Jérôme Biard is good at keeping secrets. As chief executive of Roventa-Henex — a leading white label maker of Swiss watches — he needs to be. For episode 42 of the SJX Podcast, we visited Mr Biard at the company's secretive manufacture in the sleepy Swiss village of Tavannes.

The discussion covers the emergence of the 'micro-brand' (including whether that term is still relevant), the factors facing the Swiss watch industry today, the role suppliers play in shaping trends, and what it takes to start a watch company.

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Tiffany & Co. is one of the only major jewellers without a significant watchmaking programme. Episode 41 of the SJX Podcast examines the brand's past, present, and future under the leadership of Nicolas Beau, who is credited with building Chanel's watch business into what it is today.

When it comes to watches, Tiffany & Co. is potentially a diamond in the rough — it's a uniquely American luxury brand with enviable cultural recognition. The brand also has a global boutique network giving it immediate access to all major markets, which could accelerate its trajectory with the right product mix.

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For the 40th episode of the SJX Podcast, we sat down with Rexhep Rexhepi in Geneva to learn more about his latest watch — the RRCHF Chronograph Flyback. Rexhep explains why he wanted to make a chronograph, and how the self-imposed constraint of a symmetrical layout resulted in a more refined overall construction.

He also discusses the RRCHF's in-house escapement, and the trade-offs that were considered in its development.

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The spring auction seasons gets underway in Geneva in just a few days. On episode 39 of the SJX Podcast, we look at some of the top lots that caught our attention at Phillips, Christie's Sotheby's, and Antiquorum.

Auction dates (in order):

• Phillips: May 9 & 10
• Antiquorum: May 9 & 10
• Sotheby's: May 10
• Christie's: May 11 & 12

Show notes:

• 1:00: Patek Philippe Worldtime ref. 2523
• 1:20: Akrivia AK-06
• 1:45: Charles Frodsham pocket watch for J.P. Morgan partner Thomas Lamont
• 2:55: Victor Kullberg tourbillon pocket watch
• 3:25: Paul Ditisheim tourbillon pocket watch
• 4:45: Patek Philippe dual time pocket watch with Turkish dial
• 5:53: Audemars Piguet single-button chronograph wristwatch
• 7:15: School watch from Geneva Watchmaking School
• 7:47: Patek Philippe ref. 425 for Asprey
• 8:55: Audemars Piguet observatory dial
• 9:05: Rolex Submariner white gold prototype
• 10:20: Patek Philippe Nautilus ref. 3700 diamond-set
• 11:30: A. Lange & Söhne grand complication pocket watch

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During Watches & Wonders, all eyes are usually on the major brands exhibiting inside the cavernous Palexpo. Episode 38 of the SJX Podcast rounds up the highlights from the smaller fairs like Time to Watches, and the independents exhibiting on their own around town.

Among the standouts were Mathieu Cleguer, who debuted a novel escapement of his own design, Dominique Renaud who launched a high-amplitude 1 Hz balance, and Franc Vila, who seems to be entering a new era of creativity.

Show notes:

• 1:12: Konstantin Chaykin ThinKing Mystery
• 2:45: Anton Suhanov Flamingo
• 4:20: Dominique Renaud Pulse 60
• 7:20: Cleguer Horology Inspiration One
• 9:15: Niton Prima
• 12:00: Franc Vila FVF2
• 14:30: Sylvain Pinaud Tourbillon
• 15:00: Marco Lang Seven Spheres

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Episode 37 of the SJX Podcast recaps the biggest releases from the brands officially exhibiting at Watches & Wonders 2026. Highlights from the independent brands exhibiting around town will be covered in our next episode.

Show notes:

• 0:55: Rolex Daytona Rolesium Enamel Dial ref. 126502
• 3:15: Rolex Yacht-Master II
• 5:00: Rolex Oyster Perpetual 36 'Jubilee' Dial
• 8:30: Patek Philippe Celestial ref. 6105G
• 12:00: Patek Philippe Nautilus ref. 5610P 50th Anniversary
• 12:30: Patek Philippe Automaton ref. 5249
• 13:30: Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar "Lumen"
• 14:50: Lange Saxonia Annual Calendar
• 15:50: Vacheron Constantin Overseas Ultra-Thin ref. 2500V
• 16:50: Vacheron Constantin Overseas Dual-Time Cardinal Points
• 19:11: Tudor Black Bay Ceramic
• 19:40: Tudor Monarch
• 21:00: TAG Heuer Evergraph
• 25:00: Cartier Crash Platinum
• 26:20: Grand Seiko Spring Drive UFA Ushio 300 Diver SLGB025 and SLGB023
• 28:00: Ressence Type 11
• 29:30: Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF Chronograph Mystérieux

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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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