Lonely Wrist: All Things Watches & Horology

Hosted by Lonely Wrist

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Jun 2026

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About the show

Lonely Wrist is a podcast that goes inside the movement, bringing you inside the world of watches through candid conversations with the people who drive it forward. Each episode features in-depth interviews with industry insiders including Executives, master watchmakers, designers, collectors, content creators, and historians offering rare insights into the passion, precision, and business behind every timepiece. From legacy brands to innovative microbrands, from movement architecture to marketing strategy, we explore the many layers of horology through the voices of those shaping its past, present, and future. Whether you're a seasoned collector or just beginning your journey into watches, Lonely Wrist offers a unique perspective on the artistry, culture, and the industry of watches, one episode, and one insider, at a time. Tune in bi-weekly and hear the stories ticking behind every Lonely Wrist .

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60 recent

June 10, 2026Episode 741 hr 4 min

Perri Dash on How Taste And Craft Turn Objects Into Culture

A watch can be a flex, a tool, or a tiny machine that marks time, but that’s not why it stays with us. Perry Dash joins me to get under the surface of modern watch culture and enthusiast life, where a piece of steel can turn into a memory, a personal ritual, and a signal of who you are. We talk about the path that starts with aesthetics and quickly becomes storytelling: who made the thing, what it meant in its era, and why that meaning still lands today.We also challenge the lazy definition of luxury as “high price.” Perry lays out a more useful frame: luxury as elevation, backed by culture, craft, and tradition. That takes us from vintage watches and the romance of heritage to how products become cultural icons. Think Air Jordan 1s as ephemera, not sneakers, and the way horology, design, and history can multiply an object’s usefulness into something bigger than function.Then we get into the modern problem: algorithms, hype culture, fast trends, and the pressure to want what everyone else wants. Perry shares how he protects his taste by experimenting, learning what actually resonates, and remembering you don’t have to own everything to love it. We also talk about what brands still miss: community, hospitality, and the stewardship that makes newcomers feel like they belong.If you care about watch collecting, vintage watches, craftsmanship, niche media, and building real community around shared passions, hit play. Subscribe, share this with a friend who’s deep in the hobby, and leave a review with the one object that holds the most meaning for you.Checkout Perri on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/perridashSend us Fan MailSupport the showSupport the show: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2237102/supportVisit our Blog: https://lonelywrist.comWatch our Youtube: http://youtube.lonelywrist.com100% Viewer Funded: Donate Here

May 26, 2026Episode 731 hr 16 min

Arsène Lippens and the New Era of Swiss Watchmaking

A great watch doesn’t just tell time, it tells on you. The choices you make, the memories you keep, and the people you want close. I sit down with Dreis, co-founder of Arsène Lippens, to talk about how an independent Swiss watch brand can feel like family, not just a product drop. Our conversation starts with a chance meeting at Chronopolis during Watches and Wonders and quickly turns into the deeper stuff: belonging, heritage, and why some pieces connect emotionally while others never do. We trace the brand’s origin back to Dreis’s grandfather’s collection and the tradition of engraving watches with friends’ names. From there, we get practical about modern watch collecting and neo vintage watch design: why Arsen Leppens avoids chasing hype, how proportions like lug to lug length and a double step bezel change wearability, and why they chose a pulsimeter scale over the usual tachymeter on a chronograph. We also talk entry luxury pricing, movement choices like La Joux Perret, and the real startup hurdles most founders never post about. Then we go deep on the textile dial story: how it’s made durable with resin backing, tooling, UV protection and humidity testing, plus what “textile patina” could mean over time. Dreis also teases what’s next, including new textile directions, personalization and upcoming surprises. If you care about independent watchmaking, Swiss microbrands, and watches built to last with meaning, you’ll want this one. Subscribe, share it with a watch friend, and leave a review so more collectors can find the show.Show Arsène Lippens some love:https://www.arsenelippens.com/https://www.instagram.com/arsenelippens/Send us Fan MailSupport the showSupport the show: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2237102/supportVisit our Blog: https://lonelywrist.comWatch our Youtube: http://youtube.lonelywrist.com100% Viewer Funded: Donate Here

May 12, 2026Episode 721 hr 29 min

How A Mailman & Veteran Became A Watch Community Connector with WristtimePapi

A watch can be steel and sapphire, sure, but it can also be a receipt for a life moment. Sitting down with Leon, better known as WristtimePapi, turns into a wide-ranging story about how watch collecting really works when you strip away the flex. We talk Wind Up Watch Fair overwhelm, why it’s hard to buy anything when everything is “good,” and how the pieces that stick aren’t always the ones with the biggest price tag, they’re the ones tied to real people. Leon shares his path from growing up around cheap digital watches to buying a Breitling Navitimer during a deployment, then losing it in combat, and still coming home with the story. From there we get into the practical side of building a collection: setting a guilt-free budget, trading up instead of hoarding, and consolidating into fewer watches with more meaning. If you’ve ever searched for Tudor Black Bay 58, Cartier Tank, Glashütte Original, microbrands, or independent watchmakers, you’ll hear how those choices look when they’re driven by values, not hype. We also go deeper than watches. Leon opens up about PTSD and how being around watch people makes him feel safe enough to drop his guard, and we dig into the best and worst parts of watch community culture, including transactional relationships and creator pressure around follower counts. If you care about watches as a hobby, a community, and a way to meet people you’d never share a table with otherwise, this one will land. Subscribe for more conversations like this, share the episode with a friend who loves watches, and leave a review if you want us to keep bringing in guests who tell the truth.Go follow Leon:https://www.instagram.com/wristtimepapi/Send us Fan MailSupport the showSupport the show: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2237102/supportVisit our Blog: https://lonelywrist.comWatch our Youtube: http://youtube.lonelywrist.com100% Viewer Funded: Donate Here

April 28, 2026Episode 711 hr 19 min

How Barry Cohen Turned Military Illumination Into Everyday Watches

A watch that can be read instantly at 3 a.m. is either a gimmick or a quiet form of freedom. Barry Cohen has spent decades proving it can be the second one, first as the co-founder of Luminox and now as the force behind ProTek and the vintage-leaning Santo line. We talk about how self-powered illumination went from military-only utility to a consumer expectation, and what that shift reveals about product design, branding, and real-world performance.Barry walks us through the tritium story with unusual detail, including how GTLS tritium tubes are drawn from glass, coated with phosphor, filled under vacuum, and laser-sealed to glow for years without “charging.” We also get into the practical stuff collectors care about: why green tritium reads brightest, when blue starts to make sense, and why a single color choice can change how fast your eyes orient in the dark.From there we pivot into ProTek’s “no excuses, no compromises” build philosophy, how the USMC partnership came together, and why ProTek is expanding from pure tactical watches into general sporting designs with new sizes, carbon composite cases, and bolder straps. Barry also shares the less-glamorous side of the watch industry: crowded competition, slow brand growth, and why Kickstarter can be a smart awareness engine even when you are not raising funds.If you care about tritium watches, tactical watches, field watches, and what true quality looks like at an attainable price, this conversation delivers. Subscribe for more watch-industry conversations, share this with a friend who loves lume, and leave a review with the watch you daily drive.Checkout Protek and Szanto:https://protekwatch.com/https://szantotime.com/Send us Fan MailSupport the showSupport the show: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2237102/supportVisit our Blog: https://lonelywrist.comWatch our Youtube: http://youtube.lonelywrist.com100% Viewer Funded: Donate Here

April 14, 2026Episode 701 hr 8 min

MicroMilSpec on Building Custom Watches For Norwegian Special Forces with Theo de Turckheim

A watch can be “tough” on paper and still fail the moment it needs a quick repair, a secure crown, or a bezel you can actually grip with gloves. That’s why my conversation with Theodore from Micro Milspec goes deeper than specs and into the real decisions behind building a modern military tool watch. We talk about how Micro Milspec started in Oslo with founders Henrik and Martin, how the Milgraph became their benchmark, and why their Field Testing Unit is central to the brand. You’ll hear how operator feedback changes everything from case ergonomics to crown safety cues, why a left-side crown can reduce wrist injury, and why chronograph and GMT functions keep showing up when missions demand synchronization and home-time awareness. If you’re into rugged watches, custom watches, Swiss made tool watches, or military chronograph GMT designs, this is the behind-the-scenes process most brands never explain. We also get into the unsexy but critical side: servicing and logistics. Theo breaks down how they aim for faster repair turnaround than the big brands, why “Swiss made” still matters for perception in key markets, and what’s coming next with COSC certification plans, experimental concepts through a Micro Milspec Lab, and a push into new materials like forged carbon. If you enjoyed the conversation, subscribe for more long-form watch industry interviews, share it with a friend who loves tool watches, and leave a review so more collectors can find the show.Check out MicroMilSpec:https://www.micromilspec.com/https://www.instagram.com/micromilspec/Send us Fan MailSupport the showSupport the show: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2237102/supportVisit our Blog: https://lonelywrist.comWatch our Youtube: http://youtube.lonelywrist.com100% Viewer Funded: Donate Here

March 31, 2026Episode 6953 min

How Grandeur's Belal Shaher Builds In-House Complications At Factory Prices

A minute repeater that sells out before anyone sees the movement should make every watch nerd stop scrolling. From our first studio recording in Las Vegas, we sit down with Belal Shaher, the founder of Grandeur, to hear how an independent watch brand pulls off bold complications, alternative materials, and factory-direct pricing without losing the plot on quality.We get into Belal’s path from collector to manufacturer, including the early Apple Watch case hustle that helped fund years of mechanical learning. Then we dig into the watches that put Grandeur on the map for collectors: the Strange Hours in-house movement, the Lumillion concept, and why Belal refuses to lock the brand into a single “DNA” that repeats forever. If you care about independent watchmaking, in-house movements, jumping hour style displays, tourbillon engineering, and what real experimentation looks like, there’s a lot here to chew on.The conversation goes deep on the stuff enthusiasts argue about in forums: how pricing changes when you own the factory, why tantalum and meteorite are so punishing to machine, and how glow ceramic can take months and millions to develop. We also talk about the five-minute repeater project, the Miami factory plan, and the long-term goal of truly USA-made mechanical watches down to parts most brands still have to import.We close with community and trust: how Grandeur uses direct customer feedback, a WhatsApp group, and a VIP circle to shape final designs, and why Belal would rather earn word-of-mouth than pay for hype. If you like what you hear, subscribe, share this with a fellow collector, and leave a review. What’s the most “impossible” complication you want to see made affordable next?Show Grandeur and Belal all the love:https://grandeur-usa.com/https://www.instagram.com/grandeur/And the Founder himself:https://www.instagram.com/belal/Send us Fan MailSupport the showSupport the show: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2237102/supportVisit our Blog: https://lonelywrist.comWatch our Youtube: http://youtube.lonelywrist.com100% Viewer Funded: Donate Here

March 17, 2026Episode 681 hr 16 min

From Soviet-Era Sketches To A Georgian Design House with Zviad Tsikolia

A designer’s origin story can smell like acetone, sound like ticking, and feel like a country waking up to its own potential. That’s where we go with Zviad Tsikolia—a friend, an industrial designer, and the creative force turning Georgian identity into watches, jewelry, eyewear and more. He walks us from a Soviet-era workshop stacked with model planes to a modern boutique in Tbilisi, explaining why design isn’t “pretty things,” but a hard marriage of function, engineering, safety and logistics. Then he adds the missing ingredient: emotion. A wristwatch, he says, must carry feeling first or it’s just hardware.We dig into the aviation roots behind specific Tsikolia pieces—how cockpit altimetry inspired a tilted subdial that Swiss assemblers tried to “correct,” and why references must be lived-in, not pasted on. The brand’s arc stretches from a Red Dot–winning concept to building a design house that celebrates Georgia’s culture: quivery-inspired jewelry honoring ancient wine craft, award-winning eyewear, and a fragrance with surprising staying power. Recognition found its way to unusual wrists too: a CIA officer, Pentagon corridors, and UFC champion Merab Dvalishvili, who wears a custom Seven built to his specs and spirit. These aren’t placements; they’re relationships that turn objects into stories.We also face the grind behind the glow. Georgia’s limited supply base makes every tool, part and lead time a test. That scarcity shapes a discipline: treat each decision like a precious frame of film, lead with quality, accept slimmer margins and aim for impact that lasts a decade on the wrist. Zviad shares the long game—a first Georgian movement is in motion, with parts manufacturing and caliber modifications building toward independence. And yes, there’s a secret non-watch project slated for next year, a fresh chapter in a design house that refuses to stand still.If you love watches with meaning, craft with backbone, and design that carries a country’s story, you’ll feel at home here. Subscribe, share with a friend who loves thoughtful design, and leave a review to help more curious listeners find us.Check out Tsikolia:https://www.instagram.com/tsikoliawatches/https://tsikolia.com/home/en/usdSend us Fan MailSupport the showSupport the show: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2237102/supportVisit our Blog: https://lonelywrist.comWatch our Youtube: http://youtube.lonelywrist.com100% Viewer Funded: Donate Here

March 3, 2026Episode 671 hr 33 min

Black Badger's James Thompson On Joy, Grit, And Building Watches That Don’t Ask Permission

The watch world loves a good story. We love a good material even more. James “Black Badger” Thompson drops by to unpack how real experimentation beats borrowed heritage, and why joy—yes, actual fun—belongs on the wrist. From a tongue-in-cheek “Saturday morning hero” collab to blasting an AI theme song at Geneva, he shows how play fuels rigor when you’re willing to push past the safe zone.James walks us through the gritty side of independent watchmaking: pulverizing slate to recast stronger stone dials, isolating pigment from blue mussel shells to create the lavender Havender, and learning the hard way when magnesium meets salt and when Inconel eats tooling for breakfast. He argues for storytelling with receipts—provenance that adds value instead of stealing clout—and explains why some artifacts, like a McLaren P1 test engine or wood from HMS Victory, should be admired, not machined.We get personal about boundaries and burnout, too. Hyper-access almost turned the bench into a help desk; stepping back from rings helped him show up as a parent and a maker. Along the way, we explore Arcanaut’s garage-band ethos, lume as a legitimate canvas, the myth of “wearability” versus delight, and the reality that originality is expensive, uncomfortable, and worth it. If you’re a collector tired of sunset embargoes and press-trip gloss, or a creative searching for permission to get weird, this conversation offers both a compass and a dare.Hit play, then tell us: what material would you turn into meaning if no one could say no? If this resonated, follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a review so more curious makers can find us.Show James some love here:https://www.instagram.com/blackbadger/https://www.blackbadger.se/https://arcanaut.watch/Send us Fan MailSupport the showSupport the show: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2237102/supportVisit our Blog: https://lonelywrist.comWatch our Youtube: http://youtube.lonelywrist.com100% Viewer Funded: Donate Here

February 17, 2026Episode 661 hr 22 min

A Tale of Two Wristies: We Sat Down To Talk Watches And Ended Up Talking Life, Community & More

What if the best watch conversations aren’t really about watches? We sit down with Chris and Iman from A Tale of Two Wristies and follow the thread from wrist checks to real life—friendship, mental health, boundaries with screens, and the small rituals that make a hobby sustainable. Along the way, we get hands-on with an Omega Seamaster 300 Heritage, Tudor Black Bay in steel, gold, and bronze, and a handful of Grand Seikos that inspire both devotion and doubt.We trade stories from the sales floor—where Rolex carries cultural weight but not always deep product knowledge—and unpack why many collectors feel unseen in luxury retail. That gap pushes us toward independent watchmakers and communities that actually listen. AnOrdain’s enamel artistry, long but worthwhile waitlists, and the promise of smaller fume dials show how patience can pay off. Furlan Marri’s Disco Volante adds charm and thoughtful design to the mix, reinforced by founders who treat enthusiasts like collaborators. When a watch becomes a gift during a tough moment, it stops being a spec sheet and starts being a lifeline.We also examine identity and wearability. Iman loves Panerai but battles size and cost; Chris admires Cartier Panther and brushes off gendered gatekeeping. Bronze patina, rubber on steel, and dial purity all take turns in the spotlight. Grand Seiko becomes our case study in trade calculus: breathtaking dials, spring drive smoothness, and the little choices—date windows, power reserve placement—that make a piece live on your wrist or move on to a new home. Through it all, the constant is community: check-ins across time zones, honest takes without posturing, and a shared belief that collecting is more rewarding when it stays human.If you’re here for watch talk with heart—Omega vs Rolex nuance, Tudor practicality, Grand Seiko soul, and indie-brand storytelling—hit play. Then tell us: which watch surprised you the most, and which one you let go without regret? Subscribe, share with a friend, and leave a review to help more enthusiasts find the conversation.Check out our friends from A Tale of Two Wristies:https://www.instagram.com/ataleoftwowristies/Chris:https://www.instagram.com/poppingcrowns/Iman:https://www.instagram.com/ticktick_taptap/Send us Fan MailSupport the showSupport the show: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2237102/supportVisit our Blog: https://lonelywrist.comWatch our Youtube: http://youtube.lonelywrist.com100% Viewer Funded: Donate Here

February 3, 2026Episode 651 hr 8 min

Watch Innovation Straps: Building A Trusted Watch Strap Brand From The Ground Up With James Rose

A watch can feel brand new with the right strap, and James Rose knows exactly why. As the founder of Watch Innovation Straps, James walks us through the hard-won lessons of building a strap brand that collectors actually trust—from dialing in materials that feel great to solving the fitment puzzles that make integrated-lug watches sing. We get candid about the early missteps with FKM and lint-loving silicone, the path to a safer, hypoallergenic silicone blend with transparent chemical data, and the enduring pull of leather in calf and suede that never goes out of style.We dig into the details most brands gloss over: sub-millimeter tolerances for Rolex, AP, and Cartier, quick-release systems that don’t crack nails, and why a thicker spring bar can transform confidence on the wrist. James shares how buckle geometry and finishing change how light plays across the clasp, why taper and padding should match case size and personality, and how small iterations—rounded strap ends, keeper stitching, micro-adjust deployants—add up to a better daily wear. He also tackles the murky side of the market: drop-shipped fakes, rebranded storefronts, and the cost of earning trust with responsive support and no restocking gotchas.The roadmap is big and focused. Expect a two-lane strategy: a core collection near the $100 sweet spot for broad compatibility and a high-end bespoke arm for exotic leathers, custom lengths, and odd sizes built for Patek, RM, and F.P. Journe owners. Showrooms are coming to let you feel grain, see true color, and test fit before you buy. Through it all, the brand remains community-first: real feedback, late-night DMs, replacement-first service, and an open channel for new ideas.If your watch feels tired, start at the lugs. Tune in for practical insights on materials, fitment, and design—and grab 20% off with code lonely wrist. If this conversation helped you rethink your strap drawer, follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a quick review so more collectors can find us.Use Code "LONELYWRIST" for 20% OFF at https://wisstraps.com/Send us Fan MailSupport the showSupport the show: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2237102/supportVisit our Blog: https://lonelywrist.comWatch our Youtube: http://youtube.lonelywrist.com100% Viewer Funded: Donate Here

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Lonely Wrist: All Things Watches &amp; Horology