Collectors Gene Radio

Today we’re chatting with a friend of mine who's been a collector for as long as he can remember. James Lamdin, founder of Analog/Shift, is no stranger to the watch and car community. Fresh off a sale to Watches of Switzerland, we talk about how he got into collecting from an early age and how things have changed since running a successful business. Not only a collector of the aforementioned, but...

As small as the watch world is, there’s a lot more collectors out there than you would think. But not all of them stand out or impress, subjective of your taste. And then there’s Jaclyn. Jaclyn is a collector who took the community for a loop when she popped up on the scene in 2020. Since then, she’s taken us along with her as she ebbs and flows through her collection. But as an Ivy League student...

Joining me today is Editor in Chief of Robb Report, Paul Croughton. Paul reached out to me as a fan of the podcast, which was truly humbling as I’ve been a fan of Robb Report for quite some time. Without knowing him too well, I figured he had to be a collector. In fact, Paul’s been collecting his whole life. His father was a collector and he subsequently caught the bug early on. From action figure...

Today we’re chatting with a collector that’s owned some of the rarest gems in the world and has created some of the most sought after jewelry. Glenn Spiro, based in London, is calling in today from the Peninsula Hotel in Beverly Hills, where he has an outpost that he opens for just two weeks out of the year. G has created some of the most magnificent pieces utilizing the highest of quality and rar...

Today we’re chatting with the Men’s Fashion Director for Bergdorf Goodman and Neiman Marcus, Bruce Pask. Bruce has had an amazing trajectory in menswear over the last 30 years, especially for someone who grew up in Southern Arizona. Today’s conversation on collecting is a little different than something I have done in the past. As a Fashion Director of two of the biggest names in the industry, Bru...

Celebrity and award winning interior designer, Nate Berkus, is our guest today and I couldn’t be more excited about this one. Nate’s been on the block for quite some time, but it seems that with each year, he gets more and more relevant. He’s a master at mixing vintage and new, and when I need some home inspiration, he’s the first person I go to. Nate and his partner Jeremiah have just started the...

Every collector has their own style. And that couldn’t be more relevant with today’s guest, Roni Madhvani. When it comes to double signed watches from the holy trinity, or piece uniques from Cartier, Roni has found a way to differentiate himself amongst all the other collectors out there. He’s got a deliberate focus on odd case shapes and double signed dials, especially from defunct retailers. He’...

Today’s guest is none other than Brynn Wallner, founder of Dimepiece, a platform dedicated to all things women and watches. Now, Brynn’s pretty new to the watch world, but she can be accredited for putting women and watches on the map. Dimepiece came about after a stint at Sotheby’s whenBrynn found herself sitting at home, falling more in love with watches, like we all do, and started documenting...

Summary Written By Rich Fordon @ Hodinkee: Auro Montanari, aka John Goldberger truly is the consummate collector you see on TV (see Hodinkee Talking Watches), yet he is so much more than a guy with a bunch of cool watches no one else has. A scholar first and, importantly, passionate about sharing that knowledge, his contribution to the world of watches in immeasurable. Talking Watches w/ John Gold...

For someone who is the founder of one of the most well known rare, pre-owned, independent, and vintage watch platforms, you would think that all their energy goes towards watches. And while the majority does, founder Silas Walton has an affinity for arguably the most luxurious brand there is, Hermes. The brand history for Hermes dates back to 1837, when they made luxury saddles and harnesses for n...

Today we’re chatting with Nick, the proprietor of AdPatina – a company that sources, sells, and frames vintage advertisements, ranging from watches, cars, to Eames chairs. I’ve been following Nick for a few years now, watching his business grow, and getting hooked on vintage advertisements myself. Nick’s a watch and ad collector as well, and while he can’t keep everything being that this is his bu...

When it comes to American Menswear, a few names stick out, like Ralph Lauren & J. Crew. But those two brands can’t be mentioned without naming Todd Snyder, who is truly at the helm of American Menswear as we know it today. An Alumni of both brands previously mentioned, Todd decided to start an eponymous menswear company at the age 40 and has taken everything he has learned from his previous en...

Today we’re talking to a car collector whose built a business around his passions. George Bamford, founder of Bamford Watch Department has always loved mechanical things from an early age. When the time came to join his family’s business, he decided to not rest on his laurels and started his own. George has an amazing collection ranging from Ferraris to Land Rovers and drives them all up and down...

Our guest today is someone you probably know from the movies and TV series Bridesmaids, The Office, Freaks & Geeks, The Heat, Spy, Heavyweights, Welcome To Flatch, The School For Good and Evil, A Simple Favor, the list goes on. But what you might not know about director and actor Paul Feig, is that he’s got an extensive suit and walking stick collection. In fact, he’s one of the few left in Ho...

Once a comedy writer, Barry Friedman is one of the those collectors turned dealers stories that we love to hear about. What’s more fascinating, is that he’s really the only person dealing strictly in one category, which is antique Indian trade and camp blankets. This is one of those things where you have definitely seen them in passing, but you may not have known exactly what you were looking at....

Alex Hassan is one of the collectors who can easily fly under the radar, but when you stumble upon his Instagram you find quite possibly the most extensive collection of Ghurka bags and accessories known to the market. So much so that he had to buy a separate townhouse just to store them… I've had the pleasure of getting to know Alex over the last few years, and while all those conversations have...

As an art curator, Todd Levin is in that unique position where his attention to detail and the research that goes into what he does for a living, plays into his role when it comes to collecting. A collector of many things, from art, to watches, to rare jazz records, and architecture, Todd hasn’t necessarily taken the typical approach to some of these. For example, Todd has always appreciated watch...

It’s not very often that you can accredit somebody with keeping heritage alive. But today you’ll get to hear from John Edelman who we can attribute to doing just that. Formerly CEO of Design Within Reach, John and his business partner are reviving Heller Inc., a brand that since 1971 has worked with some of the most influential designers like Massimo Vignelli, Mario Bellini, and Frank Gehry, just...

If you’re into watches, you 100% know the name Eric Wind. For those that don’t, well you’re welcome. Eric’s the founder of Wind Vintage which he launched in 2017, after a career at Christie’s auction house and has since become a merited authority in the watch world, which can be proven by just about every publication quoting him in their articles. He’s sourced watches for the movie Crazy Rich Asia...

Co-Founder of Basecamp and Hey, Jason Fried is pretty known in the watch community as a great collector. While fairly private, sometimes you just can’t help but talk about the stuff you love. That’s Jason Fried for ya. Jason has authored and co-authored several books, some if not most of which have been New York Times Best Sellers. But how would a Co-Founder of a tech company as big as Basecamp ha...

A few years back, I was on a gondola ride in Venice and our gondolier pointed out the top floor of the Aman Venice – Papadopoli Palazzo. He looked at us and said, “Do you see the lights on the top floor? The owner of that building turned it into an Aman hotel and kept the top floors as his home. And he’s a Count.” Now, I get super intrigued by this stuff so of course I did extensive research and f...

Each city has that local business hero, if you will. For Phoenix, that’s Sam Fox. Fresh off selling his company, Fox Restaurant Concepts, to Cheesecake Factory, Sam has created one of those brands that you just know when you are at one of his concepts. Don’t ask how, because the food is different at each one. Maybe it’s the quality, mixed with the service, tied in with the atmosphere, I have no fr...

Aurel has an extensive career in watches and in the last few years, he and his wife Livia have partnered with Phillips Auction House to help run their watch department. Now, Aurel is of course a collector of watches himself, but instead of talking about his collection, we wanted to talk about the psychology of collecting. What makes someone go further than they had planned at an auction? What abou...

A true renaissance man, Matt Hranek is just THAT guy. His books are on your coffee table, he’s the reason you may love a negroni while holding a tray of your uncooked steaks, he loves a lot of things, and is probably one of the best definitions of what this podcast is all about. From watches, to experiences, his sartorially inclined outfits and friend group, there’s nothing not to dig about this g...

Collectors Gene Radio is a deep dive into the nuances of collecting. Hear from collectors and experts from all over the world speak on their passions and hobbies, and ultimately find out whether or not they feel they were born with the "Collectors Gene".