The Grey NATO - 184 – Watches, And Wonders, And Wishes (Oh My)
Published on Thu, 10 Mar 2022 07:00:27 -0500
Synopsis
The hosts discuss their wishes and predictions for new watch releases at the upcoming Watches & Wonders show in Geneva. They speculate on potential new models from brands like IWC, Oris, Panerai, Rolex, Tudor, Tag Heuer, Zenith, Doxa, Blancpain, and others. They also talk about James's upcoming trip to Miami to see the new Omega watch releases. Jason shares his impressions of the new Vertex M60 Aqualion dive watch he received as a gift. James got a vintage Seiko Monster again after selling his original years ago.
Links
Transcript
| Speaker | |
|---|---|
| James | Hello and welcome to another episode of The Gray Nato, a loose discussion of travel, diving, driving, gear, and most certainly watches. This is episode 184, and it's proudly brought to you by the recently formed TGN supporter crew. We thank you all so much for your continued support. And if you're listening and you'd like to support the show, please visit thegraynato.com for more details. Jason, how are we doing today? |
| Jason | Well, you know, today I went for a run this morning. Um, without wearing cleats on my shoes, I think that's a sign of spring. There wasn't enough ice to have to be too concerned about it. So I'm, I'm hopeful, you know, spring, spring, uh, we'll come eventually here and then we're supposed to get some rain. So, uh, you know, on, on that front, things are, are definitely looking up. Uh, even if, um, you know, as we discussed last week, the, the, the world news is a bit bleak, but it is nice to be able to get outside. Yeah. |
| James | Yeah. For everyone, everyone listening who, uh, you know, we have a huge portion of the audience that's very much concerned about our local weather. Uh, it's a little over, uh, freezing here, which is really nice. Uh, I ended up having a very busy day, so I've, I've not even gone outside. I did open the door, uh, to receive a FedEx package, which we can talk about in a few moments time. Uh, but yeah, the, the, you know, the, to, to your actual point, less so my joke, uh, yeah, the, the worldwide scene surrounding, you know, Ukraine is, has really continued in the exact same pace that it has when we recorded a little, uh, not quite a week ago. We're recording this one a bit early cause I'm traveling next week. Yeah. Um, but, but we have seen some really interesting moves from within our own, I I'm going to call it our own kind of small community. We talked about the Okan Oscar, um, auction, which I think went to like 12 grand, which is, that's so impressive. And then, uh, our buddy Sog, uh, radical on, uh, on Instagram, he's got a, what the, it's a pre prototype, like it's a prototype of, um, of the Baltic diver. |
| Jason | Yeah. That's a, that's really cool. That Baltic is, is an amazing watch and, and that's really generous of, of him. And it looks like it's gotten some traction already. I'm not sure if that auction or his auction will be closed by the time this episode goes live, but do go and, and hit up his Instagram regardless. You know, we, we talked about, uh, in last week's episode in, in one 83, we kind of talked about kind of our raw feelings of trying, you know, trying to come to terms with everything that's going on in Ukraine and, how we're kind of struggling to figure out, you know, how to, how to react to this. And we really wanted to do something with our platform, our, our, our humble TGN platform. And, you know, given the success of some of these auctions, we thought we'd do something similar, uh, instead of, you know, kind of just doing one watch or, or, you know, kind of one big thing we'd like to put together kind of a cool collection of some of our favorite items into one package, I guess, uh, is how I describe it. So a TGN grab bag, a grab bag. Yeah. Our next episode, one 85. which will air initially on the 17th of March, um, we'll be kind of announcing the specifics of the items that are going into the package. But, you know, just to give a hint, we're, we're talking about, you know, kind of a good collection of swag, you know, in the way of straps and some, uh, posters, uh, caps and apparel, a book, um, and, and a few other surprises. And we'll definitely be honing down that list and taking some photos and posting those on Instagram and then talking about them on the 17th. But we wanted to give people, a heads up and you know, our plan is to, to open the auction on the 17th and then, you know, take bids for a certain amount of time. We'll, we'll announce when that auction will close and then all of the items will, we'll go to the high bidder. So we're not going to kind of do it piecemeal. We're going to kind of put it, put it all together in one package and send it out to the, to the winner of that auction. And then we'd like to donate the proceeds of that auction to the international red cross, which, you know, from what we've seen has been doing, know, just a ton of good work in Ukraine and the surrounding areas. Um, and you know, they continue to need a real steady infusion of donations to continue what they're doing. So that's, uh, that's kind of our plan. We also, um, we, we have an idea to maybe, uh, you know, if we hit a certain threshold, um, kind of include kind of a special little tag on to the, to the actual prize of the auction, but we'll, we'll announce all of that on the 17th and episode one 85. |
| James | And if you're listening and you help work with a brand that might be interested in offering something towards this package, something that we can ship obviously without too much trouble, hit us up at thegreatnadoatgmail.com. We'd like to make this a sort of group effort. It's not something from Jason and I, it's from kind of all of us, everyone who's kind of into the show and in the community and that kind of thing. So yeah, if you operate either your own brand or you represent for a brand that might have some swag that you'd want thrown in, uh, no promises. We can't necessarily take everything, but, uh, let us know the great NATO at gmail.com, uh, at least to a certain point, uh, within limitations, the more the merrier, right? Yeah, that's a great idea. So what else is new besides, uh, besides that, what's something a little bit more local home maybe? |
| Jason | Yeah, well, um, if you might recall back in November, when we first, uh, opened up the, the TGN supporter kit, um, campaign and started taking on subscribers to sub stack, uh, I took the very first big FedEx run. In my old seventies, a series three Land Rover, and I dropped off all the packages and on the way home, I broke down and I had to have it towed to a shop. Well, the, the, the shop had kind of kept my truck for gosh, three months with, with no progress. And finally they got around to looking at it and they couldn't, they couldn't find a diagnosis. They couldn't duplicate the problem I was having. Um, I had driven out there a couple of weeks ago and, and took it for a test drive. Got the same strange howling drive train noise and, and, uh, took one of their guys for a drive and he heard it as well. So I left it there. And then, gosh, just a few days ago, I got, I got the call and they said, we can't figure out what's, what the problem is. I'm not being able to duplicate it again. So I, I went, I went out there and I drove it home. I made it home. And on the way, I kind of came to the conclusion that it had something to do with, um, I don't want to get too deep into this, but the, I had a set of freewheeling front hubs on this. So you can, it's a four wheel drive vehicle, obviously part-time four wheel drive, and you can unlock the hubs for the front wheels so that they just spin freely when you're not in four wheel drive. And they were problematic and they don't have a good reputation, this brand. So I came home and I had a set of the stock fixed hubs that would have come on Land Rovers originally. And I, it took all of half an hour and I swapped them and. right in the driveway and took it for a spin and no problem. No, no sounds. Hey, super. So far so good. Everything's working well. So what, what I was anticipating to be a multi-thousand dollar, you know, clutch replacement, um, potentially I fixed in half an hour with parts ahead on hand. So we'll see. It's, it's been running, uh, really well. It's good to have it back. I love that truck. And, uh, so that's, that's kind of the big news here. Yeah. So that's great. I'm glad to hear it. And what about you? You've got some travel coming up. It's you, you announced that. Yeah. |
| James | Yeah, I do. I have some travel coming up, you know, assuming my COVID test that I'm getting before I leave the country, before I leave Canada goes correctly, then yes, I'll be going to Miami for a couple of days next week. Actually, by the time this episode comes out, I'll be home again, pending another COVID test. But I should be back by the time this episode comes out, but I will have gone to Miami for... Miami is now where like Omega USA is based. And this year it's where they're doing their kind of big launches for the year. So they're not taking part in Watches and Wonders, which we'll talk about. We're talking a bunch about Watches and Wonders in just a few minutes. But they're not taking part in Watches and Wonders. They started doing their own thing back when Basel was still happening. And this is kind of the American, North American, South America, the wave for this part of the world will come out of Miami over the next couple of days. That's where they're going to show off a bunch of new products. And, uh, and you know, I've, I've already seen some of the product due to the weird timing of all these various elements. Um, and we can talk about that in a moment, but yeah, I'm, I'm going to Omega. So if there's some weird timing where this episode comes out and a bunch has happened from Omega, it's like we did our best basically. But when, when the embargo kind of lifts on a Monday morning and your show comes out on Thursday and typically is recorded on a Tuesday, even recording on a Friday evening doesn't actually help that much. So we did our best. We don't typically launch news. Um, on this show, but yeah, I'm going to Miami. I've got my bags, uh, mostly packed pastel shirts and linen blazers, right? Yeah. You got it. All that kind of stuff. Yeah. I got, well, I got the Hawaiian shirts out as well. I'm going to lean in a bit, uh, you know, some shoes I haven't worn in a couple of years. Hopefully my foot size hasn't changed, but yeah, so that's a, that's an exciting one. I'm, I'm, I'm looking forward to some travel. Uh, it's a, it's a, you know, at least it's a simple enough itinerary. There's still direct flights. Sure. Uh, Toronto to Miami. |
| Unknown | Yeah. |
| James | And yeah, who doesn't like being in Miami when it's still kind of cold and chilly here in Canada? So that'll be good. And it's always fun to see any new watches, but the stuff from Omega, which we can get to in a couple of minutes, it looks pretty promising so far. There'll be some stuff there to take some pictures of and chit chat about on future episodes of various podcasts and that kind of stuff. |
| Jason | Oh, I'm jealous. That's very cool. That's going to be a shock to the system to go from late wintry Toronto to Miami, but, uh, yeah, I can't wait to see the pictures and hear your impressions. Cause from, from what I've learned preliminarily about some of these new omegas, it should be some interesting stuff to get hands on with. |
| James | So, yeah, I think so. And then, yeah, the only other thing I've got, and I put it on my Instagram, but I, I finally got in that, um, Wange, I think it's Wange, W-A-N-G-E. It's a, it's like a, like a Chinese version of Lego. |
| Unknown | Oh yeah. |
| James | Yeah. So they made, I ordered on a whim when a friend sent it to me, I actually didn't even look how big it was. A plane actually ended up being a little bit bigger than I expected, but I ordered their like SR 71 brick kit. |
| Unknown | Yeah. |
| James | It was like 18 or $19. Uh, it didn't take that long to get here. It's probably here in like a month. All things considered. That's not so bad. Is it cool? And, uh, it is cool that it's different than Lego because there's many more molded pieces. Okay. So the cockpit and the front nose segment, the chime, that kind of is the edge of the plane. Yeah. All of that is like specifically mold. Like you wouldn't be able to swap it out for some other plane. Sure. It's just going to work for the SR-71. Yeah. But besides that, it was good. I would say that the, you know, the, the pieces don't feel quite as nice as Lego pieces, but I'm not surprised by that necessarily. And then the instructions aren't anywhere near as good. You've got to do a lot of like counting segments. Yeah. To get everything to line up. But once you kind of got past that, there's certain, none of it was bad. It's just like Lego really good when it comes to instructions. I can watch my, my kids can sit and build Lego from the instructions with very little trouble. Yeah. Um, and it's the way that they deal with the 3d nature of, of kind of showing somebody an isometric view with, and so you're with, with these, with this SR 71 kit, there's a lot of like, all right, I've got to have this one two clicks out and two in Yeah. And that sort of thing. And sometimes there's like red lines that help you do these alignments with various pieces. Yeah. And other times there wasn't, but it was still fun. It ended up being, it's probably a little bit more than a foot long. It sits a couple inches off the deck cause it's got landing gears. |
| Jason | Does it feel pretty solid when you, once it's together? I mean, it's not going to kind of crumble in your hands when you pick it up. |
| James | I think if you picked it up and twisted it. Yeah. It would just kind of come apart. Yeah. Yeah. Like I said, like it's, They don't fit as well as normal Lego pieces. I would say they're like 90% of the way there. For something like a plane that you leave out on a desk or whatever, a shelf is fine. |
| Jason | I was wondering if you could suspend it from the ceiling with like fishing line or if it would just kind of fall apart. |
| James | Oh, you definitely could. Oh, okay. |
| Jason | Oh, that's cool. |
| James | No, I think you could definitely do that. It's just a question because it's long and thin, right? |
| Unknown | Yeah. |
| James | Yeah. And there's not like a central spine. It uses kind of like a stacked, almost like the way you would make a header for a cabin. It uses kind of a multi-stacked piece of extended Lego. |
| Unknown | Yeah. |
| James | And then things kind of attached to that. So if you gave it a shake at one end, I think the other end would just fall off. |
| Jason | I'm looking at my, um, Saturn five rocket kit that I built several years ago on my, just in my office here. And it's big and it's, it's long and it was built that same way. There isn't a central spine and I don't have it standing up because if it fell over, that'd be the end of it. Um, so it's lying on these supports that came with it. And I have this weird fear that, you know, we're, we're going to be, um, babysitting two, uh, young cats. Um, some friends of ours are going out of town. And if you recall, we lost both of our cats last year. And so these friends of ours said, Oh, would you be willing to kind of foster our cats while we're out of town for a couple of weeks? They're quite young. We've met them. They're very sweet, but they're much more energetic than our old cats were. And I'm thinking for sure, this Saturn five is, is in danger. And so is potentially the defender, which I've got way up on top of a bookcase and, and I, you know, you were talking about the instructions and the Lego instructions are great. But the thing about these big kits is if, if I drop this Saturn five and it goes everywhere and in a thousand pieces, there's no hope of putting it back together because the way you construct them, according to the instructions that came with it was in individual bags that were numbered. And so it was like work on bag number one, then work on bag number two. Once they're all over the floor, just in random order, I would have no idea where to even begin. Yeah. Anyway, that's, it's a, it's a bit of nervousness that I have, but you know, if it happens, it happens. |
| James | But yeah, I don't, I'd like, I don't, I feel like maybe Saran wrap it a bunch. |
| Jason | I don't know. Right. |
| James | Or put it in the garage for a little while. Right. Right. Um, I, this is why you, you see people on YouTube and stuff that build these really, the, the NASA kits are the stuff I've watched people build and, uh, and they glue them as they go. |
| Unknown | I could see that. |
| James | And yeah, I could see that for sure. I mean, if it's something that ends up being a model when you're finished, well, you glue a model together as well. |
| Jason | Yeah, true. I'm never going to take this apart. I mean, you're never going to take the SR-71 apart. Why would you? Yeah. |
| James | No, I mean, like it's not, especially with there's so many pieces specific to it. It's not like, it's not like me having my SR-71 means my kids can't have a better, you know, mall that they're building or whatever. Like it's all kind of separated. Yeah. And I did get those two new Speed Champions, which I spoke about a couple episodes ago. They launched March 1st and I got the Countach and the 512. Oh, wow. Oh, nice. Excited for those and that'll bring my current car collection up to five, which feels like a nice number. Yeah. I do really hope that they continue. They sold out, the Lambo sold out entirely. So I hope that's enough for them to continue making the Speed Champions stuff. Yeah. Cause I'm a big fan. It's like, not expensive, not too many pieces. No, no real concern. If a cat said, you know, where to knock it off the shelf, I could figure out how to put it back together. Right. Right. That kind of thing. But yeah, I, I feel for you with the, uh, with the Saturn five, uh, you know, but kittens are pretty fun. So that should be a good time. Yeah. Good to post some pictures for sure. Yeah. You got new, new friends for when you're sitting by the fire. Right, exactly. All right. |
| Jason | What else have we got here? We've got a lot of watch talk today. Our own watches and Omega stuff and then watches and wonders. |
| James | Why don't we start with just our wrist check. What have you got on? Because you've got something new. I do. |
| Jason | Yeah. So I'm wearing the Vertex M60 Aqualion. This is really exciting. You know, we interviewed Don Cochran, I guess you call him the owner of Vertex watches several episodes ago. Don's a great guy. And just in full disclosure, this watch was actually a gift to me from Don. um, had solicited some feedback and some early discussions when he was first developing concepts for a dive watch. And, you know, I can't say I really had, you know, major input on the design of this. And so I was, I was really flabbergasted when this arrived via UPS a few days ago. And he sent this to me as a kind of a thank you gift for some early feedback I gave him, but, uh, it's, it's fantastic. And so, you know, any remarks here may be considered biased, but I also would say that I don't tend to talk or where talk about or where watches that, uh, that I don't like. So, um, right in a nutshell, this is, it's a pretty fantastic watch. And the fact that, that, you know, I've been wearing my Omega pretty well nonstop for the better part of, of over two months. Uh, this is displaced it for the past few days, which, uh, which I think says something, I can't take a photo that does it justice. It's, it's, it's much better in person. I think when I see it in photos, it looks bigger for one thing. It looks a little more slab sided and two dimensional. And then, and what I'm struck by now that it's on my wrist is, Is it really is a wonderful dimensions? I think, I think he put a lot of thought into kind of the sizing of this and the general shape and the specs are, it's, it's a 40 millimeter diameter watch with a thickness of 14. And then the lug to lug is 49. And, you know, you would ask me kind of how it compares in terms of size and quality to some other kind of known entities. And I was kind of struggling with that and you said, well, what about like a Manta or a Tudor? And I think that kind of, yeah, that kind of hits the mark. I think it's quality wise. I think it comes somewhere in between like the Ocean King from Manta and maybe like a Black Bay. It really is well-dimensioned, at least for my kind of seven and a quarter inch wrist. It doesn't sit too high, although it's got this kind of cool chunky bezel and a fairly big crown that doesn't stick out quite as far as a Black Bay, but it kind of has that reminiscent look to it. Nice. And the loom is pretty good? Loom is just fantastic. Vertex, you know, is kind of known for its loom. They use these big blocky kind of three-dimensional uh chunks of super luminova x1 that glow bright green and uh and really superb loom the what strikes me also about this watch is the the bezel insert is is a matte ceramic so you know so many bezels have a bit of shine to them or some polish and this most surfaces are are matte on this watch it's got a matte dial with these very three-dimensional loom plots and then And then the case has it just a hint of, of polish kind of along the bevel, but otherwise it's a, it's a mat watch and it just kind of looks very businesslike, but, but with enough kind of details to keep me interested. So it's got these kind of big wide hands and then those big numerals, there's just a lot to, a lot to kind of look at. And it came in a, in a pretty impressive package as well. So it came in a Pelican Ruck 60, which is a case I hadn't heard of. I've got several Pelicans for various uses and I hadn't heard of this Ruck family. And it's, it's kind of a smaller case that doesn't really have a handle. It has these kind of slots where I guess you'd run, you know, webbing through it to, to strap onto something like a roof rack or something or, or whatever it might be. And then it came on a, on a, a nice steel bracelet with a dive extension and a fold over clasp, and then a really nice rubber strap and then a nylon strap from, I think it's Zulu Alpha, uh, kind of a third party strap maker. And then the spring bars are all quick release, which I'm, I'm on the fence about. I'm not a big fan of them, but in this case, as soon as I got it, I kind of wanted to try a few different options. And so to have that kind of quick way to kind of move stuff around, especially the bracelet was pretty clever. So currently I've got it on an Erica's original, uh, and then gray strap with a white stripe and it just, it looks really good. So I'm really thrilled with it. I'm really happy with it. It's got a cost certified movement. It's got 600 meters water resistance. So, you know, on paper it's. It's a well-spec'd watch, and it wears really comfortably, and I love the look of it. So big thanks to Don, and yeah, if you're keen on it, that's my impression. I'm happy to give further feedback if you just kind of want some kind of further first-person, hands-on stuff, hit me up on granado at gmail.com if you're interested. |
| James | I think it's a great-looking watch. I'm super curious to see what it's like in person, so I'm hoping I can borrow one sometime in the future get a story up on Hodinkee a little hands on, because I like the idea of a more sort of like upscale take on the micro brand thing. Right. Yeah. And I think it makes sense as long as they check certain boxes. And on paper, this one checks those boxes. And the company's had a good... This isn't their first watch, right? Obviously, we had Don on and he talked about a handful of different watches, but people seem to really enjoy this brand a lot. They seem to have a nice little following, which bodes pretty well because the more expensive the product when you don't have a huge brand name to hide behind, the more people really hold you to what you do. |
| Jason | Yeah, true. I think the slots in interestingly between kind of the, the bigger crop of, of more affordable micro brands, you know, with that, we talk about a lot, the Ravens, the Helios is the you know, some of the others and, and, and yet below, you know, the, the, the Bramonts and the, you know, the tutors and that sort of thing. This watch retails for 3,200. So not insubstantial, definitely a more expensive watch, but not at that five, six, seven, $8,000 range where people start to really get critical of like, Oh, you're a marketing brand and you're using an ETA movement or whatever, but yet not the super affordable stuff where you come to, like you said, forgive some of the little issues that, that people kind of are willing to overlook on a, on a more affordable brand. So yeah. Yeah. Interesting placement. Yeah. Cool. And you got something this week as well. |
| James | I do. Yeah. Uh, we got lucky because we're, we, we actually delayed this recording to today, um, to, uh, late on Friday so that I had time for work and some other stuff. But, uh, I, I had, um, teased this watch last week on the show and it'll probably be on my Instagram by the time this episode actually comes out. I'm not really sure if I'll do bother bother with a wrist shot or if we make it a surprise for the show. Yeah. But I re-bought a Seiko Black Monster, SKX-779. Yeah, you know, it's a weird thing because it was my first Seiko, was my monster. Yeah. The earliest photo I could find also had a handful of other automatics and my SKX-007, which my dad has now. |
| Unknown | Yeah. |
| James | But this was my first automatic Seiko. I remember I bought it off of, you know, Rito and the Poor Man's Watch Forum. And to be honest, I think the reason that I decided to go back and try it again was, one, we're talking 2006, I probably bought it early 2007. Yeah. And so it had been a long time. I had some experience with models that came out later, third gen, like the vampire one and the baby monster and really didn't take to either. I liked the third gen monster fine. It just, it felt a little bit too refined almost, if that's the right word. Yeah. Like a little bit too smooth or slick. There's something so too-ish about the 779 and the 781, the orange monster. |
| Unknown | Yeah. |
| James | It just kind of been on my thing where I would check watch recon occasionally. I didn't love the pricing that I was seeing. Cause this is still a seven S 26 is a pretty rough movement. Um, it's a great bezel design and aesthetic, but it's not like the world's greatest bezel accuracy or mechanism. Uh, you know, these are known to have slightly cockeyed dials. You know, this is a, was a very inexpensive watch in his time. I think I bought my first one for maybe 150 Canadian dollars, maybe 180, something like that. |
| Unknown | Way back. Yeah. |
| James | When they were available on all sorts of different sites very easily. Anyways, I had offhandedly mentioned that I wanted one to our pal Cole. He's working on a Seiko monster sort of story. And within minutes he had connected me to his source for some people who knew that knew where monsters were at a fair price. And it turns out I already knew these people's names from the great NATO. Yeah. So it's not, it's not that big of a world. Yeah. So a huge thank you to Michael Pandolfo and Chris soul, uh, both TGN, uh, you know, listeners and, uh, really friendly guys on, uh, on Instagram. You can find their Instagram accounts in the show notes. They, uh, they were in the process of digging up some orange monsters. Huh? And I would have taken an orange or a black, but I w I was more concerned with getting the bracelet. Oh, okay. I don't typically love bracelets, but this is a solid, this is like one of Seiko's best bracelets in my opinion. Yeah. It's like heavy and chunky, but the links are, um, a single way H pattern. So almost more like, I guess you could call it a C pattern. |
| Unknown | Okay. |
| James | Yeah. With an intermediary link that doesn't have a two way hinge, it's single hinged. So there's one spring bar for each connection. Um, and then, It's very difficult to size because it uses a tension collar, but it uses it on both sides. So if you've never sized a Monster and you're listening to this and you go like, James bought a Monster, I'm going to buy one too. When you start to size it for the first time, do yourself a favor and make sure it's on a table that doesn't have a lip. put a straw, something down at the edge of your table to keep stuff from rolling off. Because as you use a link pusher, these little tiny collars are just rolling around and then putting it back together. You can't use a link pusher like you think you would. You kind of have to use two kind of flat edges. And I usually protect, I kind of tape the things in place and then push through the tape. So luckily I still remembered how to do all this without even looking up a guide. I remember having to look up a guide back when I bought my first one, but otherwise, man, it's just like, it's exactly It's exactly how I remember it. It's heavy and kind of slick. No watch wears or feels like a monster. That's a very unique sort of aesthetic. It wears very flat on your wrist because it is this sort of very flat, weird shape with super short lugs. The loom is ridiculous. This one still had the stickers on the case back and on parts of the bracelet, the hang tag. So it's in really nice condition. So far it's keeping time. It's a 7S26. I'm not going to ask you to do much more than that. Yeah. But I'm just thrilled. You know, this is, like I said, it was one of my first, uh, one of my first, it was my first Seiko, uh, definitely my first automatic Seiko. And, uh, and I don't really know why I got rid of it. I, and you know, we'd, we'd had a recent Q and A where someone had asked about watch regrets and I don't, yeah, exactly. And I don't know that I would have, I would say that I regret selling my monster because it took me, I don't know, how many years is that? 15 years. Right. I've fully admit I have had zero |
| Jason | attraction to or interest in. I mean, I see them, they're so incredibly popular and I'm like, it does absolutely nothing for me. And, and that's not to say I don't like it or it's ugly or anything. It's just, you know, it's like a certain car or, or, or anything or a paint color or anything. I just, I just don't see it. I just don't get it. |
| James | But, um, I think it's a, it's appeal is a little bit more niche than a 007 or something like that. |
| Jason | Yeah, I guess so. Yeah. And I guess my, my tastes do run more towards, uh, well, My, my current love, uh, lovely Omega, um, notwithstanding, I mean, I'm, I'm more of a traditionalist when it comes to kind of my watch looks, but, uh, that's cool. I mean, to, to rebuy kind of your first significant. Automatic or first Seiko is something that, you know, we've talked about, I've talked about kind of going back to my earliest days. And I know that I would feel similarly if I was able to kind of source the, the one that got me started as well. So that's, uh, that's really fun. That's awesome. |
| James | So yeah, a big, a big shout out to everyone. Cole, Chris, Michael, uh, for hooking that up and, uh, making it easy and getting it to Canada with limited stress. Uh, I think this is going to be a nice, nice way to kick off summer and a season in which I'm going to, you know, I'm happy wearing a heavier sort of watch and bracelet feels great. I love the looms hilarious, right? It's just so, so bright. That's my, uh, that's my wrist check. I'm, I'm thrilled. Got a brand new watch and it just feels like coming home a little bit. Oh, that's fun. That's great. You want to dive into some Omega stuff quite literally? Yeah, let's do it. |
| Jason | I mean, just as a, as a preamble to this, I have not seen the watches you described them to me. I have some background with one of them, but you saw a kind of an early glimpse. And then of course you'll be getting hands on. So we're kind of like you said at the top, we're, we're doing this in a very weird way. Um, but I can give some color, uh, at, at best here, but why don't you explain what, what you saw? |
| James | Yeah, I kind of like Hamden Hall on whether or not we even include it, but like Omega is a big brand. One of the big announcements is a dive watch. We love Omega, so why not? But by the time we're talking about this, you've seen all the stories on Hodinkee and everywhere else. Maybe you've even seen like follow-up stories, hands-on. I'll be shooting some of that kind of stuff next week, but that'll all be before this episode comes out. Again, we apologize for the timing of these things. It usually works in our favor just fine, but not always. So yeah, The big stuff, quite literally, is the new Seamaster Ultra Deep. Yeah. So this is now a production spec version of the sort of concept, one-off, record-breaking watch that they strapped to a submarine with Victor Vescovo back in 2019. Crazy. Just crazy. Yeah. So that watch went to the bottom of the Marianas Trench and went 12 meters deeper than the Bathyscaph Trest did. This new one, the production spec comes in... There's a titanium version, which is very similar to the actual one that was on the submarine, it's just quite a bit smaller. And there's a steel version, and the steel version uses a new steel alloy that Omega has created called Omega Steel. So regardless of the material, they're 45.5 millimeters wide, which is down from 55 millimeters for the concept. |
| Unknown | Yeah. |
| James | And they're 18 millimeters thick, 18.12, something like that. Uh, which is again, that's a centimeter thinner than the concept that went to the actual bottom of the ocean. Yeah. Water resistance is 6,000 meters. So this is, this is Omega's new flagship diver. This is the main reason we're talking about it. This is the top spec for a Seamaster now is the, uh, is the ultra deep. The titanium version has its own case, obviously, but also it's not the same shape as the steel one. It has an asymmetrical case that allows for some crown guard. and uses a titanium, a two-piece titanium case back. It's all kind of gray and blue. It also uses those Manta lugs, which are a little bit like channel lugs, but they do have a small opening in the channel. They called them Manta lugs, the same thing we saw in that original one. The new titanium version, you wear that on a NATO, which they're offering. It's made at 100% of recycled materials. The example they gave was fishing line and fishing nets. And it has titanium matching grade five titanium hardware. It, you know, these are like a big, big, big cool watch, but the, you know, it's water resistant to 6,000 meters. So we're talking absurd, just crazy. Almost 20,000 feet. No. Yeah. |
| Jason | Uh, yeah, you're right. It is close to 20,000 feet. So not quite Mariana's trench depth. They certainly couldn't make it the same as the, as the, uh, kind of the prototype that went to the bottom, but, uh, that's, it's pretty darn close. It's deeper than any of us will need. |
| James | Yeah. And the steel ones have a bracelet. Again, these are big kind of ultra lux dive watches. The steel ones have a bracelet and pricing is somewhere around 12 or 13,000, 11 to 13,000 Swiss francs. That hasn't been confirmed at this point. And then I guess some of the interesting little tidbits on the side, and again, there's lots of resources at this point that you can read about, is the new steel is pretty cool because they needed to create a steel that would allow them to keep the size of the watch where they wanted it, but still have it be very strong. So what they have is this, their own steel, it's called Omega Steel. So it took them five years to develop it. It's a higher yield, which means it has more elasticity, I believe. Grade 5 titanium is great for a watch that you would take to some incredible depth because it's not just going to crush, it has some give or flex to it, I guess. And so that's what you get in this. It's also about 50%, 40 to 50% harder than 316L. So that's great for scratches and stuff like that. And it's also visibly it looks different than standard steel. It's a little bit whiter and it has more luster. So it's a little bit more of a premium option that way. It's not something that they're using on... It's not like they're going to start making all the Seamasters and Planet Oceans and the rest of this. This is where it's starting and kind of for a very specific technical reason. Beyond that, four patents for water resistance that are pending. So the shape of the crystal has a conical edge. that allows it to be secured. So it's a, the watch can be used for saturation diving, but doesn't need a helium escape valve. So kind of, and it's not a monoblock, it's not like a Seiko Tuna. It has a two piece case back, which is also patented. The crown is also patented as is the new gasket for the crystal. So they had to do some new stuff to make this happen. And like 6,000 meters is just, it's so, it's so much pressure. They're saying it's 7.5 tons of pressure on the crystal. at 7,500 meters. So it's 6,000 meters, but the watch, this is an interesting thing that I haven't fully unraveled yet, but the watch is ISO certified by Metas. Oh, so it's not just, it doesn't just check all the boxes for ISO certification. They actually met as goes ahead and does it. And if you're doing the math in your head, you have to do 25% overpressure for safety. Oh, when you do, when you get ISO certified to the depth listed on the dial. So that means these watches are tested to at least 7,500 meters. Wow. Right. Yeah. So it's, it's really bonkers. And I think like Omega has really become the tech brand in the, in the sort of higher end sports watch space. Yeah. They really like these technical achievements. It has, um, it's, it's still using, uh, the 89 12 coaxial, which is the same, same movement we saw in that, um, in the, in the original, uh, concept watch. You know, I, I think this is an interesting thing, Jason, like you've, you've seen the original in person. I'm sure that, Omega clearly didn't believe that it was something that was ready for people's wrists. It might have been more of like a collector oddity, like those giant nostrum Panerais and that kind of thing, if they had made it that way. But they really made a concerted effort to bring it into the space of a planet ocean, really. And then to their point, yes, 18 point whatever, 18.12 millimeters is pretty thick, but even they said it's thinner than a PO chronograph. Really? |
| Jason | Oh, okay. I was wondering what... I was trying to kind of envision what that looks like, just I mentioned that this vertex is 14. So I was trying to picture, you know, four more millimeters. I should dig out something that I have that is roughly that and see what it feels like. But 45 and a half was the size of the original big size planet ocean. So yeah. Interesting. I can't imagine wearing that watch in steel on the steel bracelet. It must just be an absolute brick on the wrist. |
| James | Yeah. We're going to, I'm going to find out in a couple of days. Yeah. Um, you know, I don't think I've got the wrist for it necessarily, But obviously, Omega knows their audience really well. They also... We recently did a show about watches we'd overlooked that included a handful of smaller Planet Oceans. Yeah, yeah. And I think they've got those base... I think they see that as having the bases covered, but not having their own deep sea fighter. Right, right. So it's this one titanium version and there's six references in the steel. We'll put some links in the show notes that'll get you more details if you want it. So cool. I could probably just buzz through these other ones. There's a new, a fully new generation of the Speedy 57. So if you're a big Speedmaster fan, especially the 57, take a look. New colors, multiple refinements, that sort of thing. Next up, we've got a... This is probably the one I'm most excited to see in person. It's the new Moonwatch, but in full moonshine gold. And there's four references, and one of them includes a rubber strap. So it's a gold Speedy with a black dial, really great looking. with a rubber strap, and then the inside of the rubber strap has like the moon texture on it, like the surface of the moon. It's just something that gets these little details that are kind of fun, especially for the Moonwatch stuff. But that's in several versions. I'm really excited to see that and do sort of hands-on coverage for that. And then finally, they've got two full new lines for the Aqua Terra that are very colorful steel versions in 38 and 34 millimeters. And all of the stuff I just listed is relatively similar to any of the pricing that already exists within those lines. So Precious Moonshine or Precious Speedmasters, Steel Aquaterras and the Speedy 57, the pricing's not changing in any significant way. |
| Jason | Sounds like a solid showing for Omega this time around. I have to chuckle at the name Moonshine Gold. I mean, I'm not sure who cooked that up, but they definitely had a chuckle when they came up with that. At least I hope they did. Cause that's hilarious. You know, when I was, um, when I was in, uh, in London for the kind of the launch or the showing of the, of the ultra deep, uh, a couple of years ago with, I, we went to a dinner and Rinald, the CEO of Omega was there and Victor Vescova was there. And I remember, uh, Victor walked around, uh, the dinner and was chatting with different people and he was wearing the, um, the concept watch, uh, on his wrist on the, on this, uh, on this, uh, Velcro strap. And, and he gave it to me to, to try on. And I'm sure I've got a wrist shot somewhere in my phone. I, I, this reminded me I should dig that out. I mean, it's just an, just a crazy, crazy piece, but I remember looking at it when we had a chance to kind of play with it and thinking to myself, this is, this is a good looking watch. There was no healing release valve sticking out of the side. It was a, I believe it was a no date. Um, the, the colors were kind of cool. I liked those strap horns. |
| Unknown | Yeah. |
| Jason | I mean, it was cool. And I remember telling like Rinaldo, I said, you know, you really should make a production version of this. And, you know, I'm sure he knew by then they were going to, I mean, why would you go to the trouble of, of building that thing without some future plan in mind? So that's a, that's really exciting. I mean, I'm, I'm all for that. I love that watch. I think it'd be really fun. |
| James | Yeah. I'm looking forward to seeing it in person for sure. And you know, this, this, this little trip that I've got to Miami for a couple of days to see these watches, you know, the, I think right around that time we'll, we'll start to see, Like mid next week, we should see some new information from Bremont, which we don't have an inside scoop on, so we can't talk about it yet. That'll be again, a little late. Once we're there, then we're within shooting distance of Watches and Wonders. So this really is new watch season and Omega not tying themselves to a specific show has given them quite a bit of freedom. During Watches and Wonders in Geneva, there'll be other announcements from brands that aren't necessarily like in Pal Expo doing a thing. Yeah. Blancpain, Breguet, that sort of thing. But Omega really is running this and by doing it in early March, they get the new cycle to themselves for at least a little while, right? Yeah. True. Right. But yeah, I'm excited to see these in person and I'm excited for kind of, like I said, like kind of the start of a new watch season, which this year is going to be pretty much run by watches and wonders because they've got so many of the big brands that used to be in two different shows, et cetera. |
| Jason | Right? Yeah. It's a weird season. I mean, you mentioned Braymont. I forgot about that, but I saw the invite for their, launch event next week. And so we'll, again, we'll be late with that news, but, but this is like, boom, boom, boom. Now we've got Omega, Bremont, and then Watches and Wonders, which, uh, which you'll be going to remind me and everybody of the dates for Watches and Wonders. |
| James | Uh, the Watches and Wonders goes like from March 30th to April 5th, something like that. Okay. All right. Well, yeah, so we can jump into kind of this, this is like going to be a kind of loose predictions slash wishes. Some of them you'll, you'll know some of them we came up with recently. But we'd considered kind of doing this right before, like to have this come out the week before Watches and Wonders. But the truth is that like in the next week or so, we'll start seeing the embargoed information and then you're not going to get an unvarnished opinion from us. It'll be clouded by actually knowing stuff or feeling like we can't talk about it. I really like this because right now, let's say if somebody from one of these brands was listening, they know that I don't know. So if we hit the nail on the head, I didn't violate anything. I've not signed anything that said I can't talk about any of these brands, neither has Jason. So we can kind of buzz through these. And like I said, it's kind of a mix of what we expect and what we'd love to see. So it's pretty easy that way. Yeah. Jason, you want to start with kind of a, a Geneva show classic IWC? |
| Jason | Yeah, let's do that. I mean, it's been years since I went to SIHH and you did too with, with IWC and it always used to be fun. They used to do those themed years where one year was Ingenuer, one was Pilot and one was Aquatimer. And you know, we, we've, I think we've talked about some of these in the past on kind of our wishes for, for certain brands or what we would do if we were CEO, et cetera. And with IWC, I keep coming back to, you know, simplify the Aqua timer and, and I'd love to see them revisit it. It's been, it's been several years since they tweaked that line. And I still think as much as the current Aqua timer has grown on me, I feel like IWC has gotten over the years, they've gotten too complicated with kind of how they, deliver the bezel or certain aspects of their watches. And I just want like a simpler Aqua timer, something like the, uh, the old three, five, three, six, you know, the, the old GST one with, um, with just a, a simple external bezel that, that isn't, you know, internal slash external, um, you know, some, some good kind of two tonic IWC styling and give us a titanium option in a good size. I think, uh, I think that's what I'd love to see. And then, and then the other thing was, was just to kind of reboot the Ingenieur line. I'd love to see kind of them go back even before kind of the really angular stuff that we saw in the, in the early two thousands, even to kind of a little bit more retro stuff, because I think that's the Ingenieur that people don't expect. And I'd love to kind of see them revisit that. |
| James | Yeah. I think, I think an Ingenieur kind of rethink something a little bit closer to the original. Actually, I think that the, the ones that they did do 10 years ago or so were pretty stealthy. They're pretty cool and they're nicely made, but they were a little bit almost too, a little bit too much. They had a little, they had like a little whiff of Hublot, which I don't mean in a bad way. They were just like almost overly sporty, which suits Hublot. But if you know the history of the Ingenieur, there's some subtlety kind of tied into that. And I would love to see them do something like that, especially look at the popularity. Look at every brand is doing an integrated bracelet, you know, Genta-esque sort of thing. And why shouldn't IWC, right? If show park can do it, right? If, if, if long, it can do it. Yeah. Right. Uh, I, I understand for people who are already typing the email that the longer is not technically an integrated bracelet. They just make it look like that fair play, but you get my point. Yeah. I think that they should do it. And then I, I, I could literally couldn't agree more, um, with your, you know, the three, five, three, six, or the, the one that came after with the black, yellow, the three, five, six, eight, 10. Oh, yeah. that black and yellow one. And that was during the same time as the one where they did the Cousteau with the blue, orange and all that. And I just think that whole line, like go back and make a new watch, but look at all that kind of stuff. And I think like in many ways, just make a relaunch the GST line. |
| Unknown | I think we're ready for it. |
| James | Bring it back, do a bunch of stuff right around 40 millimeters. You've got a couple movements now that fit in pilot's watches of that size. Um, nobody needs an incredibly complicated dive watch, especially not from, from IWC. I think what you want is something that, that like matches that brand's kind of mix of almost like jewel like presentations of certain elements and the rest of it being very kind of sporty and, uh, and every day. And, and I think that they could, they could absolutely hit that, uh, with, uh, with, uh, you know, a 2022 GST line, it could be two or three watches. It doesn't have to be a ton. Right. Very cool. That'd be super fun to see. They've already done a ton of stuff in the last year with pilots watches and the rest of it. So who knows which, what direction they'll go for this. Right. Um, but I'm curious to see what it is whenever we find out. Uh, how about Oris? They're normally a Baselworld brand. Uh, what, this is a brand that doesn't have a lot of holes in their lineup. In my opinion, they got a lot of dive watches. They got lots of pilots watches. They got dressy stuff. They got kind of like casual dressy. |
| Jason | Yeah. Well, I found a hole in, in Oris's collection that, that I think, um, is ripe to be filled. And that is in the chronograph category. You know, they have, they have an Aquus chronograph, a big one, and then they've got the Diver 65 chronograph. And, you know, I know Oris kind of likes to, they've gotten certain things in their wheelhouse and they do maintain sort of a value outlook. But I think, you know, they've been doing some interesting stuff lately with in-house things, gone a little bit up market with some of their watches. And one watch that I've missed in Oris' lineup was the old Chronorus that was made Not the most recent Cronorus that they kind of turned into a twin crown watch, like a sports watch, but like the old chronograph. I love that watch. I would love to see a Cronorus come back or some other interesting kind of pilots chronograph. I think Horus needs a chronograph in their lineup. I think it's a fairly major hole and I hope, I hope they present something like that. |
| James | Yeah, it is kind of interesting because you go to the site and you go to the watch finder and you click on chronograph and you expect to see some pilots watches and it's just three dive watches and really it's just two, one's bracelet, one's on a strap. Looking at the Diver 65 chrono, that'd be pretty sweet at like 39, 40 millimeters. Oh, I'd love that. If they wanted to do it with different color way, right? Yeah. That'd be rad, but a pilot's chronograph makes a lot of sense. Yeah. Yeah. That's in a PowerPoint deck somewhere, right? |
| Jason | You know what would be cool is like a big crown pilot chronograph with a coin edge bezel, kind of like a hand heart style, you know, like a little bit of a retro-y looking smaller chronograph. |
| James | Bring in some of the pointer date stuff. Bring in some of the like a big crown pointer date stuff. Yeah. Something. I don't know. I don't disagree. I think it would be really fun to see, you know, I'm a broken record when it comes to this, but I think Oris could pull this off. you know that they've got, they've got a couple of different smaller sizes of the diver 65. Like we've seen it's 36 millimeter for the cotton candy ones. Yeah. I would love to see like a, I don't think you'd have to do a bracelet. It'd be cool to have a bracelet, but I'd just love to see a standard diver 65 at say 38 millimeters or even 40 that's gold plated. It wouldn't have to cost a lot more than a steel one. Yeah. But I think what it would do is it would give people who aren't buying a diver 65 because they have 10 other dive watches, a reason to go for a diver 65. So I think your idea is better. A pilot's chronograph makes more sense. And I think anything gold plated these days, especially from a brand where Oris kind of sits, is kind of an uncommon move. But I think it could be fun. I mean, I guess in many ways, their gold offering is bronze for the most part. |
| Jason | Yeah. So we kind of know what it looks like in a warm tone, kind of a warm color. And so you, you kind of can tell that it would look good. Um, but gold just has a different feel to it. And I think, I think you're right. I think that would look really sharp and they could do that. |
| James | If it was like the, like the relief bezel rather than a bezel with an aluminum insert or something. So it was just like, I think it'd be cool. You can even go like a gold dial, but it worked with a black day. We don't forget anything. Blue dial would be great. Right. Right. Um, so I think that could be pretty fun. Yeah. What about Panerai? They're at the show. Not a brand I think a ton about these days. |
| Jason | Same here. Yeah. I mean, it's funny because I've seen these ads pop up on various websites that say, have you looked at Panerai lately? And I thought you're kind of reading my mind because no, I haven't. Like Panerai is a brand that I should like, and I've tried some over the years and I do like their watches, but I feel like they've just, they've gotten in a rut and they need something different. I don't know what, maybe they're, Maybe they've painted themselves in a corner with kind of their general aesthetic that it's just, it's hard to break free of that. So they kind of do a lot with different kind of upscale materials, but they need, they need to do something. And I was a bit at a loss to come up with something for this, frankly. |
| James | Yeah. I don't, I don't think I would want them to stop doing the BMGs and the, the recycled stuff and the, the, like the higher end versions of the Luminor that are like technologically interesting, but still look like a watch from the forties. Right. I think that's so cool. And I think the Panerai aesthetic was so big in 2010. Yeah. And then it got very casual or got very saturated. Brands, other brands started to copy it, all that kind of thing. And then the mid century stuff kind of came into their times. And so that's, we're leaving the thirties and the forties and we're into the fifties and sixties. And I think, I think there's definitely a case here where they, they, I think you, you, you, we might want to pick the best of from three or four different parts of this brand and make the kind of new go-to entry-level piece for them. Oh yeah. Like, like, you know, like a 40 to 42 millimeter Luminor with a very simple dial, but great loom of a decent movement. And then don't make it like 12 grand, right? Like the, like the submersible, which I like quite a bit, the small sub, make it something like what Panerais used to cost. Make it seven or eight grand. Make it something that's kind of in the range of a nicely more expensive side of a Planet Ocean or an IWC. And I think people would go kind of nuts for that, especially if it was not, say, 45. I think the Panerai crowd will always want that, and Panerai still makes it. But maybe make something for people who came into watches in the last two or three years and don't realize just how big a presence Panerai has been. |
| Jason | Yeah. That's a good idea. I mean, I had a, years ago I had a one 12, which was just a steel, uh, Luminor and, and it had the ETA based, you know, the hand wound movement. And I love that watch. And it was a stretch for me back then. But I think now if they did something like that, it doesn't have to be, I mean, I know they've gone all in house now, but you know, they can, they can do a, a less expensive in-house hand wound. Like a new base. Yeah. |
| James | Like new base logo or something. |
| Jason | 41, 42 millimeters max, um, less than six grand or something. Yeah. I'd, I'd love to see that. That'd be cool. |
| James | Yeah. I think it'd be cool to see what you would have to call a mid-sized Luminor. Yeah. Yeah. But I think that could be rad. Obviously, I'm a huge... I remain a giant Radimir fan and a Submersible fan. I like their watches. I genuinely do. It's just everybody listening knows how much money my sort of space in the watch... Practically, for me personally, how much my money really goes into the watch world. And I've never bought anything like what they charge these days. Yeah. Yeah. Their watches are very tech forward. The in-house movements, for the most part, and the rest of it. I think that's one I'm pretty curious about because I have not tracked the brand that carefully over the course of the pandemic the last couple of years. I think that they're primed to surprise people, which would be really fun. How about the big one? How about we go with Rolex? The elephant in the room. I never know. I've never been more wrong than when I make guesses for Rolex. There were some leaks on Reddit that included like a new Hulk. So the 41 millimeter, but in Hulk form a return of the black green GMT master, but on a Jubilee, I could see that happening. Yeah. Yeah. And then there was this, this is, this is the one that kind of blew me away. If it's real, it's a, it was a white dial Daytona, but with a steel bezel. So like the one that came up before the ceramic, you know, and there was even earlier version of that, which was like the end of the Zenith stuff. Mm hmm. So I don't know why not. I mean, sure, it's a Daytona. It's like you can't buy them. And if you do, they're worth like triple whatever you paid if you got retail. So it's just a strange world. And then I saw some like new day, just stuff like gold stuff. And then apparently a new, you know, that like classic, like eighties banker gold sub with the shiny blue dial. Oh yeah. You know, people are teasing that as well. And the renders that come out, look, have looked pretty good. Huh? But who knows that it could be a good fake for Reddit or it could be a retailer took some screenshots they weren't allowed to take and shared them around and finally hit WhatsApp and then it hit Reddit. So yeah, it's, it's hard to say what, what do you think beyond, beyond those guesses, which is, I think is the best thing you can say for the Reddit stuff. |
| Jason | Well, so they had the, the, the two-tone Explorer, I think was that last year maybe, maybe a full yellow gold Explorer. I mean, if they're leaning into that, you know, why not? But, The other, the other thing I saw that was rumored, and it was actually from some kind of closeup photos of, of the sailor, Ben Ainsley, who I think is a Rolex ambassador, um, world-class Olympian and long distance sailor, um, America's cup guy. He was wearing a yacht master that when people were kind of zooming in and looking at the different elements of the watch, they were pretty convinced it was a titanium yacht master, which, um, you know, it had a bit more of a gray, uh, metal, Um, and then some other elements of it that, that looks a little different on, on the, what's it called? The Oysterflex rubber bracelet. You know, Yachtmasters, I haven't paid much attention to them, but they're, it's a cool watch. You know, we talked about that a little bit on our. Oh, the 37. Yeah. Yeah. That 37 millimeter Yachtmaster and the Yachtmaster is kind of a cool sub Mariner alternative and a titanium version would be, would be pretty fun to see that. That would, that would, you know, uh, pique my interest a little bit more than the Yachtmaster has ever. So. |
| James | Now that you say that, that the rumor is that it's on an Oysterflex, I'm much more interested than when I just, I saw her notes and I saw a titanium yacht master. I was like, titanium Rolex on a bracelet. Like, I don't know. I don't know. I don't know necessarily about that, but on the Oysterflex, that's going to be a really cool watch. |
| Jason | It's like full on sporty, like proper. Yeah. Yeah. That'd be really cool. Yeah. |
| James | Yeah. So who knows with Rolex? There's no chance we're right. Yeah. Yeah. We didn't even bother really making any predictions like that. |
| Unknown | Right. |
| James | Or, you know, you know, I guess a yellow gold Explorer, which we, you know, we had in that. |
| Jason | I phoned that in. That was yeah. |
| James | Photoshop challenge that we did for, that I did for, um, Houdinki. Right. Danny had, Danny had dreamed of a yellow gold Explorer. |
| Jason | Oh, he did. Okay. Or maybe, maybe it was launched in my brain. Yeah. |
| James | Yeah, we did a fun wrist shot, because it's just a color replacing Photoshop to make something look gold. It does look really good, though. It's super cool. How about we do Tudor? Tudor, yeah, right. The other... This one we talk about a lot, what we want from Tudor. |
| Jason | I mean, everybody knows what we want, right? We want some kind of a GMT in a diver configuration. The Pelagos. |
| James | Yeah, I think a Pelagos GMT, a 58 GMT, something that would be great. I still think the Black Bay GMT is a great watch, and they already make that. |
| Jason | Yeah. I'd like to see them move the... kind of that Breitling sourced Black Bay chronograph movement into a kind of a slimmer, smaller heritage chronograph. I've, you know, we've, we've talked about it as well, that the heritage chronograph is one of our favorite tutors. It gets overlooked. I could see them updating that. I mean, people love that watch and it'd be so great if it was just slightly more wearable. It was just, it's just kind of a chunk. |
| James | Yeah. And well, and especially because they, they recently, you know, the North flag, they removed it. So I think if they were done with the heritage chrono, It might've gone away when the north flag went away. Yeah, true. So, and I, you know, I think, I think we could see a ranger to an update to the ranger or something like that. |
| Unknown | Yeah. |
| James | Who knows, who knows with Tudor, you know, whatever they do, I think it's going to, it'll probably be rad. That's my guess. Yeah. Whether or not they do the, the, you know, they, they go big on the GMT. If I was Tudor, I'd probably wait. If I had that GMT in my pocket, I'd wait and do it on my own new cycle, like mid summer. |
| Unknown | Yeah. True. |
| James | September, something like that. I don't know that I would want to share the limelight with whatever comes else, whatever else comes out of watches and wonders. Cause I just think that like that would be such a watch. Yeah. And obviously I couldn't be more biased. I begged for it. I've created renders for it. Yeah. When Tudor eventually hires me, that that'll be my first product. No, yeah. I'm very excited. Tudor's I think my first meeting. I'm super excited for it. So I'm, I'm, I'm in, I'm in, I can't wait to see what they, uh, what they've got. And I guess it'll be a good spread too. I don't think it's just going to be, you know, we've got an anniversary coming up, uh, in just a few days, actually for the original launch of the black Bay. Oh, it'll be 10 years. And so I'd be surprised if they did nothing for the black Bay, they've got a 10 year anniversary and they're, you know, launching product two weeks after and talk about a watch that changed that brand and kind of changed, kind of really spoke the whole new vintage thing into a bigger crowd than some of the smaller micro brands and stuff had been, or even like Longines hadn't, hadn't really had the effect of, of like really teaching people that you could reach back into your catalog, kind of make something new, make something new, but something that refers. |
| Jason | Yeah. |
| James | So I'm excited to see where they go. And, you know, obviously that's a, that's a, as far as quote unquote, like modern, um, anniversaries go, that's an interesting one, but it'll be, it'll be cool to see what they come up with, just like with Rolex and, and the rest, uh, let's see, also we've got on the list here. How about some, uh, tag Hoyer, anything you really want from tag Hoyer? |
| Jason | I do. Um, you know, I'm a, I'm a big fan of the old, uh, Aqua graph, which was their dive chronograph. And I was looking at the, you know, they updated the Aqua racer line recently. And we talked at length about that a while back. And I'd love to see an awkward Aqua racer chronograph with, you know, like the Hoyer zero two caliber. Um, you know, they could, they could kind of put it in the, what is it? A 43 millimeter or the bigger size chronograph if they want. I mean, I'd love to see it in a smaller one, but like, you know, make this your halo diver, like make it your kind of your planet ocean competitor. that, that Hoyer 02 Calibra, I was looking at their website and the Hoyer 02 in the, in a Carrera is a sharp looking watch. It's very kind of Zenith or Daytona looking and kind of move that movement into the Aqua Racer configuration and do like a, you know, really techie, chunky, um, kind of flagship diver I think would be, would be really nice for tag. I think a dive chronograph, I love dive chronographs. I know a lot of people don't, but it's, it's a, it's a, category that I love, and I'd love to see that from Tag. |
| James | Yeah, a new Aquagraph would get my attention for sure. Yeah. But they're a hard one to predict, because normally they kind of follow, this year it's Monaco stuff, this year it's Aquaracer stuff, but they've got like, everybody gets a blank check. Yeah, yeah. You know, we haven't done a watch show in two years, we're all doing this, so who knows, maybe they'll come up with something really wild. Yeah. And, and certainly in their history, they have at, at the big shows, you know, whether it's a V4 Monaco with a crazy movement or, uh, you know, that's what they did. The Bamford carbon Monaco, uh, back in 18 or 19. Uh, so who knows? Like, uh, I think we could see something pretty rad. Uh, but it's, it's also, it's hard to, you know, they, they just put out that, that, like you said, the Aquaracer Chrono. So I think it could be kind of cool to see that go, like you said, in kind of a more techie direction, something a little bit more intense, right? Like, yeah, like If you don't know the Aquagraph, we'll put it in the show notes. This is a genuinely cool watch. Yeah, yeah. Great use of a yellow seconds hand as well. Definitely. We still have Zenith on the list. Anything you actually want from Zenith? That's like they're kind of in there with Panerai. I don't think about them a ton. |
| Jason | I don't either, but it's always occurred to me because I've liked a lot of their watches over the years. Why don't they have a dive watch? I mean, maybe it's some kind of LVMH strategy that like Zenith only does this and Tag does some dive watches. |
| James | Pilots and Chronos, yeah. |
| Jason | But I'd like to see a Zenith dive watch. I was thinking back, you know, when they were kind of still aligned with Movado back in the, you know, sixties, early seventies, they, they did like the subsea watches. They had some kind of neat old vintage stuff that they could kind of bring back. And then they recently kind of relaunched a bunch of interesting defy family watches, which was kind of their tough sort of sports watch. Um, I could see a diver as part of the defy family. I'm, I'm, I just can't believe the Zenith doesn't have a dive watch. I know they're not really, known for that, but you know, why not? I mean, they've had it in their, in their history and that certainly is a trend is to look back at your history. And I think that's a real hole in their collection as well. |
| James | Yeah. I would agree absolutely with those two suggestions as far as dive watches go. And I would offer up a third, which is a watch that they produced. I don't actually know the specific date range, late nineties, two thousands. It was called the elite. It was a 39 millimeter dive watch with a very thin bezel. I think in total it was like eight or nine millimeters thick. So it was like a dress dive watch, came with a thin bracelet. They made a weird one with a yellow dial that I've tried to find a couple of times. I always get excited when I see them. And it is like a dress watch that somebody turned into a diver. But I think you could pull that off as Zenith right now. If you priced it right, gave it a movement that people might look at, maybe do a version in ceramic or whatever you're doing the Defy stuff out of. They have some interesting stuff from not that long ago that wasn't necessarily wild. It was just like, It didn't hit the beat that I think people were looking for and watches at the time. And I think the beats changing so that they might have a chance with something like that. Yeah. So I think that's probably where, where I would stand for, for Zenith. Uh, I'm a curious one, but I, you know, I've never been, I don't think I've owned a Zenith, uh, and, and a lot of their stuff doesn't always speak to me. Yeah. Um, but I think they've been on a pretty good trajectory these days. So, uh, I'd be excited to see them do some sporty stuff for sure. Yeah. Beyond that, looking at who else is exhibiting in the area, not at Pal Expo properly. What about Doxa? Doxa is showing one of our favorite brands. I'm excited to see anything that they've got. I almost don't care. Whatever you got, I just want to see it and hold it and take pictures of it. |
| Jason | Yeah. Where do they go? I mean, they've got the Sub 600. That was kind of their big, kind of very different kind of left turn from where they've been for a long time. They've done the carbon thing, which is a watch you're in love with. |
| James | I still really want one of those. |
| Jason | You know, and all the sub 300 stuff. I don't care for the sub 200 family at all. So I don't know if they'll develop that. Not enough to buy one, no. |
| James | Not for me. Because I have a 300 though, right? Yeah. I think once you have the 300, you really, you hold Dockster to this super high bar of like, I want it to be as charming as my 300 and comfortable and weird and all the stuff that makes Dockster so great. Right, right. |
| Jason | Yeah. I don't know. I'm not, I'm not sure. I, you know, I, I wouldn't be surprised. In fact, wasn't it teased on Instagram? It was a bit of a kerfuffle with, with the Synchron military that Doxa was going to reissue the army. Maybe, you know, maybe this is the time for that. I don't know. |
| James | Yeah. Maybe so. |
| Jason | Yeah. |
| James | You know, I, I wonder, I wonder if we're, we're in a scenario now where the movements are available, like could we really lean in and be selfish and say like a reissue of the 750 TGMT? |
| Jason | Oh yeah. Right. Yeah. You're right. There is no Doxa GMT in the current lineup. |
| James | That would be their lineup has so many colors that you think there's a lot of watches, but it's, it's really the, the, it's like six or seven models, right? |
| Jason | I think a GMT would actually work better in the, in the 600 family, I guess, if you will, because there's just a little bit more dial real estate, the bezel kind of lends itself to it. I don't know. |
| James | Yeah. Yeah. I don't, I don't think you could do, I don't think that you could easily, cause I've tried to mock it up in Photoshop and it is difficult to find a balance. I don't know that you, your best bet would be to take a 300 or a 300 T and add another hand and another scale. Cause there's already two scales on that bezel. So it has to go on the, on the dial and I'll include a photo for people who don't realize that for a while. And I'm still trying, if you have one and you want to sell it, Talk to Jason or I, one of us will buy it from you. Yeah. Jason, you had a diving star, a yellow 750T GMT. Yeah. |
| Jason | It was a, it was a, it was a chunky big watch. Um, and then they solved the, the, the, the GMT hand and the 24 hour scale in a very clever way with that second crown. And then that skeleton hand, I mean, it was just, it was so such a good, you know, modernization of, of a vintage design that really made it very functional and legible. |
| James | I thought it was brilliant. A Caribbean is the goal. I've come to really love the Shark Hunter and the Diving Star is such a flex. You swam Alcatraz. I did with that watch. You swam the San Francisco Bay with that watch on. I don't know how you managed to sell it for that. I would have made it a keeper in my world. |
| Jason | Oh, yeah. Well, now we're revisiting regrets again. |
| Unknown | That's one of those. |
| James | Yeah. Rebuy your monster. Why not? |
| Unknown | Right? |
| James | Yeah. Right. Right. Yeah. So, I mean, I, you know, I guess that that would be kind of the wish. I don't, I don't really know. You know, I think, I think that they could make, I think they could make a case that if they need to do something special, that wasn't as complicated as going to a new movement, like a GMT movement, like a 300 Chronic 300 and titanium would be pretty crazy. |
| Jason | Oh, true. |
| James | Even, even if it was an LE, you know, the, that's how they launched the 600 with time and tide and great looking, beautiful watch, really cool looking watch. Yeah. But I think if you want, if you wanted to put some heat back in the 300, which has gone through a lot of additions in the last few years since 2017. I think titanium would be one way to do it. You know, they used to make that 800 Ti with the, you had one of those too, I think, you know, with the tritium illumination. There's some pretty cool stuff in there. That's not even from that long ago. So I'm pumped to see Doxa and see what they come up with for sure. Blancpain is also going to be showing, they're like, talk about the absolute kind of upper echelon of the range at which we follow, but I'll forever like a Bathyscaphe forever. |
| Jason | Yeah, I think so. I mean, clearly I do. I mean, I have one, but you know, I'm thinking like, where do they go? I mean, they've, they've, they're, they've got a big history. I mean, they've got the, what was it? The, the bund watch that they made for, you know, the German army that they, I don't think they've reissued or done kind of a modern interpretation of that. If I'm, unless I'm forgetting something, but you know, they could revisit that. Um, Yeah. |
| James | You can, you can kind of iterate endlessly on, on, um, uh, bathyscaphes and 50 fathoms, which they have. Yeah. |
| Jason | So true. They're just so absurdly expensive that, you know, like you said, they're so out of our kind of range. And I was fortunate enough to get one as, as a very generous gift from Hodinkee, um, for my 50th, you know, other than that, there's no way that would be in my price range normally. And I think, uh, so it's hard to even talk about them because I'm like, it's what, I mean, well, How about a full platinum one? How about, you know, I mean, we might as well just go crazy with it. Yeah, fair point. But I love the Air Command. I mean, every time I see that, I'm like, Oh yeah, it's a beautiful watch. But again, you know, crazy, crazy expensive. |
| James | Yeah. So I think that pretty much covers the, the, you know, Cartier's there, Grand Seiko's there. With Grand Seiko, like, just keep being Grand Seiko. Yeah, true. |
| Jason | Less LE's, I guess. |
| James | I get a little bit numb to that. |
| Jason | They do a lot. |
| James | They do a lot these days. Yeah, that's true. But I mean, they have a collector appeal. I can't really blame them. And especially when they do LE's and they're like, $300 more than the standard one? |
| Unknown | Yeah, with beautiful dials. It's kind of a nice way to do it. |
| James | Oh, the gorgeous dials. Goodness, yeah. Those green ones, the US LEs that were based on the changing foliage of this one little valley in the Iwate Prefecture. Yeah, those are super cool watches, but those all disappeared immediately. They made $140 of each for Seiko's 140th birthday. Amazing. Yeah, I think that pretty much covers it. You know, if you have a prediction, if you've got an idea, feel free to include your wishlist as well. Let us know in the comments. Happy to have a chat about it. The comments have been amazing lately. People are in there chit chatting. We're getting great feedback. The two feeds seem to be up and running with only minimal stress on my part. I only sent Jason like 200 messages Thursday morning when The supporter feed took an hour and a half longer than the other feed to actually show up in pocket cast, but thankfully it went, it went to iTunes immediately. So I think it was a pocket cast problem. |
| Jason | Yeah. I feel for you with the technology end of it. Hopefully this gets all sorted out and people have been very generous and very forgiving. So. |
| James | And the one thing I would add to that, I agree, people have given us a long leash in getting the tech and everything going correctly. But if you go to the site now, because of the way that we're doing the two feeds, you're going to see two posts on the site. And so it's not a big deal. One of them will be locked for supporters and it doesn't allow for comments and has a different title. So if you see the Grenado as the start of the title, that's like the official comment thread, the open post. The other stuff because Substack doesn't really offer the ability to like hide a post or to publish an episode of the podcast without a post. Oh yeah. Hopefully that's something they bring in the future. I have an email sent to them. I'm not sure that makes any difference. But that's how we're doing this right now. If it proves to be a problem, we will revamp again. I want to make this as easy and simple as everyone, but it doesn't seem to have affected engagement so far. So that makes me happy. Jason, you know, in the hopes of having not too long of a show, how about some final notes? |
| Jason | Yeah. So, um, you know, quick one for me, uh, it's a movie I actually just watched last night. This is a, this is available on Netflix, uh, just came out actually it's called against the ice and, um, it's, it's totally in my wheelhouse. It's very fitting still, um, with, since I'm still seeing snow outside my window here, um, it was produced by, um, a couple of, uh, interesting characters. Um, I don't know if you know of a Baltazar, Karmakor. He's done a number of interesting movies, including Arctic with Mads Mikkelsen. Okay. I believe he's Icelandic. He's done, look him up. He's done some, some really good kind of adventure-y kind of films. And then the other producer who happens to be the star of the movie is a Nikolaj Koster-Waldau, who played Jamie Lannister in the Game of Thrones series. Okay. And, uh, and then a really talented young English actor, Joe Cole. And, There's minimal characters in this film because, uh, it's, it's the, most of it is about these two guys and it's based on a true story, uh, back in the early 1900s, uh, from a Danish expedition whose ship got trapped in the ice in Greenland, um, and had to undertake a very long sledge hauling expedition further inland to, to fetch some evidence, uh, that had impact on a, on a treaty or a treaty dispute with the United States over, over territory in Greenland. And, and, you know, the first half of it is kind of this journey. And then the second half of it is later on, they, they, they returned to where they started and they've been left behind. And now they're there for literally years, like trying to survive. And it's, it's really, well, the movie gets better as it goes. And I think if you're into kind of, you know, true story adventure, you know, kind of polar travel stuff, you know, we talked about, uh, endurance and Shackleton on our last episode. And this is, this is right in that same, in that same vein. And it's, it's really well done. So it's a, it's a good one. It's an easy watch, uh, against the ice on Netflix. |
| James | That's awesome. I saw that on, I saw that on, um, on my feed for Netflix recently. And I, I kind of like, you know, added it to my list to get to at some point just because the title looked promising. Um, but I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed it. Yeah. Very cool. How about you? Alright, mine is... Yeah, mine's a little bit of an esoteric thing, but it's something that's made me very happy. Like we've talked about for basically this whole show, new watch season is back, me traveling places to shoot watches appears to be returning. And my kit had been largely really good in the years that I was doing all that traveling, but the one sore spot was I just... I rely so heavily on the Leica Q, and one, it doesn't have huge batteries, so you need spares. And the Leica batteries cost one thing, and then they share a battery with Panasonic, so you can buy Panasonic ones. Oh, yeah. But the issue isn't so much the number of batteries, it's the fact that the charger is just kind of an old school thing. So it's a brick charger that doesn't have USB, that doesn't have its own plug, so you have to use like a cable that plugs into it, and then it plugs into the wall. It's just a little bit more than I ever wanted for carrying around, especially because before the Q, those who've been listening for a long time, I used a Sony 6500 where the batteries are inexpensive, and I very quickly found like a RAVPower twin charger that ran on USB. I remember that. So I could charge two... Yeah, exactly. So I could charge two batteries. I could have one in each of my... I have four batteries for not that much money. And then you're talking about maybe 1800 frames you can shoot in a day, which is fantastic, right? So anyways, I've checked many times to try and find a USB charger. So a charger I could charge with a USB cable from any other brick that I might carry with me or even from an external battery pack if I was moving around. And I checked a ton and I couldn't find anything. There was one thing that like... B&H carry, but they wouldn't ship it to Canada and it charged only one battery at a time. And then with Miami on their horizon and then right behind it, Watches and Wonders, I started to revamp this check and I came across this product from a pretty common Amazon brand called Neewer. It looks like newer, but there's an extra E. Yeah, N-E-E-W-E-R. And basically this might apply to a bunch of people because I imagine Neewer or Newer um, has made this for several different battery packs, but it's a really compact two slot charger that comes with two batteries and it charges on, on micro USB or USB-C. And it charges pretty quickly. If you're running one battery, it actually charges about as fast as the stock charger, which is great. If you're charging two, they, they dial down a little bit, but it's, it's a nice compact thing that, that I can now plug into all sorts of stuff that I already have with me to charge. I could even charge this now. Now I can charge batteries in the Jeep when I'm driving somewhere. Oh, yeah. It's just right into the USB thing I have. Yeah. And it comes with two batteries. I don't want to comment on the batteries. I'm really picky about batteries. So I want to try these a few times and see if they swell a little bit. That's I get really sketchy about aftermarket batteries in because they fit into such a small tolerance in your camera. I can see that. Yeah. So I'll probably use them for an hour and then see if they remain kind of to fit the same way. And then I'll slowly cycle them up. But it's, I mean, they're selling this on amazon.com for $30. Yeah. That's, that's less than the price of one of the Lumix batteries, the Panasonic ones. And it's a fraction of the cost of one, like a battery. Um, it has a little indicator to tell you when each battery is full, like a little light up indicator. Yeah. And otherwise it's just like straightforward seems to work really well. I'll report back if I have any problems with it, but it's got a decent number of ratings for relatively new products of four and a half stars. on dots.com. I don't know what it was on amazon.ca where I bought it. Uh, but yeah, just, just maybe just a casual reminder. Like if you're out there and you have a camera and you, you do the same similar work where you have to shoot a lot sometimes, uh, see if there's a much more helpful, you know, all I ever really wanted was a, was the ability for the Q to charge on a USB cable. So I could put it back in my bag and plug it into a battery pack and it would just always be charging when I wasn't shooting. And the M 11 does that and it's killer. That's a great feature. But this is a very close second. I can charge two batteries at once. I can do so while I'm on the move. And the prices... I would have paid probably 150 bucks for this. Yeah. So the fact that it's 30 bucks feels like a no brainer for me, aside from the small risk of not trusting the batteries. Yeah. But my Lumix battery and my original Leica battery are identical. and they seem to be fine. So we'll see how these knee wear ones are. I'm sorry. I don't have no idea how to say that word. I literally have never tried until I started that sentence a couple of minutes ago. |
| Jason | Well, that's great. I mean, it's, it's, it's actually just fun to hear, um, hear you talk about a product that will make travel more, you know, more convenient or efficient. Um, you know, I feel like we haven't talked about travel EDC or tech or anything for such a long time. It's actually refreshing to even, hear about that actually feels kind of normal and old fashioned TGN. So. |
| James | Yeah. I mean, this is, this is my first, my first really like out of the house need for my camera since I went to Germany with Leica. And before that it was probably like a year and a half. Yeah. I just not doing that much. Yeah. So I'm thrilled to have it back. I'm thrilled by this kit. My bag is like light and there's space in there. If, if, if, if I knew what I needed as far as clothing for Miami, if I knew it was just going to be like, really casual, I probably wouldn't take a second bag. I could probably still have enough room in my, in my camera bag for two days worth of clothes. |
| Jason | Remember the Uniqlo comfort blazer, I think it was called? |
| James | Absolutely. I have two of them. |
| Jason | Yeah. Yeah. I still have mine. |
| James | I'm not wearing it. You're going to have to, somebody's going to have to get really angry at me if, if I have to wear a, somebody's really going to have to intimidate me to wear a blazer in Miami. What's the point of Miami, right? |
| Unknown | Yeah. Right. Right. |
| James | I want to wear a, I want to wear like a really bright t-shirt or like, yeah. Yeah, it's just something something really straightforward and it's going to feel so warm too. It's like almost 30 Celsius. |
| Unknown | Yeah. Yeah. |
| Jason | Well, I hope you have a great time. We'll have a report. And Omega in Miami? I mean, can't go wrong. That's great. |
| James | No, I think it's going to be super fun. And we'll have a full download from what that trip was like, like about 10 days after I get back from it again, because of the unique way in which we time this, this podcast. Yeah. It did not work out for this trip, but All that news is definitely online by now. And if you're, if you enjoyed the stories, I hope you did. Uh, and thanks very much for checking them out. And otherwise, I mean, Hey, as always, you know, thanks so much for listening to the show. If you want to subscribe to the show to get the show notes, get into the comments for each episode or consider supporting the show directly, and maybe even grabbing yourself a sweet TGN sign NATO, please visit TheGreyNATO.com. Music throughout a siesta by Jazzer via the free music archive. |
| Jason | And we leave you with this Scottish proverb, which seemed fitting for today's a wishlist topic. If wishes were horses, beggars would ride. If turnips were watches, I'd wear one by my side. If ifs and ands were pots and pans, there'd be no work for Tinker's hands. |