You Are Your Watch's Biggest Problem [Audio]

Meet Canada's Best Watchmaker (Bradley Taylor)

Full show notes: www.unpolishedwatches.com/p/meet-canadas-best-watchmaker-bradley [https://www.unpolishedwatches.com/p/meet-canadas-best-watchmaker-bradley] Canada isn’t exactly known for its watchmaking, but today’s guest is changing that, one handmade watch at a time. When I saw Bradley Taylor announce his latest watch, the Ardea [https://www.bradleytaylor.ca/watches/ardea], I knew he’d be a good guest. It’s a well-made, time-only watch—in vogue right now—but completely his own. The Ardea ($62k in steel; $82k in platinum) features a retrograde seconds that snaps back to zero every minute, and almost all of the components are made by Bradley in his Vancouver workshop. Bradley went to watchmaking school in Le Locle, Switzerland, and earned his Patek Philippe Level II certification before setting off on his own in 2020. We talk about his journey to becoming an independent watchmaker, the challenges of running a solo workshop, his thoughts on the market for high-end (and high-priced) indies, and where he fits in. Then, we dig into his latest release, the Ardea. For more on Bradley or to get in contact with him: bradleytaylor.ca [https://www.bradleytaylor.ca/] Thank you to The Escapement for sponsoring today’s episode. For more info and tickets, visit theescapement.com [https://theescapement.com/]. For those of you listening on audio, the Unpolished Podcast is also now published as video on our YouTube channel HERE [https://www.youtube.com/@unpolishedwatch]: Unpolished is the newsletter for watch collectors, and a top-20 Fashion Substack. Join for free or become a member for $8/mo: Subscribers also get (1) 10% off in the Unpolished Store [https://shop.unpolishedwatches.com/], (2) $50 off a service at Watchcheck [https://watchcheck.com/], and (3) access to all comments and Q&As. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.unpolishedwatches.com/subscribe [https://www.unpolishedwatches.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

Bonus: Collecting the 1990s with Trevor Wynn (Paré Paré)

Full show notes: https://www.unpolishedwatches.com/p/bonus-ep-collecting-the-1990s-with [https://www.unpolishedwatches.com/p/bonus-ep-collecting-the-1990s-with] Subscribe to Unpolished: unpolishedwatches.com [https://unpolishedwatches.com/] Today’s a bonus episode with Trevor Wynn, host of the Paré Paré Podcast. Trevor was in Chicago during Memorial Day weekend, so we sat down for a short chat at Huckberry after filming a YouTube video. We talk about Trevor’s brief foray into acting, leaving your passion behind, some of our favorite watches from the 1990s from Rolex, IWC, TAG Heuer, and more, and other updates to Trevor’s collection. We’ll be back next week with a full episode featuring an interview with an independent watchmaker who recently announced his latest release. Thanks for listening! Subscribe to the podcast to get future episodes in your feed: Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/5ftlq0wkiQO9BLzPHP6PLO?si=d9a7702a53d340d9] / Apple [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/unpolished-watches/id1833825511] / RSS [https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/6476.rss] Unpolished is the newsletter for watch collectors, and a top-20 Fashion Substack. Join for free or become a member for $8/mo: Subscribers also get (1) 10% off in the Unpolished Store [https://shop.unpolishedwatches.com/], (2) $50 off a service at Watchcheck [https://watchcheck.com/], and (3) access to all comments and Q&As. Show Notes: * Paré Paré on Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/par%C3%A9-par%C3%A9/id1715398729] * How we all become sellouts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/selling-out-encore/id1376577202?i=1000672268628], Decoder Ring * The Feed is Fake [https://removepaywalls.com/https://www.vulture.com/article/social-media-feeds-chaotic-good-projects-clipping.html], Vulture * Benrus Type II [https://www.analogshift.com/products/benrus-type-ii-series-b-as01200?srsltid=AfmBOop2WbMnHl7XBF_C5EnKtCiXggGZ84EIye80Sh7HXs-33ema5fqW], Analog Shift * The Best Field Watches [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWJPxW7RWH0], Unpolished YouTube * Cartier Santos SIHH 2002 LE [https://www.instagram.com/p/C1XQPZbLDpt/], Tony’s Instagram * Omega Seamaster Chronograph 007 ‘First Light’ [https://www.omegawatches.com/en-us/watches/seamaster/diver-300-m/007-first-light/product] (17mm thick!), Omega * Modern two-tone Rolex GMT-Master II [https://www.rolex.com/en-us/watches/gmt-master-ii#cfg/gmt-master-ii/m126713grnr-0001/dial], Rolex * A Guide to TAG Heuer Dive Watches [https://www.onthedash.com/tag-heuer-dive-watches-oldest-and-newest/], On the Dash * Shop Unpolished Straps [https://shop.unpolishedwatches.com/], Unpolished Store This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.unpolishedwatches.com/subscribe [https://www.unpolishedwatches.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

A Visit to Geneva's Newest Independent Watchmaker [Audio]

This is the audio edition of the April 28 newsletter, a visit to Geneva’s newest independent watchmaker [https://www.unpolishedwatches.com/p/a-visit-to-genevas-newest-independent]. Show Notes * Subscribe to the podcast to get future episodes in your feed: Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/5ftlq0wkiQO9BLzPHP6PLO?si=d9a7702a53d340d9] / Apple [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/unpolished-watches/id1833825511] / RSS [https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/6476.rss] * Unpolished is the newsletter for watch collectors and a top-20 Fashion & Beauty Substack. Join for $8/mo or $80 year: unpolishedwatches.com [https://unpolishedwatches.com/]. * Chicago events: I helped organize a small get-together in Chicago last week. We didn’t promote it much, and I got a bunch of messages after posting about it asking how to attend the next one. If you’d like to hear about future events, send an email to tony[at]unpolishedwatches.com with the subject line “CHICAGO.” I’ll add you to a separate list just for future events. * Shop all our U.S.-made straps at shop.unpolishedwatches.com [https://shop.unpolishedwatches.com/]. Unpolished is the newsletter for watch collectors. Join a community of 13k+ and become a free or paid subscriber: This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.unpolishedwatches.com/subscribe [https://www.unpolishedwatches.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

The Psychology of Collecting (w/ King Flum)

One of the reasons I find watch collecting so fascinating is that it puts on full display the entire breadth of human psychology: Why we want the things we want, and how to be happy with what we already have. Today’s guest is kingflum [https://substack.com/profile/40694449-kingflum], who writes the newsletter Screwdown Crown [https://www.screwdowncrown.com/?r=qh5y]. He’s known just as much for his diversions on psychology as he is for calling out the BS he sees in the watch industry. We discuss how to appreciate watches without having the sometimes unhealthy desire to own every single one; the two systems always at work in our brains; how Instagram has changed watchmaking; enjoying his titanium Rolex Yacht-Master and Romain Gauthier C6; why your taste is not as personal as you think; the McMansion effect and the power of mimetic desire; the difference between a community and a cult, and which are FP Journe owners? On the eve of Watches & Wonders, we also talk about the industry: Is the slowdown cyclical or existential; the rise of Chinese manufacturing; the death of the middle market. We close with a few minutes on the current state of watch media: How brands are (or aren’t) interacting with independent newsletters, handling criticism, and is now the most exciting time to be an enthusiast? Subscribe to Unpolished here. [https://unpolishedwatches.com/] Subscribe to Screwdown Crown here [https://www.screwdowncrown.com/?r=qh5y]. Our book recs: * Thinking, Fast and Slow [https://amzn.to/4c2EBBD] * Alchemy: The Dark Art of Creating Magic [https://amzn.to/48E6I7Q] * Wanting: The Power of Mimetic Desire [https://amzn.to/48E6I7Q] Unpolished subscribers get: * 2 newsletters/week * 10% off U.S.-made straps in the Unpolished Store [https://shop.unpolishedwatches.com/] * $50 off any service from Watchcheck [http://watchcheck.com/] Subscribe to the podcast to get future episodes in your feed: Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/5ftlq0wkiQO9BLzPHP6PLO?si=d9a7702a53d340d9] / Apple [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/unpolished-watches/id1833825511] / RSS [https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/6476.rss] Unpolished is the newsletter for watch collectors, and a top-20 Fashion & Beauty Substack. Join for free or get all the good stuff for $8/mo: This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.unpolishedwatches.com/subscribe [https://www.unpolishedwatches.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

How to Sell a Watch (w/ Wes Wynne)

Paid subscribers can see the full Unpolished Guide to Selling a Watch: https://www.unpolishedwatches.com/p/the-unpolished-guide-to-selling-a [https://www.unpolishedwatches.com/p/the-unpolished-guide-to-selling-a] In early February, I went to Miami for a small vintage meetup [https://www.unpolishedwatches.com/p/inside-a-vintage-watch-meetup-in]. While there, I sat down with Wes Wynne of Collectors Corner NY [https://collectorscornerny.com/] to discuss a question we’re both asked often: How do you sell a watch? We discuss the who, what, when, where, why, and how of selling, including: * The players: From large dealers like 1916 Company or Analog Shift to niche dealers like Wes, along with platforms, marketplaces, and auctions. * When to consider selling vs. consigning, and the margins for each, with a few real examples. When do you need a consignment agreement, and how to get rid of the “dogs” in your collection? * What to ask a dealer, along with a few of our pet peeves and red flags. * A rough Chrono24 Rule for thinking about what your watch is actually worth. I’ve published a companion guide on “How to Sell a Watch,” exclusive to paid subscribers, that goes into more detail on working with and navigating this complicated, confusing world. A useful, practical guide for paid subscribers. Subscribe at: unpolishedwatches.com [https://unpolishedwatches.com/] Subscribers get: * 2 newsletters/week * 10% off U.S.-made straps in the Unpolished Store [https://shop.unpolishedwatches.com/] * $50 off any service from Watchcheck [http://watchcheck.com/] Subscribe to the podcast to get future episodes in your feed: Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/5ftlq0wkiQO9BLzPHP6PLO?si=d9a7702a53d340d9] / Apple [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/unpolished-watches/id1833825511] / RSS [https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/6476.rss] Unpolished is the newsletter for watch collectors and a top-20 Fashion & Beauty Substack. Join for free or get all the good stuff for $8/mo: This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.unpolishedwatches.com/subscribe [https://www.unpolishedwatches.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]