The Grey NATO - Ep 105 - The Isolation Tapes // More Q and A
Published on Thu, 02 Apr 2020 06:00:12 -0400
Synopsis
This episode features a Q&A segment where Jason Heaton and James Stacey answer questions submitted by listeners via voice memos. Topics covered include advice on next watch purchases, water resistance concerns, timing watch accuracy, wearing expensive watches, working from home tips, adventure travel memories, watch photography tips, changing watch straps, and more. The hosts also discuss new projects like a photography grant, Heaton's novel, and rearranging living spaces during quarantine. They highlight small businesses to support and share final notes on recipes, rearranging rooms, watch straps, coffee routines, and the history of the SR-71 Blackbird.
Links
Transcript
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| James Stacey (co-host) | Hello and welcome to another episode of The Gray Nato, a Hodinkee podcast. It's a loose discussion of travel, diving, driving gear, and most certainly watches. This is episode 105, and we thank you for listening. And a quick note up top, this episode is kindly brought to you by our friends and colleagues at The Hodinkee Shop, and we'll get to this a little bit later, but if you want to support the show, you can do so actively by supporting The Hodinkee Shop at shop.hodinkee.com. Jason, how's it going? |
| Jason Heaton (co-host) | Oh, holding my own here. Yeah. How about you? The weather's getting better, which, which, uh, which helps. |
| James Stacey (co-host) | Um, yeah, we've had a couple of rainy days here, but, uh, luckily not freezing. We're not seeing snow, that sort of thing. |
| Jason Heaton (co-host) | So, yeah. Yeah. I finally got out on the bike yesterday, um, for the first time this year, popped up the tires, uh, lubed the chain and, and, uh, Ghoshani and I got out for, for a little spin, um, which, which felt good. I'm getting a little bit of cabin fever just in terms of like if you want a change of scenery and that sort of thing. So far, you know, I really can't complain. I mean, there are a lot of people in worse situations and so I feel pretty fortunate and we get to do this every week, which is a lot of fun. |
| James Stacey (co-host) | This has definitely been a blessing for me and I get the same thing where like you're just kind of like I'd like some different air, maybe a different backdrop. I don't have a bike to hop on and I wouldn't actually, you know, you'd have to go some, you do have to go some distance where I am to feel like you're anywhere else. Oh, sure. Uh, so that, that's a couple of times I've jumped in the, in the Jeep and, and just gone, you know, an hour in one direction and found a dirt road and snapped a photo and then turned around and came back. Yeah. Uh, it seems, seems safe enough as far as the whole, uh, practice of social distance, distancing and everything else. |
| Jason Heaton (co-host) | Yeah. Yeah. I found that, uh, getting, you mentioned the dirt road and I do find that, Uh, these little small mercies of, of getting into the woods helps just even getting among trees. Uh, you know, we, we live in the city and, um, we have a little back garden here, but you know, to, to even drive a little ways and, and just walk and watch squirrels run around and listen to birds. It's that time of year anyway, so. For sure. Squirrels are everywhere. Really helps. Yeah, seriously. |
| James Stacey (co-host) | I've got one that keeps trying to break into my house. Oh no. Oh, if I leave the he's a couple times he's muscled his way up to the window in my bedroom. Oh my god, you got you got to kind of chase him. He's kind of a crazy looking squirrel. Not as bad as what Ted Gushue is dealing with. If you follow him on on Instagram, he's got a couple of geese, some sort of special goose has, or a group of them have taken up pecking at all of his windows, including a skylight as of today. |
| Jason Heaton (co-host) | Oh my gosh. |
| James Stacey (co-host) | I can't imagine. It's something else. Ted, we feel for you. I hope those birds move on to somebody else's houseboat. That sucks, though. Oh, man. |
| Jason Heaton (co-host) | Yeah, I'm still trying to do a weekly Land Rover project here. You know, last we talked, it was the fog lamps. And most recently, this past week, I took out this particular vehicle as two sort of longitudinally oriented bench seats at the back. There's this phenomenon with these because they have an aluminum tub sitting on a steel frame. Any steel fasteners that go through the aluminum tend to get this what's called galvanic corrosion. And it sort of enlarged the hole where the bolts were going through holding the bench in. So I actually removed the bench. I had to grind off one of the bolts and sort of sanded that down, covered it up with some Gorilla Tape, and then glued down. I have some sort of padded rubber matting that you find in like these industrial settings for leg, foot fatigue, you know, like in, um, and so I, I, uh, put some of that down with an adhesive and it works really well. It looks good. And, uh, no more dangerous bench. I was worried that if someone sat there, they'd literally fall through the bottom of the truck. So, yeah, that was this week's project. Fairly unglamorous, but, uh, yeah, it's good. |
| James Stacey (co-host) | Good to have another project on. I haven't, I haven't done any of that kind of stuff. I've really been, um, Aside from like a daily walk, just like fully staying inside. We had quite a few days of rain and that sort of stuff. So, um, I think, uh, hopefully we get a sunny day this weekend and I might take, uh, take the panels off the Jeep and, and, and go for a longer drive. We'll see. Gas is super cheap right now and it doesn't seem to be in short supply. It doesn't seem like people are hoarding it or, or doing that kind of stuff. So I think, I think that could be a pretty fun option. Um, other than that, I actually, I have, um, a fun, um, I have a fun new project to announce, which TGN has partnered up with a brand called Pedro and Taylor to support the sort of thousand dollar cash prize to kickstart a photographer. And it's a neat sort of thing because it's going to be blind. You basically send in a photo and the judges, of which I get to be one of them, You can submit a photo at pedroandtaylor.com and then they're viewed blind, they're picked blind just on the photo itself. And then the winner wins a $1,000 grant to kind of further their photography in what is, you know, kind of a weird time and a tough time for people who make their living or were maybe considering making their living in the world of photography. And it's kind of a cool project. Pedro and Taylor is a yet to fully exist lifestyle kind of apparel brand. But it comes from my buddy Josh Perez, who's this incredibly talented photographer. And he runs a really fantastic studio with a couple other guys out of Denver. Josh actually shot the McLaren F1 spread in the last issue of the magazine. I had a lovely time with Josh. He's a really great dude, a new dad. And they were basically planning on launching this whole company right around the time that the whole public health crisis kicked up. And instead of that, they've, they've decided to pivot and, and kind of push something forward into their own kind of photography community. And, uh, and yeah, so it's, it's, uh, it's a thousand bucks in a cash prize. Um, and then their brand. So the theme of the whole photography space, the theme of the whole thing is a life of wonder, which is their brands tagline for Pedro and Taylor. Um, you have until April 7th to submit a photo, so please get your shot in there. Again, that's pedroandtaylor.com or bit.ly photo-grant, or just go to the show notes, your pick. Some pretty cool judges, it's Chris Burkhardt, who we've talked a ton about before, Kyle Snarr, a Gear Patrol alum and a great guy, India Earl, Elliott Clark, and yours truly. So you can see more about this at pedroandtaylor.com. And it's something that I'm actually kind of just excited to be part of, uh, what I hope to be kind of a fun momentum building sort of project for some people. And yeah, someone out there will win, uh, win a little stack of cash and, and some impetus to keep shooting. |
| Jason Heaton (co-host) | Wow. That's amazing. Uh, when, uh, when is the, uh, winner drawn or selected rather? |
| James Stacey (co-host) | It'll be in the, I believe the week following April 7th. |
| Jason Heaton (co-host) | Oh, okay. Oh, geez. So, you know, not, not a long turnaround time. A lot of these contests, you know, it's, uh, you know, submit by April 7th and we'll see you in December kind of thing. |
| James Stacey (co-host) | Yeah. I didn't, I didn't, uh, I didn't see a specific date for when the draw is, but my guess is their, their plan is to move this forward. Uh, Josh, Josh got in touch with me just to kind of tell me about the project. And I thought it would be really fun if a great needle backed, uh, backed it and, and tried to get the word out and put a little bit of cash into that pod. And, and so that's, uh, that's where we are. I think it'll be really fun to see the photos. I I'm, I'm really excited to, uh, be a judge and, and, and to have that sort of role in Yeah, it's just kind of nice to have another little spark of creativity. I've had a lot of trouble, like every day I go on a walk and I bring my camera and I have a lot of trouble, like I'll take one or two photos and then I don't even have like the, I don't know, impetus, the drive to edit it and put it online. Yeah. So I'm hoping that this would kind of help seeing that I'm seeing some of the kind of cracks in my creative brain. uh, slow down with kind of the lack of travel and, and input from all sorts of teams that I used to kind of interface with. Yeah. Uh, so I'm, I'm excited to, uh, to do this and, and I hope that everybody who's listening will go out and snap a photo and, uh, and submit it at a Pedro and Taylor.com or, or again, the show notes, if that's easier. Uh, so, uh, either way, we'll, we'll see, uh, who the winner is. And I'm excited to get a chance to see all these photos. |
| Jason Heaton (co-host) | That's a really neat venture and it sort of takes my little homework from last week to a new level. I tell people to go on a photo hike and post some photos and maybe this is even further inspiration for that. That's really cool. A thousand bucks is not anything to sniff at. That's really awesome. |
| James Stacey (co-host) | Very generous. It's a nice little chunk of cash to get you going. Maybe buy a new lens or fund a new project. with some travel on the other side of what's going on now. I think it's a great thing and I'm a huge fan of Josh. So if he's got something going on that I can support, no question, whether that's a new apparel brand or by extension, this sort of cash grant idea. |
| Jason Heaton (co-host) | Oh, that's great. Well, you know, speaking of, you mentioned creative, sort of a creative stalemate during this bit of cabin fever we're all experiencing and I've As some of you might know, I've been working on a novel for since, I think, last fall. And the winter was a really good time to kind of hunker down and get some serious writing done on that. And recently launched a sign-up page with a web page where you can sign up for sort of release information as my book moves towards a publication date, which I'm aiming for later this year. And then I started an Instagram account as well. So be sure to check those out. I'd love to have people follow that. I'm just going to kind post my writing process and maybe a few excerpts from the book along the way. And, you know, it helped me to kind of publicize this a little more, make it a little more of a public statement that I'm actually doing this because, you know, these sort of creative endeavors, you can sort of just do them in a vacuum or in your own cave and then walk away from it with no, you know, very little risk and accountability. And this is something I've been wanting to do for years. And so to kind of tell people about it, sort of, uh, compels me to actually go forward with it and get it done. And I'm really looking forward to it. I've got about 150 pages written. Amazing. |
| James Stacey (co-host) | Now for fun, for fun, what's the Instagram account? |
| Jason Heaton (co-host) | Oh, the Instagram account is, so the book title is, and I've already committed to that too, because I've started this webpage and the Instagram account, the book title is Depth Charge. Okay. Um, which, you know, as, as you might guess, it's, it's not a stretch. Uh, there's going to be some underwater activity in this book. I think people would be let down if there wasn't. I think so. So the Instagram account is depth charge underscore novel super on Instagram. So be sure to be sure to go check that out. And I'll keep I'll keep people updated. |
| James Stacey (co-host) | Well, that's great. And there has been as I go forward. That's fantastic. And actually one update on books and the concept of books. Obviously, Episode 104 was our book club. And thank you to everyone for the great feedback on that a bunch of people enjoying books, but I got one email or we got one email that was most interesting, and this is from a listener named Tim, and he suggested that anyone who can go to openlibrary.org, sign up for an account. And he listed four or five books that we mentioned a lot, including some from the book club last week, that are available for free on Open Library. |
| Jason Heaton (co-host) | Oh, sure. |
| James Stacey (co-host) | So I think that's a fantastic idea. There's something like 1.2 million books or something that have been put up there. Uh, so if you want to read, um, but maybe you don't have, uh, an already active audible account or these books already sitting around, uh, save a few bucks, keep those bucks in your pocket for now and check out open library.org. Tim, thank you so much for that suggestion. Uh, a really, really great idea. |
| Jason Heaton (co-host) | Yeah, that's a good one. I, I, um, I actually signed up for, uh, Gushani and I both signed up for our local library has a online resource that I think is probably tied into something similar. And they do audiobooks as well, or e-books if you prefer to read it on a screen. And yeah, that's been great. I mean, I'm all for giving money to authors and paying for books, but libraries are great too. So it's really cool to see that evolve into something you can do online or in audio format. |
| James Stacey (co-host) | Yeah, I think generally we love to preach the idea that you buy these things so that it supports the system that keeps them being created. But obviously these are times where people are thinking about money, maybe even more than normal. And, uh, and especially about expenditures, uh, that could be skipped. And in many ways, this is the public service of libraries. Uh, so go in there and grab one of those books we mentioned and give it a read. I, again, Tim, a solid suggestion, not something I'd considered. Obviously you may have your own internal sort of library network in your city, and maybe that does or doesn't connect with open library, but I thought it was a great, a great idea. Yeah, great. All right, so I think it's time for a wrist check. Jason, what you got on? |
| Jason Heaton (co-host) | Yeah, so today it's Tuesday, you know, in support of Fratella watches and speedy Tuesday, hashtag speedy Tuesday. I've got my old Speedmaster on. I picked it up and clipped it on my Forstner Comfit mesh band. And yeah, that's what I'm wearing today. It's It's been a while, but, um, I don't know, felt, felt right. You know, I, I posted it on Instagram with a quote from, from astronaut Michael Collins, who was the, the lone guy circling the moon. Um, when Neil and buzz were down on the surface and, uh, you know, some days, uh, especially lately, you can kind of feel like Michael Collins. So sort of in kinship, I put on the Speedmaster today. |
| James Stacey (co-host) | How about you? Uh, so recently I went through and kind of cleaned out my watch case, my shelf, my shelving system of watch boxes and everything else. And I came across something, and I should probably start this with an apology to Bill Yale of MK2, but I came across the Paradive Gen 3 that he loaned us some time ago. We talked about the show on it more than a year ago, maybe more like two years ago. And so I've actually been wearing that for a couple of days. I really have been enjoying the content that Bill's been putting on Instagram through all of this because he's continuing to work in sort of a one-man scenario at his office for Mark 2. And I threw it on Light Grey Toxic, Wow. And it's killer. I mean, this is a great watch. I really, really like it. This is the 12-hour insert. So it's a 12-hour bezel. It's kind of just the right size. It has this lovely heft. It has no branding on it. And I think this is a great example of what Bill does really, really well. Super wearable, really nicely made. And I've really enjoyed wearing it. Again, Bill, I'm sorry. I will get this back to you. Maybe the next time I'm in New York, after all this, we can connect and I can hand it off. and get you a beer for your troubles. But a killer watch, really, really nice stuff. And yeah, Bill's a solid dude. |
| Jason Heaton (co-host) | Oh, that's great. That's such a cool watch. Really, really great. Good choice. Before we dive into our main topic here, which is this week, we've got a Q&A episode. We just want to revisit our sort of recent campaign during these isolation tapes of focusing on some of the smaller companies that might be struggling a little bit in this challenging business climate. Uh, you know, at TGN, we want to do our part as Hodinkee is doing as well by putting some spotlights on, on retailers and brands and blogs. And, um, you know, we've had relationships with a number of brands over our years. And, uh, last week we talked about Manta and Everest bands. And today we want to kind of throw a little light on our friends at ToxicNATO. Uh, Terry is a longtime fan and listener and supporter of TGN. He was the guy that made and supplied our NATO straps for our TGN Supporter Pack that we did, boy, two, three years ago now? Yeah, a while back, for sure. You know, Terry, we both love his NATO straps, probably are mutually our go-to NATO straps. I always send people to Terry if somebody asks me my first choice on NATOs, I send to NATO Toxic. And he also does some really cool rubber straps, too. I have one of his Toxic Magnum rubbers, which is basically an isoframe clone, but less expensive and a little more supple, so it's actually a little more wearable than those big, thick isoframes. And he also made a strap in partnership with our friend Paul Scurfield over at Scurfa Watches to put on some of Paul's dive watches, and that Scurfa rubber is a really wonderful rubber strap too. So if you're looking for good rubber, go with either the Scurfa or the Toxic Magnum, and then of course the Shiznit NATO that we both know and love as well. |
| James Stacey (co-host) | So yeah, swing by toxicnados.com and support one of our favorite small businesses. He's also on Instagram at toxicnados. Really great product, really good dude. |
| Jason Heaton (co-host) | Well, let's dive right into our main topic. We got a big one today. We did our first Q&A with recorded memos from people. It was a big hit. We did about three or four episodes ago and we're doing it again today and we've got even more more messages from listeners. And I think we should probably dive right in. |
| James Stacey (co-host) | Yeah, we definitely should. And the thing to keep in mind here is we did do, like Jason mentioned, a Q&A just a little while ago. But the reason we're doing this is we got another, like, we keep getting questions every couple of days. We're getting more and more questions and we don't want to just leave them endlessly. And the episode was supremely popular. So it makes sense in this time when you want to try and fill another episode as we've gone to a weekly, weekly editions of TGN that we thought a Q&A would be good. If you would like to submit a question, record it into the voice memo on your phone, please limit it to less than a minute. We actually had some questions this time that we couldn't use because they were several minutes long. Um, and if you want to send us a voice memo, it was just for Jason and I to listen to that several minutes long. That's fine. Please feel free, but at a certain point we can't use it for, uh, for the recording. So, uh, say your question into your voice memo and then email it to the great NATO at gmail.com. Uh, without further ado, you want to jump into this first one, Jason? Yeah, let's go for it. All right. So this one comes from a gentleman named Jake, and he has a question about Oris and Nomos. |
| Jake | Hey guys, just wanted your opinion on the next purchase that I'm considering. You know, I'm thinking about either the Oris Big Crown Pointer Date, the burgundy dial version, or the Nomos Club Atlantic. was hoping to have something that I can dress up and wear in the office, even though it's a pretty casual office setting, or dress down and just wear with a t-shirt and jeans during the summer. And I have a pretty dive watch heavy collection already, as long with the dedicated dress piece that I got when I graduated high school, as well as the last Hodinkee swatch. And I know that James has experience with the burgundy dial point or date so I was kind of hoping to get some some advice and just what you know the tactility of it and what it feels like in person. So any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. Love the show. |
| Jason Heaton (co-host) | Yeah well Jake thanks a lot for that question. Two really good choices. I know where I come down on this and I'll just dive in here. I say go for the Aorus. I love Nomos. I think it's a cool brand but you know you mentioned you have a bit of a dive watch heavy collection and The Oris Pointer Date is just, it's such a different looking watch. It's such a classic looking watch. I love the brand. If I was going to go for any sort of a dressy watch myself, that's exactly the one I would pick personally. |
| James Stacey (co-host) | Yeah, I don't have much to add to that. Definitely the Oris between those two. For me, it's actually, as much as I do like the look of the Nomos, the Oris is better on my wrist. The Nomos has a kind of a longer lug-to-lug. I really like that series and the dial. is lovely, but between the two, my money would absolutely go for the Oris. I love the kind of traditional aspect of the pointer date. It gives it just a special flair that is so nicely matched by the weirdness of the red. Yeah. And I mean, use weirdness with the utmost respect. I really love the way Oris uses color across their whole lineup. And that red pointer date is such a cool watch. It works so well on their kind of environmentally friendly leather strap. And then there's also a nice, I think like a steel five link is what I remember seeing it on at, um, at Basel. Uh, just a really, really good choice. I think, uh, I think you can't go wrong with either of those at all. And it's two very different aesthetics. Uh, and in that mind, I would go with yours. Yeah. Good one. Thanks, Jake. Thanks. Thanks a bunch for the question, Jake. We're moving on to Connor with a question about coffee. |
| Connor from Bowling Green, Ohio | Hi Graynado, this is Connor from Bowling Green, Ohio by way of San Diego, California. I had three quick questions. One, what is your daily coffee kit? Two, do you have an on the road or travel coffee kit? And three, what are some of your favorite coffee shops to visit while traveling? Love the show. Thanks for all you do. Take care. |
| James Stacey (co-host) | Okay, Connor. That's a great question. Uh, I liked that one a lot. Obviously, coffee's an important part of our day. We've talked about it before. For me, in answering this question, step one, my preferred coffee choice is an AeroPress. I keep it very easy. That's what I've used for years. I don't have any machines or really any other way of making coffee. It's a little bit of a pain if you have to make multiple cups, but even then, really not that big an issue. As far as to a travel option is not something I've ever been that concerned with. Coffee's typically available everywhere. If I'm going somewhere super remote or even camping and for whatever reason I feel like I can't bring the AeroPress, which really isn't that big, I've traveled with it to second locations before, I might use the Starbucks Via, which is a pretty decent cup in a pinch. Certainly better than like a Keurig or something like that at a motel. Finally, if I was going to recommend any coffee shop in the world outside of my current local, it would be my old local, which would be either Milano or Turks West in Vancouver. both run by the same guy, Brian Turco, and they make the finest coffee I've ever had, really by no small measure. So yeah, that would be my answer. Jason, how about you? |
| Jason Heaton (co-host) | Yeah, so for me, I've also dabbled in AeroPress, actually at your recommendation several years ago, James, but my go-to daily is I usually start the day with a pour over. So I use a Melitta cone with a paper filter, or I also have this, gosh, it's a little Japanese company that makes this sort of, it's a beautiful little metal cone and it has a metal, probably aluminum mesh filter that you just rinse out, dump out the grounds and reuse. And I would say that's both for at home and for travel. The reusable one, the little Japanese one is really excellent for camping because you don't have to take filters with you. Just take a little bag of ground coffee, a cup and this little apparatus and it works really well. You know, if you like milk, you can just toss a little powdered milk in a separate bag or even mix it all together and just do the pour through that way. Yeah. And when I travel, um, I usually like to get recommendations from people, uh, in terms of, you know, local favorites. Uh, in James, you took me to Milano in Vancouver a few years ago. Love that place. Great atmosphere. Good coffee. Um, in San Francisco in the ferry building, you can get the, uh, the good blue bottle coffee. And then in my, my old hometown of Milwaukee, I really liked to go to a collectivo. They have a few places around town, including a really cool spot. in the old water pumping station down on Lake Michigan. So, uh, just, uh, really liked both those, those spots. Um, so yeah, coffee, uh, and I drink tea in the afternoon. |
| James Stacey (co-host) | So, so our next one is from Arvind who wrote in asking about wearing a Rolex. |
| Arvind from Trinidad and Tobago | Hi, my name is Arvind calling from Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean. I was reading Jason's recent article on his Submariner and it got me wondering a Rolex is a pretty sizable investment for most of us, and for somebody who aspires to own a Submariner or an Explorer. Do you have any advice on how, you know, me or any of us could commit to wearing such an expensive watch in our day-to-day activities and adventures? Thanks. |
| James Stacey (co-host) | All right, Arvind, that's a great question, and I absolutely love that you called in from Trinidad and Tobago. I think that gives us a new little X on our globe of where we're getting calls from. So what do you think, Jason? A Rolex is a big investment. How are you, you know, how do you feel about actually wearing it in your day to day life? |
| Jason Heaton (co-host) | Oh, I think it's all the more reason to wear it. I mean, it's a big purchase. I think, you know, you spend a lot on a product that is as well made and as well adapted to pretty much anything you can throw at it. And I think it justifies it all the more. Certainly if it's going to put you in some sort of danger or in harm's way by wearing it in an area where you might think you might be a target. Obviously, that's a consideration you'd want to keep in mind. But otherwise, you know, these watches were made to be worn for rough duty. I mean, military explorers, et cetera, et cetera, have worn these for years. And I think, you know, don't leave it behind when you go do cool stuff. I think, as I've mentioned in the past and even written about, you know, these are watches that are made to collect memories. And that's what I've always done with mine. And I encourage you to do that with yours. |
| James Stacey (co-host) | Yeah, and the only thing I would add to that is obviously if you can't afford it, that's not the time to buy the watch. Make sure that it makes fiscal responsibility possible in your life. And if that's not the right time, these watches have been made for a long time and they will continue to be made for a long time and they last a long time, which means they will be around. And obviously, these are expensive things, but if you can afford it and also mentally enjoy wearing it while you go about your day to day, then I think they're fantastic. |
| Jason Heaton (co-host) | Yeah. All right. Thanks for that question, Arvind. Moving on to our friend Brian, who's asking us about some water resistance issues. |
| Brian from New York City | Hey guys, this is Brian from New York City. I have an FP Jordan that's a sport model, sort of. It doesn't have a screw down crown and it only has three ATM water resistance, which is commonly talked about as splash proof. But I know a number of people who take advantage of the supposed 30 meters and confidently go just a touch below the surface of a pool, ocean, or lake without any problems. What do you guys think? Does 30 meters really mean 30 meters? Or should you avoid anything but hand washing for your 3ATM watch? Thanks, gents, and all the best to you as you go for another 100 episodes. |
| Jason Heaton (co-host) | Well, thanks for that, Brian. Gosh, you know. A popular question. Yeah, for me with that watch, I mean, it's a slight twist on the usual sort of water resistance question. But in this case, I think it's more the at least for me, it would be the expense and kind of rarity of that watch that would give me pause. But I guess if you get the watch pressure tested by a competent watchmaker and it checks out, I think some splashing in a pool would probably be okay. But I'm not ready to go on record as fully encouraging you to do that with a watch like a Joran just because if it did leak or if you got a little bit of moisture on the inside, boy, that would be a shame. And then I'm not sure how easily you could actually get it quickly to a service center that could could fix it up for you. |
| James Stacey (co-host) | Yeah. I mean, I'm, I'm very much in a, in a similar position as far as my feelings on this. If it was a Seiko, uh, that, that offered 30 meters water resistance. And I would say you could definitely trust it. And it's definitely typically not super hard to get that tested, um, in, in a dry pressure scenario. And, um, beyond that, with it being a Jorn, I wouldn't, uh, is to be honest, but this is also probably finances aside, a reason that I'm probably not going to be a Jordan owner is I would, it would be too much, uh, too precious, uh, for me, uh, a watch like that. I would treat like, like most vintage watches and, uh, and just be very careful with it. Um, even if it could live through, uh, the occasional pool or whatnot. |
| Jason Heaton (co-host) | Yeah. Great. Well, thanks Brian. Cool watch. And, uh, maybe, maybe it's time to pick up a Seiko or something for, for your, your pool swims. All right, moving on. Uh, let's get our, to a question from Mike. |
| Mike Markovich from South Texas | Hey guys, Mike Markovich calling you from South Texas, aka Tats in Time. Love the show. You guys are awesome. I'm just curious, are you guys obsessed with timing your watches? Or are you guys that just set it once a month and check it? I know there's a school of thought. Some people check in their watch timing against an app a couple times a day or once every 24 hours. And some people say they don't even worry about it all and they reset their watch once a month or when the date needs adjusted if it's a date watch. And they press on from there. So I'm just curious what you guys' thoughts are on this and keep up the great work. Thanks. |
| Jason Heaton (co-host) | All right, Mike. You know, thanks for that. Good question. I've never been one who has been terribly obsessed with the accurate timing of my watch. I do tend to switch watches around a fair amount, unless I'm maybe traveling. So, you know, I'm not one sometimes I'll do it just for fun to just like check on a watch if maybe I haven't worn in a while or it's a watch I'm curious about. I'll set it to, you know, the time on my computer and then maybe check it again the next day or something. But I do think people tend to get a little bit over the top with accuracy of their watches. You know, we've gotten questions from people that are, you know, concerned because their watch is drifted by, you know, a second or two over the course of a week or something. And it's, you know, I guess I'm just not wired that way to worry too much about that. On the other hand, I do think that there are watches that are one of their selling points and one of the, you know, pieces of appeal or bits of calling card that these watches have is their accuracy. Maybe it's a chronometer certified watch. Maybe it has some unique movement feature that allows it to be incredibly accurate. For instance, maybe it's even like a Grand Seiko Spring Drive or one of their 9F Quartz watches. Well, in that case, you know, I think it would be a point of pride and something I'd take interest into. to check its accuracy. But for my watches, I tend to not even really worry too much about it. |
| James Stacey (co-host) | Yeah. I don't even think about this, um, unless I've dropped the watch and then I'd like to see if I've broken it or if I put a watch on and managed to wear it a few days in a row, which is very uncommon these days. Um, but if I did, and then it was like actually the wrong time, then I would start to, you know, maybe give it a full wind and see how long it lasted, that sort of thing. Yeah. Um, and then the only other scenario in which I could imagine even checking the, like, even considering or thinking about the accuracy of my watch would be if I was going to sell it. Oh, sure. Uh, so that, so that I could, uh, I could say like, you know, I put it face up on my desk. I gave it a full wind. It ran for 40 hours, like it's supposed to, and it gained or lost 10 seconds or whatever, whatever it is. Um, and that other than that, uh, it's literally something that never comes to my mind. |
| Jason Heaton (co-host) | All right, let's move on to our next question, which is from Osco, and he's asking about Rolex as part of a collection. |
| Osco from central Alberta, Canada | Hi, James and Jason. My name is Osco, and I'm just out for a walk with my daughter. We're just enjoying what seems like a spring day here in central Alberta. The sun is out and it's starting to warm up. Snow's melting, so real excited for spring. Just got a question, guys. In regards to, uh, three watch collection, you guys addressed this back in May of 2017. And back then you guys chose Rolexes as part of your collection. Now with the prices as they've increased over these last few years, just wondering if, uh, they are, they would still be part of that collection. So three watches under $10,000. James, Jason, what are your choices? Love your podcast. Thanks. |
| James Stacey (co-host) | Cheers. Boy, that's a solid accent and it's great to hear another Canadian on here. I love that. Uh, I mean, from my standpoint, this doesn't change for me just because they've gotten a little bit more expensive. I would spend a little less on the other two watches. Uh, I would still want a Rolex, probably an Explorer if I could swing an Explorer too. Obviously the pricing has changed since we talked about that in the last episode. Uh, but that doesn't mean it wouldn't be possible at 10 grand. You're not getting a new one. Yeah. Um, but you know, in my mind, I feel, I figure I could probably still work my way into an Explorer or maybe, uh, we'll call it a well-loved Explorer too. Um, and, uh, maybe a 50th sub, uh, from Doxa and then a Garmin and I could be done with three. |
| Jason Heaton (co-host) | Yeah. Yeah. Good, good picks. I also would stick with a Rolex in the collection. I think, uh, you know, it would keep me happy for a very, very, very long time, which is kind of, would be the point of that exercise. Um, I would probably go, you know, I've as a longtime sub owner, I'd probably maybe switch gears if I were, um, carrying out this exercise and maybe go with like an Explorer and Explorer two as well. Um, and then get something different for, you know, travel or dive duty, maybe like a CWC courts for, you know, less than a thousand bucks or a Seiko or something. Um, that you can talk in a bag and maybe you're not wearing it very often, but it's like your, it's your kind of cool dive watch or your kind of rough duty watch. Um, and then, yeah, like a Garmin or, um, you know, maybe you've got a little bit left over for, to kind of play with, maybe rotate through some kind of stuff from retro watch guy or, you know, some kind of cool, less expensive vintage stuff. Um, just to kind of scratch that itch a little bit, that would be my, that'd be the route I'd go. |
| James Stacey (co-host) | Well, that's great. Thanks very much for the question Asko. And moving on, we're going to hear from Carl. Who has a question about Nomos? |
| Carl from Spokane, Washington | Hey guys, this is Carl from Spokane, Washington. I am a big fan of the show. I listen every single week. I never miss an episode. Thanks for everything you guys do. It really helps me as I work in the watch industry. I work at a fine jewelry and watch store. I'm a salesman. My question to you is regarding Nomos. So Nomos watches are I think unbelievably beautiful. I think they're one of the best values in luxury watchmaking. I don't think they get a lot of buzz, just based on the fact that their styles are pretty restrained and elegant. You know, especially with all the craze for sports watches now, a slim, no most manually wound watch is not necessarily what people are looking for. I have the Club Campus Night version. It's 38 millimeters. It's gorgeous and I wear it all the time. And I just want to know what your guys' thoughts on the brand were. I love them so much. I'd rotate between my club and my Oris Diver 65 by co daily. Anyway, I hope to hear from you guys soon. Thanks for everything you do. |
| Jason Heaton (co-host) | Bye. Well, thanks for that question, Carl. You know, Nomos is one of those brands I love. It's probably like my favorite brand that I know I will never own, which is a weird, weird thing to say, but you know, I love everything they do. I love the people. I love their whole kind of vibe, sort of casual, witty. fun, they don't take themselves too seriously, and yet they make some really amazing watches. I've tried a few. I actually went diving with an Ahoy one time a few years ago, and I really like the Zurich Welttime, the world timer. I just, I like a lot of their watches. For some reason, the style just doesn't necessarily go with who I am, but I can, it's one of those brands I really enjoy admiring from afar. and you know your two watch collection that you rotate through is perfect. I mean a Nomos Club and an Aorus Diver 65 you really can't go wrong. You know going back to Asko's question about a three watch collection, you've got a pretty perfect two watch collection. So what do you think James? |
| James Stacey (co-host) | Yeah you know I would totally agree. The thing that always hits me with Nomos is I really like them. They're beautifully made. They have a real obviously a real knack for their aesthetics. Um, but there's never been one that hit every mark for me where I was like, it went from being a great watch that I like to see in the wild. And I like to know that exists to one that I had to own. Yeah. They can be a little long lug to lug for my wrist, which we brought up in a previous question. And, uh, for me, I, you know, I, I like a watch. If it's not a dive watch, then I like it to have a complication and they don't do a ton of complications, uh, like a GMT or similar. They have, of course, people are now shouting at their headphones and stuff that they've done, GMTs in the past. But the one that Carl brought up, the Club Campus 38 Night, is one of my absolute favorites from the brand. I adore the Club Campus as it stands. And I could see myself maybe having one of those at some point in the future, but there's never been this magnetic draw where I knew I had to have a Nomos. So maybe they'll come up with something in the future, or maybe my taste will change. |
| Connor from Bowling Green, Ohio | Yeah, great. |
| James Stacey (co-host) | That's how it goes. Thanks very much, Carl. And on to Nick, who's got a question about working from home and finding kind of new gigs online. |
| Nick from Alberta, Canada | Hey, this is Nick from Alberta, Canada. Love the podcast. I've listened to every single episode and super looking forward to weekly episodes. You were talking about working from home and those who have office jobs and can no longer go into the office, have to work from home and You know, even have the ability to work from home, really. But what recommendations would you have for someone in the construction industry, for, you know, worst case scenario, if they have to be quarantined, if they want to try to start doing something online, trying to work from home, say, starting a blog or freelance of some sort. Yeah, well, any recommendations for someone who doesn't work in the online industry and really doesn't have the ability to work from home. Thanks for everything you guys do. |
| Jason Heaton (co-host) | Wow. Two, uh, two questions, uh, very close to each other from Alberta. Very, very interesting. |
| Connor from Bowling Green, Ohio | Pretty good. Yeah. |
| Jason Heaton (co-host) | Right. Uh, thanks for the question, Nick. Yeah. So I, you know, you might have a little more to offer than I do on this one, but I think, uh, you know, I think the, the trouble that a lot of people have when they want to start in like a new career online or, or kind of make something of, of home businesses, They try to follow what has worked for others and they aren't focusing on what they're good at themselves. Um, the, the route that a lot of people choose is I'm going to start a blog and I'm going to write about X. It's like, well, are you, do you enjoy writing? Are you a good writer? Maybe you're a better photographer or maybe you have dabbled in video and are good at that. Um, some of the things that I have enjoyed are people who, uh, have YouTube channels where they're making videos about something they're an expert in. Maybe it's woodworking or maybe it's, I watch a lot of these guys that have really robust YouTube channels where they're putting up videos of them restoring an old Land Rover, fixing things, repairing things. And if you're good at that and you invest a little bit, or maybe you have a decent camera and a tripod and you can do some recording with a remote and a mic and make it a decent quality, you can develop a decent following on YouTube doing interesting videos. Maybe you move that onto an Instagram platform and start doing you know, Instagram stories where you're, you're, you're feeding that information out. So, you know, think a little bit beyond what is, you know, working for somebody else. Podcasting is certainly a, a great field to get into as, as we know. Um, and that can work well for some people. The making money part of it, uh, it's probably a bit of a slow burn, uh, if you're going to try to kick that off and make something take off here during our sort of isolating times. Um, so that might be a bit tricky, but in terms of just launching something, I would say find something you're passionate about, you're good at, and then take tips from people that do it well, you know, in terms of the technology and kind of the methods that they use. What do you think? |
| James Stacey (co-host) | Yeah, I think that's a, I think that's a great methodology. Uh, you know, obviously construction would be a tough thing to translate into, um, uh, an entirely hands off, you know, it's not like you could apply to one of these kind of gig websites and pick up piecemeal work because you're not going to be going in and out of people's homes or businesses and that sort of thing at the current time. So yeah, I would say, Nick, your best bet is to lock into something that you love and know fairly well, and then start producing content that encircles that. And you could start with as little as your cell phone if you wanted to do something like either Instagram or YouTube. And just be open to creating a conversation around the thing that you love or things that you love. And make sure it's more of a passion decision than finance decision. Obviously, I think if you if you wanted to, if your goal is to be able to make some money sitting at your computer, you might want to not move into a creative space, which, like Jason said, can be a bit of a slow burn while you earn an audience. But yeah, I think that that's your best bet would be to take something you know and love as it stands and start producing some sort of commentary or content surrounding the the love of that that thing that passion or hobby or otherwise. So good luck with that. And thanks very much for the question. We can move on to Mike, who has a question about working from home with kids. |
| Mike from Chicago suburbs | Hey, James and Jason, this is Mike from Chicago suburbs. Just want to say thank you for that first episode. I work for utility that is definitely not typically set up for remote working, but they've taken it in stride and give us a lot of freedom, but I appreciate the feedback you guys provided. My question, I guess, is more for James, and that's just tailored to how you deal with young kids while working at home. I got two young boys that just want to be by my side all the time, and my wife, you know, definitely takes them off my plate so that I could get my work done, but I just wanted to see if you had any activities that you recommend or if it's similar to what an adult would do and get outside when it's not raining or snowing. Just interested to hear what you, what you have to say and if you can, how you incorporate them into your day. Thanks guys. Appreciate it. Bye. |
| James Stacey (co-host) | All right. So I guess this one is, uh, is meant for me, obviously, uh, I have a couple of kids in, in my scenario, because I do this professionally, because this is my lifestyle and it also includes not being home for sometimes large stretches of time. Uh, I have a nanny. Uh, so when, when it comes to my workday, I'm protected from having to also incorporate children most of the time. on the rare day where said nanny is not able to, uh, to watch on the kids or vacations or things like that. Uh, then yeah, you basically have to change your workflow up. I typically would spend kind of co time with the kids and work. If you're in that scenario where you have to try and do both, uh, by managing small tasks, like an email might only take two or three minutes and you might get two or three minutes of peace, uh, at one moment, uh, before moving on. And then, uh, as far as tasks, all the classic kid stuff, everything from. simple games to Lego, Play-Doh, Duplo. If they're going to go outside, obviously that's a good one, but typically that depends on your scenario. That would require supervision, which would then also take you away from your work. And then at times, you know, just keep them fed and try and encourage them to play together. It's definitely going to come down to kind of a team moving scenario sort of thing. in times where you have to be more of a parent than an employee or a worker, try and do small tasks, all those little things that kind of stack up. And that way, maybe when they're sitting and eating, or maybe even have gone to bed for the night, you can dig into a larger piece of work. Again, this is a little bit only from my perspective, because in many ways, even today, I could tell Hodinkee that I have to do that piece of work tonight. I can't, you know, I won't have it done by the traditional end of a work day. And, uh, there's some flexibility in the world of online watch writing that doesn't necessarily exist with everybody else's job. So, uh, it, it can be tough, but certainly it's something that you can manage. And it's also something where depending on the age of your kids, kind of build it into their expectations, that there's times where you're going to have to be working, that's all. And they'll have to not necessarily just entertain themselves, but play together and, and be a little bit more self motivated. |
| Jason Heaton (co-host) | Yeah, that's good advice. I don't have anything to add. I don't have kids, but that sounds reasonable to me. |
| James Stacey (co-host) | The cats don't get in your way? |
| Jason Heaton (co-host) | No, well, they sleep a lot. Say, before we jump into our next question, should we do a quick ad break? |
| James Stacey (co-host) | Yeah, let's do it. So like we mentioned at the top of the show, this episode and the series of episodes where we've gone to weekly, these are being supported by the Hodinkee Shop. So that's shop.hodinkee.com and one Jason and I say quite specifically that if you would like to support Hodinkee, do so by maybe grabbing something from the shop, whether it's a book, whether it's a strap, they have a, they have a discount going on where you're getting 15% off any order of two or more items from the library. But the easiest thing is just to go there and take a look. And I mean, whether it's a Hodinkee or Hodinkee radio, TGN in our case, or even a post that Heaton and I wrote, the shop is what's keeping the lights on for all of the moving parts there. And yeah, just a quick ad break shop.hodinkee.com. They make the show possible, and if you have the means and feel like you'd like to support us and everybody else at Hodinkee, do so via the shop, and we really appreciate it. |
| Jason Heaton (co-host) | Alright, thanks for that. Let's move on to our next question from Ryan. |
| Ryan Clark from Victoria, British Columbia, Canada | Hey guys, Ryan Clark here from a sunny and well-quarantined Victoria, British Columbia. With all this self-isolation and working from home, I find I'm spending a lot more time daydreaming, especially about some of my favorite adventures from the past and looking ahead to the future. My question for you is, what are your favorite adventures that you've done in the past? And what are you planning on the future? Once, of course, we've all been released back out into the wild. To kick things off, my all time favorite adventure has been a three day backpacking hike along the spine of long dormant volcanoes in Northwest Nicaragua. And a big adventure I'm planning for in the future is the Cape Epic, an eight day mountain bike stage race that covers over 700 kilometers along the Western Cape of South Africa. Okay, over to you. |
| Jason Heaton (co-host) | Wow. Lots of questions from Canada this time. That's, uh, that's really great. |
| James Stacey (co-host) | Yeah, I love it. |
| Jason Heaton (co-host) | Representing. Um, well, thanks Ryan for that. Uh, you know, boy, talk about, uh, talk about idle minds here in this, uh, isolating time. I've been thinking a lot about getting out and doing some stuff, uh, as soon as this, this, uh, Isolation time is over and I think everybody's just going to bust out and get on planes and get on road trips and that sort of thing and I will not be an exception to that. Past adventures, boy, it's really hard for me to come up with a favorite of, you know, many years of kind of getting out and doing cool stuff. One that was particularly memorable mainly because of the sort of exotic nature of where I was was the hike I did on the Milford track down in the South Island of New Zealand. Um, it was a, it was a pretty spectacular trip. I was there for a couple of weeks and, uh, first we did this multi-day hut to hut hike across a mountain pass, uh, in the Fjordland area. Um, and then that finished at the most spectacular, um, spectacularly photogenic place, Milford Sound, which is, you know, mountains, uh, mountain walls that descend right into the sea. Uh, I spent the night there at a hostel, um, And then did some kayaking and scuba diving in the sound the next day. And I think that type of multi-sport adventure for me is the ideal. You know, we talked about that a couple of episodes ago, and I just think when you can combine passions and interest in one trip, I think it's the best. And so with that in mind, looking to the future, you know, one thing I've, I've long wanted to do is get up to Scotland. Um, and, uh, you know, we had a trip, my wife and I had a trip, Kind of tentatively planned for the summer. I'm not sure if it's going to happen this year in the future now, but, uh, of, of getting one of these, uh, kitted out Land Rover defenders and doing a bit of a road trip across Scotland. Um, maybe hiking there in the mountains, going over to the Isle of Skye and sampling some whiskeys. Um, and you know, if I were to put a cherry on that cake, it would be to drive up to, uh, Scapa and dive some of the world war one, uh, German fleet wrecks that are sunk there. Um, that's just something I've always wanted to do. So, um, you know, one can dream and certainly, uh, you know, reading books and writing and that sort of thing can help pass the time now, but, uh, I'm itching to get out and do something like that. What about you, James? |
| James Stacey (co-host) | I mean, all that, all that. And then some, I, uh, I've been thinking a lot about, uh, Baker lately. Uh, you know, just, uh, three days kind of out in the middle of nowhere with a good crew of people. you know, tackling a big task. And then the other one, you know, I was writing a little bit and I came across some memories from, um, from Clipperton and, and that really, I guess what's been sticking in my mind the most is, yeah, like I, I like, I think we've said this before. We said this not that long ago that both of us were kind of feeling like we needed a big objective. Yeah. Yeah. And that, that need is definitely still there. The other side of it, I would love to get, uh, get back into diving. Oh, sure. You know, it's been a pause since my second came. And and then, of course, moving away from the ocean didn't help. And yeah, so I'd love to go somewhere warm and do some easy, you know, fish filled diving. So I think that that's definitely going to be before my years out. And if I can do a mountain, maybe, you know, it'd be it'd be tough to train without the any access to any any real steep stuff where I am now. But people certainly do it. So it would just take some modification. But yeah, I think in whole, just I'm at the point where maybe the need is so high that it's more of an anything versus something specific. Yeah. I would love to be out camping, even if it wasn't that far from anything, just somewhere on a water's edge with a fire, uh, and some kind of cool air. Um, if, if you could do mountain, a mountain would be great. If I could get back out on a boat for two weeks, you know, I wouldn't turn that down. Uh, so yeah. an adventure, definitely. And as far as old ones, Baker and Clipperton always kind of sit in my mind. |
| Jason Heaton (co-host) | Yeah, well, making me wistful now. Yeah, very, very, very, very. |
| James Stacey (co-host) | Thanks for that. Yeah, thanks very much, Ryan. And enjoy both of those adventures coming up. They sounded, they sound incredible, for sure. Moving on, we have a question from Rob about watch photography. |
| Rob from Chicago suburbs | It's Rob from the Chicago suburbs. Can you guys talk about some tips and tricks for watch photography, camera setup, lighting, composition, that sort of thing. All of us are looking for an indoor hobby right now. Also wanted to just say that you guys have become like really great friends to all of us over 103 episodes and we appreciate what you're doing so much and want you to continue in good health and thank you for everything you're doing. |
| James Stacey (co-host) | Alright Rob, thanks very much for that. A very sweet message there from you and Jason. I certainly appreciate that sentiment very much. As far as watch photography, Jason, why don't you talk about something like composition or, you know, kind of matching your watch with a subject. It's something I think you and Ghoshani do really well. |
| Jason Heaton (co-host) | Sure. Yeah. I mean, I think this is, this question is better suited for you, but I can chime in real quick. And I think, Rob, it's, it's a neat idea to make this a new indoor hobby these days. I think it could be one of those homework things that, that we've talked about as well. I like to just, and Ghoshani and I, you know, when we do photography, we like to kind of match a watch with maybe a fictional setting. Maybe it's a, if it's a sailing watch or a dive watch, put it on a bit of a nautical chart with a few sort of trinkets, uh, little instruments or a compass or something like that to kind of conjure up a certain mood. Um, you know, it could be clothing, uh, it could be a certain sweater or a pair of pants that has a texture or a color that, that kind of highlights what the watch was made for. Um, You know, I tend to like to shoot with natural light. We do a lot kind of just in our backyard if the sun is right. We maybe hold up a diffuser to kind of block some of that direct glare or by a nice window. But yeah, I'm big on props. I kind of have a lot of little odds and ends kicking around the house that work really well. You know, whether it's a climbing carabiner or an old dive mask or a map or a book that you like, I think it adds to that. Especially if you're posting it on something like Instagram, it lends itself to a bit of escapism. So that's my input. James, why don't you talk maybe about the technical side of it? |
| James Stacey (co-host) | Sure. So for the technical side of it, I'm going to assume that you're using a camera that allows manual control of the exposure triangle. So that would be your shutter speed, your aperture, and your ISO. despite the fact that ISO is a problematic idea in digital photography. Nevertheless, that's not a rabbit hole we have to go down at the moment. If you can control those three manually, and you can even in some cell phones, then the things I would say is a watch is a non-moving target. So when you're starting out, isolate the camera, whether it's on a tripod or a little stand or lean it against some books or whatever your scenario is, just take your handshake out of it. And it also is going to slow down your process a little bit where you will build a scene in front of the camera rather than moving the camera around to find the scene, which is a bit of a skill in and of itself. So let's remove impediments by locking the camera in place. You can get a tripod for very little money, and if you don't have a tripod, you could use some other sort of mounting system that you might have. I've seen people use a vice with a little bit of a blanket to hold it, or there's lots of kind of jerry-rig scenarios, depending on what you have in your home. But keep the camera very steady, which is gonna give you more flexibility in that triangle, you can use less shutter speed, which means you can use, uh, more aperture. Uh, if you're using a camera that has a kind of a defined and understandable lens scenario, something better than a cell phone, then your next point would be clarity, which means find the sharpest point in your lenses aperture range. So even if a lens, let's say can stop down to F2, it might be sharpest, um, at F4. And sharpness is going to be great because that's going to aid in general clarity. And if you have a scene like what Jason's explaining, where it's not just the dial and the hands of the watch that you want in focus, you might want other props or a background book or something, then more, um, a, a, uh, narrower, um, aperture. So an aperture with a higher F number, uh, would be, uh, advantageous to getting more of that in the scene. That's what cell phones do really well. is they can typically mimic, um, you know, a more like an F eight, uh, sort of scenario, and then use a lot of ISO to bring that up, which just gives a certain look that it, that people can identify as being a cell phone, but it also makes it a little bit easier. Um, beyond that, uh, really, uh, use, use things like, um, cardboard and paper to move the light around or to block out the light. So if you're getting a lot of reflections, maybe just hold a big piece of black cardboard above your camera or essentially where the reflection is hitting the crystal and that can block that out pretty nicely. And if you're, let's say you're, you're outside and you're shooting something in one side of the watch, the watch that's towards the sunlight is quite bright. And the other side of it is quite dark. Take a white sheet of printer paper. Like it doesn't have to be fancy and hold that just under the frame to bounce some light up under the watch. Just try and consider the direction of light. The general ability to keep the camera focused where it needs to be focused and then removing your hands from that process. If you can, if you're going to shoot freehand, then, uh, I would say it's, it's, it's about finding a room with interesting light, which is, is going to be you getting to know your home. And if you don't already shoot a lot of photography in your internal space, then it's just going to be trial and error, which is, which is the fun part of the process. And it's how you learn the only way to learn about photography is by taking pictures. And, uh, and so those would be my tips is obviously. Try and keep the camera in its sweetest spot as far as aperture and sharpness. And then beyond that, move the light around by either blocking elements on the crystal that you don't want or adding light by using a, we'll call it a reflector, but in many cases, it's just a piece of A5 paper. Thanks for the question, Rob. Looking forward to seeing those photos. If anybody takes a photo at home after listening to this episode, by all means, please tag Jason or I or The Gray Nato. We'd love to see what people come up with. And I think that is a good idea from Rob to make this a little bit of a home project to increase our watch shooting abilities. A good goal. All right. So moving on, I think we'll do one more. And what do you think about that, Jason? |
| Jason Heaton (co-host) | Yeah, I think we're getting a little long here. So let's finish up with a question from Serafim, who has questions about watch strap changing. |
| Serafim | Hey, James and Jason. Serafim here. Just taking a quick breath on my run in the park inspired by your last episode of the show. Thank you for that. My question is, what are your tips for changing watch straps? I recently got into changing straps, and as a newbie, I've been having some trouble. For example, Newly acquired Seiko SKX. The strap was quite hard to get out of the watch. Getting that spring bar with the tool was not easy and I was poking my fingers. So I was wondering if you wouldn't mind giving some tips and tricks you picked up along the way of becoming such strap changing pros as you are. Thanks for the great show. |
| Jason Heaton (co-host) | All right, Seraphim, thanks for that question. Watch strap changing. Boy, you know, the question seems to come up a lot, both kind of in person and online. And certainly I think we've talked about it a little on the podcast and I'll admit, you know, I'm not great at it. I mean, I've changed a lot of straps. I'm still a bit of a butcher, but let me address quickly just the Seiko SKX thing, because that is actually a unique problem and could be part of the reason why you're having trouble. Those fat Seiko spring bars. Some of them, ones that I've had, don't have a good shoulder for gripping with a tool very well, and not to mention they're quite fat. And the straps can be tight, and even some of those SKXs come with a bracelet, and they don't even have drilled lugs, which can make it even more challenging. And, you know, what I found in that case is sometimes a traditional strap-changing tool doesn't work as well and I've actually had to resort to using like a sharp pocket knife and kind of just some people are probably in horror listening to me now but uh you know just get that get the blade down between the strap and the case and get good purchase with that sharp blade right where a shoulder would be or maybe it isn't on that spring bar and just be obviously careful with your finger and just get a good purchase it kind of grips into the the steel and then give it a good twist and that usually pops it off on those Seiko spring bars I've found. Other tips, you know, people talk about using tape to protect the lugs. That's something that's worked well for me in the past. Make sure your spring bar tools are good and sharp. You know, I talked about using a knife, but if you have especially like a nice new spring bar tool, those blades, those little forks, they always work best if they're new and nice and sharp. And you can get replacements and kind of swap those out regularly to keep it With a good purchase on a spring bar How about you James you've I think you're a little better at this than me. |
| James Stacey (co-host) | I actually think this is one of my skills If I'm if I'm using if so, I would say that the way I treat my own watches pretty different from the way I would treat a loner So if I have a loaner from a brand I use tape if I even change the strap Which is a big if typically it's not worth the time or the possibility of scratching a lug Uh, tape works really well. It does a, um, a nice kind of heavier packing tape. Um, and, and I know I've seen people online that will like make little cuts in the tape so that it really shapes to the lugs. I will literally like take a strap or take a watch and remove the strap. And when, then when you're going to reinstall it, put that piece of tape down and, um, and then just pushed my tool through the tape. Um, I would say the other thing to be cognizant of is, is having the correct tool for that job. in many cases it's not as difficult as it sounds. I put straps back into watches using my fingernail because it's the most control. So if I'm loading a strap or loading just a spring bar, like let's say you're just putting a spring bar into the lugs because you're going to put a natal in, I set one side of it, compress it with my thumbnail and then lever it into place and there's nothing there to scratch anything except the tip of the spring bar. If this is a real problem for you, obviously better spring bars will be easier to manipulate, so make sure you're using a decent spring bar with shoulders. And maybe consider watches with drilled lugs. Obviously, that's very much an easier way when you're talking about the removing phase. And that's typically where you see people really kind of grinding a tool in there, is when they're trying to get purchase on a not great spring bar. So, yeah, I would say make sure you're using a decent spring bar. When you require a tool, use the proper tool. I will definitely use the fine blade on a Swiss Army knife, but that is kind of a learned little task. And it depends. Once you're dealing with a bracelet, you're in a whole different world because you're going to have to mount a bracelet from both sides at the same time, unless you're willing to accept scratches, at which point the Horafix kind of Bergeron um, plier tool works really well. But if you're literally just talking about moving a leather strap on and off a watch, um, depending on how tightly the leather fits, I can remove a bunch of my own straps just with my fingernail and I bite my nails. So it's not like I have any, like I haven't, I haven't specifically crafted one of my fingernails to be like, yeah, exactly. Like, or like a special, a specialized sort of primate, um, uh, manifestation of, of a tool. But the, um, I would say just be slow when you're thinking about it. And if it's something you're having trouble with, try and figure out if it's the spring bar, if it's a bad tool or if your technique is off. And then from there, just kind of learn what the tolerances are because some watch cases you can put one side of the spring bar in without the other side scratching anything. And that's where you can just kind of depress it with your fingernail and slide it into space. Other times you'll need a tool. And if you're going to go with a tool, make sure you buy one that like a watchmaker would use. Not one that comes in a set of 55 pieces on eBay for $10. Um, because those many of those 55 pieces will scratch anything they touch. Um, so if the goal is no scratches, it's, uh, you know, the right tool and the right spring bar and a little bit of patience. And, and in some ways, some practice, you know, a lot of my watches have scratches on them. Uh, the goal would be to limit that moving forward, I suppose. All right, Sarah, thanks very much for that question. |
| Jason Heaton (co-host) | Yeah, and thanks everybody for submitting questions. It's been another great episode. I really enjoy doing these Q&As and we had a few that we didn't get to today. We'll certainly get around to those probably in another, I don't know, one of these isolation tapes, I'm sure, maybe three or four episodes down the road. Yeah, a few weeks I think. Yeah. So I suggest maybe we move on to final notes. |
| James Stacey (co-host) | Absolutely, yeah. Jason, let's start off with homework. What have you got this week? |
| Jason Heaton (co-host) | Yeah, this one's pretty simple. Uh, you know, we're all finding ourselves at home more. Um, eating out is a bit more of a difficult option. Um, so my bit of homework this week is to find a recipe in a cookbook or online and make something you've never tried before. You know, we, we all might have our kind of go-to things, uh, from the simple to the, to the more complex. Um, but you know, dig out a dusty cookbook that maybe your mom gave you when you moved out of the house or, You know, there's any number of great websites, allrecipes.com, YouTube, you know, I particularly like watching Gordon Ramsay prepare like street food on his YouTube channel. Emulate these, you know, try to make something new and for bonus points, if you can do it with whatever you've got in your fridge or your cupboard, go for that. You know, we've probably all got some dusty old cans of cannellini beans in the back of the cupboard that, you know, you got a couple of years ago that are still good. Crack those open, find a recipe that uses that and whatever spices you might have and give it a shot. That's my bit of homework. I'm sure some of our listeners are great cooks to begin with, so maybe this isn't quite the chore that it is for somebody like me, but give it a shot. |
| James Stacey (co-host) | It certainly is tough for me. It's not my skill set at all. I'm a cured meats and cheese and bread sort of guy these days. Uh, mine is also, this is a weird suggestion, but it's something I've been kind of messing around with because I'm not only am I obviously home like everyone else, but I'm not typically home ever this much. Like I haven't been at home for this long in years. And, uh, and my suggestion, this, some of you will roll your eyes. Some of you will roll your eyes harder because you've already gotten to this point in your, uh, your homesteading, but, uh, rearrange a room in your house. Uh, pick a room with a family room and office, uh, maybe, maybe your bedroom and just move things around. Uh, try a new thing, mix up your space. This is the cost, nothing, uh, assuming you don't break something, um, uh, lamp or whatever, but, uh, you know, rearrange your room, move, move the furniture, move the wall hangings around, maybe put a lamp in a different spot, try something new. This'll kind of refresh the way that you see the space. And if it's a space that you've been in for a while, I think that this can be like a pretty valuable kind of mental exercise. Uh, so maybe take out a pad of paper, sketch out where you think the couch could go and this coffee table or that and move it around. I don't think we've rearranged our living room since we moved in. |
| Jason Heaton (co-host) | That's a nice one. Yeah, and we've been here a long time. So yeah, we'll give it a shot. |
| James Stacey (co-host) | Maybe move stuff around. We'll see. Yeah. Okay, let's get into final notes and we can, as I like to say, put a bow on the episode. |
| Jason Heaton (co-host) | Right. Mine's a quick and easy one. Do you remember that Casio Kickstarter weird little watch? |
| James Stacey (co-host) | Yeah, for sure. |
| Jason Heaton (co-host) | The forever watch. Yeah, yeah. So that came with a strap and I think this is how I learned of it. It came with this elastic hook strap from Nick Mankey Designs and I went over and checked out his website And he has some really cool straps. And I actually bought one for my Garmin Fenix 6. Oh, nice. It's kind of a red. It offers the series with printed text on it. And I got the remove before flight one just for fun. It's a 22 millimeter elastic strap with a really clever hook closure that actually works well with smartwatches. Or like in this case, the Garmin that has a heart rate monitor sensor on the back that rests against your wrist. Even though this is a one-piece strap, it doesn't interfere with that in kind of a clever way. The strap is super comfy, it's along the lines of those from Erica's Originals, with a slightly different way of closing it. I think I find it a little bit easier actually, as well as it's elastic so you can just pull it on. All sorts of colors, patterns, sizes, they're all custom-made, and just a real high-quality strap. I checked his website and until April 6th, he's offering 20% off with the code STAYHOME20. So if you are looking for kind of a new fun, sporty strap for really any of your watches, check out Nick Manke Designs. |
| James Stacey (co-host) | That's killer. And that would bring them what to a little under 25 bucks, something like that? Yeah. Not bad at all. Yeah, definitely. Cool. All right. Mine is an Instagram account that I've been losing some time to. It's hard to gauge time, uh, when you're reading about the SR-71 and the A-12 Oxcart program, but that's what we've got. And the Instagram account is R-O-M-I-G RhoMig21 or RhoMig21, depending on how you look at that. And he has been publishing a long standing look at the history of the A-12 Oxcart program. Um, you know, the, the, essentially the, the, uh, progenitor, the development platform for the SR-71. And before that he did a history of the SR-71 Blackbird. These are Instagram posts. So you kind of have to dial back to find the first one and then move forward. It's, it's clever. It's a photo of a, of a, obviously one of the planes and then a really interesting kind of historical fact or, or tape dateline or something like that. And like, you know, the, the one I just clicked on is from November 9th, 2019. And it's the history of the SR-71 Blackbird part 45. So it's a fun account to follow once you've kind of caught up on the story, because then you'll be kind of flipping through your Instagram and boom, you get another kind of nugget. And I mean, this is my favorite thing, definitely from the world of aviation, probably from the world of man-made things, the SR-71, the A-12, these sorts of things. And Yeah, I love this account. Again, it's R-O-M-I-G-2-1. It's in the show notes, but it's absolutely worth a follow. He does a really good job. He does not have anywhere near enough followers. |
| Jason Heaton (co-host) | Oh, it's so good. I just checked it. I just started following. I love this. I've often loved the idea of using Instagram to kind of do serial storytelling or whatever. And this is brilliant. I love this. The one I clicked on is this photo of a 747 refueling an SR-71 with an F-111 flying chase next to it. It's just such a great photo. |
| James Stacey (co-host) | It's fantastic. Love it. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Super account. One of the coolest things ever made this whole program. And, uh, and obviously the, the, the level of expertise applied in, in kind of laying these out as separate things when they're often considered to be the same plane is, uh, is, is really fun and something I could really get behind. And this is the kind of thing where like, maybe he'll put it into a book one day and then I can buy the book. But for now, it doesn't cost anything. You just have to subscribe and then scroll back to the start of one of these phases and start reading. And then, like I said, you get these kind of little surprises when he updates with another post. Good one. Super, super fun. And yeah, so that's that's the show. |
| Jason Heaton (co-host) | Yeah, good one. I'm down to about half a bar on my little recorder here. |
| James Stacey (co-host) | So let's this is this is why I cut it a little bit short. I knew that you started with two bars. Yeah, let's close this one. But, you know, I think a great show. Thanks again for everyone who sent in questions. And again, support your small companies, support your friends at this time, support people who need you. And thanks very much for listening. |
| Jason Heaton (co-host) | Yeah. Hit the show notes via hodinke.com or the feed for more details. You can follow us on Instagram at Jason Heaton and at J.E. Stacey, and be sure to follow the show at The Graynado. If you have any questions for us, write to thegraynado at gmail.com. Keep sending those voice memos, as we mentioned, for a future Q&A episode. And please subscribe and review wherever you find your podcasts. Music Throughout is Siesta by Jazzar via the Free Music Archive. |
| James Stacey (co-host) | And we leave you with this quote from the American psychotherapist, Richard Carlson, who said, ask yourself this question, will this matter a year from now? |