Welcome to this Watch live. Hi, I'm Lydia Winters.
And I'm Boo Booey. And today we're talking about
you, Boo. Just just just about me.
We're OK. So for some context, VU has a
personality. Where do you have a?
Personality. Thank you very much.
I'm glad you noticed. He has a personality where
sometimes I would say, I don't know, maybe at least once a
month. You'd.
Say to me so I'm rethinking everything.
Not just, like, rethinking something.
He's rethinking everything about a subject.
Yeah, Yeah. So it's not.
It's like, yeah. But the way you.
Present. It is like everything about one
thing and this happened at watches and wonders.
It did in a big way because I was out at lunch just getting
all of these messages from you and you were like, so I'm
rethinking everything. I can't.
Wait to tell you in person. I just have to text.
It I'm rethinking everything. I'm like thinking about my
entire collection, my whole collection philosophy.
And I was just like, so to me I was like, yeah, of course you
are. But also I thought it was, it
was really interesting to like go through the process as you're
thinking about it. Not there's no conclusions here,
but that's kind of the interesting part because we have
just been at watches and wonders and your brain is swirling
around. I even have some thoughts for
another time this week. But today we're going to deep
dive into Mr. I'm Rethinking everything.
It's. True.
I mean, I I am a very all in person.
So then, even if it's just that's true, even if it's just
something like, oh, I have new thoughts, I go all in with my
new thoughts, yes, but then I calm down afterwards and we're
not there yet. You do so, but I wanted everyone
to experience then they can be like Lydia.
This happens to you once a month.
Yes, for for 12 years. Never do that again, OK.
I think I did see too many watches.
I I think there is like that's a thing.
It's possible to be over saturated.
OK, that's true it. Scrambled my brain a little.
I do think I I could feel that too, especially because we're up
in Stockholm. There are a lot of watches here,
but it's not the breath. I mean.
Well, also you're in like Geneva.
So you don't see them all at once.
And so seeing everything at once.
It's such breadth. And it wasn't just exhibiting
watches, right? Like.
Watches on wrists who? Who was wearing what?
And you're like, I I've never. I actually think I turned off my
wrist spotting brain. Interesting.
Because it was. You had to power down.
You had to power that that part down to to conserve power for
other things. It's like sometimes you have to
shut down certain systems because there's just not enough
power to power everything. And I did that because I stopped
looking at risk entirely. OK, interesting.
Yeah, you were just overwhelmed. I was OK.
I do think it's good to have moments where you reevaluate
things. Mm hmm.
You you have to have these
checkpoints with yourself so that you can feel like, hey, I
checked in with myself and it turns out I'm doing the right
thing or you're like, hey, every choice I've ever made is wrong
and I want to restart. Yes, This is why I wanted you to
go on this journey with us. OK so the other day Rob Nudds
from TRTS podcast amazing guy who the real time show we we we
we got to meet very briefly in. Person, but finally.
And before watches and wonders, he had mentioned like, hey, I
really like that question you asked about would you rather,
you know, like would you take the option to just reset your
collection? You get double the value of your
collection, but then you can't rebuy any of those watches.
And my answer, your answer was yes, I'll do it.
And my answer was no way. Now I'm like give me that.
Oh, and also so everyone knows that is a hypothetical situation
that zero people are offering. Yeah, no one has.
Offered this was just a would you rather scenario That of
course has been ping ponging around in Vu's head for 10
weeks. But I mean, part of this is like
it's not just related to what what I saw at the show, but it
is also through conversations with people as well.
Because you're in a place with so many people who care about
the thing you care about and you're just like, talking about,
yeah, watches, yeah. And and you don't get that in
your daily life. I I don't think I could handle
it. Let let's be honest, it was nice
to be able to walk away from watches and waters.
Oh my God, every day you would be like, I'm rethinking
everything. And I would be like, I'm
rethinking my life too. I've talked about how I often
when making watch purchases. I've realized that I too often
think of every single watch as like This needs to fit most
parts of my life. OK, that is very true.
Yes, and I recognize that, but it's hard not to think that way.
I'm a person who has adventure as a small part of their life.
But then when I go to buy something, I'm like it needs to
fit my whole life, which means it needs to be able to deal with
this kind of adventurous side of me, Yes, And so I end up buying
mostly gotta watches, go anywhere, do anything watches.
And I've tried to fight that, but there's something deep down
that makes me feel that way. And it's informed a lot of my
buying. But during the well, it was 3
days in Geneva, I saw four watches that really did.
It didn't really make me rethink it.
It made me just say I'm wrong. You know I've been doing it
wrong, right? Wow.
OK. OK, first watch first watch
that, that, that, that, that that had some of this effect.
Ken, our amazing friend whose strep company is deluxe.
He let me wear his MB NF LM1O1IN rose gold with the Frost style
and I I so OK, I've never been interested in NBA.
No, I don't think you've ever. Yeah.
No. I, I, I've looked at the
pictures, I'm like, oh, that's cool.
I'm glad someone's doing this and pushing the boundaries of
what's possible and like not just technically, but also
visually. And what can what does it mean
for something to be a watch, right?
I I like that someone's doing that.
What does it mean to be a watch? But that's another episode.
That is another episode but but it never like personally
interested me. But Ken let me wear this watch
for about half a day. Which, OK, first of all, this
was truly shocking. You don't even like.
As all of you know, Vu doesn't even wear my watches.
He doesn't wear watches. He doesn't trade watches.
I don't ever get to wear your Pepsi.
Ken got to wear your Pepsi? If he could.
Trust you with that, yeah. And he could trust me with that.
Then I could trust him with my Pepsi.
I agree, but still I was shocked.
I wanted to give it back when I went to the restroom once,
'cause it just felt really weird to wear someone else's watch to
the restroom. And he's like, no, it's fine.
I'm like, I don't know, it felt a little weird.
Intimate moments with the MBA I. Know it's not intimate, but it
felt like it anyway. Anyway, he refused to give me
back my Pepsi to go to the restroom so so I was out of his
sight with his MBA, but it was OK.
So for this watch and again as usual we'll link to all these
watches in the show notes and at this watchlife.com if you want
to check them out. But OK.
It was a fascinating and interesting looking watch that I
couldn't stop looking at now. OK, this was only for half a
day, but I can I I got it. I I understood the appeal it.
It's not just about looking at it, although that's a huge part
of it, that looking at this watch you could endlessly be
amazed by it. And it offers something so
impactful in its presence that also do when you have it on your
wrist, you realize how many I I could see people's eyes.
OK. Just drawn to it as we'd walk
through the halls. Mine was.
I mean, I took so many photos of you wearing it just because I'd
look over and be like, oh, that looks cool right now.
And then a few minutes later I'd be like, it also looks cool
here. It also looks cool here.
There's there. There is a difference when you
have a watch that's designed to be viewed also from so many
angles and all this of the closest thing I I have
personally is probably my new Grand Seiko because it has such
an intricate and interesting dial.
So I I I still enjoy looking at it.
I I mean, I enjoy looking at all my watches.
But I did feel like all of them are fascinating the entire.
Time, Yeah. This one felt more like art on
your wrist. It did feel like I I think that
is the difference for me when I was looking at it.
So, OK then. Aside from this wonderful MBNF,
there's a brand that we saw at HCI, the Masters of Horology
exhibit. We'll talk more about that thing
in the future. Like, this was a magical
dreamland to me, right? But Kudoke was there.
A very small but very wonderful German brand run by husband and
wife couple whose last name is Kudoke, hence the brand name.
And I really fell in love with two of their watches.
But also it was super fascinated by a third.
OK, first up, the Kudoke 2O. This makes it very easy to talk
about when they just number the yeah.
That is. Very helpful.
Thank you. It has a 24 hour indicator like
engraved disc. It's half gold, half black
rhodium. It was hand engraved, just
beautiful. Really beautiful.
Then you flip the watch over and the movement is incredible.
And I I don't know the exact price point of each model, but
these are in the between 10 and 20 range, right 1000.
So what you're getting for the price, which I, I I have heard
of this brand before, never seen him but.
Then when you saw, yeah, I mean, you brought me over to see it
and it's just they were mesmerizing, right?
I mean. I I knew because it was size
wise they feel, but then you put it on your wrist and you were
like actually fits quite nice, very short lugs.
So there's this presence to this watch but also it fits very
nicely on the wrist. The movement is beautiful hand
engrave, balance, cock, which is like a very German thing to do.
It really, I don't know. It just hit in a special way
that doesn't feel like most other watches that I've handled.
And that watch actually won a GPHG prize back in 2019, like.
And I can see why. It's amazing.
It was beautiful. Then there was the Kudoke 3A
newer model. This one was so interesting.
Right. So you don't get it.
Or at least I didn't. And you didn't until they were
like, OK, now just turn the crown and see the time.
I watched it and I still don't get it, but I know I do.
I do. But I'm interested to hear.
You try to try to describe this, but I do suggest looking it up
so it has a minute hand, right? Which functions just like a
typical minute hand. But then the hour hand is
actually three hands of different lengths, and it has a
partially open display with three rows of our indicators.
And so those three different hands, they indicate the hour,
but at different places. OK, just look it up there.
There is no way for me to properly describe.
This beautiful watch, though, looking at it was so cool.
And then also, you know, it just, it was so interesting.
And I think that was for me, 'cause you were like, we have to
go over and look at all of these watches.
It's just seeing things that really felt different and
innovative. Yeah, it's like just and and
this one isn't a technical innovation, right, it it is more
innovative in their approach to how to read the time.
And you know, I I like seeing this because it is technically a
very simple mechanism. The only real change is that
instead of one hour hand, there's three hour hands.
And at any given time typically only one is visible, right?
Because there's a lot of depth to this dial, there's multiple
layers to it. And so I just, again, all their
movements are also beautiful. So, so that was that was really
cool to see. Then there was the Kudaktopus,
which, so it's a Kudoke octopus watch, very similar case.
Each one is completely unique because they both engrave and
skeletonize it by hand, and they're taking away pieces until
they feel that it's right. That's how they do the
skeletonization. It's all done by hand.
You essentially have a movement that is rhodium colored like
black rhodium colored, but then an octopus tangled up in the
movement and the octopus is in yellow gold.
But to me, the best part of it was that they didn't.
They really thought about the design that it's skeleton and so
you see the tentacles on the back and that what to me I was
like, OK that's it. Like that is what is awesome.
There's a watch Finder video all about it and when you could see
the engraving even closer up like the suction cups on the
tentacles, I my like my mind was blown.
It's. Really incredible.
Like you have to go look at this.
So on the front you have the head and face of the octopus,
and then when you flip it over, it's like you only see where the
tentacles have wrapped themselves around this movement.
Yeah, it is so incredible. It's like this watch is mind
blowing. I loved it.
And again, this isn't necessarily I I actually
probably could look more into it and ask more questions about it.
But I don't believe there's like huge technical innovation here.
This is an artistic choice and it's executed on a level that
just when you look at it, it's mind blowing.
But it for its artistry, not necessarily a technical
achievement. And I I just loved it so much.
OK, we've only gone through one brand.
There were two watches that I got to see.
Oh no, wait, that was two brands.
Sorry. There were two watches I got to
see in one place and that place was Masaharu from Houdini,
Japan. He was double wristing and it's
the coolest double wrist thing I have ever seen, I believe.
Yes, it was like the ultimate excitement because we both have
wanted to see Masa and meet him. We've been talking online for so
long. We ran across each other.
He came up and we just were all like.
Hugs and. But then it was.
We look down at his wrists and well for Yeah, OK, I'm going to
let you talk. I I felt a little bit bad
because it's one of those moments where you're like, I'm
so excited to meet you. Let's talk for a second.
Oops, I looked at your wrist. Now I'm completely distracted.
That is actually true. We were we were very rude.
This was the only person where I was like, oh, hey, can I just
have your watch now and then? I'm not going to talk to you
because I'm going to take a 1000 photos of it.
I did assume we were going to have more time with Masa.
We did not, unfortunately, So we're going to have to just.
Make this up to him and next time and be like please don't
wear any watches. Don't wear any watches.
This one's all about you as a person, as a human being who I
respect and love. OK, so he had two 2 watches.
The first one that I noticed with my eyeballs was a brand
that I've been looking at for little over a year and I I've
been obsessed with this brand. They don't sell outside of
Japan. I you've even tried to get me
one? Yeah, I was looking at those.
Purchase services that buys JDM, that's Japan domestic market
products which are only made for Japan there.
So there are these services that will buy it for you and send it
to you. But there's a whole lottery to
even get these because even in Japan they are super limited
production, difficult to get. The brand is called Otsuka Low
Tech. There's some great videos.
I can't remember who I think, no.
I Swiss Watch Gang has a great video.
On Yeah, Marco. 'S amazing and I I I think
there's a few others. The one that Muscle was wearing
is the number 7.5. That's the model number.
I like these simple numbers. Thank you to all of all of
these. Brilliant.
Just easy naming. This is lovely.
Just name things in the order that you make them and then it's
super easy and. What can I you grunts I go.
OK, so you please, please, even if the other watches I've said
go look them up or I've said go to the website, go and look at
Otsuka Low Tech. Do they have two main models
that I'm super interested in. This one is the number 7.5 and
the best way I can describe it for our audio listeners, well
they're we only have audio listeners.
This is not a video podcast, is it?
It's a little bit steampunk, but not in a comical or like prop
feeling way, right? Like it?
It still feels like a serious watch, but with so much fun in
it. And yeah, it's really cool.
I was so excited for you because like I said, I looked up like,
how can I get you one? Because you were like, I love, I
have to have it. And this one was really cool,
but it's not the original one that you thought you wanted.
No, the numbers. From them is actually my my
original love. But having tried this on SO,
they've taken what is a relatively simple and affordable
Miyota movement and created a jumping hour display with it.
And it works really well in person.
It is beautiful. And I just fell in love with
this watch and all over again because now I got to see it in
person and I'm like, I am going to get one.
I yes, I will do whatever it takes.
That's that's what's going to happen.
So OK, Masa was wearing one more watch.
We're not going to talk about it yet.
No, because I need a lot of time to talk.
We need a lot more. Time.
And you never even got to talk about like so in in 30 seconds.
Why did these watches make you rethink your entire collection?
Who do you think I am? Do it.
This is A to be continued episode this.
Is a lot of. Tomorrow we will continue and
finish this story. OK, because you have a lot of
thoughts and then it will continue once a month
indefinitely. Have a great day.
Have a good day everyone. Bye, bye.