Georgia Benjamin: How Watches Became Part of Her Creative Identity

Step into the world of intentional watch collecting with Georgia Benjamin, a creative director whose approach to horology blends design thinking with emotional resonance. This conversation delves deep into what makes a watch collection personally meaningful beyond brand names and price tags.

Georgia shares her journey from first acquiring an Omega Constellation to developing a carefully curated collection that reflects her bold personality and design sensibilities. With her background in UX design, she offers fascinating insights into how watchmakers guide our eyes across dials, creating visual stories that speak to us on multiple levels. Her particular affinity for gold pieces and integrated bracelets reveals how our collecting preferences evolve in unexpected ways.

The discussion takes refreshing turns as we explore the outdated practice of gendering watches, the thrill of pawn shop discoveries, and the romantic appeal of vintage timepieces with their unique patinas and invisible histories. Georgia's practical advice for new collectors—especially women entering this traditionally male-dominated space—emphasizes authenticity over trend-chasing and emotional connection over investment potential.

Whether you're a seasoned collector or just beginning to explore the world of watches, Georgia's perspective challenges conventional collecting wisdom while celebrating the deeply personal journey each of us takes with the timepieces we choose to wear. Her enthusiasm for accessible vintage gems like Omega Seamasters reminds us that meaningful collecting isn't about price points—it's about finding pieces that tell your unique story.

Make sure you follow Georgia on instagram at:

https://www.instagram.com/georgiabenj/

Chapters

• 0:00 Meet Georgia Benjamin
• 4:24 The First Watch That Mattered
• 9:08 Design Through a Creative Director's Eyes
• 14:42 Balancing Form and Function
• 17:44 Curating a Thoughtful Collection
• 29:07 The Servicing Dilemma
• 42:54 The Evolution of Watch Marketing
• 52:57 Pawn Shop Finds and Hidden Treasures
• 1:03:20 Women in the Watch World
• 1:10:35 Heritage, Collaboration and Future Trends

Transcript

Blake Rea: 0:01

Hello everybody, welcome back to the Lonely Wrist, where we explore watches just not as objects, but as reflections of people, culture and design. As always, I'm your host, blake Ray, and today we've got a guest whose approach to collecting is as much as it is about curation as it is emotion. I'm stumbling on words here because I'm so excited. She's a creative director, design thinker and somebody who really brings personality into the world of horology. You might know her from Instagram, where she shares a glimpse of her collection that's bold, intentional and full of stories. Of course, by now, if you've clicked on this, you know I'm talking about Georgia Benjamin. Welcome to the pod.

Georgia Benjamin: 0:42

Thank you so much for having me. I'm blushing. What a lovely intro. Thank you so much for having me. I'm like blushing.

Blake Rea: 0:46

What a lovely intro, thank you so much you can tell, I practiced that a little bit right yeah, you did a great job.

Georgia Benjamin: 0:51

You did a great job.

Blake Rea: 0:51

My ego is on fire, thank you good, good as it should be, as it should be. Let's first jump into, like the beginning, you know, not with just watches, but you know, you like, who is georgia benjamin outside of the watch world.

Georgia Benjamin: 1:04

Yeah, of course I know it's like where do I even start with that? I have lived in the States for 11 years now, I think. Outside of watches. I work in tech, in design, which you think you mentioned. I am a fitness junkie. I travel all the time. I have lived in many cities all over the US, so I have little pockets of family everywhere. But my family's originally from London and I've always been obsessed with design and design influence of different elements, and in the last several years that's very much manifested in watches and it's become more than an obsession, an absolute lifestyle for me and I feel very grateful for it.

Blake Rea: 1:44

It's weird how watches can like, do that for you. They're like a gateway drug, if we can say that. Um, but within the watch community, like what was that? Like gateway watch for you, not necessarily like the first watch that you bought, but like the one that really got under your skin it's a peculiar one.

Georgia Benjamin: 2:05

It's a omega constellation pie pan from 63, I believe. It is with a black gilt dial and I've always loved the constellation, especially the pie pan. I think the design element to it is just so fantastic and I bought it at my first ever swap meet. I didn't even know what a swap meet was and it was in this like dark dingy club in LA and I saw it and I'd never seen it in Black Guild before and it just had to be mine and that, the way that watch spoke to me, the way it's enabled me to have so many sort of connections and friends through being a.

Georgia Benjamin: 2:37

I think they call them like constees, like people who become obsessed with this just niche of collection, of collecting, but that was definitely. Yeah, it's like, oh, you're a consti, you're like there's I'm probably butchering it and probably everyone's like it's not that word, it's something else instead, but there's like a nickname for constellation collectors and people become obsessed with this specific niche and I have two which I don't know if that's an obsession, but I I definitely want to learn more and experience one. I want the all gold, I need the solid all gold pipe and it's on, it's so beautiful have you just just hasn't hasn't stumbled upon the right one, or I have but the.

Georgia Benjamin: 3:11

The list of the watches that I want is like Santa's naughty night list it's on it's forever. So I'm like, how do I prioritize what I want from this list?

Blake Rea: 3:19

so it's on the list, um, amongst many others, of my wish list yeah, for me, like I, I ended up, I like almost 150 watches right now like way, way too many, way too many and no, no, of course not how often do you change your watch?

Georgia Benjamin: 3:35

sorry, I know I'm not meant to be interviewing you, but I'm so I'm 40 and everyone's like 40 that's so many, but you have 150 yeah, this is all fun, so fun, so I have no idea.

Blake Rea: 3:45

But for me, like I've been trying to like shrink down and the shrinking down, I've been using this app to track like my watch wear, so like I can't even tell you how I choose, what I choose, but it's just all about the vibe for the day. You know, yes, and so I don't wear a lot of them, you know, and I'm ashamed to say it, but here I am saying it's no shame.

Georgia Benjamin: 4:08

It's no shame you buy them from like. At least I buy my watches when they have like an emotional connection with them so that, yeah, I can come and go, but I think it's still so fun to collect and also, like I've sold one watch ever and it still breaks my heart a little bit, so we don't have to get rid of them. If we don't have to get rid of them, if you don't need to get rid of them, just keep them.

Blake Rea: 4:26

Yeah, but I think about like here it is like rotting away in my collection but then it could be somebody else's grail and I'm that asshole. That's like keeping it away from them.

Georgia Benjamin: 4:35

Yeah, you are, but it's also yours.

Blake Rea: 4:38

You spent the money on it.

Georgia Benjamin: 4:39

You tracked it down. You could start putting them, selling them elsewhere. But then like? Would it bring you joy to? I suppose twofold? Would it bring you joy to give it to someone else whose grail it might be, but then would it bring you sadness to get rid of it from your collection I've, I've started, I've started giving some away, um, but also some of the watches that I've acquired like they've been like gifts from brands, you know.

Blake Rea: 5:02

So some of them are like, like some of my vintage pieces, but then, um, like how can I give a gift away, you know?

Georgia Benjamin: 5:08

no, you can't yeah, that's like the ultimate asshole thing to do it is yeah, you can give it as a gift to someone else maybe, but yeah, you can't bend. Yeah, you can't.

Blake Rea: 5:18

It's just it's like poor taste, almost yeah um, I've done some research a little bit and I know you talked a lot about like your santos galbi, like that has a real special place in your story. Uh, what particularly like drew you to the galbi and what did it represent when you brought it into your collection?

Georgia Benjamin: 5:37

so this was the first ever vintage watch that I bought, probably like eight years ago, before my even collecting journey start. Like I always loved, like vintage rings, and this watch was like the watch that I needed to get and I think what drew me to it is that when I like moving to New York, seeing creative directors in there, seeing like people of positions of power that I really respected or people who, like professionally, I really really respected, that had had accomplished a lot, were wearing this watch. So it was more the, the sense of style, the sense of poise and of accomplishment of the a lot were wearing this watch. So it was more the the sense of style, the sense of poise and of accomplishment of the people I saw wearing this that I was like I want to grow up and be like that one day. And it wasn't. It was almost like I just don't need this pretty thing on my arm. It was almost like I want to be a point in my career and in in where I deemed myself successful enough to be worthy of wearing this specific watch.

Georgia Benjamin: 6:24

And I remember I could hardly afford it the day I bought it and it brought me so much joy. I got it obviously vintage. And then I was with one of my really good friends, taylor, who was visiting, and we went up to the Cartier mansion afterwards to get it resized and they gave us champagne and it was like the most wonderful day and most wonderful experience and it's just it. Definitely I didn't buy another watch for maybe about six years after that because I thought again I was done. But that whole experience and that whole sort of a sense of accomplishment of being able to really purchase something that mattered so much to me or represented something so significant to me, was really really special.

Blake Rea: 7:01

Do you think about watches like like I do as like emotional markers, like you know how a certain song brings us back to like a chapter in life like do watches do that for you as well?

Georgia Benjamin: 7:12

they do, but I was gonna say for 40. It's hard to put them all to emotional different guys, but 150 is even harder. But yes, I think watches I should is the wrong word but watches should represent something, so like an accomplishment or like a annual bonus or whatever it might be, or like a graduation. They all obviously can mean different things, but I don't think it ever has to have that much of like an emotional success to buy yourself like a present.

Georgia Benjamin: 7:38

I think sometimes it's like I remember I bought a Audemars Piguet Royal Oak two-tone on auction and just like on my phone, and it was like a random little. I was like, oh my gosh, I just spent so much money, just like I wasn't even thinking I was at coffee or someone with and I just bought this watch. And that wasn't and it was a watch I really wanted. Again it was on my shopping list for a while but it wasn't because of something. But I still remember that like wonderful frivolity and like silliness about buying this watch which I wear so much and it's one of my favorite pieces. So I think, yes, they take me back to an emotional moment, but they don't always represent an emotional accomplishment. Does that make sense?

Blake Rea: 8:17

Yeah, yeah, no for sure. I know your day job is more about storytelling and user experience, things like that. You come from design, yes, but when you look at a watch, you know what stands out to you as like the first, what stands out to you first from like a design standpoint.

Georgia Benjamin: 8:38

Yeah, that's actually a very good question Because I do like I work in UX and I think about like the flow or the experience of whatever design feature it might be. So, like, if you're looking at a website, you go like top left or bottom right and I think for a watch, you you kind of want to see what the designer, what story the designer is saying. So if they have a giant logo, are they just talking about the brand moment? If they have like a crazy diamond bezel, are they just trying to focus on there? So I feel like when it comes to UX design, you're really telling the story of where you want the user's eyes to go and what sort of story you want to tell in terms of them absorbing and understanding their thing in front of them.

Georgia Benjamin: 9:13

But with watches, I feel like it's almost the same too. So it varies, it like it varies. If the dial has something really unique on it, is that where my eyes are drawn to first. If there's like perfect symmetry across the watch and it's really balanced in terms of design details, then my eyes are probably flitting everywhere because there's probably so much to see. That's not even waiting, and I do think like Cartier do a really good job of that. That. When nothing is too over the top and everything is so thoughtfully put together so that your eyes sort of read it as an entire story that just gets deeper and deeper as you look. So I think it's. It's a mix, depending on kind of what the designer wanted to show off at the time, but also when there is like a perfect harmony.

Blake Rea: 9:49

That's when, to me, you have a real winner have you started doing like going down the rabbit hole of like, watch designers and things like that, like, is there any particular like designers that like you? Every single piece that is just a banger that you just love, or 70s, piaget is is a absolute like, amazing niche.

Georgia Benjamin: 10:10

But like Gilbert Albert is and I'm probably butchering his name, so I'm sorry for my French speaking friends is was such an icon at the time and designed so many incredible like integrated bracelets and concealed watches and like also used a ton of gold and I am a gold girly.

Georgia Benjamin: 10:24

I love gold pieces. Just, you can do so much with it too. But I think, like Gilbert has pieces I've seen some like amazing omega pieces and creations that he's done. Those are really, really special and also like the variant of design and I think, like on the flip side, pierre Cardin watches from the 70s those are so angular and so evocative of a specific time period and like a specific style of design at that at that time. So I think I love it when a designer has like a really really strong identity that you look at it at a glance and you're like boom, this is, this is incredible. So I would say, like Gilbert Albert, the way that he's created such amazing, amazing, intricate pieces which you just don't really see as much in modern design now, I think it was an absolute icon at the time. Yeah.

Blake Rea: 11:09

Yeah, I know it seems like you really kind of spot like those really bold, like the Cartier, bangalore or I mean you know watches that really are visual storytellers. Do you feel like watches now? I mean they still kind of balance the form following function? I mean I know you primarily see that in like Bauhaus and like the Art Deco era, but watches now are becoming a little bit more than practical tools. They're becoming works of art. I mean they have been for a while, but more so now. How do you feel like watches balance the two?

Georgia Benjamin: 11:46

I think I love the movement that we're going to. I love that we're going to kind of form over function because ultimately, we don't need to wear watches like we don't need them at all. We have phones that are extremely accurate. We have laptops that we're on all the time. So this is, I feel like there is a movement to people wearing watches as a form of self-expression, in a similar way that women wear jewelry or men anyone's wearing jewelry, that you choose something to sort of special personal style.

Georgia Benjamin: 12:09

Watches are the same and I think, yes, there's incredible complications when it comes to watches, but like how many people actually use their chronograph to time things like are you like boiling eggs and like, let's go.

Georgia Benjamin: 12:20

I like how many people actually know how to use like the incredible complications on their watches? Or if you have some amazing perpetual calendar that's like really hard to set, like do you really take it to the boutique to go and set if it's not accurate? So not calling people out because these complications aren't wonderful, but I think there is a move towards like form and design and not only the brand kind of tell, telling personal their journey through like design expression, but also that the customer is really wanting something that's going to be representative of them and their style. So I think, like I saw you in Geneva a couple less than a month ago and it was amazing Like you must've seen it too like the incredible design innovation that we got to see this year, more so than previous years, has been so exciting to see. So I think brands are really leaning in to having a really strong design eye and kind of celebrating that, versus just celebrating movements or celebrating complications. So it's a really exciting sort of move for me to see.

Blake Rea: 13:19

This one. I promise you won't get any heat for if you answer. But as somebody who comes from a design background, if you could redesign any reference vintage or modern what would you choose and what would you change?

Georgia Benjamin: 13:33

how are you going to protect me from not getting heat with this answer? I mean you don't have to answer, you don't have to answer, I'm not going to do anything, mean I'm not. What would I? What would I have?

Blake Rea: 13:43

maybe if you could take two classical watches and they could spin off something do you know?

Georgia Benjamin: 13:49

what came to mind is the sorry.

Blake Rea: 13:53

Give me one second oh, you need some water for this one.

Georgia Benjamin: 13:58

I'm not drawing any drama whatsoever. This might be a boring answer, but the Cartier Louis Cartier Tank or Tank LC extra plait, the one that's got like a four millimeter movement, like super, super thin, super, amazing piece vintage. And some of the Louis Cartier tanks have a incredible floral guilloche dial which they don't really do as much anymore. But some of the vintage pieces. I would probably have an extra plat tank lc with a red lacquer dial on top of the guilloche which would probably look a little wild, but then maybe painted roman numerals on the top of that, but it almost is. Makes the fact that it's so thin like defunct because you'll make a figure with the lacquer. But I think no. I've seen a cartier crash with a red lacquer dial and it was insane. So maybe my own extra plat with a red lacquer dial would be epic cartier, if you're listening.

Blake Rea: 14:54

Um, no, no, the tank is such a good like platform for I mean, you can pretty much do anything with it and, and jokingly, like I would love to see like a tank with like the um, the lugs or I don't know, what the proper term for, but like one in like white gold and one in like yellow gold and like have like a transition and then even have like maybe like a pie pan style dial where, like it dips down right, it'd be crazy.

Georgia Benjamin: 15:20

Okay, you're going extra with your design, okay, this is I should have.

Georgia Benjamin: 15:23

I should have. You know, what about the cartier dice on bracelet. That would be so epic, with some sort of beaded element so that has like enamel dice throughout the bracelet, so it's almost got like a. Uh, I feel like it would have to be almost like a gerald genter, like comedic sort of mickey mouse, but with this dice and then dice along the bracelet it would just be. That could be epic and matching, like earrings and necklace to go with it too. Please, full set. Thank you very much that'd be crazy.

Blake Rea: 15:48

No, seriously I. I know car. People at car day listen to this podcast, so get on it. Um, let's talk about how you curate a collection. You know what factors, would you say, weigh in most to decision-making. You know, other than like design heritage, you know wearability, like what? What do you think about before you bring a new watch into Leap Portfolio?

Georgia Benjamin: 16:12

I have to make sure that it's not something I'm buying because of a trend. I think I'm very anti-buying trends in general, with clothing and whatnot too, but it has to be something that I I'm going to think about this watch all the time if I don't have it and I'm going to, like, miss it tremendously. So it has to have that longevity and it doesn't have to have a gap in my collection, like I don't need anything more. I would love everything more, but I don't need anything. So I think it has to be something that, oh, I'm going to be able to wear this with to go hiking, to go to a ball, to go to work. I'm going to be able to. I'm going to really miss it if it's, if I don't have it in my collection.

Georgia Benjamin: 16:47

So I think, yes, often it is very design forward. Often there's a lot of like the rarity element. Is this something that's like not too done? This is something that's not like trending. But do I have this emotional, emotional connection with a piece that I I can't live without it? Basically, so, in fact, that, that, that lure, that lust towards whatever it might be that I can't live without have you noticed that your tastes have evolved over time?

Blake Rea: 17:10

like that that's the weirdest thing to kind of understand as a collector like your taste starts here and then you end up here and then somehow in between the journey you end up back to where you started and like it's like this weird kind of like vicious circle, like have you noticed that?

Georgia Benjamin: 17:25

yeah, I've noticed that I've become I've I thought I've always been like a gold galley, but I didn't realize I'd become like so niche in that.

Georgia Benjamin: 17:32

And I know when I meet new people in this space they're like oh yeah, you like you're obsessed with gold and I think I am a little bit. But I started with two-tone, then went sort of into straight yellow gold, but now I'm like really discovering rose gold and I'm like rose looks so good on so many different skin tones too. But I, I think I've moved more so towards, uh, watches that are really indicative of jewelry, so like with amazing integrated bracelets or with gem set in some sort of degree. But I, I don't think I'm a particularly girly girl but like I have moved towards like relatively feminine watches that I think just make my heart sing because they have so much, so many elements when it comes to design. So that's kind of where I've fallen in terms of my niche. But hey, I'll wear a 5513 on a regular basis, like, give me a big old, like chunky watch. I'm here for it too. So it depends on my mood that I'm going to pick. Honestly.

Blake Rea: 18:24

I'm here for it too, so it depends on my mood what I'm gonna pick. Honestly, I've noticed, it seems like a lot of the pictures that I've seen, or at least, as I've been homework and on your Instagram particularly. I've been following you for a while, but it seems like the the piece that sticks out to me from your collection is the Piaget Polo that you have.

Georgia Benjamin: 18:40

I love it so much. I wore it yesterday. It just it's like a bracelet and it's fantastic and I think what's so special about it is that it's ultimately like a luxury sports watch, which is just mad. So I think the contrast, or almost the oxymoron, of having a solid gold heavy watch that's technically a sports watch is really comical to me. So I love that sort of sartorial moment. But I also love the design of it, like it is the most beautiful integrated bracelet that like I've ever seen. I managed to get mine maybe two years ago at this point and I think they are just such such special pieces and I would love like more of the polo iterations, like I would love a two-tone. I would love a gem set, like I would. I would love a sort of a expanding polo collection, even modern. I have I tried the modern in in the white gold on in geneva earlier this month and it is a. It's a chunky boy it is. It's very large on my little wrists but I would I'll 100 wear it.

Blake Rea: 19:34

Yeah, it's gorgeous so now that we've kind of understood how you bring stuff in, let's talk about how you decide what not to collect, because you know, obviously, like we see watches we're exposed to watches almost every day and restraint is a huge part of being, like, a thoughtful collector. I haven't shown much restraint and I mean you're it seems like you're coming coming up slowly behind me, but uh, but no, how do you decide, like, what not to collect?

Georgia Benjamin: 20:04

it's hard. It's really. It's really hard because you find something you love and if I find something I've not seen before, then I go on a crazy deep dive. But I've taught myself a trick of how to not impulsively buy. And it's quite silly because it still involves some purchasing.

Georgia Benjamin: 20:19

But I normally would buy a vintage book, like something that's out of print containing that that watch, so I can learn more about it. So, versus like finding, say, it's a vintage cartier online and I've never seen anything about it before, I've not found anything comparable. I will find a vintage book that it's got a photo, I've got an illustration, got some history in it, and I'll buy that and then I'll learn about it. So it will help. It probably still makes me really really the watch, but it sort of satiates that need of like. Okay, I need to spend a little bit of money on this and instead I'm buying this vintage watch. So I have some behind me but like I have so many vintage watch books, especially out of print ones, because there's like not enough information about vintage watches and like online we have some stuff. Obviously a lot of it is like dying with the watchmakers of the time, which like breaks my heart.

Blake Rea: 21:04

So I think sort of reading as much as I can in old print collateral is something that like makes me very happy, because then I can learn more too, and then it stops me from buying as much yeah, for me I know this is probably like the worst thing that you could ever do, but I particularly like put it on the back burner where, like, I see a watch and I go home I do a bunch of research, then like if I'm still thinking about the watch within a certain period of time three months, six months and then I'm like, okay, shit, I gotta go back and buy that.

Blake Rea: 21:31

And then usually I'm screwed because it's like it's either sold or it's like gone or like I can't find another reference, and particularly that that happened to me with um. Are you familiar with like the omega seamaster, like soccer reference, yes, yeah, yeah. So so that particularly happened like there, when I, when I did my research, there was like seven or eight available for sale, like at the time, and I saw one at a vintage watch show and it comes. There's one that comes to vegas every year, um, looking forward to the one. It's coming out right around the corner in June. So I got to save some money, but no, it disappeared and then I ended up finding another one. So just somehow someway, oh good.

Georgia Benjamin: 22:14

That's good.

Blake Rea: 22:15

And I brought it in my collection. And then you know, I'm the type of guy where, like, I'll buy it and then I'll send it off to the brands to get restored. You know, like, if it's particularly like if there's not a patina or something that I could care less about. But more recently I just took in the Bulgari Diagano which was I don't think I know that. Is it one of your?

Georgia Benjamin: 22:38

I'm going to look it up, yeah.

Blake Rea: 22:40

Yeah, yeah, I can show you after, but it was like one of one of the like Gerald Ginta, original Gerald Ginta, bulgaris, and it's like it's like a 35. So it's like it's a little smaller size but beautiful integrated bracelet and, ironically, as I started doing research on it, it was the first real brand to have a mecha quartz, so like the timekeeping function is all quartz powered, but then the chronograph is all mechanical, so like. When I took it in I was like what the like? What the fuck like, why is the chronograph not working but it's keeping time? This is so weird. And then, of course, when I opened it up, I saw and the the, the movement inside was one of those beautiful frederick pk like 1570 cal, I mean, like, or I think it was 12, whatever, but freaking beautiful, like gold and like I'll I'll definitely send your picture of it please, I'd love to see.

Georgia Benjamin: 23:39

Oh, how long did you have to send it off for for it to get?

Blake Rea: 23:41

oh my oh my god, bulgari is slow oh really it's been gone for six months now. I haven't seen it, yep and you sent you.

Georgia Benjamin: 23:50

You rather send your pieces off to the brands themselves versus sending them to like a watchmaker that you use locally or whatnot.

Blake Rea: 23:57

Well, weirdly enough, like living in Vegas, like it's a turn in burn city, and so a lot of people have that, that transient mentality, even the watchmakers they just think about like volume in and out, you know, interesting yeah, so I just wanted it to be done, right. Yeah, especially with that special caliber which you know I mean they sold to a bunch of different brands. Yeah, just super concerned about finding parts. And when I have done watches with um local watchmakers, like I just did a a universal geneve, all, all gold gilt shadow yeah, so nice tonu case, um and and anyways.

Blake Rea: 24:39

So he was like, as he would comment, he would call me like blake blake blake I ran into another problem, like I can't find the parts and then I'm like ordering parts from like like cyprus or like switzerland or like it, and he's like holy. She's like how do you get all these parts?

Blake Rea: 24:53

I'm like just ebay you know finding them online everything and uh, and ironically, like when he got it, he started working on it. Um, it needed like something like, uh, like with like the gear train, like the gear train was damaged, but then I had to go source a gear for it and I've got the case.

Blake Rea: 25:12

Another case because the, the movement spacer, was missing so I reached out to the seller and he's like oh okay, send me a whole new fucking case, like a whole brand new gold case, just for the movement spacer. That's all I asked him for. That's so nice, I know super nice. And then the gear train is right here. Oh, my god, I love that. Yeah, I need to take it back, but I'll send you a picture of that one. They're so good, it's like gold, gold to new case, super flat. At the time. It until 2004, 2005, it was the thinnest movement ever made with a micro.

Georgia Benjamin: 25:50

I was gonna ask if it's thin, because it's, it's got the it's. It's incredible to hear that like carry on. I want to hear more about it it's?

Blake Rea: 25:56

yeah, it's the ug66, is the, is the caliber, caliber. And yeah, until I think it was like Bvlgari or somebody came in like it swooped in, but it was the thinnest movement until 2004, 2005. But no, I prefer to send it back to the brands in normal circumstances, just because you know. It's like if I get it restored here, like you know, I think about it a lot differently. It's I have a hard time deciding where it's gonna go. Yeah, but you know, a lot of times the added benefit, like I'll pay the same cost to the brand and then I'll get like a two-year guarantee or like what. You know what I mean, like so it gives me that old watch but a new watch feeling, yeah definitely so and I recently did that with um.

Blake Rea: 26:45

so I did that with the. The seamaster soccer went back to omega eight months. Then I did the uh speed. I've got a speedmaster mark ii, the vintage reference, yeah and uh and yeah. That took seven months to come and that's the hardest fucking thing, like just just waiting for it. I know Like you bought this beautiful thing and then you want to wear it. Well, in the case of those, I actually wore them for a couple months and then I was like, well, let me send them. But no, no, and ironically, I have a Cartier Santos right now at Cartier and I'm waiting for that to come back. It did, it came back and I had issues, so I sent it back.

Blake Rea: 27:29

And so yeah, I'm going back and forth with them. But but yeah, to me I mean, in Vegas is weird because we don't have really good watchmakers, like we have maybe one or two.

Georgia Benjamin: 27:40

We have a lot of a lot of ADs there. Good watchmakers, like we have maybe one or two, we have a lot of a lot of ad's though, like all the boutique, all the hotels have like like crazy, um, just crazy uh retailers?

Blake Rea: 27:49

right, yeah, and they do. But um, like every single time you bring a watch to them, they just send it back to corporate yes, yeah that's so. It's like the watchmakers that that are here like they'll be down to do like a battery change or like you know, they'll be down to regulate the watch, but it seems like it just always goes back.

Georgia Benjamin: 28:09

Yeah, to the manufacturer plus, like you can do a battery change yourself. No, oh, I know, yeah, so like yeah, I don't need you for that, like yeah.

Blake Rea: 28:17

But ironically, um, my friend just purchased like a certified pre-owned watch i'm'm not going to say who like who, where he purchased it from Big, big brand and and it was like one of those like reissue Panerais, like they did a set where it was like a black, ceramic or DLC or whatever and a steel one. They released a two set and you had to buy them as a set. Somebody split one up and sold it. Okay, yeah, yeah, and a steel one, they. They released a two set and you had to buy them as a set.

Blake Rea: 28:42

Somebody split one up and so okay, yeah yeah and um, he picked it up like stole it, but then when he got it home um certified, pre-owned, you know multi-year warranty, it just stopped ticking on him oh, yeah, yeah I was like that's.

Blake Rea: 28:57

That's super weird, you know, because here they are kind of like putting the stamp of approval on it like it's ready to go, it's ready to wear, it's ready, ready for enjoyment weird. But they sent, he sent it back to the, to the boutique here, and then, um, and then they essentially like looked over it.

Blake Rea: 29:13

They're like I'll be able to send it to the brand now oh, that's annoying and you know, like, like I'm, I'm pretty sure panerai is probably one of those slower, slower, slower to service brands, Like some of the Richemont stuff, except for Cartier Cartier does a really good job and they're really quick. But I just felt so bad because here he is in this, like this, like love, you know this, like honeymoon phase of a watch that he just bought and I bought it with him I was there with him.

Georgia Benjamin: 29:44

And now it's gone. For I know and I wish you got a loaner. I know that who blow do that sometimes and they do give you like a not for sale loaner on the interim. But I think you need a if, especially if it's like your first purchase, it's such a big deal that you might not have other watches to wear in the interim. But if it's gone for like eight months, it's just you almost forget about it. You need something in the interim, maybe.

Blake Rea: 30:04

Maybe you should get him like a little fun swatch or something in the meantime just to hold him over he has so many watches oh fine, okay, he's fine no, we were, we were talking about it and and I agree, I agree it's like it's still right, like still having it accessible like is a huge inconvenience. You know, when I buy something used, I just I hopefully I buy it at a price where I can just budget for restoration or service if it needs it.

Georgia Benjamin: 30:31

Yeah, but you know like that's so hard to budget because you never really know what it actually needs. Like I have a piaget dancer at the moment where I tried to change the battery and I can change batteries on quartz watches it's fine, but the battery doesn't exist anymore and it was. It's such an old tiny battery that they make the same size, they make the same battery voltage and whatnot, but it's smaller and slightly higher so it doesn't fit in the watch. So Piaget are like we're going to have to change the whole movement on the inside and it's like 500 ish. It's not particularly expensive.

Georgia Benjamin: 31:05

But in order for them to, for the watch to actually work, I now need to go and have a whole new movement put in it and it's like a lovely piece from the 80s and it I feel a little sad that like it's so hard to read anyway, the dial is so small, like do I even need it to be working? But then it feels very silly for me to have a watch that like actually doesn't work at all. So I am reluctantly holding off and giving it to pj so they can send it off for me. But I I know that I need to, but it's going to be a while for them to keep it.

Blake Rea: 31:29

I know yeah, that's one of those conflicting moments that you have to decide. You know, like, what's right for you collector um, I think I don't know. I know ap was doing that for a while with some of their like offshore chronograph movements. Like, as they have the movement, you could come instead of servicing it, you just pay to have the movement swapped oh nice yeah um, I mean a lot of that, yeah, a lot of the older ap chronos had a lot of problems um but, but no, I mean that's a hard one I know I'm gonna do it.

Georgia Benjamin: 32:04

No, I'll do it maybe next week. I keep on putting it off. It's like.

Blake Rea: 32:07

It's like with all my watches and just looking this sparkling evening like I'm so pretty but I don't work and I'm like fine, I'll make sure you're fine so something I've actually been super surprised to learn about is brands actually like they can see and like and give you some type of like time frame guideline, you know?

Georgia Benjamin: 32:24

which I think is so helpful.

Blake Rea: 32:25

Yeah, some, some brands will say, oh, we don't know. But a lot of brands now they've gotten it down to like a science where they can say, hey look, it's going to be gone for like six months. And that's what bouldery did oh, that's really good that.

Georgia Benjamin: 32:38

It's good that they give you a time frame and I also think, in terms of servicing, it's good that they give you a heads up of what they are going to do. So I know that historically, there's like one brand that they would take the watches and they would come back with this massive bill and you wouldn't even know like what you like I need to change the battery or needed whatever the dial scratch can have a new dial and you would get this list for a couple thousand dollars and you'd be like terrified, whereas now I feel that they are a lot more transparent about what they're actually going to do. So I think that's helpful and it builds trust and familiarity with the brand. But I think like being as upfront and transparent as possible when you do send something into the brands for servicing. It's needed to have that trust and rapport with the buyers. So I hope that brands continue to do this.

Blake Rea: 33:19

I hope so, and it seems like it's transitioning to that. But you know a lot of brands like. They're like oh, we can't tell you anything about price until it comes here, take a look and open it up and I'm like, dude, just give me like just some type of like realistic marker. Like, am I talking about spending like a couple thousand dollars to get this service or my couple hundred, you know? Because, yeah, how I can see is gonna is gonna be a little different if it's a couple thousand dollars, um, and then the optionality too.

Georgia Benjamin: 33:48

Like do I need to get everything? Like here's a list of 10 things you need done, like what's gonna be? Can I just do three or do I need to do all 10? I think that's. I remember I sent my mom my mom has a really old lady day just um, that she's worn for longer than I've been born and she wears it every day and the bracelet is so stretched, it's all gold, it's like completely about. I don't know how it even stays on her wrist anymore.

Georgia Benjamin: 34:09

But we took it in because it was running really fast and they were like, okay, well, we can only service it if you get a new bracelet. And they gave us a really good quote on the new bracelet too, because they'll take the other one back. And my mom was like, absolutely not this break, like it's part of me. This is the watch I wear every day. It's like a bracelet. I don't want to give it back. And they were so kind and they were like fine, we'll, like we'll leave the bracelet others, but if it breaks it's not our responsibility. But I thought it was so nice of them, or kind of them, to not have to do the entire overhaul of the watch and just do the movement which needed to be looked at. So I I really hope that we can do sort of more of that rolex is like that, like they're like cramming their bracelets down customers throats.

Blake Rea: 34:45

It seems like and um, and I had, I had um sent. I purchased like a 36 millimeter, 1601, like the most common day, just probably in the history of date, just yeah, um, and I sent it off and oh my god, it was beautiful. It had like this, like slate pie pan dial like and just beautiful, and I was. I was looking so forward to getting it back from rolex and rolex declined to service it. You know why they didn't specify, they just said like we're not giving a reason either usually they don't.

Blake Rea: 35:22

Usually they don't interesting yeah, oh yeah that's not what I think you know like, based upon like my over analytical, like watch nerd brain, like now with the, the cpo rolex program, like they probably looked at their parts inventory and said like, oh, we don't have a lot of these parts left and let's just save them for this stuff, so that way, um, you know, like they can just make more money. I guess I don't know, it's just my speculation yeah, that makes sense.

Blake Rea: 35:52

But when the watch came back, like I was so disappointed in it because, because I think about watches like in a different way. I think about watches in a weird way as like time machines, like like they preserve the past but they tell the future right. So, like I've noticed in a weird way, like if I've had a particularly like negative experience wearing a watch, like I grab it I tend to gravitate towards not wearing it for some reason. Like, has that ever like? Have you ever had that happen?

Georgia Benjamin: 36:25

Not in the watch itself, but if I've had a negative purchasing experience, it completely taints the watch for me, like if purchasing is kind of interesting. I think I'm very lucky to have a lot of good friendships with dealers now that it's always been really pleasant. There's been like a handful of occasions where the buying experience has been kind of horrid and they're like who is a little girl coming to buy in this watch and it's just like not been very fun and that taints the watch for me, which is kind of unfortunate. Like I wish it didn't, but I always have that sort of negative emotion, emotional association with it. But I it happens less and less. But when it's not when it happens, it just makes me not want to buy it. But then I'm like I've wanted this watch for so long but she was mean or he was mean to me. I'm like why would I go and buy this? So, yeah, I hope that doesn't happen.

Blake Rea: 37:08

I hope that doesn't continue to happen no, yeah, I've noticed too, like, but also inside of life. Like, like I'm wearing a watch purchase experience, perfect, whatever, effortless but then something like tragic happens to me in my life as I'm wearing that watch and then I don't know, maybe it's just, it's weird to me, but I think about that, like, that's the type of like I know in a weird way, like that's the ups and downs of life. But like, but the watch that I looked, I looked down, I see the logo. I'm like, fuck man, like this happened and it ruins it for me sometimes yeah, I can see that ruining for me.

Georgia Benjamin: 37:46

Okay, I don't want to have that association. I don't want to because, like, some days are so great, some days are bad. Whatever it might, I don't want to. I don't want to have a watch tainted I'm gonna try yeah I'm gonna try and shit, we're gonna shake that off for you.

Georgia Benjamin: 37:58

You're gonna have new memories. It's like it's like going to on, like on vacation, somewhere, romantic, with an ex, and then you're like I can never go back to there, that place again. But it's like, no, no, I can go with someone else or girlfriends, whoever it might be and then you have a whole new memory.

Blake Rea: 38:10

So we need to make you new memories with this watch there's, there's been watches that, like I grailed over I purchased them, had a negative experience over them and I just kept wearing them and then the positive experience washed away. Okay, good, like the tainted aspects of it, but but no, some of some of them I just can't get over and then I have to move it Now that was Sell it and then sell it, and then you can have, you can go and treat go give yourself a new tree with the money.

Blake Rea: 38:46

I've done it, trust me, trust me. Um, I'm curious, since we've had some epic guests on the show I mean, they're all your friends, right? We've had miss gmt, we've had sophie, all the homies, and we've kind of talked a little bit kind of about the, uh, the gendered watch conversation. Is that something that, uh, you know, you feel like a shifting in a meaningful way, you know, because, so I don't know who coined it, but, um, you know, when I was in geneva, in a weird way, sophie and I were sitting in on each other's meetings, so, I love that yeah, so like she's really like linked in with all these independents.

Blake Rea: 39:19

Yeah, she's amazing and um, and me, I'm on the other side, like I'm, I'm linked in, I would think, you know, with the bigger boys, you know, so, um, but anyways, you know she talked about the whole concept of like shrinking it and pinking it, which is like offensive, you know um to female collectors and so, um, I'm curious if you could weigh into that, get some perspective. Do you feel like watches are gendered usually or like, do you?

Georgia Benjamin: 39:47

just like. No, I hate the idea of genderizing a watch, because why on earth are we putting like this is a female watch as a male watch? I feel like there's absolutely no point in that and especially if we're looking at watches over history, they used to be so much smaller and now we're saying that, like a woman's watch is 36 and under, or these arbitrary rules which just shouldn't exist. So it's absolute nonsense to me to put a gender on a watch. Like ladies can only wear this like we now. Just it's it's so silly and it does make me angry and like, ultimately, sure, if we have a smaller wrist, then we need a slightly smaller watch, or we don't. We can wear like a big, huge 40, 44, depending on, like our own personal preferences and I know that, like sophie that you brought up as the tiniest little rare, she's like such a petite human but she wears like massive ball of watches and she looks so good in them.

Georgia Benjamin: 40:31

So I think a lot of modern like like I think kate did a good job of that. Actually they don't. They don't have the men's and watches, men's and females and female, male and female anymore. They do it by case size and I think a lot of brands are moving in that direction, so I'm really happy about that. But I think there's a lot of the archaic or maybe people have been in the industry for a very long time who still separate it Because it doesn't need to be, it really really doesn't and it's silly. And I think Cartier is 50 50 like there's a lot of brands who are really even with the amount of female buyers that they have and we have. We have equal spending power. We can do whatever we want with our disposable income, like we don't need our sweet little husband to go buy us a watch, like we can choose whatever we want to choose. So I think, like women's voices are so important in the conversation and I'm really applauded in the brands that are celebrating that and I hope it definitely continues.

Blake Rea: 41:27

Yeah, me too it's. It seems weird, but like I've noticed too, particularly like I think I think Zenith is a great example of a brand that kind of they, they there's like okay, if the watch falls into this case size or or below, we're just going to show it on a male and a female wrist. Yeah, like it's like that's kind of cool and I, I, um, I really like that, you know, but but yeah, to me it just seems like bullshit. You know, this is like a male powered, egocentric like, uh, like hobby that like it's like the cool kids club, like you know, showing off our watch collection in our man cave. You know, like it just seems weird that there isn't more inclusivity, you know, yeah but I think that has.

Georgia Benjamin: 42:10

I think it's got a lot better. I think, like the previous incentives to buy watches at least this isn't my opinion is that it was status and it's like look, I work in finance, I bought my first submariner or whatever it sort of might be. And it's like, look, I work in finance, I bought my first Submariner or whatever it sort of might be, and it's very much like I'm wearing a watch to show off to others that I've made it, I've made this x amount of money and this is now this is the level that I might respect me. So. But I think there's been a shift away from that.

Georgia Benjamin: 42:33

I think people are choosing watches that, like you said at the very beginning, that are really reflective of their own personal style and their own emotional connection with these pieces.

Georgia Benjamin: 42:41

So I think general buying habits are no longer about keeping up with the joneses and they're very much for an individual element, which is really exciting to see. And I think, with that, on the gendered front too, I feel like there's like shut, like all the shout out to all my lovely watch brands show us what it looks like on a six, six and a half, seven, eight, like. Let me see what this watch is going to look like on me. I can't assume that this female watch is going to be the same, or the men's watch is going to be the same size as me, but like, let me imagine what this watch is going to look like on me. Like, include a ton of more imagery on your PDPs. Like it's going to be so helpful for all of your audience, depending on their size. I think it's getting better and I think it's only going to continue to get better too.

Blake Rea: 43:21

What's like one of those releases that you saw that you're like, oh my gosh, I can never. I love this, but I can never wear it. And then you go on, you try it out and you're like, oh shit, I got this, like I'm sure I was thinking about it this morning.

Georgia Benjamin: 43:34

It's the, the tourbillon, and it was a fully gem set. I don't know what was the name of it. Um, it was the most stunning thing in the entire world. Was it the streamliner streamlined tourbillon? Um, and it was in platinum, full baguette bracelet. It was the and skeleton dial and it's big like it's. I do have a photo of me on my wrist. It was no, I don't not to hand, but, um, it's pretty huge and it's pretty hefty. The Moser designs are so fantastic and so smooth and like, almost like, ergonomic and ergonomic and they're like sleek designs. But I always thought they were kind of a little too, almost too big and maybe a little bit too mask for my style. But I tried this on and I was like this is, I'm in love. I need sponsorship. I think it's like 1.5 million dollars. Shout out the sponsor to please, uh, give me this watch. But it was the most amazing thing I've ever seen and I wasn't expecting to love it as much as I did yeah, no, moser is really kind of pushing things um.

Blake Rea: 44:35

we, sophie and I, when we were geneva we had an appointment, appointment with Moser and we got to see like the little robot watch.

Georgia Benjamin: 44:43

So cute yeah.

Blake Rea: 44:44

So cool. They're really especially too with the I can't remember the name of the collection.

Georgia Benjamin: 44:52

The Pops collection with the different stone dials.

Georgia Benjamin: 44:55

Yeah, I'm so bad at remembering things, that's okay, there's a lot to remember, but they were beautiful, beautiful releases. Beautiful releases like incredible use of stones and the fact that they were able to layer on these stones so seamlessly, to have that like perfect outer ring for the minute track or even cut out that perfect little circle for the tourbillon and not ruin the stone. It's like cartier has done an amazing job. Rolex has a major job on stone dials, but to be able to do it on that scale and to make them so pristine and a perfect slice of the stone too, it's like extremely admirable and extremely hard work, and I think they make it look so effortless. So, yeah, big hats off to moses. This year they did, uh, really exciting releases they, they, yeah, it was insane.

Blake Rea: 45:34

And they, they talked about how, like each, uh, like gemstone or, um, like you know, natural element was sourced from here and there, and how they're blending different parts of the world. Yeah, it was crazy, it was crazy.

Georgia Benjamin: 45:50

I think something that you said, though, because you mentioned it just now and you mentioned it before with Sophie that a lot of your appointments were done together, and I love that. I think I was running around the padlock to be like a a crazy person and timing was not on my side. But I think some people are like, oh, can I just jump in with you because I missed this earlier session. Whatever it might be and I do apologize for my tardiness to the brands, but I would love to do more appointments with my friends. I think we're all connected. All the journalists know each other, all the influencers know each other, everyone knows each other in this space, and it'd be so fun to come and have a touch and feel session with one or two of your friends, like they can take photos. It can be a more of a collaborative sort of brainstorm all together. Plus, it makes it a lot more efficient for the actual brands themselves and and almost more enjoyable for for us as well to see to be that those that as a recipient.

Blake Rea: 46:33

So I'm really hoping next year that I can schedule some of my appointments with some more of my peers in this space, because I think it would just be a lot more fun and exciting to do, to do that shared experience we, we did we pretty much like sophie and I were like from like breakfast to like dinner, like together the whole time and um and and yeah, yeah, it just kind of like made sense, you know, just kind of like doing the most damage in the smallest amount of time. Um, because she had some stuff set up with, like sin and a couple others uh, I can't think of the name, I mean, there's just so many, but I have. I had appointments with like grand seiko, hublo, moser, parmigiani, um zenith, uh, I don't know if I said grand seiko, um that was your first, yeah okay, um, but but yeah, uh.

Blake Rea: 47:22

Hubla was another one I was super impressed with with their little like mint green.

Georgia Benjamin: 47:27

But the full rainbow of their mini, big, mini, big bangs and they're set yeah, I went to.

Georgia Benjamin: 47:33

I went to hubla for an appointment and it was amazing and I I have a photo of me with all the minis, uh, stacked on in a rainbow form stacked on my wrist. You can tell I like rainbow stuff behind me, but they were so like 33 millimeter. Incredible, 20 year anniversary of hublot. Like hats off to them. I think they they're so bold, they're so daring. I also I know I'm using their taglines, but they, I love that they gave everyone these massive red tote bags, so as you.

Georgia Benjamin: 47:58

It was such a good move because everyone else put all their other totes inside, so like the only totes walking around the pal expo were these giant ublo totes and I'm like, okay, absolute intent, like incredible job for their marketing team to be like we're gonna just encapsulate everyone else's stuff in ours. So it's a really really good move I.

Georgia Benjamin: 48:16

I ended up getting two of them and you know the inside it was uh, it was like it's like denim on the inside I mean, yeah, it's freaking amazing, so I wore mine I wore mine as my hand luggage bag on the way back from from geneva and I actually wore inside out because it's like actually reversible, just in case you want like a. Yeah, so I had it, because there's like embroidery on the outside too and it looks lovely with the red strap and then the denim. So I wore it inside out because I didn't want, like my flight to be like that bag is way too big to fit under your seat, ma'am. So instead I was like can I make a denim? And like slightly more subtle, but it's fine. I just like smiled and it was fine yeah, no, I, um, I, you know this.

Blake Rea: 48:53

So this is my first time going to watching wonders like. This is my first year and I didn't know what to expect and I went the first day like, and it was just bananas, like madhouse, yeah, so okay, I'm gonna go to time to watches and come back when you know, like right before things are getting ready to close and so I did and then there was also like a, like a zenith party oh yeah, I think we might have been to the same one.

Blake Rea: 49:20

Uh, yeah, yeah it was like the first night where they did their 160th no, I think I went only the yeah tuesday.

Georgia Benjamin: 49:28

Yeah, tuesday night. Yeah, yeah, the dj. Yeah, we were both there oh cool, I didn't see that I was on the right side by myself.

Blake Rea: 49:35

And then there was like oh no I mean I was, I just literally just went there to meet some of like my homies is anyith Nice and no, I mean, so I didn't know what to expect. And then the touch and feels were cool. But there was, particularly like in the case of Zenith, like Zenith like literally busted out like all these unreleased watches with me and Sophie and they're like hey, what do you think about these? I love that. And I was like, okay, like this is freaking awesome.

Blake Rea: 50:05

Yeah, and then, and then Hublot like you could really tell which brands listen to, you know the creators of the industry based on these meetings, and Hublot was the same, like yeah, we went in and it was me, sophie create the, the creative director, was sitting right next to me and he was talking about like why you know, like why they brought back the, the original big bang, unico, blah, blah, um. And then um, then the, the head of marketing, and then there was this lady sitting in the corner, like and like she was like barely talking, but everything we were saying, I mean, and sophie was, I mean sophie had a lot of feedback to delay.

Georgia Benjamin: 50:44

Oh my god, amazing yeah, taking notes like. I love that.

Blake Rea: 50:49

That's incredible she's taking notes, like she's like asking questions, like, like, what do you think about the case size, like you know? And then sophie was like oh well, you need to give the option for, like you know, because they released the, the big bang and whatever.

Blake Rea: 51:03

So I think you said it was 33 or something yeah, yeah and it was just all diamond bezels, like they didn't have the option for that ceramic bezel. Yeah, you know, and so it was like no ceramic option. You need to get people the option to change. Yeah, um, because I don't know if you know, but most people don't know this either. But you know, hubo does a lot for, uh, versatility, like they. Like I can order a bezel from hubo and change my own bezel that's epic amazing screws right on and off, like with those little like hubo screws on the case because they're meant to.

Georgia Benjamin: 51:36

It's meant to look like a porthole on a boat. Right, that's that.

Blake Rea: 51:38

Yeah, yeah um, but yeah, yeah, they sell the bezels and then you can just pop a steel bezel or titanium bezel or ceramic bezel on it and um, and most people don't know that.

Georgia Benjamin: 51:48

You know that's really cool.

Blake Rea: 51:49

That's good to know so so yeah, it was just kind of like hey, like, give us a non-diamond option, you know, because not a lot of ladies are gonna. I mean, you're already wearing like a, a bold, colorful watch, like yeah, throw the diamonds on.

Georgia Benjamin: 52:02

It kind of pushes it over I love diamonds, as I've mentioned, but I don't think it's always needed. I think, um, like having that watch in a smaller. It's like a really small, fun, playful watch and also removing the diamonds makes it so much more accessible in terms of price point and, um, I think it's just if you are going to have a more fun watch, that's maybe not going to be your everyday watch, then it doesn't always have to have diamonds, but it's. I think it's a really fun launch for them and amazing to see the different color variety and and it's like, as a brand, they've always been really great at listening to their customers because they they just don't want to organize parties in the same way that other brands do. They they don't want people to like come form and do us like we are the watch brand. We want you to do what we want to do.

Georgia Benjamin: 52:38

Instead, they really listen to their audience and they're like well, what do they like to do? They like to go to art? Do they like to go to this? And they've been able to sponsor and organize so many different events based off their their buyers interests, versus what they want their buyers to be interested in. So it's just a really really interesting approach from a brand and I was really lucky to go to the polo with them last at the end of last year in LA, which was so much, and it's great how they just they don't take themselves too seriously and they really listen to what the buyers want. So that flexibility and being able to change your own bezel at home is something that is testament to that and it's really nice to hear.

Blake Rea: 53:12

Yeah, I, yeah, so I have one of the the busted ass, I mean I. So I have this weird little content strategy that I'm working on where I live in Vegas. You know there's a lot of fortune and misfortune in Vegas, and so I've been doing this little sprees and I've been starting to starting to get into filming it, and I'm working on like a little new mini series is the best way you want to call it, but essentially it's just pawn shop finds, so like I'll go find a walk-in shop, you know I'll film the whole experience on me buying it, you know, like making sure it's legit, whatever, um, then documenting it once I get home and then sending it off right, yeah, to the brands and then be like here's the before, here's the after, you know, um, hence so many watches that are out there in the world that are not with me anymore right now. Makes sense.

Blake Rea: 54:04

But no, so I found this like busted ass, big Bang, unico and I mean this thing is fucking thrashed Like the date doesn't work. Like when I say like the date doesn't work, like whatever the crown, like it just skips over the position to set the date, like you can't even so.

Georgia Benjamin: 54:23

It's just it's fallen to the wayside in the movement.

Blake Rea: 54:25

Yeah and I was. I was dumb enough to like um. Like you know, like sometimes, whenever I'm like getting ready, like I'll put my watch like on my um, like bathroom, like dresser, yeah, yeah, I'll shower or whatever, and then I'll jump in and uh and I actually yeah well, I, I came, I got out of the shower and then I'm like throwing it on.

Blake Rea: 54:48

I looked just condensation all on the inside, and so then I'm like fuck, okay, what I, what I do. So you know, obviously I had to get the condensation out, just leaving the crown and I, I'm that idiot where I literally like all right cool, I got a screwdriver boom like there. I am opening up a big bang, like a thirteen thousand dollar big bang, and I'm so stressed.

Georgia Benjamin: 55:08

The story is making me so anxious. Carry on, though, please but, but.

Blake Rea: 55:12

But no, I got the condensation out and then I took it to like my watchmaker and I was like, hey, bro, just pressure, test this, just you know, let me know what I can do. And then, um, but now I'm in the process of of documenting that and I'm gonna, I'm gonna, I going to get it serviced in a new way. I think I'm going to send it to like Watch Check, which is like one of those new like service centers. The watch is already fucked, so like I mean, oh my God, so like they have like the way that the date disc works.

Blake Rea: 55:41

It's like a skeleton cutout, oh okay, and they just have a little like white back to it, where it like highlights the date yeah, and that shit is like yellow, it's so gross did you?

Georgia Benjamin: 55:54

what did you pay for this watch?

Blake Rea: 55:55

I'm so curious I, or is it going to be in?

Georgia Benjamin: 55:58

your series that you don't want to ruin, so you don't have to tell me okay okay, um it would it retail for about 13 000,000.

Blake Rea: 56:05

I paid $5,500.

Georgia Benjamin: 56:07

Okay, well done. This is a fun project.

Blake Rea: 56:10

Yeah, I've gotten some great steals. Like my cart, I got the Santos that is out right now. It's the medium Santos, the WSSA 0029, which is the newest one, quick release bracelet, yada, yada, yada, $3,800.

Georgia Benjamin: 56:28

Okay, you've got a good eye for this. I'm coming watch shopping with you.

Blake Rea: 56:31

This is gonna be fun that sounds amazing I came into and, um, I picked up one of the like navit. Like brightling is one of those brands that, like my dad was a brightling guy, so like I have to love brightling as much as, like I sometimes hate them, um, but but no. So I picked up like a 38 millimeter Navitimer which is, I mean, freaking beautiful like the Navitimer one, and I think I paid like eighteen hundred dollars for that wow that's incredible and then I go back.

Blake Rea: 57:04

I have this one pawn shop that they know me. If anything dope comes in, they'll just shoot me a text.

Georgia Benjamin: 57:10

Okay, I might need to because I actually am in the market. I need to get a 44 Navitimer for my brother-in-law and then a friend of mine also wants me to source a vintage around a 38. I don't know the vintage, frightening enough, but he wants me to help find him a 38 Navitimer. So we can, we can talk because, yeah, I haven't seen like in on the vintage scene in New York, like you don't see them very often. So I was like I'm going to start looking for you and it'll be like a fun project for me because it's a brand that like I'm not too well versed in but I, the ones that I have feel like 47th street, have been like crazy overpriced, like more than you would see on the ebay and whatnot.

Blake Rea: 57:54

So I I think I need to find like a niche, a niche seller in new york otherwise I'm gonna have to go further afield, but your, your pawn shop sounds epic, so so I do a combination of like pawn shopping and every single june. So it's coming up.

Blake Rea: 58:03

If you're yeah, um, you're welcome I know I want to come, whatever you um, but it's, it's a, it's a b2b watch show, and so that would be so fun I'll go in there and I'll get passes and like, meet all my homies and we're collectors, right, but but it's mostly dealers trying to offload to other dealers. Yeah, that makes sense. And so like I mean they they bring so much shit, they're, they're just like I don't want to fly any of this back, like I just want a clear house and so that's dangerous for me to go to this my, my friend uh picked up, uh, what is it?

Blake Rea: 58:41

I think it was um, like a uh, like a tank front front, say, or something. For his wife it was like less than two grand, wow, that's amazing. I picked up a gold tank a couple years ago and it was like not the full, like tank, louis, like a gold case, gold everything. But when you pull the strap off it transitions to steel and also it's of a mill, yeah and it has the steel case back. Yeah, I paid like you'd like three grand for it. Amazing.

Georgia Benjamin: 59:16

I was like amazing oh, yeah, yeah and it's the, the large, the large oh so it's great, that's fantastic yeah, I wear the shirt. Oh my gosh, it sounds like a dress. Yeah, you're welcome. You're welcome to come. Thank you, I think I'm happy.

Blake Rea: 59:31

We're doing some cool cool stuff. We've got a couple like cause I also have like a watch club and so we're we're doing a couple things out, but but no, it's, it's a great place to buy. Um, uh, like my buddy, uh, I'm sure you know cameron cameron bar from craft and taylor, he like he comes up every single year to to buy there because it's it's really not as uh, it's not as uh as crazy as some of the new y stuff.

Georgia Benjamin: 1:00:04

Yeah, yeah, so no, it sounds like fun.

Blake Rea: 1:00:07

Yeah, you're welcome to come if you want. Thank, you. Let's talk about. Have you, as a female in the industry, like a male dominated industry, have you gotten any like pushback in this space? Like do you ever get those weird looks Like why are you in here trying on a 40 millimeter daytona? Or like, uh, you know 41 million? Like you know? Like, have you do you feel like you're you're you joining the watch industry? Has has? Have you been welcomed?

Georgia Benjamin: 1:00:36

I think yes, and I think I perhaps my experience has not necessarily been the same for every other sort of watch girl in the space, but I feel like very, very lucky that it's been generally very positive, like I've approached with like so much excitement and so much passion, and I think that's been recognized, which I'm so, so grateful for that people see that and I think the only time I've had sort of negative experiences is if I'm going into an AD and I don't and they don't know me, or I don't not that I expect them to know me, but like we don't have a rapport and we're not sort of friends, and in those circumstances I get like dismissed, even if I'm wearing something important, but they're they wouldn't even like give me the time of day they'll be, I'll be like can I see someone, can I try this on? They're like oh, we'll put you on the list or whatever sort of nonsense. But and that happens unfortunately like often, um, when I don't have a previous, like an existing relationship with, with, but I think for the most part everyone's like yeah, that looks like I'm trying on like an overseas AP. They're like that looks ever gone new. Or I get so much encouragement because, like I love tiny things, I love like a JLC 101, like give me the smallest movement you've ever seen and they give me this giant watch. That is just also so exciting. So I think for the most part I've been so lucky to be so welcomed and it's been really great.

Georgia Benjamin: 1:01:48

And I think a lot of people always ask me like what my dms are like. And I would say 99% of my dms are so nice, like I get the occasional like gross thing but like very, very, very rare. And most of my dms are from like other like probably young people in the space like maybe sub 35, messaging me to ask them about like their grandmothers or their grandfathers watching Can you tell me the history about this? Or like where should I take it to get service? And it's so wholesome and, like me being like the ADD girl I am, my laser focus goes on to helping this person. I will do research. I will like where are you located? Let me find you some local watch shops to help you with this. And I go on this like crazy over the top help journey and then I get like lovely photos back being like look, I'm wearing it now all the time and you help me fix it and it's so validating.

Georgia Benjamin: 1:02:33

So I would say that overall I've had the most wonderful experience and I just hope it continues and I hope I can like duplicate myself so I can do more of that and more of sort of the helping, as well as the content, as well as my day job and whatnot. There's never enough time in the day, but I think I am so lucky that I'm able to sort of split my time and also just be welcomed. I think it's. I think it's rare that women do get welcomed into this space, even though it is changing. But I do feel lucky that of the really positive welcome that I have received.

Blake Rea: 1:03:02

What advice would you give to, like you know, maybe a female who's curious about collecting but maybe would feel a little intimidated to come into industry? Like, what advice would you give to somebody who may be listening to our podcast, like that?

Georgia Benjamin: 1:03:17

Yeah, I hope so. Welcome, if you are listening. Stay true to you. Do not be influenced by trends. Do not be influenced by other collectors or other dealers out there.

Georgia Benjamin: 1:03:25

If a dealer is pushing you on something because it's got a great price, like, do you want it? Like is this actually something that's going to resonate with you? So I think, really stray true to who you are as a person and your purchasing habits generally. Like these are big treats and not something that should be treated sort of lightly. So find something that excites you, find something that you don't want to live without and then, like, lean into that and learn and research and try on as much as you can to make sure that something that you're buying is going to make you really happy. And yes, you can always buy and sell so you can get rid of it if it doesn't bring you joy. But make sure you stay true to you and what you want and don't be influenced by others. So I think that's something that's that's difficult if we're around people that have amazing collections and things that we aspire to be like, but what if that collecting taste is different to ours? Like we shouldn't be influenced by others in the best way possible.

Blake Rea: 1:04:14

What would you say excites you most in watchmaking right now? I mean that could be brands, innovations, anything like that that you would say. That's like oh shit, this is all I'm about.

Georgia Benjamin: 1:04:26

Anything like that that you would say that's like, oh shit, this is all I'm about. That's a really interesting one, because I think it's it's kind of twofold, like one. What I think brands are doing well and they're continuing to do it, and then I think it's a room for them to grow as well is really diving into their heritage pieces and diving into their history of design and how they got to where they are today. I think Longines is a good example of that, and they've got some incredible novelties coming out this year that I was lucky enough to see that really jump into their history and then reflect some of that. Like these brands are 200 years old. I want to see something that really brought you to fame at the time. So I do think a lot of brands are doing that really well.

Georgia Benjamin: 1:05:01

But something that excites me almost more so, and it's more of a personal thing. It's like I really want to understand how a watch works more so, and I've been so lucky to get to be invited by brands and come and do some master classes and get to assemble movements, but it's it's like a jigsaw puzzle. I'm not really fully learning. Um, I am getting to meet with FHH this next week. Um, which I'm so excited about and they're coming to New york for, like an nyu seminar. So I'm getting to um meet them and I'm so, so excited.

Georgia Benjamin: 1:05:29

But I would love to like, personally, be able to fully understand, like, not fully because it's I don't have the 30 years of time, but in enough way that I can have that better and deeper understanding, knowledge, understanding knowledge. So I know what I'm talking about more. I don't necessarily need to validated, but it's an area that I don't have enough knowledge on, but I would love to learn more about that, and I think brands are doing a good job, of sort, of telling the story of the movement and telling the story of how things work, because, yes, it's about design for me, but it's also like how does this thing actually function and why is it so thin and what makes it so special?

Blake Rea: 1:06:07

And so I think that element of watchmaking is something that's really exciting to me personally. No, I I couldn't agree more. I'm starting to realize that brands are starting to pick up on like, like, what they need to like. They're starting to package watches with stories and just saying like, hey, here's our release, boom, you know. But they're starting to be like, oh well, like, here's the storytelling, and you get. You get some brands, brands that overdo it. Yeah, they're like okay, this was a functional prototype from the 60s that we found in our archive. We felt like it was great. We brought it to modern dimensions, put a modern movement in there, blah, blah, blah. It's like okay, that's what I'm for, that's what I'm about.

Georgia Benjamin: 1:06:44

I'm here for it too. I love it.

Blake Rea: 1:06:46

What's your take on like? We've started to see a lot of collaborations now in the watch industry. I mean particularly one that comes to mind is the Moser studio, underdog, you know, since you brought up Moser, I feel like that's one that's like you would never expect. So left field, do you feel like that's creating new energy in the watch industry or just kind of diluting down or dumbing down the product?

Georgia Benjamin: 1:07:13

no, not at all. I think it's like a. It's a, it's a collaboration of um audiences and it's sort of a awareness sharing of two different brands that appeal to different audiences. There are different price points and I think I love like that collaboration. Studio and dog and mosa was so left out of that field, like you said, um, because you're bringing in like these crazy high price point pieces with much more affordable and accessible sort of hype pieces at the moment that are still amazing watches.

Georgia Benjamin: 1:07:36

But I love that sort of cross-pollination of let's mix our audiences, let's really tell the story of watchmaking and what it means to us and those manifest in two different products, but let's sort of share that incredible passion and that incredible sort of desire for design or whatever it is. That sort of brings that collection together. I think it's a nod to how retailers would have their name printed onto dials and like now that makes them such incredible collectors items. But this is now like a modern version of that, like how can we combine forces and use our collective incredible vision to come up with something that's going to satiate both audiences? So like, bring it on. I want more and more of that. Make them limited, make them really really short runs so we can only jump in when we can. Um, I think it builds up a ton of like hype and demand and also just awareness generally of of these two different brands that people might not know about if you're coming in from one end or the other. So I think it is.

Blake Rea: 1:08:29

It celebrates brands of big and small, so I think it's fantastic I've noticed too, like and I think I think I already know the answer to this, but I'm gonna answer it, or I'm gonna ask it, and I think I've already answered it um, I mean, it seems like in between the vintage and modern pieces, you're particularly drawn more towards the vintage pieces. Why would you say that that is?

Georgia Benjamin: 1:08:54

It's the design history. So I do like both and I've actually started really loving modern pieces just because I'm learning more about how they actually work and the movements that go inside of them and then what it takes to design certain pieces. So I think in the last year or so I really got excited about that space. But for me, originally and and sort of historically vintage is so romantic like I'm, I'm such a like I love the storytelling. I love, like you said mentioned, time machine earlier. Like to me, you're wearing a watch of a specific time period and all the design and everything that encapsulates it is really reflective of what was going on at the moment, at that moment of time. So if you're looking at a 70s piece like a polo is a sports watch like this is like now you would never design a watch made of solid gold to wear sport, but at the time that was something that, like watches weren't made out of rubber straps, it wasn't a thing. So to me it's. It transports you back to a specific time and place of when that watch was designed and what it was needed for, and it's just it encapsulates that moment in time which I think is so, so special. And something else I love most about vintage is that it's one of one and like sure there could have been a thousand, two thousand or whatever many pieces made of that specific watch, but you're the only one with that patina, those scratches, those marks that love the story.

Georgia Benjamin: 1:10:10

Like I bought a I'm getting so excited about this. I bought a, my uh 8, 8, um 18038 that has a really even patina on the dial. Like you only look at it when it's up close, so it gets even like, more special when you get to see it, and it makes my brain work, because it was had one previous owner. I don't know the story of it though, but why does it have this even patina? Like what were they doing with this watch for 30 years before it came into my life that made this incredible effect on it? Like maybe he was just sitting outside in Texas every day sunbathing, and it's got this wonderful little Texas Timex like effects on it. But there must be something to it that that sort of tells its story, that, like I might know, I might not know, and so I think the romance that comes with vintage is hard to replicate in modern pieces, and I think that's just really special what's one grail that you haven't added to the collection yet, that you know you will one day?

Georgia Benjamin: 1:11:02

an ap bamboo, some sort of gem set, two-tone. I keep on seeing them. I haven't found the one that like I can't live without yet, but I feel like people are going to just DM me with loads of them now, so please send them my way. But, um, yeah, an AP bamboo gem set, two-tone.

Blake Rea: 1:11:22

I haven't found the right one, yeah, but I it's a very me watch.

Georgia Benjamin: 1:11:25

I'd wear it every day. It would just be. They're so beautiful.

Blake Rea: 1:11:31

I've never done this before, but I feel like you would be the guest To give it To do it. I don't know what the fuck I'm saying anymore. I'm so excited. I want to do like a super quick rapid fire and then I'll let you go. So don't overthink it. Just go with your gut super quick, rapid fire, and then I'm ready, and then I'll let you go, okay, so don't overthink it, just go with your gut. Santos or Tank.

Georgia Benjamin: 1:11:52

Santos.

Blake Rea: 1:11:54

Independent or Heritage.

Georgia Benjamin: 1:11:55

Heritage.

Blake Rea: 1:11:57

Manual, wind or automatic.

Georgia Benjamin: 1:11:59

Automatic.

Blake Rea: 1:12:01

Complication you love.

Georgia Benjamin: 1:12:03

Wait, give me options.

Blake Rea: 1:12:05

Chronograph. I don't know Date date okay, just a date, all right. And then what is one watch? You wish that people appreciated more. What's the hardest one?

Georgia Benjamin: 1:12:19

that one's really hard. Um, all the ones that come into mind are too basic. What's a watch that people? Um, I think a vintage omega, um c master, oh, yeah, I think they.

Georgia Benjamin: 1:12:37

There's like a lot of people who are obsessed with this watch and there's so many variations again, I have vintage books on this because they came in so many different variations with, like a tactical dial with all different sorts of markers and there's there's a million different, different iterations of it and it's something that you can find on ebay for like 1500. They're not expensive. They come in like boy's size, which is a 35 millimeter. They come in 34, 36, and this I think the fact that there's so many different variations of it and it's such a classic watch and it was such a watch at the time in the 60s, where, if you wore this watch, it was like the epitome of class and like you were.

Georgia Benjamin: 1:13:09

You were it was masculine at the time like you were a businessman, you were like a family man. You had a watch that what could do so much, but also came with that incredible lineage and it's amazing that omega have taken it to new steps, uh, and incredible like reaches now, but that's a watch that I have two of and are really really special, so it's not valued enough and it's it's so too cheap on ebay, but go and buy them, they're really fun there's so many out there and I have.

Blake Rea: 1:13:36

I'm one of the vintage.

Georgia Benjamin: 1:13:37

She masters too and I freaking love it yeah, and they all have interesting stories like why does this have a specific dial? And then you can dive into, like this whole tale of why it has this x on the dial or whatever it might be. I never even knew that boy's size was a thing, like it's all these sorts of things. So I think there's a lot to learn in that space and it's also an accessible entry point for people who for male, female, whoever wants to collect this watch. It's an accessible entry point in terms of price and you can also start really, really learning, and I think that's what's so fun about this industry is that you can learn forever and um, I think that that's a good place to start it's so weird because we started there at the beginning and now we're ending here.

Blake Rea: 1:14:16

What a good full circle. I love it. Georgia. This has been an amazing recording, incredible conversation and people. You can follow georgia there. You can see her hashtag or her. What is it? The username? My, handle my her handle is right there at georgia binge. Uh, thank you so much for being with us and everyone listening, stay curious, stay collecting, and we will see you on the next episode of lonely wrist bye, thank you.