Watches & Wonders 2023 is now behind us, so naturally we’ve spent a little time reflecting on the good, the not so good and the great. And when we say ‘some time’ we meant, a seriously sleep deprived Felix and an overworked Andy had an informal chat about what it was like on the ground, some other highlights on the ground, and who’s booth was best.

In a move surprising absolutely no one, this week’s episode is all about Watches & Wonders. Recorded earlier this week, Felix and Andy discuss the blue chip releases from the big brands. Andy gives us the view from afar on the bold moves from Rolex, and the less dramatic Patek novelties. Felix gives his very early impressions on Tudor’s new Black Bay’s and the very impressive suite of new Carreras coming out of TAG Heuer.

Today we speak to Dr Rebecca Struthers, one half of Struthers Watchmaking, about how she ended up as a watchmaker, and more importantly, where she’s taking it — specifically the gorgeous and exclusive Project 248. But it’s not just watches that Rebecca crafts, she’s also on the eve of publishing Hands of Time, A Watchmakers History of Time, which takes us through 40,000-odd years of timekeeping with precision and style.

Today we chat with Giles Ellis, the infectiously passionate founder of Schofield Watches. Ellis has been making his distinctively-cased watches since 2010. Ellis started making watches for the best possible reason — he was looking for a watch he wanted to wear, and nothing on the market at the time was *quite* right, so he made his own.

Recently Andy has been raving about a well-sized, vintage-inspired chronograph that’s had a firm place on his wrist for the last few weeks: The Antigua from Méraud Watches. So it only made sense to get the founder of this boutique Belgian brand — Stijn Busschaert — on for a chat.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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).

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.

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.

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.

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.