Episode 58: Wrapping 2020 on a high - Andy and Felix look back on the year that was
In news that will surprise absolutely no one, 2020 has been a heck of a year. But rather than focus on the negative, we’ve decided to accentuate the positive, and look back on 57 episodes of OT: The podcast and highlight some (but not all) great guests, even greater supporters (MVP Steve!) and even the odd challenge — Greenland, we’re looking at you.
And while we initially planned for this to be an easy-breezy 30 minutes of podcasting, Andy and I got a little carried away reliving the good times, something we’d fully encourage you to do too. Scroll on, and you can find links to all the episodes we’ve mentioned, and maybe some you missed. We’ve got some great things planned for Season 2, and you can always help out by sharing our content, telling your mates (especially if they live in Greenland), and generally hyping us up. And as always, get in touch if there’s anything you’d like to see more of in 2021.
The Watch legends
James Cox: The man who wore Paul Newman’s Paul Newman for years … until he sold it for $18 million.
James Stacey and Jason Heaton from The Grey NATO: Two of the nicest people in watches doing what they do best. Being nice and chatting watches.
James Dowling AKA Mister Rolex: One of the watch communities elder statesman dropping truth bombs like they’re going out of style. We want to be like James when we grow up.
Kat + Katlen from Tenn & Two: That time we enlisted help from two of Tennessee's finest for help with watch matchmaking and rapidly got distracted by Dolly.
Adrian Barker from Bark & Jack: One of YouTube’s biggest watch guys, Adrian is a man with integrity to spare and a tale about how to grow a successful channel to tell.
Jenni Elle: a double dose of Jenni Elle. First up we get her hot take on new Rolex, and then we try and find her a not-round watch.
William Massena: If you listen closely you can hear Felix’s fear at getting banned on Timezone after all these years. William also walks the fine line of not loving brands while kind of becoming one at the same time. Tricky stuff.
Cameron Barr from Craft + Tailored: Cameron sounds like he’s got a great life full of air-cooled Porsche, Leica and some seriously cool watches. Like Ikepod. We talk about the nitty gritty of the used watch business.
Tim Mosso: All other YouTube watch reviewers bow down before the great Tim Mosso, a man with a firm grasp — and all-ecompassing knowledge — of watches and the watch business. A must listen.
Chase Fancher from Oak and Oscar: Ever wanted to start your own watch brand? Or just want to know more about Oak & Oscar/good bourbon? Listen to this.
The Photographers
Joy Corthesy: GMT Magazine’s resident photographer and actual resident of Geneva, Joy chats to us about Millennium the Watch Book, and how to take a better watch photo for the ‘gram.
Bret Curry: Ever wondered what it’s like to do a Blancpain photoshoot in Death Valley? Bret does.
Jamie Ferguson: Is he a photographer, an author or a style guru? Well, based on our interview he’s all three.
The MasterChefs
Diana Chan: From frozen dumplings to iced out watches, Diana knows what’s up. And she’s not afraid to tell us what she thinks of that white ceramic Zenith.
Alice ‘in frames’ Zaslavsky: Big glasses and an even bigger personality. But neither are quite as big as her plus-sized Panerai.
The rev heads
Matt Farah: Smoking tires and smoking hot watches. From Seiko to Rolex with a dash of Ikepod, it’s clear that Matt Farah knows his stuff. Plus we’re dying to see the bezel on his Kermit.
Massimo Frascella: What do you do when you have one of the main guys behind the new Defender on your podcast? You ask him about watch design, obviously. And cars.
Charley Boorman: Best known for biking around the world with Ewan McGregor, Charley Boorman is an affable chap with stories to tell. We find out about his trip up South America, his love of Bremont and why the future is electric.
The actual heroes
Doctor Richard Harris: From rescuing people in Thai caves to ultra-deep underwater dives, Dr Harris does what few would dare. Honestly, this is an incredible story you might have missed because it was quite early. Do yourself a favour and give it (another) listen.
RAF Flt Lt Nathan Jones: Between saving over 200 lives, flying the Royal Household around and being a mental health ambassador, Nathan Jones has a few stories to tell.
Designers and Artists
The Dial Artist: Our first interview! We chat to Chris, better known as The Dial Artist, about Casioaks, secret paint recipes and painting tiny canvases.
Johnny Dowell: THE King Nerd. We talk to Johnny about how he got started in engraving, and where he’s going.
Neil Ferrier from Discommon: Ridiculously expensive duffle bags, supplying an entire state with facemarks and overlooked elements in watch design. Our chat with Neil has it all.
Dan Tanenbaum: Ad man turned (watch parts) artist. Dan is an affable Canadian who once bought a watch with a bar of gold.
James Thompson from Black Badger: Yet another affable Canuck, James is an nerd with a lathe and the ability to acquire some truly unusual material components. That he turns into watches and jewellery.
Greg Yuna: He ruins watches, he sells big rocks, and is a lot cooler than Felix. If you haven’t caught this episode, do yourself a favour and listen.
J David Weiss: He makes silly boats for silly people. Something Felix and Andy put to the test when they commissioned the 30m ‘OT Cruiser’.
Mister Enthusiast: An artist with a lifestyle brand and a love of ugly automobiles and wrecking watches. Phillip Toledano is the hero 2020 had to have.
The style icons
Adam Brown: Purveyor of fancy trunks worn by Bond (James Bond) and part-time IWC collaborator. Get ready for summer, give this a listen.
Patrick Johnson: Recorded way back in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, Patrick Johnson is one of the leading lights of the Australian tailoring scene, a man who seems about as cool and relaxed as his signature silhouette.
Wei Koh: Founder of Revolution and The Rake, Koh is a style god with endless unbelievably cool tales to tell. He’s also Felix’s boss.
Jack Carlson from Rowing Blazers: What is a blazer? Where do they come from? Is ‘preppy’ a dirty word? Jack schools us (literally, the dude has a PHD on the topic) on this and more.
Mark Cho: The Armoury’s main man is a passionate believer that big isn’t always better. He’s also the made the de facto ‘watch guy’ uniform.
The Business guys
George Bamford: When Bamford started customising watches is was a pretty fringe — almost shady — pursuit. Now he’s very much in the spotlight, and life couldn’t be better.
Christoph Grainger-Herr: An early on interview with the IWC CEO on the Portugieser’s bright future and why the Big Pilot is a big deal.
Jacobi Anstruther from Iris Listenwell: Did you know that people don’t hear the same song the same way? We didn’t either. The future of audio and Rolex all in one episode — amazing.
Sporting legends
Cadel Evans: The first-ever Aussie to win the Tour de France (and get a unique Hublot for the trouble) chats to us about being a watch-lover in Switzerland and how he ended up mates with Jean-Claude Biver.
Roger Cruickshank: Roger tells the story of how he almost didn’t become a fighter pilot OR and Olympian, and about his role as a mental health advocate. Inspiring stuff in the truest sense.
Music legends
James McVey from The Vamps: We chat to legit-pop star James about life on the road, making music in lockdown and MVP Steve!
This episode is made possible by our sponsor, eBay. Head to eBay.com/luxurywatches to check out their great range of watches and go to eBay.com/buyauthentic to learn about the service.
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Submit an application to our quasi-professional watch match making service, by email: otthepodcast@gmail.com
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