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Scottish Watches Podcast #776 : Our Roving Reporter Calls In From The States – The Bab Report
00:51:55
No time for hello or bye during the whirlwind of Watches and Wonders, so we’re taking this episode to get Barbara’s top releases during the show, including specific characteristics that...
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- [00:01]
A
Welcome to the Scottish Watches Podcast. I think this is a final installment. Did we keep the best to last? We're about to find out over the next 55 minutes or thereabouts. Because we got Barbara Palumbo back to talk about what she got up to at Watches and Wonders. We had great plans, we really did. We were going to meet up and we're going to record live on PAL Expo on the show floor, talking about this, that and the other never happened. It was magical to actually record anything in Geneva because it was so action packed. Every night somebody wanted us to come and see them, to go to a booth, to go to a brand, to go to a cocktail, whatever it was. And we were good little boys. We actually went back to the hotel room, we recorded shows, we left it to Babs to get her glad rags on and to travel across Geneva to enjoy the sights, the sounds, the watches and everything else that was going on. So welcome back to the show, Babs. How are you doing?
- [00:44]
B
Hi, Ricky. Hi, Scottish Watches listeners. Thanks again for having me back. I always enjoy my time on here. Yeah, man, crazy. I love the fact that like we were running through the halls at the Plexpo and I would see you and Dave from 10ft away just. And I'd give you a wave and you give me a wave back like hello, hello, goodbye, goodbye.
- [01:03]
A
Ah, you don't know what really went on there, do you?
- [01:06]
B
What?
- [01:07]
A
Ah, I'll tell you what went on. We saw you are coming and me and Dave muttered to each other, how do we tell Barbara we can't stop to chat, she's going to kill us.
- [01:16]
B
I couldn't stop the chat and you
- [01:17]
A
couldn't stop the chat. You went, I need to go. And I thought, oh my God, she's not going to punch me in the face.
- [01:21]
B
Oh my God, she's not going to us out. Thank you. Thank you, Lord Jebus. She's not. No, it was the same thing. It was running in between again. Look, you, you and I have now done this for multiple years. You know, this is my 10th year. This is, this is your what, seventh year at this point or. Well, I mean, Watches and Wonders is a different entity because that didn't start until later. But I think you did say you went to the last SIHH.
- [01:47]
A
I started Baselworld 2017.
- [01:49]
B
Baselworld 2017. Okay, so. And I was Basel 2016. But you had, you, you had not been to SIHH, which was the what Watches and Wonders used to be.
- [01:59]
A
The first one I went to was the Public Days 2018 because the podcast only started in 2019 and it was difficult to get access as press because who are these new guys?
- [02:08]
B
Yeah. And it was only Richemont France back then. It was Richemont and then the Carre Desolger. So not nothing was upstairs. None of the LVMH brands. It was only one side back. I think my first one was 2017. So January 2017 was my first SIHH. But we know, we know. It's like you're scurrying. You've got so many minutes to get sometimes to the other side. I do try to book my appointments and I always recommend this to people who are new. I remember that exact moment where it was like just past, I think, Van Cleef and Arpels, like just kind of that corner boot, like just going past that. I saw you and Dave gave you guys a wave. You gave me a wave back. And I think we all went like. We didn't have to stop and chat.
- [02:52]
A
Oh. We were kindred spirits knowing exactly what each other was going through in that moment in time. But this moment in time is when we tell everybody to check the show notes because that's where we're going to put all the information on Barbie. She told me ahead of time she'd get 12 watches and 10 other things to chat about. So there's going to be a lot to get through in the next 55 minutes.
- [03:10]
B
Is going to earn his keep on this one. He's going to be busy.
- [03:12]
A
Yeah. Listen, hats off to Miss and everybody else who was beavering away back at home, Simona included, Will, me, you and Dave.
- [03:20]
B
Did you say beavering? Really? Beavering away. That's so. Oh, bless your heart. Okay. Keep going. The American audience will know.
- [03:28]
A
What does that mean in American badge?
- [03:31]
B
That's a slang for us. Like. Oh, you're like the beaver. Yeah, like beaver. It's like vagina.
- [03:35]
A
Like Jean Claude beaver.
- [03:37]
B
No, not that kind of beaver. Different type of beaver. B E A V E R. Like the animal beaver.
- [03:42]
A
I got it. I got it. Damn.
- [03:44]
B
Okay, let's not.
- [03:45]
A
We shall move on from this.
- [03:46]
B
Yeah, let's not keep that in. If brands are going to be listing,
- [03:49]
A
we'll trim it slightly. There's always nothing better than the trim beaver.
- [03:52]
B
That's what I usually do. But anyway, go ahead.
- [03:54]
A
So behaving around at home were the team. Everybody else across the world. So big thank you and kudos to everybody there for that. But we were busy. You were busy. And I think it's probably better. Let me just say this. Just it's better the fact that you were left to your own devices and me and Dave did our own stuff, because otherwise there'd be too much overlap and you coming on the show would be a wasted exercise because you got to see stuff through your own eyes and you're able to relay that to the audience, tell them what you thought without the pessimistic viewpoint of the Scotsman. So where did it start for you?
- [04:24]
B
Okay, well, can we do a wrist check first? Because I think both the watches that I'm wearing right now are actually watches that I acquired while I was in Geneva. So, shall we?
- [04:33]
A
You didn't stab anybody in the leopard rooms to get them, did you?
- [04:36]
B
No, I did not. No, I did not stab anyone. I. No, no, no stabbing had occurred. But I'm, I'm, I'm super excited about the watches that I'm wearing today. So. May I?
- [04:46]
A
You're me.
- [04:47]
B
Okay. I'm going to start with my right wrist. I am double wristing today, emphasis on wristing. One of the watches that I am wearing I acquired at Chronopolis, which was one of the sideshows, sort of the piggybacking type shows fairs that happen outside of the Plexco. Chronopolis is sort of on the little island in between old Geneva and the newer side of Geneva, like where the Four Seasons and the Breitling restaurant is and all that. So it's on like this, you know, island. And a lot of the micro brands are there.
- [05:22]
A
Did we go there before? Did Zenith have a party there a few years ago?
- [05:26]
B
Yes, that's where Zenith's party was. Was in this exact same building. Yes, absolutely. And that was a banger party. That was when Julian Turner was still with Zenith back in the good old days. So Raph, from our buddy Raph, who we went to dinner with when we were there, obviously, beautiful steak dinner. Again, shout out to Raph and to Formex and to Marcus. I love their team. You do too. Yes. So Rapp was like, you gotta come over, you gotta come over. Chronopoulos, you gotta come over. And I went over there and there was a brand directly across from him that was called Breda. They were out of Dallas, Texas. And they actually, they're a fashion brand. They use, it's all quartz movements, Miota movements, but super funky kind of throwback, vintage style pieces. And the guy who started it, they live, they're out of Dallas, Texas. And I just was like, this is some cool shit. It's like, you know, some of the pieces were under 300, 500 US dollars, whatever. So I'm wearing. And obviously you can't see this, but I'm wearing the super cool piece which is their, from their Pulse collection. And again, they sell to their fashion. So they sell to like Banana Republic, which is a Gap company. If you know anything about Banana Republic, you know they're very big in the us They've been around for years. But this piece was like 285 bucks. You can see through a little. And I'll, I'll send pictures and Miz can actually do a little research too. All you can see is, is the seconds hand through a window and then you press the crown and it opens up and you can see the actual time. But they, it's like engravable. So the piece they have there was engraved four Keeps. Four Keeps. F O R. You know, K E E P S Four keeps. And it was stainless. And I was like, oh my God, I love this piece. I put it on my wrist. I was like, this is so great. They took the links out right there and I paid them right there. And I was like, I, I dig this. It's cool. It's a fashion watch. It's different because like it flips open but not like a reverso where it flips over. Although it is sort of a tank style rectangular style watch. But it's just, it was just really cool and really, you know, for a sub$300 watch, it was something that was super funky and, and super unique. And again, only seeing the seconds window and then popping it open to see the time I thought was great. The watch on my left hand, this is super special to me because it's Maurice du Mauriac. You remember Princess Diana wearing that black sheep sweater. It's historical.
- [07:55]
A
Something to do with rowing blazers nowadays.
- [07:57]
B
Yeah, yeah. Well, not yet. From a couple years ago. Yes. So Princess Diana wore this. It was warm and wonderful was the sweater company. And it was a red sweater and it had white, white sheep all over with one small black sheep. And it's an iconic picture. Well, they partnered with Maurice D. Moriac and it was introduced through rowing blazers, this watch. And they only made 40. I want to say 45. Yeah, 45 pieces were made of this watch, which you could see it on my instagram. I'm sure Ms. Will do the research on it. I have been obsessed with this. It's maybe just shy of three years ago they introduced it. But fortified pieces, it was a limited edition. They sold out. Right. It's a company out of Zurich. It's an automatic movement. But I have like, this company, Marisa Moriac, Miguel introduced me to them. Miguel Ciabra, he would post about them all the time because they have a huge involvement in the tennis world. So because Miguel is both a tennis journalist and a watch journalist, he would post about them a lot. They're doing these pieces. These pieces, whatever. And. And I just wrote in the April 14 issue of Vanity Fair on Time, which came out in the uk I just wrote about the brand and what they've been doing with Russell Crowe, because Russell Crowe, the actor Gladiator, as most people know, he's a huge tennis fan and he owns several Maurice du Mauriac watches. And the last one that was presented to him, like, at this last, I want to say maybe the French Open, I can't remember off the top of my head, but, like, they personally went to his farm and they delivered it to him like, he's a huge Maurice Mauriac fan. So I wrote about that in Vanity Fair and I've written about them prior in other publications. And, you know, they're a small brand. They're out of Zurich, Germany. Marina with sparkling pr, she does a great job with. She's also out of Portugal. She does a great job with, like, keeping me sort of like in the know with them. And. And again, Miguel, huge fan of theirs. So this piece, because obviously growing up in the era of Princess Diana, you know, we're not that far apart in age. I mean, obviously I'm a few years older than you are. So I remember exactly where I was when I heard Princess Diana, you know, died. I know exactly where I was. My best friend and I actually spoke about it last week. Like, obviously, she was a pinnacle part of my young adulthood, even though I'm not from the UK and I love this watch. But 45 pieces, they were sold out almost immediately. And I, I told Marina. I was like, I love this. Well, I have been obsessed with this watch. You know, I'm at a point in my life where I can't really afford two grand on a watch. I mean, it's terrible, but, like, it is. I mean, everything I think about two grand, and I'm like, okay, my kids need clothes or shoes or college tuition or, you know, whatever the case may be. And the, the owner of the brand, it was actually the founder's son and daughter. They actually, they came specifically to the Plexpo only for a day to give this to me, to gift this to me as a thank you for the attention and the piece. And like, that I have written about them over the years and they were like, well you know, it's your birthday on Sunday and like this is literally the last piece we have in our factory, like in our offices. This is the single last, like it's not even numbered, it's kind of like an OG piece. And they give, they give. I was bawling my eyes out like they gifted it to me so I'm wearing it. It's so special to me. I mean they knew how much I loved the watch and I just kind of couldn't afford the watch and. But I love what they did and I love what they're doing with the brand and I love the fact that it was Miguel who's a good friend of mine who you know, introduced the brand to me. So that's what I'm wearing on my two wrists. Oh, don't cry. Are you crying? Were you wiping your eyes?
- [11:47]
A
I've got paint in my eye. Jesus Christ.
- [11:51]
B
True, that's what we'll say. Well it's a whole.
- [11:53]
A
Dave was around earlier so what are you wearing, Ricky? Ah, before we get to that, before we get to that, as much as we've already dissolved about a third of the show, that brand I get introduced to. After you managed to introduce me to the folks at Dubai Watch Week 2021 I went across, couldn't believe the fact I'd left Scotland where it was 0 degrees and it was about 30 degrees C obviously. And I bumped into, as you mentioned, the lady from that PR agency and she stopped me dead outside the press centre and she said, oh these are the guys from this brand that I've been emailing you about. Here is a newsp that we've printed ourselves with lots of information about it. Take this with you. And I think we did a review of one of the red dialed watches that they had at the time. Great brand. They don't get spoken about enough and I think it's because they don't maybe interface with the media quite as much as other people do. And I'm as bad as everybody else because I don't communicate with lots of people. That's why I've obviously got the wife doing all that cool stuff for me behind the scenes. So I think I'm going to have to reach out to them either through the PR agency or directly to find out a little bit more. And also bring Miguel onto the show because we've been promising him an episode for five years and he is such a cool guy. We spent a bit of time with him at Ulysse Nardan at the show and he was busy taking sneaky videos of me taking sneaky videos of the new watches. So it was an inception moment. Okay, time for my wrist check and look in the show notes for pictures of this. And excuse the fact I have got spatterings of white paint all over myself. No, Dave has not been around earlier. I've been busy renovating the garage ahead of new flooring, new racking, putting the bike in there and all. It doesn't matter. Look in the show notes. This is a watch from a brand that we have spoken about numerous times. They are a familiar face and voice and earwaves here at Scottish Watches because since day one back in 2019 they have been great to us and we like to pay it back to people that have supported us from the very beginnings. They sent across a couple of watches to review the sector sport with their ice blue dial. I think it's frosted ice or something like that many many years ago is one of my firm favorites. I still have it in the collection. It still works to this day as much as it has never been serviced. Although I don' give it any wrist time whatsoever, it is still staying there and occasionally when the weather is nice in Scotland, it does happen. I do bring it out and pop it on the wrist, but today we're talking about something new. It is a notice sector, but it is completely different from what they have done in the past. It's a watch that still hits a price point that they have not deviated from. We've spoken at length about brands deciding to increment and increase on an almost monthly basis. Omega and various other people are the worst players in that arena, but these guys haven't this is a $600 watch and it has got a lot more going on. It's not just stainless steel, it's actually titanium. It's not just been bead blasted or brushed or satin finished. It's got a Cerakote topping so the dial matches the watch head and Cerakote is a hard wearing material. It's mainly used as far as I can remember on exhaust systems, manifold downpipes and turbochargers because it protect and it keeps heat in one place instead of letting it transfer to the other. It doesn't really matter too much on a wristwatch, but what it does you is a tank tough finish that is almost paint like almost IP coated like but it's extremely durable which means it will not scratch or scuff as easily as other coatings. Looking at the watch itself. It's 38 mil. Comes in a variety of different colors. The one I've got today is an almost, as I mentioned, matte blue. I'm not up in my different types. I don't know if it's a royal blue, a navy blue. It's blue and it's got old radium style super Luminova so it's not going to burn holes in your wrist because it doesn't have that technology in it. It's got one of the best anti reflective coatings around. Because it goes blue. There is a blue sheen when the light hits instead of completely dissipating. You get a very color matched look and effect versus the color of the dial and the color of the case. The other part that's really good is the strap. It's rubber with an almost fabric inlay but it's got matte and polished camouflage colors. I don't know if you can see that.
- [15:48]
B
Yeah, I can see it. I can see it. They can't. Your listeners can't. But I can see it.
- [15:52]
A
So yeah, look in the show notes. Even down to the buckle which obviously hasn't been treated. It has got the little logo on it. The hardware is all customized. It's an extremely cool watch. And obviously being a sector, you have got the sector arrangement right in the center with an almost sunburst. It looks like an eclipse. It looks almost as if the moon has gone across the sun and you can just see the light rays emanating from the circumference of it. Big, long second hand big, very legible little field Watch this one and as I said $600 or in the UK around about £450. This one is available as you hear this, so I'm told. So details will be in the show notes. Click across there. Have a look at it. All the tech spec, as you'd expect, 100 meters water resistance. It's got a Seiko movement inside. I think it's the NH38 and it is 38 mil in diameter with a 20 mil strap. So you can change it in and out if you wish. Really nice watch. Super inexpensive. Kudos to the guys for not jacking the price up when everyone else has.
- [16:47]
B
Very, very nice notice is a staple at the windup watch fairs that happen here in the United States. I know that a lot of your listeners actually do attend those fairs. I've been to a variety of those. I go to the New York one every year. They just held their San Francisco version. I've been to that one in past years. I think three years ago was right when I turned 50. It was three years ago. Yeah, it was out to San Francisco. I've been to the Chicago version. Notice is always there. They're always one of the bigger brands there. Again, super personal people. Lovely, lovely product. Yeah. Bangers I liked. I love that whole dark camouflage. Like it's almost. You're like, wait, did you spill coffee on that watch? Why is it, why does it look like it's stained a little bit? You know what I mean? Like it's. You're not quite sure what it is, but yeah, I could see now it's definitely a camouflage. Great. That's awesome. That's a great thing.
- [17:36]
A
It is really well done. And this is not something new to me because every time they do a release and they tell me about it and I say, well, can you send us one to have a look at? This is a story where Jake, the person that runs their pr, I think he's external and he does his own thing because he seems to work for a number of different brands. But he specifically came like a bit like your story there to Pal Expo when he was super busy to meet us, to grab us just outside the Tudor booth as we were going in for a presentation, to hand this watch across and say, here you go, Ricky, enjoy it. Let us know what you think. So, yeah, well done to everybody involved there. Bit of an elongated one because she decided to double up on it. But we're going to talk about Pal Expo watch and wonders what you saw, what you liked, what you disliked and your thoughts for the future.
- [18:18]
B
I mean, I have, again, I have a, I have a short list of, I think my favorite watches. Some. Some might be a surprise. I'm going to go ahead and just kind of call them out. I've got my notes here and we can discuss whether we discuss the brand themselves, the watch or the, the experience in the, in the booth or whatever. But I'm going to go ahead and just Give a top 12 if you're cool with that.
- [18:40]
A
Go for it.
- [18:41]
B
My favorite watch, which I actually intend on writing about very, very shortly was I love, I love the Frederic Constant World Timer. I think that's the best World Timer on the market for the money, hands down. And they introduced three new classic World Timers at this watches and wonders. That middle blue with the, with the leather strap was probably my favorite of the fair. Just because I think if you can get any World Timer at that price point when they're still a Swiss manufacturer, yes, they're owned by Citizen Watch Group, but they had their own beautiful booth on the upstairs directly across from the Audemars Piguet booth. Inside that booth was also Alpina, another brand that I love. And I own their watches and have bought them for the men in my life over the years. So yeah, love that I loved. I love. First of all, my favorite complication is a jump hour. I love a jumping hour. It's my favorite across the board. And we'll talk about that with regard to the non watches and wonders folks that were there. But I'm not going to lie. The ap, that Neophrane jumping hour was spectacular. Again you and I went and we visited the AP set up at Dubai Watch Week. A couple of people said to me like, oh you, you know, you don't have to go. You don't have to. It's similar to. Okay, it was similar, but it was still different and I still wanted to go and I had the appointment and I still went in and it was amazing. And obviously they had releases there that had not been released to by Watchwick. I'm very happy. I went. The Vacheron. Oh my God. That spring blossom moon phase, the pink with the painted flowers. Extraordinary. And the case that went with it and the strap and everything. They've. They've just kind of always had this side genre of their, you know, everything isn't just about like their staple collection. The overseas, you know, the, the, the Vacheron Overseas. Like they do so much with regard to women's watches. I thought that was an amazing, extraordinary piece. I loved it. The Moser I actually liked. So everybody was obviously super high on the, the Rebuff, the pump and everything. I thought the Endeavor Perpetual calendar was fantastic. The Tantalum piece, that was one of my favorite pieces that they did. If not my favorite piece, they did Cartier. Again, always an incredible appointment from a jeweler's background. The Grande de Cafe, the piece that had the. It almost looked like coffee beans. So the gold work in that was, I thought, just extraordinary. Parmigiani never lets me down. In the last several years, I can't remember going to a damn Parmigiani appointment and being let down every single year. It's simplicity, it's beautiful. Color wise, it's calming and gorgeous. The Toric is the Quantium Perpetual I thought was outrageous. Roger Dubuis.
- [21:40]
A
Oh, I missed it. I was supposed to go and see them and I was too tired because I'd been up editing podcasts. So tell us all about it.
- [21:46]
B
So Dubuis very different. From every other year. Every year. Sihh. And every year at Watches of Wonders, Roger Dubuis is the loudest damn booth in the whole expo.
- [21:58]
A
Every half hour they would play this
- [22:03]
B
and lights are flat. Sorry, effing. Lights are flashing. Roger Dubuis. They went relaxed this year and it was. They didn't have that this year. It was different. It was very different this year. Go in and take a look again. If you look at the Raja Dubuis and especially the one that I highlight on my own Instagram page at what's on her wrist, if you're not following. They did watches that were centered around florals and flowers. Very spring. And it was different than what they had done, you know. You know, so they do this funky pieces, which obviously are very Raja Dubuis and like, you know, highly complicated. They only make 12 pieces, 15 pieces x amount of pieces, whatever. This was again, geared toward a more feminine type audience. And it. It was beautiful. Beautiful. The pieces that they did were beautiful. The booth itself sort of got away from that. Like, you know, I'm at a rave. That's sort of.
- [23:00]
A
Yep. Got was. It was strobe lights. It was like going to Ultra in Miami.
- [23:05]
B
Yes. And I was happy because if you look back at the history of Roger Dewy and you see some of their earlier, more classic pieces, I love those pieces. They're gorgeous. And the brand is not that old. Um, but you know, this, this was. This was a calming experience being at their booth. And their releases were absolutely different than what you're used to seeing. So go in, take a look at them. I think they were great. Hermes again. Another brand that's never let down for me. I'm always really happy with what they do. That was the first brand I ever bought when I became a watch media personality slash journalist slash person. I love Hermes. The Arco Samarkand I thought was fantastic. Norqain. Now, everybody was all about the norqaine, the ice cream and the sprinkles. And it was like super happy and everybody loved it. That actually was not my favorite piece that was shown. The piece that they showed me, which was not a new release for Watches and Wonders, but it was a release that had come out a little while ago, but I hadn't seen it in person, was the Adventure Chrono, the NHL National Hockey League limited edition, where the strap looks like a hockey puck again. My Philadelphia Flyers are in the playoffs. They play game six tonight. I'm very excited about that. Nor Kane was awesome to me. For my daughter's 16th birthday, shout out to Them shout out to Catelyn. They got us tickets to go see the Nashville Predators play the Montreal Canadiens and we spent the weekend there. That was one of my daughter's 16th birthday guests. Norqain briefed shouts for Roman Yossi. We were guests of Roman Yossi. Huge. Huge. Yes. That's the piece. I am in love with that piece. I love that more than the sprinkles. Sprinkles. Cute. It's adorable. That piece resonates with me. I'm a huge hockey fan and I loved it.
- [24:55]
A
Okay. For anyone that is trying to play along at home and figure out what this looks like, I have pulled images from Google because I wasn't familiar myself. This reminds me of an older watch from Tudor and it was in the Prince lineup. The way that you have got the triple registers, but they don't sit like the Daytona at the bottom. They sit more to the left. And then you've got the day date on the right hand side. Maybe one of the old Porsche designs, the black numbers from the 70s and 80s. But this one, it's not overdone when you said, oh, it's got the hockey sticks on it. Yeah, it's actually got them as a logo emblazoned on the left hand side.
- [25:29]
B
If you look at the strap, the strap looks like the outer version of a hockey puck. If you're familiar with what a hockey puck looks like, like a gen. If you. So you look at that rubber strap and it just, I don't know, it looks, it smells, it feels like all my senses immediately go, it's hockey's my favorite sport. Favorite sport. Growing up in Philadelphia, the last time my Flyers won a Stanley cup was the year I was born. I love hockey so much and when they, you know, again, I saw all the Norcam releases. I own a Norcane. I, I love my adventure sport. But when they brought that watch out, I was like all of my hockey loving senses just like resonated with it. I think it's beautiful.
- [26:06]
A
I think it's classic. I don't think, I wouldn't say it's beautiful. I would say it's very. You have got a heartfelt interest in it because of the link. But I would say it's a very good looking, structured watch. And the thing myself and David said on the show recently, having seen what they've been up to, they're not just changing the color of the Wild One series, whereas every year it was a little bit crazier. Then they had the Stan Lorenko one and all the Rest of it. This is great. The ice cream stuff was fantastic. And my favorite was the black with the yellow. It looked as if it could be an hublot, but the price point was definitely not hublot territory. And hublot this year were actually keeping their prices sedate. So it's good that Arkane have got all these different facets within the range where each person can actually have their own firm favorite. And it's not all the same any longer.
- [26:51]
B
Yeah, it's true. You know, obviously, it feels as though. And I am going to say this, and again, I love the Kufr family. They're the best. By the way, I don't know if you saw Stan, but Stan, you mentioned Stan Warinko. He was at the booth and I got to chat with him this year again. And I love Mark street, who's one of their co founders. Marcus. He's amazing. He played for Philadelphia Flyers. He played for the Penguins. He played for the Rangers. And I adore him. And I adore the whole Kufr family. We are seeing a bit of a price increase with them. And I think that really was the wild one, sort of. That price point for the wild one was higher than, let's say, the adventure sport. So the watch that I have that I love and wear religiously, it's in, without a doubt on my children. It's in the top three of all the watches that I have. It's in top three of what I wear the most. I love that watch. I beat the shit out of it. It's a beater watch like that. My Formex essence with the malachite dial and probably my. My latest brew. The brew that I got. I've been wearing those three watches. It's on a. It's on a cycle, religiously. I love them so much. And oddly, they're all bracelet watches, which I used to. Not really be a fan of. I used to just. I'd prefer straps, whether it was elastic or rubber or leather straps, whatever. But I've really. I think these watches made me love bracelet watches. So there is definitely a price point change. It was adorable. I love the ice cream watch. It was so cute. And just the whole thing set up. They had the ice cream people there at their booth. You know, we all got like the package with the sprinkles in it. And you know me, I bake, so I'm like, I'll use it. I actually asked him for a second set of sprinkles. I'm like, I'll bring that home. I'll be making Cupcakes, like using the sprinkles. I love it.
- [28:31]
A
I wonder sometimes what it is like to work at Geneva airport after watches and wonders seeing all the crazy gift that the press get. I know we've had all kinds of stuff. We had the inflatable bags from Moser. We had some, some of the greatest satchels from Hot Launch. Well, the Hot Launch group in Moser Group did the best this year. But yeah, Norqain gave us sprinkles and I'm thinking, what do these guys think we're trying to smuggle out the country here?
- [28:56]
B
It's so funny. And yeah, I mean, again, it's like the Rolex. Rolex. You got chocolates and you got like the, the actual tray, which is great. I do want to give Rolex a shout out.
- [29:07]
A
I'd love to give Rolex a shout out, but they don't actually email us or invite us.
- [29:10]
B
Oh, it's okay. I. So Rolex does give me an appointment and shout out to Carla and Allison for doing so because they are really good to me and I usually do get an appointment with them every year. I did get to see everything. I. I'm not necessarily a Rolex fan girl. You own a Rolex? I own my birth year watch Rolex that I got from Wynn. Vintage Eric Wynn. Again, shout out there. But that's it. It's the only one I own. And am I really going to write about Rolex? Because every other Rolex bro is writing about them or talking about them. Like, do they need me? They probably don't, but I'm gonna, I'm not gonna lie. I mean, the Orson perpetual day date 40 in the 18 karat Jubilee Gold. This is what impressed me because I have a, like a mineralist background. So I casted early on 30 years ago when I first started in the jewelry industry. So this mixture of yellow and white and rose gold that they're using for this piece, that is what, like enamored. Like I'm enamored by that because nobody's doing that and I love that. And a couple years ago, was it two years ago when they released a tiger iron dial? Was it two years ago or last year?
- [30:19]
A
Last year. Because you knew what it was and they didn't really know what they were talking about.
- [30:22]
B
Right. And I was, I raised my hand, I went, it's tiger iron. Because I had already had the Sartre Biard watch that I had him specifically make me in Tiger Iron the two years prior for my 50th birthday. I knew immediately when they showed that, like, okay, if you read the press release, that's one thing. But I don't ever read the press releases unless I have to write about that piece for a certain publication. I do not read the. I want to be surprised. That's part of what I do. When I go to watch the Wonders, Like, I want you to surprise me. I want the actual feel of like, oh, shit, that's great. Tutor appointments, same thing. Like, anybody, Chanel? Same thing. Like, I. I want to be genuinely surprised. I don't look at any of this.
- [31:00]
A
When you're listening to Barbara say this, don't think she's being stupid. Because this is the way that I deal with interviews with brands. I have a bit of a superficial outlook on what they do, but I don't delve deep into. Because when I have a conversation, I want them to blow me out the water. I want to be super impressed with what they're telling me about. And it's the first time I'm hearing it. If you look at Instagram ahead of Watches Wonders, or when you're there and you see the new release and you sit down and they start telling you about it, your brain starts to switch off because it's familiar with the information that's coming towards it.
- [31:31]
B
Absolutely.
- [31:31]
A
If you don't know anything about it, you sit there and you're like, jesus, how did they do that? Where did this idea come from? Your creative juices start flowing and you interact with the person, which means you can get all the information, distill it down, and then Barbara writes about it. We take it onto the airwaves with the podcast.
- [31:46]
B
Yeah. So again, for me, and I agree with you 1000%, you and I are definitely like, we feel the same about this. 30 years in the industry having a. Not just a gemology background, but a metallurgy background. So metals were my thing. I cast it. I love metal alloy mixtures. I'm always the person in the room who raises their hand and says, okay, well, why are you calling this some crazy name? Gold? What makes it this. What makes it this? Rolex, unfortunately, will not tell me what the percentage breakdowns are between the gold. Like, they won't give it to me. It's sort of like a secret. It's like a secret recipe. It's like Coca Cola, right? Like the. Like the family that owns Coke, they're not going to get the recipe out. And I get that. I totally get it. But for me, my metal mind wants to go there. My alloy mind wants to go immediately. There. So I love that they, that they did this. I agree with you a thousand percent that I. I feel that if I read the press releases before I go and I see what they're going to show me, that I am now tainted in some way, shape or form, either negatively or positively. And I don't want to do that. I want to see it. I want to see it, I want to touch it, I want to feel it, I want to weigh it, I want to. I want to, like, get it on my wrist. What's the bracelet like? What's the, what's the strap like? You know, whatever the case may be. So you and I are.
- [33:01]
A
It's like avoiding the movie trailer because you know they're going to give you some plot points.
- [33:05]
B
Totally, totally now. So my curiosity will sometimes get to me with regard to that, but with this, I don't. Now again, if I have to pre write, that's, you know, either for watching Easter or other entities. Like, if I have to pre write, that's a different situation. That's the only time I look at the press releases and I promise on that. So I. Let's. We'll stick to 10 because we are running out of time. So I'm going to stick to 10 instead of the 12 that I had for Plexpo. But I'd like to talk about a couple of the brands that I saw outside of the Plexpo. Is that cool with you?
- [33:37]
A
Sounds good.
- [33:38]
B
Okay. So I landed a day before the Plexpo opened and I landed and I couldn't check into my hotel room just yet, so I decided to go. I actually texted Marina from Sparkling PR and said, hey, I know that some of the brands you're representing are at the Beau Rivage. Are they there today? Well, the funny thing is all the Beau Rivage stuff is happening like the day before watches and Wonders actually opens. So the day before, if you, if you're there the day before and I landed at like 10 o' clock in the morning, if you're there the day before, that's the day to go there and like, watch the wonders. Can't get pissed at you because you're not. It's like their show hasn't even started yet. You know what I'm saying? So I went straight from the airport wearing the clothes that I had been wearing for the last 20 hours. You know, overnight flight, going through Paris Charles de Gaulle. Overnight flight, just. But like refresh. From a deodorant standpoint, refresh. My makeup went straight to Bauvage and got to see a lot of the brands that were there, including some of the brands that Marina was there with Schwartz. Etienne was where I first saw her. They were there with Schwartz. Etiana. I don't, I'm not quite sure if you've covered them or not. This is a fantastic brand. But they did a collaboration this year with Peter Speke. You know who Peter speak is. In 2018, Peter was on my first ever moderated Dubai Watch Week Horology forum panel which was in London. I adore Peter. He is one of the world's greatest living watchmakers. I will, I will take that to my grave. I, I believe that wholeheartedly. But they did a collaboration with him, the 1902 Synergy. He has his own brand now. He's obviously he sold Speke Marin and they're their own thing, but he has psyrology. So Peter Speke has psychology. But I got to sit down with him, talk about this rotetien watch, which is fantastic, beautiful, just incredible dial layering, gorgeous. And then actually see some of his own timepieces, which is cool. Meet his, his wife, his new wife, which I had not met or if I did, I think it was maybe briefly in, in Dubai. That was great. Vanguard. Vanguard. Vanguard. Vanguard Vanguard. They did a collaboration with Material Good. Material good is a U.S. new York based retailer that sells Audemars Piguet and they are the only retailer for Vanguard in the United States. They did a limited edition titanium watch, very pale pink in color. They were also at the Beau Rivage. I stopped by to see them. Ms. I'm sure will throw up a link and some pictures. That was really an extraordinary watch. A couple of minor micro brands that are getting a lot of attention and again, I don't know if you're familiar or if you've had them on or if you've talked about them, but Colloquium.
- [36:42]
A
Oh yeah. And the guy behind that is something to do with Louis Arad.
- [36:45]
B
Obsessed with them. I'm obsessed with them. So my buddy Ryan, whom I met at like, I didn't realize he was going to be there, but he's a collector. He's elegant wrist on Instagram. Ryan, Great dude. Great fricking dude. We met up, he said, hey, I'm picking up my new Colloquium watch. He was the guy who gifted me the foreign sweat.
- [37:08]
A
Was that the Nintendo style watch? Got to be careful with copyright. But it looked a little bit like.
- [37:12]
B
Similar. Yeah, similar. It's not the exact, but yes, similar type watch Ryan had Ordered personally I believe maybe like 40 of these watches. Maybe 40, 50 of these watches, dude. And he had them, he had them, he had them branded on the back WNW 2026. So he actually had them marked and he gave them out. So I was one of the first people who got one. So I got one which I posted on my Instagram page. Lovely guy. But he was picking up his colloquium watch which I thought was. What they're doing is freaking amazing. But I want, I want to run through this. I know we're running out of time. Literally we have like three minutes. But Beida, you know, I feel about Beida. I love them. I went visited with them in Dubai. Their angles Gushett, the one that they did in gold and the eclipse shoe with the Malachi dial, that's something they released this year. Again they were showing at the Beaurevage Alto. I don't know if you're familiar with alto or not. Are you familiar with alto watches? Okay. So a friend of mine again I was there and I was getting pulled so a friend of mine out of Amsterdam who has a huge retail store there, he was like let's go, you gotta come see alto. So I went and I visited them. That Falcons. I watch Incredible. Jacob and company. I did go see them, you know and it's. It's. Their booth is just. Their whole setup at the Four Seasons is ridiculous because it's like multiple rooms. Crazy amazing. It's Jacob. I mean they're. They're spending so much money and I got to see some of these crazy gemstone pieces. We could talk about them more in the future. I want to give them a little bit more than just seconds but definitely got to see them and shout out to. To the folks who got me there for that formex the, the essence Ceramica, the dark matter again. Rough. Amazing. What they're doing is extraordinary. Denison, you know I've given Denison a bit of a shit time in my, in my experience. In my experience and including being on the GPHG I was, I was kind of like okay, it's just.it's just stone dials. Like I don't get it. They're winning the gphg. I was kind of like back and forth about it but I went to see them at Chronopolis and I just. Their team which by the way included the founders like 11 year old son who was out there hustling more than I do. More than you do. This, this little mfer he was out there, he's like, okay, blah, blah, blah. He's like putting stuff on my wrist. There it is. Talking, talking. Totally talking the talk. And I was like, hey, yeah, you know, I was on the GPC jury this year. Whatever. He's like, oh, yeah, my dad knows who you are. This little guy. Oh, my God. Extraordinary. I'm like, talk about this is going to be the next generation. He completely believes in it. He was out there talking more talk than every other salesperson they had. I loved it. Shout out to Dennison. I actually really, really love the mini duel time. I was like, am I going to like this? And then I put it on my wrist and I went, oh, my God. I really love this. Like, I'm obsessed with it. I think it's great. Doxa had a great showing and I will end it with this as we're about to finish Sartre Biard. I love you, Armand, so much. I love the jump hour. The disco ball is my favorite. So good. And this bitch. For my birthday. Did you see what he did? He did a mock up with my face for their jump hour, the SB10 jump hour with 53 in the window. Because it was my 53rd. But go and look at my Instagram page, Ricky. He did a whole mock up with my profile with 53 in the jump arrow window as a birthday gift for me. He just did it as a mockup, which I reposted. Come on, go on my page. Because I reposted it and I was like, I love you so much. But the skateboard pieces, the cheese grater. He was showing both at time to watch his end at his own space, right across from the hci. I just. I can't adore this man more. He. He's doing so many things that are just so different. I love him and I adore him. Do you see it go to April 19 posts?
- [41:27]
A
Oh, sure. There it is. Right? Okay. It's. It's further down.
- [41:30]
B
Yeah, it's my. Yeah, it's my. It's my profile. And he did it with 53, which is the year that I served. Is that not adorable? I love that. But that's. I love it again, I love a jump hour. And yeah, he sent that to me at, like, when I woke up the morning of my birthday, which was the night, which was only hours after I had arrived back in America. I woke up to that and I was like, you are just one of my favorite human beings in the goddamn watch industry. And I love him so much. I love what he's doing.
- [41:58]
A
He's such a creative Genius, but he keeps himself grounded. He doesn't run away with silly ideas to the point where he never releases anything. And that's a problem we find with real genuine creatives is they can never finished or perfected object so it never gets released or they do so few per year. But he is setting the world on fire. And the emails that we get through, but his new releases, his new ideas, collaborations and concoctions. Yeah, go and check out what he's up to. But before we end this episode, because we do have a couple of minutes left, I'm going to do a quick fire round that Barbara doesn't know about. Here we go. You ready? Here we go.
- [42:29]
B
There we go.
- [42:30]
A
Who were the winners and who were the could do better? We won't say losers, because that's not very nice, but we'll say they could do better for next year. Who are the winners, watches and wonders? 20, 26.
- [42:39]
B
All right, so Palexpo watch the wonders or all across the board we'll go palexpo.
- [42:44]
A
Yeah.
- [42:44]
B
Okay. Polexpo winners were. And I know I didn't list them, but I think from across the board, Chanel, I don't think that they get enough attention from just the general watch enthusiasts, but I think what they're doing is really special.
- [43:02]
A
Also the fact that they dip their hands in their pockets and they support the independents because Cross Studios and MB&F had investment. So well done to Chanel for all things.
- [43:14]
B
Exactly. So I love being there every year. And again, I didn't list a particular watch and that's probably because several of their watches were like listed in my favorites. And I was like, it's like Sophie's Choice type of situation. But I really loved the appointment with them. I thought they were great. I was. Again, we're talking about aside from what I've already listed, I did like what Zenith did. You know, I do like that they are still on this path of growth. Parmigiani is always, you know, huge for me and I love what Norqine did. So if we're gonna go, you know, kind of like smaller ish brands, Frederic and Saint was definitely, you know, in my upper echelon.
- [43:56]
A
And who surprised you the most? Because maybe you expected Chanel, Cartier, Zinus to do well, but was there anyone that stood out? You're like, oh, that's new. Didn't expect that.
- [44:05]
B
I gotta be honest, the AP jump hour, that was a huge surprise for me. I mean, we're so used to immediately in our minds, we go straight to the Royal Oak. Right. Or like AP has drowned it in our heads at the 1159. That's what we expect. That's what we expect. So the jump hour was again. This third time I've said it. This is my favorite complication. And moon probably, you know, jump hour and a moonphase. I love a moon phase too.
- [44:33]
A
The bit that got me with the jumper was we have been inundated, droning in swamps of jump hours for the last 12 to 18 months from both
- [44:41]
B
micro brands and independent brand or all three micro brands, independent brands and big brands. All jump hour. Like in your face.
- [44:47]
A
Yeah. And they've all been very, very similar. There's been some standouts. The time jumper from Czupec, that one doesn't look like a jumper. And the guys at Chronoswiss, the way they did their version this year, we talked about it was almost like a Jacob and Co. But the Audemars Piguet jumper, it wasn't just the dial. The dial melted into the sides and the slopes and the art deco look was just. It blew my mind.
- [45:12]
B
And I don't like that tailor watch their ass. You know that and you don't either. You don't either. That was, that was a. Oh, it was, it was, it was fantastic. It was so good. I'm so glad you agree to that because it was really good. I wanted more from JLC because they are my favorite brand in the world and I did want, I definitely wanted more from them. Yeah. So just, you know, Plexpo wise, that's where that was. I was pleasantly surprised by so many of the brands that were at the Beau Rivage and at Chronopolis. Just so much fun again. Chronopolis was like studio Underdog was there. I know Nick was still at time to watches so fears was still a time to watches and there were several, several great brands there. But Sartre Boulard showed both at time to watches and at his own independent space across from the ahci, which is in the. The iceberg which is right next to the. It's a tiny little area off the show. I don't know if you've ever been. Tiny little area next to the Four Seasons. Like across street from the Four Seasons which is where the HCI is like Ludovic by Lard, like a lot of the super high card Vuitse Linen, Viani Holter, those guys, they're all in that little area. I go there every year. It's such a good time.
- [46:29]
A
And apart from jlc, who else would you say where they could do betters.
- [46:33]
B
TAG Heuer.
- [46:34]
A
Really?
- [46:35]
B
Yeah. Yeah. I thought that TAG Heuer didn't blow me away. Not going to lie. And I'm sure they'll destroy me. I was happy with Hublot again. You can definitely feel that. It's under the regime of Julian Trenner. So I definitely could feel a difference there. Tech Heuer was fine. I don't know. I mean, they've blown me away probably once in the last five years and where I was like, oh, that blew me away. Yeah, maybe.
- [47:01]
A
Do you not think it Dubai, with their crazy new technology, their 3D printed watches, their anti magnetism. No.
- [47:09]
B
Yeah. I mean it's a personal preference. It's all lovely again, it's like, oh, it's lovely. This is all lovely. But I think it's getting lost. Maybe it's because I'm here in the States and it's not really like people are still associating Tag Heuer with 1985, 1995, you know, tag Heuer. So it's a little hard to wrap my head around where they are, but. But I do love the fact that they. I could feel the change in them. It's just not there yet. Because Beatrice was only just named the new CEO. So this is the first time, Right. That Tagoreu has had a woman CEO. I am familiar with her. I met her multiple times over the years. She is the perfect person to lead this brand. And you could feel a little bit of a change. But I feel like since it's only been a handful of months, we're not there yet. I think by next Watches and Wonders we're going to see a major shift in Taiko and what they're going to be putting forth. That's my opinion.
- [48:08]
A
That makes sense. It's been musical chairs at the top position there for a long time.
- [48:13]
B
Julianne was there for what, months, Right.
- [48:16]
A
Less than six months, which annoyed me.
- [48:18]
B
Yeah. Which was like you said, musical chairs. So we're going to see how it goes under her leadership. I completely believe in her. I think she's extraordinary.
- [48:26]
A
Good. Well, that kind of rounds things out quite nicely. Always good to get your thoughts and feelings on things because you do have a completely different background. And I think it played right into the end of this episode where I was blown away by the technical aspects, the meat and potatoes, the mechanisms and all that stuff. Whereas with your background, you've mentioned stonework, metallurgy, all that stuff. And it's good to have different voices. There's a real problem just now, in the industry, where a lot of people are stifled, a lot of people don't get to say what they feel, what they think, or they have to tow the company line. And you've mentioned there you love Norqain, but they've increased their prices. You'll love this brand, but they did this thing here. And we try to remain true to our souls and our hearts all the way through. We always have them. Sometimes it shoots us in the foot. For instance, Rolex. Don't speak to us, don't know what we've done wrong. They seem to speak to everybody else and I buy the watches. But we are always talking from a truthful point of view, no matter if it slaps us in the face down the road. And you are exactly the same. So. Right. Where can people find out more about you and what you're up to? And look at your bikini pictures.
- [49:26]
B
Well, look at my 53rd bikini pictures on her wrist on Instagram. I have just started running for Europa Star, so just picked up a writing gig with them. Yeah, I interviewed with them years ago and yeah, I have my first piece due this week with them, which is great. Still writing for Watchanista, obviously. I'm a freelance writer, so still writing for them. My proudest gig, I'm going into my fifth year writing for Vanity Fair on time. So thank you to Nicholas Faulks and to Holly Ross and that is out of the uk. So if you are in the uk, please put pick up the spring issue of Vanity Fair and you will get the Vanity Fair On Time supplement along with the issues.
- [50:09]
A
And don't be a cheap bastard and just pick it up in a newsagent and try and read it. They actually sellotape it close. You can't do that.
- [50:14]
B
That's true. It's all in plastic. I can't do that. Yes, Ricky knows. Ricky knows. But I've done all the news report as well as an Hermes piece that I did separately. So, yeah, thanks. Thank you so much for having me on as always and I'm sorry we didn't get to spend more time together, but it's completely understandable.
- [50:33]
A
It seems to get busier the more we try and plan for it to be easier, but that is the way of the world and we try to work hard every time we go to different events to capture all the stuff that you guys want to hear about, you want to listen about and in Barbara's case, you want to read about. So you catch us Mondays and Thursdays out twice a week. We have got a video at the weekend. We try and get out on Saturday. We have not managed that the last couple of weeks just to the sheer volume of content that is out and about with watches and wonders. It was a gigantic task, collating, compiling, putting together all the content. Gav is doing a great job. Dave obviously does his little bit. I do my little bit. We put it together in a cauldron and we hope that the magic spells work and incantations get out there to everybody. So that is the end of an episode. Thank you for listening and we'll catch you again soon.
- [51:26]
B
Sa.