Scottish Watches Podcast #756: Our Fun February Finale
Date: February 27, 2026
Host(s): Ricky (A), Dave (B)
Special Guest: Ed Margulies (Split Watches, C)
Episode Overview
The Scottish Watches team wraps up February with a jam-packed episode featuring the latest news and releases from the world of watches. They explore notable industry events such as the British Watchmakers Day and WatchPro's Women in Watches conference, review a variety of newly launched timepieces, and bring on a special guest from Split Watches to discuss a fresh approach to watch design and mental health. The episode maintains the hosts’ familiar blend of banter, critical insight, and genuine watch enthusiasm.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Travel, Events & Upcoming Watch Shows
- Travel Plans: The team mentions ongoing and upcoming events, most notably the British Watchmakers Day and the annual Watches and Wonders expo.
- Watches and Wonders: Ricky reveals some shakeups—HYT was removed from the event's brand roster at the last minute, highlighting volatility in the watch industry and the precariousness for some brands.
- "Not good to hear about brands falling under… although I did recently hear that Fossil have come back like a phoenix from the ashes." (A, 00:55)
2. Review: Citizen x Seconde/Second Limited Edition "Tiosa"
- Collaboration & Design:
- Citizen partners with the French collaborative designer Romaric Andre (Seconde/Second) for a unique take on the Tiosa, an affordable, integrated-bracelet sports watch first debuted in 2022.
- The dial features a pixelated, 8-bit katana as the minute hand, with applied indices slashed at different angles, reflecting both the designer’s playful aesthetic and the Japanese theme (Tiosa = "power/strength").
- "What he's done is… a reinterpretation of an 8-bit pixelated Japanese katana sword… The clasp… also got some chip marks or sword slashes." (B, 02:30)
- Specs:
- Calibre 8210 automatic, 40 hr power reserve, date magnifier, limited to 3,600 pieces (referencing the number of seconds in an hour), price ~$495 USD.
- Hosts’ Takes:
- Dave loves the value and playful design.
- Ricky, despite collecting several Seconde/Second collaborations, isn’t taken with this one ("It's got that kind of Minecraft look about it with a sword. But it's not for me." – A, 04:51).
3. Dual Launch: Chronoswiss Aurora Chronograph & Space Timer Gravity
- Heritage & Innovation: Chronoswiss continues to blend classical watchmaking with experimental designs.
- Chronograph Aurora:
- Evolves a 20-year heritage of moonphase-chronos; inspired by the northern lights, it sports a shifting green-blue CVD dial, iconic onion crown, and Breguet hands.
- "CVD… gives such a unique, almost ethereal look to things..." (A, 08:53)
- £9,800 CHF – described as “a lot less than most people would probably expect.”
- Space Timer Gravity:
- Heavily textured (laser-engraved), uses CVD coating to evoke planetary atmospheres, and floats transparent hour/date rings above a NASA-imaged moon surface.
- Limited to 50 pieces, 21,300 CHF.
- Personal Preferences: Ricky favors the crazier, bolder watches, hinting at future Chronoswiss releases to come at Watches and Wonders.
4. Industry Insight: WatchPro’s "Women in Watches" Event
[11:46]
- A groundbreaking industry conference in London (March 2), led by WatchPro and featuring two panels:
- Leadership & Representation: Exploring career pathways, female visibility, pay gaps, and structural industry challenges (Mae Garland, Rebecca Struthers, Serena Gough, Sarah Bauman).
- Women as Consumers & Market Shapers: Focus on evolving market segmentation and the rising influence of female collectors (Ella Kirby, Faye Soretti, Sarah Ferguson, Ellen Barnes, Scarlett Baker).
- “It’s going to be exciting, should be good. I’m sure we’ll have Sarah [Bauman] on the show at some point after that…” (B, 13:54)
5. Risk Checks Segment
[14:18]–[18:01]
- Dave: Citizen Alticron Cirrus, a layered, titanium/ceramic, eco-drive multifunction with a pop of color (altimeter, compass, etc).
- “Can I remember how it works? Absolutely not. I just press buttons and see what happens…” (B, 16:15)
- Ricky: Brings on a special guest to introduce his watch—cue the surprise:
6. Interview: Ed Margulies of Split Watches
[18:01]–[31:08]
Ed’s Background & Motivation:
- Third-generation watchmaker, former UK distributor for Girard-Perregaux, Blancpain, Hublot, and Audemars Piguet.
- Burnout, mental health, and encountering excessive industry ego drove Ed to reimagine what watch brands could represent.
- Mission: “I wanted to tell a bit of a different story and use that spark that a watch can have to create conversations, connections, togetherness.” (C, 19:58)
The Split "In the Skies" Chrono:
- Design:
- "Green glowing" dial, inspired by Peter Green (Fleetwood Mac), MC5, and musical counterculture.
- Case made of innovative polymers, nylons, ceramics (not steel), with a soft touch and FKM rubber strap; focus on stripping back excess.
- Movement: NE86 (Seiko) manual-wind Bi-Compax chronograph ("not used very often…people tend to like the 3 reg a bit more than the 2 reg" – C, 28:31). Customized decoration, exhibition caseback.
- Purposeful Details: Time display set at 7:23 instead of the customary 10:10, reflecting the reality that not every day is happy—“just encouraging people to own it when they're having a bit of a bad day.” (C, 21:28)
- Giving Back: Donations from each sale go to mental health therapy causes.
- Color Matching: Considerable effort went into matching the glow case and strap.
- “Annoyed a lot of people by the way… But I think it's important to get your product as good as you can get it for the customer.” (C, 30:11)
MEMORABLE MOMENT:
“That green glow coming off that… Jesus Christ. The radioactive plant. Yeah. But thankfully I don’t think it’s going to cause people any issues. I’m hoping.”
– (A & C, 26:24–26:35)
7. Fossil and Zodiac Resurgence
[31:09]–[34:19]
- Discusses Fossil Group’s surprising bounce-back and the re-release of the iconic Y2K-inspired "Big Tick" watches, complete with retro LED "flame" animations and a pocket watch variant.
- “Do not need this in any way, but probably will end up getting one.” (B, 31:51)
- Priced at $195/$170 USD (watch/pocket watch).
8. Richard Mille RM41-01 "Football Timer" Tourbillon
[35:36]–[39:35]
- Unparalleled complication: Dual-purpose as a high-end tourbillon chronograph and functional football (soccer) timer/score keeper.
- Can track both halves & extra-time, register scores with pushers, etc.
- Case made of TPT with real basalt fibers, collaboration with Audemars Piguet, flyback chronograph with central minutes/seconds, limited to 30 pieces each colorway, likely six-to-seven figure pricing.
- Hosts’ Reaction:
- “Really cool. Completely pointless. Which makes it in many ways even cooler.” (B, 39:21)
- “Would I buy it? No. If I was offered one for free, would I take it? Yes. Would I sell it immediately? Of course.” (A, 39:35)
9. Industry News & Market Realities
[41:04]–[43:17]
- Breitling’s private equity owners halve the value of their remaining stake following ~6% sales decline over two years.
- “It shows that… they’re getting a bit more realistic about the valuations of the brands they have.” (B, 42:02)
- Still a top-10 Swiss brand, but the news highlights industry headwinds.
10. What the Hosts Have Been Up To
[43:43]–[48:57]
- Dave’s taking a breather after travel (with some TV recommendations).
- Ricky explores YouTube oddities (like lifting anvils with car batteries), comic cons, Doctor Who nostalgia, and automotive events, teasing a future car/watch live podcast.
- Upcoming Collabs: Yema is back in touch for a future segment about the brand’s history and upcoming in-house movement watches.
11. Review: Yema Wristmaster Slim Small Seconds (Snow Camo)
[48:57]–[52:34]
- Lineage: Classic 1960s/70s shape meets 2020s micro-rotor innovation, made-in-France movement, modern camouflaged dials.
- Specs:
- 39 mm, 9.2 mm thick, 70 hr power reserve, limited 100-pc snow camo version with engraved dial, €2,399 (standard blue/green versions €2,249).
- Hosts’ Verdict:
- “Great looking watch for the money… a great alternative to quite a few of the mainstream options.” (B, 51:18)
- “If it's something unique, it adds something to the party, then I'm all about it… these guys do know what they're doing.” (A, 51:53)
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
-
On the Split Watches' Mission:
“We donate an hour as therapy to our charity partner for every watch we sell.” (C, 21:26) -
On the Yema Snow Camo Wristmaster:
“That snow camo one—great looking watch for the money, a great alternative to quite a few of the more mainstream options out there…” (B, 51:18) -
On the Richard Mille Football Timer:
“Really cool. Completely pointless. Which makes it in many ways even cooler.” (B, 39:21) -
On Watch Enthusiasm:
"As much as we like to talk about the budget friendly options, sometimes we like to go into the stratosphere with Richard Mille." (A, 35:36) -
Banter on the Citizen Alticron Cirrus:
"Can I remember how it works? Absolutely not. I just press buttons and see what happens…" (B, 16:15) "Not my favourite citizen, that one. It's very… I don't even know, it's kind of 90s looking. I'm not too keen on it." (A, 17:19) -
Teasing Future Watch Industry Segments:
“They’re delivering all this technology, value for money in unique looking timepieces that no one else has tried to copy, no one’s dared try to copy… and they're bringing out price points that… are still massively beneficial…” (A, 09:41)
Timestamps for Important Segments
- 00:00 – Show opening & event teasers
- 01:32 – Citizen x Seconde/Second collab review
- 05:30 – Chronoswiss Aurora & Gravity discussion
- 11:46 – WatchPro “Women in Watches” event preview
- 14:18 – Risk check segment
- 18:01 – Interview: Ed Margulies of Split Watches
- 31:09 – Fossil & Zodiac news
- 35:36 – Richard Mille RM41-01 review
- 41:04 – Breitling valuation and industry news
- 43:43 – What the hosts have been up to
- 48:57 – Yema Wristmaster Slim review
- 52:34 – Episode wrap-up and what’s next
Flow, Tone, and Concluding Notes
This episode is classic Scottish Watches: lively, irreverent, and packed with both serious horology talk and offbeat humor. The hosts bring unique insight and a critical (but fair) take on industry news and the latest releases. The guest segment with Ed Margulies stands out, offering not only an intriguing new watch but also a welcome focus on mental health and industry culture. For listeners who missed the episode, this summary covers all key releases, big talking points, moments of fun, and lingering questions heading into the next round of events and collaborations.
For more info, photos, and detailed tech specs, check the show notes or visit the Scottish Watches website.