Conversations with engaging and knowledgeable experts on Patek Philippe and the world of watches.
Nicholas Manousos, watchmaker and Executive Director of the Horological Society of New York Part 1
Nicholas Manousos has had a fascinating journey from Silicon Valley to making silicon parts for watch movements, and now leads the Horological Society of New York. In this two-part conversation with Tania Edwards, we learn how Nick's passion for watchmaking has led him along a diverse path. After watchmaking school, he experimented with 3D printing for the watch industry and in this podcast he brought along his Tourbillion 1000% -- a perfect teaching tool for a complicated movement. Nick also believes in the resurgence of the American watch industry, so much so that he started making the most difficult part of a movement in the hope of getting attention for American watchmaking. He started Fireside Horology which manufactured silicon balance springs, an extremely specialist skill that only a few companies, mostly in Europe and Japan excel at. At the end of this podcast, Tania asks Nick a question that many people would like the answer to: "Will there ever be a thriving American watch industry again?"
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2/22/2024 • 33 minutes, 45 seconds
Dr. Peter Friess, Director of the Patek Philippe Museum Part 2
In part two of this incredible conversation, Dr. Peter Friess shares some secrets of the Patek Philippe Museum in Geneva and explains why it represents such an important part of the company's DNA. Plus, we learn more about the strict criteria which must be met if a new piece is to be acquired for the museum. As someone who regularly studies and attends watch auctions, Dr. Friess reveals his vision for the ideal watch auction catalog. He also explains his view on the value proposition of pocket watches.
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2/2/2024 • 43 minutes, 22 seconds
Dr. Peter Friess, Director of the Patek Philippe Museum
For anyone obsessed with Patek Philippe, Dr. Peter Friess has the dream job. As Director of the Patek Philippe Museum in Geneva, each working day he goes to one of the greatest horological museums ever assembled and has the privilege to examine and hold some of the most important timepieces ever made. In this fascinating conversation with John Reardon, Peter Friess explains what it is like to be the curator of such an incredible collection and how, together with the owners, Philippe and Thierry Stern, they decide which additional timepieces to acquire for the collection. Dr. Friess also takes us on a virtual tour of the museum, stopping
at each floor to identify some of the timepieces that must not be missed. We also hear some fun, anecdotal stories such as how it’s easy to identify which are the most popular watches to view by the wear of the carpet in front of the showcase.
The Patek Philippe Museum provides two important functions:
first, it offers visitors an unparalleled opportunity to see the history of portable timekeeping and secondly, it offers Patek Philippe watchmakers, engineers, and designers the opportunity to learn from history and build watches for the future. For any visitor fortunate to visit the Patek Philippe Museum the experience is unforgettable. In this podcast, listeners can come close to visiting with the personal guidance of the museum’s curator.
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1/26/2024 • 51 minutes, 50 seconds
William Andrewes gives his definition of time and explains sundials Part 2
In part 2 of this fascinating and personal conversation, the concept of ‘what is time’ is discussed and William Andrewes shares his own profound definition. William also explains how he develops, designs, and makes his much sought-after sundials. Each sundial is a labor of love, individually designed for each client be they a family or an institution. Because of this, each sundial is a unique object, in part because each is made specifically for the location in which the sundial will be kept. William gives his recommendations for the best books to learn about Longitude and his favorite horological books which make great gifts to give this Holiday season, or any time of the year.
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12/15/2023 • 39 minutes, 49 seconds
William Andrewes shares anecdotes from his extraordinary horological career Part 1
In this fascinating podcast John Reardon speaks with his great friend, William Andrewes who is one of the world's leading horologists, a historian, clockmaker, inventor, artist, and sundial maker. Will's career in the watch world has been extraordinary. In this part 1 of a two-part podcast, Andrewes explains how he started as an apprentice with the legendary watchmaker George Daniels, first completing an unfinished clock by John Harrison who solved the problem of finding longitude at sea. Andrewes shares several anecdotes of his time with George Daniels giving us a rare insight to one of the world's greatest watchmakers. After teaching at Eton College and working at the Old Royal Observatory in Greenwich, Will Andrewes's career moved across the pond when Seth Atwood asked him to be curator of the then most important horological museum, the Time Museum in Rockford, IL. Andrewes shares charming stories about the Time Museum including how Seth Atwood managed to buy the most important Patek Philippe watch ever made, the Graves Supercomplication directly from Henry Graves's grandson. In part 2, Will Andrewes shares his own explanation as to 'What is time?' and why he has devoted the current chapter of his career to making sundials.
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12/7/2023 • 39 minutes, 40 seconds
Rebecca Ross explains how watch auctions are created Part 2
In Part 2 of our conversation with Rebecca Ross, V.P., Head of Sale at Christie's Watch Department, Rebecca gives a specialist's explanation as to how auctions are assembled, curated and sold. We often take auctions for granted, yet a huge amount of work behind the scenes goes in to making an on-line, live or private sale. Since the rise in the number of online sales and new auction houses over the past few years, watch specialists are hunting for watches all year round. Rebecca shares some of her fascinating treasure hunt stories which have taken her around the world, including how finding a previously unknown Patek Philippe watch can be a life-changing experience for the owner. Rebecca also gives advice on how to become a watch specialist and her thoughts on future trends in watch collecting.
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Learn more about Christie's watch auctions: https://www.christies.com/departments/watches-and-wristwatches-60-1.aspx
11/10/2023 • 33 minutes, 7 seconds
Christie's watch specialist Rebecca Ross discusses important auctions
Rebecca Ross is Head of Sale at Christie's Watch Department in New York. During her ten years at Christie's she has been part of some important watch auctions, including the 175th Anniversary of Patek Philippe and the 40th Anniversary of the Nautilus. In Part 1 of this engaging conversation, Rebecca shares her love of watches, stories behind the important auctions she has worked on, and her insight into the upcoming auction season. Rebecca has a Master's degree from Christie's Education specializing in History of Art and the Art Market. Her love of art and an intellectual approach brings an interesting perspective on how she looks at watches. In Part 2, Rebecca gives an insider's view of how a watch auction is created.
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Learn more about Christie's watch auctions: https://www.christies.com/departments/watches-and-wristwatches-60-1.aspx
11/3/2023 • 27 minutes, 46 seconds
Michael Friedman discusses the future of the watch world Part 2
In Part 2 of this fascinating conversation between Michael Friedman and John Reardon, we hear Michael's predictions for the future of the watch industry and legacy brands such as Patek Philippe. We also learn about Michael's new company, the Pattern Recognition Agency which is taking a new approach to watch design focusing on comfort and aesthetics -- "I want the watch to feel like a second skin" he says. On the more light-hearted side of his career, Michael shares the story of how John Mayer first alerted him to the fact that his name was in a Kendrick Lamar song, and we also hear a clip from Michael's own step into the music world with his band Chronoserf.
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10/20/2023 • 43 minutes, 59 seconds
Michael Friedman shares his passion for horology Part 1
Michael Friedman has been called "The most interesting man in the horological world". He was even name-dropped in the Kendrick Lamar song 'Rich Spirit' last year. In this two-part podcast, Michael discusses his stellar career in the watch world and how this led to founding his new company the Pattern Recognition Agency. In Part 1, we learn how Michael's career started over 27 years ago with his friend, John Reardon at the Willard House & Clock Museum in Massachusetts where they were both assistant curators. Michael then became curator of the National Watch and Clock Museum, after which he joined Christie's watch department in New York. Following his time in the auction world, Michael became a private curator and advisor to many important collectors including Eric Clapton whose legendary watch collection he helped to build. In 2013, he joined Audemars Piguet where he served as Historian for several years before becoming Head of Complications. In this lively and fascinating conversation Michael also discusses his favorite Patek Philippe watches and his predictions for the future of collecting.
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10/6/2023 • 45 minutes, 21 seconds
Kevin O'Leary shares his passion for collecting watches Part 2
In Part 2 of John Reardon's interview with Kevin O'Leary aka Shark Tank's Mr. Wonderful, we hear Kevin's answer to John's question from Part 1: "Is the modern watch market gamed?". In this frank and revealing discussion, we learn about Kevin O'Leary's approach to watch collecting and he shares a selection of his favorite watches and explains why unusual dials appeal to him so much. We also learn why Mr. Wonderful favors red straps and why he believes that the type of watch you wear reveals everything. Once again, we will posting the video of this podcast on Collectability YouTube. If you missed Part 1 please see the link below.
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Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinolearytv/
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9/22/2023 • 33 minutes, 45 seconds
Kevin O'Leary shares his passion for collecting watches Part 1
Kevin O'Leary aka Mr. Wonderful needs little introduction. As the undisputed star of T.V.'s Shark Tank, Kevin is known for his ability to combine business sense with common sense. Born in Canada, Kevin O'Leary spent his early years traveling the world and even lived in Geneva, which may have inspired his passion for watches at a young age. In this fascinating and lively discussion, John Reardon challenges Kevin to pivot 100% of his messaging to watch collectors, old and new, and explore the world of horology in a way that has not been done before. Never shy with his opinions, Kevin offers an intriguing and candid insight into his views of the value of collecting watches and how to obtain the most sought-after pieces. This is part one of the conversation, and for the first time we will also be posting a video of this podcast and part two on our Collectability YouTube page where you can enjoy seeing the special watches that Kevin brought along.
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Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinolearytv/Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/kevinolearytvTwitter - https://twitter.com/kevinolearytvYT - https://www.youtube.com/@kevinoleary/videos
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9/8/2023 • 30 minutes, 22 seconds
Watch Influencer Brynn Wallner explains how a new generation is buying watches
Brynn Wallner represents a new and important generation of watch influencers who, in a relatively short time has made a big impact. Brynn has opened a fun and exciting world sharing images of celebrities, and particularly women showing how they wear their watches on her Instagram and website @dimepiece.co.
Brynn’s introduction to watches started when she was working in Sotheby’s marketing department writing content for the watch department, but the experience was short-lived as the pandemic hit and with it went her job. Fortunately for the watch world, her time at Sotheby’s ignited the realization that watch social media was disproportionately masculine and she set forth to change that. Most importantly, she brought humanity to the watch world meaning that she understood that the person wearing the watch, and how the watch fits into their lifestyle is just as important as the watch itself. Consequently, wrists shots of watches are accompanied by the person wearing the watch. The person wears the watch, not the watch wears the person.
In addition to her social media activities, including her own podcast series “Killing Time’, Brynn has smartly leveraged her watch observations into paid partnerships with, among others, eBay and The RealReal and she curates’ vintage and pre-owned watch collections for sale on her own website with @foundwell.
Brynn speaks candidly with Tania Edwards about her entry into the watch world, what she has learnt so far, and where she sees the industry going, especially for women's watches.
5/30/2023 • 53 minutes, 24 seconds
Dr. James Nye discusses how managing time changed our lives
Dr James Nye has had a long and impressive career as a horological expert, historian and author. His personal passion is electrical timekeeping and his knowledge of how man mastered time distribution systems is unmatched. In this lively and informative discussion, James helps us understand how managing time has been the key to many of man's most important inventions, especially over the past century. As Chair of the Antiquarian Horological Society and recent Master of the Worshipful Company of Clockmakers, James explains two of the oldest and most intriguing watch organizations, places where anyone with an interest in watchmaking can access extensive horological research and information available. Tania Edwards met with James in his hometown of London and for anyone interested in learning how time changed our lives, this is a must-listen opportunity.
To learn about the Antiquarian Horological Society: https://www.ahsoc.org/
To learn about the Worshipful Company of Clockmakers: https://www.clockmakers.org/
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2/28/2023 • 1 hour, 8 minutes, 39 seconds
Watch auction veteran Daryn Schnipper discusses her long and storied career at Sotheby's
In this lively and personal interview, John Reardon talks with his first boss and mentor in the auction world, Daryn Schnipper. Daryn started her career at Sotheby's in 1980 straight out of college, and today is the chairman of the International Watch Division. For over 40 years, she has built an exceptional career and at one time, every watch department head of the top auction houses trained under Daryn's tutelage. Daryn was an early pioneer of wristwatches as a new collecting category and organized the first dedicated wristwatch auctions. Under her leadership, watch sales expanded in Geneva, and in 1997 she opened Sotheby's first Asian watch department in Hong Kong. Daryn has played a pivotal role in the sale of numerous important single owner watch and clock collections. These include the now iconic 1999 auction of the masterpieces from the Time Museum in which the Patek Philippe Graves Supercomplication hammered for USD11 million, a significant world record for any timepiece at auction at the time. In 2012, Daryn sold the horological collection of her friend and former colleague George Daniels for USD14 million. Among her many accolades, in 2017 Daryn was made a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Clockmakers, the oldest horological guild in the world.
To learn more about Sotheby's Watch Department visit: https://www.sothebys.com/en/
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12/30/2022 • 1 hour, 1 minute, 50 seconds
Nick Foulkes discusses Patek Philippe and his career as a historian, writer and internationally recognized authority on culture, art and luxury
Many of us know Nick Foulkes as a horological expert covering all aspects of the watch industry, in particular Patek Philippe. He has been a contributor, editor and special horological correspondent of the Patek Philippe Magazine for over twenty years, and in 2016 wrote the first, official biography of Patek Philippe. But his interests and extensive knowledge spreads far beyond the hallowed walls of watchmaking. As an historian, writer, journalist and tastemaker, Nicholas Foulkes is an internationally recognized authority on culture, art and luxury lifestyle. He has authored around 30 books including his critically acclaimed trilogy of 19th century histories: Scandalous Society, (a biography of Count d'Orsay); Dancing Into Battle, A Social History of the Battle of Waterloo; and Gentlemen and Blackguards, Gambling Mania and the plot to steal the Derby of 1844.
He contributes to a wide range of newspapers and magazines around the world and is a contributing editor to The FT's How To Spend It Magazine; a contributing editor to Vanity Fair; a columnist for Country Life and luxury editor of British GQ. He launched and continues to edit Vanity Fair's twice yearly watch magazine On Time. He also launched and continues to edit Vanity Fair on Art.
In 2007 he was named Havana Man of the Year by the Cuban government, having been nominated for this award on four previous occasions. He is regularly acknowledged on international Best Dressed Lists (including the most prestigious Vanity Fair Best Dressed List in 2011) and his distinctive, elegant style is eagerly observed. In 2021 he was appointed President of the Jury for The Foundation of the GPHG (Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève).
He lives in London with his wife and two sons, Max and Freddie who feature in his most recent accomplishment as a social media sensation with Foulkes & Sons. He is a graduate of Hertford College Oxford.
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Watch Nick Foulkes & Sons: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7_ShMuTGUdhhg15ErTFtcw
10/31/2022 • 1 hour, 7 minutes, 22 seconds
Davide Parmegiani the super dealer of vintage watches
Known within collecting circles as 'The Big Boss', Davide Parmegiani has brought and sold the most important and valuable Patek Philippe watches since he became a dealer in the 1980s. To put this into perspective, each one of the known Patek Philippe steel ref. 1518 watches has been through his hands! In 2019, his career expanded further when he became co-chair of Monaco Legend Auctions. In this candid interview, John Reardon discusses the past, present and future of collecting watches.