The Collector’s Edition with Ben Clymer- Featuring Ed Sheeran¶
Published on Mon, 24 Jan 2022 13:45:40 +0000
For the first of a brand new series, Ben chats with Ed Sheeran about watch collecting, the ebb and flow of Patek Philippe, and the untold flexibility of ketchup.
Synopsis¶
This is the inaugural episode of "The Collector's Edition with Ben Clymer," a special series within Hodinkee Radio where Hodinkee founder Ben Clymer interviews notable figures about collecting. In this first episode, James Stacy introduces a conversation between Ben and Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran.
Ed discusses his journey into watch collecting, which began with inexpensive toy watches before progressing to luxury pieces. His first serious watch was a Hublot Big Bang in rose gold, followed by an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, and then a Patek Philippe Nautilus that he bought with proceeds from a bar mitzvah performance. The conversation reveals that Ed had to wait five years on a list for a Tiffany-stamped Patek Philippe 5711, which arrived on the morning his daughter was born—making it his most treasured piece that he now wears constantly.
The discussion covers the current watch market, including the controversial Tiffany Blue Dial Nautilus, with Ed sharing insights about waiting lists, authorized dealer relationships, and how even celebrities must be patient for highly sought-after pieces. They explore various brands including Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet, IWC, Roger Smith, and independent watchmakers. Ed reveals his preference for watches with personal stories over investment pieces, his commission of custom pieces from Roger Smith for his wedding, and his evolving taste from flashy pieces to more understated classics. They also discuss Ed's decision to stop carrying a phone since 2015 for mental health reasons, his passion for Heinz ketchup, and his philosophy that watches should be worn and enjoyed rather than kept as pristine investments. The conversation concludes with hints at a future "Talking Watches" episode featuring Ed's collection.
Links¶
Transcript¶
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| James Stacy | Hey, it's me, James Stacy, and this week we have an extra special treat for you all by way of a podcast, you know, sort of within a podcast. This is the official launch of a special series for Hodinky Radio called The Collector's Edition with Ben Clymer, in which Hodinki's founder sits down with a notable friend to chat about the ins and outs of collecting and the mind of the enthusiast. The conversation will cover watches, of course, but it won't stop there. For this first episode in the series, Ben invited singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran to take a break from winning all those Grammys and take a deeper look at his interest in watches, what led him to start collecting, and a whole lot more. So let's get to it, the first episode of the Collector's Edition with Ben Clymer, featuring the ever-talented Ed Shearan |
| Ben Clymer | . Ed, welcome to the show, man. Here we are. Yeah, here we are, finally. Thanks for having me. Oh |
| Ed Sheeran | dude, it's my pleasure. So what are you doing in town? I had a studio session that I had to get to. I played the Empire State yesterday and then I shot a music video last night and then I had the Today Show today. I'm here with you and then I play the Irving Plaza tonight and then tomorrow I do MSG. MSG, I've heard of that. Yeah. Yeah. And then what do you do after MSG? Do you go home? I fly home and then I play the equivalent in England, which is called the the O two. Uh-huh and then I've got a Christmas gig in Hackney and then I'm playing something with Elton John to promote this. I but I could go through my diary, but it's every day there's |
| Ben Clymer | something. Well I appreciate you taking the time. Thank you. Yeah, so we've known each other over email for a few years now, just talking about watches,, yeah et cetera. So it's great to finally meet and just kinda |
| Ed Sheeran | talk talking about it. Absolutely, man. Absolutely. And I'm you know, I I I love I love the magazine, I love the website. I mean uh the amount the amount of my friends that will watch this and be like, oh my gosh, you met Ben That's that's completely absurd, but I I appreciate that. No, but man, you were like in the watch world, obviously you're like the guy. Yeah, that that that's very kind for sure. So how did I mean how did you get into watchers in the first place? It sounds really odd, but I I it was a toy they were they were called toy watches. Yeah. And you could you could clip them out. And uh I basically it's like pre-signing my record deal, I hadn't, you know, I hadn't ever really made any money. I made about 500 pounds doing a gig and my friend of mine had a toy watch and I'd always liked it because you could mix and match it with straps. Yeah you could just so I I went out I bought the watch and I bought a green strap, a black strap, a white strap, an orange strap. And then that was my watch that I just I just revolved and then when I did my first tour, which was like 2011 early, I'd made a bit of money and um I always said like well because I had the toy watch I was like when I when I eventually make enough money I will buy the watch. I'll buy one watch and then that'll be my one watch for life. As everyone says, a man just needs one watch for all women. Uh you just need one one watch for life and and and blah blah blah. And I went and it was was a uh what it 41 millimeter rose gold like chocolatey hublo big bang don't judge me um and uh and I loved it and that was and that was my watch and it had like a a kind of Kevlar strap and it and and I w and I wore it for for ages. Yeah ages and I re I it was for me that was it and and I was done and then you know I did another tour and then I started looking at a uh AP volcano and I was like quite like that. So that was when the straw that broke the camel's back because as soon as you get one that isn't the one and you just get one more then it's just like oh well then I' getll another one after that and get another one. And my third watch was a uh Patek Nautilus and um I think it's fifty seven twenty six and I was playing in New York. I got booked for a butt but mitzvah-huh. And they said, what's your fee? And I'd been looking at it on online and I just went, that not knowing the price. I was just like, I knew I wanted this this watch. So I got that and that's when I think everything changed. I think it I think then it was like you wear a Hublow Big Bang out, certain people notice it. You wear a Royaloke out, certain people notice it, you wear a Nautilus out, that's when the watchheads start going, oh my god.. Yeah And then so that was when I met John at the Grammys and he saw I was wearing that, and then we got talking about that, and he actually sent me a uh 59.70 and he said you should buy this. And I remember it was like it was like crazy crazy money um uh in hindsight it's about four times that now yeah but I remember being like I'm not gonna do that job like I'm not I'm not like I'm not like serious serious like you. Uh and then um you know I kept looking at it and then I was touring a bit more and I kept looking at it and touring a bit more and then it just it's it's one of those things where it would just be the next level up and interestingly recently I've kind of gone levels down and I've I feel I got I basically got put on a list for a Tiffany 5711 in 2015 or something like that. And uh I was like, it's gonna come when it comes, like I don't know like how yeah, how long. And it arrived. Kelly from Tiffany hit me and she was like, Oh, we've we've we've gotten this is like a year ago. Yeah. I was like, oh great. And it arrived the morning that my daughter was born. Like it literally like came to the front door and then suddenly we were going to the hospital and I had this thing on my wrist and oh wow. It's now I don't know if I ever need another watch. This is like the luckiest lucky charm of lucky charms. So um yeah this, is the one that |
| Ben Clymer | I pretty much wear all the time now. Yeah, and there's a lot to talk about there from the Watch Cap perspective in life, of course, but I think it's important to point out to the listeners at home that Ed Sheeran had to wait how many years to get a 57 Eleven? Five, yeah. And so like I think I think like th there's so many people out there that just assume somebody such as yourself, you know, would say, Oh, like Ed'll get it whenever he wants. But it's really not |
| Ed Sheeran | Well, I think there's some I mean there's some things. I mean obviously like as you know like with authorized dealers like you get higher on the list the more and more you get. So like if you've bought fifty watches with Rolex and they bring out a new one that's hard to get, like you're probably gonna get it before someone else. And with you know, I've uh I've been buying Protect for the best part of like ten years and yeah, I just like I would it's not that I get stuff instantly like John definitely gets stuff before me. I mean stuff that John's got. He's on a he's in a different league from almost everything. Yeah, yeah, but then John's been doing of the best part of 20 years or 25 years or whatever whatever. But but yeah, like there's definitely still stuff that I wait for. Like if I if I ordered a like standard Royal Oak tomorrow, I would probably have to wait a couple ye ofars for it. Right. |
| Ben Clymer | It's it's funny you you mentioned like the the Nautilus is kind of where you started and it's kind of like now where where you are as well. Like the watch for me that was that. Like I had a Summariner had the Speedmaster but the first great watch was um uh 5402 Royal Look, like the A-Series Royal Look. And that happened when I went to go visit AP. It was the first washmaker. I am you got an AP on the and I'm wearing AP today. And it's the exact same thing. It's like kind of where you start is kind of where you end up as well. And of course I wear a lot other a lot of other things, but like on a random day, on a random whatever day of the week it is, Thursday I think with Ed Sharon I'm wearing a Royal Look. It's amazing how you kind of complete that circle often with watch |
| Ed Sheeran | watch. Yeah and I feel I feel for me the only the only time I'd ever take this off is if I was doing like an event and I because I feel I I f I feel like've put too much into it to not wear anything ever again. But I I think you know, having something that is your the what like I would love to hand this down to and that and this feels like one it has a story behind it now. It's not just uh I got on a list and I got a watch that was hard to get. It's a i I can't say how fortuitous it was. It literally arrived as we were leaving. That's amazing. And sized for you and everything. Well, I I have the I have the kit in my uh backpack. I mean as you should. Yeah, well no, I I basically like whenever I go into a watch place and I don't know how to remove the links I'll get them to teach me and then I'll and then I'll buy the kit and I have resizing kit in my stuff just just in case. Just in c you know you might be you might be anywhere in the world and get and get something I sometimes would buy like a vintage I w I was in Japan and I bought a a a vintage submariner and was able to size it myself and then play the show that night with it on and yeah I. uh I don't know, I feel weird like having to wait a few days to then go in and then wait it takes so long to then take the links out and stuff. And yeah, so I just have the little scre |
| Ben Clymer | w thing that pokes them out. It's amazing. So while we're on the topic of Nautilus, we have to talk about like the the hottest news in the watch world right now, which is the Tiffany Blue Dial Nautilus. What do you think |
| Ed Sheeran | ? I like the fact that I mean I'm a big fan of Tiffany Stamps. Um, what's so weird is I didn't know about Tiffany Stamps until watching John on Talking Watches because he had the same aquinaut as me, Tiffany Stamped as well. Mine was mine was Tiffany Stamped and I didn't really know that that was a thing. I just bought them from Tiffany in New York because Kelly was my contact. And so I had sort of like five, six, seven watches that all had this tiny stamp on. As soon as he said that and he was like, oh, but look closer and look closer. I was like, is that a thing? And yeah, so from there, but I never I never really knew that it was 'cause it was never like a big fanfare to get a Tiffany watch. Like now, as I said, the first time I walked into Tiffany in New York there was like three aquanauts just in a case that you could just go, Oh, maybe this one, this one, or this one. Like it really has changed. Um but yeah, I love fifty seven elevens with different dials. This is I mean it's very bright. It is. Very bright. As you said, if you if you got one, I'd say it's more of a well maybe it's not a female watch, but Tiffany is so in line with that the Yeah |
| Ben Clymer | . You know, this I mean that watch, even this watch kind of goes with everything. That is a very specific look with with with a bright blue dial. I probab |
| Ed Sheeran | ly would rock it though. You kinda have to, right? I think it's uh I mean I'm interested to see what they do next with um with an it's do you think they revert to the 3800 like is that the |
| Ben Clymer | smaller you mean yeah I I don't think so I I think it'll prop I would hope you they get a new movement. They get a new movement in it. I would guess like one millimeter larger. And again I I don't know anything. I haven't spoken to anybody to be clear. Well I lie a little bit. But all all for the sake of the of the the show. No I I truly don't know about that. I think it's uh I would guess a little bit larger. I think we'll probably go back to like a blue dial, like a gray maybe gray, like a real proper gray. Um you need something that is very kind of up the center, like you know, like that appeals to everyone, and Tiffany Blue does not, obviously. It does because everybody just wants it because it's so so hot right now. But yeah, I think we'll get a new movement, a slightly larger case, maybe something in a new metal like a titanium or or something, which I think a lot of people into that. I think Patek and Rolex, like the two big brands out there, like I think people don't think they pay attention. Like they definitely do. Like they're paying attention to like if you look at the the OnlyWatch clock that they did this this year, like that is basically inspired by a James Ward Packard clock from the probably 30s. Like they're they're dialed. They know exactly what they're doing. And even the stuff that like a lot of people don't pay attention to, like the ultrasound split seconds, like those all have historical references. And you know, as you likely know, Patek made some amazing watches in titanium, probably 10 I mean I don't know why more people don't. I think it's a great metal. I I I I completely agree. I mean when when we did our Laurent Ferrier, which I showed you before, the first one we did was titanium 'cause it's like you want that's a travel watch, you want something light and easy that's hard. It's a difficult metal to work with. It it''s hars harder. Itder, but it's not I mean it's it's not that hard, right? They figured it out. So there shouldn't be a premium. The only time you get a premium with with titanium is really just because like you have to buy the material and to machine it is slightly more complicated |
| Ed Sheeran | . It'll be interesting to see what what happens then. I mean I'm I'm interested to see when the first one turns up on the grey market. How quick, do you think? I think soon. I don't know, man, 'cause a hundred and seventy people, I don't know, 'cause I think that the people that they're they're dishing them out to, it |
| Ben Clymer | 's all gonna be people that they know very well. Yeah. Yeah, I think so. And it's it's also interesting because like, as as you may have read, like it's basically up to Tiffany who gets these watches. Like if you don't have a relationship with Tiffany, you're not getting the watch, you know? And I'm sure we both know that. |
| Ed Sheeran | I found out I emailed like five different people that usually would like that. And uh yeah. Nope. Well one of them came back, so we'll see |
| Ben Clymer | . No, it's an unusual thing to to give a retailer that much kind of clout in the decision making. You know, it really I mean as Terry said in that in that story, like it's up to Tiffany. If Tiffany, you know, it it could end up going to people that may not have been Patek buyers, but maybe they're big jewelry clients or or something like that. That that would be inter |
| Ed Sheeran | esting. Yeah. No, it's it's almost cooler as well, I think. I th I think like as you well know, I mean you you have a collection and I have a collection and if you manage to get this this will just be you know a great part of your collection but it would almost be cooler if it went to a big jewellery buyer and it was their only watch that they w |
| Ben Clymer | ore. I really cooler to see that on the wrist of a of of a woman or somebody that is just like as you said kind of a diehard. Who just who just loves the fact, yeah, that it's a Tiffany watch. Yeah. And I think that those are the watches like on vintage stuff that that kind of really attract me. It's like this is just a watch, it's part of your life. It's not precious. It's just it's just part of you. Yeah, I think probably like you wear wear that watch, you know? Yeah. Yeah. So what else are you into these days |
| Ed Sheeran | ? Yeah, have I've got into like commissions. Yeah. Commissions. I love the I love small watch brands. There's a one in uh Japan called Kaguchi Nakagawa and I met them when I was over there really sweet guys and yeah it's like a I'd say it's similar to a Calatrava. It's 38mm like really really beautiful beautiful watch. Yeah and Roger Roger Smith uh he made a kind of pear for me and my wife. I had a 40mm, she had a 38mm, but they look exactly the same with kind of cherry blossoming engravings like a really, really sim |
| Ben Clymer | ple movement. And um So this is kind of like breaking news in the Watch World, the fact that Ed Sheeran owns a Roger Smith, which is like a very it's like the deepest cut you got to it's a very deep cut in the watch world |
| Ed Sheeran | . Yeah. I well I think because because he there's not a hell of a lot of amazing like British things that are still owned by British peop you know, m Mini is now owned by a German company and I think Rolls-Royce has owned but like there's certain all the like big Titan brands of Britain that were sold off ag ages ago. But like the watchmaking side of things with George Daniels, I mean he was a this he's world world renowned. Absolutely. Um and uh Roger has got the same skill, the same clout and uh I yeah, I I I actually heard of him first on your website I read. And I think I contacted this this this is this is going back And I contacted him and his wife and uh got on the waiting list and then yeah, it was um he made them for he made them in time for me and my wife's wedding basically and we we we wore That's amazing. Yeah, they're great. They're really, really |
| Ben Clymer | great. Yeah, it it's kind of you know we were talking about earlier, it's kind of like the the ultimate watch, right? I mean really handmade, like m to an extent that even Patek in some cases can be |
| Ed Sheeran | . But like buy one dude. Like it's just it's like whenever people see it and they ask what it is, because it's not like uh I was so surprised to see that you you had one. I've never ever seen one in in the wild before. But um I just say look, there's there's this guy Roger and he learnt how to make it all by h I love the story of him with George Daniels where he just kept going back and being like, Is this good enough? Is this good enough? Is this good 'cause it really shows work ethic and perfection in a craft and doing your ten thousand hours. And I think with something like watchmaking like it has to be perfect. Like it has to be. There's no there's no shortcuts. What's the point in doing it otherwise, right? Yeah, and to be able to do that, like I've I've been to the Patek factory in in Geneva and everyone there is super, super skilled in doing their thing. So there'll be one person making one thing and they'll do it exactly, and another person making one thing, and there's this kind of production line of real real intricacy. And then you think of Roger and George and lot I mean lots of other watchmakers in the world, you who was the American guy you were talking about? Gene Clark. Gene Clark. And these guys, they do each of these things but on their own and in their own way. Yeah I mean it's fascinating it's fascinating but um I mean to to be honest I slowed down a lot when like I was sort of getting them for I was getting watchers every time there would be achievement or I was on tour, I was in in a city but, honestly, when this arrived and I had my daughter and I just felt like just kind of pulled back a little bit and and slowed and slowed down. And uh every now and then, you know, like when the uh when the olive uh fifty seven eleven came, it's like there's every now and then there's something that you're like, okay. Okay, that's pretty good. Yeah. Okay |
| Ben Clymer | . But yeah. How about you? Uh I mean Roger, my my Roger Smith, which I've I've talked about I think somewhere on the site, you know, that I waited four years to get something like that. And that, you know, my my name's on the back, like that that is my watch. And as I told you before, Roger was the very first literally the very first independent watchmaker I met ever, you know, probably 2009. Have you visited his I never have. But we we've you know the the crew has. We've shot videos there and he's been here a bunch. We did talk and watches with him actually. Um he's just the nicest guy, and he's just so different than even the Swiss independent watchmakers who I know and love as well. And so it was it was kind of a dream to have a piece of him. What class is as an independent watchmaker? Because Patek are technically independent. They they are, yeah. I I guess for for me or how most people view it is like kinda low batch, like small batch independent watchmakers. Patek is, Rolex is, I mean even AP is, uh, etcetera. But yeah, for I was AP not L VMH? No, AP is independent, yeah. By mostly by a family. But I think you know, Roger and the people who make stuff by hand flipped defor, Kari Vuotiline, like th those type of guys, there y it's like there's commercialism there because like they have to pay their rent just like we all do. And these are expensive things, but like it just doesn't feel the same,. You know it's like sometimes like I'm I'm from, you know, Rochester, New York, like middle of nowhere, upstate New York, both my parents were teachers. Like having like a middle class mindset towards all this stuff, I think is has really served me well because it's like it becomes it can become really weird at a certain point, like when people care more about the watch on somebody's wrist than they care about their family, their daughter, their their et cetera. For sure. And it really it's easy to kind of fall into that trap and it's good |
| Ed Sheeran | to kind of dial up. And I think even more so now, I mean we were talking about watches as investments uh when I when I came in. I think even more so now, like I feel like people care more about a watch if it's worth a certain amount. They go they they won't go, oh tell me about that, what's the story behind that they'll be like oh how much was that how much is that worth and I feel like I think that's what is great about your website and people that read your website is that it's actually people that love watches like what what I love even about John, you know, like I saw John three nights ago and he was wearing a G Shock and I love that. You know, it goes a G-Shock? No, it was a different it was a different one. It was a different one. But that goes back to me with the toy watch or me, I my my best friend Fred bought me um uh a Dinky swatch for my birthday that I love wearing and it it's less about the impressive wow factor and more about the just hey I just like watches and this one has this story and this one has this story and this. And I think that's actually what's what's co |
| Ben Clymer | ol about it. Yeah, I mean I I think if if there's one thing I'll say about like us in our community is like we're just a bunch of nerds, you know what I mean? It's just like we're just here for the love of the thing. Like there's no question like this stuff costs money, everything does. Um but it's the sam |
| Ed Sheeran | e with with with cars, man. You know, like you can have like I know a lot of people that are petrol heads that have you know like these car collections with mental fucking Ferraris or Bugattis from the thirties or something like that. But then they'll also have like uh a golf mark two that's like souped up or whatever. And like it's it's more about just being into |
| Ben Clymer | the thing. Yeah, and I think that's's just it. That there there's different ways to appreciate the thing. And if you do it with an earnest sense of reality, it's it's all good, you know. There's a lot of people that don't, of course, but that that's a whole and I'm sure you see a lot more of them now, right? Yeah. I mean a again, I mean mayor and I always talk, like w you know, he used to live right up the the block here and we'd we go out and have dinner or whatever and like we'd be able to wear a watch like that or uh sixty six three dayton and like nobody gave a shit. They would care that John Mayer was sitting there, of course but like nobody gave a shit about the washers on our wrist, and now anybody that goes to a restaurant down here in Soho. They know everything. Everything. And they know exactly and they'll say, Oh, did you pay retail for that? Or did |
| Ed Sheeran | you get like did you pay like what you're saying? I was wearing a uh 39mm pilot's mark IWC the other day in the middle of middle of nowhere, and someone was like, Oh my god, pilots my 39 million. And I it's so because sometimes there's there was sort of this transitional period where people would know it was this brand or this brand or this brand, but now like the the the knowledge of everyt |
| Ben Clymer | hing is mad. It is, and it's I mean we were talking about it earlier as well. Like the this homogenization of taste, which is kind of like I think driven by Instagram, if I may say, it's just like why do well the Nautilus is a great watch. Like we've both owned them for a long time. I will always own at least one or two. But is it worth you know the the the secondary market price of let's say 100,000 plus for 5711? You know? It's it's it's so tricky when you can bu |
| Ed Sheeran | y I would say you know, just from I so I never I never liked steel bracelets. That's that that that's why with the first watch buying a uh Hubla I wanted a Kevlar, 'cause I I wanted to be on stage and swear, I never wanted a steel bracelet. I have to say, man, like in terms of the design and the feel and everything, I would say yes. It is. Okay. You heard it here first, yeah. I would say yes. Um but that's like, you know, I think like it with the sum of its parts and actually what's in it, it is a steel bubble butt. Yeah. No. Right. But I I think if I hadn't been on a list eventually I probably would have done that. |
| Ben Clymer | Right. I mean I it's one of those things where it's like the the only reason I say that is like when you compare it to what else is available, even from Patek at 100 and change, there's so much, right? I mean there's cron fifty one seventy Ps, you know, I mean just really incredible stuff that from a from watchmaking perspective is just objectively more impressive. I mean do you think they just take fifty se |
| Ed Sheeran | ven eleven, the new one, and just go right, it's X amount now? And they just have to do it's why they've nudged it with the Tiffany. I mean like that's almost double what retail used to be. Like retail used to be. And they say it's because of the they say there's more work to put the engraving on the back, but it's |
| Ben Clymer | just I mean, sure. Twenty five grand really? I mean that's the thing. It's like look th look it's one of those things where they're there I look if I were Thierry Stern and I was looking around and was like wait a minute, I'm selling this watch for say twenty eight thousand, twenty nine thousand retail, which means you're selling it to the the dealer, authorized dealer at probably 60% of that, we'll say roughly. So we're saying, I don't know, 18,000 bucks, something like that. And now there's trading on the open market for 100. I would be like, what the hell, man? Like we're making this watch. We created this, like we should receive some of that upside, which I actually agree with in some way. But to jump the price that much so quickly is But then |
| Ed Sheeran | there's the balance of like if you want that then make more of them and then that's not what they want to do because it has to be so there's a you kinda |
| Ben Clymer | You can't win. You can't you can't win. None of us can win. I think the the the really interesting thing, actually in the very first issue of our magazine, John Mayer interviewed Thierry and we talked about that in particular. And he's just like the idea, like he could make as many nautilists as as he wants to. I kind of respect his the what he's doing with it. Um |
| Ed Sheeran | because it does it also there's a s there's a specialness in it as well for the customer where they f actually feel like if I'm on a waiting list for five years and I get it, I feel like oh my god, I've got something really special and really in important here. If I was able to just walk in any shop in New York and and buy it, it's it's good, you know, that's cool. You can you can get it, but as you know, in as as you know with with watchmaking and collecting like with your Roger Smith waiting all that time to get it and then getting it and then putting it on your wrist knowing that there's not that many out there yeah and that being your kind of sp you know you say your name's on the back of it, there's not another one like that. It's it's cool. It is. Which is why I think stuff like Tiffany stamps, it's the next level of that, you know, that's the next thing or even e even having a piece unique that they made for you, that's like the next level of it. It's um ye |
| Ben Clymer | ah. It it's I mean talk about like an that's a family business which is hard to to imagine but that is still a family run business. Well I think you know I w what I liked |
| Ed Sheeran | about the family business aspect of it is when we were there his two sons were being taught how to make pocket watches and really, really understanding the inner workings of everything. Like being like, you have to learn how to make this to even understand the company and they're, you know, they're doing trial and error and trial and error. And when I spoke to Thierry, he was like, that's what my dad got me to do. And I made a pocket watch and he got me to respect the process of watchmaking, which is which is cool. Have you gotten into any pocket watches? I actually bought a Patek pocket watch, yeah. I bought one from it was from 19, I want to say it was from 1946. The thing is like with pocket watches, I always want to wear a watch anyway. You've kind of got it there to have That's your backup watch, yeah. Yeah. And that feels weird, but I guess your phone's your backup watch. Yeah, yeah. Actually, that's mad. The phone is a pocket watch. It sure is. Fuck. Yeah. It's an Apple pocket watch. But you don't you don't car |
| Ben Clymer | ry a phone. I don't carry a phone. No, I haven't had a phone since twenty fifteen. I I'd like that to be to be known here. This guy is the only person I know, including others, some fairly famous people that that does not carry a phone. That's really I mean it's remarkable that you can exist in in a day like tod |
| Ed Sheeran | ay without a phone. I got really, really overwhelmed and sad with a phone. I just spent my whole time just in a very low place. Um and I got rid of it and it was like a veil just unlifted. And how long ago was this? Twenty fifteen, end of tour. End of tour. And it wasn't even like a I didn't so much cut contact with people, I just limit contact with people. It's not like the the thing that would stress me out is getting a text from someone and then you text them back, you'd send it and then you get a reply like that and you go, oh fuck. And then you and then and then you'd be getting other text and you'd kind of be going back and going. Whereas now I have an email that you email and I have friends email and people email, and like every few days I'll sit down and I open up my laptop and I'll answer ten emails at a time, I'll send them off and I'll close my laptop and then that'll be it and then I'll go back to to living life and I don't feel overwhelmed by it. And man, it's good. I mean it's it's the the b best thing about it is uh not aside from mental health and feeling better about everything, is the moments that I have with the people I love in person uh un uninterrupted. I could be having a conversation with you over dinner, right? And we're really getting into it and talking about some serious shit. And my phone could vibrate in my pocket. And even though I'm not looking at my phone, I go, who was that? Who I wonder who that was. What was that vibrate? Oh, there's another one. Oh, I've got two text. Maybe that was important. Shall I check my phone? No, I'm having a conversation with Ben. I shouldn't check my phone but I was. And it just I'm kind of listening to you, but also I'm thinking that. And uh, you know, I go out for meals with my wife and it's uninterrupted. You know what's funny when I go out for meals with my friends, and then sometimes there's like 12 of us, and I'll be at the table, and just everyone will be on their phones. I'll be like, good chat, guys, and then suddenly everyone sort of uh put putss away. But it I mate, they are like yeah, phones are just it needs to they need to go like a step back. It needs to be like what they were when a star tag. Like a blackberry bold. Yeah. With with BBM. That's where it was. You're a big BBM guy. Oh man, I want BBM back. BBM was the one. I bought I bought a Blackberry Bowl because I thought I was gonna get back into having a phone and so I set it up and everything and then I got on it and I was like, oh fuck, no one has PBS. Literally nobody has PVN. Isn't that mad that a company like like Nokia and BlackBerry, the two like arguably biggest phone companies |
| Ben Clymer | just yeah did? I mean uh think of like Kodak. You know I mean Kodak was everything like twenty years ago, thirty years ago and now it's it's it's a shell. I say that because I'm from Rochester, which is where Kodak we used to be. And it is literally a shell. Yeah. I mean they they like they they sell like kind of like fun, kitschy like film cameras like for for Instagram. They're like Gigi Hadid users, you know, and stuff like that. Um I have a |
| Ed Sheeran | c I have a question for you because I get asked this question all all the time from friends who are now and this is less less for me and more for more for people uh watching and for me to tell mates when when they ask. So everyone's all obviously watches there's a big thing now, people there's a boom, people are getting into them. Uh what is for you if someone's gonna enter in to the watch game and they get an automatic wha what do they do? 'Cause I've been telling people go Seiko okay first. But what would be your So we're I mean I think it depends on on what price point |
| Ben Clymer | of course but I think I'm saying like five hundred to a grand. It's Seiko. A hundred percent. I mean you know Jack Forrester you know wrote an amazing story about like basically a ninety nine dollar Seiko that you can get on Amazon. Automatic. Uh it's it might be manual, but I actually think it is automatic. I forget the reference. Um but you can buy wonderful Seiko's for less than $200, $300. And that that's absolutely the place to start. From there, I mean I think Hamilton field washes are great. You get that kind of cool rugged thing. Those can be hand-wound on a NATO strap. Like they look badass, you know. And then you get into the the Tissos and Longine. We did a collaboration with Elongine that I think is great, you know, for 2000 bucks with a chronometer. But I think like as you get into kind of like higher end stuff I think tech hoyer is great. But if you're gonna have like one watch and I'm completely biased because this is where I began, it's it's a speed master man. You know it's like the thing went to the fucking moon. You know it's like and that's that's a real story and it's like that plus like you know hand wound chronograph on a bracelet like you know tom hanks wears one like it's it's an it's an icon you know and it's also I love the Daytona just like everybody else it's less than half the price of the Daytona and you can get it. You know, and it's like, is it it ever gonna be worth? I've never got one. I've never got one. I can't change that. No, it's uh probably we should change that. So we talked about Nautilus, what other in the Patek world? Like, what was your holy grail Patek and have you gotten it |
| Ed Sheeran | ? Yeah well I guess I guess 5970 I've got a few 5970s um which I think uh same as Nautilus just the way that they fit and sit on the wrist feel perfect. And there for me it's like if I'm going to I will one to my wedding, if I'm going to an award show, it'll be that. But I think gre Grail-wise, I remember uh Kelly got me to do an event for Patek and she was like, I'll I'll I'll get your watch if you if you play it which is kind of why I did it and I I had a look on the website and I didn't really look at any prices or whatever and I I just picked a f uh fifty two oh eight. Oh and she was like, Yeah, I can't do that. I can't and I was like, why not? And she was like, uh she explained the the the whole thing. And anyway for my twenty-seventh birthday I um I went but it was like a process of getting one like you have to you have to be interviewed and be approved. Actually Yeah, actually into like I went to the offices and sat down, got interviewed, talked about it, and then when the watch arrived, I sort of came and they taught me how to use I had like they it was like a whole thing. They put it on a bit of paper. They used the um the the mi minute repeater and there's like you get given gloves with it and it was like a it was like a a thing and then I put a uh a sort of rubber strap on it and I play live with it. And I love it. That's amazing. I love it, yeah. I love it. And so when when you did that, was that here in New York or was that in the UK? That was in New York. And I pla mate, I for for what that watch is, I've worn it. The the music video that I mentioned the 597s uh is a music video called Take Me Back to London and I wore that we went to you know this part of Birmingham we were in the pub with like all these people and it's a watch that you know I've been with American rappers and they've had you know sort of completely iced out watches and they'll kind of take a picture next to it and no one knows what it is and I quite like that that aspect. I actually gave it to John in um uh Japan. I saw him in Japan and uh uh he saw it and he was like oh man you know I could never play on stage with one of them and I was like, why don't you do it tonight? And yeah, he wore it on stage for his gig. In Japan? Yeah, in Japan. That's amazing. Yeah. They're cool. They're cool, man. Yeah. How long did that take to get? That's a question I've always been curious about. I'd say like a year. I'd say like a year, but I don't think they sell a lot of them, so I don't think it's a like demand thing. I think it's a we have two sort of thing. You know, I've seen uh this what who talked who talked about the one on a talking watch? Some someone talked about Tony Fidel. Okay. Yeah. And he does wear his. And I think I think the the cool thing about those is you're more likely to see one of those in the wild than you are to see uh an an I don't know, probably the new Tiffany 5711. I mean you'll see a couple of the Tiffany 5711. You'll see my Instagram a lot. That's the thing. People want to show they got them, but in terms of actually wearing them out, out all the time, like this has a massive dent in the bezel, and like you you you're not gonna you're not gonna get I hope if we do get one we wear them out a lot though. Abs Absolutely. Uh Richard Meal? Ever gone down that uh that road? Yeah, I w yeah, yeah. I I do you know I what I loved about them originally is I like I love a sports watch. I love um something that's light and easy to wear on stage. I bought my first one in twenty twelve, twenty early to early twenty twelve and well. Which is like prehistoric in Richard Mill years. I mean that's like early, early days. Well what buzzed me about them, it was a choice between that or it was a uh I think a Dane is it Danish company Lind L Linda? Yeah. So I wanted to get something with like a you know, easy strap. Linda Verdlin had these um sort of like fabric. Yeah, like cool. And uh I wanted to get something that was light, easy to use on stage and had a Velcro strap, basically. And so I bought this thing and no one knew what it was and it would fly under the radar ever like everywhere. It would just look like I know people say they look like post G Shocks, but you know, I'd fli it would fly under the radar everywhere and I would wear it you know, to I would go out to the pub with my mates with it, I'd I'd play on stage with it, I'd wear it with suits, it would just be this this thing. And then I would say 2018 that started changing and then suddenly it just became this this thing. This thing, yeah, this thing of uh almost it's it's a it's a wealth status symbol now. It's basically just a like oh you've got one of them, you're you're and I just have p really pulled back and like I I'm in a place now where I don't know what to do with the like because if you wear them out it's super dangerous and you know if you I don't want to the one that I bought in 2012 is like one of my favourite watches, it it's the um America edition, like with the with the orange and and black because it my album theme was orange and black like a tiger and so I bought it for that album tour but yeah it's a it's an it's a weird one with the with the br because I'm super happy for the brand obviously that they're they're doing well, but it's just it's now not something that's taking on a new meaning. Yeah, I feel uncomfortable wearing them now. It's like And you're a you. Yeah, no, but no, but even from even from a point of view of like it used to be like watch nerds didn't really get it but they kind of appreciated like the uh materials that were used or the movements that that were in it but I think even watch nerds have like you know, they they'll be like, okay, it's not a it's it's not a classic 57, 11 or whatever. But I think even watch nerds now have kind of pulled back because it's now it's even though they're doing amazing things in in watchmaking and the materials that they're using. I think the use of it as a status, it's the status symbol that's aspect of it has kind of gone above all of that for I don't know. Ye |
| Ben Clymer | ah. Yeah. I would feel uncomfortable wearing one though. Got it. I'm gonna run through some brands. You can say yay or nay. AP you've had. Yes. You're an AP guy. |
| Ed Sheeran | Yeah, well I was. So I had the I had the volcano and that that and that was it for a very, very long time. And then when they brought out the ceramic. Yeah, please. That's what that's what dragged me in. That's what dragged me in. And I've only got two ceramic ones and I wear them a lot on tour. I've I've actually I th Francois wouldn't mind me saying, but I've I tried to convince him to make me one for for tour, like a special one for for tour, because I love I love them. Again, they're light, they're really comfy to wear, they're smooth, they're um great movements. Um and yeah they're just fantastic. But I never really was like super deep with AP before then. Got it. Vas'hron? Ive never owned a Vasharon, no. I've never owned a Vashron. A friend of mine just got one there and they're they're fantastic, yeah. But no, I've never I've never owned one. Okay. Uh Langa. Langa. Oh man, Odesis. Yeah? Odessa, before this, I mean I still I would wear I ba basically in my mind I when I do Germany like I tour Germany I'm there for like two two months and I love Germany. It's like one of my favorite countries. So when I'm in Germany, I'll wear nothing but the, well, it was the it's it's the Odessa. Now I have a few, I have a few langers, but the Odessa for me is it, you know, it's it's the classic steel, it joins the family of steel watches basically. But for me it's the clasp that you can uh make bigger or make it. Right. The micro adjuster. That for me is the I don't know why all watch brands don't do that because human beings fluctuate. I fluctuate a lot. If I'm in a hot country and I've drunk a lot, my wrist gets fat. And this gets uncomfortable, I take it off. I would put I would put on the s the Hedenki swatch. Yeah. And uh but having a watch that you can just go and make it like I mean it's great it's great and they look they look online not great but in person they're so cool they're so cool. Because they they took a little bit of heat when that came out. People like eh not so sure about this. But I think it's the same as we're saying for the code um code 1159, I think like you can't you can't judge something based on a uh sort of press shot on a website. Ever done a Grand Seiko? No. No, I haven't yet. If you like Japanese things, that's that's a good one. Yeah. Yeah. You've never had an omega either. No, I do I do have an omega. I this this sounds weird. So I I'm bang into James Bond, like really, really really, really sad. I get it, yeah. And uh I um my f I didn't drive and then I got driving lessons when I was twenty-five and my- Well you didn't learn how to drive. I learned to drive when I was twenty-five and my first car was a uh DB11. But with the DB eleven I bought a uh uh the Bond Seamaster from uh from uh Skyfor. Yeah. Um or Spectre. Spector or Skyfor no it's spec Spectre. So that's that's my my Omega that that I've got. What did you think of the last film? I liked it. I really liked it. Yeah, I really liked it. I was uh approached to do the song for it before basically Danny Boyle was doing it before and I'd just done a movie with the with with Danny Bohr so we were sort of starting to work on this and then I don't think the scripts worked or whatever so then it sort of segued into another thing but the film he was going to do was really different and this I could I I liked it. I really liked it. I don't know. I think story wise it worked that he had a daughter, but I think if they were gonna do a new James Bond film, it could have been cool if his son was called James and then suddenly there's another James Bond who's an orphan kind of thing, you know? If it oh shit, I shouldn't be giving that away. James James Bond dies. How about that |
| Ben Clymer | ? It was a little I I didn't know he was going to die. I was like, whoa, James Bond just died. I me |
| Ed Sheeran | an that was like a big moment. Yeah. I mean I liked I liked the movie. I I have a a a a lot of people that I know that that didn't like it, yeah. I actually uh I tried to get the um Marlon Brando uh uh one from Apocalypse Now when it was up. Did you really? I just didn't assume it would go for that much. I was like, it's quite a niche thing. Who so I I remember I I sort of inquired and made a first bid and they were like, oh no |
| Ben Clymer | , no. Yeah, no, no joke. No, no, no. Yeah, no. It's uh the the watch auction world is a whole nother conversation. I mean that is just it's outrageous at this point. Ye |
| Ed Sheeran | ah. Yeah. I mean, but yeah, that's I mean I I love I what I love every year is the um is the only watch because it's kind of every brand sort of tries to outcool each other with yeah, no totally. Yeah. When they put out the titanium fifty two oh eight, that was the that was the peak. Yeah, that's a good one for sure. |
| Ben Clymer | Do you know who has that? Titani uh I could take a guess. I d I don't know for sure, but I I you know a few in the WhatsApp apps so you could find it for sure. Yeah, I know what I know where the titanium five thousand four is. Right. Yeah, that's a good one. That is a good one, yeah. Because that was also before before like watches got I mean they were crazy, but like I think you pay like two or three million bucks for that. Now it would be like 10. So what do you think of the ne thew new uh is it i is it a 2404 the the new version of the 5204 5204 what what do you think of that it's it's it's not my favorite I I love uh uh uh five thousand four and I know I mean John is like the king of 5004s. Um I think those are great. Um 5204 doesn't sit super well on on my wrist. Because of the size. Yeah. Yeah. And something about the architecture of it just doesn't work. Like I think another watch that I've mentioned to you earlier, like the the 5270, I love, and people talk a lot of shit about that watch because it's not the 5970. I think it's a really good watch. |
| Ed Sheeran | So I don't know why people talk shit on it. I think probably because it's not the manual movement. I think that's probably the only reason. But I I mean it it yeah, it kind of does exactly the same thing |
| Ben Clymer | . It does, and I think like for for me, like the 5970 I've I've had and and I love that, but like I tend to think of the things that like identify with me and then my life. And like when the 5970 was out, I couldn't afford it, clearly, you know, I had no chance of getting that. And so like when the 5270 P came out, I was like, like, this is the perpetual in platinum of my lifetime, like the one where like I'm in the moment. And so I was able to get one. And I'm I I I wear that watch all the time. I I I love it. And I think with time that's gonna do really well. I think all those, like because Nautilus is so hot, I think the the classical watches are gonna start to come back. 50, 70p, I really |
| Ed Sheeran | May I think Cala Trava's in a big way. Like I'm seeing more and more of them on on on people. There's like a gre a grey faced Calachrava that's ri yeah, really beautiful. Yeah. |
| Ben Clymer | What's the most random watch you bought in the past twelve months? |
| Ed Sheeran | Oh I got given my friend Johnny gave me a uh uh a Heinz watch. It's like a yeah, it's a h it's uh it was an American com I think maybe it's Hamilton. Uh but it's from it's really small, it's probably like thirty-six millimeters and it's uh manual wound. That's cool. And the um second hands is a Heinz ketchup box. Oh Heinz ketchup bottle? I was like running through like what is Heinz? Well 'cause I did a I did so I don't really do brand endorsements. That's like also I just don't know if anyone would buy anything if I was recommending it. Do you know what I mean? Like if I was selling perfume, would you buy it? Well probably not. But um but I always like I'm obsessed with ketchup and uh I always said if I did anything I'd do a Heinz ketchup advert. And I got in touch with them because they don't really do adverts with celebs in it. It's usually just random shit. I said, would you do one? And uh now I've like I've done one, I'm just about to do another one. That that's a really cool gift. What do you mean you're obsessed with ketchup? What does that mean? Well I mean I would have ketchup on the things that people would frown for me to have ketchup with. Such as? Well, I think you know, I would not have it on a slice of pizza until I got to the crust and then I might put the crust in ketchup. I really love ketchup. I like ketchup. I've eaten it with apples. I've uh you know, I have it in pasta. In pasta? Well it just depends, man. Like it's I mean it's a bit different now. Like I can kind of cook, but when I was young. I mean I grew I grew up with my brother and we ate a lot of like we were vegetarian when we were younger and there wasn't great vegetarian food then as there is now and ketchup just spiced it up a little bit you know you have a fucking a burger that's grey and you put some ketchup on it and you eat it and tastes good and then yeah, I I think think I'll probably um Kikuchi Nakagawa have made two watches uh and I think every watch that they bring out I'll probably get I've got one coming from Roger. I basically said to him like a bunch of stuff I knew that he'd never made before. Right. And I was like, would you make a watch that's this, this, this and this? And he was originally like, I don't know, I don't know. And uh I think he's gonna do it. So I won't I won't go into too much detail, but we can do a thing on it when it comes, but it's definitely like the first of its kind, Roger Smith. Um so yeah, there's that. And uh a uh a Bamford um I got oh actually that's something to talk about. I used to I mean Bamf uh George doesn't really do it as much anymore but well he used to customize anything for me. He used to like I used to go in and uh I mean I say used to he still kind of does on the on the stuff but um with Bamford I mean he's uh there'll be a lot of actual um real watch nuts that will think it's a sin to do this by not at all, man. For um first of all, George is the nicest human being on earth. Yeah, yeah, for sure. But but but if you take like a Nautilus and I like I c I completely map map blacked it and uh but it's cool. I like it. I like it. I want to show you this. Okay. This is what I gave um everyone at the end of tour. Oh wow. These are the these watches are amazing, right? Tutors are just the best. They really are. I made big pilots for all of my um me and my tour promoters and my manager for when I played Wembley Stadium and I gave it to my um my friend and he just never wore it. He never wore it. So I never really thought about getting him a watch again, and then when we finished the tour, I gave him this one and he wore it every day until the day he dies, yeah. But um, I think the big the big pilot is one that is not I think there should be more of a boom on that. I think they're just they're just such great I think because of the size of them people don't really go for people get scared as much. But they're great, great watches. I bought the the uh for my twenty second birthday um I bought a Muhammad Ali one. Do you remember that? I And that's that wore for like the entirety of a tour. Yeah. And then I have this the the Wembley one, which I wear every time I play Wembley basically. It's like my the watch. Yeah, IWC in |
| Ben Clymer | general. And we did that collab with them, obviously. Like it's yeah, thank you for that. Well, yeah, well, of course. It's it's a great brand, and it does feel like it. You know, when when I'm in a previous life, I used to work at a like in like business, like finance shit. It was always considered the anti-Rolex. Like if you're a young guy 25 year years old and you don't get a Rolex, you get an IWC Portuguese or a Big Pilot or something like that. It just it's it's still a strong brand, obviously, but it does feel like there's a lot of opportunity there |
| Ed Sheeran | . Yeah. Well I think I think almost the reason why people love it then and now is as I said, like uh well I bought for all of my mates 30ths, I bought them all watches based on their personalities or whatever. And uh two of the people that I was buying for are not materialistic people at all and they would feel really uncomfortable having something that was worth even more than $200 on on their wrist and I bought one of them a it was 34 millimeter IWC and like a a tiny tiny pilot one and one of them are thirty nine and they wear them every single day and don't even question they don't look expensive, they don't question it. They they don't mind knocking them about. They go hiking with them, they go swimming with them, they go fucking skydiving with them and they're just great. I think they're just great. They're as as you say they're the anti-roics, but I think they're almost the anti everything. It's not uh anti-hype watch. Yeah, but but it's just uh what you're saying about the Hamilton watches. They're just a it's just a everyday knock around. Cool thing. Yeah. Yeah, for |
| Ben Clymer | sure. Dude, Ed, I really appreciate the time. This is amazing. This is great. We'll get you some time for tal |
| Ed Sheeran | king watches? Yes. Yes. Some time? Some time. If I do to the what I don't want to do on Talking Watches is is basically just go and here Here's all the shit I buy. Here's all the shit I w I would love to I'd love to bring on the Roger Smith, I'd love to bring the Kaguchi Nakagawa but I'll show you um some of the piece unique stuff and um I would I will show you everything if you want to. I know I would love to see it. Thank you so much. Appreciate it. Nice one. Thank you |