This week, I’m joined by William Massena. Over 30+ years, William has worn just about every hat in the industry: He was an early pioneer of online forums as a moderator on TimeZone, served as managing director at Antiquorum during the auction house’s heyday, and has long been a collector with an appreciation for both vintage and contemporary indies. In 2018, William founded Massena LAB, a creative studio for collaborations. His latest collab with Vianney Halter called the Old Soul uses vintage Minerva movements.

We talk about what William’s collecting nowadays, the early days of watches on the internet, what’s changed most, whether there are too many brands, where Journe takes a sh*t, how to love watches and not brands, and then get into his latest collab with Vianney Halter (photos below).

Thanks to William for joining. Learn more at Massena Lab.

Follow the podcast here for future episodes: Spotify / Apple / RSS. Please subscribe to the feed because eventually I’ll stop sending out separate newsletters for episodes!

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Links:

* The Watchmaking Journey of Vianney Halter, ACM

* Talking Watches with William Massena, YouTube

* The 1990s Minerva Pythagore, Unpolished

* Full show notes: https://www.unpolishedwatches.com/p/in-conversation-with-william-massena

Get in touch:

* [email protected]

* Instagram

* Or (my favorite), tap the heart, leave a comment, or send a message in the Substack app:

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.unpolishedwatches.com/subscribe

We’re back with another audio chat, a podcast by any other name. This week, I’m joined by Brandon Moore, an editor at Watches by SJX based in Seattle. Brandon’s been an editor since 2018 and on forums longer than that. I particularly look to his opinions on independent and high-end watchmaking, but he’s got a keen eye and appreciation for watches of all kinds.

We discuss trends in independent watch collecting, the interest in hand-finishing, Breguet’s 250th anniversary releases so far, Urban Jürgensen, the LVMH watch prize, and close by building two-watch collections with $50k from our favorite releases this year.

Thanks for listening—I’ll do more regular chats throughout the rest of the year, so let me know what topics you’d like to hear more about.

Follow the audio feed to get future episodes: Spotify / Apple

To support the creation of more podcasts, join Unpolished as a paid subscriber for $9/month or $99/year:

Show Notes:

* How Hand-finishing Became the New Complication, Unpolished

* Movement Finishing in the Instagram Age, SJX

* Breguet’s 2025 releases (all from SJX):

* Up Close: Breguet Classique Souscription

* Breguet’s Latest Type XX is Vintage-Inspired and No-Date

* Breguet Introduces the Tradition Seconde Rétrograde 7035

* Breguet Unveils First-Ever Flying Tourbillon with Tourbillon Sidéral

* Insight: Breguet’s New Sympathique Clock and Natural Escapement

* Ulysse Nardin Debuts Lightest Diver’s Watch, SJX

* Watches Have a New Idea, and I Think I Like It, Unpolished

* Editorial: Urban Jürgensen is Back, SJX

* In-Depth: Rolex Land-Dweller, SJX

Find Brandon on Watches by SJX or Instagram.

P.S. We did get some intro music!

ICYMI

Get in touch:

* [email protected]

* Instagram

* Or my favorite, tap the heart on this newsletter or leave a comment:

* Or send a message via the Substack app:

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.unpolishedwatches.com/subscribe

For those who couldn’t join our May 2025 Q&A livestream, this is the recording with Max Braun. Max is a friend, dealer, and the co-host of the great Hairspring Watches podcast.

During our 45-minute chat, we talked about deals on the vintage market right now, Rolex Submariners, TAG Heuer and Formula 1 (and its impact on vintage Heuer), and a whole lot more.

Enjoy, and hope to see you in our next livestream! —Tony

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.unpolishedwatches.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.unpolishedwatches.com

For the second day of Watches and Wonders, I joined Stephen Pulvirent and Justin Hast of The Enthusiasts.

We discuss some of our highlights from the show, the vibe amid the general industry slowdown, and more. There’s Rolex, Nomos, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Cartier, and I pitch the guys on my idea of “opulent simplicity” from yesterday.

I’ve included a portion …