Openwork: Inside the Watch Industry

Today we have a bonus episode of our podcast. It’s a discussion with Romain Marietta, the Chief Product Officer at Zenith. We sat down recently in Geneva to discuss not only our latest collaboration – the Zenith DEFY Skyline C.X – but also how he and Zenith approach product development more broadly. Hosted by Asher Rapkin and Gabe Reilly, co-founders of Collective Horology , Openwork goes inside t...

On this episode of Openwork, we explore the business of both MB&F and Max’s most recent horological project: M.A.D.Editions . While both represent wildly creative watches, they have fundamentally different business models, with MB&F producing under 200 pieces a year at prices mostly over $100K USD and M.A.D.Editions producing thousands of watches a year at under $5K USD. Hosted by Asher Ra...

For years, we’ve followed the GPHG – the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève – with great excitement and interest as it’s essentially the Oscars of Watches. And with this year's award ceremony taking place November 13, we figured it would be helpful to lift the veil on what goes on behind the scenes. Who are the people who nominate these watches, and what does voting look like? Does the GPHG meaning...

On this episode, we share an industry perspective on what’s quickly becoming something of a New York Watch Week – comprising the Windup Watch Fair, WatchTime and more. Additionally, we’re going to share a special live podcast recording from the Windup Watch Fair – a joint episode between us and the Worn & Wound Podcast . It’s a conversation with Martin Frei of URWERK and Jonathan Ferrer of Bre...

On this episode, we take a look at a topic that we’ve been curious about for a long time. We have discussed, both with members of the industry and amongst ourselves, the realities of production here in the United States, Japan, Switzerland and to a lesser degree Germany. But to date, we haven’t discussed one of the largest centers of watch manufacturing in the world: China. From full watches to co...

Today (October 4, 2024) marks a major shift in the watch industry. Hodinkee, the leading voice in modern watch media, has been fully acquired by Watches of Switzerland, a massive UK based retailer with operations around the world including in the US. Only a few months ago, Ben Clymer, founder of Hodinkee – and as of today, a President at Watches of Switzerland – announced that the publication was...

We discuss the current landscape of movement suppliers and how it came to be. We cover how movements are selected by watchmakers, along with the drama that often surrounds the ever-popular “in house” vs “mass produced” discussion. We offer some thoughts on how, why or if movement design, finishing and construction should figure into a purchasing decision. Correction: On this podcast, we claimed th...

Earlier this summer, we asked you – our listeners – to participate in a short survey in order to hear your perspective on the current state and future of the watch industry. The responses poured in, and on today's episode, we delve into what you shared. A massive thanks to those who responded. Your responses were incredibly thoughtful, helpful, and surprising. Hosted by Asher Rapkin and Gabe Reill...

Live from Geneva Watch Days, we discuss how the show has evolved from a collector focus to a major industry event, along with the consequences of those changes. And we cover some of the week's high drama, including how and why we were kicked out of the Beau Rivage hotel. Things are getting real here in Geneva – stakes are high. Hosted by Asher Rapkin and Gabe Reilly, co-founders of Collective Horo...

We take a deep dive into the current state of the secondary (pre-owned) watch market with our friend Hamza Masood of WatchCharts – the world's most comprehensive, transparent and trusted source of watch market data. It’s a service we at Collective subscribe to for its valuable insight not just into the pre-owned watch market but what that data can tell us about the watch industry at large. And tha...

We look at the shifting landscape of watch retail – specifically the rise of single-brand boutiques, the trade-offs of those changes, and what the future looks like. Hosted by Asher Rapkin and Gabe Reilly, co-founders of Collective Horology, Openwork goes inside the watch industry. You can find us online at collectivehorology.com. To get in touch with suggestions, feedback or questions, email podc...

On this special episode of Openwork, we discuss Hodinkee’s recent announcement that they’re shutting down their retail business – with the exception of limited editions – to refocus on editorial. This is big news that touched off an immediate and widespread response within the watch community. It also has significant implications for the watch industry at large, reshaping Hodinkee’s role within it...

Our conversation with Tony Traina of Hodinkee takes a look at the current health of and sentiment toward the watch industry. We look at how brands, retailers and watch media contribute to the current state of the industry, and what they can do to improve things. Links: Rescapement Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry – monthly export data Watches of Switzerland – quarterly earnings and annual re...

This episode is a very frank and unfiltered conversation with Aren Bazerkanian, founder of Havid Nagan – the upstart independent brand that took the watch world by storm in 2022 with its debut watch the HN00. We recorded this conversation in January of this year at a time when Aren was navigating challenges with Swiss watch production. In particular, one of his key suppliers experienced a leadersh...

Probably the question we’re asked most is how we design and develop our collaborative watches – how we identify brands, how the creative process works, and how we make decisions along the way on everything from design to finishing. So on this episode, we’re going behind the scenes on the making of our latest collaboration: The Armin Strom Gravity Equal Force P.03 Night Ops.  Hosted by Asher Rapkin...

We share our biggest lessons from going inside the watch industry. We both made the transition from watch enthusiasts to industry insiders. We’ve had the opportunity to retail watches, design them, meet many industry luminaries, and even serve as GPHG academy members – and we’ve learned a ton along the way. We often get asked what that journey has been like, and what advice we’d give others who ar...

We discuss what happens when a founder leaves their brand. From Daniel Roth to Speake-Marin, there are examples of this all over the industry, with some interesting – if varied – results. We're joined by one of our oldest friends and an authority on independent watchmaking Roman (@timesromanau), host of the Independent Thinking podcast on Fifth Wrist Radio . Hosted by Asher Rapkin and Gabe Reilly,...

We're joined by Thomas Fleming (Fleming Watches) to talk about the realities of starting an independent watch brand. Everything from what it means to build the strategy, raise the funding and develop the branding for a company to how it feels to finally put something that you care about so much into the world. Hosted by Asher Rapkin and Gabe Reilly, co-founders of Collective Horology, Openwork goe...

We’re lifting the veil on selling and trading your watches. We cover the options available when you’re ready to move on from a watch, the trade-offs of those options, as well as why there are different cost structures depending on how you sell or trade your watch. In particular, we share how we as dealers look at buying and trading for watches, which will hopefully demystify things and more import...

We're live from the floor of Watches & Wonders 2024 to provide an insider take on this week’s goings on in Geneva – the mood of the fair, industry scuttlebutt, and how we see it all impacting the watch industry and collectors. Hosted by Asher Rapkin and Gabe Reilly, co-founders of Collective Horology , Openwork goes inside the watch industry. You can find us online at collectivehorology.com. T...

On this episode, we pull back the curtain on one of the biggest weeks in the world of watches: Watches & Wonders. Together with Zach Kazan (Managing Editor of Worn & Wound), we talk about what it’s like to be retailers and journalists respectively at this industry event, what really goes on in all those meetings, and what we hope to see from the industry this year. Hosted by Asher Rapkin a...

We discuss the tradeoffs involved in managing a fast-growing watch brand – in particular, how independent watch brand Czapek is navigating a period of intense growth and demand. Together with Xavier de Roquemaurel (CEO of Czapek & Cie.), we look at what’s going on behind the scenes to expand their operations, manage customer relationships, and plan sustainably for the long term. Hosted by Ashe...

On this episode, we look at something both intangible and very consequential, and that’s the power of brands – what they are, why they matter, whether they should matter, and how they impact the watch industry and watch collectors. Hosted by Asher Rapkin and Gabe Reilly, co-founders of Collective Horology , Openwork goes inside the watch industry. You can find us online at collectivehorology.com....

This week, we go inside watch pricing with Michael Margolis, owner of Horology Works – the US representative for Czapek, Singer Reimagined and Speake-Marin. Mike was also previously the North America President for Girard-Perregaux as well as North America Sales Director for Hublot. Together we look at the inputs that go into pricing watches, everything from labor and supply costs to marketing and...

We go inside watch journalism with Stephen Pulvirent, West Coast Editor at Large for Revolution and founder of Rime & Reason, a marketing and creative agency serving the watch industry. Stephen is also former managing editor for Hodinkee. Together we discuss the realities of watch journalism. Specifically, how editorial teams and media outlets make decisions about what to cover and how to bala...