HODINKEE Podcasts

There is already a bevy of alternatives or side venues to the mighty Watches and Wonders, taking place during what's now known as Geneva Watch Week. Maxime Couturier and Lorenzo Maillard expect there's room for one more. They're the guys behind Chronopolis, a new gathering space in downtown Geneva that's promising to give profile to the 20 or so brands participating during what's arguably the most important week of the year for the industry. Armed with a hipster watch enthusiast persona, Couturier, Maillard, and their crew of dealers, collectors, and friends, embody what makes the watch scene cool and fun in Geneva. Now they're trying to bring that same attitude to Chronopolis with brands paying for the privilege of being part of their scene. In a discussion ahead of the show, we discuss why there's a need for yet another watch fair and what's the best way to get young people excited about watches. But first, Hodinkee Senior Editor Mark Kauzlarich has covered plenty of watch fairs in his time, and he drops in to discuss the current state of industry trade shows and salons. We discuss where they're headed and how they're adapting to the current realities and demands of collectors and enthusiasts. Show Notes: 4:46 Furlan Marri 4:58 Hazemann & Monnin Wins The Second Edition Of The Louis Vuitton Watch Prize For Independent Creatives (Hodinkee) 6:35 Time To Watches 7:10 AHCI 10:10 Chronopolis Independent Watch Fair 12:00 Marché de Plainpalais (Ville de Genève) 14:05 Heist Out (Instagram) 16:40 Area 51 (Sotheby's and Heist Out Auction) 19:20 Watches and Wonders 19:53 ApresDemain Agency 21:01 Hegid 24:43 Tom DuCarouge 32:18 Breda 38:13 Watches and Culture (FHH)

This week on The Business of Watches, we get to the heart of what makes a mechanical or quartz-powered watch tick. Jean-Claude Eggen is the Chief Executive Officer of La Joux-Perret, a Swiss movement manufacturer that's on the rise as it competes with rivals, including Sellita, as a supplier to brands ranging from mainstream mass market players such as TAG Heuer to upstart micro-brands, including Kollokium. Eggen doesn't pull punches when discussing what's driving growth at LJP as he talks prices, movement development, and technology, and how to keep clients coming back. LJP has experienced massive increases in volumes and production under his leadership since 2020. From fewer than 10,000 movements annually less than a decade ago, LJP is now producing about 200,000 watch movements a year. He tells us how they got here and where they might go next, with new products boasting greater precision and smaller movements in both quartz and mechanical. But first, a good news initiative about a new non-profit organization in Switzerland that's looking to give young watchmakers the skills and machines they need to carry on the metiers d' art (or specialized skills) that make high-end watchmaking so unique. Baudouin van Es is the young man behind Tad Kozh, and he drops by to tell us what the new program is and where it gets its unusual name. Van Es has convinced some heavy hitters to help out with Tad Kozh, gathering a who's who of industry artisans, craftspersons, and veteran business executives to oversee and govern the program, with some exciting watch collaborations to come. Show Notes 2:30 Tad Kozh 2:40 Tourbillon Watch (Beaudouin van Es) 3:05 Brittany region of France (Wikipedia) 5:26 Metier d'art in watchmaking (The Watch Pages) 6:50 Tad Kohz New Talent Award 8:04 Schaublin 70 Lathe in Action (YouTube) 8:05 Hauser Jig Boring machine (Exapro) 8:20 Luc Monnet (Europa star) 9:09 Jean-François Mojon (WorldTempus) 9:19 Pietro Tomajer (Monochrome) 10:30 Tad Kozh collaborations 14:07 Anita Porchet (FHH) 15:01 Ressence Watches 17:49 Théo Auffret (Hodinkee) 20:50 Max Büsser (Talking Watches Hodinkee) 21:17 Marc André Deschoux 21:44 Alex Ghotbi (Phillips) 21:44 Roy Davidoff (Instagram) 21:57 Guillaume Tetu (The Naked Watchmaker) 28:20 Jean-Claude Eggen (Dubai Watch Week bio) 28:57 La Joux-Perret 32:32 ETA (Wikipedia) 32:45 Sellita 33:40 LJP G100 34:10 Business News: Switzerland's COSC Unveils 'Excellence Chronometer' Level Of Certification (Hodinkee) 40:34 TAG Heuer Introduces The Formula One Solargraph (Hodinkee) 41:06 Business News: LVMH Buys Minority Stake In Swiss Movement Maker La Joux-Perret From Japan's Citizen Group (Hodinkee) 42:10 Citizen Group 43:06 Alpina Alpiner Solarmetre 44:10 Let The Sun Shine In: There's A New Day Rising for Solar-Powered Watches (Watchonista)

This week on The Business of Watches, a Swiss brand that resonates with much of the Hodinkee community, Doxa. Founded in Le Locle, Switzerland, and now based in Biel/Bienne, it has more than a century of history and is responsible for designing and producing some of the most iconic dive watches ever built. With links to legendary figures, including Jacques Cousteau and author Clive Cussler, Doxa has served as a case study for how to revive, rebuild, and grow a brand by zeroing in on the best parts of its story while keeping prices approachable at a time when the industry trend is tilted very much to premiumization. Jan Edocs is the executive leading Doxa these days, and in a wide-ranging interview recorded last year, he lays out the brand's plans for measured but steady growth. Once available only online, Doxa is now in retailers across the U.S., Japan, the Middle East, and Australia, with plans to eventually be in more than 300 retail locations. At a time of cost inflation and tariffs, a significant challenge is keeping prices approachable while telling Doxa's unique story and history to fresh customers with new products. There are plenty of lessons on how to position a brand and company to weather both storms and sunny beach days, where a Doxa might just be the ideal wristwear. But first, Hodinkee Deputy Editor Tim Jeffreys drops in for his BoW debut. We talk about Grand Seiko's big move to sign baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani as a global ambassador and what it might mean for the brand. Show Notes 1:30 Tim Jeffreys 4:46 Shohei Ohtani Joins Grand Seiko As A Global Ambassador 7:41 Akio Naito and Munehisa Shibasaki On Grand Seiko In America And The Future Of All Things Seiko (Hodinkee) 10:04 Jan Edocs, CEO of Doxa 11:40 Doxa History 12:56 Jenny Watches may be a Brand you've Never Heard of, but it's left a Significant Mark on Dive Watch History (Monochrome) 14:22 Walca Watches 16:19 Doxawatches.com 21:05 The Incredible Calypso: Jacques Cousteau's Crazy Exploration Vessel (Calum YouTube) 21:50 Introducing The Doxa Sub 300T Clive Cussler Special Edition (Live Pics) (Hodinkee) 23:30 The Doxa Sub 200 (Hodinkee) 43:00 CHFxUSD 44:20 Watchmaking in Biel/Bienne (Swiss Tourism) 47:36 The Doxa SUB 250 Ahmed Seddiqi 75th Anniversary Limited Edition (Monochrome) 49:00 Introducing Doxa Sub 300 Carbon Seafoam Limited Edition (Hodinkee) 1:07:45 The Doxa Sub 200T – A Smaller Take On The Classic Doxa Design

This week on The Business of Watches, we're in La Chaux-de-Fonds to talk to the man heading Greubel Forsey, one of the most revered and respected brands in independent watchmaking. The company had been on a recent roll, with Meta CEO and chairman Mark Zuckerberg seen wearing its pricey timepieces and a 'Mechanical Exception' win for its Nano Foudroyante at the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie Genève (a watch also in Zuckerberg's collection). Then news broke that Stephen Forsey, one of the brand's founders, was stepping down from the board, and, in a widely-seen social media post, Forsey said he had been "disengaged" from his duties by the board and chose to resign. Nydegger tells us some of the backstory to the situation and how the company plans to move forward under stable ownership. Greubel Forsey isn't looking for investors, and should Forsey want to sell his minority stake, Robert Greubel, his fellow co-founder and majority owner, has a right of first refusal on the shares. So where is Greubel Forsey headed? Nydegger says the only thing shrinking will be the size of its timepieces as it continues a push to make its watches more wearable and possibly prices as they are trying to produce an entry-level watch in the lineup priced at around CHF 120,000 or less. They haven't quite got there just yet. But first, we're joined by Arthur Touchot, the co-founder of Marteau & Co., to talk about his upstart auction house's plans to cut independent watchmakers in on the sale proceeds. For its sophomore edition, called 'The Echo', Marteau is auctioning off watches from independents, including Simon Brette, a Berneron Mirage Tiger Eye, vintage Daniel Roth, and an Audemars Piguet Starwheel. So will mighty AP be in line for 3% of the hammer price? Tune in to find out. Show Notes 1:30 Arthur Touchot 2:40 Marteau & Co. 4:13 New Swiss Auctioneer Aims To Bring 'Artist's Resale Right' Concept To Independent Watchmaker Sales 6:21 The Echo catalogue (Marteau & Co.) 11:40 M.A.D. Gallery Geneva 12:52 AHCI 14:11 Audemars Piguet Starwheel (Hodinkee) 16:08 Greubel Forsey (The Art of Invention) 19:14 Greubel Forsey Gets New CEO - Michel Nydegger (SJX) 20:20 Introducing The Greubel Forsey Double Tourbillon Technique Black, The First Titanium Watch From Greubel Forsey 20:40 Guy Takes $600,000 Greubel Forsey Double Tourbillon 30 Degrees Technique Swimming, Resists Heart Attack (Hodinkee) 24:02 Quadruple Tourbillon The History 24:50 Interview: Giulio Papi, Director Audemars Piguet Renaud & Papi (Hodinkee) 29:59 Greubel Forsey Watches: A Division of Labor (NYT paywall) 32:01 Micro-machinist in watchmaking (FHH) 38:20 These Watches Used To Be A Secret Of The Ultra Rich. Not Anymore. (Bloomberg paywall) 46:30 Stephen Forsey, Co-Founder Of Greubel Forsey, Steps Down From Company Board (Hodinkee) 49:02 Michel Nydegger acceptance speech GPHG 2025 Mechanical Exception prize (GPHG Youtube) 54:40 Mark Zuckerberg Wears $900,000 Watch To Announce End Of Meta Fact Checks (Bloomberg paywall) 55:30 Greubel Forsey Family

This week on The Business of Watches, we talk to the man who runs the brand that makes the mighty El Primero movement. Benoit de Clerck has been in the CEO chair at Zenith Watches for a couple of years now, and that's coincided with a challenging time for the sector and one of the industry's most storied brands, with more than 160 years of history and still located in its original manufacturing location in Le Locle, Switzerland. Under de Clerck's leadership, Zenith is responding to the challenges with a multi-pronged approach. It's throttling production to keep sell-in and sell-out balanced, he says. But it's also stepping up its movement, making production expertise and supplying more calibers to other brands, also under the LVMH watch group umbrella. As for those reports and rumors that Zenith is up for sale? We ask de Clerck straight up if the El Primero maker is on the selling block. Have a listen to hear his forceful and fulsome response. But first, former Hodinkee editor Logan Baker drops in to give his take on Zenith, as well as reports that the valuation of Breitling has been reduced by its private equity ownership. Logan also has a few of his unique vintage Zenith watches on hand for us to check out. Show Notes 1:30 Logan Baker (Hodinkee) 1:40 A Watch Enthusiast's Guide to Geneva (Logan Baker, Phillips) 2:34 Zenith Manufacture Le Locle 5:13 Zenith Chronometer Calatrava Circa 1964 6:50 Square case Zenith Defy with integrated bracelet 7:34 Zenith Elite Movement 9:45 Morgan Stanley Swiss Watcher Report 10:50 Private equity owners slash valuation of Swiss watchmaker Breitling (FT paywall) 13:15 Zenith Celebrates Its 160th Anniversary With CEO Benoit de Clerck (YouTube, Watch Adviser) 15:25 Hands-On: Zenith's Resurrected Caliber 135-Powered 'G.F.J.' (Hodinkee) 15:49 Hands-On: The Zenith Chronomaster Original Triple Calendar Lapis Lazuli (Hodinkee) 17:01 GPHG Chronometry Prize 2025 18:40 I Spend All Day Researching Vintage Zenith Watches – Here's Why This El Primero Is So Important To Me 20:03 Introducing: Zenith Defy Chronograph USM (Hands-On And Live Pics) 26:03 LVMH response to report Zenith brand is up for sale (Hodinkee story on Baume & Mercier sale) 27:30 Tiffany's New Watch Courts The Male Buyer (New York Times) 32:07 Hublot Big Bang With Zenith Movement (Monochrome) 37:01 Zenith: The Heart of Watchmaking (YouTube) 39:05 Zenith A Visit To The Manufacture 41:02 Zenith GFJ 42:32 CHF x USD (Yahoo)

This week on The Business of Watches, we go behind the scenes with the man who compiles and crunches the numbers for the Morgan Stanley Swiss Watcher report, the most influential and widely read annual financial league table on the industry. Oliver Müller has been around the sector for some three decades, beginning his career at Omega before executive roles at a series of brands, including Laurent Ferrier, where he served as Chief Executive Officer. He's now a consultant to the industry and has helped shape brand strategy and positioning for the likes of Akrivia and Rexhep Rexhepi, among others. Müller's most high-profile gig these days is compiling the estimates of Swiss brand revenue and volumes for the Morgan Stanley report. It's the top league table for the sector, and he tells us how he calculates and decides on the estimates that get published. Not everyone is a fan. Swatch Group has long criticized the report, now in its 9th edition, and Müller tells us why he believes Swatch and its leadership don't always appreciate the numbers. But first, Hodinkee founder Ben Clymer drops in for his Business of Watches debut. Ben tells us about his recent trip to Geneva and what he's hearing from some of the big brand executives. He also gives us his take on some of the data deep inside the Morgan Stanley report. Show Notes 1:30 Ben Clymer (Hodinkee) 2:11 Watches of Switzerland Group 4:10 Gold price 4:42 USDxCHF 6:40 Audemars Piguet CEO Ilaria Resta Drives Double-Digit Sales Increase For Brand's 150th Anniversary Year 10:20 Cartier Santos de Cartier in Titanium (And Steel) — The Watches You Want From Cartier, Whether You Know It Or Not (Hodinkee) 12:55 Cartier's NSO – Or "New Special Order" – Watch Program Is Over, At Least As We Know It (Hodinkee) 15:00 LuxeConsult (Oliver Müller) 15:15 Morgan Stanley 18:15 Richard Mille 18:34 Bucherer 24:13 When Banks Try To Unlock The Watchmaking Secret (Le Temps) (In French) 32:47 F.P. Journe 32:50 H. Moser & Cie. 37:30 MB&F 39:20 Raymond Weil 39:25 Frederique Constant 39:30 Christopher Ward 43:05 Jacob & Co. 44:00 How The Five Time Zone Shaped Modern Watch Culture (Hodinkee Malaika Crawford) 49:20 Tudor sales slump by 23% but Rolex turnover ticks up 5% to CHF 10.6 billion (Watchpro) 53:20 IWC 54:15 Jaeger-LeCoultre 59:20 Richemont Sells Baume & Mercier 1:01:30 Swatch Group Brands 1:06:20 Rolex careers and work locations including Biel / Bienne

What's in a name? More specifically, what is a name worth? Gerald Genta, likely the most famous watch designer in history and responsible for conjuring iconic models from the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, the Patek Philippe Nautilus, the IWC Ingenieur, and the Universal Geneve Polerouter, among others, sold his eponymous watch brand and name to what is now Bulgari and LVMH in the early 2000s. Then he started another brand - using his middle name instead of his family name - and that became Gerald Charles. It was sold to the Ziviani family in Italy in 2003, as Genta remained employed at the company as chief designer until his death in 2011. The brand continued producing mostly one-off, bespoke pieces on a small scale for wealthy clients until 2019, when Federico Ziviani, then in his early 20s, took over as Chief Executive Officer and pushed the Gerald Charles brand to a new phase. That would see it draw on designs from Genta's era with the company, most specifically the 'Maestro' case, and sell watches to consumers, first online and then through retailers. Production has climbed from about 200 watches a year to more than 1,500, and prices have climbed as well, to an average of about CHF 27,000, Ziviani tells us in an interview recorded at the company's operations in Geneva, where it has an atelier and a small museum that traces the history of the brand and its production. Ziviani is enthusiastic and passionate about the family-owned company that is now sold in about 100 retail stores globally. And he makes the case for why he thinks Gerald Charles watches deserve their hefty price tag. But first, we jump into some of the recent business headlines in the watch world. Rolex has consolidated its position as the dominant Swiss brand for watches priced above CHF 3,000 francs with more than 60% market share by sales, according to Swiss bank Vontobel. The bank also ranks the top brands by estimated sales, and we consider the list. And the Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres, or COSC, is launching a new higher-tier standard to test the accuracy and precision of Swiss watches. We discuss what that might mean for the Swiss industry, brands, and customers. Show Notes 1:40 Rolex Trimmed Production In 2025 According To Swiss Bank Vontobel 7:06 Gold price (Yahoo) 7:30 Switzerland's COSC Unveils 'Excellence Chronometer' Level Of Certification 14:20 Gerald Charles 15:00 Gerald Genta (Wikipedia) 15:49 Gerald Genta Gefica Safari (Europa Star) 17:11 Audemars Piguet Italia (Bloomberg) 18:20 Giampaolo Ziviani and Gerald Genta (Instagram) 26:20 Gerald Charles website 27:30 Ticino, Switzerland (Wikipedia) 38:30 Gerald Charles Ambassadors 42:15 Swiss Made or Swiss Charade? (ScrewDownCrown) 45:00 Gerald Genta (LVMH) 46:30 Gerald Charles History48:00 USD x Swiss Franc (Yahoo)

This week on The Business of Watches, we head to La Chaux-de-Fonds and sit down with a CEO that running a very different business than most watch brands. Mitchell Wein is the scion of a family that's been in the watch business for more than a century, and the Marathon brand launched back in 1939, supplying timing instruments for the Allied Forces in World War II. Selling watches, stopwatches, and clocks to governments and military organizations is still the bulk of Marathon's business these days. Wein says 80% of the watches they sell, by volume, are for these kinds of clients. For a company based in Toronto that makes its watches in Switzerland, that comes with a special list of challenges, particularly in the current geopolitical landscape, where conflicts are heightening, and more trade barriers are being erected. Marathon notably supplied the U.S. military with field watches during the Gulf War way back in the early 1990s, and even today, Wein says the company always has to be ready for a potential war and a potential big order from a military looking to outfit its soldiers with a watch able to withstand the rigors of modern armed conflict. But first, we're joined by another Canadian from the wide world of watches. Hodinkee Editor-in-Chief, James Stacey, drops in to talk about a recent trip to Japan and the launch of the Louis Vuitton X De Bethune LVDB-03 Louis Varius Project, a very exclusive travel watch that, if you're in the right price bracket, comes with a Sympathique clock that serves as a docking station to wind and set the watch. Show Notes: 2:04 Introducing The Louis Vuitton X De Bethune LVDB-03 Louis Varius Project (Hodinkee) 5:16 Denis Flageollet 6:40 F.P. Journe Reveals Why He Paid More Than $6 Million For A Breguet Clock He Designed 9:30 Hands-On: The DB25 Starry Varius (Hodinkee) 11:01 Exclusive: Hermes heir takes aim at LVMH's Arnault in missing shares civil lawsuit, court document shows (Reuters) 13:02 Travels With A Marathon Watch In Search Of Adventure (Cole Pennington, Hodinkee) 13:40 The Marathon Navigator – Now With A Steel Case! (Hodinkee) 14:30 Marathon X Jeep 18:00 Marathon Our Story (Marathon) 26:00 Comparison of Marathon Navigator Steel vs. Plastic (You're Terrific YouTube) 30:02 Doxa 34:15 Marathon Limited Edition ADANAC Stainless Steel Navigator Pilot's Automatic 40:05 Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) Following a Nuclear Detonation (U.S. Dept. Health and Human Services) 42:16 IntroducingThe Marathon Navigator 'Blue Yonder' Limited Edition (Hodinkee) 48:11 NATO Stock Numbers (Wikipedia) 1:02:30 Robertson Screw (Wikipedia) 1:10:12 Marathon Clocks (Amazon)

On this week's episode of The Business of Watches, a brand that's very much in the news. We're in Meyrin, just outside of Geneva, to talk to the head of Baume & Mercier, the near-200 year old brand that's just been sold by Richemont to Italy's Damiani Group. Michael Guenoun speaks passionately and with conviction about the pressures the brand faces due to the strong Swiss franc, rising costs, and its commitment to remaining in the approachable-priced segment of the watch market. Guenoun highlights the brand's rich history, its model lines, and its strategy for retail, distribution, and pricing. Recorded before the sale of Baume & Mercier was announced officially, we asked him if the brand was up for sale, and his answer is worth tuning in for. The conversation gives the listener a sense of where Guenoun and his team expect the brand to be and achieve under new leadership for a deal that's still short on details, but is expected to close this summer and take Baume & Mercier under a new corporate umbrella with a company that is based in Italy rather than in Switzerland like Richemont.But first, we're joined by a very special guest for his take on the latest business headlines in the watch world. Adrian Barker is the man behind Bark & Jack - the popular and influential YouTube channel and accessories shop selling straps, coffee mugs, and other products. It's a big moment for Adrian as he's just about to launch his first watch collaboration - a dive watch with U.K. brand Christopher Ward. Adrian gives us the lowdown on what he learned from the collaboration process with the watchmaker and what he's doing with the design to make this very much an expression of his own personal taste and philosophy on what makes a proper watch. We also talk about Patek Philippe's recent decision to roll back prices in the U.S. in response to lower tariff rates, while implementing another price increase in other markets. Show Notes 0:57 Adrian Barker and Bark & Jack 1:34 Visit Glasgow 2:23 Christopher Ward 3:11 ETA SA 5:00 The story of Christopher Ward and CEO Mike France 9:20 Who Makes Christopher Ward Watches (Bark & Jack) 12:08 Bark & Jack products 14:05 Patek Philippe 17:37 Richemont Sells Baume & Mercier 20:04 Damiani Group 22:55 Michael Guenoun (World Tempus) 23:30 History of Baume & Mercier 25:25 Riviera collection (Monochrome) 26:51 Clifton Baumatic 28:00 Baumatic movement (Caliber Corner) 38:30 TimeVallee 45:30 As China Retreats And The U.S. Wobbles, Is India The Next Great Hope For The Luxury Watch Market? 49:20 Richemont maisons 53:55 Who wants to buy Baume & Mercier and why?55:04 Watches and Wonders 2026

On this week's episode of The Business of Watches, we head to Nidau, Switzerland, where we sit down with Ben Küffer, the young Chief Executive Officer of family-owned watch brand Norqain. It's a frank discussion of the challenges of starting a brand and creating a signature watch–the Norqain Wild One–at a time when the industry is crowded with competitors, and it's tough to stand out. We focus on Norqain's unique strategy of recruiting former and current professional athletes as not only brand representatives, but also investors and executives. The big news is Norqain's deal to be the official luxury timepiece of the National Hockey League, an agreement guided by former NHLer and Norqain co-founder Mark Streit with some help from superstar and company investor Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins. We also discuss the surprise success of Norqain's 'Enjoy Life' Freedom 60 chronograph that struck a chord with consumers with its ice cream-themed colors and endorsement by Mark Wahlberg to become the brand's top-selling watch. Despite that success, and perhaps in a bid to play the scarcity card, Norqain now says it plans to discontinue the model, at least for now. But first, we're joined by TanTan Wang, who is back from Colorado, and some quality time with Oris's new Big Crown Pointer Date 'Bullseye.' We also talk about the recent headlines in the watch world, including the proposed sale of Richemont's Baume & Mercier to Italy's Damiani Group, as well as Omega's very commercial 300M diver, which it is launching for the Milano Cortina Winter Games. Show Notes 1:57 Oris Big Crown Pointer Date Bullseye 3:15 TanTan's essay and the fight against watch snobbery 3:47 Richemont Sells Baume & Mercier 5:43 Omega Releases A White Ceramic Seamaster 300M For Milano Cortina 2026 9:40 Norqain 10:22 Mark Streit 11:10 Norqain Scores Multi-Year Sponsorship Deal With NHL Aimed At Vaulting Swiss Brands To The Big Leagues 12:03 Sidney Crosby Partners With Watch Company Founded By Former NHLers (ESPN) 18:00 Talking Watches With Jean-Claude Biver 19:55 Norqain Wild One 20:25 BIWI SA 26:00 Hands-On with the Norqain Wild One (Fratello) 30:40 Hands-On With the Norqain Freedom 60 40mm Enjoy Life (Fratello) 35:55 Norqain Independence Skeleton Chrono 42mm 37:31 Swiss watch export statistics 39:44 Swiss watch industry employment 45:00 Stan Wawrinka 51:30 Norqain world and values

On this week's episode of The Business of Watches, we wrangled some time with someone who was born into the world of the Swiss watch industry but who has taken an outsider's path to business success. Manuel Emch is the managing director of Louis Erard and also one-third of the radical upstart micro-brand Kollokium. We sat down last year, and Emch outlined his circuitous route and unique approach to building and selling watch brands. But first, Hodinkee Magazine's editorial director Malaika Crawford drops in to give her take on Louis Vuitton's latest novelties and La Fabrique du Temps with a behind-the-scenes look at the atelier and its skilled artisans and craftspersons. Plus–what is Rolex telling us with its latest group of Hollywood testimonees? Show Notes 1:35 LVMH Watch Week 2026 2:15 La Fabrique du Temps8:30 New Rolex Testimonees in 2025 11:00 Louis Erard 11:20 Kollokium 12:00 Grenchen, Switzerland13:26 HEC Lausanne16:00 Nick Hayek Sr. 18:19 Jaquet Droz (Hodinkee) 22:50 Jaquet Droz website 27:30 Romain Jerome 36:20 Louis Erard (Hodinkee) 45:20 Louis Erard x Alain Silberstein 54:00 MB&F 58:10 Swatch AI Dada 59:45 Kollokium (Hodinkee) 1:02:00 Kollokium short film 1:07:10 Tupperware 1:13:07 Louis Erard Regulator

On this week's The Business of Watches, we head to Villeret, Switzerland, and the storied Swiss watchmaker Minerva. The brand, founded in 1858, is truly the jewel within Montblanc's watchmaking division, which itself is part of Swiss luxury conglomerate Richemont. Laurent Lecamp is the man leading Montblanc and Minerva's watchmaking operations, and he sat down with us for a detailed discussion on Minerva and what he's doing to satisfy the clients that he calls "fans" and not customers. Montblanc and Minerva won't be participating in Watches and Wonders this year, and Lecamp outlines the different paths that the brands are taking within the Richemont group. He also talks about his penchant for running extreme marathons, sometimes wearing a Minerva or Montblanc timepiece. But first, a new format to start the show. We're joined by Hodinkee senior business editor, Mark Kauzlarich, to chew over some of the business headlines making news in the watch world. We talk about potential executive changes in the top job at TAG Heuer and also discuss what we think the business strategy might be behind Omega's new Speedmaster that boasts a ceramic bezel, lacquered dial, and a new price tag. Show Notes 0:30 Montblanc / Minerva 0:45 Audemars Piguet And Ten More Brands To Join Watches And Wonders For 2026 1:00 Minerva Is The Watchmaking Jewel Within Montblanc And Showcases Its Talents With A New Art Piece (Hodinkee) 2:00 Business Montres 3:50 TAG Heuer 5:20 LVMH Watches and Jewelry 7:10 Jean-Christophe Babin (Instagram) 8:50 The Omega Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch Black & White (Hodinkee) 12:00 Hands-On The Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean For 2025 (Hodinkee)15:30 Villeret, Switzerland 16:36 Laurent Lecamp (Instagram) 17:40 GIA (Gemology Institute of America) 19:50 Cyrus Watches23:00 Example of Minerva bezel 26:00 Montblanc's New Minerva Monopusher Chronograph (Hodinkee) 28:20 Montblanc Club M58 (Watchonista) 43:12 Montblanc Star Legacy Suspended Exo Tourbillon Château de Versailles (YouTube)48:10 Richemont 51:00 Montblanc Ice Marathon (Revolution)

On this week's episode of The Business of Watches, we sit down with the principals of Horologer Ming and there is plenty to talk about. Founder and creative head Ming Thein explains his unique design and engineering process, while Chief Executive Officer Praneeth Rajsingh discusses financial challenges and financing solutions the small company has utilized to keep the business humming. We dive deep into the manufacturing process of the titanium, 3D-printed Polymesh bracelet that has the watch world buzzing, get an audio-only sneak peek at an upcoming release, and also hear about plans for a value-priced subsidiary brand they have in the works.We hope you enjoy the conversation. There is a lot to unpack! Be sure to leave any thoughts or questions in the comments section, and we'll do our best to respond.Want to subscribe so you never miss an episode? This new show is being published to the original Hodinkee Podcasts feed, so you can subscribe wherever you find your podcasts, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or TuneIn.Show Notes4:50 Dubai Watch Week6:47 Ming and the Alternative Horological Alliance10:30 Computer Aided Design12:20 Ming Polymesh 33:20 Apple Watch39:00 Accredited Investor 42:20 Project finance 49:25 Swiss watch CEOs talk about component suppliers54:00 Ming 17.01 (Hodinkee)