Beyond The Dial

Latest Episodes:

Insights E16 - Spiritual Materialism: How Watches Take On Significance and Meaning Apr 27, 2020

Show notes

On the surface, owning a watch isn't a complex thing. Dig a little deeper into our motives for owning any given watch, and things get complicated fast. Allen explores the mental gymnastics involved in picking out your next watch, and he explores everything from the study of human motives, to why so many watch nerds hate on Invictas, and more.

Insights E15 - Refinished Dials & Their Potential Value Mar 30, 2020

Show notes

Why do watch aficionados hate on refinished dials so vehemently? How can these otherwise astute folks miss the incredible artistry involved in refinishing dials, and the layered narratives (or mysteries!) that so often accompany a refinished dial. Allen takes listeners into the future, when the refinished dials of the 20th Century become museum pieces in their own right, and he examines why it is refinished dials tend to degrade a watch both socially and in monetary value today.

Insights E14 - Rolex Is A Black Hole Mar 25, 2020

Show notes

Allen falls into the bizarre and powerful orbit of beautifully aged vintage Rolex steel sport watches, those nearly unobtainable, very expensive timepieces that form an elite class of collectibles. From within this orbit, our host attempts to decode what's happening beyond the event horizon of Rolex by focusing his cultural studies and anthropological lenses at the center of the horological galaxy. Here lies a long and ponderous episode that uses warp drive to travel far into the watch space, boldly going where very few ever get to go.

Field Reports E3 - Diving Shipwrecks Alone With The Rolex DEEPSEA Mar 17, 2020

Show notes

Allen delivers his longest written piece about a watch here on the podcast. The watch is the Rolex Sea-Dweller DEEPSEA, and the story is part memoir, part explorer's diary, and part contemplation on the state of the world. A special thanks to Bob's Watches for providing the Rolex DEEPSEA for Allen's use on his strange mission.

Conversations E7 - Vintage Seiko Expert David Flett Mar 11, 2020

Show notes

Allen sits down with vintage Seiko expert David Flett for a highly informative dive into this snarly, but wonderful, collecting category. Whether you're looking to build a massive collection of old Seikos or want to snatch up your first vintage Japanese piece, this is the episode for you. And if you're not into Seiko, David's advice on vetting watches and their sellers is golden for those interested in any brand's vintage pieces.

Conversations E6 - Getting Funky With H. Moser Watches CEO Edouard Meylan Mar 05, 2020

Show notes

Allen sits down with Edouard Maylan, CEO of H. Moser Watches for a candid conversation about how this historically significant Swiss watch brand has become one of the most pioneering watch houses operating today. The watches are avant-garde, but they get there by employing traditional watchmaking techniques (fume dials, in-house movements, traditional cases) in new ways. Being edgy and traditional simultaneously, Moser has captured the watch collecting community's hearts under Maylan's leadership.

Insights E13 - How a Watch's Design Affects Our Perception of Time Feb 23, 2020

Show notes

Allen takes a deep dive into the phenomenological perspective and clarifies how it can actually operate as a way to examine watches by performing subjective reports on four watches, a Nomos Club, a vintage Seiko Weekdater, an Aquadive Bathescaphe, and a Moser Streamliner. By looking at how quantum gravitational theorists have shown that time doesn't exist, but is instead a subjective phenomenon - that is: a product of our minds - Allen then explores the fluid ways we perceive time, and how watches affect that perception.

Conversations E5 - Longines CEO on Busting Bandits, Closing The In-House Manufacture, & His Journey From Exile to Executive Feb 07, 2020

Show notes

Allen sits down with Longines' CEO Walter von Känel for a candid interview about the struggle against counterfeiters, dealing with the gray market, closing the in-house manufacture and adopting ETA, as well as Mr. von Känel's personal journey from being the son of poor dairy farmers in exile during WWII to the head of one of Switzerland's largest watch houses.

Insights E12 - How to Pick Out Watches You'll Keep Forever Feb 04, 2020

Show notes

If you're flipping watches constantly and wondering how to slow that down, Allen's got a method for picking out keepers and avoiding flippers. The method grew out of a talk Allen gave at a Gear Patrol event about creating the perfect three-watch collection. He wanders into Spiritual Materialism, a developing theory he's been tinkering with for about a year.

Insights E11 - Horological Polygamy & The Unholy Trinity Jan 16, 2020

Show notes

Have you tried to settle in on just one or a few watches and find yourself bored? Are you more interested in the hunt for the new timepiece than in a long-term relationship? Allen confesses to growing bored with his carefully curated 3-watch collection and to how he began to quell that boredom by fooling around on the side. This infidelity includes springing for his first Nomos!

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected