Dialed In

We’re back — and we’re building. For the Season 2 premiere, I sit down with my co-founder at Collected, Zachary Scott. Zach’s last appearance on Dialed In (Episode 22) sparked the very conversation that led us to start Collected. We talked about the broken systems behind the scenes of the watch world — and then we set out to fix them. This episode dives into what we built, why we built it, and how...

What does it take to run a trustworthy vintage watch business in 2025? For Episode 2 we sit down with Alex - a self-taught Rolex dealer who’s moved over 250 watches in just two years. He's operating almost entirely through Facebook groups and WhatsApp chats, all while holding down a full-time job. Together, we unpack the realities of sourcing vintage pieces, managing logistics without proper...

For Episode 3 of this season, Co-Founders Tim and Zach sit down to define what Collected really is and why most people (even only a year in) already have it wrong. We talk about why we believe the real opportunity is building an operating system for the $30B secondary watch market and focusing on the often overlooked but critical group keeping it running: the dealers. From nearly $1M in beta trans...

Episode 4 digs into the intersection of pressure x progress – whether in collecting watches or building Collected. Tim and Zach start with the story of a rare 1966 Seamaster picked up for $3,000, breaking down why its lume, bracelet, and design details still rival the tool watches of Tudor and Rolex from the same era. From there, they get into how the Collected team is scaling infrastructure throu...

In Episode 5 of Dialed In, Tim and Zach announce Collected’s public launch with account sign-ups live—a milestone that signals more than just shipping product. It’s about rewriting the rules of the watch market. They dive into how Collected flips the traditional dealer/collector dynamic into a better ecosystem, why the new analytics dashboard, CRM, and transaction tools were designed specifically...

In Episode 6 of Dialed In, Tim and Zach share what the first few weeks of Collected have really looked like—launching while Zach was in Japan, watching hundreds of people sign up, and seeing early users build full profiles and collections without prompting. They break down what’s surprising them most on both sides of the market: Insiders leaning into community instantly, and dealers needing real e...

In our final episode of this season, we reflect on what it took to build Collected from the ground up: building the product, shipping dealer workflows, enabling transactions, and creating the earliest version of the community we believe the watch market needs. This episode isn’t just a recap, but an open question to the industry too. We dig into topics the watch world hasn’t spent enough time conf...

Join host Tim Bender as he sits down with Wes Wynne, the visionary founder of Collectors Corner NY (CCNY), for an insightful conversation about the art of building the perfect collection. In this episode, Tim and Wes delve into the nuances of knowing when to buy and, as challenging as it may be, when to sell. They explore the thrill of the hunt, the excitement of the next acquisition, and share ex...

After high demand, Curtis Chen of Grey and Patina joins the Fog City family on Dialed In. During our conversation, we delve into his passion for watch hunting, the journey of establishing Grey and Patina, and his deep affection for exploring the world while pursuing extraordinary examples. 

Nick Federowicz, founder of Ad Patina, joins the Fog City family this week to discuss building a business around your passion and how for Nick chasing vintage ads, in many respects,  is just as good as chasing the real thing. To Nick, ads are an art form and many look damn good if properly displayed in a frame. 

Kevin O'Dell, a watch collector with a passion for branding, joins us to share his visions on where the industry should head. In this episode we discuss the significance of watch dealers and their roles as ambassadors for large brands such as Rolex, Audemars Piguet, Patek Philippe, and more.

King Flum joins us to reflect on the broken system of watch journalism today, the f*ckery plague in the industry and the need for a self policing community. 

This week, Maximiliano from Relojes Vintage Mexico joins the Dialed In family to discuss hunting fresh to market pieces , the extra security required for transacting in Mexico and how his family inspired him to start Relojes Vintage Mexico at just nineteen. 

DJ Allen, founder of Watch your Wrist, joins the Fog City family to discuss the fallacies  and uncertainty while transacting. We will be delving in to the world of watch dealers  and sharing how the future method of doing business, consignment, is actually designed to benefit both parties. 

Erik Gustafson, the founder of Hairspring, joins the Fog City family to discuss the need for passion based media, some of the watch brands that deserve more attention and what you may want to focus on in this down market. 

Mike Hui, founder and owner of one of the leading Rolex service repair centers, joins the family to debunk myths about laser welding, identifying polished vs. unpolished and what to actually look for when asking for "stretch" pictures.

Meet the next generation of dealers. Linden Lazarus, the  watch dealing mogul, sold over 440 watches just last year at nineteen years old. In this episode, Linden joins the family to share his story, hardships and dream collection. 

Scott Heileson, the world's leading expert when it comes to all things MN Tudor, joins the family as we discuss all things MN, including some of his biggest discoveries and why tastefully restoring is sometimes the best thing you can do for a watch.

When people think of women in the watch industry one person seems to always come to mind, Graal owner Zoe Abelson. In this episode we share her story as a female in a male dominated industry and the new wave of dealers entering the market. 

Christian Zeron, director at Theo & Harris, discusses his journey from growing his business of selling watches to adapting into creative agency and working with the biggest watch brands.

Jasper Lijfering, the man behind Amsterdam Vintage Watches, joins us this week to talk about his story, greatest deals, the importance of buying what you love and superficial vs. actual supply & demand.

Tariq Malik, the worlds' leading expert on Day-Dates, hops on this week's conversation to discuss how he founded the first vintage watch store in the Middle East, Momentum Dubai, the secrets behind auction houses, Stella dials and all things Day-Dates. 

Meet Dean from @don.vintagewatches. He appeared out of nowhere and probably has some of the nicest day-dates in the world. In this episode, we talk about his story entering the watch industry, everything day-dates and if opal dial day-dates are actually real.

Ben, founder of  Watch Brothers London, shares with us his journey from leaving the security of his corporate job to following his passion in dealing with watches full time. 

Let's take a step back and talk to the OG of 5 digit, Ricky Panelo from @crown_in_oyster_case.