Episode 30: The one with Jose Cermeno

If you're not familiar with Jose's watches, we highly recommend visiting his website (link below) to follow along more closely as we delve into his creations. Jose is a passionate, charming, friendly, and knowledgeable individual. We are proud to have him with us and to showcase another remarkable young Canadian watchmaker. We hope you enjoy the show!

Jose Cermeno Watches: https://www.josecermeno.com/

Our Discord Community: https://discord.gg/3pfhUFPYFD

00:15 – Introduction 01:02 – Wrist checks 07:15 – About Jose Cermeno 07:56 – Going to watchmaking school in Switzerland 13:00 – Parental pride 14:27 – How did his internships influence his designs 17:56 – Jose’s special Tudor 21:08 – Watchmaking – in front vs. behind the bench 23:06 – How being a valet influenced his designs 25:09 – Initial challenges of starting his brand 28:31 – How many ouchies did it take to get started 29:27 – Jose’s dexterity working with leather 36:29 – Leather in the long run 39:58 – Balancing details and simplicity 46:20 – Coming back after a 6-year hiatus 54:44 – Future models, to leather or not to leather… 58:07 – Scale up or not to scale up... 1:01:50 – James Fournier’s UN Torpilleur story – THANK YOU RIKKI 1:03:05 – Jose’s other watches and what he’d like to own 1:07:06 – Future complications for Jose Cermeno watches 1:13:40 – Balancing price vs. exclusivity vs. quality 1:15:34 – Reject rate for dials 1:17:38 – Working the threads through his dial blanks 1:19:36 – Advice for aspiring watchmakers/brand owners 1:22:17 – Brands that inspire Jose 1:30:34 – Creating brand awareness and watch reviews 1:33:28 – Form over function or vice-versa 1:34:51 – Accidents are the mother of invention 01:39:02 – Thank yous and Goodbyes 01:39:48 – T2C OUT! 01:39:50 – But wait, there’s more…