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Scottish Watches Podcast #761 : All About The Glasgow Watch Show 2026
00:45:00
After the success of its first edition, Glasgow Watch Show is returning in 2026 with a brand-new setting inside the iconic Hampden Park. Hamish joins the show to reveal the...
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- [00:01]
A
Welcome to the Scottish Watches podcast. This episode is going to be absolutely fantastic because we've got the most Scottish sounding guy on the line that you've ever heard in your life is of course Hamish from the Watch Collectors Club. He's here today to tell you all about the Glasgow Watch show. Massive success 2025, even bigger, even better in 2026 because me and Dave have actually had a bit of a recce mission. We went down to see where the new venue is and it has moved from the arches down at Central Station in Glasgow, probably for good reason at this moment in time. But he's here to tell you all about the brands, the, the crazy stuff that is going to happen at this event. But first of all we'll check in with Dave, see how he's getting on.
- [00:37]
B
Dave's here, not burnt down yet. So yeah, as far as Dave's concerned, everything is all copus and good. But yes, we have the most Scottish named person that we could possibly imagine on the show and that's a good thing because we're going to be talking all about his escapades for his show calendar in 2026. So maybe we should let Hamish actually say hello.
- [00:55]
C
Hi there. Everyone will be disappointed now that I don't have a very thick Scottish accent, but I do have a very Scottish name and the whole of my father's family are Scots and I'm very proud of it and I'm delighted to be here to talk about the Glasgow Watch show which as Ricky said, is returning to be bigger and better in 2026, in just a couple of months time.
- [01:13]
A
Well, tell everybody to check the show notes because that's where all the information will live. You can find that in your podcast player. Click link takes you to our website. On there is a page designated for this episode and in there you'll find all those links, juicy information and some of the brands, not all the brands because lots more have been added on a daily weekly basis.
- [01:31]
B
But.
- [01:32]
A
But the majority of the big heavy hitters are already signed up and ready to rock. So Hamish, the first thing we're going to do is recap last year because it was a bit of a great unknown. We had. Nobody had a clue if it was going to be a success or if it was going to be a damp squib. It was in the city centre of Glasgow, quite easy to get to, decent parking nearby and obviously great train routes into the city centre. But we turned up, we were pretty impressed. How was it for you being the organizer?
- [01:55]
C
To be honest, it was Fantastic. The nicest thing about doing shows like this is meeting all the people who come along and meeting so many new watch enthusiasts, guests and being able to help them see the brands that they'd never seen before and meet just chat watchers for 2 hours, 3 hours, 4 hours, however long they want to stay. And especially coming up to Glasgow for the first time, we had so many people just be really grateful that we'd come, that we'd put in the effort. And you guys know what Glaswegians are like, they're very high energy people. So it was high energy from the start of the day right through and just really, really enjoyable, the whole thing.
- [02:32]
A
To be honest, people might have had the impression it was going to be like Rabsey Nisbet or Still Game or Tune the Fat, but it certainly was not. There was a whole load of brands, some we'd never heard of before. There were a few gems that you'd hidden and taken with you on your travels up from down south. But you're right, we have kept away from putting on a watch show ourselves. We also kept away from opening a shop or an online presence to sell things, because it's not what we do. We want to be impartial, we want to work with. With brands, we want to work with creators and folks are putting on meetups, shows and events. Because if we remain impartial, then we can give an honest review of things such as the shows that you put on and Hand On Heart, they are fantabulous. That's why we're back for a second year to check things out. But last year it was in a smaller venue. It wasn't quite as prestigious, although when we did turn up, it was really good. It was in an area that used to be the Arches nightclub in Glasgow city centre. It's had a bit of a dubious pass. It has come, it's gone. I think it is now permanently gone. But the new venue, that is International Stadium.
- [03:33]
C
Yeah. So this year we're at Hamden Stadium, Hampden park, or as it's just been renamed, Barclays Hamden. But, you know, that's modern sponsorship for you. We're in one of the huge hospitality suites there. So it's going to be a fantastic experience because first of all, the stadium is really easy to get to. It's got tons of parking for those driving, it's really close to a train station for anyone coming by public transportation. And it's very hard to miss because it's an enormous football stadium. We've got really nice big windows for the function room. We've got really secure premises because obviously football stadiums are great on security, modern facilities, really accessible and just really looking forward to it because as you said, Hamden is a really iconic stadium and if you've not been there, it's just quite a fun place to go.
- [04:19]
A
Couldn't have said it better myself, Dave. Now, you went last year. Well, actually, no, Dave, you went because you were forced to go last year. You were going to be helping me out, running around, chatting to people, chatting to brands, checking out this and the other. You didn't manage to do any of that. Why is that, Dave?
- [04:35]
B
That's because that other place, that brand that I work for, they were actually exhibiting at the show and we will be exhibiting again through the three events actually that you're putting on through the UK in 2026. But of course, Glasgow being, well, the most important one. Well, because it's Glasgow and it's also the first of the three outings of your show. But I will have help and assistance with me this time. I will have the intrepid Roger and I will also have Scott up, which will give me a little bit of time to actually go and do some other stuff. But as you mentioned, you know, it's not just parking and lots of it, it's free parking, which makes Glaswegians even happier. And, well, these folk who come over from Edinburgh. And as you mentioned, using the local railway network in Glasgow, which is pretty good, I think it's the second best outside of London. You can get within about 10 minutes maximum walking of the stadium itself. So accessibility should be much simpler. And if you're travelling from outwith Glasgow, it's quite literally just off the motorway network, probably a maximum of five minutes off the motorway network. So accessibility will be your friend. The arches. Well, the way the Glasgow city centre is going, with all of these restrictions that the council are bringing in, it's probably a great thing for accessibility of the show.
- [05:44]
A
And maybe we should highlight one of the big heavy hitting items of this event. The cost we've seen watchos costing 25 quid, 40 quid, 50 quid, 75 pounds. If you're going to some of the crazy shows across the world, it can be multiple hundreds leading into the thousands, depending on if you want a VIP package, this, that or the other. Your show and it's always been this way is super economical.
- [06:05]
C
Yeah, that's right. So our standard ticket is £12. And what we're doing this year, because we've got More space is kids go free. So we have lots of people asking if they can bring the kids and people do. So kids go free this year. So if you want to bring kids under 16, you want to introduce them to the world of watches, you want to see if there's any fun watches that might be suitable for them, please bring them along. We're even going to do some student tickets this year. We had a bunch of students last year traveled up from Birmingham and they were there for almost six hours. I met them towards the end of the day. I couldn't believe they were still going round. So we got student tickets as well. But we do have some VIP tickets as well, some premium tickets which come with a little goodie bag with some interesting things in it and a free drink. So we've got those for the first time as well this year. But there is something I should say about the tickets that's extra special which is on a first come, first serve basis we've got 100 spaces for a tour of the Anna Dane workshop. And this is a really, really exciting chance for people to see one of, well, Scotland's premier watchmaker, based in Scotland, who really believe in the very special craft of enameling. I don't know if you guys know much about the company, I'm sure you know them very well but we're really excited to be working with them and we're not. Those tickets aren't just for the premium tickets. Those are for anyone who buys a show ticket on a first come, first serve basis. So those are going live on Monday as well.
- [07:31]
A
Dave, you know Lewis quite well. Tell us about Annordain.
- [07:33]
B
Yes, and I think it's also fair to say that Lewis and the guys at Annordain, well they've opened their all new facility. They've been in a couple of different locations in Glasgow. Always been in and around the city centre from their early roots over in the West End then moving out in towards Glasgow Green where they're in the Templeton Carpet Factory. That is the former Templeton Carpet Factory which is now kind of quite a big arts and industrial space. But moving into their own dedicated built space that's just on the south side of the Glasgow of the River Clyde now and it's very close by to the actual venue that we're hosting the show at, which of course is Wembley. Not Wembley, which is of course Hampden Park.
- [08:11]
A
Is that near Little Marcos? Remember Little Marcos in Glasgow?
- [08:15]
B
Yeah.
- [08:15]
A
Okay, yeah. So checking out the new facilities premises for an ordain, doing a tour to see how they do it. And that is something that you do want to check out, because we try and explain on the show as many times as possible why enamelling is expensive, because it's not one of those things that you can perfect. No one has perfected over many hundreds of years. You try your best, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. If it doesn't work, you have to start from the beginning and depending how many times they have to re fire, reheat up the enamel to set the different layers. Every time that happens is another opportunity for it to fail. So definitely one you want to check out. So those hundred entry points, and I take it the first hundred tickets to go on sale and people buy them, they'll have the option if they're not interested. So that can go to the next person that buys.
- [08:59]
C
Yeah, that's right. So it's just an option because they're doing different tours at different times. So there's a tour on the hour every hour from 12 till 4 for the anodyne Workshop. And if you want to go on that, you just select that alongside the tickets you're purchasing and then you'll have to come and register at the show itself before you go down. And I should just say it's not just the option to learn about the enameling, but also because both Annordain and Paulin, their sister brand, they assemble all of their watches now in Glasgow. So you'll be able to see how they do that and just have a little bit more insight into just what it takes to assemble a watch if you've never had that chance before. It's surprisingly interesting.
- [09:36]
A
It definitely is. And there are many extra things happening with the event this year. Again, reminding everyone, 12 quid. I mean, what can you buy for 12 quid these days? Not much from the local takeaway, I will tell you, because my diet has gone out the window in the last month. But you've also got a lot of brands coming along. Let's hit some of those guys who have we got coming that are maybe a little bit rarer, not the usual fare.
- [09:58]
C
Yeah. So one of the brands we're really excited to welcome this year for the first time is Baltic, which is a very famous French brand. And they, you know, have basically, I think the best way to explain them is vintage inspired watches, but with a very modern, clean take and they're very accessible and affordable. They have a very interesting micro rotor movement in their dress watch range, some really interesting stone dials released last year and just really pleased to Bring them to Glasgow for the first time. We've also got a famous Swiss brand which I think is often underrated and ignored and I think had a lot more distribution in the past in the uk, which is Ballcorp and they make Ball Engineer range is a really interesting range of tool watches. They're coming up for the first time.
- [10:47]
A
I have had a little bit of experience because when their UK rep has come up to Scotland, we've actually met up a number of times and they showed me different variations. And one of their selling points, or USPs is the fact that they're using. Is it tritium tubes?
- [11:00]
C
Yeah, that's right. So they use these really, really tiny tubes that actually are made of glass and have material or toughened glass and have this liquid inside them that is permanently illuminated. So I'm no chemist, but that's my understanding of it.
- [11:16]
A
Paging Dave. What's he talking about?
- [11:18]
B
So, yes, indeed. Well, as we all know, historically, let's say some unhuman friendly materials were used for making dials loom things like radium, not great for human health. But there are other things that are available and some of them can be well shielded. And by putting their material into a little glass vial effectively and then having those attached to the dial, you get all the effects of this kind of permanent luminescence that doesn't need exposure to the sunlight or uv, but will very much shine very powerfully. They have usually a shelf life of I think somewhere in the region of the 10 to 15 years, depending on exactly which ones they use, but they can be replaced as well. I actually have a ball watch from many years ago. I can assure you in a dark night you will definitely be able to find your watch in the room.
- [12:04]
A
Definitely. Right. Okay, who else have you got lined up?
- [12:06]
C
Coming over from America for the first time is a brand called Nodis and they've made quite a stir in America. I think they're based in Austin and Wesley, who runs the brand's, quite a character and they make again, really interesting and affordable tool watches. So I'm delighted that they're coming over for it.
- [12:22]
A
They've actually featured on the show since day one, 2019. I think it was the first time we talked about them. Their most recent appearance was Wes along with Matt Farah from the Smoking Tower podcast, another previous guest. And they were on to talk about their collaborative watch together, having done many in the past. So, yeah, great guys and know this, one of the first major players in the microbrand space that have moved things forward I believe they actually are involved in the intersection over in the States, so be good to. I've never actually met the guy. Never met him. The one time he came to Scotland in the past, not to do a show but to meet collectors, I had car trouble. Thankfully my car trouble days are in the past because I know have a thing called a warranty. But it'll be good to catch up with Wes and co.
- [13:02]
B
Indeed I have had the pleasure of meeting Wes a couple of times over in the United States and you are correct, he is one of the founders of the Intersex show. A few different people got together and they have that show that has well gone from strength to strength as a very similar idea to what you're doing. Actually Hamish in the uk, he's doing that over in the United States where they go around a lot of the cities that are not always as well served as some of the bigger places are and lets lots of the watch fans in those areas get their hands on and eyes on to all of their watches. So yeah, going from strength to strength, I think they actually did New York, of course, that's one of the bigger markets. They just had their New York show a couple of weeks ago and they have many more, more events coming up over the period of 2026.
- [13:43]
C
Love to mention a brand called Bravur from Sweden because they came to our Manchester show in November for the first time and they contacted me out the blue really interested in promoting their watches. And one of the most interesting things they do is they actually have a range of cycling themed watches inspired by the teams, the famous teams on the Tour de France. Now I don't know anything about this stuff, but the teams have colors like other sports teams and that's how they've chosen their favorite teams and inspired their chronograph, high quality Swiss movements. So you talk about watches in the sort of. I think they're around the 16 to 1800 pound mark, but they had a very good day in Manchester. So despite being quite a fresh brand from Sweden, you know, not well known to me or presumably most attendees, they got a really good response in Manchester and that was great to see.
- [14:31]
A
Well, here's a question for you. How do the different shows across the UK compare? Because in Scotland we have practically nothing, which is really strange because obviously our podcast is from Scotland. We know many people, many collectors, many enthusiasts up here, but how is it different? London vs Birmingham vs Manchester vs Glasgow?
- [14:50]
C
Well, Manchester last year was our second show and it was just hugely successful. So building year on year and having that presence was really, really encouraging because we sold out the show. I mean, we sold 900 tickets and we could have sold a lot more. And this year we hope to. And the community is very strong in the north of England. I think, as you say, there's not many events really for watch people outside of London, which is one of the reasons I started the watch Collectors club, nevermind started running these shows, is to really put on more events for enthusiasts wherever they might be. Glasgow, as I said, the energy is just fantastic. I was up running an event last week in Glasgow. People were so excited. They know each other well, they have been to meetups in the past and go to the pub and chat watchers and go to events with the great retailers in Glasgow and the same in Manchester. Some of the retailers do put on events there and we've done them there. But it's really this chance for a very large number of people to come together and for us to be honest, part of the job, my job is obviously to find people to come to the show, to advertise the show, promote the show. That's a really important job for any host of an exhibition like this. And I really enjoy that because I know the comments I get, the questions I get. I know that people are coming to these things for the first time and they're really excited. They might actually be apprehensive, they might be unsure what to expect, unsure what to do. But we can reassure people, you can reassure people that the watch community are incredibly friendly. These shows are very, very relaxed and it's all about just chatting about the watches you see in front of you or the watch on your wrist. There's no pressure to buy, there's no need to take anything home, it's just about really seeing the watches on the day and meeting other watch enthusiasts.
- [16:24]
B
Yes, indeed. And I think that actually brings a good point up. I think watch shows in general are pretty friendly environments, but. But the kind of feel that you've got with yours is they are very much family friendly. One thing that I saw at Glasgow last year was there was plenty of folk who brought their kids along, for example, or brought their partners along and sometimes, well, as we all know, your significant other might not be the biggest watch fan in the world and is a bit, mmm, do I really want to go to a watch show? But what we found was that they were engaging with folk and kind of getting a feel for behind the scenes. So if you're unsure, if you've never been to a watch show, don't be afraid. They are very friendly environments. They are, as we've mentioned, family friendly and partner friendly. Bring them along. I'm sure they'll have a good time at Amden, there's even a bar, so if they want to get well drunk whilst you look at watches, that's there for the offing as well. So, yes, come along and enjoy the day out. There's lots of interesting people to see and, of course, it's a good way to, well, meet some new friends. Every time we go to watch events, inevitably we meet someone we've never met before and you never know, you can strike up some new watch friends.
- [17:27]
A
Fwends. No, that's something to talk about. It's like the first time somebody goes to the gym and they're a bit scared. Oh, is everyone going to look at me? How do I act? What do I do? If you're coming to a watch event, you can wear a watch. You cannot wear a watch. It's completely up to you. No one will be looking at your wrist going, you can't get in. You don't fit in with the cool kids. Ain't nothing like that. And the security at Hamden Stadium is huge. Nothing untoward should happen there because they've got a massive security fence, they've got the premises, they've got internal security. External security. A massive area before you even get to the outside world. So, yeah, if you're coming along, you're parking in the car park. It will definitely be a good day out. Bringing the family. Maybe they're not 100% convinced they want to hang around. They can drop you off, they can go to Silverburn Shopping Centre, they can go to Bray Head Shopping Centre, they can head into Glasgow city centre, go to wherever they want. Buchanan Galleries, check out this, that and the other. You can have a lot of fun. And there's tons of things to do nearby, which is always good.
- [18:22]
C
I do want to mention Bamford, London, because they are coming to our show for the first time in Glasgow and they have a really, really interesting range of watches, including one that is modular, so you can literally change out the case as well as the strap. So really excited to have their presence. They do a lot of really interesting, colorful watches and it'll just be great to have them there for the first time. We are bringing, and I think it's only the second time they've come to Scotland, Christopher Ward, which is one of the UK's most popular brands at the moment, and everyone likes to see them and they've just you know, they bring out new watches seemingly almost every month. I don't quite know how they do it, but they do. So I'll be very excited to see what they bring out between now and May because I've had some inklings but I haven't seen the watches. But there will be some new watches for them to see in May. And then we've got some of the brands that came last year that people might have enjoyed like Awake from France, James Porter and Sons, the, the great Glasgow retailer who you guys know very well, they're bringing in some of their brands including Awake. And I think that those watches and the dials of those watches are just incredible and you really have to get up close to see them. That this very clever silver leaf technique from Vietnam, the dials are made in Vietnam and they're just really, really outstanding and so be delighted. They came last year and I know they had a good day and I'll be delighted to have those watches there again and yeah, and really delighted to have the support of James Porter because I know you guys know them very well.
- [19:50]
B
Yes indeed, James Porter are. Well, I think they are one of the most established watch and jewellery retailers in the United Kingdom. Probably there are not many that are older than them in terms of when they started. And they've been in the same location since day one. Well, they were in Kilmarnock for I think maybe two years and then moved up to Glasgow. But ever since they came to Glasgow they've been in that same location expanding of course with their watch store over the last few years. And if you want to see anything from very much your entry level pocket money watches like your Seiko 5s right through to high end horology with the likes of Czapek and everything in between.
- [20:27]
A
And after you go to the show, if you're still desiring more wrist action, you can head into Glasgow city centre because it's a destination. Maybe you're traveling from Aberdeen, you're traveling from down south. Last year people traveled from Ireland and Europe to check out the Glasgow Watcho which is insane. But when they came over they had that opportunity to go to Buchanan street in the city centre where you've got every boutique from Rolex to Omega right the way down and Dergell Arcade where James Porter is situated and there you can find all kinds of stuff. There's even a second hand emporium right in the centre where it's like an Aladdin's cave. In the shop window you can see all kinds of crazy Timepieces that cost from as little as 100 bucks up to around about half a million is once I saw a watch in the window at that price point. So, yeah, Glasgow is the place to be as much as Edinburgh's quite good as well. I hear there might be a podcast or happening too.
- [21:16]
C
There is. I'm delighted to say that the Scottish Watchers podcast are going to record live on the day.
- [21:21]
A
Oh, really? Do they know?
- [21:23]
C
And I'm not entirely sure how it's going to go because we haven't got that far in terms of discussing what you're going to talk about. But I'm very excited to give you the opportunity to talk.
- [21:31]
A
Well, as long as nobody in the audience has Tourette's, we should be okay. No, too soon. Moving on. Yes, we will be recording a podcast live in the place to be. It will be edited so it's fine, don't worry. We're better than the BBC when it comes to certain things like that. We don't know what we're going to do because it's home turf. We might not be drunk, we might be drunk, who knows? It is the afternoon and I believe that starts running about midday, maybe half 12, 1 o', clock, just depending on what is happening. We went down to do a recce mission because, yeah, we know Hamden Stadium, but we've usually been there because there's the football on. Football is very loud and we wanted to see which area, which space we would have and how to set things up. So yeah, the full team will be in attendance, Dave, myself, Gav, Simona, etc, etc and it will be phenomenal. The last time I remember doing a live recording in Scotland was at Global Red Bar 2023 and it was a full house packed. There was a waiting list for people to get in. I had Covid. Dave was just about getting Covid, but we managed to string it together, pull it all together in the last second and it was a great one. So if we're a tickety boo, this one should be even better.
- [22:31]
C
Yeah, I'm really looking forward to it.
- [22:33]
B
Absolutely. It's always great fun when we do a live recording. At the end of the day, we're never quite sure where it's going to go. And if you're coming up to the show and you want to be part of the audience, maybe get your thinking caps on and think. Have you any questions you want to ask? Topics that you think we should talk about? If you have any ideas, well, think about them, tell us what they are. Infooottishwatches.co.uk, send them ahead of time. That would be better than shouting them at us during the day, which might not actually work to your favour because we'll probably retort. Remember, we do edit it afterwards. But yes, please do think of any ideas, any topics that you would like us to cover and let us know and hopefully we can incorporate that into the show.
- [23:07]
A
Now, we did a charity event a number of years ago, I think it was 2023, yet again, big year for us. And we incorporated Sarah Ferguson because she started and looked after the watch division at Lyne and Turnbull Auctions, which is based in Glasgow and Edinburgh. She's obviously moved on to different places. But the team at Lyne Turnbull, they're actually involved in the show this year.
- [23:28]
C
They are. We're really delighted that they've chosen to sponsor the show and they want to do that for a very obvious reason, is that they've got this huge heritage of watch auctions, specializing in vintage watches especially. So they've got. So they'll be there on the day with their watch experts. They also might bring some of their other subject experts along as well. So you got to see a little bit about what else they do, maybe whiskey, something like that. And they'll be there basically to chat about watches, pre owned, vintage. They might bring a few pieces that they have along. So really going to add to the show.
- [24:01]
B
Yes. Always great to get some of the auctioneers in the house because, well, vintage watches is a big part of the hobby and people, well, maybe don't know so much about it. Maybe they've seen watches and thought, I want to get into some. Some of that scene, but are a bit scared, a bit wary about the whole thing. Maybe they're even wary about how does an auction work. If I want to go and try and buy a watch at an auction, am I going to put my hand up at the wrong moment and make a big mistake and cost myself lots of money? Speak to the guys there. They will hopefully do a great job to settle any nerves that you might have and explain how the whole auction process works. It's not as scary as you think it might be and it's always great to hear from the people who actually run these auctions.
- [24:38]
A
You know what is scary?
- [24:39]
B
What is scary, Ricky?
- [24:40]
A
The fact we forgot the wrist check.
- [24:42]
B
Oh, my. Ziel's got to be on her case.
- [24:43]
A
Come on, Hamish, what you got in the wrist?
- [24:45]
C
So I waved it earlier, but today I'm wearing something I bought just last week at our event with James Porter, which is the new Seiko 5 Huff Edition. I've always liked the Seiko 5. It's got the day date which you don't actually see very often. It's automatic, it's tough, waterproof and very affordable. And this edition came out and I'd never heard of the brand, this skatewear brand, it's just not my scene at all. But I really like the green sort of see through dial. And the date day disc is in Japanese and English, which I just thought was really cool. I posted it in the watch Collectors Club forum and everyone was like, it's a Heineken watch. And I was like, yeah, it's the same color green as a kind of Heineken. But the good news is I quite like Heineken and Heineken 0, so that'll do for me. So yeah, I was very glad to see it at Simon Porter when I came up for the event last week and picked it up.
- [25:35]
A
Okay, Dave, you like coming second, hit us with it.
- [25:37]
B
Well, I'm also on the Japanese mode in terms of watches and what I am wearing is one of the citizens. I'm wearing the Little Citizen Eco Drive Titanium. A stalwart of many a collector's. Some people start with this watch, but I think inevitably at some point everyone who's into watches has to own one of these watches. I have the blue dialed variant. It also comes in black and I think they've done a green one which I'm rather jealous that I I didn't get because it's a cool looking watch. Comes in a fabric strap, is of course in full titanium with a titanium crown. It's a front loader. So everything goes in from the front of this watch. It's an amazing little watch for very little amounts of money, I have to say. And yeah, if you've never had one of these in your collection, you should definitely have one. So check them out. I have no idea what the model number is. It's the wee Citizen Titanium thing, that's what I call it. Mega Lume on it as well. Check out the show notes and Missy l will do you the service of giving you the full details of the model name.
- [26:33]
A
Right, time for me to do my wrist check. And it's a watch that's come in from the folks at Nubeo last year. Nubeo were doing a lot of Star Trek related stuff. The year before they'd done a lot of Space Invader stuff, lots of video game stuff. Last year wasn't our greatest. I did say this to Vishal that maybe they lost their footing ever so slightly. Well, they've made up for it in spades over the past couple of months in 2026 and they've been sending us across release after release release just to have a look at. And people might be thinking, oh my God, thousands of pounds worth of watches to check out. Well no, these are hundreds of pounds worth of watches. So the one that I have got on the wrist today that I've never seen before, and it literally only dropped on the doorstep yesterday is this crazy number called the Cosmic Tangerine. So look in the show notes to see some really bad images because the lights in the studio are captured in the crazy domed glass on the top of it. This is a Wandering hour satellite style watch. And again for about 300 bucks, where the time is actually told by looking at the rot rotating globes which are fireballs from hell on the dial. They circle round and every time they do a complete rotation, the actual globes rotate in amongst themselves displaying the hour. So again, look in the show notes and you'll see the differences. And if you're thinking of things like MB and F, if you're thinking of things like Urwerk Hot launch, they do this kind of thing at a more expensive price point. This is not Swiss made, this is obviously made in Japan, made in Hong Kong, linked together. But the quality for this price point and the finishing and the fact you're getting all this integration, almost vertically integrated company for such a low commanding price point is something to behold, is an absolute spectacle. This one here, 327 quid, available in many different colorways. Lots of links in the show notes and mes will be getting some pictures to see exactly what it is we're talking about as the globes rotate around. For instance, at the moment I have got the eight position pointing down at the lower half of the dial. The little dot underneath is pointing at the minute. So if I move this around it's 8:40, then it's 8:50. And as it moves up to the 60 position, the next globe works its way around with 9 on the front starting at 0, 10, 9, 20 past 9, half past 9 and so on and so forth. So yeah, another great release from the guys at Nobel. This one is black and orange. There are many different colors to choose from. They are limited edition, so check the show notes, click across and if you like something, grab it quick.
- [28:50]
B
Okay, so that's us done the wrist checks. Mizyel will be a happy boy. So what we should now do is also Get a little bit more information on other brands that will be there. You've heard about a few already. So, Hamish, who else is coming along that will entice people to come and visit the show?
- [29:04]
C
A brand I'm really excited to have just came in yesterday and confirmed, which is a brand called Furlan Mari.
- [29:10]
A
We went to check them out in their atelier over in Geneva last year and they are shit hot.
- [29:16]
C
Yeah. So really, really pleased again. What they're doing, I guess, is kind of classically inspired or inspired by some very, very famous historic chronographs especially, but then totally modernizing the design so making them really wearable. Really great price points and just a really interesting looking watch. So absolutely delighted they're coming. And they're actually coming to all three shows this year, but the first one will be in Glasgow, so the first chance people have to see them up close in the UK will be in Glasgow this month.
- [29:45]
A
I think of those guys in a very similar vein to the folks at Baltic. They almost share a design philosophy. Completely independent companies, different design ethos, but you could marry them together because the pricing, the design and almost the color scheme and the hues, they are quite similar. What do you think, Dave?
- [30:03]
B
Yeah, I think there is definitely alignment, shall we say. They are very different in many respects, but they do lean towards maybe looking at some of those more historical pieces and. And bringing a modern reinterpretation to them. Both cool brands and definitely have, well, set the world alight at price points that were probably hitherto unseen for that type of watch, or you were really having to look back into the vintage catalogues to get something that had that aesthetic. Not so many modern brands producing watches of that look and feel.
- [30:33]
C
There's a brand who's actually based in Edinburgh who unfortunately couldn't make it along last year to Glasgow. And that's a brand called Clemens, set up by Tom. Tom Clemens. And he's got a really, really nice, quite small steel sports watch, but extremely legible, with some really lovely dial choices. One's called the Munro, which those of you who are familiar with Scottish hill walking will know. It's the name for a Scottish Mountain over 300 meters in height and it's proven a very, very popular watch because it's just extremely wearable. So I'm really pleased that they're able to come this year and sort of exhibit in their home market.
- [31:07]
B
And that's a brand that actually produce a watch that every time I see it, it just makes me go, I really like that watch. Which is. And that's the one that's got a dial that's almost split into little kind of pie sectors and it's in quite bright, opposing colorways. You'll see it quite often on their adverts because it's one of their punchier looking watches. But it's a great looking watch. Shouldn't work really at all, but it kind of does.
- [31:28]
C
A brand who many people might know based on the south coast of England are Elliot Brown and they make, I guess, really, really tough tool watchers. So their whole ethos is around adventure watchers and dive watchers and beach watchers. They've got a great, very. Their most successful range is called the Beachmaster and they've really had a lot of success selling to military units, not just in the UK but around the world. And they're based not far from some of our special forces units down on the south coast. And so really pleased to have them coming up. Guy who runs the brand is a really great, just really great ambassador for the watch industry and he works really, really hard. He's worked really, really hard to build the brand up. So really excited that they'll be exhibiting in Glasgow this year.
- [32:08]
A
Yeah, we caught with them recently. We've had Jem and Co on the show numerous times because they keep doing cool stuff and I remember a number of years ago they casually mentioned that they had tried to blow up one of their watches using all kinds of plastic explosives and things. And it was just a throwaway comment and I latched onto it and said, you did what now?
- [32:26]
C
Now?
- [32:27]
A
And then they sent me the videos and genuinely they tried to blow the thing up by duct taping one of their watches to TNT or something. And then they recovered the watch and the only thing that happened was the secondhand loom had fallen off. So it shows you exactly how tank tough these things can be.
- [32:41]
C
There's a brand that's another British brand that's done very well over the last. I think it's been seven years now. Duckworth Prestex run by Neil Duckworth, who's been in the industry for. Well, I won't say it's been quite a long time. He's done lots of different jobs.
- [32:54]
A
He was selling sundials and water clocks back in the day.
- [32:57]
C
It wouldn't surprise me if he's done that at some point in his career, but he's an absolutely great guy and I'm delighted he can make it along to Glasgow this year because he's got a really interesting range of watches. And last year he actually introduced his more premium line, just called Prestex, with an upgraded series of movements and also some gold cases, which, when he did it, it was very interesting and he said, look, I'm here to experiment, but it was a huge success. So really pleased for him that that went well for him and really delighted that he's going to make it to Glasgow. He also represents another brand called Favre Lubre, who are a very famous Swiss brand that again, I don't think has exhibited in the UK for many, many years. So really pleased that he's going to be able to bring them along as well.
- [33:38]
B
And of course that makes good alignment because they're just outside Glasgow. Down in Ayrshire is one of the friends of the show as well, a retailer that is now representing that brand. So always, always good to see them coming up to support local retailers within, well, the Scottish market.
- [33:53]
C
So we've got a couple of brands from Switzerland as well that are quite interesting because not very many people have heard of them and I hadn't heard of them until I started speaking to them about this show. So one of them is called EPOs and they've been going quite a long time and they make sort of Swiss sports watches, different dive watchers, different tool watches, so well worth checking them out. But there's another one called Emile Chouvrier and they make these really, really interesting watches with the open heart style. Now, people really kind of love or hate the open heart style of watch and some brands like Tissot do a lot of them and have always done them. But Emile Chaurier have these really different designs with this open heart. So it's where you can see through the dial into the movement and it's a regular movement. There's no fancy tourbillon or anything like that, but you can just see through a cutout in the dial. And some of their watches that I got to see for the first time when they, Manchester last year were just really, really different design and I really like having those slightly more radical designs at the show because a lot of people are like me, they're just like, I've never quite seen anything like this, you know, Tell me more, tell me more about the brand then you can really research a bit more or just pick it up on the day. If you really like the watch, of course, but really delighted they'll be coming along.
- [35:06]
A
People that listen to our show and hear us talking about random brands from the UK that are maybe part of the alliance and have never heard of them before you got to remember there are brands out in Italy that you've never heard of before, Brands out in Switzerland, brands in France. When I went to Vicenza Oro a number of years ago for the first trip to Italy, there I was introduced to Venezianico and various other players I didn't know existed. Father's watches. And they make incredible timepieces, but perhaps they just don't market loudly enough or they just don't market out with their domestic market. So a lot of you hear about all the Swiss guys like Rolex, Patek, Omega, there are lots of smaller players that you've never heard of. So this is a great opportunity again to meet new brands, to meet different creators and spot something that maybe you've never heard of in the past.
- [35:49]
C
Yeah, absolutely. And I think that's what I've really enjoyed about the last couple of years. Starting to put these shows on and thinking about how we can make them better, is really trying to find a great range of brands for people on the day because everyone's into something different. We all have very different tastes. And whether it's something like Horaj that Dave will be representing and looking at the technology that Hiraj are bringing to Swiss watchmaking that is differentiated and really, really interesting, or if it's some of these other Swiss brands that may be using movements that people know and love, but just doing it in slightly different way. And that's what you can do when you come to the show. You can talk about both those things with the different brands and say, okay, well what's going on here? Tell me more about it. So it's really great. Even if you've. Maybe you look at the list and you think, well, I've never heard of those. Am I going to enjoy them? Them, you can look at them ahead of time, of course, just look them up before you come along, or just come on the day and say, okay, well, tell me what, what you're doing, tell me why you're doing what you're doing.
- [36:41]
A
And this happened to me because at last year's Glasgow Watch Show, I was introduced by the dial artist to the guys at apiar and I listened to their story. I liked what I heard, brought them onto the show. They had a good chat with what one of them did. Matt had a good chat with me about where they came from, what they were thinking, how they were going to progress their designs and ideas forward, and then actually got on the watches at the end of last year. So it was a long, drawn out process from May, June, July, August September, October, November, actually got delivered, I think in January. So it was nearly a full year of seeing a watch, deciding on what I wanted to do, if I was going to go for one or not, and then getting one. And it was obviously custom designed because they're all 3D printed additive technology, so you've got that kind of stuff. And then, like you say, Arag the place, Dave works with their microrig technology, their new tourbillon stuff that's coming out. They've even got a movie coming out shortly that we're going to be talking about. So soon you get to see all this and there's a split here as well. You can look at a watch online and think, this is the nicest looking, coolest looking timepiece I've ever seen in my life. You put it on the wrist and it doesn't work. Dave with his octo finissimo story, it just doesn't work. He'd love it to work, but it doesn't. Or you see pictures on Instagram, you think, that is absolutely dreadful. It's tragic. I would never buy that. Then you walk past it, it's on display at a show and it catches your eye in the right light, in natural light, like you say down at Hampden Stadium, you put it on the wrist and you fall in love. So you really don't know what you're going to find. And again, that price point, 12 quid entry. I'm harping on about it because that is insane. You pay more than that to park in Edinburgh for about two to three hours. So, yeah, fantastic. Hit us with a couple more brands before we run out of time in this episode.
- [38:16]
C
Yeah, I just want to give a shout out to some of the brands just getting started, because I think you guys meet a lot of really young brands and brands where they've maybe just started with their very first watch. And we know how much much love and soul and money people put into making these watches and we kind of say, okay, well, let's see how it goes. And I'm quite pleased that I run my shows that we can have a few of those brands come along. So it's not that these people are chances. They've got the watches, they've got them there to sell, they've put everything into it. So there's a brand called Brunel, which is one of our club members, as are the guys in APR who are coming to Glasgow this year. I'm delighted to say that there's a couple guy called Sam who's made this brand called Brunel and it's a really unusual case shape. He's gone for a tonneau, he's gone for fine finishing and, you know, it's going to be really exciting for him. But also me to see how the watches go down on the day at the show. There's a guy from Greece called Thanos who's bringing his new brand Palmos to Glasgow for the first time. He launched the watches last year and had a great day in Manchester, you see. So his first show was with us and he had a great day. So now he's really excited to come to Glasgow and show the watches off there. He's already delivered his first batch and it's just great to have the ability at our shows to have some space for people like that. And again, when people meet these people and they're like, oh, this is your first watch. This is not a big established brand like Ballcorp or Christopher Ward or Farah are coming as well. They're really established now. It's not that it's not this company that's really got everything sorted out, it's people just trying for the first time putting their ideas on the line, talking to customers and it's just such a fun thing to see happen as well.
- [39:56]
B
I think that's one of the big differentials about the shows that you put on is you try to get that kind of breadth of different brands, as you mentioned, for everything from the. They've had an idea they might even still be operating from their own house, their living room, their bedroom, to get the brand up and running right through to the, well, much more established brands that have been around for, in some cases, hundreds of years and everything in between. And all the kind of fun, different variations of watches that people can come up with with in their heads. It doesn't have to be round, it doesn't have to just look like a Rolex. It can look like anything that the creator wants it to look like. And we've mentioned a few of the brands already through this episode that have very much done their own thing, come and see them in real life. Many of these brands don't necessarily have big retail offerings. They don't have their own stores or boutiques, they don't even necessarily have their brands in other retailers. Sometimes these shows are one of the few opportunities you get to look at the whole range and see things in real life, otherwise you're having to look at them online. So therefore it's a great way to get a bit of a hands on with many of these brands that otherwise you might not be able to, or you would have to travel to somewhere like London or one of the bigger capital cities to an event there. So they're coming to your doorstep. We should take the opportunity to go and help support these events and see what is to be seen.
- [41:14]
A
The good thing here is the brands we've already spoken about, there's only been a couple of them that have exhibited elsewhere, such as British Watchmakers Day. So you've seen a lot of different things. Maybe if you travelled to that one and you were thinking about this, but you're going to give it a mess because it looks a bit samey. Well, it doesn't. Look at the entire roster of brands that are going to be there on the day. Tons. Not just British brands, brands from Greece, brands from across the water. Not just a short jump across the continental Europe, but obviously across to the States and other places. So this is well worth checking out. And obviously, Watches and Wonders, that's where. Where different brands are showcasing and it's extremely difficult to get tickets to that. And you will not get hands on because, as we've said many times before, that is more of a curated experience, like going to a supercar show, you don't get to test drive them, you don't get to sit in the cars. And at Watches Wonders, you don't get to put the watches on the wrist as much as you get to see them on display.
- [42:01]
B
So we're coming towards the end of this show, but the most important thing, of course, is, well, how do you get a ticket to attend this illustrious event in Glasgow? Well, illustrious Glasgow. Yes, in illustrious events. Event in an illustrious city. So, Hamish, tell us all about when the tickets go on sale, how you get your hands on a ticket. We've talked about the price, but what is available and how do you get them?
- [42:20]
C
Yeah, it's very simple. Tickets are on sale now and you get them via the link on our website@thewatchcollectorsclub.com or if you go to the ticket Tailor platform, which is the one we use, you can search for the Glasgow Watch show there. We'll also put the links in the show notes for this podcast, so that'll be easy if you can't remember anything else. We've not just got the Glasgow show if you can't make it in May. We're also doing a show in Southampton in July and another one in Manchester in November with a different mix of brands, so it'd be very interesting to see. We've got a very interesting lineup for those shows later in the year. But first and foremost, we're most excited about Glasgow. And don't forget, it's first come, first served for the tours for Anna Dane, because those are understandably limited. So if that's something you really like the sound of, you better get to the website today to make sure you
- [43:06]
A
get a spot 100%. And obviously we'll do our podcast recording, which will be edited. Yes. So if you want the live experience uncut and all the rest of it, you want to check us out there uncircumcised, and then the podcast will appear on platforms thereafter. That is pretty much it. We're going to let you get on your way, Hamish, because I know you're super busy. You were all stressed out when you came to see us a couple of weeks ago down at Hamden to check things out, eye up the surroundings here. We're going to be situated where we're going to actually get placed to do the recordings and whatnot. You're running around like, as we say in Scotland, a blue arsed fly. But we're going to let you get on your way and tell everybody to check the show or not, as Hamish just mentioned, because all the details will be in there, all the links to the brands that we mentioned already. And on the website for the Watch Collectors Club Glasgow Watch show, you will find the brand exhibitor list. So if there are ones you want to check out that we've not mentioned, they'll be featured on there. That is pretty much us. Anything you want to add in before we let you go?
- [43:57]
C
No. Thank you very much for having me and I'm really looking forward to seeing you in May.
- [44:00]
A
So there we go. That is a fantastic show that you're going to check out. As much as this has been a fantastic show you've just listened to to. We're out twice a week, Mondays and Thursdays. Catch us on Instagram ottottishwatches. We're on YouTube. Subscribe. Follow us there. It's free of charge. Comment. And like the videos that we upload, just search for Scottish watches on YouTube and that's pretty much it. So thanks for listening and we'll catch you again soon.
- [44:20]
B
Take care.
- [44:20]
C
Thank.
- [44:31]
A
You, sam.