then I feel like I can't do that because I'm not doing like the sexy cool stuff that all the people on Instagram are doing. Does that make sense?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, uh uh look, you're preaching to the choir. I just uh last week, um last Tuesday, um documented almost to the minute everything I did that day. And a lot of that stemmed from I know this sounds like out of left field, like it's disjointed in thought, but the the sentiment is the exact same because at the bottom of that I kind of summarized sort of why I did that. Because I often go to bed at night thinking I haven't have I done enough? Did I do enough? I feel like I didn't do anything or I didn't do enough today. And so like this this like overarching sense of enough is is just it it runs rampant in our society to a very unhealthy level. And I think um it affects you, it affects me. Um, and I think that was part of the reason I did that. Um some of it is just for me, just to prove to myself that I am actually productive, you know. Yeah, and because this is like I'm juggling a kiddo, you know, um I'm doing this, I'm editing this. Well, not this, this, but you know, my podcast. Yeah. Um yeah, man. It's it's uh, am I producing the right products? Uh you know, you mentioned a hat earlier. Like, I've got samples to my left here from Italy. I don't know, are people even gonna buy this shit? Like, you know what I mean? Like, is is this am I gonna do it in the right color? You know, it's a lot of mind reading. Like, oh, well, I would have bought the Corduroy hat, but it's not orange. You know, it's like, well, sorry, I I I you know, selling an orange hat is kind of a big ass. Tricky, right? Yeah, you know, but you'll get the guy out there that's like, oh man, orange is my color though. So sorry, not gonna support you. And it's kind of like, well, it's just enough. Is it enough? Am I online enough? Am I doing enough reels? Am I taking enough photos? Is am I paying enough attention to this brand? Do I own enough watches? There's a lot of like keeping up with the Joneses um coupled with like, am I making enough money? Am I vesting enough money? Am I saving enough for retirement? Yeah, like am I it's just enough, enough, enough, enough. And it's it's like debilitating.
SPEAKER_00It can be. And I generally take the approach of um, you know, I don't want to make content for Instagram every day just because I feel like I have to. I'm gonna make content and put on Instagram if I feel like I'm adding value to what other people are experiencing from the content that I'm that I'm making.
SPEAKER_02Well, and for you, not interrupting, but like I think value for you and me for that matter, I I would define it as it becomes valuable because it's different. And if you're doing the same stuff everybody else is doing, please explain to me how that's valuable. Because I can find it elsewhere. So do the trip to Maine, go take 10 days, go shoot photos of that random gas station that like somebody still pumps your gas potentially for you. Who knows? You know what I mean? Like and and because that's different. I come to you to read what Blake's doing, I'm not coming to Blake to read what everybody else is doing.
SPEAKER_00That's why, like, I think you know, it's it's really kind of being cognizant of I need to lean into my strengths and that kind of thing. If I went and did that at 10-day road trip and I like documented it and made like a YouTube video, and here's the here's the stuff that here's all the gear that I used, and here's what it was like. Yeah, here's this here's the stuff that I saw, and here's what I think of the you know, that's I feel like that's my strength.
SPEAKER_02And well, Blake's strength is being Blake, right? Like, was it the Mark Twain quote? Like, be yourself, everybody else is taken. Yeah, I don't know if that's Twain or not, but it seems like something here.
SPEAKER_00And look, even you know, and if I look at the guys that are doing the stuff on on Instagram, even if I think it's cool, I'm like, that's I if I tried to be that, I wouldn't be very good at it because it's not it's it's just not me.
SPEAKER_02It's not it's not authentic.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, and I like you know, I know I can I can I can write a really long great review, I can take a nice picture every now and then, I can document the things that I'm doing, and and uh and I think I have an interesting perspective on the world around me and the things that I use. And I want if I can talk about the things that I use and the places that I visit and put my bring my perspective to it, you know, I hope that that is valuable uh to people. And obviously the you know, the watch might be kind of like the anchor, but there's a lot of other things that are kind of surrounding it because a watch is ultimately just like I don't know, like it's it's I use it as a tool and I wear it and it's maybe a totem and it's all these things, right? But it's not like the thing that I'm gonna like take a road trip to use a watch, right? Like that's just a part of my experience. So in you know, and I want to have it there with me on the experience, and I would talk about what it's like on that experience, but that's ultimately not like the focal point of it, right? Yeah, because it's just a I don't know, like a like a camera. I'm like creating something with it, you know.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, it's funny. It's like uh if you do it in reverse, it's like, oh well, I can't drive to Maine because I don't own that watch, you know. So it's like if I had that watch, I can then do the road trip. You know, it's not like I need the watch to conduct this road trip.
SPEAKER_00Or what's all the rugged stuff? What I gotta get my Land Rover to get up there, I've got to get my you know, explore two to go up into the thing, or whatever it is, like the things that you think you need to like fit the kit to take the road trip. Like that's that's a no, no, no. Like I'm gonna, I wanna here's what I have around me, and I'm gonna go like explore and talk about the things that I that I have. And it because I've chosen to own them for a lot of reasons that I've that I've gone into great depth about on a number of publications, you know. Uh so talking about using them in the real world for things like that, I think is is more authentic to me than it would be to, you know, here's the latest and greatest car, camera, watch, pants, backpack, all that kind of stuff, right?
SPEAKER_02Because it's just not well, like we've talked ad nauseum, I think, over the last like 15 years as a as a community, you know, the hodinky starter kit where you know you've got this watch and that camera and this car, and you know, everybody knows what those things are. Um but it's like and it's all cool stuff, you know.
SPEAKER_00But like if you don't have you don't have to have that to like have meaningful experiences, right?
SPEAKER_02Right, right, right. It's uh confirmation bias, right? And so, like, on top of that, I don't know, I was just like randomly thinking about this about like, oh, well, I need the Land Rover and I need to do this, which you don't actually, because like if you're actually driving, unless you have a drone following you, no one knows what you're driving, right? And maybe you could share that. Maybe it's not important as a part of the story, right? The the the important part is that you drove there, right? Or or the you did a road trip. Um, I'm sure somebody's curious as to what the vehicle was, but and if they're not, fine. But like imagine if you could define the cars you like. I was just thinking about this. If you could define the cars you like in the same way you could do like a blind taste test, like if you could somehow drive a car, be like, I actually like the way this feels, right? Like you can't do that, like you're we're all influenced by the way the car looks or by the way this, that. But when you're driving the car, you can't see the outside of the car, right? So, like that's why interiors become so important because like there's a lot of good-looking cars on the outside, and the insides are trash, right? Like, so it's like um but mechanically they might be great, right?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, absolutely, yeah, absolutely. And it's it's it's I think that's a that's a tough thing to to kind of separate yourself from, right? Because it's natural to want, like, of course, I love the way like a new 9-11 tour GT3 touring looks, right? But like I could go and take a you know a road trip up into the twisty roads with like a Miata and have exactly as much or like a BRZ or something and have exactly as much fun. And you know, I might not like look as cool or get as many likes on Instagram or whatever, you know, right? But like the the reality is like you can have a lot of fun if you don't have like you know the apex version of whatever that thing is. And in fact, I think there's a lot to be said about like um putting something like an old Miata or a BRZ or whatever, like having fun with that and wringing its neck. It's it's like a different kind of great experience that is no less like meaningful, you know.
SPEAKER_02I also think more car guys would probably applaud the Miata play over the Porsche play, frankly. And you'd get lace less hate from those who don't own Porsche's, right? Because like there are those people that are like, oh god, I roll. Of course, you own a Porsche, you know. And it's like, okay, well, I mean, sorry I didn't buy the Miata, right?
SPEAKER_00Like it's like Yeah, yeah, exactly. Yeah, I know. I know and and don't give me wrong, like I love all those things, they're all they're all great, well and great. But like, you know, I don't I don't own a car, and uh, you know, because I live in New York, I I value the experience.
SPEAKER_02So you can take whatever you want.
SPEAKER_00I take whatever I want. And uh, and honestly, if I was doing the you know the 10-day road trip and I got something like a Miata, I would shape my road trip around that and maybe find some more fun roads to drive, and I would incorporate that into how I talked about the experience, you know. But if I just I got the zip car down the street that's like a Prius, then maybe then maybe not.
SPEAKER_02Or take it even the different direction. If you got an SUV, you may not even be on a road, you know what I mean? Like you'd be off-road. So like it absolutely does affect the trip. But again, I think it goes back to like what you're trying to convey in the trip. Is it more photography? Is it more driving? Is it more just the route itself? Is it seeing? Are you bird watching Blake? Like, you know, like it's like you know, it it the subjects are kind of uh limitless, really.
SPEAKER_00And look, I think there's a lot of this country that's easy to miss because of like um these great highway systems and all that kind of stuff. Um, and you know, I think there's a lot of great parts of the country that kind of like um off the beaten path. Yeah, off the beaten path that kind of like remain in the shadows that uh that are less appreciated. And I think with the pace that everything moves at now, it's worthwhile to kind of like uh you know maybe sounds cliche, like unplug and and yeah, you know, really kind of see it's not like you even have to go that far. Or, you know, like I said, Maine's just up the the coast from me, and uh it's not like I have to drive and take the great American road trip across the country out to to you in California or something like that. Yeah, I think you could take a long weekend and go, you know, findings around you.
SPEAKER_02I do too, but unfortunately it's a little further away. Like to get to the desert, it's four hours away. For you, you could be like what in like Rhode Island in two hours.
SPEAKER_00I mean well, if even the the middle of the state of New York is obviously gorgeous. There's a lot of state parks there. If I got up real early on like a Saturday morning at like if I got up at like five in the morning, got in a car, and I could get out there and in an hour, be way the hell out in the middle of nowhere or out the Hudson somewhere or something like that, you know, not much traffic. And I've done this before because you can you can get you know from where I am in Brooklyn in through downtown Manhattan and then up and out the other side over out the tunnel, you know, in in absolutely no time. And it's kind of a cool experience driving around in in Manhattan that early when there's not really much traffic and stuff like that. That in its of itself is a pretty cool. Even that, maybe that's something that I can get out and do. Even imagine if I had a camera, you know, and nobody's around. Like, I don't know. Those are the that that's a unique experience and gets gives you kind of a perspective that you're not used to seeing. Um, but I love the like I need to get out, like I said, my son needs it, like I need it too. Like the weight of the city needs to like I need to get that off my shoulders sometimes and get out and about and uh get back to Wisconsin, get up to Maine, whatever it is. Like, I need to kind of embrace that kind of stuff. So and if I can incorporate the kind of content that I want to make about the watches or gear, whatever, and that's how I want to do it.
SPEAKER_02And that's the way to do it, right? And so, what if I'm not you can go into Times Square and have like your vanilla sky moment, you know? Uh but like it was sort of you know, a la COVID as well, you know. Some of the the streets around me were just like desolate, you know. I mean, like no cars were on streets that were like I'm talking like late March 2020. I took my camera out and was just like taking photos of streets with zero cars that are normally packed, like that you could never get again. Yeah, yeah. I can't take that photo again. Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00I don't know. There's something to be said about that. And like you said, you there's a lot of places you can go for great watch content for the hypest stuff or the most expensive stuff for the whatever, whatever you're into. And then I'm, you know, far be it from me to judge any any any of that, you know. Um, but I think you know, for for for me to make the kind of content that I want to make, then I need to kind of focus on what I find interesting. And just like you to make the kind of apparel or the you know, the hat like you were mentioning that you want to make. Like I think, you know, Max Booser said said to me, I think he said it a bunch of times that that he makes the watches that like he wanted and he never really worried about like what other people thought. Right. You know, and that's why he ended up with all these crazy things. And look at them, they're great. And I think more people need to do things like that, to make what like their own vision and what they think is that's where point of view comes from, you know.
SPEAKER_02Like an individual point of view is paramount if you are trying to um, I don't know, garner attention, eyeballs to an article or you know, clothes or or whatever, whatever the product the product is, be it you know a shirt or the written word, if it's if it's not unique, then what's the point? You know what I mean?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, exactly. There's too much of the there's too much of just like the samey same stuff out there. And if I ever get on Instagram, I scroll for for five minutes and I see you know eight of the same watch. And yeah, you know, what like it's it's just kind of like okay, what am I doing here? And now like I just get where I like to follow kind of like a set of photographers or people who I like talk about the world just to see kind of what they're doing and to to like see their photography. And how do you even share my photography on Instagram?
SPEAKER_02Well, and honestly, like I mean, not to like I don't know, sound too negative, but like it's a lot of the reviews that are coming out on watches are literally nothing more than people just regurgitating the stat sheet, and it's like that's not a review, like that that's just telling me what the watch is. You're not yeah, it's like okay, great, it's 39 millimeters, it's you know, 10.8 thick, it's on a bracelet, it's made of you know, oh what is it like three 306L or 316L steel, like whatever, whatever the case may be. And it's just kind of like that's not a review at all, like that, it's just a fact sheet.
SPEAKER_00It's it's a review, a watch review is a tri is a good one, is a tricky thing to do. And yeah, and I have found myself where if I don't have uh kind of my own kind of internal history of of uh of knowledge of it, of like, okay, I remember when the previous two versions were released, and I remember why they said they did this, and I'm like, if I can't add a bunch of that kind of stuff in my own context, then I keep my reviews like relatively short these days and just kind of give here's the facts of this thing, here's why I think it's personally interesting. But there are a lot of watches that's that I do have that more kind of like a deeper historic connection to or knowledge of, and that's the kind of like perspective that I'll try to bring to the thing. And in that case, then I'll you know, write two, three, four thousand words um, because I have a lot to say about like the why uh of this this watch. And to me, it's hard to like there's no in between that because you can't like fake it one way or the other. It's just kind of like here's what this thing is. You need the experience, you need the experience, and that's something that like you can't cheat your way through. And I think there are a lot of you know reviews, quote unquote, that are there that and a lot of them will show up high in Google just because people have written them because they they know. Like, there's like if you Google uh Rolex Saitona 12650 review, um the the the top ones that come up are were written the day that it released, and they just like call it the review because they got their hands on it for for for whatever. I wrote my review of it, you know, after a year, eight months or a year after it came out. And it is in the style I think it's on the front page, it's it's maybe three or four down or whatever, but it's the first like review review after, like, okay, I've been wearing this for months. And here's the thing.
SPEAKER_02Well, that's kind of what I'm saying. Like the week on the wrist is is like so important for that kind of thing, right? Like, that's why those types of bits of content are are better because you've lived with it, you've kind of touched and feeled it or felt it, and you've maybe put a shirt sleeve cuff over it or not. Like, if Chris Harris took out a car and then just like drove it around the track, didn't slide it, just well, basically talked about it from the pits and said, Hey, this car is this number of inches wide, and the wheelbase is this, and uh the height is this, and there's a new cup holder here. Like, okay, great. But if you're like, oh, but this cup holder opens like this, and it's really a pain in the butt, or it doesn't actually my my slushie spills into the passenger seat, you know, or like whatever. You know, I mean, like that guy is actually reviewing the car. Oh, it's too stiff on turn-in, or you know, it's there's you know, understeer here, or whatever.
SPEAKER_00But like because he's driven enough of them to be able to add a meaningful context. Well, there's I wouldn't do it. There's credibility involved. Guys like him and Ben Collins, another YouTuber that I love, because they're like they're good driver. It's a great driver. So when he talks about how a car turns in or handles or does this or that, like he's he's driven every supercar under the sun, and he's bringing a different kind of uh insight in like that's a similar thing that I can do with watches that I've been around for for decades.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, Ben Collins isn't saying, here's my review. Uh it's 458 horsepower. Cool, bye guys.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, no, like he he he can speak to it in a way that that not many people because he can because he can he can do things with the car that almost no one else can. And and Chris Harris, to some extent, I guess can as well. But like, you know, they so they can talk about it. And and this this is exactly why I got certified to dive, so that I could dive with watches, even though it's a very different thing, and I know it's not performing under the water. You can you can use it. At least I can talk about the watch, having using it, having used it uh underwater as it was meant to. If it hey, if this thing is being pitched as this, then I can use it as that.
SPEAKER_02And you can say, look, when wearing these neoprene gloves, the bezel is still easy to turn versus oh man, this is like really a tough action given glove wearing.
SPEAKER_00Dude, or there's there's one of the watches that I was diving in recently, the bezel, the the the 12 o'clock. So when I get into the water, I'll generally kind of set the bezel to the minute hand and then I'll time my bottom time, you know, when I get up. This I could not differentiate the the 12 o'clock pip. So I went around like three times like looking for it, and it was really frustrating, and I had a hard time. There are little tiny things like that that so then there you go.
SPEAKER_02I mean, that hopefully will make its way into the review. Now, whether or not that borrow, you know, both somebody who's like a desk diver, right? Like it's maybe it doesn't at all, right?
SPEAKER_00And that's that's up that's up to them to decide. But if something is being sold to me as this, then I want to be able to like see, hey, does it does it perform here as this? And or at least be able to speak to it. Because like the cars that that that that Ben Collins and and Chris Harris drive, you know, I like I'm never gonna take that to a track and drive it at 10 tenths like those guys are, right? So in the same sense, a lot of the people that buy a submariner or whatever are not diving in it. It's exactly the same thing. You know, most of the people that I see in you know a C8 Corvette are just like cruising down the strip and are never going to see a track with it or drive it anywhere near.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I think insurance and affordability come down to some of that. You know, like I'm not gonna go drive my car 10 tents because God knows if I wreck it, like that it's just a uh a bad day.
SPEAKER_00Right. But but like you get what I'm saying, right? Like no, I totally do. These things are are pitched to us as being able to do those things, and somebody should be able to do that with it and say, Yep, it performs well at this thing that they said it can do, you know. So, you know, me diving with a watch or or them driving with the cars, you know, it's obviously it's a very I'm not trying to equate the two because it's not like I need the watch to go dive and do the stuff like that, but it's still like you know, how it's it's a very different kind of version, but but it's still like in the same vein as like, okay, well, if I if it's being pitched to me as this, then I'm gonna go and do that with it and see what it's like, you know?
SPEAKER_02Totally, totally. Yeah. So I don't know. I don't know. How are you feeling about F1?
SPEAKER_00Uh that last race, what was the last race?
SPEAKER_02Um hungry?
SPEAKER_00Hungry. How frustrating was that for you as a Ferrari fan?
SPEAKER_02I mean, I I just like I managed to be.
SPEAKER_00I feel like everything that could have potentially gone wrong for Lewis went wrong. I feel like he at least should have finished second in that in that race. And I feel like didn't he get another drive-thru?
SPEAKER_02Like speeding in the picture.
SPEAKER_00Nah, he didn't, he did, he well, he did get that, and that is what ended up knocking him down to yeah. Uh but five. But it was but it was like it was a lot, I don't know, like the uh how Max got in front of him at that one turn, like, come on, dude. Like I felt like if he had kept that position, he would have he would have marched away to sec to to second, and I think the car was fast enough for it and and all that, but uh yeah, I don't know. What is um what is up with like all the cars the sea, it just seems like it's okay, they've they've come out with we've had these problems with the hybrid systems, so everyone's just kind of making the little tweaks here and there, and uh it's a tough thing to figure out. I don't know if I'm like I'm I'm excited to see the second half of the season, but I think next year as they ramp down the electric component and ramp the internal combustion component up, then I think we'll end up in a better spot. So yeah, you know, I still feel like this year is yeah, I still feel like Lewis is there. Like he could do something. Uh, and I would like to see that. I want to see like I'm glad that Lando won a race because I'm I want to see you know more competitive racing. Uh so I guess in that sense Hungary was was fine, but I don't know. I am excited to see uh the mad the new mad ring in Madrid. Oh right, versus the Spanish Grand Prix, yeah, the yeah, the Spanish Grand Prix, right?
SPEAKER_02Um so we have Dutch coming back in uh what three weeks-ish, two weeks, two and a half weeks, whatever that is, uh, and then Italian and then Spanish.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah, so it's gonna be yeah, new track. It's always fun, right?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, well, I was what was the last new track? Is it Saudi Arabia?
SPEAKER_00Ooh, that's a good question.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I don't remember.
SPEAKER_00And then uh maybe like Sapang coming back. Um, you know, yeah, I don't know. I like all that, I like all these older tracks coming back. Let's get the Nerbergring GP back on there, let's get Kailami back on there, let's get Fuji uh back on there. Like uh yeah, there's all these great uh there's all these great tracks.
SPEAKER_02Uh but no, I mean I mean I mean I'm kind of shocked though, like that Hamilton is in second still. Like it is He's been consistent. Kind of impressive, you know, given well actually I'm looking at the standings now. So you've got Antonelli obviously leading, Russell's in third, and quite quite a distance back. But Hamilton is you know nine points ahead of George, then Leclerc is kind of a little bit further down, then Lando.
SPEAKER_00Um I think that Lewis is the only driver to have finished with points in every race this year.
SPEAKER_02I mean that's that's insane. So you know who I haven't really paid much attention to this year, especially given the year that we had last year, is Piastri. Yeah, I mean he and he like I felt like was making a late run there. Like I was thinking that he may have even eclipsed Lando last year, but then you know Lando obviously came out victorious, but it's just one of those things where like he's in seventh now?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, he's kind of in no man's land. I the car seems good though, and I think it's it's capable. Obviously, Lando doing what he did um shows that. So um, and and you know, I think the uh both of the I think Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad are are are having great seasons this year, Arvid, um, especially for for rookies.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, he's an 11th. Um but he was in the tutor booth when I was in the tutor booth.
SPEAKER_00Oh, was he?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, at Watches and Wonders. He signed the walls. Cool. He he seemed like he had like good energy about him. You know what I mean? Like when you look at somebody, he didn't look like a jerk, like he looked like a really cool guy.
SPEAKER_00Well, good. I'm glad I'm glad to hear that. Yeah, and I you know, I I I feel bummer for Williams, uh, because uh you know, I feel like they there's all this like I was really excited. I was hoping okay, their car, I hope he's gonna be on point. Like, let's see what they can do. Now I feel like Carlos is like, man, I should have done the Audi, the Audi thing. And uh maybe it's not too late for that. Maybe he will make that jump over to uh to Audi. I wouldn't blame him.
SPEAKER_02Right, right. If he did. Well, I mean, he loves a GTI, so being a part of Volkswagen Audi group might be uh yeah, exactly, exactly, exactly. I saw something the other day that he didn't get his first like nice car until his seventh year in Formula One, and that was with he when he was with Ferrari. Like he was daily driving a GTI well into his like F1 career. I can't remember. Which is like so cool.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah, definitely. I wonder how long it takes these guys to like make money money. Uh, you know, like I because I feel like the younger guys, like they you know, I'm sure they're making like good money compared to the average show, but like, you know, they're not making like $30 million a year or something like that. They're they're gonna be able to do that.
SPEAKER_02I mean, some of those guys aren't they making like $500, $700.
SPEAKER_00And then they have to bring sponsors to the table. At least that's how it used to be, maybe. I don't know, something weird like that. Yeah, I don't know what the rules are around all the time.
SPEAKER_02But then you've got Lewis making what $50 a year.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, well, he's yeah, I mean, with all not to be a pocket checker, but you know. Yeah, he's he's not hurting, I think, is uh is is a good way to put it. Um in in guys like Max and I'm sure that will be Kenny.
SPEAKER_02Okay, here it is. Ready for this? Yeah. Lewis Hamilton is signed with scooter uh Ferrari through at least the 2027 season with a base salary reported around 60 million to 70 million dollars a year. Uh his multi-year agreement includes a unilateral option that could extend his stay through 2028.
SPEAKER_00That's uh that's a lot of Can you imagine?
SPEAKER_02That's a lot of seventy million dollars a year, and that's just Ferrari.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, that's uh that's not sponsors, and that guy's got Rimova. He's got uh Well, he could have like any of them that he wants because he has he has he has visibility like he has such a huge audience that follows him, right? So I feel like he can he can make money very easily, but I don't think he needs alcohol-free tequila.
SPEAKER_02Is awful, but uh dude.
SPEAKER_00I tried the one, I didn't mind it so much.
SPEAKER_02The clear one. Oh, I think we I think we've talked about this actually.
SPEAKER_00I know, was it the orange one? Yeah, I think yeah, I tried the orange one, yeah. And I didn't mind it so much. I what but remember I said you gotta put it over over ice and let it melt a little bit, and then it oh yeah, so we gotta water it down, right?
SPEAKER_02Okay, yeah, good all the way. You know, it's it's it you know, it's really good, Wesley, if you change it. Yeah, yeah, exactly.
SPEAKER_00Exactly. Uh all right, dude. When are we gonna get a hat up in your uh we need to get a collab hat up in your shop or something like that? I don't know.
SPEAKER_02We should. Where did you have these others, mate?
SPEAKER_00Did you just have the hats and then get them embroidered in the I had them embroidered uh by a place called Snag? I think. Never heard of them, but I mean that doesn't it's a small shop, I think, out in um uh I don't know, maybe North Carolina or something like that, actually. Uh somewhere around there, yeah.
SPEAKER_02But okay, so they supplied the hats and the embroidery and everything. Do you have like an internal label in there?
SPEAKER_00No. Okay, is that possible? Well, this is the kind of stuff I need to know. Um Wesley. So this is talking to Yeah, so we need to we need to come up with something, then do you know a limited run of something that we can put in your shop and my shop. Yeah, I had to I build a I figured out how to build a shop page on my website.
SPEAKER_02Okay, all right, cool. Well, I mean the thing is is like what what I do for collectability is is basically we use my t-shirts that I so it's like my neck label on the inside, but then it's all collectability graphics on the outside, and then I pack and ship and everything, so that's all fulfilled by me. Like we could absolutely do that with you. Uh, we could talk about those terms later if you want. Um, all right. Well, once I'm you know, once we're at like if you have a shop page on your site, I I do this all the time too. With little do people know, is I'll do white label where like I will just become the manufacturer for you, ship you all the stock, and then like your margin because you're doing the legwork of packing and shipping and all that, like you're obviously gonna make way more money than I ever would on that product, which may be something you're more interested in, but just depending on how far you want to take it and you know, diversification and execution, and if you're happy with their quality versus somebody else's, like it's a big conversation for sure.
SPEAKER_00Could we make a strap together?
SPEAKER_02Like a watch strap. Yeah, I mean, it depends what material are you thinking? Should we should this be a part of the podcast, or should we?
SPEAKER_00I don't mind if you don't mind. I don't like, I don't care. You can ask me anything. Let's do a strap together. I don't know. Hey, if you're listening to this and you would like to see some specific, like let us know. Uh, you know, and we can we can do it. Um, you know, I I but I like the idea of designing something very unique and and making just a small run of it for people to support us, you know, guys, guys like us who are who are you know doing independent stuff, and uh, you know, I think that's important. And you know, I I'm not asking anybody to subscribe and pay me a monthly fee or anything like that. Yeah, if you like what I'm doing, you can buy buy a hat once, buy a shirt another time, whatever you want to do is fine with me.
SPEAKER_02Um yeah, so I've obviously made the straps with strap habit. Um, I've done some collaborative products with Molliquin, but to involve three people in a Mulliquin equation would make zero sense because the margins are so slim. Um the strap habit thing, I would just have to lean on Nick to execute that. So if you have a way andor know people that can make straps, then I I I have some ideas.
SPEAKER_00All right.
SPEAKER_02Well, we'll talk about that that's so I think about like you know, what what the material is, yeah, what lug widths you want to do, what colors to do. Yeah. Is there all right?
SPEAKER_00I've I've got some ideas there.
SPEAKER_02Branding involved outside of just it's being sold through this website, like is it stamped?
SPEAKER_00Is it yeah? Yeah. All right, we'll we'll we'll explore those things, but I've got a few ideas, and I like I do like the idea of having like a kind of a an FXD style strap for a 22 millimeter Luxpan. Um okay, like a single pass. Yeah, but I'm all ears. Uh so if you're listening to this and you've got some ideas, definitely drop us uh a line. In the meantime, Wesley, I'll save a hat for you.
SPEAKER_02Uh love it. Great. All right, fall winter. It's gotta be fall winter for me here in San Diego to wear corduroy.
SPEAKER_00Oh, that's right. Yeah. And then maybe like a little, maybe like a hoodie or something we could do next. Uh that's what my son has been asking for. So okay. That is my that is my son in the picture, by the way, on Instagram.
SPEAKER_02Oh, right. Yeah. Right.
SPEAKER_00Is it okay to use him like that?
SPEAKER_02As long as you have his permission.
SPEAKER_00Yes. Yeah, I've asked his permission.
SPEAKER_02My my daughter is not online. Uh, she she has a private page for like family and friends, yeah, and uh like the 19 people that like it.
SPEAKER_00Um yeah, yeah, I hear that. I hear that. Uh Wesley, it's always a pleasure to talk with you, man. Thanks for taking the time today.
SPEAKER_02Of course, yeah, man. Enjoyed this one. Yeah, this was fun. Hopefully, people uh will find value in this.
SPEAKER_00All right, definitely. Thanks so much for listening. All right, buddy.
SPEAKER_02Talk soon. See ya.
