Today I welcome Matt Hranek back to the podcast. You’ll know him primarily for his books, A Man and His Watch, A Man and His Car, perhaps you subscribe to his magazine, W M Brown…Chatting with Matt is the epitome of effortless as you’ll soon understand. We jump around, subject to subject, we chat style, travel, his latest book, A Man and His Kitchen, there’s some watch talk, and of course some car conversation as well. I hope you still enjoy it.

Links:

STANDARD H

https://standard-h.com/

@standardh_

Matt Hranek

https://www.thewilliambrownproject.com/

@wmbrownproject

Today’s episode is a bit of a special one for me. Not to sound trite, but my “watch journey” has involved a ton of trial and error. I feel like this is true for all of us. When asked about potential regrets, John Mayer famously said “the first 10 to 12 watches when you think you’re amassing a collection…” Though the numbers aren’t the exact same sentiment, buying and experiencing various straps can be a similar path.Well, allow me to do you all a favor and save you the time and money by simply referring you to the European-based watch accessory brand, Molequin - the pronunciation of said brand to be discussed later with today’s guest, Michael Luther. I have referred countless people to Molequin’s site as I believe it to be the absolute best intersection of quality & price. Michael and I have grown our friendship over the years through Instagram, and we’ve also had several Zoom chats. I recently invited Michael to stay at my house on his recent visit to California which was a blast to say the least.He & I sat in my kitchen to talk about the brand’s early days, the ups and downs of business and some of the costs associated, we even go over the correct pronunciation of the brand name. We wrap up discussing GT3 Touring ownership: my personal grail car. If you pay close attention, there’s even a tiny Easter egg in here as well, so stay tuned for that.This was the first podcast I’ve recorded in person for quite some time and it was so much fun.

Links:

STANDARD H

https://standard-h.com/

@standardh_

Molequin

https://molequin.com/

@molequin_

Paul Sweetenham and I first met in 2022 in New York City at wind up. We were introduced by former podcast guest Carter Mclean who told me how much of a car guy Paul was, so I was excited to chat. This conversation certainly ping-pongs back-and-forth between automotive talk and of course his watch brand, Farer. I was excited to also get Paul’s take on some Formula 1 news, only confirming Carter was right: Paul was an ideal candidate for this show, so I hope you enjoy it.

Links:

STANDARD H

https://standard-h.com/

@standardh_

Farer Watches

https://usd.farer.com/

@fareruniversal

Many of you listening have probably either heard of, or actually bought a watch strap from Strap Habit. I first connected with Nick Lehner, the brand’s one man band through Instagram and finally got some face time at WindUp this past Fall. Since then, we’ve chatted more about business and growth strategy only for me to then cut conversations short for reasons he’s on the show today.Nick’s one of the good ones. Thoughtful, honest, and not least of which supportive, and I can’t thank him enough for his time and his friendship. Like many of these, this conversation takes an unexpected, but wonderful turn, and I’ll leave that for you to soon discover.Please enjoy my conversation with Nick from Strap Habit.

Links:

STANDARD H

https://standard-h.com/

@standardh_

@standardh_podcast

Strap Habit

https://straphabit.com/

@strap_habit

It’s been a WHILE! Here’s what I’ve been up to, what I have in the works as well as the overall mindset as of late! Hope you enjoy it. Thanks for the time!

STANDARD H

https://standard-h.com/

@standardh_

@standardh_podcast

If there’s such thing as a player’s coach within the world of watches, it’s Adam Golden. He’s straight-forward, honest, and he can either chop it up with you or get straight to business, which I really appreciate. We chat about everything from his recent pieces bought to sell, his approach to selling them, and he’s very candid about his margins and processes which shouldn’t be taken for granted. This one went quick for me which is usually a tell-tale sign a conversation is engaging so I hope you feel the same.

STANDARD H

https://standard-h.com/

@standardh_

@standardh_podcast

Adam Golden/Menta Watches

https://mentawatches.com

@mentawatches

Doug DeMuro needs very little introduction if any at all, and I was thrilled to host him on the show.We chat Countach ownership, the early days of his career, starting Cars & Bids, and I ask what his advice would be for collectors, what his favorite Quirks are, as well as a few of his interests not many know about.Please enjoy my conversation with Doug DeMuro.

STANDARD H

https://standard-h.com/

@standardh_

@standardh_podcast

Doug DeMuro

@DougDemuro

@CarsAndBids

RT Custer started Vortic Watches right around the time I started STANDARD H, and the better part of the last decade has been an adventure for him to say the least. He started a company, was in a 6-year lawsuit with Swatch, had two kids, and then decided to start a second business alongside everything else. He’s been BUSY. Per usual, this conversation wanders and I wouldn’t have it any other way, so I hope you feel the same.

Spencer Reynolds is an artist I met at the US open of surfing in Huntington Beach, California, roughly 10 years ago. His art struck me by way of its trippy, surrealist approach to landscapes and ocean scenes.This conversation certainly took some turns I didn’t expect, including his time working in the wakeboarding industry, as well as some time, spent chatting about his meditation practice, and overall things in conjunction with mental health. I can’t thank Spencer enough for his candor, and without further ado, let’s jump into this episode.

STANDARD H

https://standard-h.com/

@standardh_

@standardh_podcast

Spencer Reynolds

https://www.artandsurf.com/

@spencerreynoldsartist

Josh Shapiro and I met through an event with the guys from The Collective this past summer. We’d been exchanging emails about getting together for a while, but hadn’t yet met face to face, so it was a treat to meet him out and about as well as among some watches!Josh has a fascinating background in the educational system - he was a Principal, in fact - so he wasn’t exactly born into the Watch industry. However, as you’ll learn, he was kind of primed for it in his own way. Today, his company, J. N. Shapiro, produces some of the most beautiful watch dials on the planet, and Josh has officially set out to restore watch manufacturing here in the United States.He’s a baseball fan, and talk about a big swing…and he’s certainly kept his eye on the ball, and has seemingly made solid contact. Here’s my conversation with Josh Shapiro.

STANDARD H

https://standard-h.com/

@standardh_

@standardh_podcast

J. N. Shapiro

@jnshapiro_watches

https://www.jnshapirowatches.com/