Episode 36 of the SJX Podcast comes straight from Watches & Wonders 2026. As ever, all eyes are focused on Rolex during the first hour of the event. SJX and Brandon unpack the brand's new models, which feature new materials and a novel industrial approach to enamel dial production.

We'll be back soon with more live coverage of the industry's biggest event.

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It's been a promising year for independent watchmaking, and Watches & Wonders hasn't even taken place yet. On episode 35 of the SJX Podcast, SJX and Brandon discuss Rexhep Rexhepi's first in-house chronograph bearing his own name. What Mr Rexhepi does, others often imitate, so it's worth thinking about how the launch of this traditional-yet-novel chronograph will shape the future of the category.

The conversation also turns to Ressence, which has just unveiled its own in-house movement, and has done so at a fair price. Russian AHCI-member Anton Suhanov also joins the ranks of indies with their own calibres, installing a 15+ mm luminous balance wheel in his third wristwatch. And that's not the only Russian watch boasting unusual specs — Konstantin Chaykin revealed the series production version of his ThinKing, the thinnest watch ever at just 1.65 mm thick, complete with double 'mystery' displays.

New names also made their debuts recently, including Stéphane Pierre and Mathieu Cleguer, who has come up with a novel double-wheel escapement of his own design. These makers are illustrative of a broader trend in independent watchmaking, namely the engineer-led brand.

Show notes:

• 00:20: Rexhep Rexhepi RRCHF
• 06:45: Raymond Weil Millesime “The Fifty”
• 07:20: Ressence Type 11
• 10:00: Anton Suhanov Flamingo
• 15:00: Konstantin Chaykin ThinKing Mystery
• 16:30: Cleguer Inspiration One
• 18:00: Stéphane Pierre L’Impétrant

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Why do watch debates get so heated, so fast — and why does no one ever change their mind? On episode 34 of the SJX Podcast, Brandon sits down with King Flum, collector and author of the ScrewDownCrown Substack, to dig into the psychology behind the arguments that define online watch communities.

Drawing on research from psychologists including Jonathan Haidt and Dan Kahan, the conversation covers why our preferences form before we start thinking, why smarter collectors tend to construct more elaborate — not more objective — arguments, and why an attack on your watch can feel like an attack on you personally.

Read more here: https://www.screwdowncrown.com/p/your-brain-is-a-defence-lawyer-watch-forum-psychology

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Seiko is on something of a resurgence, aiming to take back its reputation as a value leader after the emergence, over the past decade, of increasingly competitive micro-brands. On episode 33 of the SJX Podcast, SJX and Brandon discuss the King Seiko Vanac, now available in titanium, and the Marinemaster, which has been transformed through a number of incremental upgrades.

The discussion then turns to some other affordable new releases from Orient Star, Raketa, and Christopher Ward, which just launched an in-house 'flyer' GMT calibre with a five-day power reserve.

Show notes:

• 00:35: King Seiko Vanac Titanium
• 3:30: Seiko Marinemaster
• 8:00: Orient Star M45
• 11:10: Raketa Baikonur
• 12:20: Christopher Ward Sealander True GMT

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Watches & Wonders is less than a month away, so for episode 32 of the SJX Podcast we're talking about what we'd want to see from some of the major brands like Patek Philippe, Grand Seiko, and Tudor. It's always difficult to make predictions, and the best releases from every year are usually a surprise, but Andrew put together a few picks that we believe would be crowd-pleasers, were they to be made.

SJX and Brandon also discuss the latest minute repeater from Girard-Perregaux, and SJX's own collaboration with Habring²: the Chrono-Felix Medicus chronograph.

Show notes:

• 1:00: Patek Philippe
• 3:00: Grand Seiko
• 4:20: Tudor
• 7:30: Girard-Perregaux Minute Repeater Flying Bridges
• 11:30: Habring² x SJX Chrono-Felix Medicus

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Episode 31 of the SJX Podcast digs into two major industry reports — one from Vontobel on the primary market and one from EveryWatch on the secondary — and what they reveal about where value is concentrating in the watch industry. SJX and Brandon discuss the K-shaped nature of the market, the dominance of F.P. Journe among independents, and Cartier's remarkable ability to sell across every price tier.

The discussion also touches on the role of emotion in driving purchase decisions, the financialisation of the hobby, and why market reports have limited utility for collectors.

Show notes:

• 00:30: K-shaped market dynamics — Vontobel and EveryWatch reports
• 3:00: F.P. Journe dominance among independents
• 4:00: Cartier's unique market position
• 10:00: Emotion vs. financialisation
• 14:00: Marteau & Co.
• 16:00: Phillips

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On episode 30 of the SJX Podcast, SJX and Brandon discuss to what extent the latest crop of jump hour watches constitutes a trend. In just the first six weeks of 2026, several new jump hour models have been released, including a new collection from Audemars Piguet and the relaunch of the Niton brand, which is discussed in detail. Even the Louis Vuitton Convergence also fits into this trend aesthetically, despite being a dragging hours construction.

SJX also provides context on the leading jump hour watches in the industry and shares views on whether reliability still matters in today's market.

Show notes:

• 1:30: Niton Prima
• 5:30: Louis Vuitton Tambour Convergence
• 8:45: Berneron Quantième Annuel
• 11:30: A. Lange & Söhne Zeitwerk
• 12:10: Lange Zeitwerk, F.P. Journe Vagabondage III, and Harry Winston Opus 3
• 13:10: How important is reliability?

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SJX has just returned from the Tokyo launch of Louis Vuitton's third independent watchmaking collaboration, this time with De Bethune. Episode 29 of the SJX Podcast covers what it means for both brands, and unpacks the details of both the GMT Louis Varius wristwatch and the monumental Sympathique clock that it can be paired with.

Brandon and SJX also provide hands-on analysis of the Escale Worldtime and Daniel Roth Extra Plat Skeleton that debuted during LVMH Watch Week in January.

Show notes:

• 00:30: Louis Varius Sympathique Clock
• 12:30: Louis Vuitton Escale Worldtime
• 14:40: Louis Vuitton Escale Worldtime Flying Tourbillon
• 15:30: Louis Vuitton Escale Twin Zone
• 17:30: Daniel Roth Extra Plat Skeleton

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Recorded shortly after Brandon's return from Audemars Piguet's launch event in Switzerland, Episode 28 of the SJX Podcast provides analysis of all the brand's new releases, including the Neo Frame Jumping Hour, the 150 Heritage grand complication pocket watch, the upgraded Royal Oak Chronograph and its new in-house movement, and the latest open-worked perpetual calendar, which works equally well in Code 11.59 and Royal Oak guise.

The conversation also touches on the internal reorganisation at AP that saw the creation of a multi-disciplinary fabrication laboratory dubbed the 'Fab Lab.'

Show notes:

• 00:30: Neo Frame Jumping Hour
• 6:15: 150 Heritage pocket watch
• 12:45: Royal Oak Chronograph 38 mm
• 18:25: Royal Oak and Code 11.59 Perpetual Calendar
• 21:05: AP’s Fab Lab

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Episode 27 of the SJX Podcast opens the archives to find the most impractical and illegible watches that somehow still manage to be worthwhile despite the triumph of form over function. It's a difficult formula to get right, and the landscape of fine watchmaking is littered with examples of watches that sacrificed too much at the altar of fashion. But those that strike the right balance are especially memorable.

SJX and Brandon also discuss a couple of emerging independents from as far afield as Japan and Finland.

Show notes:

01:00: Louis Vuitton Escale Worldtime Time Pyramid (2014)

2:45: Van Cleef & Arpels Midnight Planétarium

7:30: Patek Philippe 5330G Tokyo Edition

11:00: New Indies: Nouvelle Chronometrie

14:00: New Indies: Kortela Valta

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