STANDARD H Podcast

As I’ve gotten to know Sean O’Connor over the last few years, I can’t help but be more and more impressed by him and his accomplishments. As the founder owner & operator of Venice California-based Sean O'Connor Lighting, he has taken part in some of the most recognizable buildings in the Los Angeles area. His projects have stretched outside of the United States ranging from Europe all the way to Asia. He and his team’s talents have awarded them incredible recognition while being named among the top 3 lighting companies in the world. We talk about creativity, cars, surfing with sharks, living in a Frank Gehry duplex, and of course a bit of watch talk ensues. It was a fun chat, so I hope you agree. 

Web Links:

Sean O'Connor Lighting

SCIARC

Frank Gehry

Barneys New York

Peter Marino

John Pawson

Elle Decor

Shawn Henderson

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Parsons

Kansas State University

Pennsylvania State University

University of Colorado - Boulder

Eneuri Acosta is the Chief Operating Officer of HODINKEE - the world’s largest watch blog that is now operating a print magazine and an incredibly robust online shop. He’s seemingly always smiling, and there is just an aura of optimism about him that is almost tactile. I was enthralled with his upbringing and how he found himself as the COO of a company I have been religiously paying attention to for the better part of a decade. He’s a watch lover and a car guy, so this was truly a blast to take part in, so I hope you enjoy it, as well. 

Web Links:

HODINKEE

Gronefeld Watches

Ramapo College

General Motors

Concours d'Elegance

Porsche

A. Lange & Shohne 1815 Chronograph

Audemars Piguet Code 11:59

Grand Seiko SBGW252

Rolex Explorer Reference 1016

Omega Speedmaster

Porsche 356 Zagato

Nomad Hotel

Food Bank of New York City

Madame X Bar

Carbone Italian Restaurant

Sadelle's Brunch

Maman Bakery

Aldo Rossi founded his eponymous leather goods business in 2014 following a successful career as a photographer. We explore his upbringing in Paris, his time living in New York City, and his last 20 years living in the greater Los Angeles area of Topanga Canyon. We chat about assisting some of the most renowned photographers in the world and why he would begin producing products backed by the philosophy of buy less; buy better.

Web Links:

Aldo Rossi

Bialetti

Aldo Rossi (the Architect)

Peter Lindbergh

Bruce Weber

Irving Penn 

Richard Avedon

Epi Leather

Horween Leather

Kazumi Wines founder/owner, Michelle Sakazaki, has been a friend for over 10 years. It was so much fun getting to know even more about her upbringing, her work history and how she went from designing clothes for Armani to starting a wine business. We go into what it's like having grown up in Japan to being a woman in a perceived man's world within the saturated wine industry.

Web Links:

Kazumi Wines

The 90 Plus Wine Club

Marangoni Fashion Institute

Wine & Spirit Education Trust

Peju Province Winery

Coho Wines

Michael DiTullo is more than just a designer. We talk about growing up on the east coast and following the desire to "design stuff for the future." Michael has worked for some of the most well-respected design agencies in the world, as well as heavy-hitting companies such as Nike. He's designed cars, watches, and even shoes for Michael Jordan, himself. We talk inspiration, what makes for good design, turning down a job at Nike only to accept one years later. This conversation is a great example of why having a dream mixed with passion and a healthy work ethic may just be the perfect recipe for success. 

Website Links:

Michael DiTullo

Isaac Asimov

Philip K. Dick

Giorgetto Giugiaro

Rhode Island School of Design (RISD)

Pratt Institute

College of Creative Studies (Detroit)

Art Center (Pasadena)

Rochester Institute of Technology

Raymond Loewy

Tinker Hatfield

Icon 4x4

TAG Monaco

Tim Jackson is the owner of Passion Fine Jewelry, one of the most preeminent independent watch dealers in all of Southern California. We chat about what it's like growing up in England as well as migrate to a sleepy little beach town selling watches by brands that may only produce 10 watches per year. We talk about the retail space, its implications, and the watch industry as a whole. Why are some of these watches so expensive? Well, we talk about that. If you're a fan of shopping from independent stores, and especially if you're into independent watches, you definitely don't want to miss this. 

Website Links:

Passion Fine Jewelry

Independent in Time

Instagram Links for Tim:

@passionfinejewelry

@independentintime

Links to the Watch Brands Mentioned:

Habring2

Voutilainen

Rexhep Rexhepi

Roger Smith

Sarpaneva

Speake-Marin

Lang & Heyne 

A. Lange & Söhne

Other:

GIA Certification

This post introduces the STANDARD H Podcast, mentions the topics of future conversations, and simply welcomes those interested in following along. Thank you for listening!

Shop: www.standard-h.com

Follow: @standardh_

Music by Jensen Reed (@jensenreed)  and superbeautiful (@kingtrut).