September 10, 2024 • 35 mins
Hey Watch Fans,
Introducing to you Carol of @spassense . We have a super casual talk about the Rolex Factory tour, if watches reflect status, Jersey shores, and watch rentals.
Please check out Carol at
IG: @spassense
The tour that we talk about is on youtube:
https://youtu.be/PhriVYU159M?si=gJJThWttKsqSTiOk
Let us know what you all think.
Enjoy the show,
Like WatchFanatics.ca on Facebook
Follow David @watchfanaticdavid on Instagram
Introducing to you Carol of @spassense . We have a super casual talk about the Rolex Factory tour, if watches reflect status, Jersey shores, and watch rentals.
Please check out Carol at
IG: @spassense
The tour that we talk about is on youtube:
https://youtu.be/PhriVYU159M?si=gJJThWttKsqSTiOk
Let us know what you all think.
Enjoy the show,
Like WatchFanatics.ca on Facebook
Follow David @watchfanaticdavid on Instagram
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
You're listening to watch Fanatics podcasts. If you'd like, you
can follow me David at watch Fanatic David or Kevin
at watch fanatics dot Ca. Please subscribe and feel free
to leave us a five star review on wherever you
download your podcasts. We hope you enjoy the show. Hello everyone,
(00:27):
welcome back. I just want to introduce you to Carol.
She'll be joining me today on the show. We're gonna
talk some watches. Carol is a Watch fan and she
has a perspective I think you'll all be interested in.
So with Kevin, our other co host, you pretty much
(00:47):
developed a sense of who he is. Well, it's no
secret he's a Rolex fanboy. With Carol, I just got
maybe one or two quick questions before we get into
our conversation. That way you can get an idea of
who she is.
Speaker 2 (01:03):
Hi. Everyone, it's a pleasure to be on this podcast.
I have not done this before, so forgive me if
things sound funny. But looking forward to the topics we
were discussing today about watches.
Speaker 1 (01:14):
Thank you, David, No, thank you for doing this. I
know it's hard to really set aside time for ourselves.
As sick as that sounds, but I thank you for
joining us. First question, what was your first watch, or
at least the first watch you remember it?
Speaker 2 (01:32):
For me, it was a Sacoh and I don't know
what the model was, but it was a smaller women's
watch with a blue dial face and it was just
with a stainless steel wristband. And it was the most
functional piece I've had for gosh no ites, probably a
decade now, and it worked great. And at the time,
(01:54):
I had gotten that watch from my mom and she said,
you need something functional, something reliable, and that was what
she got for my not a birthday, because in the
Chinese culture it's actually bad luck to give clocks and
time pieces because it has like a negative connotation. But
it was for some kind of special that maybe it
was a just like a coming of age gift.
Speaker 1 (02:18):
Wow, I'm happy to hear it as a Saikoh.
Speaker 2 (02:21):
Yes, I know, I was like, I got to pass
that first question with David here.
Speaker 1 (02:25):
Right or wrong, It's just I don't know. I've always
liked sakhos. Do you remember if it was a quartz
or an automatic? It was a quartz, And do you
know the meaning behind of not giving a watch or
a clock on a birthday or as a gift.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
The word clock, specifically in Cantonese, is a synonym where
it sounds just like another word for delivering death. So
if you were to gift eight clock, if you just
say and translated to Cantonese phonetically, it also sounds the
same as saying delivering death. So you wouldn't want to
(03:06):
give a clock for your birthday. And I think it
just depends now on their level of your individual beliefs.
But as long as it's not a clock, it's fine.
So time pieces such as like watches and things are okay.
I actually have a lot of friends that don't know
that connotation that are from the Chinese community, so it
must be a really old school one.
Speaker 1 (03:27):
I love the folklore around any time and time related piece,
so I am going to tell people this. This is
great because I know you're not supposed to give knives
or wallets, right unless there's money in a wallet or
do they have to buy the wallet off you? Is
you know anything about that neither?
Speaker 2 (03:45):
Can you tell me more about the wallets because I've
given wallets as gifts to parents for a wedding anniversary
one year.
Speaker 1 (03:54):
Okay, So I heard wallets can't be empty when you
give it to them. You have to put like money
in it, or if you give it to them, they
have to give you like five cents or nickel or
a dime or a penny, just so it's not like
a gift. I don't know why, but they say it's
bad luck knives. I think it's straightforward, and you don't
(04:17):
want to give a knife to anyone except for a chef.
But you know a straight edge lady that can kill someone.
I'm sure you don't want to give it this gift,
but if you do again, they say, make sure you
tell them to give you like a dollar back or something.
Speaker 2 (04:31):
Oh my goodness. You know. That reminds me of one
time I had a parting gift when I left one
of my places of work and someone I worked with
gave me a coin. Person put two dollars in it,
and I didn't. I kind of left and I was like,
thanks for the coffee money. At that time, you could
actually buy coffee for two dollars, but I didn't realize
that she was probably honoring a tradition.
Speaker 1 (04:54):
Yeah, she's protecting you from bad luck.
Speaker 2 (04:57):
Oh my okay, good to know.
Speaker 1 (04:59):
So we have a say, go as your first watch,
is that when you start falling into love with watches
or is there another watch down the road or another instant,
another significant other who knows, Like.
Speaker 2 (05:12):
Yeah, that's a great question. I have to think that
my journeys to being a watch enthusiast, I'll say because
hobby is it's almost like a professional career in a sense,
and I'm not quite there. There were two instances it
became almost an incremental interest or a growing interest. I
think it started around grade six for me, and I
(05:33):
had gotten a Cassio Baby G Shock watch and it
was like the biggest thing in school back then. I
was one of the first girls to have it, next
to my best friend, and I got it in this
cool like turquoise green color to match my braces at
the time is the color I had, and I love
that watch to pieces. The fact that it was waterproof,
(05:56):
I think was what sold me the most. And now
any watch I get, I want to make sure that
there's the durability and the waterproof speck in there that
makes it a purchase consideration for me, and just the
cool color it was. I remember I held on too
that watch for years after and it's definitely it gets
dirty over time. I didn't really know how to maintain,
so started looking like it was turning a different shade.
(06:18):
And so that was the point with my fans, like
you should probably check that and think of something else.
So that was my first time kind of seeing kind
of the playful side of different watch colors and configurations,
because g Shot came up with a whole bunch of
other lines for men and women, and I remember going
to Times Square and mark them and there's a watch
(06:39):
repair shop right in the front entrance, and I always
used to love window shopping to see what new things
they had, and you know that one get yeah.
Speaker 1 (06:49):
Sorry I cut you off. No, no, yeah, that's crazy.
Speaker 2 (06:54):
So that was my first, i think, active interest in it.
And then the second was when I had started working
in Hong Kong and it was from a significant other
and actually some of my colleagues who were really into watches,
and they were talking about how a person's status could
(07:16):
be told from just seeing what they were wearing in
their choice of watch, and part of work, we actually
would frequent the Financial District a lot in central Hong Kong.
For those who have been or know and they have
a ton of luxury watch stores there, and we used
to kind of walk along and be like, oh, you know,
like JLC is right by the tram line, and you know,
(07:38):
it's got this beautiful display. And then my director has
two Panorai watches, and we were disputing why it's such
a popular time piece in Hong Kong in comparing it
to Rolex, because she actually had to she had this
Mariner and the Daytona, and so we were comparing specs
(07:59):
and saying, well, you know, is nice for like fashion
and you know for women and stuff, but as like
a quality time piece, nothing would be a Rolex maybe
next to a j C. JLS actually has been around
longer than a Rolex for about a couple extra decades,
so that's where it started.
Speaker 1 (08:15):
Wow, So Panurai has a little bit more of a
a following, a stronger following than Rolex in Hong Kong.
Speaker 2 (08:25):
I don't think it's stronger, but it was a very
trending watch to get. So most females in Hong Kong
I would say either had Rolex, Panorai and or Cardier
like the typical tank watches you see. But being that
for myself, I like the sportier lines and something with
quality and function over fashion. We had many a conversation
(08:48):
about saying, why pan Ora, I shouldn't even be in
the running when you're talking about watches. Oh no, like
with the likes of AP right, like that is like
the creme de la creme of watches. And I think
I used to look to see if there was anyone
in the organization at the time that wore an AP
and I couldn't find one. But I think the closest
thing that I saw was our CEO had a JLC
(09:13):
and it was the one I wanted. It was like
the ultra thin.
Speaker 1 (09:15):
Moonface JLC is definitely one of my dream watches grill
watches for sure, as an idiot before I really got
deep into watches, I saw one, a secondhand one in
Saint Thomas when I was on vacation cheap reversal and
(09:39):
you know, not knowing much at the time, I was
more into like looking for texts and not that I
was going to buy one, but just wanted to see
more protects and put them on my wrist. And nice
guy was like, oh, try this, you know, gej La
cultra is this and this. I wasn't listening because I
was like, oh, let me say that, and man I
(10:01):
regret that. Oh man ah, it's so many regrets. I
mean on your watch group. So people Carol has Or
is a part of a watch group, and someone in
the watch group recently and thank you for inviting me
asked me about some of my watches and that jailsuit.
(10:22):
Big regret. I just sold a vintage Kakumi nineteen seventy
four chronograph from Seiko sold that. That's a huge regret.
I'll get into watch regrets later with you. But you
mentioned something about status watches reflecting status. Do you feel
that's true.
Speaker 2 (10:42):
You know someone said something this week at work or
last week at work. They said, you only have one
chance to give a first impression. There are no second chances, right,
So if you had to quickly, you know, size someone
up for business or whatever venture. Maybe it's a person
you're trying to decide if it's a it's someone you
you want to have in your net work for now on,
and you're trying to size up what they're like. Working
(11:06):
close to the financial district with a lot of our clients,
so you would often size a person up based on
is your suit tailored, Do you have your shirts or
collared shirts customized, like engraved with your initials? Those were
common things. Then of course a time piece would be
the first. It's the easiest one across the board, because
(11:29):
Taylor's we actually we have quite a few in Hong
Kong for men, so it's it's you know, it's doable,
but it's the time piece that matters. They often do
not buy them secondhand, so they would have been brand new.
So if you had something that was a classic that
was hard to find, like a Daytona Rolex, like one
of the chief operating officers had with the tech company
(11:53):
that we were affiliated with, you would be like, Okay,
he may not say much, but he is definitely all
about quite like, and he's got some money behind him
right to be able to source something like that back.
And I'm talking probably like nine years now. So yeah,
I think I do believe it. It is a thing too.
It's a thing about status because luxury watches are nice
(12:16):
to have, not in need, and the choice of the
watch within the luxury design probably says a lot about
the person as well. Right if you when you talked
about the reverso, I would say that's a nice, modern
but very conservative looking watch. It's not gaudy, it's not
got lots of blame. It's a nice unique shape. It's
(12:37):
comparable to, you know, the shape of a cardio tank,
but less flashy. And I would say that that person
has a lot of great taste but is not showy,
doesn't need people to know, but he definitely appreciates quality.
Speaker 1 (12:55):
Wow, you make me regret not flu it was three
k Yeah, Oh no, that is a I know. I
someone should hang me. That's horrible.
Speaker 2 (13:07):
What is the price of that? When I think I
was just looking yesterday. I think you could possibly get
something around that.
Speaker 1 (13:12):
Now, aren't they five kN up for us?
Speaker 2 (13:16):
Oh yeah, you're right well with inflation considering when the
time you went from Saint Thomas. It's not terrible.
Speaker 1 (13:24):
Oh yeah see, And this is why I shouldn't be
talking to you now. My head is like I can
self justify spending five K on the used watch now
in this conversation, and I.
Speaker 2 (13:38):
Wouldn't dispute it either. I'd be like, you go for it,
You go for it.
Speaker 1 (13:43):
I am screwed if people judge me by my watches,
because I'm very promiscuous when it comes to watches. I
like them all. Yeah, any one of them can bed me.
It's it's funny I have like right now, I have
a world Timer on Castile World Time tim that's probably
like twenty five bucks. I think there are now forty dollars.
(14:05):
But a good travel watch my opinion. But again, someone
who's judging me by my watch today will think that
I went to Walmart and bought my watch.
Speaker 2 (14:19):
Hey, I used to go to the Bay and get mine.
I don't. And you know, actually talking about watches in
that price range, I think you just said in the
watch group today or yesterday, the one that gets you
the most attention is your Cassio Calculator watch. And you
told me about the sale that was going on. I
was thinking to myself, oh my gosh, I need to
get myself one in all golden like calculator, No calculator.
(14:42):
I never made a decision. So hey, And that watch
I think is a classic, like it was in Stranger Things,
and it's got so much history behind it. Sometimes it's
thought about the monetary value as it is about the
nostalgic value and the history of what that time piece brings.
Speaker 1 (14:58):
Right, So I agree, I recommend it in fact, I'm
thinking of getting a yellow gold calculator watch. Even though
I have a calculator watch, I want a yellow gold one.
Not only is yellow gold coming back. I think all
the watches in the eighties, Like if you were, like
I don't know, a trader in the eighties, you had
a yellow old watch. I don't know, So I recommend
(15:19):
you get one.
Speaker 2 (15:20):
Hey, if you are going for that yellow gold purchase,
I'm going to come along with you and get the one.
I committed to do it. I think we should.
Speaker 1 (15:28):
Do you have a digital watch.
Speaker 2 (15:30):
I do. It's called an Apple Watch, and its batteries
been dead for months. I actually have not even gotten
it to reconnect with my iPhone I purchased back in April.
That's how often I use it.
Speaker 1 (15:45):
You know what, I Am going to give you a
World Time, Cassio, my world. I have two World Timers.
Like I said, I'm very promiscuous. I have one with
a gray frame and the black frame. I was gonna
but to thank you for coming on the show, I'm
going to give you a proper world Timer. Oh, you'll
(16:07):
love it. They actually have a nickname for it. It's
the Casio Royale.
Speaker 2 (16:12):
Oh. I have not tell me more so one of.
Speaker 1 (16:18):
The James Bonden watches. I think it was Octopus. He
had a saiko played a significant role in the movie,
and everyone started comparing the World Timer to the saiko,
and they're saying it's cheap version of that sako. And
then somehow everyone started calling it Cassio Royale in a
(16:39):
double O seven right, and now it's it's a strange watch.
I wore it once and someone gave me the nod.
I think they recognized some of the folklore around it Royale.
So I'll make sure you get one. Next tie is
going to bring you one.
Speaker 2 (16:56):
No way that is that is way too much time.
Being our first time podcast. Now, anyone who ever asked
me for a gig will be like, what merch are
you giving? No kidding, Yeah, that's insane.
Speaker 1 (17:07):
Maybe other people will get a nail strap, but you, David, No,
this is let's see. I'm trying to think, uh yeah, absolutely,
it'd be my pleasure. Number One, it doesn't have a
box or papers. Number two, I don't know if it'll
fit you. I don't have the extra links for it.
Because that second watch, the one that looks closer to
(17:30):
the Trusako, I don't have extra links for it, although
if it doesn't fit you, I do have links from
my current World Timer I could give you, so don't
worry about it. Try it on first. If you don't
feel like it fits, I'll look around for my extra
links for you.
Speaker 2 (17:48):
I have no words for that, Diane, speechless at your
your kindness on this, because I I don't know what
to say. Two things I guess. The first thing is
I went to go and look at I think there
was a sixtieth in university James bond Omega. I was
looking at an anniversary watch. It was a Sea Master Diver.
It was beautiful. That was one I was thinking of.
(18:08):
But but then the second thing this conversation spun up
for me was when I think about my current watch collection,
I don't think I bought any of them.
Speaker 1 (18:25):
That's kind of good. No, like you don't want to
end up like me.
Speaker 2 (18:30):
Well, I don't know. I just that you just made
me come to a realization that I think the beauty
about the journey of watches is whether you're you know,
if you purchase them yourself or receive them in some
way as a gift. There's so much behind the significance
of a time piece. It's like you've locked that moment
(18:52):
in that watch, and you'll remember exactly the day and
what happened, and the smells and the sights and the
conversations you had For every watch you get, that's what
I remember.
Speaker 1 (19:03):
That's true. But to be clear, it won't be a
gift because I don't want to send you to death
in Cantonese. So we'll call it an exchange, or you
know what, you can give me a nickel.
Speaker 2 (19:19):
I'll have to see if Nichols are still around now.
Maybe i'd have to eat transfer you and nickel at
this But okay, thank you, that is amazing.
Speaker 1 (19:29):
Okay, we'll call it a barter for your time on
the podcast. It's a barter, so not a gift, the
good old bar. I'm not sending you to death.
Speaker 2 (19:42):
How about vegetarian Vietnamese food as a barter or another
foodie spot? I saw you at your last post on
ig breakfast at Denny's. Is there another spot that you like?
Maybe that's where that memory should be created, in a
place that you like too frequent for food.
Speaker 1 (20:03):
Maybe our next career chamellions get together.
Speaker 2 (20:08):
Oh yes, I fell off on that one for sure
from life.
Speaker 1 (20:12):
Yeah, so people who don't know Carol has another group.
But I promise we'll talk more about it on other
podcast if she agrees to do this again. I hope.
So fingers crossed, because before I lose my thought with
the status symbol and first impressions that you brought up
with your coworker, you shared an article about renting watches
(20:41):
luxury watches. I think it was two articles. I think
both of them went out of business. What do you
have to say about that?
Speaker 2 (20:50):
So, yeah, that's a really interesting topic. And it actually
came up when I was telling my partner that David
has kindly invited me on his show for a podcast,
and we were recording today and he's been such a
significant support in all of the domains of my passion projects,
(21:10):
and he's like, hey, he's like, my best friend sent
me this article saying that there was this guy who
was really successful with renting out his luxury watches and
the best part about his scheme, well, okay, his business
model was that he never owned any of them, and
the money he was actually getting from the rentals actually
(21:31):
got him to be able to purchase luxury watches. Later,
I couldn't find which article or if it was in
the new circulation about how that worked, But he basically
said that it was operating like a business where he
was writing off perhaps he's watches as rentals and leases
as a third party, and was capturing fees and stuff
(21:54):
for it, and had insurance behind all of the watches
and made enough profit that he could actually start building
his collection of actually personally owned luxury watches. But then
to your point, when I was looking at articles online,
those other businesses that tried that approach went under because
even with the insurance, there are so many risks that
(22:16):
still come with that. Right. First of all, how do
you vet someone who wants to approach you to rent
to watch? Right, so you know, what are the indemnities allowed?
You know, whether it's physical damage or loss or theft?
What if someone replaces your authentic rental watch with a fake.
It is a very lucrative and high risk business. But
(22:39):
also I guess, like with any idea, there's risk and
reward involved.
Speaker 1 (22:46):
Now the question is would you rent a luxury watch
for Well, you have a luxury watch, but let's say
you were out of town and you don't travel with
your luxury watch. Would you rent one for a very
important meeting or want to impress some retailers if you're
out shopping.
Speaker 2 (23:06):
H I guess it's the same idea as stars going
on the red carpet renting gowns and jewelry, right. I
think when you ask about you gave examples of reasons
for renting a watch, I would not relate to those
because then I'm not showing up as my authentic self
(23:26):
with authentically what I own or not own. So if
I was to approach a scenario where I went to
go rent a watch to impress a customer or a
client or something, or be at a function and build
up a name for myself, I would feel like I
was doing myself a disservice because I would be presenting
as someone that I don't really connect with as a
(23:48):
real person. And if, for example, a business venture did
come out of that, how would I sustain later on?
I think things like this end up coming into the
line and you might be exposed for being dishonest and
fraudulent anyway, So no, I don't think I would rent
to watch, but I would love to trade watches amongst
(24:11):
like our watch group for example, and be like, hey,
let's wear that for a few hours today. You can
then in exchange were mine and do that because I've
done that with bracelets back that before. But I had
always liked some of the male timepieces. I would borrow
them from my male friends for like a week or
(24:32):
two and then give them back just to see what
it was like, because I would buy one myself. Yeah,
And I wouldn't wear them necessarily to work. It would
just be you know, during socials and on the weekend,
you know, for a brunch or something, just to see,
you know, how it looked on my wrist and things
like that. And it was just like, honestly, my friends
(24:53):
don't even notice things like that. There were no I
would watch people at all that I was friends with
in my immediate circle. Most of my watch influence came
from my mom or from a significant other.
Speaker 1 (25:12):
Before we talk about the Rolette's tour, I want to
talk to you about SPA Sense. I was gonna buy
product for my wife and I clicked on your site,
but I wasn't sure do I need to put a
code or do I just buy through your site? And
I'm actually there's a kickback for you, Like how do
I do this like, I'm not tech savvy.
Speaker 2 (25:35):
So the links are my personal links. So if you
click right into that it should and buy it like
you normally would, it would notice that it's an affiliate link.
Speaker 1 (25:46):
So when I'm on your Instagram, I click that link
above and that's it. I don't have to enter a code.
Speaker 2 (25:54):
So that's a good question. There are most of them.
You don't need to enter a code. You just go
into the link, pick whatever product you want, click that
link and it'll just get you into you know, that
product of interest and you can go and fulfill your order.
The ones that on my link tree links that show
you all the other products. If it has a product code,
then you would go to their official website and then yes,
(26:17):
you'd have to enter that code at checkout.
Speaker 1 (26:21):
All right, because I think it was one of the
link tree products, but I didn't see. Ah, I'll do
it again. I'll have to figure it out.
Speaker 2 (26:30):
Let me know.
Speaker 1 (26:30):
I can help you with that, okay. And at this
is at SPA sense one word s p A s
C N s C Is that correct?
Speaker 2 (26:41):
Almost? It's s p A double s E N s E.
Speaker 1 (26:46):
All right, I will link it in the description notes.
So s P A S S E.
Speaker 2 (26:53):
N S C. Right on, thank you? All right, cool, cool,
let see what you're getting.
Speaker 1 (27:00):
Now, role X role X Tour. Did you see that video?
Speaker 2 (27:07):
So I did. I was wondering if the clips that
they were showing in parts of the YouTube were actually
from their lab or if they were like stock videos.
I couldn't tell. When they were talking about certain segments
about just how they were doing testing and the stuff
(27:27):
before durability testing, I was like, is this what they
have in there? But then when they started talking about
how Rolex makes its own gold and how they have
the special like watch assembly machines that are there for
quality controlled and ensure there's precision because you have to
have something on top of the layer of the very
(27:48):
like manual custom work that a human being is doing
to put this watch together, to kind of check and recheck,
you know, before and after assembly. Then those images felt like, Okay,
these probably are from the lab, but I couldn't tell
from the beginning if they were because I'm not sure
who put it together. But it got me thinking because
you know, as I have an interest in content creation,
(28:09):
I'm always looking at you know, stock photo and video
sites that have good quality. So I was on the fence.
It's like, wow, it was either could be from your
lab or it's just someone who saw some great content elsewhere.
Do you happen to know?
Speaker 1 (28:21):
I just assumed it was legit, but now that I'm
replaying it in my head, it could be stock. But
I'm glad you brought up the gold because that's where
I was blown away. I didn't know they had a foundry.
I didn't know they made their own precious metals basically.
In fact, I like Rolex a little more after knowing this.
(28:44):
I thought a lot of it was outsourced. There was
there's a lot of talk between people pro Rolex and
anti Rolex, and I got to say, a watch company
with their own foundry, huge props, like, I don't think
there's anyone else doing that, right, Well, no tag rows
(29:05):
their own diamonds. But when you hear ever rolls gold
from Rolex, it's not just rolls gold with a fancy name.
It's a legit rolls gold that won't fade, and big props,
huge respect for Rolex. I love him more.
Speaker 2 (29:24):
I was blown away by that to have a foundry,
But then I was also when I said that out loud,
I can't remember who I was sharing it with at
this video, but Rolex making their own gold and someone
just nonchalantly replied, yeah, that's what they do. It's it happens.
So I don't know if he meant it as in,
that's what Rolex does or it's a commonplace thing that
(29:46):
luxury manufacturers and watch design do. So I'm not sure.
I'm actually interested to look at other other luxury designers
to see if they have their own foundry or something
of the like as well.
Speaker 1 (30:00):
Yeah, I never thought of that, Like I know, bag
because they talk about grow their own diamonds, Seiko grows
their own quartzes. I wonder if they also do their
own metals. I gotta say Rolex climbed up in the
ranks after seeing that video.
Speaker 2 (30:18):
In my opinion, definitely, there's so much behind the process
of it. And I have a high school friend whose
husband just recently completed his Rolex Watchmaker's designation or program.
I'm not sure. I don't remember the name the role
he has, but basically he can repair Rolex watches.
Speaker 1 (30:40):
Now, oh my god, mm hmm. Good high school friend.
Speaker 2 (30:47):
We still keep it in touch, so yeah, I would say,
so it's she lives in near our area, so I
do get to connect with her here and there. But
I was blown in a way. He would actually be
a great career Chameleons spotlight to do because he had
started out in web design and then decided he would
want to take an internship with Rolex to do this.
Speaker 1 (31:09):
You got someone who can service your Rolex, Now, that's awesome.
Speaker 2 (31:13):
I wish you would have finished it before I had
to put mine into service, but I don't think there's
any sort of perks because they're so foundationally standardized. I
did have to get in service because it actually stopped
ticking the secondhand, and so I had to get it
to I put it in and got it back after
a couple of weeks. So you definitely do have to
(31:34):
service your watches. You can't really stint out on that stuff.
Speaker 1 (31:37):
Do you know how long it took them to get
that certification?
Speaker 2 (31:41):
Yep, eighteen months, and I think their graduation is at
their head office headquarters in Switzerland, so they get to
do a bit of time over there. I'm not sure
what activity it is as part of their course, so
it's very neat. He got to get his certification or
his final papers from Switzerland itself.
Speaker 1 (32:03):
WHOA, So I guess they're going to Switzerland. Yes, I
am jealous. I'd have to get there one day. Switzerland,
see all the watch factories. If you're up to it,
we'll have to do this again, all right, I would
love to.
Speaker 2 (32:23):
I hope I didn't just tell you everything I knew
about watches in an hour. I hope there's more there.
But I would love to hear about some of the
topics you raise, because it really brings me down memory
lane and just shores up to how I've grown up
with watches all my life and haven't really taken that
time to appreciate how it's shaped me as well.
Speaker 1 (32:43):
So thank you for this time my pleasure. Honestly, like,
there's so much I think you have to offer, just
from your perspective. You know, watches as a sad symbol
that perspective. Now I'm going to be a little more
careful about which watch I wear out or which occasion.
Speaker 2 (33:07):
Hey, if this is any consolation, my daily watch is
a fossil silver watch with a white watch face, ten
meters or twenty meters waterproof. I get compliments about it
all the time, and that was actually a watch my
sister gifted me one year in the summer, and she
(33:28):
bought it because Snooky from Oh my gosh, what's that
show called Jersey Shore made it famous. So if anyone
wants to judge me for that watch, there you go.
Speaker 1 (33:40):
Well, they're not going to judge you. I think they're
going to judge your sister for watching Jersey Shore.
Speaker 2 (33:46):
Oh that's true, that's true. I got to tell people
more where I got that from.
Speaker 1 (33:50):
Yeah, they'll be like Snookies watch Snooky's watch. Who knows,
one day people might refer to as Snookie's watch. I mean,
that's a thing I love more than anything. I love
how watches pick up nicknames. Next time I see a
white faced fossil and and call it Snooky's watch, I'm cool.
Speaker 2 (34:13):
I like that was a new learning for me. The
Cassio Royale. That's a perfect name for that watch.
Speaker 1 (34:19):
Yeah, it's fun, right, it's fun. I'm just so excited
I've found a home for this watch now.
Speaker 2 (34:26):
Oh, thank you. I am honored to be that person
to protect it for time. That's an honor.
Speaker 1 (34:32):
Thank you, David again, thank you. I have more questions.
I didn't get to them. I sent them to you,
but I promise you I'm gonna have a thousand more.
I will ask you these questions later, Okay.
Speaker 2 (34:45):
Keep them coming. I am so curious to know how
I'll be able to answer these. I guess you've brought
out a lot about my Maybe appreciation and understanding a
watch is more than I thought I ever did, so
I thank you for opening that up for me.
Speaker 1 (34:59):
And don't wait for me. If you have a great topic,
just reach out to me and I'll be happy to
set up a zoom meaning and we can record. All
right again, Thank you everyone for listening. Talk real soon.
Speaker 2 (35:12):
Okay, thank you everyone, Thanks David.
Speaker 1 (35:16):
Bye, hell you welcome. Bye bye.
You're listening to watch Fanatics podcasts. If you'd like, you
can follow me David at watch Fanatic David or Kevin
at watch fanatics dot Ca. Please subscribe and feel free
to leave us a five star review on wherever you
download your podcasts. We hope you enjoy the show. Hello everyone,
(00:27):
welcome back. I just want to introduce you to Carol.
She'll be joining me today on the show. We're gonna
talk some watches. Carol is a Watch fan and she
has a perspective I think you'll all be interested in.
So with Kevin, our other co host, you pretty much
(00:47):
developed a sense of who he is. Well, it's no
secret he's a Rolex fanboy. With Carol, I just got
maybe one or two quick questions before we get into
our conversation. That way you can get an idea of
who she is.
Speaker 2 (01:03):
Hi. Everyone, it's a pleasure to be on this podcast.
I have not done this before, so forgive me if
things sound funny. But looking forward to the topics we
were discussing today about watches.
Speaker 1 (01:14):
Thank you, David, No, thank you for doing this. I
know it's hard to really set aside time for ourselves.
As sick as that sounds, but I thank you for
joining us. First question, what was your first watch, or
at least the first watch you remember it?
Speaker 2 (01:32):
For me, it was a Sacoh and I don't know
what the model was, but it was a smaller women's
watch with a blue dial face and it was just
with a stainless steel wristband. And it was the most
functional piece I've had for gosh no ites, probably a
decade now, and it worked great. And at the time,
(01:54):
I had gotten that watch from my mom and she said,
you need something functional, something reliable, and that was what
she got for my not a birthday, because in the
Chinese culture it's actually bad luck to give clocks and
time pieces because it has like a negative connotation. But
it was for some kind of special that maybe it
was a just like a coming of age gift.
Speaker 1 (02:18):
Wow, I'm happy to hear it as a Saikoh.
Speaker 2 (02:21):
Yes, I know, I was like, I got to pass
that first question with David here.
Speaker 1 (02:25):
Right or wrong, It's just I don't know. I've always
liked sakhos. Do you remember if it was a quartz
or an automatic? It was a quartz, And do you
know the meaning behind of not giving a watch or
a clock on a birthday or as a gift.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
The word clock, specifically in Cantonese, is a synonym where
it sounds just like another word for delivering death. So
if you were to gift eight clock, if you just
say and translated to Cantonese phonetically, it also sounds the
same as saying delivering death. So you wouldn't want to
(03:06):
give a clock for your birthday. And I think it
just depends now on their level of your individual beliefs.
But as long as it's not a clock, it's fine.
So time pieces such as like watches and things are okay.
I actually have a lot of friends that don't know
that connotation that are from the Chinese community, so it
must be a really old school one.
Speaker 1 (03:27):
I love the folklore around any time and time related piece,
so I am going to tell people this. This is
great because I know you're not supposed to give knives
or wallets, right unless there's money in a wallet or
do they have to buy the wallet off you? Is
you know anything about that neither?
Speaker 2 (03:45):
Can you tell me more about the wallets because I've
given wallets as gifts to parents for a wedding anniversary
one year.
Speaker 1 (03:54):
Okay, So I heard wallets can't be empty when you
give it to them. You have to put like money
in it, or if you give it to them, they
have to give you like five cents or nickel or
a dime or a penny, just so it's not like
a gift. I don't know why, but they say it's
bad luck knives. I think it's straightforward, and you don't
(04:17):
want to give a knife to anyone except for a chef.
But you know a straight edge lady that can kill someone.
I'm sure you don't want to give it this gift,
but if you do again, they say, make sure you
tell them to give you like a dollar back or something.
Speaker 2 (04:31):
Oh my goodness. You know. That reminds me of one
time I had a parting gift when I left one
of my places of work and someone I worked with
gave me a coin. Person put two dollars in it,
and I didn't. I kind of left and I was like,
thanks for the coffee money. At that time, you could
actually buy coffee for two dollars, but I didn't realize
that she was probably honoring a tradition.
Speaker 1 (04:54):
Yeah, she's protecting you from bad luck.
Speaker 2 (04:57):
Oh my okay, good to know.
Speaker 1 (04:59):
So we have a say, go as your first watch,
is that when you start falling into love with watches
or is there another watch down the road or another instant,
another significant other who knows, Like.
Speaker 2 (05:12):
Yeah, that's a great question. I have to think that
my journeys to being a watch enthusiast, I'll say because
hobby is it's almost like a professional career in a sense,
and I'm not quite there. There were two instances it
became almost an incremental interest or a growing interest. I
think it started around grade six for me, and I
(05:33):
had gotten a Cassio Baby G Shock watch and it
was like the biggest thing in school back then. I
was one of the first girls to have it, next
to my best friend, and I got it in this
cool like turquoise green color to match my braces at
the time is the color I had, and I love
that watch to pieces. The fact that it was waterproof,
(05:56):
I think was what sold me the most. And now
any watch I get, I want to make sure that
there's the durability and the waterproof speck in there that
makes it a purchase consideration for me, and just the
cool color it was. I remember I held on too
that watch for years after and it's definitely it gets
dirty over time. I didn't really know how to maintain,
so started looking like it was turning a different shade.
(06:18):
And so that was the point with my fans, like
you should probably check that and think of something else.
So that was my first time kind of seeing kind
of the playful side of different watch colors and configurations,
because g Shot came up with a whole bunch of
other lines for men and women, and I remember going
to Times Square and mark them and there's a watch
(06:39):
repair shop right in the front entrance, and I always
used to love window shopping to see what new things
they had, and you know that one get yeah.
Speaker 1 (06:49):
Sorry I cut you off. No, no, yeah, that's crazy.
Speaker 2 (06:54):
So that was my first, i think, active interest in it.
And then the second was when I had started working
in Hong Kong and it was from a significant other
and actually some of my colleagues who were really into watches,
and they were talking about how a person's status could
(07:16):
be told from just seeing what they were wearing in
their choice of watch, and part of work, we actually
would frequent the Financial District a lot in central Hong Kong.
For those who have been or know and they have
a ton of luxury watch stores there, and we used
to kind of walk along and be like, oh, you know,
like JLC is right by the tram line, and you know,
(07:38):
it's got this beautiful display. And then my director has
two Panorai watches, and we were disputing why it's such
a popular time piece in Hong Kong in comparing it
to Rolex, because she actually had to she had this
Mariner and the Daytona, and so we were comparing specs
(07:59):
and saying, well, you know, is nice for like fashion
and you know for women and stuff, but as like
a quality time piece, nothing would be a Rolex maybe
next to a j C. JLS actually has been around
longer than a Rolex for about a couple extra decades,
so that's where it started.
Speaker 1 (08:15):
Wow, So Panurai has a little bit more of a
a following, a stronger following than Rolex in Hong Kong.
Speaker 2 (08:25):
I don't think it's stronger, but it was a very
trending watch to get. So most females in Hong Kong
I would say either had Rolex, Panorai and or Cardier
like the typical tank watches you see. But being that
for myself, I like the sportier lines and something with
quality and function over fashion. We had many a conversation
(08:48):
about saying, why pan Ora, I shouldn't even be in
the running when you're talking about watches. Oh no, like
with the likes of AP right, like that is like
the creme de la creme of watches. And I think
I used to look to see if there was anyone
in the organization at the time that wore an AP
and I couldn't find one. But I think the closest
thing that I saw was our CEO had a JLC
(09:13):
and it was the one I wanted. It was like
the ultra thin.
Speaker 1 (09:15):
Moonface JLC is definitely one of my dream watches grill
watches for sure, as an idiot before I really got
deep into watches, I saw one, a secondhand one in
Saint Thomas when I was on vacation cheap reversal and
(09:39):
you know, not knowing much at the time, I was
more into like looking for texts and not that I
was going to buy one, but just wanted to see
more protects and put them on my wrist. And nice
guy was like, oh, try this, you know, gej La
cultra is this and this. I wasn't listening because I
was like, oh, let me say that, and man I
(10:01):
regret that. Oh man ah, it's so many regrets. I
mean on your watch group. So people Carol has Or
is a part of a watch group, and someone in
the watch group recently and thank you for inviting me
asked me about some of my watches and that jailsuit.
(10:22):
Big regret. I just sold a vintage Kakumi nineteen seventy
four chronograph from Seiko sold that. That's a huge regret.
I'll get into watch regrets later with you. But you
mentioned something about status watches reflecting status. Do you feel
that's true.
Speaker 2 (10:42):
You know someone said something this week at work or
last week at work. They said, you only have one
chance to give a first impression. There are no second chances, right,
So if you had to quickly, you know, size someone
up for business or whatever venture. Maybe it's a person
you're trying to decide if it's a it's someone you
you want to have in your net work for now on,
and you're trying to size up what they're like. Working
(11:06):
close to the financial district with a lot of our clients,
so you would often size a person up based on
is your suit tailored, Do you have your shirts or
collared shirts customized, like engraved with your initials? Those were
common things. Then of course a time piece would be
the first. It's the easiest one across the board, because
(11:29):
Taylor's we actually we have quite a few in Hong
Kong for men, so it's it's you know, it's doable,
but it's the time piece that matters. They often do
not buy them secondhand, so they would have been brand new.
So if you had something that was a classic that
was hard to find, like a Daytona Rolex, like one
of the chief operating officers had with the tech company
(11:53):
that we were affiliated with, you would be like, Okay,
he may not say much, but he is definitely all
about quite like, and he's got some money behind him
right to be able to source something like that back.
And I'm talking probably like nine years now. So yeah,
I think I do believe it. It is a thing too.
It's a thing about status because luxury watches are nice
(12:16):
to have, not in need, and the choice of the
watch within the luxury design probably says a lot about
the person as well. Right if you when you talked
about the reverso, I would say that's a nice, modern
but very conservative looking watch. It's not gaudy, it's not
got lots of blame. It's a nice unique shape. It's
(12:37):
comparable to, you know, the shape of a cardio tank,
but less flashy. And I would say that that person
has a lot of great taste but is not showy,
doesn't need people to know, but he definitely appreciates quality.
Speaker 1 (12:55):
Wow, you make me regret not flu it was three
k Yeah, Oh no, that is a I know. I
someone should hang me. That's horrible.
Speaker 2 (13:07):
What is the price of that? When I think I
was just looking yesterday. I think you could possibly get
something around that.
Speaker 1 (13:12):
Now, aren't they five kN up for us?
Speaker 2 (13:16):
Oh yeah, you're right well with inflation considering when the
time you went from Saint Thomas. It's not terrible.
Speaker 1 (13:24):
Oh yeah see, And this is why I shouldn't be
talking to you now. My head is like I can
self justify spending five K on the used watch now
in this conversation, and I.
Speaker 2 (13:38):
Wouldn't dispute it either. I'd be like, you go for it,
You go for it.
Speaker 1 (13:43):
I am screwed if people judge me by my watches,
because I'm very promiscuous when it comes to watches. I
like them all. Yeah, any one of them can bed me.
It's it's funny I have like right now, I have
a world Timer on Castile World Time tim that's probably
like twenty five bucks. I think there are now forty dollars.
(14:05):
But a good travel watch my opinion. But again, someone
who's judging me by my watch today will think that
I went to Walmart and bought my watch.
Speaker 2 (14:19):
Hey, I used to go to the Bay and get mine.
I don't. And you know, actually talking about watches in
that price range, I think you just said in the
watch group today or yesterday, the one that gets you
the most attention is your Cassio Calculator watch. And you
told me about the sale that was going on. I
was thinking to myself, oh my gosh, I need to
get myself one in all golden like calculator, No calculator.
(14:42):
I never made a decision. So hey, And that watch
I think is a classic, like it was in Stranger Things,
and it's got so much history behind it. Sometimes it's
thought about the monetary value as it is about the
nostalgic value and the history of what that time piece brings.
Speaker 1 (14:58):
Right, So I agree, I recommend it in fact, I'm
thinking of getting a yellow gold calculator watch. Even though
I have a calculator watch, I want a yellow gold one.
Not only is yellow gold coming back. I think all
the watches in the eighties, Like if you were, like
I don't know, a trader in the eighties, you had
a yellow old watch. I don't know, So I recommend
(15:19):
you get one.
Speaker 2 (15:20):
Hey, if you are going for that yellow gold purchase,
I'm going to come along with you and get the one.
I committed to do it. I think we should.
Speaker 1 (15:28):
Do you have a digital watch.
Speaker 2 (15:30):
I do. It's called an Apple Watch, and its batteries
been dead for months. I actually have not even gotten
it to reconnect with my iPhone I purchased back in April.
That's how often I use it.
Speaker 1 (15:45):
You know what, I Am going to give you a
World Time, Cassio, my world. I have two World Timers.
Like I said, I'm very promiscuous. I have one with
a gray frame and the black frame. I was gonna
but to thank you for coming on the show, I'm
going to give you a proper world Timer. Oh, you'll
(16:07):
love it. They actually have a nickname for it. It's
the Casio Royale.
Speaker 2 (16:12):
Oh. I have not tell me more so one of.
Speaker 1 (16:18):
The James Bonden watches. I think it was Octopus. He
had a saiko played a significant role in the movie,
and everyone started comparing the World Timer to the saiko,
and they're saying it's cheap version of that sako. And
then somehow everyone started calling it Cassio Royale in a
(16:39):
double O seven right, and now it's it's a strange watch.
I wore it once and someone gave me the nod.
I think they recognized some of the folklore around it Royale.
So I'll make sure you get one. Next tie is
going to bring you one.
Speaker 2 (16:56):
No way that is that is way too much time.
Being our first time podcast. Now, anyone who ever asked
me for a gig will be like, what merch are
you giving? No kidding, Yeah, that's insane.
Speaker 1 (17:07):
Maybe other people will get a nail strap, but you, David, No,
this is let's see. I'm trying to think, uh yeah, absolutely,
it'd be my pleasure. Number One, it doesn't have a
box or papers. Number two, I don't know if it'll
fit you. I don't have the extra links for it.
Because that second watch, the one that looks closer to
(17:30):
the Trusako, I don't have extra links for it, although
if it doesn't fit you, I do have links from
my current World Timer I could give you, so don't
worry about it. Try it on first. If you don't
feel like it fits, I'll look around for my extra
links for you.
Speaker 2 (17:48):
I have no words for that, Diane, speechless at your
your kindness on this, because I I don't know what
to say. Two things I guess. The first thing is
I went to go and look at I think there
was a sixtieth in university James bond Omega. I was
looking at an anniversary watch. It was a Sea Master Diver.
It was beautiful. That was one I was thinking of.
(18:08):
But but then the second thing this conversation spun up
for me was when I think about my current watch collection,
I don't think I bought any of them.
Speaker 1 (18:25):
That's kind of good. No, like you don't want to
end up like me.
Speaker 2 (18:30):
Well, I don't know. I just that you just made
me come to a realization that I think the beauty
about the journey of watches is whether you're you know,
if you purchase them yourself or receive them in some
way as a gift. There's so much behind the significance
of a time piece. It's like you've locked that moment
(18:52):
in that watch, and you'll remember exactly the day and
what happened, and the smells and the sights and the
conversations you had For every watch you get, that's what
I remember.
Speaker 1 (19:03):
That's true. But to be clear, it won't be a
gift because I don't want to send you to death
in Cantonese. So we'll call it an exchange, or you
know what, you can give me a nickel.
Speaker 2 (19:19):
I'll have to see if Nichols are still around now.
Maybe i'd have to eat transfer you and nickel at
this But okay, thank you, that is amazing.
Speaker 1 (19:29):
Okay, we'll call it a barter for your time on
the podcast. It's a barter, so not a gift, the
good old bar. I'm not sending you to death.
Speaker 2 (19:42):
How about vegetarian Vietnamese food as a barter or another
foodie spot? I saw you at your last post on
ig breakfast at Denny's. Is there another spot that you like?
Maybe that's where that memory should be created, in a
place that you like too frequent for food.
Speaker 1 (20:03):
Maybe our next career chamellions get together.
Speaker 2 (20:08):
Oh yes, I fell off on that one for sure
from life.
Speaker 1 (20:12):
Yeah, so people who don't know Carol has another group.
But I promise we'll talk more about it on other
podcast if she agrees to do this again. I hope.
So fingers crossed, because before I lose my thought with
the status symbol and first impressions that you brought up
with your coworker, you shared an article about renting watches
(20:41):
luxury watches. I think it was two articles. I think
both of them went out of business. What do you
have to say about that?
Speaker 2 (20:50):
So, yeah, that's a really interesting topic. And it actually
came up when I was telling my partner that David
has kindly invited me on his show for a podcast,
and we were recording today and he's been such a
significant support in all of the domains of my passion projects,
(21:10):
and he's like, hey, he's like, my best friend sent
me this article saying that there was this guy who
was really successful with renting out his luxury watches and
the best part about his scheme, well, okay, his business
model was that he never owned any of them, and
the money he was actually getting from the rentals actually
(21:31):
got him to be able to purchase luxury watches. Later,
I couldn't find which article or if it was in
the new circulation about how that worked, But he basically
said that it was operating like a business where he
was writing off perhaps he's watches as rentals and leases
as a third party, and was capturing fees and stuff
(21:54):
for it, and had insurance behind all of the watches
and made enough profit that he could actually start building
his collection of actually personally owned luxury watches. But then
to your point, when I was looking at articles online,
those other businesses that tried that approach went under because
even with the insurance, there are so many risks that
(22:16):
still come with that. Right. First of all, how do
you vet someone who wants to approach you to rent
to watch? Right, so you know, what are the indemnities allowed?
You know, whether it's physical damage or loss or theft?
What if someone replaces your authentic rental watch with a fake.
It is a very lucrative and high risk business. But
(22:39):
also I guess, like with any idea, there's risk and
reward involved.
Speaker 1 (22:46):
Now the question is would you rent a luxury watch
for Well, you have a luxury watch, but let's say
you were out of town and you don't travel with
your luxury watch. Would you rent one for a very
important meeting or want to impress some retailers if you're
out shopping.
Speaker 2 (23:06):
H I guess it's the same idea as stars going
on the red carpet renting gowns and jewelry, right. I
think when you ask about you gave examples of reasons
for renting a watch, I would not relate to those
because then I'm not showing up as my authentic self
(23:26):
with authentically what I own or not own. So if
I was to approach a scenario where I went to
go rent a watch to impress a customer or a
client or something, or be at a function and build
up a name for myself, I would feel like I
was doing myself a disservice because I would be presenting
as someone that I don't really connect with as a
(23:48):
real person. And if, for example, a business venture did
come out of that, how would I sustain later on?
I think things like this end up coming into the
line and you might be exposed for being dishonest and
fraudulent anyway, So no, I don't think I would rent
to watch, but I would love to trade watches amongst
(24:11):
like our watch group for example, and be like, hey,
let's wear that for a few hours today. You can
then in exchange were mine and do that because I've
done that with bracelets back that before. But I had
always liked some of the male timepieces. I would borrow
them from my male friends for like a week or
(24:32):
two and then give them back just to see what
it was like, because I would buy one myself. Yeah,
And I wouldn't wear them necessarily to work. It would
just be you know, during socials and on the weekend,
you know, for a brunch or something, just to see,
you know, how it looked on my wrist and things
like that. And it was just like, honestly, my friends
(24:53):
don't even notice things like that. There were no I
would watch people at all that I was friends with
in my immediate circle. Most of my watch influence came
from my mom or from a significant other.
Speaker 1 (25:12):
Before we talk about the Rolette's tour, I want to
talk to you about SPA Sense. I was gonna buy
product for my wife and I clicked on your site,
but I wasn't sure do I need to put a
code or do I just buy through your site? And
I'm actually there's a kickback for you, Like how do
I do this like, I'm not tech savvy.
Speaker 2 (25:35):
So the links are my personal links. So if you
click right into that it should and buy it like
you normally would, it would notice that it's an affiliate link.
Speaker 1 (25:46):
So when I'm on your Instagram, I click that link
above and that's it. I don't have to enter a code.
Speaker 2 (25:54):
So that's a good question. There are most of them.
You don't need to enter a code. You just go
into the link, pick whatever product you want, click that
link and it'll just get you into you know, that
product of interest and you can go and fulfill your order.
The ones that on my link tree links that show
you all the other products. If it has a product code,
then you would go to their official website and then yes,
(26:17):
you'd have to enter that code at checkout.
Speaker 1 (26:21):
All right, because I think it was one of the
link tree products, but I didn't see. Ah, I'll do
it again. I'll have to figure it out.
Speaker 2 (26:30):
Let me know.
Speaker 1 (26:30):
I can help you with that, okay. And at this
is at SPA sense one word s p A s
C N s C Is that correct?
Speaker 2 (26:41):
Almost? It's s p A double s E N s E.
Speaker 1 (26:46):
All right, I will link it in the description notes.
So s P A S S E.
Speaker 2 (26:53):
N S C. Right on, thank you? All right, cool, cool,
let see what you're getting.
Speaker 1 (27:00):
Now, role X role X Tour. Did you see that video?
Speaker 2 (27:07):
So I did. I was wondering if the clips that
they were showing in parts of the YouTube were actually
from their lab or if they were like stock videos.
I couldn't tell. When they were talking about certain segments
about just how they were doing testing and the stuff
(27:27):
before durability testing, I was like, is this what they
have in there? But then when they started talking about
how Rolex makes its own gold and how they have
the special like watch assembly machines that are there for
quality controlled and ensure there's precision because you have to
have something on top of the layer of the very
(27:48):
like manual custom work that a human being is doing
to put this watch together, to kind of check and recheck,
you know, before and after assembly. Then those images felt like, Okay,
these probably are from the lab, but I couldn't tell
from the beginning if they were because I'm not sure
who put it together. But it got me thinking because
you know, as I have an interest in content creation,
(28:09):
I'm always looking at you know, stock photo and video
sites that have good quality. So I was on the fence.
It's like, wow, it was either could be from your
lab or it's just someone who saw some great content elsewhere.
Do you happen to know?
Speaker 1 (28:21):
I just assumed it was legit, but now that I'm
replaying it in my head, it could be stock. But
I'm glad you brought up the gold because that's where
I was blown away. I didn't know they had a foundry.
I didn't know they made their own precious metals basically.
In fact, I like Rolex a little more after knowing this.
(28:44):
I thought a lot of it was outsourced. There was
there's a lot of talk between people pro Rolex and
anti Rolex, and I got to say, a watch company
with their own foundry, huge props, like, I don't think
there's anyone else doing that, right, Well, no tag rows
(29:05):
their own diamonds. But when you hear ever rolls gold
from Rolex, it's not just rolls gold with a fancy name.
It's a legit rolls gold that won't fade, and big props,
huge respect for Rolex. I love him more.
Speaker 2 (29:24):
I was blown away by that to have a foundry,
But then I was also when I said that out loud,
I can't remember who I was sharing it with at
this video, but Rolex making their own gold and someone
just nonchalantly replied, yeah, that's what they do. It's it happens.
So I don't know if he meant it as in,
that's what Rolex does or it's a commonplace thing that
(29:46):
luxury manufacturers and watch design do. So I'm not sure.
I'm actually interested to look at other other luxury designers
to see if they have their own foundry or something
of the like as well.
Speaker 1 (30:00):
Yeah, I never thought of that, Like I know, bag
because they talk about grow their own diamonds, Seiko grows
their own quartzes. I wonder if they also do their
own metals. I gotta say Rolex climbed up in the
ranks after seeing that video.
Speaker 2 (30:18):
In my opinion, definitely, there's so much behind the process
of it. And I have a high school friend whose
husband just recently completed his Rolex Watchmaker's designation or program.
I'm not sure. I don't remember the name the role
he has, but basically he can repair Rolex watches.
Speaker 1 (30:40):
Now, oh my god, mm hmm. Good high school friend.
Speaker 2 (30:47):
We still keep it in touch, so yeah, I would say,
so it's she lives in near our area, so I
do get to connect with her here and there. But
I was blown in a way. He would actually be
a great career Chameleons spotlight to do because he had
started out in web design and then decided he would
want to take an internship with Rolex to do this.
Speaker 1 (31:09):
You got someone who can service your Rolex, Now, that's awesome.
Speaker 2 (31:13):
I wish you would have finished it before I had
to put mine into service, but I don't think there's
any sort of perks because they're so foundationally standardized. I
did have to get in service because it actually stopped
ticking the secondhand, and so I had to get it
to I put it in and got it back after
a couple of weeks. So you definitely do have to
(31:34):
service your watches. You can't really stint out on that stuff.
Speaker 1 (31:37):
Do you know how long it took them to get
that certification?
Speaker 2 (31:41):
Yep, eighteen months, and I think their graduation is at
their head office headquarters in Switzerland, so they get to
do a bit of time over there. I'm not sure
what activity it is as part of their course, so
it's very neat. He got to get his certification or
his final papers from Switzerland itself.
Speaker 1 (32:03):
WHOA, So I guess they're going to Switzerland. Yes, I
am jealous. I'd have to get there one day. Switzerland,
see all the watch factories. If you're up to it,
we'll have to do this again, all right, I would
love to.
Speaker 2 (32:23):
I hope I didn't just tell you everything I knew
about watches in an hour. I hope there's more there.
But I would love to hear about some of the
topics you raise, because it really brings me down memory
lane and just shores up to how I've grown up
with watches all my life and haven't really taken that
time to appreciate how it's shaped me as well.
Speaker 1 (32:43):
So thank you for this time my pleasure. Honestly, like,
there's so much I think you have to offer, just
from your perspective. You know, watches as a sad symbol
that perspective. Now I'm going to be a little more
careful about which watch I wear out or which occasion.
Speaker 2 (33:07):
Hey, if this is any consolation, my daily watch is
a fossil silver watch with a white watch face, ten
meters or twenty meters waterproof. I get compliments about it
all the time, and that was actually a watch my
sister gifted me one year in the summer, and she
(33:28):
bought it because Snooky from Oh my gosh, what's that
show called Jersey Shore made it famous. So if anyone
wants to judge me for that watch, there you go.
Speaker 1 (33:40):
Well, they're not going to judge you. I think they're
going to judge your sister for watching Jersey Shore.
Speaker 2 (33:46):
Oh that's true, that's true. I got to tell people
more where I got that from.
Speaker 1 (33:50):
Yeah, they'll be like Snookies watch Snooky's watch. Who knows,
one day people might refer to as Snookie's watch. I mean,
that's a thing I love more than anything. I love
how watches pick up nicknames. Next time I see a
white faced fossil and and call it Snooky's watch, I'm cool.
Speaker 2 (34:13):
I like that was a new learning for me. The
Cassio Royale. That's a perfect name for that watch.
Speaker 1 (34:19):
Yeah, it's fun, right, it's fun. I'm just so excited
I've found a home for this watch now.
Speaker 2 (34:26):
Oh, thank you. I am honored to be that person
to protect it for time. That's an honor.
Speaker 1 (34:32):
Thank you, David again, thank you. I have more questions.
I didn't get to them. I sent them to you,
but I promise you I'm gonna have a thousand more.
I will ask you these questions later, Okay.
Speaker 2 (34:45):
Keep them coming. I am so curious to know how
I'll be able to answer these. I guess you've brought
out a lot about my Maybe appreciation and understanding a
watch is more than I thought I ever did, so
I thank you for opening that up for me.
Speaker 1 (34:59):
And don't wait for me. If you have a great topic,
just reach out to me and I'll be happy to
set up a zoom meaning and we can record. All
right again, Thank you everyone for listening. Talk real soon.
Speaker 2 (35:12):
Okay, thank you everyone, Thanks David.
Speaker 1 (35:16):
Bye, hell you welcome. Bye bye.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
The Breakfast Club
The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, And Charlamagne Tha God!