Episodes
In this podcast, John Reardon and Tania Edwards welcome the newest member of the Collectability team – Kelly Yoch who has joined as Personal Curator. With Kelly on the team, this podcast is a great opportunity to update our listeners on Collectability and discuss where we see the future of Patek Philippe vintage and pre-owned watches. For almost 30 years, Kelly has had a highly respected career specializing in luxury watches, most notably Patek Philippe. During her time running the Patek...
Published 06/07/24
Published 06/07/24
In this candid interview, veteran watch dealer Matthew Bain discusses how the watch industry and collecting has changed over the past 40 years. Matt shares many fascinating stories including the entrepreneurial way in which he started his career while at college in the 1980s, when he would enlist his friends to buy Swatch watches (purchases of which were limited per person at the time), that he would then sell to the Italians. Also inspired by his father who was a collector, Matt continued...
Published 05/23/24
In part 2 of this podcast, James Lamdin and John Reardon dive deep into Patek Philippe watches. If you missed part 1, please listen – you won’t regret it! This candid and fun conversation starts with James answering the cliff-hangar question from part 1: “What is the most overlooked category for vintage Patek Philippe collecting?” James’s unexpected answer leads to an engaged and enlightening discussion about which Patek Philippe watches will become collector-darlings in the future. James...
Published 04/04/24
Buckle up for an exciting ride as John Reardon and James Lamdin, founder of Analog:Shift discuss vintage watches, the future of auction houses and the watch industry. In Part 1, James shares how he started his horological journey and launched Analog:Shift in 2012. His goal was to change the way vintage watches were sold and his success led to Watches of Switzerland purchasing the company in 2020 leading to 25 in-store locations. Fearless in sharing his opinion, it’s always fun to listen to...
Published 03/28/24
In part two of this podcast, Nick Manousos answers the question, "Will there ever be a thriving American watch industry again?" Nick addresses this question within the context of the history of American watch making, and looks to a very exciting future for USA watchmakers. As Executive Director of the Horological Society of New York (HSNY), Nick is leading one of the oldest watch associations in the world to fulfill its mission of advancing the art and science of horology through education....
Published 02/29/24
Nicholas Manousos has had a fascinating journey from Silicon Valley to making silicon parts for watch movements, and now leads the Horological Society of New York. In this two-part conversation with Tania Edwards, we learn how Nick's passion for watchmaking has led him along a diverse path. After watchmaking school, he experimented with 3D printing for the watch industry and in this podcast he brought along his Tourbillion 1000% -- a perfect teaching tool for a complicated movement. Nick also...
Published 02/22/24
In part two of this incredible conversation, Dr. Peter Friess shares some secrets of the Patek Philippe Museum in Geneva and explains why it represents such an important part of the company's DNA. Plus, we learn more about the strict criteria which must be met if a new piece is to be acquired for the museum. As someone who regularly studies and attends watch auctions, Dr. Friess reveals his vision for the ideal watch auction catalog. He also explains his view on the value proposition of...
Published 02/02/24
For anyone obsessed with Patek Philippe, Dr. Peter Friess has the dream job. As Director of the Patek Philippe Museum in Geneva, each working day he goes to one of the greatest horological museums ever assembled and has the privilege to examine and hold some of the most important timepieces ever made. In this fascinating conversation with John Reardon, Peter Friess explains what it is like to be the curator of such an incredible collection and how, together with the owners, Philippe and...
Published 01/26/24
In part 2 of this fascinating and personal conversation, the concept of ‘what is time’ is discussed and William Andrewes shares his own profound definition. William also explains how he develops, designs, and makes his much sought-after sundials. Each sundial is a labor of love, individually designed for each client be they a family or an institution. Because of this, each sundial is a unique object, in part because each is made specifically for the location in which the sundial will be kept....
Published 12/15/23
In this fascinating podcast John Reardon speaks with his great friend, William Andrewes who is one of the world's leading horologists, a historian, clockmaker, inventor, artist, and sundial maker. Will's career in the watch world has been extraordinary. In this part 1 of a two-part podcast, Andrewes explains how he started as an apprentice with the legendary watchmaker George Daniels, first completing an unfinished clock by John Harrison who solved the problem of finding longitude at sea....
Published 12/07/23
In Part 2 of our conversation with Rebecca Ross, V.P., Head of Sale at Christie's Watch Department, Rebecca gives a specialist's explanation as to how auctions are assembled, curated and sold. We often take auctions for granted, yet a huge amount of work behind the scenes goes in to making an on-line, live or private sale. Since the rise in the number of online sales and new auction houses over the past few years, watch specialists are hunting for watches all year round. Rebecca shares some...
Published 11/10/23
Rebecca Ross is Head of Sale at Christie's Watch Department in New York. During her ten years at Christie's she has been part of some important watch auctions, including the 175th Anniversary of Patek Philippe and the 40th Anniversary of the Nautilus. In Part 1 of this engaging conversation, Rebecca shares her love of watches, stories behind the important auctions she has worked on, and her insight into the upcoming auction season. Rebecca has a Master's degree from Christie's Education...
Published 11/06/23
In Part 2 of this fascinating conversation between Michael Friedman and John Reardon, we hear Michael's predictions for the future of the watch industry and legacy brands such as Patek Philippe. We also learn about Michael's new company, the Pattern Recognition Agency which is taking a new approach to watch design focusing on comfort and aesthetics -- "I want the watch to feel like a second skin" he says. On the more light-hearted side of his career, Michael shares the story of how John Mayer...
Published 10/20/23
Michael Friedman has been called "The most interesting man in the horological world". He was even name-dropped in the Kendrick Lamar song 'Rich Spirit' last year. In this two-part podcast, Michael discusses his stellar career in the watch world and how this led to founding his new company the Pattern Recognition Agency. In Part 1, we learn how Michael's career started over 27 years ago with his friend, John Reardon at the Willard House & Clock Museum in Massachusetts where they were both...
Published 10/06/23
In Part 2 of John Reardon's interview with Kevin O'Leary aka Shark Tank's Mr. Wonderful, we hear Kevin's answer to John's question from Part 1: "Is the modern watch market gamed?". In this frank and revealing discussion, we learn about Kevin O'Leary's approach to watch collecting and he shares a selection of his favorite watches and explains why unusual dials appeal to him so much. We also learn why Mr. Wonderful favors red straps and why he believes that the type of watch you wear reveals...
Published 09/22/23
Kevin O'Leary aka Mr. Wonderful needs little introduction. As the undisputed star of T.V.'s Shark Tank, Kevin is known for his ability to combine business sense with common sense. Born in Canada, Kevin O'Leary spent his early years traveling the world and even lived in Geneva, which may have inspired his passion for watches at a young age. In this fascinating and lively discussion, John Reardon challenges Kevin to pivot 100% of his messaging to watch collectors, old and new, and explore the...
Published 09/08/23
Mark Cho is a retail entrepreneur having co-founded the cult menswear emporium the The Armoury with boutiques in Hong Kong and New York and is the co-owner of British haberdasher Drake’s. Mark is equally well known for his great love of watches both as a collector and curator of select watch brands and collaborations for his stores. In December 2022, Mark gained a lot of publicity when he sold a large portion of his collection at auction. Mark is not only a man with impeccable taste both in...
Published 06/29/23
Brynn Wallner represents a new and important generation of watch influencers who, in a relatively short time has made a big impact. Brynn has opened a fun and exciting world sharing images of celebrities, and particularly women showing how they wear their watches on her Instagram and website @dimepiece.co. Brynn’s introduction to watches started when she was working in Sotheby’s marketing department writing content for the watch department, but the experience was short-lived as the pandemic...
Published 05/30/23
In celebration of their second year anniversary of the Collectability Podcast series, Collectability co-founders John Reardon and Tania Edwards discuss their enduring obsession with Patek Philippe and reflect on the evolution and early development of the world of Collectability. In this candid and personal conversation, John and Tania tell stories about their past and present experiences with Patek Philippe and where they think the vintage market is going in the future. As an added bonus,...
Published 04/30/23
Dr James Nye has had a long and impressive career as a horological expert, historian and author. His personal passion is electrical timekeeping and his knowledge of how man mastered time distribution systems is unmatched. In this lively and informative discussion, James helps us understand how managing time has been the key to many of man's most important inventions, especially over the past century. As Chair of the Antiquarian Horological Society and recent Master of the Worshipful Company...
Published 02/28/23
John Reardon talks to Jaclyn Li a collector, intellectual, influencer and someone incredibly knowledgeable about all things Patek Philippe. Still in her early 20s, Jaclyn is the youngest person we have interviewed on the Collectability Podcast, but she is already an accomplished and impressive collector beyond her years. Jaclyn is currently a senior at Harvard College, studying Economics and Psychology, and yet still finds time to be a host on the popular watch podcast series The Waiting...
Published 01/30/23
In this lively and personal interview, John Reardon talks with his first boss and mentor in the auction world, Daryn Schnipper. Daryn started her career at Sotheby's in 1980 straight out of college, and today is the chairman of the International Watch Division. For over 40 years, she has built an exceptional career and at one time, every watch department head of the top auction houses trained under Daryn's tutelage. Daryn was an early pioneer of wristwatches as a new collecting category and...
Published 12/30/22
For over 14-years, Pamela Cloutier was Patek Philippe's Area Director of the Americas, Asia & Pacific Rim -- in other words she was responsible for a major portion of the world's most important watch markets. In this intimate and fascinating conversation, Pamela describes what it was like to work closely with Philippe Stern during the pivotal 1990s and 2000s. This was an important period when Philippe Stern made his mark on the modern history of Patek Philippe by introducing new movements...
Published 11/24/22
Many of us know Nick Foulkes as a horological expert covering all aspects of the watch industry, in particular Patek Philippe. He has been a contributor, editor and special horological correspondent of the Patek Philippe Magazine for over twenty years, and in 2016 wrote the first, official biography of Patek Philippe. But his interests and extensive knowledge spreads far beyond the hallowed walls of watchmaking. As an historian, writer, journalist and tastemaker, Nicholas Foulkes is an...
Published 10/31/22