OT: The Podcast

Jean-Claude Biver is one of the most important individuals in modern watchmaking, a man with a legendary CV and a long legacy. These days, though, it's his own name on the dial, and when Felix had a surprise interview at Dubai Watch Week, it was finding out how Biver senior has transitioned from running mega watch groups to working with a small family business. Of course, when you get the chance t...

Alan Bloore — better known as Hammer — is a legend in the world of collecting, particularly when it comes to Panerai. He's been collecting watches since the 1980s, and, in a few days, Hammer's watch collection is going under the hammer at Sotheby's New York. Hammer is selling because, in his own words, "it's time to get my affairs in order." We talk about Hammer's lifelong love of watches, Panerai...

Felix is back from sunny Dubai, and he's got plenty of tales to tell. Andy and Felix debrief about the latest edition of this regional watch show with an ever-increasing international reach. From some absolutely wild wrist-spotting to even wilder weather, there's a lot going on at DWW, and that's before we get to the formal programming and watch releases. Andy takes a shine to the slimmer new Stre...

Happy mid-November, everyone! We're slowly winding our way towards the end of the year, so we thought we'd check in and catch up with all the happenings and drama in the world of horology. Because make no mistake, there are happenings and drama a-plenty at the moment. Patek Philippe released a watch with a face on it, Andy almost bought a Greubel Forsey, and we have some thoughts about the GPHG wi...

Worn & Wound has always had a clear point of difference from other watch websites, and Senior Editor Zach Kazan is one of the team who's making sure that Worn & Wound maintains a strong editorial voice. We chat to Zach about how his taste in watches has evolved from clean classics to incorporating funkier options like Worn & Wound's recent laser tag-inspired Zodiac collaboration. Beyond watches, w...

Felix and Andy catch up on what's been happening on and off the wrist. We chat through the latest watch releases from TAG Heuer and Nomos, as well as ID Genève's sustainable mission and new celebrity backer in the form of Leo DiCaprio. On top of that, Andy talks us through corporate shenanigans, according to Ms Tweed. Felix talks about the persistently bubbling drama that is Only Watch. There are...

Today, we chat with Sylvain Berneron , a talented watch designer who — unusually for the Swiss watch industry — has dual responsibilities. He's in charge of design at Breitling, spending his days working on the latest evolutions of some of the most iconic sports chronographs ever made. On top of that, he's also the founder of his own watch brand, Berneron, which has debuted the impressive, elegant...

Any episode of OT: featuring one of the Collective Horology gang is a guaranteed good time, and today's chat with Asher Rapkin is no exception. Ostensibly, Asher is on to talk about his latest release, an impressive, alternate history take on a Minerva monopusher. But even before we talk about what makes the watch stand out, we take a long and meandering trip through the industry's state, collecto...

Today we chat to Tom from Belgium, who you may well recognise from his Instagram account @bowlofsalmon. Tom is a talented photographer and enthusiastic collector who combines both with great effect. Tom talks about his journey from wedding photography to commercial watch photography and the brands that have been supportive along the way, brands like Studio Underd0g. We also chat about the impressi...

We've finally made it, the big two zero zero. To celebrate, Andy and Felix ate some face cake off mic and then got down to the serious business of watch news. Felix chats about his recent jaunt to Sydney to check out IWC's Big Pilot Roadshow, then Andy puts on his bowling shirt, heats up the gabagool and talks about watch spotting in Sopranos. Then, some speculation about the (now not rumoured) Bl...

Double trouble today with Lewis Heath and Imogen Ayres, who you might know as founder and founding team member of anOrdain — but if you're hoping for an in-depth chat on enamel, you'll be disappointed. Instead, we're talking about Paulin Watches, a Scottish brand that anOrdain has recently acquired and has big plans for. Heath and Ayres explain how Paulin's more design-focused, accessible identity...

Today's episode comes straight from our secure audio archive — a short and razor-sharp chat with Zenith CEO Julien Tornare, recorded in the last days of Watches & Wonders. Felix chats with Julien about how he solved the problem of the brand being more famous for its movements than the name on the dial, how the brand went hyperactive during the pandemic, and what that momentum means for the future....

Linde Werdelin , founded in 2002, is one of the pioneers of the modern independent watch scene, with a modern aesthetic and distinctive look, full of interesting angles and broad facets. Andy speaks to Jorn about the development of the brand, how the watch industry has changed over the years, and evolving a distinctive design language. Before that, Felix and Andy talk about Adam Levine's watch col...

Today's guest is one of Watchpro's Hot 100, the NOS, LNIB Eric Wind , founder of Wind Vintage. We welcome Eric back, to chat (unsurprisingly), about vintage watches. Given what's been happening in the world of high-priced vintage timepieces, it's unsurprising that we end up talking about integrity, legitimacy and if high prices and high expectations will lead to trouble down the road. We also find...

Andy caught up with H. Moser & Cie . boss Bertrand Meylan to chat about the wonderful, wild (and occasionally weird) world of Moser watches. They chat about the boom of independent watches has impacted their brand, the unexpected and ongoing success of the Streamliner, and the desire to keep Moser as a brand that people can wear. They also chat about the challenges of maintaining and evolving the...

Here at OT: we're big fans of a watch-related Newsletter, and Owen Lawton 's 3-Watch Thursday hits all the right punchy news notes. Owen's also a talented watch photographer, so we figured we should get in touch and find out what makes him tick — so to speak. From material sciences to watch spotting in Oxford, Owen talks to us about his horological interests and his take on watches in 2023. Before...

This week we welcome back Nicholas Biebuyck for the fourth (or maybe fifth) appearance on OT:, but he's in Melbourne, so it would be rude not to. Andy chats to Nicholas about the just-released Skipper, and what a heritage reissue should look like in 2023. They also talk cars, the importance of integrity in heritage watches and why TAG Heuer is such a strong brand in Australia. Before that, Felix a...

Today we dive into the annals of horological history, to discover a tale of watchmaking on the world stage in the nineteenth century, a time when America's star was rising, and the Swiss national industry was facing a host of challenges. Aaron Stark , author of Disrupting Time, tells how Jacques David and Theo Gribi, two Swiss spies, travelled to America, and actively worked to gather information...

This week we take a quick trip to funky town, with Sō Labs co-founder Rick Cosgrove as our tour guide. Rick talks us through his influences and the challenges he's come across so far, but mostly we talk about the watches. Sō Labs is a young Chicago-based brand with an unconventional design proposition. Layers. Layers and colours. The traditional layout of hands and numbers isn't a part of Sō Labs...

This week Felix speaks to Cartier's Image and Style Director Pierre Rainero about the particular challenges the Maison faces when it comes to evolving iconic designs, while staying true to the heritage of the brand. Of course, they also chat about the latest releases, like the Tank Normale. Before that, Andy and Felix chat about Rolex's surprise new Daytona, Breguet's Pilot Type XX, and why Jack B...

No guests this week; instead, we look back at some notable releases over the last month, including the latest from Seiko and TAG Heuer. Andy checks out Rolex's 2023 releases IRL, and Artem Straps is back with another luscious strap. The big story of the week comes from Omega, in particular the story of a record-breaking Speedmaster that was sold by Phillips in 2021, which is a key piece of evidenc...

This week Felix chats with the Managing Director of Montblanc's Watch Division, Laurent Lecamp. For an interview about watchmaking, we spend a surprising amount of time discussing nature, specifically ice, glacial and otherwise. But don't worry, it all ties into watches — as is immediately apparent with the 1858 Iced Sea collection in blue, black and green. Beyond the impressive dials, the most re...

Andy has referred to today's guest as the 'Felix Scholz of the UK', but to everyone else, he's known as Tim Barber and is, just quietly, a far more professional watch journalist than Felix will ever be. We chat to Tim about how his descent into the world of watches, as well as his take on Davide Cerrato's new job as Bremont CEO, anOrdain's latest, MoonSwatch and the future of the Swatch Group. Bef...

Hannes Pantli describes himself as part of the inventory at IWC . We described him as a legend. Both of these things are true. Mr Pantli started his career with IWC in 1972 and has seen the tides of IWC ebb and flow over the years. We talk about the genesis of Gerald Genta's Ingenieur design, from how it was received at the time and how it's changed over the years, and why Genta stands out as 'the...

IWC's 2023 release slate has a singular focus — the Ingenieur. This cult classic integrated sports watch has made its triumphant return to the catalogue, and it was one of the major talking points of Watches & Wonders. Two people talking about it were Felix and IWC Museum Curator David Seyfer, and it's this chat we've got for you today. Seyfer delves into the history of this significant design, ho...