EPISODE 176: Battlebots, Majeteks, Panerai and the latest news in watches
It’s not just the Australian weather that’s heating up — things in watchland are getting buzzier than Jerry Seinfeld Bee Movie. Andy and Felix have been partying down with Panerai, plus there’s news from Fears, Louis Vuitton, Longines, Blancpain and more.
EPISODE 175: Anders (@everydaycollector) on the mighty Rolex Midas and collecting with style
After years of low-key stalking, a royal stack of Rolex Midas models was all it took for Felix to invite Anders, AKA @everydaycollector onto the pod. Anders, hailing from sunny Norway has a stunning collection of watches, including the aforementioned Rolex. On top of that there’s vintage Cartier, Royal Oaks, Vacheron Constantin 222s and more.
EPISODE 174: January News — Brand new Audemars Piguet, Omega gets technical and bioceramic Bond
We’re officially one-twelfth of the way through the year, and the watch releases are coming thick and fast — just like Andy’s love of the new 37mm Royal Oak in yellow gold with a turquoise dial. Honestly, he hasn’t been so excited about a watch since Rolex released a watch with a turquoise dial. Maybe it’s just turquoise. Aside from AP, there’s also the new chonky Speedy hiding impressive innovation inside. Then there are the Daniel Craig Conspiracy theories.
EPISODE 173: Phil Toledano (Mister Enthusiast) on sculptural cases, collecting and cars
It’s been a long time since UK-born, NYC-residing visual artist and all-round geezer Phil Toledano graced OT: — too long, honestly. We started our interview with a clear direction and purpose, to grill him about weird cars, oddball watches and the latest trends in jumpsuits, but our conversation quickly veered very left of centre. Sure, we spoke to Phil about many of these topics, as well as his upcoming watch venture, the fabled four-way collab and his love of all things Italian.
EPISODE 172: Nick Federowicz (Ad Patina) on the art of watch advertising
As if watches weren’t niche enough. Today we dive into the vintage watch ad rabbit hole with Nick Federowicz, better known by his online persona of Ad Patina. Nick makes a living scouring the world for old copies of obscure magazines and finding the nostalgic treasures encased within. Not only do these ads offer a period-correct glimpse of our favourite watches, they shine a light on the world in which they were created, and show us just how much it has changed.
EPISODE 171: Kim Frank on exploring, elephants and wearing Rolex in the field
Kim Frank wears many hats. She’s a writer, editor and explorer. In fact, she’s a fellow at the Explorers Club, and was recently the recipient of the Explorers Club Rolex Award. Kim tells us exactly what this is, what it entails and what it's really like to wear a Rolex while working on stories about how Asian elephants co-exist with humans in the Eastern Himalayas.
EPISODE 170: Victoria Gomelsky on what to expect in 2023
We’re kicking off 2023 in fine form with none other than veteran watch and jewellery writer Victoria Gomelsky. You know her work from The New York Times, Robb Report and many other great titles. We get Victoria’s take on macro trends, through to what’s hot (or not) in watches, sustainability and lab-grown stones, and what a slowing global economy might mean for the business of watches.
EPISODE 169: Aren Bazerkanian (Havid Nagan) on the trials and triumphs of starting a watch brand
Today we talk to Aren Bazerkanian, founder of Los Angeles-based watch brand Havid Nagan. The brand’s debut watch is the HN000, which features a sporty case with an unusual profile, a stunning dial and a solid Schwarz-Etienne calibre. Bazerkanian’s influences range from Franck Muller to LA-architecture as well as watchmaking's traditional masters. Design aside, we talk to Aren about the challenges and joys of working with Swiss suppliers and shifting timelines.
EPISODE 168: Sleeper hits and the near misses of 2022
It’s December, which means it’s time for us to look back on the year that was (and think about the year that will be). So we thought we’d take, as inspiration, a year old Robb Report wrap of industry predictions from the likes of Kelly Yoch, William Massena and more and grade them for how well they turned out. Don’t worry; pretty much everyone passed. Not content with that, Felix looks to the future and wonders what we’ll be talking about next year, including interesting indies and, yes, Franck Muller.
EPISODE 167: Mark Cho (The Armoury) on selling his watch collection
Mark Cho is selling off the bulk of his collection to fund the expansion of his business, The Armoury, and he’s doing it through Phillips. Rather than anonymously consign his watches, Mark has made a custom site – called The Beauty in Everything – showcasing the watches and some of the stories behind them. Even if you’re not in the market for a new watch, it’s well worth having a look.
EPISODE 166: Anthony Traina (Hodinkee) on following your passions, visiting Rolex and weird watches
Today we speak to Anthony Traina, one of Hodinkee’s freshest editors — a keen-eyed vintage watch aficionado with a love of weird designs and classic Cartier. Of course, many people will know Traina from his phenomenally popular newsletter Rescapement. We chat to Tony about what it's like to leave a stable career in law for the world of watches, championing weird watches and whether or not Franck Muller is on the cusp of cool (again).
EPISODE 165: John Buckley on Rolex dials, watch deals and cracking TikTok
John Buckley casts a long shadow over the world of vintage Rolex, a veteran of the New York scene who has seen trends come and hype go, which makes the fact that he’s TikTok famous somewhat surprising. Buckley’s TikTok’s follow him on his visits to the dealers of 47th street, and gives you a glimpse into the behind-the-scenes wheeling and dealing of watches far removed from the white glove service of the boutique environment.
EPISODE 164: The Grand Prix d’OT, AKA ‘the Logies of Watchmaking’
Switzerland might have the Oscars of Watchmaking, but Australia can now lay claim to its own prestigious awards ceremony, the GPOT. These awards promise to usher in a new era of integrity and dignity. The GPOTs are adjudicated by an expert panel of Andy and Felix, which promises to provide an impartial and unbiased evaluation of the most important horological happenings of 2022, from the most surprising release, to the biggest drama.
EPISODE 163: Kristen Shirley on demystifying watches plus Rolex goes titanium
Today we chat with veteran luxury and lifestyle journalist Kristen Shirley, the founder of La Patiala. Kristen’s journey into watches starts the best way possible — Baselworld. We chat to Kristen about demystifying watches, as well as how the industry is evolving. Felix and Andy weigh in on the brand new (and very big) Deepsea Challenge, and why Kenny Rogers’ Zodiac is an unsung piece of horological history.
EPISODE 162: Chris Hall (The Fourth Wheel) on chiming Omegas, integrated Bremonts and Newsletters
We enjoyed our last chat with Chris Hall so much that we just had to have him back, and we did! Chris chats to us about his exceptionally good Substack, The Fourth Wheel, which provides him with an avenue to share a broader scope of stories and insights about the world of watches. And while the newsletter is great, we thought we’d get his patented ‘Fourth Wheel’ take on some of the latest releases, including Omega and Bremont.
EPISODE 161: October News – New Patek Phillipe and Audemars Piguet, plus Apple Ultra v Google Pixel
This month in watch news we have new Patek Philippe, very blingy Audemars Piguet and, more importantly, Andy and Felix go hands on with the Apple Watch Ultra and Google Pixel Watch respectively. What a time to be alive.
EPISODE 160: Stan Barrett, Hollywood stunt legend on being the fastest man alive and his friend Paul Newman
This week we talk to Stan Barrett, a stuntman with over 50 years experience, and the fastest man on earth. In 1979 he strapped into the Budweiser rocket car and broke the speed of sound. But mostly our conversation drifted to his friend and colleague Paul Newman. Stan worked as Paul’s stunt double over many movies, becoming fast friends. Obviously we talk to Stan about the Rolex’s Paul gave him over the years too.
EPISODE 159: Reuben Schoots, the Australian watchmaker building a watch in his garage
Australia is about as far away from the watchmaking centres of the world as it's possible to get. That hasn't stopped Reuben Schoots, hailing from our nations capital, from learning the art, and building his own watch, from scratch.
EPISODE 158: Beauden Barrett — All Black Legend and Tudor Ambassador
In this episode, we managed to do what rugby teams worldwide have been failing to do for years — pin down Beauden Barrett. We caught the All Black and Tudor ambassador between matches and chatted about the life and pressures of being one of the best rugby players in the world, in one of the most legendary teams of all time. Naturally, we also talked Tudor, legacy, and how to travel with a watch.
EPISODE 157: Carson Chan on the future of the watch industry and GPHG
In the middle of our chat with Carson Chan, Chief Advisor to the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie, he makes a bold claim — that no other type of object has changed from the category of ‘need’ to ‘want’ as profoundly as the wristwatch. This insight is one of Carson’s many pearls of wisdom. We also speak about his role at the FHH; the state of collecting, the future of the industry and how to improve the GPHG.