Hot Take Time

Sorry listeners! Been a while since our last episode but we're going back to basics and hopefully will get more regular with episodes! In this episode, Pete and John talk about the Watches and Wonders event 2024, and what our thoughts are. Spoiler: Not our favourite W&W year but still plenty to talk about.

Catch Pete and John talking about our watch predictions for 2024 - also for the first time this will also be in video format on Youtube! Quite a few tangents along the way though (what else can you expect from us really). A meandering journey that we hope you enjoy!

A bunch of random watch talk with a bit of a flavour of what have brands done for us lately and what could they do.

In the spirit of ever being the professionals that we are, here's an episode that we actually recorded a few months ago but have been too busy to upload (sorry everyone!). Hopefully will be back to regular programming shortly but this is a good one. Our first ever episode with a guest and our first ever episode done remotely. A few technical challenges (it wouldn't be a HTT episode without...

We are back - after a little break. The break was not planned or intended - you can blame my new found obsession with Baldurs Gate 3 more than anything. This week we are discussing the latest Swatch x Blancpain collab - because? well because its kind of compulsory.

Today we talk about a few brands that we reckon, rightly or wrongly, are underrated by the watch world. Whats really interesting is perhaps why we think they are underrated - perhaps its because they also make other things, or focus on women or are just trying to make us happy (yeah I know, obviously we'll hate someone trying to make us happy). We also chats about the recent trend to revive lo...

Watch companies may as well make up whole new units of measure for water resistance (I vote squeezal) because it seems that neither meters or atmospheres mean what we think they mean when it comes to a watches water resistance. Why is that? Does it have to be that way? Then we finish up with a quick chat on how we decide what to wear each day.

So often the watch hobby requires us to wait. Maybe its trying to save for that new Omega or waiting for "the call" from your Rolex AD or twidling your thumbs while an indie watchmaker builds your watch - often we are kept waiting. Is this a good thing? Or would we skip the wait and jump to the buying process if we could. We chat about this a bit and go off on many tangents. Also the 75t...

Want to listen to two random guys chatting away in a spare bedroom critiquing incredibly successful professional media folks and telling them how to improve? Well you are in the right place because thats what we are up to this episode. There are some moments of insight but it also feels like there's quite a few places where we appear to backflip on what we'd said earlier. That said, we sti...

Today Pete and John discuss the idea of grail watches. Its a bit of a rambling journey around the topic running from what even is a grail through to "if a grail is an exit watch do you even want a grail?". The idea of a grail watch being super expensive gets a bit of a run - such as what would be the effect of putting all your horological eggs in one basket? Would the hobby still be fun or would t...

Today Pete and John discuss brand icons - the watches that have come to define a brand. Sometimes this is really easy (looking at you Breitling Navitimer) because there's only one, sometimes its hard because a brand is so powerful there are a couple of candidate (Rolex) and sometimes there just isnt a watch that define a brand but perhaps an idea (like Seiko). So listen to their ideas - feel free...

Pete and John tackle two questions or topics today. First, a quick look back at Watches and Wonders 2023. A show that somehow managed to only rise to vague satisfaction in the main with little that really got the heart pumping. The Rolex releases were, for a first time in our watch history genuinely interesting while everyone else appeared to be content painting well inside their well-established...

In our podcasts so far John has mentioned that has tended to buy (and sell) quite a bit in the past. Given that we've both been pretty negative toward dirty filthy flippers (sorry, couldnt help it) doesnt that mean we're being a little hypocritical? So today we unpack that, what is flipping? Is selling a watch always "flipping"? (btw no) or is flipping a particular kind of sale? (yes, yes it is)....

Just what is "a watch"? Is a bracelet a watch part or an accessory? If you've changed a bracelet have you modified the watch? Is a watch with a non OEM band a frankenwatch? And what about servicing and warrantees? What should be expect and what would we like to see. Pete and John today discuss all sorts of issues around the basics of living with a watch.

Today Pete and John chat about transparency and discover, like always, that nothing is as simple as you imagine. We talk about transparency in watches including movements, swiss made but then wonder why not cases, or dials or even watch design.   We then talk about transparency in the watch media and get right down to the important question - does the media lie to us to make the brands happy...

The retail experience for watches is changing - fast. Perhaps the biggest change happening right now are the watch brands taking more control (and a bigger slice of the pie) though the ever increasing use of single brand boutiques either operated directly by the brand or on their behalf by a third party. Is this a good thing? It certainly makes discounts (or at least big discounts) pretty rare. &n...

Watch pricing is one of the most contentious aspects of the watch hobby.  As enthusiasts we think we all know better than brands what their watches "should" cost and get pretty vocal about it.  Today we talk around this issue for an hour or so and find that its not so easy.  Oh, its definitely the movement that sets the price, until we are actually asked to pay up then its brand pow...

Join Pete and John discussing a load of watches released in Jan 2023 including the revolutionary (and baffling) Omega Speedmaster Super Racing Spirate, Zenith Defy Revival, a couple of TAGs and.....whatever else came to mind

Ok, so be kind - please.  We sat down to experiment, see if this would work, how to edit, what was required to create a podcast and figure out just what we are trying to achieve.  This episode is babies first steps - we start slow, end up on our arses occasionally but find our feet towards the end. Today we introduce ourselves (briefly), talk about our entry into the hobby and then give our opinio...