This episode of the ABTW Weekly Podcast proves that time really is relative — especially if you’re a watch collector trying to survive daylight savings. The team kicks things off by pondering the baffling relationship between time zones and watches — shouldn't every new release come with a PhD in geography? The guys move on to the topic of celebrity endorsements, because nothing says “luxury horology” quite like a B-list actor pretending to love a brand they can’t pronounce.
The material debate takes a turn when titanium enters the chat. Citizen’s Super Titanium earns respect, while Rolex’s titanium attempts are described with the same enthusiasm usually reserved for airline food. The gang jokes that titanium may be the future — if the luxury crowd can get over missing the extra heft of steel. Diamonds also sparkle in the discussion, from the surprisingly affordable Armatron Knox to the meme-worthy concept of “diamond hands” in horology.
Certina’s DSX GMT gets a nod for being tough enough to survive both jet lag and a toddler tantrum, while microbrands continue to punch above their weight, sometimes making legacy brands look like they’re stuck in, well, daylight savings. The episode ends with colorful trends, AI watch reviews, and plenty of laughs about how absurdly serious watch culture can be — even when the time’s all wrong.
This week’s aBlogtoWatch Weekly podcast illustrates that watch talk is never just about watches. The team opens up with its trademark mix of banter and sharp observations, spotlighting the eccentric world of auctioning watch memorabilia — equal parts fascinating and absurd.
The conversation shifts to Frank Müller and Swatch, as the team dissects advertising missteps as cases in point regarding how even established brands stumble when trying to capture attention in today’s market. From there, the convo pivots to tariffs and trade policy, a pressing issue reshaping the pricing of luxury watches in the U.S. and influencing both consumer behavior and brand strategy.
Listeners also get a close review of the Formex Essence 41, with its refinements over earlier versions prompting debate about how new models stand out in an increasingly crowded field.
On the release front, Roger Dubuis’ Excalibur Spider Flyback Chronograph in pink gold earns admiration for its fearless design, reaffirming the brand’s boundary-pushing identity. In contrast, Loki’s Pacific Coast Highway watch offers a mission-driven, locally inspired approach that brings a refreshing perspective to new launches.
This week’s episode starts off in familiar aBlogtoWatch fashion — lighthearted banter, a touch of mischief, and just enough side-eye at industry quirks to keep things interesting. The first eyebrow-raiser? Tim Cook’s awkward watch-related gift to Donald Trump, a moment that sparks a wider discussion on the sometimes-clumsy dance between corporations, politics, and tariffs. And those tariffs aren’t just awkward— they’re a genuine threat to the U.S. luxury watch market, nudging brands to rethink their American footprints and pushing watch enthusiasts to consider their buying habits.
Then, the conversation shifts to the soul of watch collecting. Generic, personality-free assortments are roasted for their lack of spark, while outlandish collections (think Inspector Gadget wristwear) get a weird nod for their unapologetic individuality. This sets the stage for a string of playful “what-if” designs, from timidly “sheepish” straps to the gloriously bizarre “Bongo Bang” collector’s piece.
The episode isn’t ALL hypothetical whimsy. The hosts spotlight three notable models that balance form, function, and market positioning: the retro-cool Glashütte Original 70s X Chronograph, Bulgari’s travel-friendly yet distinct Octo Roma World Timer, and the versatile TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 200. These watches hit the sweet spot where practicality meets emotional connection— a recurring theme as the team muses on the evolving tastes of luxury watch buyers.
Other trends get airtime, too. Comfort and wearability are emerging as must-haves, solar-powered movements are winning over practical-minded enthusiasts, and defunct brands are enjoying a nostalgia-fueled revival. By episode’s denouement, the tone circles back to humor, leaving listeners with a mix of market insight, design critique, and just enough absurdity to remind us why talking about watches never really gets old, especially when the straps are sheepish and the bongos are ready to bang.
This week’s episode of aBlogtoWatch Weekly ranges through a broad spectrum of topics, from geopolitical tariffs to cartoon-inspired timepieces — with plenty of hot takes along the way. The show kicks off with a deep dive into IWC’s marketing strategy, highlighting how the brand skillfully ties its messaging to cultural moments and events. The conversation then pivots to travel and watch spotting, with the team discussing how being on the road reshapes their perspectives on watch culture. That dovetails into the real meat of the episode: the rising profile of German watchmaking, especially in light of new tariffs impacting Swiss watches. Brands like Glashütte Original are gaining traction stateside, and the guys muse about whether newcomers to the Glashütte scene might shift the balance in this traditionally Swiss-dominated industry. In a burst of pop-culture crossover, we explore Fossil’s Marvel collaboration, which is part mass-market appeal and part celebrity endorsement (both real and hypothetical) — how do these influence public perception? The Citizen Promaster Skyhawk is praised for sheer utility, while the Seiko Datsun Limited Edition raises eyebrows over questionable branding decisions. The team riffs on the fine line between homage and gimmick, and Venezianico earns a nod for balancing fashion-forward flair with functional sensibilities. Of course, no aBlogtoWatch Weekly episode would be complete without a visit from Chives the Watch Butler, who once again brings levity and absurd charm. A brief but brilliant detour into cartoon-inspired watches and the bizarrely practical idea of a “watch for car detailers” reminds us that this hobby doesn’t always have to take itself so seriously. Whether you’re in it for the mechanics, the market trends, or the memes, this episode delivers the goods
Check out this weeks sponsors:
Marathon Watch - https://www.marathonwatch.com/
Ace Jewelers - https://www.acejewelers.com/
In this episode, Rick, David and Ripley fire up the engines and roast the rubber right off the horological racetrack, starting with F1 sponsorships. Richard Mille is, not surprisingly, everywhere — possibly even sponsoring Nico Hülkenberg’s breakfast cereal, though sadly not his wrist. Bremont and Oris get a few pity laps around the F1 circuit, too, mostly to remind us they exist. Then comes the GPHG segment, where Bernie Watch’s entry is dissected with surgical sarcasm, and the entry fee gets more airtime than some indie brands' entire press cycles. Ripley’s debut on Watchonista is both celebrated and roasted — equal parts milestone and meme. His age? Unclear. His relevance? Surprisingly intact. David’s deep dive into watch accuracy sparks a debate about whether a $200 watch should be accurate or just accurate-ish. Casio’s mechanical debut and Seiko’s NH35 go under the loupe, with everyone pretending to be regulation experts. Then it’s time for “Which Watch is Like…”, a wildly off-the-rails analogy fest: Seiko is Golden Road Brewing (too many SKUs), Panerai is ProTech knives (tough but niche), and Hamilton is Crystal Geyser (dependable, often overlooked, possibly better cold). New releases get dunked on and dissected: The Blancpain Fifty Fathoms “Tech” is questioned for lacking actual tech, the Zeitwerk Date in pink gold is labeled “bougie but temperamental,” and the Vario x RZE Trench Watch is the rare affordable winner.
Check Out This Week's Sponsor:
Ace Jewelers - https://www.acejewelers.com/
This week, Ariel, Rick, David, and Ripley are back with a wrist-worn whirlwind of hilarity, horology, and Hungarian heroes. This week's ceremonial clap-in goes to the Sowind Group for being one of Switzerland's "best managed companies". (We are just as confused as you are). Ariel gets serious with a thought-provoking take on how luxury brands are selling “desirability” while consumers crave substance and value. Is the era of genuine innovation behind us? Hungarian folklore meets watch industry vengeance: Goose Boy vs the world! Which brand is the goose-avenging, underdog legend of horology? And why might it be Vortic? The team also spirals into AI-generated visual horrors involving a well known watch media brand founder hugging Ariel courtside, a watch named "Peripheral Salmon" (yes, really), and taupe being tragically declared “essential.” Some of the crew profess their love for bund straps, David insists on changing the name of a popular weekly segment to “Hit, Miss, Maybe, Kill it with FIRE” (thanks, Spongebob), and so much more on this week’s episode of the aBlogtoWatch Podcast.
Check out this week’s sponsors:
Marathon Watch - https://www.marathonwatch.com/
Ace Jewelers - https://www.acejewelers.com/
Strap in (or click your bracelet extension into place) for this week’s episode of aBlogtoWatch Weekly. The team dives into the ever-bubbling cauldron of watch world weirdness with Ripley looking at the Citizen Promaster Diver 41mm, a watch so "unremarkably good it's almost remarkable." The crew debates its enthusiast appeal vs gift-watch greatness and ponders the eternal question: Why don’t more people love Super Titanium? Rick manages to break through his technical difficulties at the start of the show in what new listeners might think is his first podcast rodeo, and the group asks if the Piaget “Andy Warhol” Black Tie and its $61K price tag are a tribute to the man, or just a tribute to marketing ambiguity.... You can decide. Also, Bell & Ross designs a Bell & Ross about Bell & Ross, so squint and adjust your screen brightness to check it out. Next, given Rick's new beekeeping hobby, the Bulova Super Seville "Honeybee" Edition feels especially apt with its delightfully whimsical design. Want a geography lesson with your timepiece? Then the CIGA Design Blue Planet Atlantic II is your dream watch. Ariel and the crew walk us through this Earth-tilted, counterclockwise wonder that reminds us that time, space, and maps are all relative.Check out this week’s sponsor:
Marathon Watch - https://www.marathonwatch.com/
In this delightfully irreverent episode of aBlogtoWatch Weekly, Rick and the guys dive wrist-first into the absurd, the insightful, and the gloriously unnecessary corners of the watch world. Kicking things off, they give a standing ovation (well, a sarcastic slow clap) to Chrono24 for their marketing email announcing... drumroll... dark mode. Yes, folks, in 2025, turning your app background black is apparently still a press-worthy event. The team now proposes a weekly award for the most inane watch-related marketing announcement, so keep those PR disasters coming!
The philosophical meat of the show? Whether you wear a watch for yourself or for other people. Cue the existential crisis. Ariel insists that slapping a watch on your wrist is a statement—whether it's “I'm refined and mysterious” or “Please ask me about my diver that’s never been near water.” They discuss how social context, parenting, and introversion all factor into what you wear — meaning your G-Shock might be saying, “I’m just trying to survive the school run.”
Next up: watch visibility. The gang fantasizes about creating a game show where they spot watches from 100 yards away like horological snipers. Panerai, of course, is the peacock of the watch zoo — recognizable from space.
They geek out over high-frequency movements — because if you can’t flex your obscure mechanical knowledge in a podcast, where can you? They lovingly mock the fact that quartz is better in every measurable way... but mechanical is cooler, because fantasy timelines where quartz never existed are more fun.
Finally, they gently roast the Tudor Black Bay—perfectly reliable, always available, like that one friend who never moved out of your hometown. Boring? Maybe. Comforting? Absolutely.
For the grand finale: You guessed it. Hit Miss, Maybe!
Check Out This Week's Sponsor:
Löbner - https://lbnr.com/
This week on aBlogtoWatch Weekly, the conversation kicks off with a round of applause for Tudor (applause is the new clap-in), followed by an examination of whether the watch industry needs a metaphorical “intervention.” Or maybe a literal one? The guys debate transparency, digital transformation, and sustainability as key areas careening through their horological brains. And speaking of horological…. There’s a playful riff on how watch geeks sometimes take their obsession too far — chasing ultra-niche complications or hyper-rare references. It’s a thing. The question is asked: “Are we torturing ourselves for the sake of tiny mechanical details?” It’s loving critique of the hobby’s tendency to overthink.“ Rick’s title, part of which is “Twerking Your Resence,” might seem tongue-in-cheek, but knowing Rick, it probably maybe isn’t. Tune in to find out!
Check Out This Week's Sponsor:
Ace Jewelers - https://www.acejewelers.com/
To Follow
Rick is bouncy-bright this morning, Ripley is clapping concrete, and Ariel is wearing a concrete watch — so don’t ever say we aren’t coordinated! David draws a line about what he will and won’t look at on the shared screen. ABTW Week #176 begins as such. The guys set about analyzing the nomenclature of the new Grand Seiko Tentagraph, and David offers some suggestions for improvement. On to the Chrono 25. More watch for less? Listen in to find out if that’s a thing. When talk turns precipitously to the touchy subject of outsourcing, Rick asks whether the Swiss have outsourced themselves into irrelevance. It’s all eyes on David where Chopard is concerned. (Spoiler alert: He really likes this brand!) The vibes turn to underwhelm when the spotlight is placed on the new pastel Blancpain. Is it a Swatch? Or is it a watch that costs as much as a new home? Sad that we have to ask. The mood is redeemed with an invigorating few rounds of Hit, Miss, Maybe.
This week on aBlogtoWatch Weekly Rick is finally back from his Panerai adventures while David is the one we are missing. Rick, Ariel, and Ripley start the show by diving into a watch with a unique party trick, the Ball Engineer II Magneto S, and Ripley shows off what he is wearing with the exact opposite trick. Rick takes a look at Hublot’s website in order to “Return to Antikythera”, they play “Guess the price of the Seiko”, and they share what they think the love interest storyline in the new F1 movie could be. (Hint: a man and his car..) As always Rick, Ripley, and Ariel also play everyone’s favorite game, Hit, Miss, or Maybe with the Citizen Promaster Aqualand, the Ulysse Nardin Freak, and the Laurent Ferrier Sport Auto 79. Listen and join in on the conversation to hear an episode where third place feels like a win, (with a side of Mc Hammer and Muppet references), to witness an unveiling of the new unit of time, #KariTime, and so much more on this week’s episode of aBlogtoWatch Weekly!
To Follow
Note To Follow.
This week on aBlogtoWatch Weekly, Rick starts the show with a question about Ariel's recent column about luxury watch pricing and its downstream effects. Ariel has much to say about this topic beyond the obvious. Who knew this was a can o' worms? Leave it Ariel to dig up questions in a space that seems well understood. Check your assumptions, people! Ripley and David weigh in from their own experiences as longtime enthusiasts. Rick then pops a photo on the screen of a luxury yacht designed to hold eight people, sinking under the weight of 32 souls. Not sure what this has to do with watches, except those sinking like they have stones in their pockets are likely debating how to save the watches they're wearing. In a similar vein, David presents his favorite marketing pitch — yes, this was an assignment — can you tell these guys get a lot of emails that seem quite random? (Don't miss the bit about the Trump watch error. We Americans love it when Rick rubs our noses in the country's current political administration. "No, I'm laughing WITH you!") The fun continues throughout the hour with a mix of levity and serious watch talk. Tune in!
To Follow
Rick starts the show by referencing the preceding rant edited out of the produced show. To wit: The live show took on the gazillion emails the guys have been getting about which celebrity wore what watch at the Met Gala. But onto something more important — grammar! Whether you could or couldn’t care less, that is the question. Now, down to some actual content. David’s latest “Grinding Gears” column is all about the gap between watchmakers and the consumers who don’t know what they’re looking at. This divide causes some problems, as David explains. Ariel has a lot to say about this, especially regarding value. Next up? Guess the Price of the Seiko! Then, onto a discussion of the Seagull Okeanos release, which also results in a discussion of pricing and tariffs. Ariel asks, “Why are tariffs invading our hobby?” And that is the question of the day. Kevin Roberts joins the foursome to discuss the latest from Doxa, Breguet, and other brands. Tune in to hear the latest.
This week on aBlogtoWatch Weekly, the quartet is a trio. Ariel is away, and David is super-excited about the new collab between Bulova and IFL. He waxes poetic about the hand-painted artwork on the dial, and it's hard to tell if/when he might take it off. And he's impressed with the price (just 1,200 Euros, including a Bulova movement). They move on to discuss two documentaries about brands — Bulova and IWC — before taking a look at the latest Gerald Charles release. Semi-usual suspect Kevin Roberts joins the show, as does Guy Blaskey. Ripley gets tuned in and heated up about the contemporary face of Bremont (there's a parallel to spam — don't ask), and the fivesome banters about the topic, which is more controversial with each passing day. Then, the segment we all wait for: Hit, Miss, Maybe! Listen in.
This week on aBlogtoWatch Weekly, it's a party! Rick has, count'em, five guests, all of whom are wearing black. In addition to Ariel, David, and Ripley, special guests Pete McConnell and Kevin Roberts are in the house. Ariel's presence was unplanned, as he's in Italy, where Pope Francis has just died, so he's feeling special in a strange way. Ripley is continuing to grow a mustache this week as he prepares to try to avert being placed on a jury. The guys get down to it with the question: Can one upset Rolex? Like, is it possible? Pete says "no," Ripley says, "kinda sorta, not really," and Ariel says, "heck yeah." There's only one way to find out the whys of these various answers, and that's to tune in to the show. Another big highlight of this festive episode is a conversation about Blancpain — lots of praise with a caution about the price (no surprise there, though). And guess what's back? Hit, Miss, Maybe. Join in!
This week on aBlogtoWatchWeekly, Ariel gets right to his most burning question: Why is everyone still so worried about tariffs? Because he isn't. In contrarian fashion, Ariel is worried about other things, like the watch industry eating its own tail. What does he mean by this? Tune in to find out. On the various home fronts, there are earthquakes in Los Angeles and wildfires in Scotland.Metaphor much? Along those lines, "regurgitation" is the word of the day, and it's not as icky as it sounds because Ariel argues that it can be an art form, especially in the context of Watches & Wonders 2025. David has a different view, and the guys bat around their ideas about Chopard, TAGHeuer, Hublot, and other heavy hitters to lend their expertise to the ongoing conversation. Ripley underscored the new tech and old design, a nicer way of approaching the regurgitation theme. This word itself is controversial. See what side you land on by listening in: strategy, art form, both, or neither?
