THE JOURNAL
Illustration by Mr Simon Landrein
What, exactly, is the point of a podcast about watches? It is a truism that watches need to be seen to be appreciated, that reading about them, or looking at pictures of them, is no substitute for handling them. Listening to someone talk about them sounds even less useful.
Traditional media has not always served the watch-curious well. It can be intimidating, full of jargon and occupied with the same half-dozen high-end brands – often at the same time. Podcasting, by contrast, is famously democratic. The shows that keep your attention never talk down to you. They tend to be informal and conversational. They wear their knowledge lightly and belie the amount of care that has gone into making them. The best ones are the ones where you can hear that the hosts and the guests are enjoying themselves. Being honest and forthcoming helps, too. To that end, podcasting serves the world of watches and watchmaking rather well.
The eight shows below all come at their subject in different ways. They not only share a great enjoyment in a rich and varied topic, but an appetite to pass on that enjoyment, too.
01.
Two Broke Watch Snobs
A US podcast dedicated to covering watches that cost less than $1,000. Even if you have not heard of half the brands – and no one has – the draw is listening to two best mates yack on about their hobby in much the same way you might. “Maybe 800 bucks was too much for this watch. I’m still trying to figure it out.” Honest, accessible and often downright rude in their reviews, Messrs Michael Penate and Kaz Mirza are prone to reducing each other to giggles. There is heart here, too – see episode 218, “The Dad Watch”, in which the hosts reminisce about the watches their fathers owned.
02.
Scottish Watches
Get past the distracting name and you will soon hear why this is one of the best-rated and well-liked watch podcasts going. There is almost no content about watches made in Scotland. Instead, Scottish hosts Rikki and Dave rattle through the new releases, latest news and interview blue-chip brand CEOs in a gung-ho magazine format that has been compared (favourably) to Top Gear. Occasionally they also make sense of the name. On the benefits of less expensive quartz watches: “I was wearing a quartz watch into Glasgow on Friday night,” says Rikki. “Because I was in Glasgow on Friday night.”
03.
Beyond The Dial
Host Mr Allen Farmelo’s CV could give you the wrong impression. An “adrenaline junkie” and “former road bike racer, competitive skier, surfer and skater” who has “settled into motorcycling, skiing and scuba” suggests Beyond The Dial might be some kind of adventure-based pod. There is a bit of that – Farmelo takes off in the Bremont founders’ plane in one episode – but the Beyond title has more philosophical implications. He calls his shows “insight essays” and topics have included critiquing Omega’s branding of its Speedmaster, the eccentric behaviour of wealthy watch collectors and the genius suggestion that since the value of Rolex as a concept is now bigger than that of its watches, what’s the worst that could happen if it stopped making them altogether?
04.
GB Talks
Not to be confused with the little-watched right-wing UK TV channel GB News, this GB stands for Mr George Bamford, founder of Bamford Watch Department. From its origins customising Rolexes in blacked-out diamond-like-carbon to the limited-edition Snoopy collabs and its own line of colourful chronographs, BWD celebrates playfulness and individuality. GB Talks, then, is a series dedicated to “oddball watches” that “push the boundaries” – models such as Zenith’s long-forgotten square-shaped Respirator and Swatch’s brilliantly 1980s Jelly Fish GK 100. Bamford’s boyish enthusiasm for watches and design pulls it all together.
05.
Worn & Wound
An offshoot of the enduring online platform that “aims to make collecting accessible to everyone”. Updated multiple times a week, this pod is really three in one: a main episode (advice on buying, guests such as eBay’s GM of global luxury), the shorter “A Week In Watches” (news and latest releases), plus “Time On Screen” (the evergreen subject of watches in movies). The latter recently featured Home Alone. Kevin’s family are wealthy, so have you ever wondered why his mum, in a key scene, reveals her Rolex is fake? Neither have we. Now we can’t stop thinking about it.
06.
Significant Watches
In 1996, the first wristwatch sold for $1m at auction. The top end of vintage watch collecting was dominated by one brand, Patek Phillipe. In 2021, more than 50 watches sold for that figure, from brands including Omega, Cartier and Richard Mille (as well as Patek Phillipe). With a focus on going behind the scenes at auctions and the world of watch dealing, Significant Watches provides a novel gawp factor you won’t find elsewhere. “Condition has become the new rarity,” says regular guest Mr Eric Wind of the Florida-based dealer Wind Vintage.
07.
OT: The Podcast
If BBC radio made a weekly show about watches, it might sound something like this. Informative, high-quality and intelligent, it mixes serious-minded guests – brand owners, trade magazine editors, explorers – with deep dives into the art of watch advertising, how to navigate buying a watch online and the pain and pleasure of starting your own microbrand. Australian hosts/best friends Messrs Andy Green and Felix Scholz keep things chatty. A recent episode spent the first 14 minutes on Welcome To Wrexham, coffee machines and car detailing.
08.
Blamo!
OK, so this one is not strictly about watches per se. This “podcast about people wearing clothes” is hosted by friend of MR PORTER Mr Jeremy Kirkland and the always-interesting guests come from across the menswear industry. Kirkland is a watch fan, cut his teeth as a watch writer for US Esquire and “clothes” may, of course, include watches. Which is why his guests have included Mr Christian Selmoni of Vacheron Constantin and Mr Alexandre Mille of Richard Mille, among others. Plus, if you like watches, we reckon something else in the dozens of episodes will catch your eye.