The Real Time Show

Episode: The Last Year In Review – Highlights of 2025 and Hopes for 2026

Hosts: Rob Nudds & Alon Ben Joseph
Date: January 4, 2026

Episode Overview

Rob Nudds and Alon Ben Joseph kick off the first episode of 2026 with a rapid-fire, yet heartfelt discussion reviewing the major developments in the watch world during 2025 and looking ahead to trends, hopes, and potential breakthroughs for 2026. Despite limited time, they pack this bite-sized episode with candid personal and professional insights, industry critique, reflections on media evolution, their own collaborations, and their picks for the most notable watches of the year.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. 2025 in Review: Industry Reflections

• A Rollercoaster Year:
  • Rob sums up 2025 as a challenging year, noting it has "been extremely difficult," but finds hope amidst chaos.

    “My feelings about 2025 were hope amid the chaos… It’s an uphill battle. Everything’s harder than it needs to be. But we are still ticking.” – Rob (01:16)

  • Alon echoes the difficulty but points out the resilience and necessary pivots within luxury watch retail:

    “Retail is tough… After this crazy peak in the COVID era... hard luxury was hit as well. For me as a retailer, it’s been a crazy year.” – Alon (01:56)

  • Key ACHIEVEMENTS:
    • Ace Jewelers' 50th Anniversary
    • Renovation and move of their Amsterdam location
    • Opening of a new London showroom
    • Strong shift toward independent brands and upmarket pieces
    • Notable new brands added: Ming, J.N. Shapiro, Oris, Belarus, Awake, Sartre Biar, Beware Watches

2. Collaboration Corner

• Podcast and Retail Collabs:
  • Multiple collaborations, including with Nomos, Mark Brown, Elka, Frédérique Constant, Nevada Grenchen, and a return to Fears with the "Style" project, bringing things “full circle” for Rob and Alon.
  • Special Ace collabs: All fifty pieces for the anniversary, with standout projects like the Nomos with Mark Brown ("Metro series in orange").
  • Real Time Show collaborations:
    • "We did two with the Real Time show, which I loved and enjoyed, which makes the total now 4." – Alon (03:57)
    • 2025 saw collaborations with Straum and Alpina, both considered successful.
    • Straum: "Runaway success" (05:54)
    • Alpina: Launched "right at the 11th hour... just before Christmas" (04:59)
    • Sherpa and Circula pieces remain available; Straum used a unique pre-order window model.

Notable Moment:

• On Product Launch Challenges:

  "It's always a difficult time to launch a watch… but we couldn't be happier with how that one went…" – Rob, on late-year launches (05:06)

3. Media Landscape & Industry Shifts

• Alon’s Perspective:

  • Transitioned from retail to also being a journalist/content creator; now writes for Dutch and UK publications, striving for independence.
  • Celebrates the compliment from a major industry peer:

    "He says, you know, I love Rob and your energy. I love what you guys do. You think out of the box, you bring the energy. Us, the big boys are sleeping, he said." – Alon (11:43)

  • Critiques growing complacency among established media as former underdogs become big players.
  • Acknowledges the seismic impact of Hodinkee being acquired by a retailer.

• Rob’s Perspective:

  • Reflects on the evolution from niche blogs to professional media, and now the emergence of social/lifestyle influencers.
  • Concerned brands now lean too quickly into chasing influencers with large but shallow audiences:

    "Their selection process… is a bit... unrefined at the moment... you won’t pick up the huge chunk [of new customers] you think you will because they're very different fields…" – Rob (18:19)

  • Advocates creative communication aimed at the “very small but very active watch buying public.”
  • Both remark on holding true to uncompromised, unpaid editorial standards despite the need for collaborations.

Notable Quote:

• "We don’t ever sell content or opinions and we hope to be able to stick to that in the future." – Rob (16:15)

4. Rapid-Fire Awards: Watches of 2025

([20:17]–[33:33])

Categories and Picks

• Best Dive Watch

  • Alon: Alpina TRTS ("We designed it, we worked on it. I love it.") (20:48)
  • Rob: Ulysse Nardin Diver ("It's an absolute dream on the wrist.") (21:10)

• Best Modern Sports Watch

  • Alon: Laventure 3711 Odyssey Titanium GMT with fume sapphire dial (22:46)
  • Rob: Czapek Time Jumper ("Beautifully designed...a great job by Thomas in Zurich.") (22:56)

• Best Dress Watch

  • Alon: Biver Automatic Quartzite Blue with sapphires ("Might become my first wristwatch with gemstones.") (23:56)
  • Rob: De Rijke Capri ("This knocks the socks off it...a tank killer.") (24:23)
    • Comments on a trend toward rectangular cases: "I think we see a hardcore trend to rectangular. What do you think after the shape form cases?" (25:43)

• Best Overall Release

  • Both: Bernhard Lederer Central Impulse Chronometer "Quantum Annual" ("Philosopher...broke the mold...proven a true genius.") (27:32)
  • Both hosts highly praise its ingenuity and aesthetic impact.

• Most Important Release

  • Both: Breguet Experimental One
    Rob: "It put Breguet back on the map at the very zenith...where Breguet should be for me." (30:21) Alon: "I'm so happy that Breguet is doing what they're doing again..." (31:36)
  • Runners-up: Ferdinand Berthoud Chronomètre FB 4BTC (33:15)

5. Personal Top Five Most Worn Watches (2025)

([34:12]–[36:36])

Alon’s Top 5:

1. Sherpa TRTS OPS
2. Bernhard Lederer Mirage
3. Hebrew Elka
4. Van der Klaauw St. Christian
5. Fears Jump Hour Coral Dial

Rob’s Top 5:

1. Sherpa (first 3–4 months)
2. Fortis Novonaut
3. Circula ProTrail TRTSSE ("Beat it around...go anywhere, do anything watch")
4. Straum x TRTS "Stormy Seas" (Autumn)
5. Glashütte Original Seventies Panorama Date Chronograph, “Vibing Orange” ("Favorite watch that I've ever bought.")

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On industry excitement despite challenge:

  “There is hope… but it’s been a difficult year. It certainly hasn’t been the return to form that we would have dreamed of, but... we are still ticking.” – Rob (01:10)

• On the evolution of media roles:

  "We keep emphasizing that we are independent so we can say and do whatever we want. And that's a sheer joy." – Alon (10:21)

• On influencer marketing:

  "You won’t pick up the huge chunk that you think you will because they're very different fields..." – Rob (18:19)

• On rectangular watch trend:

  "I think we see a hardcore trend to rectangular [cases]." – Alon (25:43)

• On best watch of the year:

  "I love that he broke the mold … he's proven that [he’s] a true genius... he can jam out hits for decades and he's proven that with the country." – Alon, on the Bernhard Lederer Central Impulse Chronometer Annual (28:15)

• On wishes for 2026:

  "I hope more innovation, more colors… and I hope brands just laid back. If they don’t have anything new, it’s okay. Skip a year, guys. Don’t make stuff nobody wants." – Alon (36:49)

Looking Ahead: Hopes for 2026

• Alon: Wants more innovation, color, and encourages brands to pause product releases unless they truly have something new to say.
• Rob: Optimistic about increased consumer confidence, notes lower US tariffs (now at 15%) as a positive sign, and optimistically hopes tariffs disappear altogether:

  "What I hope to see… fingers crossed they might even disappear at some point throughout the year because we did see a jump as soon as that announcement was made." (37:03)

Timeline of Major Segments

• 00:05–01:56 — Welcome, personal reflections, and the year in review
• 01:56–04:57 — Retail perspective, Ace milestones, and new brands
• 04:57–09:12 — Podcast/retail collaborations, pre-order models, and launch logistics
• 09:12–14:18 — Changes in the journalism and media landscape
• 14:22–20:17 — Media independence, industry outreach, and influencer critique
• 20:17–33:33 — Rapid-fire Watch Awards: Best of 2025
• 34:12–36:36 — Hosts’ Top Five Most Worn Watches
• 36:49–37:20 — Brief wishes and projections for 2026

Summary

This high-energy, insightful episode distills a turbulent but hopeful year in the watch industry, offering listeners a uniquely personal and industry-wide perspective. Rob and Alon’s candor, coupled with a deep sense of community and creativity, mark their reflections and aspirations for the coming year—making this a valuable listen (or read) for collectors, retailers, and casual enthusiasts alike.