Superlative

Latest Episodes:

THE ELEMENT OF PRACTICAL WATCHMAKING WITH JOE KIRK - GRAND SEIKO Aug 21, 2023

Show notes

This is Superlative: A Podcast about watches, the people behind them, and the worlds that inspire them. This week on the Superlative Podcast, host and aBlogtoWatch Founder Ariel Adams is joined by Joe Kirk, the Brand Curator for Grand Seiko. To start the show Ariel and Joe talk about how they first met when Joe was creating videos on his passion for Japanese watches, and how he was early on the internet frontier for watch related content. Ariel asks about Joe’s initial meetings with the people of these Japanese brands that he talked about, and his shift from working at a retailer to working at Grand Seiko. The two chat about Japanese watch culture as a whole, what Joe has learned visiting Japan over the years, and the brand's infatuation with hospitality. Ariel dives into some of the changes that occurred before and during the official split of Seiko and Grand Seiko, and how the separation has changed the environment around the two brands. As the discussion continues the two touch on subjects such as demand generation through storytelling, the element of practical watchmaking being the heart of the company, and bullet points for what going into a Grand Seiko store is supposed to be like.

To stay connected with Joe and Grand Seiko:

Instagram @Josep.kirk - https://www.instagram.com/josep.kirk/

Website - https://www.grand-seiko.com/

GS9 Club - https://grandseikogs9club.com/

To check out the ABTW Shop where you can see our products inspired by our love of Horology:

- Shop ABTW - https://store.ablogtowatch.com/

To keep updated with everything Superlative and aBlogtoWatch, check us out on:

- Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/ablogtowatch/

- Twitter - https://twitter.com/ABLOGTOWATCH

- Website - https://www.ablogtowatch.com/

If you enjoy the show please Subscribe, Rate, and Review!

CREATING TRUE BUYER PROTECTION WITH QUAID WALKER OF BEZEL Aug 14, 2023

Show notes

This is Superlative: A Podcast about watches, the people behind them, and the worlds that inspire them. This week on the Superlative Podcast, host and aBlogtoWatch Founder Ariel Adams is joined by Quaid Walker, the CEO and Co-Founder of Bezel, a tech-driven marketplace for buying and selling authenticated luxury watches. To start the show Ariel asks Quaid about his journey from working in the tech industry at Google to getting into the watch industry. They talk about the different needs and wants of watch buyers today, and how Bezel helps buyers purchase a watch with real buyer protection. Quaid expands on what makes Bezel a more secure place to purchase a timepiece compared to other online retailers, and why they think of themselves as a technology-based authenticated marketplace for high-end watches. Quaid dives into their in-house authentication process, and why he saw a need in the industry for a marketplace like Bezel. Ariel asks about Bezel’s relationship with brands even though Bezel may block transactions that seem to be inauthentic, and what happens after a block in a transaction occurs. They discuss the topic of blockchain tokens in the watch industry, and Ariel asks Quaid if he thinks you can have a secure marriage between a blockchain token and a watch or physical product in general.

To stay connected with Quaid and to check out Bezel:

Instagram @GetBezel - https://www.instagram.com/getbezel/

Quaid’s LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/quaidwalker/

Company LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/getbezel/

Website - https://shop.getbezel.com/

To check out the ABTW Shop where you can see our products inspired by our love of Horology:

- Shop ABTW - https://store.ablogtowatch.com/

To keep updated with everything Superlative and aBlogtoWatch, check us out on:

- Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/ablogtowatch/

- Twitter - https://twitter.com/ABLOGTOWATCH

- Website - https://www.ablogtowatch.com/

If you enjoy the show please Subscribe, Rate, and Review!

FOCUSING ON BRAND AND CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIPS WITH STEVEN ROSTOVSKY - ROSTOVSKY WATCHES Aug 07, 2023

Show notes

This is Superlative: A Podcast about watches, the people behind them, and the worlds that inspire them. This week our host and aBlogtoWatch Founder Ariel Adams is joined by Steven Rostovsky, the Founder of Rostovsky Watches. To start the show the two connect on both being residents of Los Angeles while having to travel the world in the watch community. Ariel has Steven talk about his start into watch trading initially, and they dive into the increase of modern retail pricing compared to years before. The two go back and forth on the impact that the cost of production has on brands setting retail prices today and how the watch industry seems to always compare itself to the car industry. The two discuss why they both believe it's not always a good comparison, and they talk about different practices that may work in one industry but not the other. Ariel and Steven bring up the idea that consumers enjoy trading for things they actually want, rather than renting or selling for something that they are unsure about. Steven talks about the importance that “word of mouth” marketing has had on his business, as well as his unique buyback clause that he implemented for the first 10 - 15 years of his career that gave his customers a great sense of trust when working with him. Ariel brings up the “Rostovsky List”, which was a list that Steven would put together of the watches that they had, and why he decided to hold out on having a website for so long in favor of this exclusive list. Ariel asks Steven about when he was asked to invest in De Bethune, and his relationship with brands like Greubel Forsey. As the show comes to an end Ariel asks Steven about their website, being an authorized retailer, and his plan for the next few years.

To stay connected with Steven and Rostovsky Watches:

Instagram @RostovskyWatches - https://www.instagram.com/rostovskywatches/

Website - https://www.rostovskywatches.com/

To check out the ABTW Shop where you can see our products inspired by our love of Horology:

- Shop ABTW - https://store.ablogtowatch.com/

To keep updated with everything Superlative and aBlogtoWatch, check us out on:

- Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/ablogtowatch/

- Twitter - https://twitter.com/ABLOGTOWATCH

- Website - https://www.ablogtowatch.com/

If you enjoy the show please Subscribe, Rate, and Review!

WATCH DESIGN WITH CURIOSITY IN MIND WITH OLIVIER GAUD OF OLIGO WATCHES Jul 31, 2023

Show notes

This is Superlative: A Podcast about watches, the people behind them, and the worlds that inspire them. This week our host and aBlogtoWatch Founder Ariel Adams is joined by Olivier Gaud, the Founder of Oligo Watches. Ariel starts the show by having Olivier talk about some of the things he has picked up on after listening to past episodes of Superlative before today's interview, and the two also dive into why Olivier decided to create this brand. Olivier talks about how he wanted to take the big and complicated watches of today and just efficiently reduce as much as he could while creating something unique and new. Olivier talks about the minimalizations that are taken in Oligo watches such as the bands, watch hands, and the discs that he wanted in his designs so badly. Ariel asks for Olivier to expand on the flea markets in Geneva and what makes them special, and Olivier talks about hunting for a special timepiece that he ended up finding for a great price. Ariel also has Olivier tell us what he hopes people think about the customers that they see in the world wearing Oligo watches, and how important curiosity is to the brand, their designs, and their customers. The two move on to the watches of Oligo themselves while Ariel has Olivier talk about their second model, the FM01. Olivier talks about what the improvements are over their first model, and Ariel comments on the fact that you can sometimes learn more about a company from their second watch as opposed to their first.

To stay connected with Olivier and Oligo Watches:

Instagram @Oligo_Watches - https://www.instagram.com/oligo_watches/

Website - https://oligowatches.com/

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/olivier-gaud-2b626348/

To check out the ABTW Shop where you can see our products inspired by our love of Horology:

- Shop ABTW - https://store.ablogtowatch.com/

To keep updated with everything Superlative and aBlogtoWatch, check us out on:

- Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/ablogtowatch/

- Twitter - https://twitter.com/ABLOGTOWATCH

- Website - https://www.ablogtowatch.com/

If you enjoy the show please Subscribe, Rate, and Review!

CELEBRATING GÉRALD GENTA’S LEGACY WITH EVELYNE GENTA Jul 24, 2023

Show notes

This is Superlative: A Podcast about watches, the people behind them, and the worlds that inspire them. This week our host and aBlogtoWatch Founder Ariel Adams is joined by Evelyne Genta, the widow of the legendary watchmaker, Gérald Genta. Mrs. Genta is on the podcast discussing the life and legacy of her late husband's career, as well as how his name is continuing to be honored today. Ariel and Evelyne chat about Gérald’s influences as an artist, how much Picasso was a part of that influence, and how he came up in the watchworld. They talk about when Evelyne entered Gérald’s life in 1980, and how he went from designing pieces like the Royal Oak in the 1970’s to creating Gérald Genta Watches. Ariel and Evelyne touch on Gérald working with Disney, as well as being an ambassador to his legacy today. They discuss Bvlgari acquiring the Gérald Genta brand in 2000, and how they aim to continue honoring his legendary designs and artistic mind. Make sure you check out this incredible episode with Evelyne and Ariel to hear all about Gérald’s life as an artist and watch designer.

To stay connected with Evelyne and the continuation of Gerald’s legacy:

Instagram @Gerald.genta.heritage - https://www.instagram.com/gerald.genta.heritage/

Website - https://www.geraldgenta-heritage.com/

To check out the ABTW Shop where you can see our products inspired by our love of Horology:

- Shop ABTW - https://store.ablogtowatch.com/

To keep updated with everything Superlative and aBlogtoWatch, check us out on:

- Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/ablogtowatch/

- Twitter - https://twitter.com/ABLOGTOWATCH

- Website - https://www.ablogtowatch.com/

If you enjoy the show please Subscribe, Rate, and Review!

CHALLENGING PERCEPTIONS WITH OCTAVIO GARCIA OF GORILLA WATCHES Jul 17, 2023

Show notes

This is Superlative: A Podcast about watches, the people behind them, and the worlds that inspire them. This week our host and aBlogtoWatch Founder Ariel Adams is joined by Octavio Garcia, the Founding Partner of Gorilla Watches. To start the show Ariel asks Octavio about the 11 years of career that he spent designing at Audemars Piguet, and they talk about the brand's impact on the industry over the years. Ariel asks about Octavio’s decision to go out on his own as an entrepreneur, and Octavio talks about how he needed to have that experience of starting his own brand after everything he had learned throughout his career. Octavio and Ariel dive into Gorilla Watches and how their unique designs and material choices challenge the audience and the perception of modern watchmaking. Ariel asks about their current price point and what their pricing plans are for the future. Octavio talks about what he has learned since starting the brand, and how he regulates feedback between his customers and retailers. As the show closes out Ariel asks about their current use of different materials, their strategy behind their number of new products they release yearly, and they briefly dive into the brands marketing strategy.

To stay connected with Octavio and Gorilla Watches:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/octavio-garcia-8b46a163/

Instagram @GorillaWatches - https://www.instagram.com/gorillawatches/

Gorilla Watches - https://www.gorillawatches.ch/

To check out the ABTW Shop where you can see our products inspired by our love of Horology:

- Shop ABTW - https://store.ablogtowatch.com/

To keep updated with everything Superlative and aBlogtoWatch, check us out on:

- Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/ablogtowatch/

- Twitter - https://twitter.com/ABLOGTOWATCH

- Website - https://www.ablogtowatch.com/

If you enjoy the show please Subscribe, Rate, and Review!

CONTINUING THE LEGACY OF CHRONOSWISS WITH OLIVER EBSTEIN Jul 10, 2023

Show notes

This is Superlative: A Podcast about watches, the people behind them, and the worlds that inspire them. This week our host and aBlogtoWatch Founder Ariel Adams is joined by the Managing Director and current Owner of Chronoswiss, Oliver Ebstein. To start the show Ariel and Oliver begin by talking about the joys of getting to work in the watch industry, and they dive into how Chronoswiss decides as a company what needs to be made for the current market. They get into a brief history of Chronoswiss, why they were originally developed, and what caused Oliver to take interest in buying the historic brand. They talk about older Chronoswiss designs in comparison to what is made today, and how Oliver’s vision leads the brand. Ariel asks about the brand's decision to get into the world of pre-owned watches thanks to collectors consistently reaching out, and what their formula is for determining the value and price point for these timepieces. Oliver talks about how their audience is a mix of customers looking for pre-owned pieces of Chronoswiss history and those who are more interested in the newer generation of watches from the company. They two discuss the use of color and creative materials in their watch designs, and where they see the future of color being used in the watch industry. Ariel also asks about the challenge behind searching for new manufacturing techniques and innovations that could benefit the designs and manufacturing of their watches.

To stay connected with Oliver and Chronoswiss:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/oliver-ebstein-04ab589a

Twitter @Chronoswiss - https://twitter.com/Chronoswiss

Instagram @Chronoswiss_Official - https://www.instagram.com/chronoswiss_official/

Chronoswiss - https://chronoswiss.com/

To check out the ABTW Shop where you can see our products inspired by our love of Horology:

- Shop ABTW - https://store.ablogtowatch.com/

To keep updated with everything Superlative and aBlogtoWatch, check us out on:

- Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/ablogtowatch/

- Twitter - https://twitter.com/ABLOGTOWATCH

- Website - https://www.ablogtowatch.com/

If you enjoy the show please Subscribe, Rate, and Review!

THE MARRIAGE OF MANUFACTURING AND BRAND BUILDING WITH GUILLAUME LAIDET - NIVADA GRENCHEN Jul 03, 2023

Show notes

This is Superlative: A Podcast about watches, the people behind them, and the worlds that inspire them. This week our host and aBlogtoWatch Founder Ariel Adams is joined by serial watch industry entrepreneur Guillaume Laidet. Guillaume is currently the Co "Re"Founder and Chief Brand Officer of Nivada Grenchen, the Co-Founder of Argon Paris, and Co Owner and CEO of Excelsior Park amongst other companies and titles. Ariel and Guillaume start the show by discussing his newest brand and venture, Argon watches, and how his kickstarter campaigns can function as a major tool for brand building. They talk about the risk it may put on the consumer when certain companies can’t deliver, but how it also makes it possible to cut out major costs in the manufacturing and delivering of a product directly to consumers. Guillaume dives into his life background and his incredibly dynamic career that has spanned over many companies such as William L, Zenith, and L'Oreal. Ariel asks Guillaume about his philosophy on pricing when it comes to fair prices all year without the need for discounts and built in margins that increase the everyday price of watches that shouldn't cost what they do. They talk about how that pricing philosophy has helped build a market of smaller independent brands who are doing the same practice and finding success doing so. All due to the quality of the watches they put out at the reasonable and fair price point that they do. Ariel and Guillaume also talk about how the kickstarter campaigns and all of Guillaume’s practices that he does have led to a marriage of manufacturing and brand building that we do not typically see in watch e-commerce today.

To stay connected with Guillaume and all of his companies:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/guillaume-laidet-09144218/

Twitter - https://twitter.com/LaidetGuillaume

Nivada Grenchen - https://nivadagrenchenofficial.com/

Argon - https://welcome.argonwatches.com/argon-watches/

Excelsior Park- https://excelsiorparkwatches.com/

Vulcain - https://vulcain.ch/

To check out the ABTW Shop where you can see our products inspired by our love of Horology:

- Shop ABTW - https://store.ablogtowatch.com/

To keep updated with everything Superlative and aBlogtoWatch, check us out on:

- Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/ablogtowatch/

- Twitter - https://twitter.com/ABLOGTOWATCH

- Website - https://www.ablogtowatch.com/

If you enjoy the show please Subscribe, Rate, and Review!

A QUEST FOR EXCELLENCE WITH AUTHOR DIRK CUSSLER AND JAN EDOCS - CEO OF DOXA WATCHES Jun 26, 2023

Show notes

This is Superlative: A Podcast about watches, the people behind them, and the worlds that inspire them. This week our host and aBlogtoWatch Founder Ariel Adams is sitting down in person with more than one guest. The first part of the episode Ariel is chatting with Dirk Cussler. Dirk is the coauthor with his late father Clive Cussler of nine Dirk Pitt adventures, and he has been an active participant and partner in his father’s NUMA expeditions. The two sit and chat about the book series that his father started involving the infamous character Dirk Pitt, and his fathers private nonprofit group the National Underwater and Marine Agency. They talk about the SUB 300T Clive Cussler DOXA watch, which is a unique timepiece that embodies the adventurous spirit of Clive Cussler's novels, and the art of aging material such as the aged stainless steel found in the SUB 300T. As the episode switches over to our next guest, Ariel sits down with the CEO of DOXA Watches, Jan Edocs. Ariel and Jan dive into the deep felt attachment that DOXA has to Clive and Dirk Cussler’s novels, and the real level of fandom that DOXA has as a brand. Ariel asks about the decision to make the SUB 300T a pre-aged timepiece, if it is something we might see on other watches from the brand, and how DOXA can up their game further to become a “museum brand”.

Websites - https://doxawatches.com/

- https://numa.net/

- https://www.cusslerbooks.com/dirk-pitt-novels.php

To check out the ABTW Shop where you can see our products inspired by our love of Horology:

- Shop ABTW - https://store.ablogtowatch.com/

To keep updated with everything Superlative and aBlogtoWatch, check us out on:

- Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/ablogtowatch/

- Twitter - https://twitter.com/ABLOGTOWATCH

- Website - https://www.ablogtowatch.com/

If you enjoy the show please Subscribe, Rate, and Review!

CREATING COLORFUL COLLABORATIONS WITH JACK CARLSON - ROWING BLAZERS Jun 19, 2023

Show notes

This is Superlative: A Podcast about watches, the people behind them, and the worlds that inspire them. This week our host and aBlogtoWatch Founder Ariel Adams is joined again by Jack Carlson, the Founder of Rowing Blazers. To start the show Ariel asks Jack about his thoughts on how and why they have been able to do so many collaborations with brands in such a short period of time, and how watch enthusiasts are taking notice. They discuss the strategy of collaborations and the relationships that the company has been able to build with different brands. They also go over the latest collaboration with Seiko and their 4 unique colorways that are available. Jack talks a bit about why he was drawn to this industry, and why old-school British and American sportswear influences his passion for design so much. Ariel asks about how the Rowing Blazers customer feels about their watch collaborations as well as how they are able to gain the attention of more hardcore watch enthusiasts also. Ariel and Jack really dive into their love of colors, why that plays such a big part in the Rowing Blazers design process, and some of the challenges that it can bring into manufacturing. They also go over the latest collaboration with Seiko and their 4 unique colorways that are available.

Website - https://rowingblazers.com/

Instagram @RowingBlazers- https://www.instagram.com/rowingblazers/

Instagram @JackCarlson - https://www.instagram.com/jackcarlson/

To check out the ABTW Shop where you can see our products inspired by our love of Horology:

- Shop ABTW - https://store.ablogtowatch.com/

To keep updated with everything Superlative and aBlogtoWatch, check us out on:

- Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/ablogtowatch/

- Twitter - https://twitter.com/ABLOGTOWATCH

- Website - https://www.ablogtowatch.com/

If you enjoy the show please Subscribe, Rate, and Review!