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Scottish Watches Podcast #785 : Our Most Menacing Episode Yet
00:59:15
This week, we’ve got a packed show featuring some of the most interesting releases to land on our radar, from mind-bending dial architecture and colourful summer standouts to high-complication independents...
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- [00:01]
A
Welcome to the Scottish Watches Podcast. We've got an exciting episode for you today. Lots of amazing releases. We didn't think it would be quite as good as this because this is the lull. This is the period where everyone goes to sleep. We know in the watch industry there are amazing things happening left, right and centre and we can't wait to bring them all to you. Dave, how are you getting on?
- [00:17]
B
Dave is getting on fine.
- [00:18]
A
You getting on in yours? Because I believe you are.
- [00:19]
B
I'm definitely going in yours, as are you, to be fair. I mean, my hair survived better than yours has, but other than that.
- [00:25]
A
Not the back, it hasn't.
- [00:27]
B
The back's okay. It's more that kind of crown part. But yeah, we can move on from that.
- [00:31]
A
Let's do that. And we'll also tell you to check the show notes. If you are listening to us, click link in your podcast player takes you to the website page designated for this episode. In there links tech spec pictures in chronological order. So if maybe you're busy or doing something, you can't exactly watch and listen at the same time. You can go back after the fact, find out, relive those fantastic memories about the next 45 to 55 minutes. And we're going to visit a brand called Cloakum. We have spoken about them in the past. The people behind the scenes are no strangers to the watch industry. They have had their fingers in many pies. Not cow pies, but that'll play into something later on. And they have got another fantastic dial that's in the three dimensions.
- [01:05]
B
Well, yes, this is not a new dial from them, it's just a new variant, Colloquium. A brand that are pretty innovative, I have to say, with many of the things that they've done since their first watch came out. The only thing they're not particularly innovative about is their names. Each of the watches is a project starting at one, of course, and we're currently on Project two. And then there's different versions or variants of it and they start at A, and we're currently on Project 2 variant C. So there we go. What is this watch all about? Well, it all started off with the Project one watch and when it came out, it was all about these little pillars of on the dial. And it did kind of catch most folk unawares. Really cool concept. The ideation was amazing and the actual presentation of the watch caught people on fire. People loved it. It was very much a bit underground, I have to say. If you knew, you knew. And it wasn't super mainstream but people picked up on it pretty quickly and have got on board and the guys have. Well, they've picked up the baton and run with a few different ideas. That original watch could have been a one and done, but it wasn't and they're now onto Project 2 watches. Now, how would I define these? It's like a topographic map is the best way to describe it. Lots of layers. I think there's around 60 layers that are all different shapes and they're built up by hand on top of each other. And you get kind of these little peaks or rises where the appliques would be. It's very difficult to describe it accurately, but like a topographic model. Check out the show notes, there'll be pictures of it on there.
- [02:29]
A
It's like one of those things where you've got in your classroom and you've got ants and they make little tunnel ways and things like that.
- [02:35]
B
Yeah, a little bit like that as well. Or one of these maps or one of these map models. You used to have to make it a polystyrene at school where you would just kind of cut them out and you would stick them together and you would make like a 3D or a three dimensional model of a hill. Anyway, what else is going on here? The cases have always been pretty industrial. I'd say you've got the kind of branding on the side of it on the flank of the case, which normally is something I don't like, but it definitely works in these watches. The other thing that's quite distinctive is there's no bezel. You've just got a massive crystal that. It's a bit like a box crystal, but a box crystal plus plus where you've got these flanks and sides of it that are completely see through as well. Of course. And it means that you can peer into the watch from the side. It's not through a hole in the case itself. It's just this huge massive crystal and it gets a really good view of how that dial construction works. This one is pretty summery in colors. It's one of my favorites. It's shades of turquoise. It's a variant C limited edition. There's only going to be 299 of these. They will disappear like all the other variants have. Price point 3666.66 Swiss francs. I really like the price point is considered, but I think for the amount of work that goes into these watches they probably do command their price point in my opinion. Little bit punchy possibly, but I love what they're doing? They're doing something a little bit different. Ricky, do you like this one? Do you prefer a different colour? Do you prefer the original columns? What's your vibe on this one?
- [04:02]
A
I like them all and I do like this one. The color is really, really good at summary. It's got the summary vibes that different people have done in the past. And it's hard to pick a favorite because each of them are distinct and individual. It's like trying to pick your favorite HYT from the original series. They all looked kind of the same, but they had slight changes to DNA. This one, it reminds me of the Abyss, that movie that kind of kick started the whole CGI revolution. It looks alien and organic and three dimensional all at the same time with an eerie glow around it. And I've not seen the loom pictures of it yet. We didn't see them in the press release and we haven't obviously seen the watch in real life as of yet, but it just appeals. And the part you mentioned there about the Box Crystal effect, it is Box Crystal Pro max. It's not just slightly tall, it's very tall. And recently I got hold of my first ever Bel Canto. Didn't like Bel Canto, didn't think it was for me. And then they released the Lumiere edition of it with the lume and the color and all the rest of it looked a little bit Tron. And the crystal in that is very tall to obviously accommodate all the different parts that are dial side. This is even taller. So I think it will be fantastically well received by the collector community. It will sell out probably instantaneously if it's not already. That's the problem about doing shows where we have to edit things. By the time these episodes drop, they hit the airwaves and then they come out on YouTube at the weekend. Sometimes things have gone. We've talked about Formex. We did a full show with Raph last week. I believe the first hundred evaporated instantaneously as soon as they were launched. So by the time the episodes aired, they were gone. But there will be more coming down the line. Same with Awake. I believe all their limited editions from the latest releases, they have gone as well. So you have to be fast. You have to check our Insta Instagram because that's where the up to date, up to the minute stuff comes. Ottishwatches on Instagram, there's a quick plug for that. But this watch, I love it. Love to get a hold of it, love to check it out. It's got all kinds of things tying together. Let's bring in not the abyss, but let's bring in aliens. If you look at the flank, the side of the case where it's got an embossment, not etched in, not laser engraved, not cut away, but actually protruding. The fact that it's got those space age fonts on the side, a little bit Red Dwarfish, little bit Alien. Yeah, I think it's an absolutely fantastic watch and it shows that you can be different and you can iterate and be different. Like Studio Underdog. It's the same, but different. And people will continue to appreciate and buy and it just moves the game forward. And where are we moving to next?
- [06:20]
B
Well, we're moving to a collaboration watch from one of our favorite brands, that being G Shock. And this is moving definitely into the affordable end of the market.
- [06:28]
A
We'll have to jump in. Have to jump in and ask Dave because it has been a while. What's the last G Shock you picked up?
- [06:33]
B
The last G Shock I picked up was actually not that long ago, it was only a few weeks ago. And it was one of the ones that's collaborating for an upcoming Star wars derivative movie that we talked about in the show. And that is of course the Mandalorian. I saw them when I was in London, had a look at them, the Mandalorian one. It's cool, but it's a little bit boring. But the baby, that's the one. It's a baby G Shock, which is absolutely not my kind of vibe. But as a collectible it's pretty cool. Nice little box. It is very small for sure, but it just works well and it was inexpensive. So they had them in the store and I thought, I'm having it. So I got one of them. So that is the latest one that I got.
- [07:14]
A
Well, we'll have to bring that on and show that on the show. But tell us about this collab that is. I don't know. I'm wearing the right top for this episode. I believe you are.
- [07:23]
B
If it's all about the reds, then this watch, it's the Coca Cola 140th Anniversary Collaboration Watch. And as far as collaboration watches go, I've got quite a few G shocks that collaborate with brands. Like for example, I've got the Big Mac Anniversary one and a multitude of others. Big Mac Anniversary is one of my favourites, I have to say. But this one has been done extremely well based upon that popular octa model, the GA2100 series. This one, the code finishes in CC I'm going to assume for Coca Cola and it is based around the iconic Coca Cola bottle. Price point wise I said it was affordable. £159. It's sold out, so you're probably not going to get one. Although I have seen them being resold on a multitude of platforms, including ebay for in and around £200. So not massively excessive as a markup. If you really want one of these, it's not going to skin you too much on the secondary market. They did lodge back at the end of May 22nd and from my understanding they have vanished like the proverbial off of a shovel. So what's going on? Well, you've got a kind of slightly green tinted translucent case and band on it that's giving that kind of vibe of that colour that you get in the glass bottle. You've got lots of little other things going on. So I think at 9 o' clock you've got a little Coke bottle hand very much in the shape of that. The D got something that really resembles the look and feel of fizzy bubbles. As you would expect when you pour a bottle of Coke into a glass. The case back's got an engraving of the bottle cap which kind of again, just further reinforces that whole vibe of Coca Cola. And you've got special packaging. As you would expect, they're very good at doing their special collaboration packaging as a thing. Yes, it's celebrating big brands that definitely don't need any of our money. They've got plenty of it as it is. But it's a cool thing. And the Coca Cola bottle is something that's fairly iconic, I have to say. And if you', collectibles, especially with colabs, this is one that you probably want to get your hands on. I know that I may well take the option of buying one on the pre owned market. I've got a couple in my ebay follow to see where they go. But yeah, I quite like it. It's not something you need to take too seriously, Ricky. You'll either love it or hate it. No idea. But I think it's cool for what it is. It's a well done collab. That's what I'm going to describe it as.
- [09:36]
A
I initially didn't get the connection because I just gave it a passing glance and then I looked deeper at it and thought, yeah, the color looks like the Coke bottle of old. And then I looked further and it's got a dot matrix effect on the dial of the Coca Cola kind of bubbles and the way that the liquid actually flows around in some of the old adverts. And then they've replaced the casio logo at 12 o' clock position with coca Cola. And then you've got the Coke bottle on the left side. And that's where it almost pushes into souvenir shop territory, but doesn't. That's where the new version of the Apollo 8 kind of pull me off a little bit because it went a little kitsch. But this, it just. It stops on the borderline. And then the best part is the packaging. G Shock. They do fantastic packaging at the best of times. It's tanked off, it's rugged. It's usually a metal hexagon box or octagon box. This time around, it looks like a vintage vending machine from maybe the 70s or the 80s, something like that. We're vintage as well, myself and Dave. So I think this is fantastic. I think they've done it well. They've thought about it and it reminds me of some of the fossil collabs where they have really put some brains behind it instead of going slap a logo on it, change the color, put an anniversary year on it, something like that. So I think this is absolutely brilliant. Well done and fingers crossed, may be able to get one and who knows, we have got some contacts in the uk, they have been good to us in the past, been able to send some things our way. So maybe if we keep our fingers and toes crossed, we will be good. And who are we going to be good to next, Peg have no coverage on the show?
- [10:57]
B
Well, we're going to talk about the brand that we love to talk about, that being Czapek. And they have got something out that I have to say before we start. The colorway just sings to me. It's got some green in it, it's got some yellow gold in it. And those colors just work so well together.
- [11:13]
A
Well, you are correct. And this is one that my amnesia plays into because I forgot we saw this until the press release came through saying, embargo is up. You can talk about this. This is a watch we were shown. And this is one of the benefits of being part of the media and going to big events. And we keep saying, if you can go to a public day at a big event, or you can go to an event where the public are allowed throughout the week, do so. There's nothing quite like it. You get to see things that are coming out, you get to see things that are way down the line. We mentioned with Formex, you'd been able to see their latest edition months and months ahead of the game before anybody else. You may even be allowed to try it on the wrist. And when we were at Watch and Wonders, this watch was taken out. It was passed to us from the folks at Czupek. It was Valeria, it was obviously Xavier and the rest of the team. And we looked at it and thought, why aren't you talking about this now? Why hasn't this been released right now? Because these colors, this model, this iteration, this is going to be even bigger and better than the original.
- [12:06]
B
I agree. And we're talking about a model that falls into the Promenade family. It was launched back in 2024 and it caught our attention when it launched because they had this. I think I'm going to pronounce it badly here, but it's gout d'. Eau. The water drop is the one where you've got that kind of offset. It's almost as if you've dropped a stone into a pool of water and you get the ripples going out the way. And they had a blue dial which was stunning. This is a. Well, a take on that. This one's called gout de rose. Not entirely sure if that's how you pronounce it, but it's like rose with an extra e in the end and one of those little French things. It's a green dial. It's on an 18 carat yellow gold case. Size wise, it's in my sweet spot currently, which is 38 millimeters. It's 10.01 millimeters in height. 50 meters of water resistance kind of leans into that. I'm going to describe it as relaxed dress watch. It's definitely towards the dressier side of things, but it's relaxed enough that you could wear it with T shirts and shorts as far as I'm concerned. As I mentioned, that yellow, gold, green is a classic color combo. It really does work. It comes as standard on a green alligator leather strap which is a slightly darker green than the dial, but it really works. But there are optional different materials available for the strap if you so wish. The dial is a grandfu dial. It's made with the dial maker, the specialist Danse Cadran. We've been to see these guys, they do some of the best work when it comes to gruunfu work. It's a sterling silver base that's stamped to give it that effect. And then you've got five layers of a translucent green grung fu enamel that's applied. And because you've got the stamped. You've got these highs and lows on the dial which means you get thicker and thinner enamel depending on how it flows over those different parts of the dial. And it gives it an almost 3D slightly. Feels like it's moving just as you move your wrist. And you look at it as the light catches it. It gives it a little bit of sense of motion. Of course it isn't moving but it does give it that feel. The calibre, it's a self winding calibre. It's their SXH 5.1. It's an in house one. It's been ideated, designed and manufactured by Czapek. It's a micro rotor, 60 hours of power reserv running at 4 hertz on this one. There's only going to be 25 examples produced for the whole wide world. And it comes in at €34,600 before taxes. For a gold watch with a grandfu dial limited edition of 25. This is not in the realms of lunacy as far as I'm concerned. Yes, it's expensive, but gold sadly is ludicrously expensive at this point in time. You're getting the whole in house thing. You're getting an amazing independent brand and it's a very wearable watch for a gold watch in my opinion. Cracker. Love it, Absolutely love it. Is it the best one of this promenade kind of water drop style watch in my opinion? I think it is.
- [14:47]
A
Don't have much to add to what Dave said because he can run away with himself and I let him do that because when it's a watch like this, you want to say as much as possible about it because it's not expensive. It's a watch that has been out before, but it's a different iteration, it's a variation and I think they have done better. I think this is the winner of the entire range and it has been out for a couple of years. They have changed the bits and pieces along the way and I'm looking at the pictures of it again. We've not had this one in the hand to play with for a long time. And the lighting at Watches Wonders is not the greatest but the pictures they sent across it just reminded me of holding the thing, looking at it, tilting it, seeing the way that the water droplet effect, it's almost three dimensional. We talk about the colloquium at the start where it genuinely is on the three dimensional plane. You can pick it up, you can look at it, you can see different levels that this does it with an effect on the dial. And maybe if you're thinking of Captain Scarlet and the Mr. On something like that, or the Time Tunnel, where you've got that hypnotic effect, that's what the dial looks like. It is just sublime, absolutely sublime. So I think this one will not hang around either. And Czapek, last year they went crazy from the off from watches and wonders right the way through to Dubai Watch Week, they were releasing model, iteration, variation and new stuff. Robot watch, Time Jumper. Everything was just crazy. This year, I think they're refining, they're bringing back things from a couple of years in the past and just remixing it, remastering it, and bringing out an audience that is maybe developed further. They have gone down the collector lane and they're picking up new variations and new things. And that seems to be something that the bigger brands are now doing more. We've talked in the past about the guys not with Moser, but with Hot Launch, changing the philosophy of design and bringing out new models so that the collectors that want to build their collection within the range can expand. And maybe blue wasn't the color before. Maybe green is the color. Maybe they wanted that yellow gold. And this is now available. So, Dave, what should people be doing now?
- [16:41]
B
What they should be doing is checking out our YouTube channel at least once a week. We're hoping to do a little bit more in the future, but at least once a week, every Saturday, there will be an episode of the podcast in a video format. Similar but different. You get to see things that are put in front of you. What did we get, Ricky?
- [16:58]
A
We got something from YouTube because we launched our video show just under three years ago. We launched the channel back in 2019, but we're just throwing this, that and the other on there. But no thanks to the consistency of the podcast. Gav, yourself, myself, everybody behind the scenes, we finally got a little plaque from YouTube. So thanks everybody for subscribing. Thanks everybody for liking commenting, sharing what we do, and generally giving us a hard time in the comments on a weekly basis. But continue, Dave, continue.
- [17:24]
B
And as you can see on that plaque, that means we're now over 100,000 subscribers. But we want to keep growing because the more we grow, the more we can bring to you. Please do go there, please do subscribe if you can, and click that little box because it'll also notify you whenever new content goes up. And engage with us in the comments. We like getting it a bit tight because we like giving it back a bit tight. But yes, please do check us out on YouTube. But we should go on with some other things. And there's another luxury brand that does do some watch things that's decided to get in and a bit the Formula one action.
- [17:56]
A
Could you be talking about the House of Gucci? Yes, you probably are. And we got some news down the line that what used to be bwt, Alpine, Moza or whatever the combination of things are for that racing team. Well, they have got somebody else that is the main sponsor now and that turns out to be Gucci. I didn't see this one coming. I don't know how many people would have seen this one coming. It seems a bit strange to me in a good, positive way. Gucci aren't exactly known for timepieces, so that doesn't really play into things. Hopefully it won't cause any issues with the guys at Moser, but tell us more about it.
- [18:27]
B
So what we've got is we've got Gucci muscling in on lvmh, who of course became the headline title sponsor for Formula one, especially with TAG Heuer around a year ago taking that crown from Rolex. But this deal where Gucci are apparently estimated to be paying around $50 million a year, they're Italy's iconic fashion house and it gets them in and about the paddock. Now they're going to be the title or headline sponsor for Alpine's Formula one team. And I believe it's going to be called Gucci Racing. And this is something a little bit different because I think my understanding is it's the first time a luxury brand has been the headline sponsor. Quite often it's been finance companies or car companies or things more directly related with Formula one. But this is something new. There's no signs yet that it's going to affect the deal with H. Moser. I hope it doesn't, because those guys have done a huge amount of work with the team as well, and we would love to see that continue. But let's see how this one pans out. I'm intrigued to see what the car looks like. The livery, of course, will be for 2027, and it's going to be kept under wraps because they do that big event where they love to all show off their new liveries. I hope they keep it reserved, shall we say, because sometimes Gucci can maybe be a little excessive. I'm going to go with that when it comes to their design and their icons and logos being put over everything. So let's hope they keep it with reserved and under wraps, because that's exactly what it is and we're not going to see that for a good few months yet. So interesting to see, but it's also good for the team. They've obviously wanted to put their money where their mouth is and that will keep the team up and running. It shows you as well. Formula One, it's now gone global. It's no longer just people interested in motorsport. This is now a global watched televised sport that's being consumed by a huge variety of the global population. So of course all the brands are jumping on board because they can get their name in front of a huge audience.
- [20:20]
A
I think the series, which I've not watched yet on Netflix, that talked about Drive to Success or something like that, I've not seen it, but I've heard it was fantastic and it brought people in. And then obviously the movie that we talked about at length last year because IWC had a big hand in it. That's not to diminish the worldwide appeal of Formula one and people that know about it and have followed it, but it has had a wavy past. It has been on the brink of disappearing at certain points when money ran out. And it's a very expensive sport to be in and work on. And I think Gucci coming along, it adds just another stamp of approval and it might bring more people in. May bring the wrong type of people in. I remember one of my favorite things from Formula one was David Coulthard given Christina Aguilera an absolute hard time because she was watching it from down at the pit lane and he said, oh, look, there's Christina Aguilera pretending she's interested in Formula One. We gave him a bit of a hard time about that when we interviewed him a few years ago, but it is good. And I'm almost about to subscribe to some television station, channel thing, subscription. So I can actually watch Formula One live and it's very expensive in the UK and I want that and I want MotoGP. So if anyone has got any codes, drop me an email. Infocottishwatches.co.uk I'm Scottish, I'm trying to save as many pennies as possible. But no, this looks good. And the only thing in the back of my mind with Gucci getting involved is perhaps the pit lane in the paddock area and all the engineers, scrutineers, mechanics and everything. They might end up looking like the models in the David Guetta music video for Dangerous. Maybe, hopefully. Who knows?
- [21:44]
B
Yeah, that's my one fear is that, well, let's describe them, they will be fashionistas. Anyway, we should go on to talk about another watch and this one is from Moser because of course we talk about Moser and the link that they have with that said team.
- [21:59]
A
Do you think that was planned, Dave? Do you think, you know that that was maybe, maybe planned?
- [22:05]
B
Yeah, yeah. Get over yourself. Anyway, this is an all new watch, the Endeavour Flyback Chronograph dual type. It's a great watch. I love how they've implemented this because in the typical Moser fashion they've done things differently. What have they done differently? Well, it's got a new manual wind movement but they've kind of done things backwards.
- [22:26]
A
Do you ever notice when we have guests on the show and they're not British or American in the same manual as Manuel and I always think of faulty towers and Siberian hamsters.
- [22:35]
B
The faulty towers one Siberian hamsters probably best keep that in your head. Anyway, back to the watch. Yes, they've taken what was or is traditionally an automatic movement and they've made it manual wind. But it's allowed them to do some things and bring in some additional functionality and, well, factors of convenience for the user. This is called the HMC730. It's based on the architecture of the HMC902 which is the automatic chronograph that they make in conjunction with Azurenor. So as I mentioned, they've completely removed the winding system and have put in dual time and date complications. But interestingly I said it's a chronograph. There's no traditional sub dials. You've got a red central seconds chronograph hand, you've got a rhodium plated minutes hand on that track as well. And the dial is quite interesting. You've got an inner grey fumy area and that colour's coming out again. You've got a very defined turquoise area towards the outside of the dial. Interestingly on this the date can be changed in either direction function forwards or backwards at any time without any damage being made to the mechanism. The chronograph is also a dual flyback functionality for both the minutes and the seconds simultaneously. You've got a power reserve of 72 hours which is very respectable, especially if it's a hand wound watch because you don't want to be having to wind it every day. It's a stainless steel case, it's 42 millimeters in diameter. As I said, you've got that super bright turquoise at the outer edge of the dial and this much more sedate Gray on the inner area. It's not a limited edition. It kind of sits weird, weirdly for me, between dressy and sporty because that case is slightly dressier than some of their other cases. But the way they've implemented this watch, I definitely don't think it leans into what you would call a dress watch. Price point wise it is at the punchier end, but it's got a highly technical movement in here and it's at US$74,400. I love the look of this. Super clean, super simplified for a very high functionality watch. Ricky. Okay, thoughts?
- [24:36]
A
I occasionally have them and put them in the show. I didn't like this watch when I first saw it. Didn't appeal, looked at it and thought, this doesn't look like a Moser to me. It doesn't look like a Moser that I would be interested in. And then it kind of sunk its teeth in. I think that's the right term to use because the more I looked at it, to learn about it, to talk about it on the show, I started to spot things like, it's got so many hands emanating from the center pinion. It has got what looks like a disc underneath with a little marker on it, it's got the Moser DNA. And round the back it's just, it's a cityscape of mechanical moving parts. And then the color, which almost looks peppermint in some of the images we've seen. I've not actually seen this one in real life at all. It starts to play, it starts to work, I start to understand. I'm reading the tech spec, I'm reading the information on it, the collaboration, although I think Azure. Are they not owned by Moser just now?
- [25:28]
B
I'm not sure whether they're owned or whether Moser have a significant stake in them, but they definitely have got some skin in the game.
- [25:35]
A
They've been involved for a long time. They also do. Singer reimagined the watches from them and various other players. If something looks really complex and it's got a massive clear case back on it, perhaps these guys have had a hand in it. So the more I look at the watch, the more I start to like it. And like I say in the beginning, I'm looking at it thinking I've seen things from Frederic Constant at a significantly lower price point that look kind of similar on the front end. Maybe things from Raymond Vale. Again, significantly cheaper, not doing the same function. But the more I read about it, the more I looked at it, the more I Liked it. And it's a departure from the crazy Miami colors we've spoken about recently. Or that Devil's Eye, the terminator eye, the HAL 9000 that we saw in Anthracite Black a while back. Or the crazy Pump watches. And Moser is a brand that you can jump in on any floor. You could want something that is super simple, basic Pioneer scent. Second, you could have the streamliner, streamliner chronograph, the small seconds, the new smaller sizes of the streamliner that we talked about at length. And the folks behind the scenes here at Scottish Watches Tours have been chopping the videos up. That is obviously Simona. Well, Gav hasn't got involved in that part yet, but Simona and Mziel have been doing that. And a couple of little clips have appeared on our Instagram showcasing some of the stuff from the past, including a really funny video with Raph from Vormex when a prototype went wrong. So you may want to check that out. Another plug for Instagram, but I think this is good. It's a slow burn for me, but I actually do like it. And if I don't like something and it doesn't matter if it's from Moser or somebody else, it's one of our friends, I'll say it, but this one's actually growing on me.
- [27:03]
B
Good, I'm glad to hear that, because it is one of these watches that you have to look a bit further than a cursory glance at it to understand what's going on. And you're right, the back is unbelievable. The aju nor base movement has always been something of a mechanical wonder. A huge amount of bits going on. Wouldn't want to be the person servicing it, to be fair. But yeah, it looks stunning and I like the almost, almost counterplay of the super complex back view and very, very clean in terms of its functionality from the front. Anyway, let's move on to talking about difficult things. What are we wearing? And I always come second. So, Ricky, what do you have on your wrist? And I'm going to guess it's a bit menacing.
- [27:40]
A
Oh, you've been reading the notes. Yes, as a menacing watch. And let me set the scene for you. Let me rewind the clock back. A couple of weeks ago we got an email from one of our friends, MrJonesWatches. If you don't know who they are, then, well, that's a shame for you. But I'm going to inform you and tell you exactly what's going on. They produce economically priced watches that do more than Just tell the time. They are living art on the dial, on the wrist. And we've said this about different brands in the past, but when they come in at £200 UK there or thereabouts, maybe up to the 300 mark, well, you're getting a lot of bang for your buck. And not every watch is the same because they collaborate with artists and different creators to put something genuinely different on the dial each time. They have had a lazy afternoon where it looks like a cartoon drawing, pop art style of somebody in a swimming pool and you've got the rubber duck as a mystery hand dial going around the outside showing you the minutes, the seconds and the hours. And again, price point super insignificant in this day and age when we're talking about $70,000, etc. Etc. So anyway, a couple of weeks ago got an email. Hey, guys, we're doing a collaboration with the folks at DC Thompson Comics and the Beano. And this is what it is, is it's a Dennis the Menace watch. It's to celebrate 75 years of Dennis the Menace and Nashor, Britain's most famous and popular comic book characters from within our shores. And I used to read the Beano as a child. Still do read the Beano because I'm a grown up child. And I even picked up a few years ago when the Beano was celebrating its 80th anniversary, one of their box sets where it had reproduction comics going way, way back to 1938. I think it was the first ever edition. So, yeah, I've been there since day one in primary school. I even wanted to be a comic book artist. I created my own comic book. I sold some stuff for charity. That kind of led into the charity work I did later on with obviously Scottish watches a few years ago. And I've always followed what they've done. Never really made the connection that they were based just up the road in Dundee. So when the weather was good last week, I decided to get the bike out, having just brought it back to life and myself and Simona jumped on the back in the sunnier climbs and headed north. So we ended up heading to Dundee. I dropped them a quick email, the folks at D.C. thompson, to say we were on our way and could we possibly speak to somebody. They had read the email by the time we got there. When we turned up in reception in Dundee and spoke to somebody, they said, yeah, just hang around for a couple of minutes, we'll see if we can find somebody for you. Turned out the person that they brought to see us unannounced unplanned, was the editor of the Beano. So this gentleman came down and spent about half an hour with us and we kept saying to him, look, you're really busy, you go and do your thing. We just wanted to come and say hello and have a quick chat about things, you know, the comic, how things have developed over the years. But the information I got was astounding. The fact that everything is remotely done. I mean, we do the remote recordings of the podcast, we edit it, we upload it to the cloud, etc. But I never thought something that is nearly approaching its hundred year centenary anniversary would be done in such a digital way nowadays. And the answer that I got back from the editor himself was that as long as the children who read the comic enjoy it and get the entertainment from it, he doesn't care how it's produced any longer. And that is the way to do it. Because we could record this in audio cassette, 8 track, multi track, send it off, put out CD, cassette, FM radio, but as long as people listen, get the information, the education, the entertainment, that's what it's all about. And this watch is absolutely fantastic. It kills on every single front. Limited to, I believe, 750 pieces, 225 pounds UK, based on their normal case technology that you've seen in many of the previous iterations. It is a size that will fit pretty much every wrist. And the multi layers that have been produced to print the comic on the dial itself. Then above it, you've got these, as I say, mystery hands that goes through the collection, you've got Dennis rotating around chasing Gnasher, his pet dog. And in the center for the seconds, you have got a rotating little banana and that is a quartz module inside, so it's always in rotation. It's a fire and forget you don't have to set. Yeah, really, really good. And the reason I'm wearing this outfit, if you're looking in the thumbnail, if you're looking in the show notes, you're watching this on YouTube, is because when I was there in the souvenir shop, and if you're in Dundee, I recommend you go up and see D.C. thompson, because they've got this front area that the reception person told me used to be where all the journalists were elsewhere, because D.C. thompson did magazines, newspapers, all kinds of things, and it's still the leading figure in the area. But obviously things have moved forward with computer technology, etc. Working remotely. The front area has been converted into a living museum stroke, souvenir shop area and it was just like going back in time, seeing some of the things they had in there. They had the original printing press, plates from comics that you could see. They had pictures of when the building was created, when it was put together. You could see the folks there in the beginning. It was just a walk down memory lane for me because back in the 80s in the UK, the Beano and the Dandy Urwilli, the Bruins, they were the comic books of choice for the locals. It was really cool to see in this watch if there are still any available. Again, the problem of us coming out after we've edited and recorded the show, if there are any available, if you like it, go and grab it because I don't think they'll last long. Right, Dave, what have you got on the wrist?
- [32:29]
B
Well, you're combining your wrist check with what you've been up to. Sounded like it on that one, but yes, let me tell you what I'm wearing and then we'll go on to what we've been up to. So what am I wearing? Well, I'm not actually wearing anything because it's besides me, so I have my Glossutta original. This is a watch that again I pull out every so often and every time I do I remind myself this is a great watch. A very strong stamp dial with a very significant fumi effect on here. Oranges into kind of burnt reds and almost black at the edges. This is from the 60s family. They do a great job of, well, making the movement look pretty. Nothing super special. It's as you would expect, eTababase because it is Swatch Group after all, but they've done a good job, especially with the rotor, that kind of extra weighting around the outer edge and well, I just think they've done a great job with it. Very wearable size wise, slim watch, great strap. They've done it in a multitude of colours. This of course is my favourite but the green one is also pretty lovely. I have to say I'm going to wear this for a few days because, well, I haven't had it on for probably over a year and I've decided I'm going to start wearing watches that I've got buried in my boxes. So there we go, talking about burying in boxes. Ricky, you've been up to anything like that over the weekend?
- [33:44]
A
So if I've been up to. Well, apart from taking a trip up to Dundee because the weather was glorious here in Scotland. Not quite like that this week but I did that on the Tuesday last and then on Thursday the wife dragged me to a place that I didn't know anything about. And I'm usually a little bit skeptical when she suggests somewhere because she kind of gets roped in to hype and marketing ever so slightly. Maybe she sees an advert on Facebook, sees the COVID graphic, reads the description, thinks it's going to be fabulous. There was a truck event thing we went to recently in Air. We won't talk about that ever again. But this one was a surprise because it was brilliant. Place called Jupiter Artland, kind of Lothian, Edinburgh direction, central Scotland. Ish. And we went across there. Didn't have high hopes, didn't have great expectations, but I was blown away. Went in and you kind of walk around a country manor. It's got like lots of different bits and pieces all over the place. There'll be pictures in the show, notes, etc, etc, etc, but instead of walking for miles and miles, not seeing much and then seeing something and then walking for miles and miles, yet again, there was something everywhere. Literally. You could walk a hundred yards and you'd find something new and it was very distinct, very unique. All the different parts I believe were collaborations with different artists and they were out in the open, in the woods, in the forest, in clearings. Life size, giant sized things that were all just very, very cool. So yeah, this was a great day. Wouldn't exactly recommend it if it was raining. Thankfully it was not raining, but got to see some really cool exhibits. Even the watches we were wearing with us that day, the sultans, we had them in front of little quartz crystals that were out getting hit with sunlight. Really good day out. One to recommend to everyone. And I think it was only about 15 quid entry for each of us. They didn't bend us over. Even in the sweet shop, in the gift shop, in the place we could have coffees, they did not our wallets which was fantastic. Other than that, trying to think, getting prepped for stuff that's happening this week. They will probably talk about that in a second. And then watching some cool videos on YouTube as always. Matt Armstro giving it tight to Bugatti. Mark McCann giving it tight to Bugatti. Wow. He got the guys together that created the original gearbox that went in the Bugatti Veyron 25 plus years ago. Company called Ricardo down south in England. The people that used to work there have now got together behind the scenes. It's like the A team coming back together and they've been helping him work through his gearbox issues, recreating parts with somebody over in Amsterdam or the Netherlands. And just bringing everything together. It's been a real feel good story and I don't know if Dave's been watching it but he's nodding away in the background so I think he probably been movies wise caught up with an ancient movie as in once about 12 years old, ancient in Simona's eyes. And this is called the Judge and it's got a star studded cast. Never seen it before. Kept seeing little clips of it on Instagram and thought need to go and check it out. But it's a big watch, maybe two and a half hours. It's got Robert Downey Jr. You've got all kinds of other supporting cast members, Robert Duvall, etc, etc and it is phenomenal, phenomenal watch right to the very end. Lots of cool stuff. Starts off a little bit like Tony Star dark and develops as a character throughout movie that is more recent. It's called Afraid, highlighting the AI in Afraid because it's all about AI taking over. There's been many movies a little bit like this over the past few years. This is one of the better ones. Fully recommend that. And then the movie that got a lot of headlines for the wrong reasons, it ends with us and that has got Deadpool's wife in it. Blake Lively and I watched this and thought this was actually really good. There was a lot of negative chemistry with the main actors involved and the reason has come out in the press afterwards as to why that was. That's pretty much on my end. Dave, what you been up to before?
- [37:13]
B
I tell you what I've actually been up to. Talking of movies, I got finally to watch Apex and it is unbelievably good. Really excellent. I would thoroughly recommend if you like films that keep you on the edge of your seat and just introduce a degree of jeopardy, this is the one to watch. Really good couple of cliffhangers that you're not going to see coming and that's not me giving away anything.
- [37:37]
A
And what happens then? What's the premise?
- [37:39]
B
How will we go with. Well, lady who is into an outdoor life, has an accident, loses her partner, she goes into the Australian outback to do a bit of kayaking, climbing, etc. Living in the wilderness and meets a bit of a challenging male individual who might like killing people. And well, you've probably seen that little excerpt from the Chemical Brothers tune that has been back in the charts because of this movie where Taron Egerton who plays the psychopath, he kind of does the. You've got till the end of this song to get as Far away from me as possible, and then proceeds to hunt her down because, well, he's a serial killer. It's just really good. Really, really great. I don't think I've spoken to anyone that has watched it and said it was bad. So definitely one for the watch list. So that's what I've been up to. Got to spend a wee bit of time with Mizzy L over there because of course, he's based in and around New York. He's growing into a very good adult, I have to say, because of course, when we first.
- [38:35]
A
Did you take them to any libraries at dictionaries?
- [38:39]
B
We did a speaking special. We did that. I have to say, that went well.
- [38:42]
A
Now spell apple. A, P, P, L, E. Apple.
- [38:48]
B
Pretty much. That's how it went. That's probably quite a complex word for him anyway. No, we jest. It's great to see Mziel grown into a fully functioning, really capable, fully functioning human. Yeah. But it's great because as we got to know him, he was younger and the confidence that's coming out within Miziel is just great to see. You have to stand up in front of a whole cinema of people and give little talk. And Mziel is the first person to admit that he's a little bit shy and that's not his natural habitat, but he did it and he got up and he was fantastic. So fair play. Mziel. Love seeing you develop in that way and coming on in leaps and bounds professionally.
- [39:27]
A
Let me interject quickly to say there was an interview conducted. Oh, God. In the last couple of weeks from the Watch brothers. And it was all about Scottish watches, the founding, how it started, how it came to be and the trajectory it's gone on. Misery. Mizzell features heavily in it, so that will be linked in the show. Notes. That is one of the best interviews I've ever been involved in. It talks about the very humble beginnings. Dave here, obviously starting Red Barn Scotland, me meeting up with him after 15 plus years of not seeing him, starting the podcast. Dave coming over, being co host, taking control of things. Mizziel getting involved, age 15, me not knowing he was at school when he asked to help out. Yeah, brilliant. So that one will be linked in there. Sorry, Dave, carry on.
- [40:07]
B
That was essentially it. Nothing much more to say of what I've been up to, because that took up the best part, a whole week. And we will no doubt have some more stories to tell about the Glasgow event in the next episode.
- [40:19]
A
Right, we're going to talk about now. We're going to talk about money.
- [40:22]
B
Well, yes, industry news, the secondary market, the pre owned market, whatever you want to describe it as well it seems to be stabilizing and recovering a little bit now. It's fair to say that things have been a little turbulent, especially on the secondary market. But. But the secondary market has now posted positive gains for three consecutive quarters. That's the first constant climb since around 2022. Gains of more than 1% which doesn't sound like a lot, but it's still a gain gains of more than 1% for those three consecutive quarters. And that's according to a report that was produced by Morgan Stanley. And watch charts, 25 out of the 35 brands that are tracked and followed are showing increases in that period from January to March. All of the Swiss major groups are all showing gains. Richemont brands increased by 1.2%. Panerai, Vacheron, Constantin, Cartier, Swatch Group, 1 1/2%. Longines, Blancpain, Omega, LVMH brands including Zenith and TAG Heuer and of course Rolex. At the biggest gain at 1.7% on a year over year quarterly performance. The big player that really showed some great figures was Patek Philippe and they showed 17% up from a year ago, which is pretty impressive. Other brands, your Tudors, your Cartiers, your Grand Seikos, your Rolexes, your Omegas that were the five top performing brands. So I have to say good to see that. Well, your watches that you own aren't being as decimated as they may have been. And if you are in the club of maybe you buy some watches and you sell some watches to keep that collection moving and refreshed, it's good to know that at least there's a little bit more value in the watches you've got and you can put that money towards something new. New outside of that. Well, Christie's, there's been an auction in the United States and they've posted a record for the most expensive Cartier wristwatch ever sold. That's hit just over $2 million, which is, well, a lot of money. And it was for a London crash from the 1990s. Amazing to think that the 1990s is now vintage inverted commas. But actually when you do the math, it was a fair chunk of time ago. I have to say I don't like to think about that too much because I remember the 1990s like they were yesterday.
- [42:34]
A
Well, it's that part of the show where we bring somebody else on to talk about things because I can't remember what they're going to tell me offline. So rather bring them on, get it straight from the horse's mouth and find out the latest and greatest information from our good friend Simon at Brooklands, because he's got something happening that we only just found out about and it's happening rather soon, so we thought we'll drag him on and he can tell you all about it. So, first of all, Simon, how are things? How are you getting on?
- [42:55]
C
Yeah, great. Getting on really well. Thanks, Ricky. Yeah, very pleased to be on your show again. Thanks for me having.
- [43:00]
A
You're almost like a piece of furniture. You're here more often than not, which is a good thing because you've got great stories to tell. And before we hit record, I said, simon, this time around, be a little bit more verbose, chat more, tell us more, go more in depth. Because you're so humble, we have to extract all that information from you and you've got great things to tell us today. So the reason you're on for this episode is because there is a watch auction for charity, but it's actually a charity that you put together yourself. So, first of all, tell us about the charity, how it was founded and the reasons behind Hinda.
- [43:28]
C
Yeah, sure. The charity is called the Buying Time Foundation. It was set up about a year ago. It was because I lost my son in 2022 to cancer. He was age 28. And we were fortunate in the run up to him passing away that we could just try and do all the things that we wanted to do, those special family events, special trips when, you know, is health allowed and so on, that we could do that. And there are other people who don't have that ability to do that or the resources. And it's amazing how far just a little bit of money goes. Now. My wife set up a fundraiser when Michael would have been 30 and she called it the 30 for 30 campaign, hoping to raise £30,000 for charity. And she ended up raising just under 140,000. And it was amazing. The input from. From friends and family and all the crazy things that they did to raise money, it kind of left her with a vacuum afterwards. And so we came up with the idea of the Buying Time Foundation. My son Michael was. He used to work for Apple. He loved his job at Apple in marketing support, well, marketing operations in central London. When he could no longer work there, he spent his time helping me with the Brooklands Watch company, right up until our latest model, which is coming out in November. I looked at my last. WhatsApp to him and it was basically about the P1 and this is coming out in November, but so we thought it was very fitting to try and raise money for charity in his memory through watches. And so we set about things thinking, you know, let's, let's see if the, the watch brands will be willing to donate a brand new watch. We're not going to ask them for something special, just something that would be relatively easy for them to give to us, that we would auction and to raise funds. But it's quite amazing. The watches that have been gifted and we're getting one offs, we're getting watches which are sold out and they've, they've kept one behind and they're giving that to us, they're giving us prototypes and we're giving what we're getting watches from celebrities and all sorts.
- [45:48]
A
Amazing. I'm so glad that you did take it and run with it and give me all that information there because there's stuff there I did not know myself. And let's talk about heavy hitting items because there's one watch that I have got my eye on and I am not allowed to bid for it because we are friends and you have been on the show before. It would look like extreme favoritism if I was to win the watch auction. But the fastest gentleman on the planet, on earth, on land, he had a rather special Casio watch and you've now got that for this auction.
- [46:16]
C
He did. So I just happened to be speaking to Andy Green and he said, I think I've got a watch that you're going to find interesting and It's a Casio AW370 analog digital watch. It was in the 90s. It was, you know, quite a watch to have really. It wasn't super expensive, it was probably about £150 at that time. But he bought it for the Thrust SSC campaign.
- [46:42]
A
Maybe tell people, people that don't know or maybe need a refresher who this guy is and what he did.
- [46:48]
C
Andy Green was selected for the Thrust SSC project. He was a fighter pilot, I think the story went. They had all these guys lined up to be candidates for this project and they were driving a mini rally car and Andy was the guy. There was a big puddle and as they went through it splashed all over the windscreen. They put the wipers on, see where they were going. Andy was the guy who went round and put his wipers on before he went through the puddle. And this guy is super, super smart. He's got, I think he's got a first from Oxford in maths. And obviously being a fighter pilot, his hand to eye coordination is phenomenal. Not only that, he doesn't have an ego. They didn't want somebody who was going to parade around and not get on with the team. So one of the biggest selection criteria was that he got on with the team and they all recommended. So that's how Andy got chosen. He worked with the team in the Blackrock Desert driving this car. He knew how dangerous it was. The designer said to him, I think it was if the nose of the car deviates by one degree, you're going to take off, you're going to hit that slipstream with the car flat on, the engines are going to rip out and you're going to become mush. And he knew that. And the risks were phenomenal. And if you go on YouTube, YouTube, watch the video of the last run of Thrust SSC, you can sense that this is absolutely terrifying. And as he gets to round about 550 miles an hour, there's this almighty howl and scream as the airflow goes supersonic over the canopy. He has to put in a 90 degree steering input because the shockwaves don't attach uniformly. They attach to one side of the car and start dragging it off to the side of the tube track. He has to keep his foot down and accelerate through that, straighten up the steering, go through the measured mile, and then once he's through, he's a bit more relaxed. But then the key part comes is, is this parachute going to open? Am I going to be able to stop? And as he punches the button and the parachute comes out, there is just massive relief. He knows he's got to do it again within an hour. So he's using his watch. And in that sequence you got to pick out this cat Casio because it's on his, it's on his Wrist for all 66 runs. He bought it specifically for this. And this, this Casio has an altimeter and barometer built in. Now the barometer will tell him the pressure of the day. He's operating at 4,000ft in this desert. If the pressure's high, he's going to get more power out of the engines, probably 5% more thrust. And he knows that. And so this is the tool for him. He bought it for the, for the job. He wore it on all the runs and then he chucked it in a drawer afterwards and he's never worn it since. And he's given us this watch to auction for the Buying Time foundation. And we're just so grateful to him.
- [49:45]
A
A fairly inexpensive watch in the grand scheme of things, that is entirely priceless, that is. I've got goosebumps thinking about the story. And thanks to yourself, I had the opportunity of not just making meeting this gentleman and some of his colleagues and compatriots and cohorts last year because we did an episode with you to launch a new release for Brooklands and we had four Guinness World Record holders. Fastest people on two wheels. Four wheels across the ages. The analogue, the digital. This watch is phenomenal. But it's not just this Casio. If you don't want a piece of history, and you probably should want a piece of history, there are other fantastic timepieces. So do you want to quickly run us through the other things that are going to be on the auction block?
- [50:24]
C
Yeah, sure. In terms, there's something for everyone. And the watches start from about 100. I think they start from 250 pounds upwards. Brookland's watch company wanted to keep the number one watches from any model we've ever produced so that we could have it for our museum down the track, so to speak. But we're going to let those go. So you've got the Triple four, our first ever watch, number one, that's available for somebody. You've got our Golden Miller number one. We've got a chef's case back special. So if anybody knows a Michelin star chef that they want a special watch for, this is the one for them. We've also got a patented high speed tachymeter test mule, which is actually a beautiful watch in its own right. It's a Zenith Chronomaster Sport. Zenith have given us permission to sell one of their watches that we've modified. So we were over the moon with that. We've got an IWC Portuguese a year of wood dragon number 588 that I bought to represent a special moment in time with a big Swiss manufacturer that I can't mention. We've got a Tudor Black Bay Chrono in turquoise that a company bought me when I went to my first Formula One in Miami. It was a corporate event and I was really delighted to be invited. And afterwards they gave me one of these watches that is just. It's a great watch. Tudor Black Bay Chrono. We've got a William Wood Red Valiant. We've got a Christopher Ward Sealander Auto. I think that's a 39. We've got Mr. Jones indefatigable sphinx. That's a mouthful. It's A beautiful watch. They're all sold out but they've kept one for us. We've got an Oliver Mahlan black and rose gold R96. We've got a Golby Acuri 40 which is a one one off produced for us. We've got a Monroe Lunar Adventure Point of no Return which is a sold out model. They've kept one for us. We've got a Bowcroft Seeker 37, a one off in mint and rose gold. We've got a Moonswatch mission to Venus. We've got a Roger Smith signed limited print. We've got a Fairer Land of Four, I think we've got an Edward Christopher Cumming. We've got an Elliot Brown coming.
- [52:42]
A
Well, you know what, instead of just rhyming, I didn't realize it was so many, instead of just giving us the big long list, look in the show notes. Mizzy l will put all the details in the show notes. If you're obviously watching this on YouTube, the link will be in the description. Quick reminder goes to our webpage. You can look at all the show notes and you can have a look at, instead of trying to memorize all these fantastic timepieces. Some I know, some I don't know, some I'm thinking what one offs from this company and that company and there are a number there that you have mentioned, mentioned they have gone out of print, they've gone out of production, no longer available and these companies have pitched in and let's, let's call a spade a spade. They're competitors, they're watch brands. But we've said a million times before on the show, the watch industry seems to be one of the very few industries in the planet where people get together, competitors help out, they're comrades, not competitors. And it is phenomenal to see so many amazing people, amazing brands getting on board with things. And it reminds me of a few years ago when we did something and a lot of brands got on board with us. So it's good to see that they're still flying the flag. And within Britain at least, everyone seems to be getting along. Maybe not in Switzerland, they don't seem to get along quite as much, but this looks phenomenal. When is the day of the auction? How do people get involved? And any more details you want to tell us? Sure.
- [53:52]
C
So the date of the auction is midnight on the 15th of June and then it finishes midnight on the 14th of July. So it runs for a, a month. You can find out what's going on by going to our website which Is the. Which is buyingtimefoundation.com or Instagram is the Buying Time foundation. And you can get all the details there.
- [54:15]
A
Fantastic. That gives people a bit of time to go and have a look, have a think about it, register. It's an online platform, probably quite similar to different auction houses or special events. So you probably want to go there, have a look around, become familiar with it. Because I remember in the past when there have been online watch auctions, that people five minutes before closing time, decide to log in, set things up, and if they don't get the email sorted, if they don't get the confirmation code, if they don't get their bid processed, etc. Etc. They end up disappointed. So get ahead of the game.
- [54:44]
C
That's great advice. Yeah. There's one other watch I should really tell you about. I don't know if you know about Ricky, but Richard Noble is giving us his Rolex Daytona that he was given by Lord Bamford When DieselMax car set the world Diesel car record. So that's available.
- [55:05]
A
Okay, stop. Press didn't know that one either. I'm literally blown away, genuinely blown away with what I'm hearing here. And the stories just do not stop with Simon, and this is the first time he's actually really spoken properly on the show. It's like trying to extract information out of an encrypted database most of the time. But this has been phenomenal. We will obviously talk about this, remind people throughout the duration. We've also got a couple of weeks before things really kick off in earnest. So, yeah, we will do that. And then afterwards, if you have the time, it'd be great to bring you back on and give us a recap of how things went with the auction.
- [55:37]
C
I'd be delighted to come back and let you know.
- [55:39]
A
Yeah, well, thank you, Simon, for jumping on. I know you're super busy, not just with this, but everything else that you're involved in. Brooklands plus the other businesses that keep the lights on and keep the fires burning at home. So thanks so much and we'll catch you again soon.
- [55:51]
C
Brilliant. Thank you, Ricky. All the best.
- [55:53]
B
Amazing to hear from Simon, a man that is very, very reserved, I have to say. He never likes to shout or pump his own trumpet too much, but he has got lots of reasons why he should be. Great to hear from him, as always. And, well, we're coming towards the back end of a show, Ricky, so we should probably tell people what they do.
- [56:11]
A
Yeah, it would be really cool since you got this far, if you've not already done so to leave a review of the podcast. We're trying to grow, we're trying to get more people involved in this because the emails we get from people in a couple of generations just came in. Well, literally while we were recording the show there of people that have just discovered the podcast and they're going through the back catalog, they're listening to this, that and the other. And it's because of reviews, it's because of ratings, it's because of people sharing it in groups, etc. That is the way forward. Organic reach is pretty hard these days because there are so many creators or so many hurdles to jump over when it comes to Instagram, TikTok reels, shorts, YouTube, etc. Etc. So yeah, any help we can get is greatly appreciated. If you leave us a review review, we'll try and read them out in the show. We keep saying that we eventually will get to it and we'll do maybe a Cavalcade episode. Reading some of the comments, the good ones, the bad ones and the funny ones. So five stars, little review on Spotify, Apple, podcasts. Even if you're watching this on YouTube, like subscribe comment, that would be fantastic. And in the back catalog, what can people check out?
- [57:09]
B
Well, they should check out the Formics episode Raphs on talking all about that aria that we discussed earlier in this episode. But if you want more detail, deeper, fuller, check out that one also. Also, we were at Bucherer during their festivities for the week where they were showing off many of the novelties from watches and wonders to people who maybe didn't get a chance to go there. Check out that episode. It's also on YouTube so you can listen and you can also watch if you wish, Duckworth Presticks or as it's now known, just presstex. They're on. Have a chat with those guys. As always, he comes on, he talks about things that he's up to. He's a man with lots of history in the watch industry and and of course many other people that have been on more than once but always have a great tale to tell. Mike Franz from Christopher Ward, Pietro from the Limited Edition giving their thoughts on what they've been up to and lots of other industry news. So check the back catalogue out. We are very, very now close to 800. I keep saying it, but it's sneaking ever closer. So I wonder what we've got up our sleeves for that. Well, marker in time when we do
- [58:11]
A
800 episodes, I'd love to tell you what we've got planned for episode 800. We've not thought that far ahead because we never do, you know, we like to see what happens, and there's no point planning too much for the future when some cool things might just appear right in front of us, because it seems to happen. If you leave things, nature takes its course. And both myself and Dave need to go and let nature take its course, because we've been recording for about an hour now. So thank you for listening and we'll catch you again soon.
- [58:35]
B
Take care.