Hairspring

Only in watches can one model or reference span from utterly dull to incredibly special depending on the variant. To highlight this unique facet of our world, Erik & Max select a handful of famous models across brands and categories, then attempt to find both the most boring version and the most exceptional or interesting version ever made. This one is a wild ride and as nerdy as it gets. Plus...

Whether we call them pet peeves, grievances, or things that grind our gears, this week Erik & Max are enumerating all the tiny annoyances that get on our nerves in watches. Broad strokes, so as to not give the reveal away, conversational topics include photography, movements, selling watches, snobbery, significant digits, and many more. Finally, an Only Wrist for the Cold War.  Links Mentioned...

Erik & Max are accustomed to giving watch advice to others. They’re used to competing to build the best collections for a given category. But this one is . . .more intimate. This week, they’re building collections for each other. 50K for three watches: let the cards fall as they may. Plus, if you’re a star chef, how do you balance wanting something special with being in the kitchen?  Links Men...

Erik & Max are joined this week by their second ever guest, Justin Hast. Justin is a great champion for watch enthusiasm, a presenter, consultant, and content monster for all things wristwatches. We drill down on his own collecting philosophy, ask what the ultimate Lange 1 is, discuss the importance of brand, and how we go about learning in a changing media landscape. Plus, we ask Justin to as...

Erik & Max are back to it, asking which references have languished most over time and, more importantly, why? No manufactures are safe. We ask why the Santos got overweight, how Lange implemented cost-cutting, why the Freccione hand doesn’t make sense on a modern dial, and ask if Breguet are even alive? Finally, a few tips to make your watch photography sing.  Links Mentioned: https://www.inst...

Erik & Max attempt to answer a deceivingly deep listener query: what makes a given movement great? In a conversation that spans from column wheels, Valjoux VZ Audemars Piguets, and the in-house obsession, we attempt to answer. Then, Max asks a fairly impossible question: if you were given carte blanche to design any watch from any watchmaker, what would you do? Plus, an Only Wrist for a radiol...

Erik & Max are discussing just what value means in watches and relating it to price in a wide ranging discussion which covers Black Bays, 2499s, early Journes, and 5711 bracelets. Then, a little chat around lessons in watches that can only be learned the hard way. Plus, what is the correct watch for a son of the Sultan of Brunei? Links Mentioned: Price Vs. Value: https://revolutionwatch.com/er...

It’s a collection-building gauntlet this week; Erik & Max limit themselves to 3 watches, 3 handers, and the Holy Trinity. Prepare for a surprising degree of variance. And then a small interview with Max to learn a bit more about his background and an Only Wrist for an Art Thief. Plus, just where is Aldrin’s Speedmaster today?  Links Mentioned: Bugatti Tourbillon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

Erik & Max tour through some of the more significant innovations ever in the history of watchmaking to ask, ‘Where are all the innovations?’ Including conversations around silicon, dubious 3940s, and trench watches. Then we invite a Rolex AD to come give a peer behind the curtain of Rolex to see how things really work. Plus, an Only Wrist to save Boeing. Links Mentioned: Innovations: https://e...

What does the Rolex 6238 black dial have in common with the Zenith 135? Why was Erik wrong to judge a green 5711? And what does Max think the first person to step foot on mars should wear for the occasion? All this and more, with a brief interrogation this week.  Links Mentioned: The Gentlemen: https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/article/the-gentlemen-watches-2024   Q-Ships: https://en.wikipedia.org/wik...

Erik & Max attempt to answer the question, ‘What separates good finishing from bad finishing?’ It is a question that requires them to go through all the various finishing techniques you’re likely to see in detail, explain why the Le Mans caseback is, sort of, ugly, and ask if you should care about inner angles. Plus, what should Indiana Jones have worn in Raiders of the Lost Ark? Links Mention...

Erik & Max go from the absurd to the practical with two major topics this week. The first headline is a rewrite of athlete’s watches, we make choices for what we’d like to see Michael Jordan, Ayrton Senna, Bubba Watson, and even Conor McGregor wear. Second, we get serious with a primer on vintage engraved enamel Patek Philippe dial construction and the very basics of assessing condition (inclu...

Erik & Max engage in a battle of hot (and lukewarm) contrarian takes for our first audience-sourced Hot Takes episode. Buckle up. Plus, what is the most interesting watch in the world? Links Mentioned: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/10/arts/design/christies-cyberattack-website.html https://robbreport.com/style/watch-collector/vintage-cartier-watches-rise-explained-1234871141/ https://www.acol...

Erik & Max embark on their first collection building exercise: 3 watches from either Rolex or Tudor for 75K US. The catch is we’re requiring one 6-digit, one 5-digit, and one 4-digit watch each. Plus, some deeper thoughts on the way Tudor and Rolex are positioning themselves these days, breaking news, and an Only Wrist for a designer at Ferrari.  Links Mentioned: https://www.richardmille.com/c...

Erik & Max answer one of the great watchmaking debates that’s been raging since chronographs immemorial: 2915 Speedmaster vs 6239 Daytona. It’s a fierce topic which is addressed fairly with total bias. Discussions range from stepped subdials, radium, base 1000 bezels, solo dials, and even the relative merits of V72 and 321. Then, a tour of some fascinating Japanese watchmaking that isn’t Grand...

Erik & Max are back to the serious debates this week, this time the most beautiful lugs of all time. We ask how Instagram has influenced the watches being produced today. And, finally, we couldn’t stay away from discussing the various controversies surrounding a few lots at this year’s Monaco Legend auctions. This ep touches on the RRCC2, Ed White, 3800, and everything in between. Finally, an...

This week is all about specifics of rare vintage watches; Erik & Max cover off some lots from the upcoming spring auctions and use them as muse to talk about some things we don’t see often. Stops at Watches & Wonders, Desert Eagle and Alpine Research Daytonas, special order Cartier bracelets, and 2438 Perpetual Calendars. Plus, what watch should you wear while hunting war criminals in East...

This week Erik & Max finish up the Q&A entirely. Is there more room for FP Journe to run? Why are Longines so underrated? And why does Max hate the Japanese (you can tell which one of us writes these)? All these questions and more this week, plus, an Only Wrist for someone who wants to remain neutral at W&W.  Links Mentioned: https://www.acollectedman.com/blogs/journal/longines-13zn-st...

This week Max & Erik have done zero work in preparation, it’s all crowdsourced: our first Q&A. Questions range from thirsty watches to asking what is the perfect neo-vintage Patek Philippe to join a collection with a 3970 and 3417? With stops at the colorful OPs, Derek Pratt, neo-IWC, and vintage Jaeger-Lecoultre chronographs along the way. Links Mentioned: https://monochrome-watches.com/d...

The horological equivalent of horses for course, this week Max & Erik are presented with a randomized watch collection and veritable plethora of life situations in which to place them. The question is, which is the right watch for the scenario? Or, more accurately, what is the correct escapement for the event? Plus, an Only Wrist for an ageing rock god.  Links Mentioned: The Collections in Ord...

Erik & Max divulge their watch-based guilty pleasures this week, watches that we feel a bit strange to publicly profess our love toward, but we bite that bullet nonetheless. Which all leads up to a discourse on the John Mayer Royal Oak QP, Tuscan dials, celebrity partnerships, and why handwork matters. Finally, an Only Wrist for a Harley-Davidson rider in Singapore with some independents and m...

Erik & Max are joined by their first guest this week, Tony Traina, for a wide ranging chat including the topic you’ve all been asking for: watches made today that are unloved or not selling, which therefore might be rare and collectable in future. But that’s far from all. We cover Morgan Stanley’s yearly report on the industry as muse to ask ‘What would you do as CEO of TAG?’ and ‘How the hell...

For once, Erik & Max are not talking watches. This week, it’s all about the objects that surround them. From straps to geiger counters, roasting watch winders, and Dr. Strange, we cover all. Or try to. With a bit of bonus chat around why a market correction is making us both happier, healthier watch enthusiasts. And finally, a Miami Vice-inspired Only Wrist with a unanimous decision.  Links Me...

Erik & Max are firing up for a fierce debate this week. It’s a watch battle, or rather face-off, inspired from a question we get often: 16550 or 16750? What is the ultimate five-digit Rolex travel watch for the ages? Through a wide ranging and meandering chat, we attempt to answer. We cool it with a few thoughts on what makes any watch proportional (case or dial), and how to weight ‘proper’ si...

From stylish Italian men to Piaget and Cartier, Erik and Max warm up this week discussing the quite recent rise in jewelry watches, what is fueling the fire, and where it might be going. This leads to the second topic, which might surprise some our listeners: we each choose five modern (yes, modern!) watches from the last five years that deserve five stars. That’s right, if you’re sick of us espou...