Matt Hranek And Even More New Watches¶
Published on Mon, 11 May 2020 10:00:13 +0000
We find comfort in cooking, creating, and enjoying vintage mechanical things.
Synopsis¶
This episode of Hodinkee Radio features a wide-ranging conversation about watches and lifestyle during the COVID-19 pandemic. The episode begins with hosts Stephen Pulvirent, Jack Forster, and John Kessler discussing the avalanche of new watch releases from the past week, including special editions from Audemars Piguet for Yoshida, Cartier's fine watchmaking collection, independent releases from De Bethune and Urwerk, and a Queen of Naples with grand feu enamel from Breguet. They also discuss hands-on experiences with all-black executions of the Bulgari Octofinissimo and Zenith Chronomaster Revival Shadow.
The main segment features Stephen's conversation with Matt Hranek, founder of WM Brown magazine. Matt discusses life at his upstate New York farm during quarantine, his love of cooking and finding comfort in the kitchen, and how he's producing a travel-centric lifestyle magazine during a global lockdown. They discuss Matt's approach to connecting watches with places and memories, his upcoming book 'A Man and His Car' (the follow-up to 'A Man and His Watch'), and his collaboration with Serica on the WWW watch. The episode concludes with Cole Pennington reflecting on how working from home has reconnected him with his personal watch collection and reminded him of the joy of wearing watches for oneself rather than for others.
Links¶
Transcript¶
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| Unknown | For me, watches often dictate memory of place. You know, it's like, oh, uh a submariner on a boat in the Bahamas, uh a gold watch at a sexy casino in Monte Carlo, you know, a cane chair and some driving gloves with a coffee and then suddenly it's you know Cartier drivewatch. That bit of editorial storytelling was a little bit about fantasy and a little bit about how do we make these connections to the place |
| Unknown | . Hey everybody, I'm your host Stephen Polveran and this is Hodinki Radio. This week we're gonna bring back a Hodinki Radio fan favorite, Mr. Matt Hranick. Whether you subscribe to his magazine, the WM Brown magazine, or you simply follow him on Instagram, you'll know that Matt is typically a globetrotting, crowd-enjoying kind of guy. He's never in the same place for very long. Now, obviously that's not the case these days, but that doesn't mean that Matt's not finding ways to enjoy his time while he's at his farm in upstate New York. We talk about how he's structuring his days around cooking for his family, what it's like to be producing a travel-centric lifestyle magazine during a global lockdown, and the comfort that we both find in old mechanical things. It was great catching up with an old friend I haven't gotten to see in a while, and as usual, Matt's a ton of fun and has lots of wisdom to share. Before that though, we brought on Jack and John to talk about the avalanche of new watches that have come out this past week. The watches just keep rolling in. We cover a lot of ground this week, talking about a trio of pieces from Cartier's fine watchmaking program, a few independent releases from the likes of Debatune and Erwork, and a new take on a ladies' watch from Brigade that honestly I'm pretty into. And then to finish this week's show, we've got our own Cole Pennington talking about the watches that he's been wearing while he's been working from home and what they've taught him about his watch collection overall. It's a really great meditation on what collecting means and what it can bring to your life. I think you're gonna love it. So without further ado, let's do this |
| Unknown | hey guys how's it going? I'm doing good. How about you, Jack? Oh nothing to complain of. Um you know, except things that I can't do anything about, so I'm not gonna complain about them. Clas |
| Unknown | sic. Yeah. Um somehow the watch world has been as busy as busy as ever. I I I keep finding myself having these conversations with friends and and with colleagues in other industries or related industries. And you know everybody's like, oh, you know, things I'm I'm kind of bored, like I'm getting kind of antsy, I'm ready to get back to it. And I'm I keep finding myself being like, Wait, did did anything slow down? You know, like I'm I'm working from my kitchen table, but other than that, it's we we've been working at a pretty quick clip here. |
| Unknown | I mean I feel like it's been pedaled to the metal for the last two we weeks and uh still can't take our feet off the gas. It's uh it's pretty wild |
| Unknown | . Yeah, I mean I think uh just it it it it this whole uh situation, this whole pandemic just kind of happened right in the midst of uh you know, what was what is normally the our trade uh our trade show season and it it seems like the releases have just come come as they normally would. Uh we're just covering them from h |
| Unknown | ome. Yeah, exactly. Um so you know we we had Watches and Wonders now two weeks ago, which I can't believe that was two weeks ago. Um, then we had a slew of sort of post Watches and Wonders releases. And then this past week we've gotten another round of them. They just they just keep coming in. So I thought it'd be fun to get you guys on the show and talk through uh some some of the releases from this week and then uh we'll go through some of the hands-on stories that you guys have been have been cranking out as well. I think there's some really interesting watches and in particular there are two watches that you guys wrote about that I think make kind of an interesting uh interesting pair. They're both like all black watches from major LVMH brands. So we'll get to that and then we've got a little bit of a preview of something from Jack that uh folks listening to this on Monday when it's released, uh we'll have to wait a day or two to see, but we'll we'll have a little preview. So |
| Unknown | before we jump into it, um I think uh had things not uh gone a little bananas uh yesterday would have been the last day of Basel World. Wow. Oh wow. That's crazy. Yeah. Which I think is part of the reason why we're still seeing um you know a fair number of releases coming out. Uh probably a lot of brands had communication calendars that were still a little bit, you know, tied to the show. But it is kind of crazy to think that uh you know, we'd probably be irritably flying home from Switzerland right about now. Yeah |
| Unknown | , that's uh that's that's exactly where we would be. Um all all very ready for naps. Um which to be honest I could do with anyway, |
| Unknown | but we heard this morning, uh just this morning that um Basel World uh twenty twenty one is uh is scrubbed |
| Unknown | . Yeah, that's true actually. Yeah, that's uh that's that's a a bit of news that you know we we're gonna cover more in depth next week uh or or maybe the week after we're gonna have a an in-depth conversation with Joe about kind of how this happened and and what it means. Uh we're still kind of piecing it together. The news literally broke overnight. Um I think it's safe to say that this year is a transitional year and I think uh next year we're gonna see a very a very different approach to uh watch releases. Yeah, yep. Cool. So let's get into the releases because we've actually got a ton of watches here to talk about. So uh over the weekend um in in the uh new method uh that they seem to be utilizing for dropping watches, um a watch mysteriously appeared on the Autumn RPG website again. And I happened to see it via a friend's Instagram. I promise I'm not just like checking AP's website every morning, although maybe maybe I should be. But um the watch in question actually comes in two variations. Uh it's a new jumbo royal oak, so it's Royal Oak extra thin, 39 millimeter, exactly what you're you're used to. Um, but it comes in platinum or rose gold, including the bracelet. Uh and, then it has a smooth glossy black dial with diamond hour markers. Uh, and it's a limited edition for Yoshida, uh, which is one of the major retailers in Japan. Uh, and I believe it's 70 pieces in in each metal. Um this watch is super hot |
| Unknown | . Yeah, it's uh in we've seen a few of these like limited editions dropping specifically for Yoshida, right? Like they they seem to be getting like a lot of like the really cool new watches as exclusives. |
| Unknown | Yeah, it's uh it's it's an interesting thing to do. It's an interesting partnership. I mean these watches were these watches were obviously created in partnership with and based on feedback from uh Yoshida. Uh so you know a, a lot of what we're seeing is um uh you know, it's what uh it's what they feel their clients want. Um these are Japan only. Um I think it's actually seventy for the platinum and thirty for the rose gold, which uh seems a little bit uh backwards but that's the way it is. And the uh the dials are actually black onyx. And um you know there was like there was some there was there was some pushback in the comments because a uh a diamond dial royal oak is not a lot of people's idea of a royal oak nowadays. I mean, you know, people think of jumbo and the you know the stereotype jumbo that everybody wants is of course you know steel jumbo with a tapissary dial, but there's precedent for this sort of thing. Um I mean jumbos were made with um non-rectangular non-baton diamond indexes as far back as the nineteen seventies. So it's not like this is something that AP hasn't done before. And you know, while diamond dials on uh you know quote unquote men's watches are something that uh you know certainly not everybody's brand of vodka, not only is there historical precedent for it, I think that's I think they're both objective |
| Unknown | Yeah, I totally agree. I mean per personally this platinum one, uh platin platinum royal oak, black onyx dial diamond indexes, like I I I'm hard pressed to think of a cooler watch than that honestly. Like that is that is just so unabashedly in your face just goodness. Um but I actually like that like there's no diamonds on the bezel. The diamond markers are are you know all things considered relatively small. Like they're in proportion with the dial. They don't look like you know whoever's wearing this is trying to scream like look at me, I have diamonds. Yep. Um and I would say I, mean, you two definitely have have encountered these before, but like for anybody listening, if you haven't seen a platinum royal oak on a bracelet, like not one on a strap, but a real platinum royal oak with a platinum bracelet, find a way to see one. Uh it is it is a thing of beauty. Um the way that platinum takes the the royal oak finishing, those edges on the bracelet links, the the brushing on top, it's so beautiful. Uh and you know one, of my favorite Royal Looks I've ever seen is a watch. It's a perpetual that Giulio Poppy wears, and it's his daily wearer. And it's a bi-metal watch, but it has a platinum bezel uh and the bezel is completely destroyed. It's super chewed up, scratched, nicked, you know, there there are chunks taken out of it. It's it's beat up. Yeah. Uh and it's one of the coolest watches I've ever seen. Uh and I think this watch beat up a little bit could look really cool |
| Unknown | . It's just it's one of those watches that I I kind of doubt that I that I will uh be able to see in person, certainly anytime soon, just because you know it's like Japan exclusive and it's so there's so few of them being made. But um uh I I'm willing to bet just based on like you know the the the photographs that AP took uh that those diamonds are gonna |
| Unknown | Yeah, with a you know with a watch like this I always kind of like to imagine the sort of person that I would have to be in order to wear it. And for some reason the whole time I was writing about it, I was thinking of there's a there's a not a very well-known James Bond story in which he's talking to a guy who's a you know, uh a lovable rogue in a somewhat sketchy business who still you know kinda has a heart of gold. Uh and he says to the guy, Listen, I'm not so sure I should work with you, uh my dad once told me that any business that pays more than fifty percent profit uh and is not conducted during daylight hours uh is one that a smart man should avoid. Uh your business pays close to one thousand percent profit and is conducted exclusively at night. And I feel like that guy would wear the that platinum watch. |
| Unknown | I love that. That's great. Um awesome. Yeah, I think uh I think it's it's safe to say we could probably babble about how much we all like these watches uh till the cows come home. So I I think we'll we'll move on here. But uh yeah I was I was you know both not shocked and a little shocked at the the negative sentiments in the comments, but I I don't know. I'm I'm purely in the fan camp here. Me too. Um, let's go to something that's kind of the opposite end of the spectrum here. Um, Jack dug up this uh sort of miniature capsule collection of new Cartier releases. It's a trio of of three really extremely complicated watches uh in in Rose Gold. So one of them is a Turbion Perpetual Calendar Minute Repeater, one is a Mystery Turbion Minute Repeater, and one is a mystery watch, um, a skeletonized mystery watch. Um this this kind of harkens back to an era of Cartier watchmaking that we haven't seen for a couple of years now, something that I I think was known for Cartier fine watchmaking. Um Jack, do you want to give people some some context for what this is? I know the three of us were all kind of around as as this experiment happened, but uh it's something I think a lot of people just don't know about. |
| Unknown | Yeah, actually um so these three watches were part of a larger group called the Cartier Fine Watchmaking Collection, which ran more or less between two thousand eight and two thousand eighteen. Um and it was what Cartier brought out when they uh stopped doing the first uh Cartier Privé collection stuff. So um typically they were extremely complicated watches. A lot of them were kind of riffs on the Cartier mystery clocks. They were sort of wristwatch versions of versions of the Cartier mystery clocks. And um they were elaborately complex, uh extremely expensive, almost all of them in Reton de Cartier cases, all of them, I think all of them over 42 millimeters if I remember correctly. And um, you know, they were astonishing things to see. Um there were the the I think part of the reason that um Cartier decided to dial back on the communication on them in twenty eighteen was uh simply because they felt that too much attention was being uh put on products that maybe didn't necessarily represent the core core Cartier wristwatch values that are represented better better by watches like you know, like the tank and the Santos Dumont uh you know, this uh this year we have the Pasha. So I think it's significant repositioning for Cartier that they're foregrounding uh the new Preve collection over the last few years. And these are a little bit in the background. And I was sort of sad to see these uh fall off the radar because I just thought they were uh absolutely ingenious watches mechanically. And they have been out of the spotlight for long enough now that I think there's uh you know people who have come into um an interest in cardia andc fine watchingmak in the last few years aren't even necessarily aware that they exist, but um uh they're they're super, super interesting watches and uh almost all of them represent uh new mechanical solutions uh to watch making problems that were never really seen before. So I was I was thrilled to see them on Cartier's uh watchmaking encounters platform, which was uh their digital platform that they la |
| Unknown | unched in conjunction with Watches and Wonders twenty twenty this year. I think the first time I saw these in person, actually I know the first time I saw these in person was at an event that uh Cartier hosted a number of years ago. It was probably 20, I guess might have been 2012, 2013, um, at the the old Cartier Mansion in in New York. So before the remodel. And Jack, I know you were there. Um John, I don't think you were there. There were like maybe three or four people. They did it in in a bunch of different groups. I think you might have been in a different group. Okay. Um and uh they basically showed us these watches and you got a lot of time kind of like one-on-one with them. And they had uh Carol Forcia Kasapi who's the the brilliant brilliant watchmaker uh who was in charge of of developing these pieces um and leading this effort uh and she was there to kind of like walk you through them. And I remember seeing these pieces and a piece called the Astro Turbion, which I don't know if you guys remember. Oh, I do remember that, yeah. Turbon with like concentric perpetual calendar indicators around it. Oh, you're thinking of the wild. |
| Unknown | Uh yeah, yeah. Yes. Yes, thank you. Nicely done. Um I mean I should remember that. Uh they actually did a uh they did a traveling global exhibition uh of both vintage uh you know of uh Cartier watches mystery clocks from the late 1800s going all the way up to the fine watchmaking collection. I think this was um uh maybe two thousand twelve also. And uh I actually wrote the catalogue for that exhibition. So Okay. If I was there an Astro Turbion though that that name does sound like really familiar |
| Unknown | . Oh absolutely. There was there was there definitely was an astro turbion. Um they were unlike anything I'd ever seen. Uh and they I agree with you, Jack, like they didn't in a certain way feel very Cartier. Um but they're they're crazy, crazy watch making |
| Unknown | . Yeah. I can't I I can't remember when I first encountered these watches, but I it was probably at like SAHH some year. And I just I distinctly remember, you know, there were a string of years when uh these kinds of watches were like a focus, uh a big focus of the uh SIHH Cartier presentation. Um and then I guess you know the decision was made to focus more on um uh more commercially uh viable I or not I wouldn't be viable, but more like mainstream commercial product. I mean like for example last year we saw one of the coolest watches was like a quartz uh you know Santos Dumont. Um I couldn't think of a more opposite kind of uh spin on Cartier but yeah |
| Unknown | Yeah, I think it's the kind of thing where you have to be kind of um you you have to be sort of constitutionally susceptible to being fascinated by mechanical ingenuity to, you know, get into them. The thing about a mystery clock is you look through a mystery clock and, you know, you can see the other side of the room. The problem with the mystery watch is you put it on and you can uh you can see, you know, your your your your wrist. Um you know it's kind of it's kind of like you've developed this incredibly sophisticated telescope and you you know, you train it on the surface of Mars for the first time and you see the Martian equivalent of a McDonald's. You know, it's like the inst the the the instrument is the instrument is more interesting than the final view. But I just I just I love these things. I mean, you know, I love the the ID one of the ID two concept watches. And uh you know I was I was very pleasantly surprised uh to see these uh on the Cartier watch mon watchmaking uh watch encounters digital platform. Um it just put a smile on my face |
| Unknown | . Yeah. I'm I'm hoping we see a little bit more of this. You know, I'm I'm I'm you know vocally a huge supporter of of the Santos, the Santos Dumont. Even even I really like the drive ultra flats that they did a couple years ago. Um, I know some people have mixed feelings about those, but I I really like them. Um but I think this this brings another like fun side to Cartier and it shows that like, yes, they can make design icons, but they can also flex when they when they need to on the watchmaking side. For sure. And you know, you've got to imagine that some of the RD that goes into producing stuff like this makes its way into the, you know, lower and more accessible in-house movements that that show up in these other pieces. So I think it's it's probably a good thing for Cartier all around. I agree. Let's go to a couple other like unusual pieces. You know, we saw some some funky stuff get released. Uh maybe not in this vein, but uh we had new introductions from both Debatune and Erwork uh this week. Um you know, Jack, this will be the third story in a row of yours we're gonna uh gonna touch on. But uh I have nothing else to do. I know man, you're you're cranking this stuff out, but uh tell us about the Debatune uh DB28 XP, which is a uh 10 Yeah, you know, it's it's funny. Um |
| Unknown | I w I I wouldn't say that I have mixed feelings about Day Bethune because I don't. Um I actually really, really love their watches. I love their watch making. There's some of their pieces that I find um you know absolutely irresistible. Um the pretty much anything with that um uh 3D moon phase uh display that they have is astonishing. So what we have what we have here in the D B28 XP. So the D B twenty eight's been around for 10 years, and this is a uh a 10 10th year anniversary uh extra flat uh celebration of D B twenty eight. And um it looks uh I mean it photographs and in person, it's just it's just kinda it's just an extraordinary watch. Um it's very, very thin. Um it has all of the things that you sort of associate with Daebathoon. You've got that uh you know kind of Star Trek insignia uh you know, central plate with micro light polishing and uh the um the escapement and the balancer on display. My first recol recollection of Day Bethune as, you know, sort of a died in the wall mechanics nerd was uh there was a while there in you know, in the mid uh mid 2000s where it seemed like they were coming out with a new patent and a dramatically different a new kind of combination of balance spring and escapement every five minutes. I mean they have a lot of you know, patents to their credit. And it was just this sort of exuberant exploration of all of the different possibilities um that you could explore if you were interested in refining the most basic organ of the watch, which is the oscillating system. And um you know, to this day, uh I can I can't think of I can think of maybe two or three other brands that were that aggressively investigative about that aspect of the watch. And that combined with their really, really um, I think unique um design language, uh made it made Debatune um, you know, uh c I mean really a critic's darling and I think a lot of enthusiasts gravitated to them as well. Uh simply because i they weren't just coldly technical watches. They were watches that somehow managed to take what's exciting about technical watch making and translate that into a design language and an aesthetic vision that uh you know really wasn't like anything anybody else had. And I think that uh the uh DB28 XP um it's just it's just a delicious watch |
| Unknown | . And my God, those articulated lugs uh the way they the way they kind of like flex on your wrist if you've you know have you guys ever like tried these on um this watch? Oh yeah. Yeah yeah. Yeah. It is it is just like it is one of the the coolest watches to put on your wrist. And I typically don't gravitate toward um more out there kind of designs. Um but there's something about Debatun that um I mean kind of like from the first moment I ever saw one of these watches or even a picture of it, I kind of fell in love |
| Unknown | . Yeah, there's certain aspects of machinery that it's just kind of it's really just It's like sitting in a gulling Mercedes and closing the door. |
| Unknown | I I find myself every time I put a debit thune on my wrist trying to like rationalize it to myself. It's one of those watches I I see it and I like it so much, and then I put it on my wrist and I try to talk myself into it. Like maybe maybe I could be the kind of person who could wear one of these. Like maybe I wouldn't look a little bit insane walking around with like a 45mm bright polished titanium articulated lug, like blued moon phase, whatever on my wrist. Like, maybe maybe I could pull this off. Um, which I no, I've never quite gotten all the way there, but uh I think it says something about like how cool and enticing they are as as little like art objects and little little mechanical works uh that I find myself like wanting to change myself to make it work. |
| Unknown | Oh yeah. I mean it's um it's defin I don't think it's a watch that I could get away with wearing on a daily basis. You know, either I'm I'm you know too too old and frazzled and grumpy. Um but I I still you know I still like it an awful lot. And um you know this this science fiction kind of vibe that it has, it's not it's not overstated, but it's definitely there, you know. Um uh for all you Star Wars fans out there, I feel like uh you know, if you saw an advertisement for this watch in the Star Wars univer universe at the bottom it would say, you know, in in discreet uh you know, sanserif caps as worn by the Royal Court of Naboo |
| Unknown | . You know, it's funny, I was reading your story this morning, Jack, and I saw you linked out to something that James wrote about a a a different take on this uh on this watch, like a different like a a dive watch variation uh that came out um a bit earlier. And I th I and I I think he uh he closed by, you know, saying something about how a watch like this appeals to him uh in a similar way that like a a supercar uh appeals to the five year old inside him and and I think that was also very apt. That's that's kind of how I view this watch I would say |
| Unknown | . Yep. Yeah. Uh let's let's jump over to the other independent that we had had launched something this week, uh which is another brand that I I constantly find myself trying to talk myself into uh which is Urwork uh and this introduction actually came in the shop journal from our our friends over in the Hodinky shop uh but I I wanted to talk about it anyway. Uh this is the Urwork UR100 in yellow gold. Um yellow gold urwork. Like that's all I have to say. Like yellow gold urwork. How awesome is that |
| Unknown | ? Yeah, I th I mean uh I happen to love this particular uh complication. You know, it's the one that shows uh basically how many miles the uh I forget if they use miles or kilometers. I think it's kilometers actually, uh the Earth rotates um at the equator um over tw uhenty minute I think over twenty minute intervals. And it's based on as a complication, it's actually based on a clock that was made in the I believe the late 1800s, which was purchased by uh the father of one of Deb Bethune's founders, and that clock is in their office in Geneva. And um I the first time I visited their office, I was taking pictures of some of the clocks that were there when I came to that one. You know, I I consider myself reasonably good at figuring horological stuff out after all these years. But I looked at it and I was like, what the hell is this thing measuring? Um and uh Felix Baumgartner was there and he sort of explained the whole thing to me. And I had as a passing thought, wow, wouldn't that make a cool wristwatch and thought no more about it? And then a few years later, lo and behold, there it was as a wristwatch. And I kind of love this one in gold, you know. Um I mean the shop team did a great job in terms of um you know visually styling it. There's there's there is something about the yellow gold that makes you uh sort of think of solar cycles and you know connects you to the motion of the sun across the sky and the motion of the earth around the sun. And uh I just I love it |
| Unknown | . Yeah, I totally I totally agree with you, Jack. Like to me, this this works on like a poetic level and it also just aesthetically, like there's there's a lot of yellow gold surface area here and the the way they finished it with the like circular brushing on top. It's it's unlike anything else. Like again, I I find myself looking at this watch and saying like how can I be the sort of person who can get away with wearing this because I just feel like my life would be so much cooler with this watch a part of it, you know? You should give yourself a chance, man. Yeah let's let's see. When we get back to the office maybe I'll go uh go upstairs and uh give give it a little try. Uh alright, the last the last watch introduction I want to talk about this week is the complete opposite end of the spectrum, but I I think we have to mention it, is uh Brigade released uh a Queen of Naples uh with a grandfu enamel dial. That's the first time they've done that, which is strange. It feels like a thing that should have always existed, but uh there we have it. But uh it's really nice. I mean the Queen of Naples is a polarizing design. Some people love it, some people hate it. I think it's interesting. I'm not sure quite which side of the line I ultimately fall on, but uh this this feels like kind of like the right execution to me. I |
| Unknown | I don't know. How do you guys feel about it? I think the dial is quite nice. And I'm I |
| Unknown | Yeah, I think they did a wonderful job with the dial on this one. Um you know, you have uh especially on the ones numerals and we you know we talk about this in the store, you have that wonderful elongated um uh you know super super thin stroke and the curvature is so beautifully controlled. Uh I mean just as a just as a piece of enamel dial work. I mean you you expect that from Brigade, you expect top level execution for dial work. But still it's worth I think it's worth calling out when you see it. And uh I have always been a big fan of the Queen of Naples watches. You know, I mean, the the history has been repeated, you know, quite a few times, but um you know Carolyn Murat, uh who was Queen of Naples for not that long a period of time, I think it was something like eighteen thirteen to eighteen eighteen, is that possible? Just a few years? Uh |
| Unknown | I love that you even maybe know that. Like I'm not gonna fact check you here, but |
| Unknown | I love that you're even close. I th like I think that I kinda she was related to Napoleon, right? Like she was like a sister or something? She was she |
| Unknown | was she was a sister and she was uh uh she was the the Queen Regent of Naples for for a fairly short period of time, but a huge, huge brigade enthusiast, uh and uh ordered something like uh I think thirty plus watches and clocks, a number of which she gave as gifts. So for a short period of time, you know, she was probably plowing more money into Briet's workshops in Paris than uh just about anybody else. And um he designed for her a I think it was a quarter repeater with a cylinder escapement and a thermometer, and it had this basic shape. And the watch, this is one of the great lost watches of watchmaking. Nobody knows where it is, although I've heard rumors, uh, which I have not tried to follow up, I have to admit, uh, about where it might be today. Uh but so all of the modern Queen of Naples watches are based on that same basic template. And um you know on the wrist I think uh I mean I think they look s extremely elegant. Uh the you know case shape is you know quite unusual and if you're going to wear you know a watch kind of um as much as a you know sort of aesthetic ornament as you are uh you know a timepiece, which let's face it on a certain level that's what a lot of us do. Um I think the Queen of Naples watches are a fantastic way to go. There's something about that egg-shaped case that uh you know, just radiates elegance. Um and uh y I mean, uh as a sort of uh evening watch, I mean, you know, we're not going to many Metgalas these days. Actually I didn't go to many Metgellas at all even before these days. But if you're gonna go, this would be a great watch to wear |
| Unknown | . Yeah, you know you know what for me is one of the unsung uh triumphs of this watch that I I absolutely love is the small ring of diamonds on the inside of the bezel, like it's on like the rehote, like the uh like where the crystal meets the case, they're tiny diamonds, they're they're spaced, you know, relatively far apart. Like they're not butting up against one another. Uh but I would I would love to see in person how that affects how the dial looks. I would imagine it it actually like brightens up the dial. There may be a a sort of functional aspect to this. Um, because otherwise this this egg-shaped case, it has steep sides on the inside and it might actually create shadows on that enamel. And I wonder if the diamonds are serving some sort of functional purpose here. Even if they're not, it's it's cool and it's something I don't think I've ever seen before executed in quite this way. Um and it's like, you know, there was no reason they had to do this, but uh I'm I'm I'm there for it |
| Unknown | . Yeah, yeah, actually it's uh it's funny you sh you should mention it, Steven. It's not a detail that I've seen on I mean I'm sure that somebody else has done it at some point, but it probably happens more in conjunction with watches that are also Pave Diamonds on the dial as well. And uh it's a it's just a great little touch. Ye |
| Unknown | ah. All right. I wanna I wanna make sure we get to the two other things I wanted to talk about today and we're already running a little bit long here, but um you know the the first thing here is you each wrote a a hands-on story this week um with an all black watch that's a variation on something we already know. Um and and I wanted to talk about that quickly. So so Jack, you wrote a hands-on story with the Bulgari Octofinissimo Automat In the black sandblast polished ceramic execution. And John, you did a hands-on with the Zenith uh Chronomaster Revival Shadow. Um so these these are two watches that are are sort of like familiar. They're they're pretty iconic. Uh they use you know movements that we've come come to know, but these are are all black executions. In the in the case of the zenith, it's it's a sort of matte black on a strap uh and in the case of the bulgeri it's it's a highly polished black uh with a bracelet. Um you know maybe Jack let's let's start with you how do you think this execution of the Octofenesimo sort of like changes the game as as it were? Like what does this bring to the party that's that's new and different? Well I don |
| Unknown | 't know Stephen, you know, I mean I think from the comments that people are getting a little tired of hearing me say how much I like the Bulgaria Octofinissimo watches, but eh like the Bulgarioctofinissimo watches |
| Unknown | . I don't see that changing so uh yeah sorry. All all all you guys who are tired of it, you're you're gonna have to find something else. That's that's not changing. Or you know, like you know, |
| Unknown | keep at me. I can take it. Um but I mean uh I'm I'm joking a little bit because the designs uh in general actually seem to be quite popular. Um it's a big commercial success for Bulgaria and uh you know I've said this um a bunch of times on the site but I'll say it again. These have watches uh you know the Bulgaria Octofenissimo watches watches have not been around for all that long. This is actually a relatively new collection. Um you know, in uh if you look at it in watchmaking years, which I think are kind of the opposite of dog years. Um and uh it really feels like a classic design that has long been a part of the modern watchmaking landscape, in spite of the fact that it's new. So this is the second more polished version of an existing uh Octofenissimo automatic that we've seen this year. There was the steel one and uh which came out earlier and uh then this one. b Andoth of those in their original versions had this sort of matte sandblasted finish, which gave the watches very cool kind of, you know, postmodern, you know, walking through the dark, shadowy streets of a post-apocalyptic metropolis, uh, you know, in a both uh in a world that is both brilliant I wasn't going to say anything, Jack, but we'll we'll let you go. Okay. Uh and these are actu it's funny, these are more the you know, these two, uh this black sandblast polished ceramic one and the steel one. This is a more traditional way to approach watch finishing, in fact. And yet in a funny sort of way, uh it takes these it' the the the more conventional finish actually makes these watches look even more unconventional, at least to me. You know, it's a more so high polishes uh you know just in general. I mean something shiny is more conventionally associated with luxury. But in this case I think it really emphasizes the facets in the case and the sophistication of the case design. And um especially for what Bulgaria is asking for these pieces uh in terms of what's available, you know, in terms of competition, I think you just get so much in terms of you know smart idiosyncratic design. Um ceramic watches, ceramic ultra thin watches can be a little tricky because it's a very light material and if there's a fault that ultra thin watches can have can aesthetically when they're worn, it's they can feel almost a little bit too light for their own good. So that's always a that's always a risk when you do ultra-thin watchmaking with a ceramic. But I think that's actually counterbalanced a little bit in this case. The polishing obviously doesn't add any physical weight but it, adds some visual um not visual mass, but visual weight so to speak, I guess, um to the watch that makes I think that makes it uh feel a little bit more uh actually a little bit more comfortable to wear on the wrist and and in a way more versatile. |
| Unknown | Cool. Yeah, I I I I think I agree. I mean I I tend to be more a bigger fan of the the sort of matte finishes on these and I I think ultimately if, I was going to buy an an octafinissimo, it would not be a a polished version. Um but I agree with you that it really like handling this watch, I got to see it when it was in the office uh for you to to take a look at before we we were all working remotely and uh yeah, it's just like it really you see things about the octofenesimo design that I don't think you would notice otherwise. Yeah, I agree. It's uh um |
| Unknown | this is the f you know, this is the I th there have been other polished versions though, haven't there? Like but not in ceramic? Correct, yeah. Yeah. I mean I I think it's uh I'm I'm in your camp, Steven, that it's uh I I tend to gravitate more toward the matte finishes, but uh I you I think you see a bit more detail in the uh in these polished finishes and um yeah so I mean I guess teach his own in for that but if I'm if I'm buying one I'm probably gonna go for |
| Unknown | uh like a the matte titanium. So so while we're talking about Matt Finishes, I mean that's a nice way to transition John over to the watch you wrote about, uh, which is the the Chronomaster Revival Shadow. Um, can you tell us a little bit about this watch and your your sort of experience with it? Yeah, no, so this is uh a s |
| Unknown | it's a super cool watch. Um b the in its and it comes kind of from what I think is an interesting premise, which is um it's based on a uh a prototype from the early 1970s that Zenith made in that uh I guess uh a number of people within the company um uh Z within the company Zenith were uh remembered, but then they discovered an example of it um at the factory right as they were kind of like ramping up to do all of the uh uh new and exciting activities around the anniversary of uh the El Primero. And they decided that, you know, this was a a watch that was kind of from a similar era and it would be fun to do a tribute to it as well. And so, um, but you know, so but as a watch that had never been made, uh there was no name, there was no reference number, and uh, you know, people's memory of it didn't really exist out in the world, although the Hodinki shop did some some time ago uh sell an example of this prototype. So I I link to it in my story if you want to go take a look at it. Um they had some latitude to to express uh you know to to pay an om uh homage to it in a way that they wanted to. And so what they did was they they took a a fairly similar um case uh which is uh that of the A three eighty four revival, which is itself uh you know a tribute to uh the El Primero um with a much more kind of uh although it came out in 1969, a much more forward-looking into the 70s uh aesthetic um with its angular to no uh shaped case and so now um yeah so, it's basically it's an all-black um uh microblasted uh titanium case um in the shape of this A384. Um I think it's quite visually striking. I love the way the uh the dial, which is a much uh you know, darker uh shade of black, if I can say that, um, contrasts with the uh with the matte finish uh of the case. And um I don't typically go for uh for all black watches. And I think I mentioned this in the article. But um but when they can be made um quite you know legible, I think legibility can be an issue with some of them out there, uh then I will I will consider them. And uh that's definitely the case with this watch as I look at a a picture of it in uh in the article right now. It it really um this is an all black watch that I could see myself going for to be honest. |
| Unknown | It's quite nice. You know you know one of my favorite things about this watch? No date at four thirty. Yep, yeah. And that's four thirty date window is like one of my I mean, I'm I'm okay with date windows. I'm wearing a watch with a date window on it right now. Uh but that date window is at three o'clock. Uh it's not at four thirty. Four thirty drives me nuts. Uh and this this watch just shows like, you know, you put it side by side with the uh A384 revival from from last year. Uh and it's just like, God, the watch is so much better without that date window. The dial's so clean. It's so beautiful. You really get the emphasis of those two larger sub registers. Um, I th I think this design's really beautiful. Uh, Jack, do you do you have any thoughts on this watch |
| Unknown | ? Uh I mean not a whole lot other than that other than that um you know I really like it. I had an opportunity to see uh the prototype in the shop before it was sold and um I think that this one is uh I think it's a really, really interesting watch. Um really really beautiful design. I'm not normally um a fan of all black watches, but uh there's something about the the proportions on this one and the kind of you know, the way that they've really restricted the palette very purely to you know to sort of black black white and grayscale and let uh really let the material speak for itself without trying to um you know play with light too much. It's got a very stripped down utilitarian um you know feel to it. It almost reminds me of a really high-end sports car that's just the whose owner has painted it primer black and just left it that way. Um you know and there's something there's something actually really cool about that. Um and this has the same um functional feel to me. And all black watches to me don't often feel you know kind of stripped |
| Unknown | down Steven you pointed out that there's no date window and that's also the case with the with the prototype that inspired it. One kind of cool factoid about that prototype was that it used uh a movement that had a uh that was one of the bridges was signed Mavado. And that's something that I in and while I I I knew because I'd written a little bit about Zenith in the past that they were with along with Mondia, you know, co owned as is part of a smaller group going back in the late 60s, early 70s. But I have never seen um uh uh a Mavato sign movement in a Zenith watch and I and I don't I don't know if it's ever happened uh before the well you know, uh Zenith El Primeros in Mavato's are not terribly uh uncommon in their they're they actually can be had for a a pretty good value. Um but I've never seen it going the other way |
| Unknown | . All right. So the the last question I'll ask you guys on this map black or gloss black, if you have to choose at the end of the day, polished or matte? Jack |
| Unknown | ? Oh gosh, depends on the watch. I mean, we have two watches here that you know I love the Bulgarian polished and I love the Xenith and matte, and I think that uh uh the |
| Unknown | Yeah. I'm gonna go with the uh with the Zenith Matt, I think. I'm gonna go with Matt Black across the board. I'm gonna say we got we got three three editors, three opinions. I think that that sounds about right to me. Um all right, the last thing I want to talk about today before I let you guys go uh go back to your your your actual jobs other than gabbing with me on on mic. Uh Jack, you've you've got a story that's gonna come out, you know, next week. We're recording this at the end of the previous week. Um that's an interview you did with Piaget CEO Chabinouri. Um and I was wondering if if you could give us just a quick preview of that chat, kind of maybe what your your highlight of the conversation was and the most interesting thing you learned from her uh to get people primed and ready for uh for this interview. Well |
| Unknown | I think to me, uh you know I, don't g wantive to anything away obviously, but uh I think the thing that uh is worth thinking about when you think about Piaget and she addresses this in the interview is so here's a company which, you know, historically, uh you know they've got their own movement manufacturer up in La Coda Fe. Um uh they were associated historically with uh beautiful watchmaking, ultra-thin watchmaking, very, very you know, very mechanically refined watches. And they have become at least uh as strongly positioned in many people's minds, I think in recent years especially as a maker of high jewelry watches and of jewelry per se. So this year we got uh so a couple a little while ago we got um the uh Piaget Altiplano Ultimate Concept Watch. And this was presented as a concept watch. There were four of them made. It's a watch that's only two millim two millimeters thick overall, which is thinner than most movements. And you know, I saw this thing and um you know I think I you did too and I think we all had the same reaction when we saw it. Well that's really cool, but they're never gonna be able to make it uh They didn't want us to so much as uh look at it cross-eyed for fear it would shatter into a million tiny pieces when they first showed it to us. And uh, you know, it took forty-five minutes of intense negotiation at the highest levels for me to get a wrist shot out of it the first year that it was that it that it was shown. So this year we have this watch and it is being presented as a production piece with uh all sorts of customization options. I think if you put all the possible permutations together you've got over a hundred And while the price is on request and I'm sure uh you know eye watering nonetheless it remains an actual production watch. So one of the things that Ms. Nori talks about, um you, know, in her position as CEO with a more sort of, you know, with the definitely a ha hawk's eye perspective on the destiny of the company, how do you um steer a company which has historically had two very strong but not necessarily always connected identities. How do you steer it into the future while honoring both halves of its heritage? I mean the ultimate concept, altiplano, um this is one of the most technically sophisticated watches in terms of design and material science that is out there today. So for sure, this is a statement loud and clear, Piaget is not just a jewelry company. You can come here for, you know, wonderful stones in great setting and you can get them, but you can also get some of the most mechanically forward looking watches on the planet. And uh from a communications and leadership standpoint, and this was my question to her, you know, sort of what do you do? And uh she gives some great answers and I I look forward to people uh you know checking in and seeing what she has to say. |
| Unknown | . Awesome Well uh I'm I'm looking forward to seeing it. You know I've I've chatted with her once or twice, but uh not not quite in this way. So uh I'm I'm looking forward to the story as much as everybody who's listening. Uh thanks for sitting down and chatting with me guys. I know this was uh this was a long long segment and uh we had a lot to talk about, but uh yeah, I'm excited to see hopefully this time next week we've got another pile of uh new watches to talk about. Cool, sounds good. Thank you |
| Unknown | . |
| Unknown | Up next, we've got my conversation with Matt Horanik. Hey man, good to see ya. Hey Steven, how you doing good this is uh this is our our first I think virtual uh hangout in in a long time. Yeah am I in your bedroom? Yeah uh I I'm in a studio apartment so if anyone's in my apartment they're in my bedroom. But yeah.' Its uh we we've got we've got the couch and we've got the bed. It's it's a full service uh full service room. I I I I do I am a little I feel a little awkward being in your bedroom, but that's okay. Yeah it's all right it's all right. It's all right. You're you're a friend, you're allowed. Um and you're you're coming to us from your uh your farm upstate, right? Yeah, I'm |
| Unknown | sort of it's pretty it's pretty magical. I mean, it's freezing up here, like it feels like it still feels like late winter up here |
| Unknown | . Ugh, geez. And we're recording we're recording this in May. Like peop people should know this is not like an old episode that we've banked. It's not the middle of winter right now. Yeah, I |
| Unknown | I'm wearing a fisherm a wool fisherman knit turtleneck and wool socks and a thermal. Like it is cold up here. Uh but it's magical, you know, it's great. So we're |
| Unknown | good. And so that's that's where you've been spending the bulk of your time during the quarantine? I think we've been up here |
| Unknown | with a little break about 50 days now. Okay. We came back to Brooklyn to kind of like we kind of left in haste and then realized we needed some stuff because I'm still building Yolanda and I are both building the summer issues of the magazine. So uh she was desperate to get back and pick through the office and get some stuff and same with me and grab an extra pair of pants because I was sick of wearing the same 501s every single day. So uh and now we're back and um I think we're gonna hunker down here until we see what changes |
| Unknown | Yeah. Yeah, I mean it it must be strange, even though you're used to traveling a lot. I think you're probably used to doing what I do, which is like it's a lot of coming and going. Uh so it must be weird A to be in one place this long and B not to be in New York City for this long. Well it's interesting |
| Unknown | because I mean we're we had a very aggressive travel schedule for end of May June. And of course, that isn't gonna happen. So we're very desperate to figure out like when can we get to Europe? You know, I have this house in the southwest of France, we had work in Italy to deal with. So that is the most anxious making thing in terms of the travel end of things. Um you know I've been saying like I built this house. We bought this property some 20 years ago to kind of celebrate isolation, like to be away from New York. And this for me is a real luxury to be up here this much time. We've never spent this much time ever here |
| Unknown | . It's funny, I mean I I I've been thinking a lot about kind of like what I've learned about my own travel habits from this. You know, I'm I'm in New York City in my apartment, um, haven't haven't left. And last year from August one to the end of the year, I was out of New York more than half the time. Uh and I now haven't been on an airplane in twenty twenty at all. Uh and it's it's a huge, huge change, but there's something nice about about that stability and about being in one place and kind of experiencing the same people and the same things and getting into a routine. There's there's something sort of tranquil and centering about it that I think maybe provides me a little bit of balance in in contrast to last year |
| Unknown | . Um, since we talk about routine, and I've definitely fallen into a routine up here, I thought I would make a Negroni for you. A ver you could have a I love that. Okay, so um I have uh some vintage punta mes. You know, this has become a tradition, a houdiki tradition of me making germ. I have some 1960s vintage kimpari. I keep all the good stuff up here. Uh some gin straight out of the freezer, little monkey. And some really nice ice. Okay, so there's the ice. There we go. We're just gonna eyeball it a little glug of gin. The vermouth. There we go. And some Kempari. I like I I like a little heavier hand on the Kimpari. And I'm with you. The garnish. Perfect |
| Unknown | . Salute. Cheers, sir. I'm I'm st I'm still drinking a cup of tea over here, but uh you know, same same spirit. You gave me the excuse to make a two o'clock in room. That's that's what we're here for. Again, it's it's quarantine. We're there are no rules here, right? It's five o'clock always all the time. |
| Unknown | You know, I I have to say, like we do I mean, we don't do a lot of heavy afternoon drinking, but like come five, six o'clock, we're like out |
| Unknown | of the gate. You know, it's like for dinner. I had majorly cut down on on drinking at home, mostly reserving it for a celebr celebratory thing and and out in the world. Um and with all the travel it was it was just easier. And uh I've I've really found the joy in the after work cocktail at home. Uh it's there's something nice about the the pause, the break in the day and I think that that for me is one of the biggest things is is finding ways to break up the day. And you know, we're as busy as ever actually over it at Hodinky and I'm sure you're the same. And it's uh find finding that way to say like, okay, the laptop' cslosed. It's not work time anymore. I've got a drink in my hand, I'm gonna start cooking dinner and it's it's a nice way to kind of like detox from all the work and prevent uh, you know, my apartment from feeling like an office twenty four hours a day |
| Unknown | . Well, you know, it's interesting. I I've only ever been a freelancer. Like I've never really had a job. Like I've never had to show up at an office. So I early on put some parameters on that kind of thing. Like, sure, I get up, I start my work if I'm not go if I wasn't going to the studio or if I wasn't on location. And then but I made a conscious effort early on to be like, okay, this is when I stop working. And then this does not become an office anymore. This becomes a house. This becomes a place where you live. And sure, do you get under stress and deadlines and you're working beyond that? Fine. But I am not productive past that. So I've I've just known like, okay, we're gonna shut down now and start fresh. I'm gonna walk away. And that has been how I've navigated my entire kind of adult professional life. So I think we try to do the same here and you know, Yolanda will just can keep working if there was a strong Wi-Fi signal for twenty four hours. So um, but I definitely ask establish some some ground rules of like okay I'm not the it's over. Like let's have a drink, let's make a nice dinner, let's be together and uh just focus on that |
| Unknown | . Yeah. I think it's it's one of the funny things is I I think when people think of you, you know, people people at large who may or may not actually know you, people who may just, you know, follow you on Instagram and and read the magazine, think of you as you know, it's where in the world is Matt Heranic today, but one of the things I always think of when I think of you is being at home. Like I think you you have this great balance of like, sure if you're in Italy, you know, you're driving a beautiful car, you end up at a great hotel, you're by the pool, it's it's awesome. Uh but you can also have those kind of like aspirational at-home experiences of you know buying a great piece of meat from your local butcher and grilling it outside with your family and mixing cocktails and having friends over and you know, we can't do the having friends over part right now. But I I think people who again are following you on Instagram are probably getting some insight into to that side of of Matornock and that side of the sort of uh WM Brown lifestyle. |
| Unknown | Well, I think up here more than ever, like I really love this house. We bought this, we built this house, what, almost 17, 18 years ago. And uh it was a prefabricated house that was made by an architect who's now a dear friend of mine in Austria, in a factory, put on four containers, and then brought up here and assembled by three other Austrians. It was insane that we even thought that we could do that. But we did it. And the whole house is kind of designed around this central kitchen and this open floor plan. And I feel I I just love being here. It's so inspiring to be here. Even, you know, when I'm in New York, I'm inspired by the street and the social activity and meeting people and bars and restaurants and running into you on the street or seeing Ben, you know, like that to me is what I loved about New York and love about New York. That doesn't give me that now. So I was just sort of sad when I was there. I was like, I gotta get out of here. I have to go back to where we established this idea of what it would be like to be away from it all and everyone. Like I don't have neighbors for miles, you know, even though they kind of drive up on their gators and we all have a beer within 10 feet of each other, you know, it's like um but but I I really appreciate this time here and it's been incredibly inspiring for me. So I'm making you, know, lemonade out of lemons for sure. And you know, I'm a sensitive homebody. Like I I I do like this the little minor luxuries that are here, even if if that's like great kitchen equipment or really good sheets, like we're in the country, but you know, there is touches of those things that I've appropriated and taste I acquired from traveling around the world |
| Unknown | . Yeah. I mean it seems like one of the main things you're you're finding, you know, entertainment or solace or whatever you want to call it in is is food and is cooking. Um I know I've I've enjoyed following along your uh your cooking adventures and you know I've always been somebody who likes to cook and it's it's something I've been doing a lot of as well. And and I wonder why why for you is that kind of a source of daily, daily pleasure? |
| Unknown | Well, I would say cooking, the kitchen has always been a therap, a therapeutic place and a kind of therapy for me. I grew up with a big Italian family. I was surrounded by women in a kitchen all the time, my entire life. My and then my aunt had a little diner restaurant, my uncle had a bar, restaurant, pizza place. And I was just constantly around. So for me, like watching and growing up with those amazing people, um, mostly women, was to find out how that place was the kitchen was about social activity and about inspiration and about love and about nurture and feeding and it was never a labor. It was never like oh we have to make dinner. It was like we're all we're gonna make dinner it was like that so I grew up with that and I find that just through osmosis I kind of learned all that it's sort of like in my DNA. So I find that I'm in my most exciting comfortable place, um, like sort of in the kitchen or prepping something. And that could be opening a tin of sardines and putting it on toast. It doesn't have to be elaborate. And you know, I I see that happening with Clara. And you know, Yolanda's like the best audience for all this stuff. And um for for me, the the the I get up in the morning, I make a pot of coffee or turn the coffee pot on and figure start planning lunch. And then as soon as lunch is finished, we're like, okay, what's for dinner? And we're so lucky you know, you know, and we're so lucky up here because we have, you know, this is the the cornucopia of uh, you know, the the best farmers and dairy and and meat in like New York State. Like it's I'm just surrounded by it. So like in my soup local supermarket, it's just, you know, it's just easier up here. Like there's no stress um under those things that could be stressful for day to day. So you know, you go to my local supermarket here and my local wine shop, it there it's just incredible stuff. So um, and then you know, I have been known to do a little bird hunting and things like that. So, like I have a freezer full of game as well, which is it's it's such a it it really is a a luxury for me, you |
| Unknown | know. Yeah. I guess what what are maybe like two or three dishes that you think people listening should try while they're in quarantine? Like stuff that maybe is a little more work than you'd want to put in if you had to like, you know, commute to and from the office. Nothing too crazy, but like stuff that is is fun, is maybe a new experience, is something you can share with whoever your loved ones are that you're you're quarantining with. Okay, here's one full proof. Full proof |
| Unknown | . You know, I I love eggs, and if you eat eggs, buy the best eggs you could possibly get. Go through your fridge, and anything that you find that's left over in the fridge, like some gr some roasted cauliflower or some spinach, or like some wilting green, or an old onion, you chop it all up. You put it in a big cast iron pan with a like good olive oil, and you just turn every we just turn everything into frittadas that are kind of going bad. And you know, you know, you put a little you you put a little garlic and onion and like a little smoked paprika and all of a sudden all that stuff that normally I'm telling you in Brooklyn would have gone right in the compost bin, suddenly becomes a meal where you're like, holy cow, why is that so good? You know? And I think it's an it's a beautiful, elegant thing when you serve it in a pan. It doesn't have to come out in perfect slices. You could spoon it out and I know you have a glass of really nice crisp white wine for lunch with that. And it's like, oh, I'm in Spain. You know? Yeah. So I think that's an easy go-to. I also think opening up if you like fish and tin fish like I do, opening up a tin of tuna or a tin of anchovy with a little caper in a pan with some boiled spaghetti is the the most heavenly thing ever. And you pair that with some some toasted breadcrumb or uh a good parmesan and like it's just other level. Like it I find that as I get older, the simpler applications of things are the best. Ye |
| Unknown | ah. Yeah. Yeah, I think that's something that that is interesting about your your taste in general is it's it's always elevated, but it's always like an elevated version of a thing that feels approachable. Like an i I I never see something that you're into and I'm like, okay, I need to go do 20 hours of research to have any idea what's going on here. It's always I can always get a foothold and then I realize there's more to it. And like it kind of pulls you in instead of pushing you away. |
| Unknown | Well, first of all, I'm too lazy to do all that prep work. Like I'm inherent I'm inherently lazy about all that stuff. So and you know, and I'm a lousy, you know, as I'm a lousy reader too. I I you know, but these cookbooks that I've been diving into, um, and I've been collecting cookbooks for 20 years, and they're all stored up here. So we were just digging into Jacques Papan and Tom Kalikio or all this Israeli cooking of these, you know, that I never really had time to really look at and say, oh, guess what? It's not as complicated as you think. You know, and and PS, all these books are based on kind of peasant food. So the reward of that result from you know making braises with cheap cuts of meat and turns into incredible ragoos or you know, these are the secrets of great, great chefs. Not that I'm a great chef, but like, for example, the Babo cookbook uh that I I haven't opened up in years has the most amazing recipes that are just like all cheap and cheap ingredients just elevated the best way. |
| Unknown | Yeah. Yeah that's great. I mean I I I think we could probably sit and chat about food for the the rest of the rest of our chat, but I'm I'm I'm gonna push things. I I wanna make sure we get to talk about WM Brown magazine. Uh 'cause I know you you mentioned that uh the summer issue is is consuming a lot of your time right now. Uh and I wanna I wanna get to that. But before we do, I wanna talk about a story or a little um I guess sort of like photo essay in the last issue or the current issue, which is about watches and places. And it's a it's a way to approach watches that I found really interesting. So for people who haven't seen the magazine, which if you haven't, we'll link it up in the show notes. You should go order a copy like right now. Uh but there's a photo essay right right at the front of the book that is watches shot in sort of meaningful places. And and I think there's something that really resonated about that with me. And I think I know a lot of other collectors who maybe feel the same the same way. I've had conversations sort of around this idea before, but the idea that that watches can be tied to a place and can connect you to a place or an experience that lasts beyond when you leave, um, which is something that as we're all spending time kind of in the same the same four walls most of the time. Uh maybe speaks to me a little a little bit more than usual. But I I wonder, you know, I'll I'll stop babbling, but I I wonder if you can maybe speak to where that idea came from for you. |
| Unknown | So when I was at Continent as Traveler, I was covering the watch market, and one of my biggest frustrations was they gave me two watch pages a year. That's it. And I was fresh and new to this kind of editorial watch world. Of course, like I fell in love with every single brand. Like every brand that I went to go see at reach at at Sah H or Basel. Like, I'm a sucker. Like, I love watches. I fell in love with them all. But I was not allowed to cover um single brands specifically, or I had to figure out how to package groups. And I just was like, this is the most ridiculous thing ever. And I don't want to do that anymore. And and and as a lot of watch brands started, you know, they came late to the game for the record, I think, um uh exploring the digital end of things. Then suddenly they were like, yeah, we'll take a digital page instead of an editorial print page. I was like, this is this is it. This is a way I could celebrate one watch brand, unadulterated, single, big full image. But how did I how would we tie it into travel? And for me, watches often uh kind of dictate memory of place. You know, it's like, oh, uh a submariner on a boat in the Bahamas, uh a gold watch at a sexy curte carlo. You know, that was just the fantasy. So I said why don't we tie watches with travel that way? And that's how that started. So when you know when I left Condinest and was movinging on to do William Brown, that was one way I wanted to cover watches. I knew I could never be like you guys. I I just don't have the bandwidth, the knowledge and the expertise to dive deep. But I I knew that I was responding to watches and brands on an aesthetic level, and and I knew personally that I could make those space connections. So that's why it was like, you know, a panorai on a boat off the coast of, you know, Tuscany. Or, you know, and and even if I never a lot of the watches I actually bring on location do that. But sometimes we just create the fantasy of place and that could be as simple as like a cane chair and some driving gloves with a coffee and then suddenly it's you know Cartier drivewatch, you know. Um Um right. So you know that that bit of editorial storytelling was a little bit about fantasy and a little bit about how do we make these connections to place |
| Unknown | . Yeah. I wonder are are there any watches for you in your in your own collection that have a sort of place memory attached to them where when you you're wearing the watch up at at your farm, you look down at it and you're sort of like transported somewhere? Yeah, for sure. And the interesting thing |
| Unknown | is we when we were making this kind of ridiculously fast exit, I got in the car, and Yolanda, who is, I mean, she's not nutty for watches, she likes them, but she's not. She said, I brought all my watches. Did you bring all your watches? And I was like, No, they're on the safe. And I like ran back in the house and I grabbed them all. And there was a certain level of comfort with that. And when I got up here, I was just sort of like, oh, I haven't worn this one in a while. I haven't worn this one a while. And it's interesting because I have always bought watches from a very passionate point of view. My theory on buying watches was, and this came actually from Yolanda, was are you in love with it? If you could justify your love for it, then of course you should buy it. And I thought that was such a that's I think it's a very good way. I buy art that way, photography that way. You know, I try to buy a anything I purchase that's a big commitment. I'm like, am I really in love? Am I in love with it? So all the watches that I grabbed and opened up in a very early Houdinky watch roll that you gave me in brown leather, velcro strap. Um the OG stuff. Yeah. I I uh you know when pull out the watches, I'm like, holy cow. Like for example, this is um a Hoyer Pasadena. Um that that I bought in Los Angeles at some kind of junky little jewelry shop years and years ago. And I remember I was on a job and I felt like a little flush with cash and I was like, hey, let's go check out this bot shop. And a a friend of my dad's owned this watch and wore this watch all through my memory of him growing up when I was in high school. And he was so cool. He had like custom-made Italian jackets and drove a gold Lancia mid-engine and he was just the cool guy. So he that watch represented that guy. And I saw it in the case and I was like, I need to have, I need to own that watch. And I bought it for like I I I mean I thought it was just so much money at the time. It was like 800 bucks, you know, and I was just like, Yeah, here's my big purchase. And I don't wear it often for whatever reason. I don't know, but I have been wearing it like crazy here. And it's been nice to make those connections to that that place in my life and why I bought it and who influenced me in terms of the aesthetic of it. And I I I have to say I I just love |
| Unknown | it. Yeah. That's awesome. I mean I I wonder if you are you finding sort of extra comfort in vintage things these days? Uh I I know I am, but I I don't want to influence your answer here too much. But I I wonder if that's that's something you're experiencing at all. |
| Unknown | Well I always have leaned to the vintage for you know things that already had innate history to them that I kind of jumped into the historical context if that if it's like a piece of Finnish pottery or an an old antlered knife or a car or um or old old booze. You know, it just I that I that has always really appealed to me. Um I think that it's I don't know, there's something nurturing about like being surrounded by these historically old things, but I'm not so romantic about it where I've like I don't have like old kitchen gear. I have like state-of-the-art kitchen gear. You know, like that's I think the American schizophrenic where like we love old things, but man, we need the most updated stereo equipment in hi-fi and da da da you know yeah um yeah I'm with I'm with you on that so I think like um yeah in general I you know it's funny up here, like up here is a closet full of like vintage wool rich and L L bean chambre and you know chamois shirts. And which I never wear in New York anymore. But up here I kind of just like get into that that that kind of wardrobe shift of uh you know my country mouse sensibility. |
| Unknown | Yeah. Yeah, I I I wanna I wanna go back quickly to to the magazine. Because I think that that dichotomy actually is a nice kind of way to get into it. You know, that there's there's something about WM Brown magazine that that is it has that kind of like country mouse city mouse split. Like there's something I I feel like the magazine is equally comfortable talking about like fly fishing somewhere that's four hours from the closest sell signal. Uh it's equally comfortable writing about, you know, having dinner at, you know, uh the finest restaurants in Paris, right? Like and those two things are positioned in a way where they they feel of a kind as opposed to opposites. Um and and I wonder before we get into the the summer issue and what you're working on now, kind of how do you how do you strike that balance? How do you connect those things in a way that that's sort of authentic and |
| Unknown | Well it comes from a very honest place. It it is how I best like to navigate my adult life now. Um you know, I grew up in upstate New York, I grew up with like provincial Italians in, you know, chicken wings and cheap beer. And um but I all there was also this up this balance of like, you know, my father, who was a illustrator and commercial artist, like he didn't have to wear a suit every day. But on Friday, like he would put a you know Harris tweet on and like we had Italian tailors in town. It was like there was always this play of contrast and um and this idea of high low that listen when I was in high school all I wanted to do was like drink imported beer and like be you know like the guy who wasn't that guy and now as I get older I, realize like that part of my life made such an impression on who I became as an adult. And I embraced the high-lo. I I I like it. I mean, what is better than like a hot dog and relish and yellow mustard, you know, like it doesn't have to be foamy food. That's that's the easiest example, like food and beverage. And and then I think um, you know, I do live these two lives. Like I'm up here turkey hunting for the last three days, and then doing a picture in a tuxedo with cocktails in the evening. Like, by the way, my neighbors have no idea how to figure that out about me. Like they came up, somebody came up recently who in the morning saw me in like a car heart jumpsuit, you know, and then in the evening came off, came up to drop something off and I was in a tuxedo. And they don't like, they don't say anything. They're just sort of like, and I'm like, hey, do you want a beer? And I like give them a beer and I'm drinking like a you know a glass of champagne or a martini or something. And I it's it's just funny that there's like no judgment. Like there's no judgment. It's just like all right, that's who that crazy dude is with the boxy house. You know? The dude with the boxy house who wears his tuxedos for dinner. Yeah, and I th it they just totally accept it with like without any judgment. I'm I'm sure they talk about me at you know when they get home, but |
| Unknown | it's all right. All right. So let's let's talk summer twenty twenty. What's uh what's coming for the magazine? What are you working on? I mean, we uh we are in the process of printing our next magazine right now and uh having having made a magazine during the very early stages of this pandemic, I can say it's uh not not the easiest thing in the world. So I wonder kind of how you're how you're faring |
| Unknown | . Well, a lot of stuff was already kind of organized in the hopper. And then um but there was like we were earmarking a cover and interior story that was really reliant on us being in Italy. And that issue was going to be launched at um PT in June. And obviously that got duped. So we kind of had to pivot um and create and figure out something new. And for me, that's always really exciting. Like, okay, we're duped here. How do we figure this out? And I think I figured it out. It's nothing is, you know, I I think I've I've figured out a kind of domestic version of what we wanted to do. You know, I'm really lucky, Steven, because like I first and foremost was trained as a photographer. So and Yolanda is a creative director. So we have this kind of ideal situation where I have an on-set art director 24 hours a day, and I know I brought all my cameras up here, all the Leicas are up here, all the cannons are up here, and I know that if we need to get something done, we'll style it and shoot it. And that I have to say has been the biggest advantage of how again the pivot, like how do we get it done? Um and the light's beautiful up here. We're lucky. We have this house is and we have a barn just like filled with props and stuff. So if Yolanda needs to do a still life that has to look like Greece, you know, I could pull out an old blue door and you know it's like, you know, that that is we've been very lucky about that. Um and then, you know, these machines allow us to have these dialogues with our art directors and create Dropbox and you know we're a lean team to begin with so we've had to think and work on the f |
| Unknown | ly. Is there is there a story that you're most excited about that you like were somehow able to pull together despite all of this? |
| Unknown | You know, there's a very you know, I was visiting a friend of mine in El Salvador and we had this kind of amazing dream to import like vintage Land Rovers from El Salvador to New York. And sitting on his coffee table was a very obscure, like four by four Land Rover centric magazine. And as I looked through it, I was like, holy cow, what is this? And it was basically uh a journey through the Congo in a Land Rover. Wow. That these three young Brits, two guys and a girl, decided to traverse the entire country in this Land Rover. The imagery was so beautiful and so magical, even though the magazine was just crap print and everything. And it took me a while, but I found I found the photographer and I found um you know the group that went on this journey. And I said to them, listen, like for what it's worth, I really want to excerpt this story. I think it's an awesome road trip. Um, you know, we were in from you know, Zurich to Norway last month, and I think like this thing is so exciting to see. Um I was really excited about that. And guess what? I didn't have to jump on a plane and go to the Congo. You know, there is this disintegration of print, and then I think you guys are doing such a great job elevating it and I would say alloy and grit does a great job of that. And I think you know Yolanda and I have this advantage of we have this pool of really incredibly talented photographers that are sitting on archives of stuff that no one ever saw. And because it was a sign for a print publication that it never happened or two pages ran and there's all this stuff. So we've been scrambling like that, saying like, hey, Dewey Nicks, like what's in your archive of cars? Or what's in your archive of like a trip you did to the Mauritius and everyone's like, yeah, of course I want it. I I've always wanted to see this live. So why not have it live this way? Um and that's been helpful because then we don't have to worry about so much getting and traveling to a destination to do stuff |
| Unknown | . Thinking about you as as a photographer, I I another project comes to mind and I I'm sure you you're limited in what you can say about it, but uh I know a proof arrived the other day of your next book Yes. A man in his car. So the follow-up to A Man in His Watch. That's right |
| Unknown | . I always knew in the back of my mind that that if if I was privileged enough to do a second edition of a man and his. It was naturally the car story because there's this same emotional connection. And for me it started in the same personal way with my father. And uh so that was a very natural transition in terms of what the subject was. My publisher loved the idea. So for about a so now for about a year and a half I've been tracking down these car stories and shooting these cars. I I'm shooting this entire book because I knew that we didn't have the budget to travel everywhere. I know I could kill two birds with one stone. I figured out this idea on how to shoot it so it looked like the watchbook. Uh you know, all on black and on adult. So there was this relationship and pairing visually as well as um in terms of content. And uh yeah, I mean teaser, Ben Clymer revisited in the book with two magical You know, there's definitely some carryovers, and I think the carryos are carryovers are interesting because then you see this direct relationship to this little machine versus this big machine, and how these two things are absolutely integrated for most people. I very rarely meet a car guy who's not a watch guy and a watch guy who's not a car guy. And if they're the only guy that I know who's not a car guy is Way Co. And I'm like, how the hell are you not a car guy? But you know, he's a motorcycle guy. So same thing. Okay. You know? Yeah. So um that has been an incredible journey and um it's gonna be formatted the same way. Um the materials of the of the book exterior change a little bit. But um it is exactly sort of the approach to the watchbook, which was it wasn't about money. It was not about the price of something, it was about the emotional weight that was put on this thing. And like that could be like Adam Cronodis, you know, uh Casio F seven, you know, a what twelve dollar watch to you know, a priceless Cartier from the archives. And so I approached the car book the same way and I am really excited. We've actually had to edit stuff out. There was so much at one point. And I know and I want to apologize to the car community out there. I know I missed a thousand stories. I know I did, but we're limited to how much we could fill. So those |
| Unknown | those are just sequel opportunities, man. That's that's all that is. And and it'll be out fall. It'll be out this fall, October. That's great. Wow. That's amazing. I I I wonder what, you know, in doing in doing this after doing a man and his watch, were there moments while you were producing this where you had like epiphanies or you felt like you gained some insight into what the sort of connection between cars and watches might be |
| Unknown | ? Well I think first and foremost that both of these projects came from my own personal interest in it. So, you know, I was meeting all these great watch guys and these that had incredible timepieces and that was still a bit of a learning curve for me at that point. And with with cars, um, you know I definitely had more of a knowledge of what was out there. And I think the biggest, the biggest difference and the most interesting thing that happened is like, you know, when I talk to guys about watches, I could look back at my interviews, and most interviews average around 20, 25 minutes. And the first few moments are the guys talk trying I'm trying to find that story. I'm trying to like pull that story out, right? Car guys, they've been thinking about that story for decades. Like they come out of the box with, oh, I bought this car because of this, and this reminded me of this in my first kiss was here and you know like they have been thinking about that car and the story of the acquisition of that car forever since they owned it. And you know, that didn't happen as organically with Watch Guys, but the parallel is it's the same dialogue in terms of the emotional connectivity. It's just like a big car or this watch that maybe it took me a while to appreciate it. Maybe it was my uncle's and it sat in the and all of a sudden I look at it and it's like, oh, that's my uncle's watch that was, you know, like the car guys, man, they just come out of the gate with every detail of why they love this thing. |
| Unknown | Yeah. Yeah, I think you know that that kind of building of stories over time and the the sort of the ability to look back and find the value in something and kind of bring it into today is is a through line that I see with with almost everything you do. Um which which is why I'm I want to make sure we talk about a project that it's, you know, it's not new, but it's something you've done since we last had you on the show, which was was a little over a year ago. Um, which was your project with Serica with the WWW watch. Yeah. Um that you you helped design and and that you were a part of. And the thing that's interesting to me there is it's it's looking back, but it's it's a modern product, like it's a modern set of watches. Um you know and I I can probably count on one hand the number of times I've seen you wear a a modern watch. Um so I I'm I'm curious like how this project came about and how you see this fitting into kind of the bigger the bigger picture of of what you're about and what you do. Well I have |
| Unknown | always loved um military watches and I was like an early mil like when I was in high school and college, like I loved collecting military stuff. I'd loved and when I was a kid, I loved G.I. Joe's. My dad was in the army. Um, it just was a part of what I liked. And what I liked about military stuff was like its utility and its function and its craft and it's you know just being well made and thoughtful um with purpose. So I was when I first started collecting watches, I was going to these military trade shows in weird upstate New York, like sportsman shows. And there'd always be some guy with a pile of like Vietnam or World War II or even World War I military watches. And they were cheap, you know, they were like 50 bucks a piece, 100 bucks for these gorgeous Hamiltons or some amazing Ben Russi thing. And I was just like buying them like crazy, and I love the case size, and I loved how readable they were. Well, fast forward, I can't afford to wear these. I mean, these watches are too expensive now. So the way I was using these watches was, you know, I wasn't wearing my dad's Rolex if I was gonna go fly fishing in Costa Rica. I wanted something a little bit more modest and not have to worry about, but I didn't want to sacrifice style. So I would wear one of those vintage watches and then of course I'd get salt water in it and then it'd be ruined and whatever. So when when the guys at Serica said, you know, what's out there or what don't you own that you that you would like to own, I said, well first of all, I think there should be more watches under a thousand bucks out there that are great quality that are somewhere in between like a G Shock and you know a Hoyer. And I said I really love military style mill spec style watches. I I like how clear they are, I like the way they look, I think they're really great looking. I so let's try to figure that out. So they did. Like it very important to me, that it was, you know a, Swiss movement and Swiss case design and beautifully put together and the case size wasn't too big and it was reminiscent of military, but nodded to the modern. And you know, we obsessed about the font in on the six for months for months and I loved the attention to detail that these guys brought to this in terms of the importance of it. And I think they I think we produced a really beautiful watch that functions great and looks good and you could wear it from, you know, the field to the cocktail party without missing a hitch. I I I think, you know. And um I'm and I think at six hundred bucks, just about five hundred and change euro, um it's a it's a hell of a lot of watch for me. Yeah. |
| Unknown | Yeah. Yeah, I totally agree. I think it's it's it's it's a cool take on a a vintage idea, but done in a sort of contemporary way. Like it doesn't feel like it's a fake vintage watch, which I I think is is a sort of unique proposition for it. Um and it it like you said, it's it's it's a kind of where anywhere sort of watch, which I I also find appealing. I think there's something nice about the idea of, you know, for people who aren't gonna buy 10 watches, you know, having something that they can wear day in and day out. |
| Unknown | Yeah. And what's cool about this watch is that these guys have been um offering several band styles with it. So it you know now they find they they manufactured a stainless steel band for it. So it begins to evolve into maybe several different styles of watches. You know it could be very military on a NATO. It kind of feels diver y on a like Swiss, you know, rubber um I d I actually don't remember what you call those bands, but you know, those kind of black rubber bands to um to now the stand And I think it's such a great opportunity to like look at the past and kind of create the modern version of that so that you don't have to worry about ruining some old vintage watch |
| Unknown | . Yeah, totally. Um, you know, I I I know we're gonna have to wrap up in a minute, but there there's two two kind of last questions I want to uh wanna make sure we get in here and they're they're pretty short questions. So the first one is I'm I'm sure you were watching with all of the new the new releases that have come out over the last you know two, three weeks. And I wonder is there is there anything that's really caught your eye, any watches that you're you're excited to kind of see in the metal sooner rather than later? You know, you mentioned that I don |
| Unknown | 't o uh I don't own many modern watches. And part of the reason of that is like the ones I like are just so terrifically expensive now, and I have daughter ready to go to college, so I have to be very conservative about that stuff. But you know, but one modern watch that I I do own that remo that looks and has always looked the same, so it looked like an old watch, is the Cartier tank. And I I love that watch. Um and when I saw what Cartier was doing in terms of that the new perspective on you know, th this current line. I was like, man, I really need to see those in person and put them on wrist. You know, I think uh I just think I I just think Cartier always for me is nodding to their past, like they don't forget about the DNA of their past. And you know, it's not necessarily a recreation per se, but a an evolution of what the design is and um I I really I really like that and I am always tempted to buy new Cartier stuff but I luckily um I'm quite satisfied with my tank and you know, you gotta put the brakes |
| Unknown | on for some things, you know. I know that I know that feeling very, very well. Um All right, the the last thing I'll ask you and then I'll let you go is uh when when this all blows over and when travel is allowed again and we can, you know, hightail it to the airport, where's the first place you're going? Where's that plane touching down? |
| Unknown | Uh that plane touches down somewhere in Italy. And you know, soon as the as soon as the wheels of the plane hit the tarmac when I'm in Italy, I I just become the happiest version of myself. I just am like so excited. I actually say, and you may have heard this before that you know the only thing wrong with the house in France is that it's not in Italy. Um and I I I definitely feel that's my first travel destination is there. And then the other thing is I just want to give everyone a big giant sloppy beer, a bear hug. You know, like what are we what are we doing? Like I mean this whole idea of distance is not I think who we are, unless you're Scandinavian. Um but I just think that um we are gonna do everything we can to get to Europe um this summer. Up and even we I have this um friend of mine who is a a Swiss a Swiss pilot, Swiss air pilot. And he said, you know, I'm flying two flights a week to Newark with car with um commercial planes that we're using as cargo planes. And I could probably smuggle you on board. And I was like, we're gonna do that. All right. Let me let me know when that happens. Yeah. I don't know if I' |
| Unknown | ll be able to be allowed in the country, but man, I'm gonna definitely be on a plane heading there. So that's amazing. Business class will be empty. It'll be it'll be a good situation. Can't believe it's all the space you need. I know my fantasy. Awesome. Well thanks for doing this man. I really appreciate it. It's good to uh good to see you if not in person virtually. I'm gonna go make myself one of those Negronies and uh hopefully we can uh share one in person soon enough. Always a pleasure, Steven. Thank you. And um I can't wait to see you in person. Yeah. Same. Thanks, my friend. Take care. See you And to finish up the show, we've got our own Cole Pennington talking about what he's learned about watches while working from home |
| Unknown | . We're not only disconnected physically from the groups of people we used to surround ourselves with, we've also disconnected from a routine. Part of my old routine was meeting up with fellow watch folks on a weekly basis and just chewing the fat, you know, seeing who brought what, checking out the new pickups, and generally just enjoying having a bunch of watches out on the table. Now those meetings are digital and it just isn't the same. But hell, you work with what you got, I get it. But I've actually noticed something interesting happening to my own relationship with watches. A subtle change in the way I look at my collection. For the past year and a half I've been writing about watches full time. That means a lot of other people's watches on my wrist, mostly press samples. My watch wearing habits have been shaped by the product launch calendars of brands. It's an occupational hazard that I'm beyond grateful for. And I've never been closer to the core of modern horology. But here's the thing, I've also never been further away from my own watches, and I didn't even realize it before quarantine. At Hodinky, we've still worked out a way to get product and continue to produce content to serve the readership. But I've actually been spending a lot more time with my own watches on the wrist. The same watches that were with me long before I started wearing other people's watches. And I've fallen in love with them all over again. With all this time, I look at old travel photos and I see my seamaster on the wrist. Then I go over to the watch roll, pull it out, strap it on, and find a new reason to just be enamored by it. Then later in the day, I'll switch it up and put on my BB fifty eight, which represents modern achievements in my life. Wearing watches like this is sort of an easy way to time travel and hop around this continuum of important moments in your mind. If I'm feeling a little schnazzy, I'll throw on the Grand Seiko SBGK 007 and mix it up a bit. I've even been wearing this vintage Jinling watch that I picked up on a trip with my dad to Shanghai to visit Expo 2010 a decade ago. What it comes down to is that I'm really just enjoying the hell out of wearing my There can be a lot of hype and showboating in this game, but what I think might happen is that folks might find enjoyment when they wear a watch just for themselves. That's what quarantine might do, because after all, who are we trying to impress here? For me, I rediscovered the joy and simple fun that my own watches can be. I never forget about them, but they have certainly seen a decline in wrist time, and it really felt great to change that. It's funny because the watches I'm wearing now certainly have me feeling nostalgic. But I'm sure in the distant future when coronavirus is totally a thing of the past, I'll look back at the same watches I'm wearing right now and think, hey, that was one of the watches I wore through a global pandemic, and it brought me joy. God, I love that thing |
| Unknown | . This week's episode was recorded remotely by our group of editors and was produced and edited by Grayson Corjonen. Please remember to subscribe and rate the show. It really does make a difference for us. Thank you for listening, and we'll see you next week. |