Podcast Summary: The Real Time Show

Episode: TRTS Lost Tapes: Gary Shteyngart, NOMOS Glashütte, 2023
Release Date: October 5, 2025
Host(s): Rob Nudds & Alon Ben Joseph
Guest: Gary Shteyngart (Author, Watch Collector)

Overview

This special “Lost Tapes” episode digs up a recording from the 2023 Nomos Forum featuring acclaimed author Gary Shteyngart. In a deeply personal and humorous monologue, Shteyngart reflects on his journey into the world of mechanical watches, his enduring love for Nomos Glashütte, and the broader meaning—and anxiety—attached to collecting during turbulent times. The conversation explores the emotional resonance of watches, the idiosyncratic culture of collecting, the importance of design, and how horology offers solace amid uncertainty.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Gary’s Origin Story: Anxiety, Humanity, and His First Mechanical Watch

• A Claustrophobic Awakening on the Subway (00:44–06:00):

  • Struggling with claustrophobia and a panic attack, Gary finds unexpected comfort during a subway breakdown by focusing on the mechanical sweep of his Jungans watch.
    “Looking at the smooth, antiquated mechanical glide of my watch’s secondhand, I felt it: calm, then, ready for whatever happened next.” (03:20)
  • Watches serve as both grounding tool and symbol of hope during existential moments.

• First Love: The Casio H108 12 Melody Alarm (06:20–07:50):

  • As a Russian immigrant child, Gary’s Casio played familiar tunes, bridging language and cultural gaps.
    “My first best friend was a watch, a Casio H108 12 Melody Alarm… Every hour on the hour to make myself feel less homesick and scared.” (06:45)

• Evolution of Relationships—Watches and Women (08:08–09:40):

  • Watches mark Gary’s life stages: gifts from mother, girlfriends; repairs post-breakup signify kindness and emotional continuity.

The Leap to Horological Obsession

• The First Big Purchase: Nomos Minimatik Champagne (10:02–13:12):

  • Caught by Bauhaus design aesthetics, Gary describes his nervous, joyful acquisition of a Nomos, and the unique ritual of watch-forum validation.
    “Only in a watch forum do people clap when you spend money.” (12:08) “The watch was the most beautiful object I’d ever seen.” (12:30)
  • Appreciation of the Nomos’ details: dial color, sapphire crystal, exhibition caseback with German-made movement.

• Learning Watch Culture, Finding Community (13:13–16:40):

  • Introduced to the “watch idiot savant” world via Hodinkee, Gary finds belonging amid a new vocabulary and relatability in obsessive collecting. “In watch world you enter a room and everybody wants to discuss micro rotors with you.” (14:52)
  • Hodinkee’s demographics highlight the rarefied, yet passionate subculture: average visitor owns multiple watches, spends thousands annually.

Watch World in Social and Political Context

• Watches as Refuge During Uncertainty (16:41–19:50):

  • 2016 political anxieties and the looming Trump presidency drive Gary deeper into watch escapism and social connection at the Horological Society of New York and secret Red Bar gatherings.
    “The idea that I would soon be welcomed into this exclusive world kept me from sleeping.” (18:20)
  • The democratic, inclusive spirit at collector events contrasts with ostentation elsewhere, with all watches (from Seiko to Grand Seiko to Nomos) equally celebrated.

• Swiss vs. German vs. Japanese Watchmaking (20:01–21:10):

  • Gary argues that while Swiss watches cater to the wealthy, innovation and excitement are growing in Germany (e.g., Nomos, Lange) and Japan (Grand Seiko). “True aficionados know that the hegemony of the Swiss is over.” (20:30)

Pilgrimage to Glashütte & Inside Nomos

• Visiting the Source (21:11–25:30):

  • After Trump’s election, Gary travels to Glashütte to see where his Nomos was born. He reflects on the town's unique history and the quiet dignity of artisanal watchmaking. “Caring for machines is as essential as caring for yourself, an old East German poster proclaims…” (22:19)
  • Observations: inclusive, modern work culture at Nomos; seamless fusion of heritage and progressive design; women’s prominent roles in assembly.

• Design Philosophy at Nomos (25:31–27:10):

  • Nomos’ design ethos blends Bauhaus minimalism with playful Berlin influences (e.g., neon orange accents). “We know there are more important things than watches.” – Judith Borrosty, Chief Brand Officer (26:40)

Watch Collecting as Personal and Historical Memory

• A Ritual of Justification and Escalating Acquisitions (27:11–30:58):

  • Gary’s humour and self-awareness shine as he rationalizes new purchases, including a vintage Rolex Air King and a Tudor Heritage Black Bay (“for swimming, my only form of exercise!”).

• Watches as Currency of Survival and Nostalgia (31:00–33:50):

  • Collector William Massina offers pragmatic advice: “If you need to, you can put these watches in your pocket and sneak across the border to Canada. You could survive.” (32:09)
  • Gary relates family memories—evacuation from Soviet Russia and the stories of timepieces enabling escape and survival.

• Homecoming: The Return of the Casio (33:51–end):

  • In a touching moment, Gary closes the loop, buying an old Casio H108 on eBay: “The watch feels small, digital, innocent. It dutifully plays all the songs I remember. The word ‘happy’ appears...and for a moment I am it.” (34:25)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Calming Down Amid Crisis:
  “Looking at the smooth, antiquated mechanical glide of my watch’s secondhand, I felt it, thought: calm, then, ready for whatever happened next.” – Gary Shteyngart (03:20)

• On Community & Compulsion:
  “Wow, you’re in deep. I took this as a huge caldera. It was also a sign of how my life was unraveling.” – Ben Clymer, reacting to Gary's soliloquy on watches (15:10)

• On Inclusive Collecting:
  “No watch, I was told, is rejected here and there is no hierarchy.” – On Red Bar gatherings (19:45)

• On Watches as Survival Tools:
  “If you need to, you can put these watches in your pocket and sneak across the border to Canada. You could survive.” – William Massina (32:09)

• On Nostalgia and Innocence:
  “The watch feels small, digital, innocent...and for a moment I am it.” – Gary Shteyngart (34:25)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:44] – Gary’s subway panic, mechanical watches as emotional anchor
• [06:20] – Childhood Casio, music, and immigration
• [10:02] – The purchase of the Nomos Minimatik Champagne
• [13:13] – Entry into watch collecting culture and Hodinkee
• [16:41] – Subculture refuge in horology amid political upheaval
• [21:11] – Visiting Nomos in Glashütte after Trump’s win
• [25:31] – Nomos’ design and cultural philosophy
• [27:11] – Justifying new watch purchases (Rolex, Tudor)
• [32:09] – Watches and the theme of survival/escape
• [33:51] – The emotional homecoming: repurchasing the childhood Casio

Conclusion

In this intimate narrative, Gary Shteyngart uses the language of watches to tell stories of anxiety, cultural transition, connection, nostalgia, and joy. Watches offer him—and many collectors—a touchstone for meaning, memory, identity, and survival. The episode showcases not only the workings of intricate timepieces but also the intricate workings of the collector’s heart and mind.