The Timist: How James Bachici's Journey in Watches turned into a Voice for the Community.

What begins as a chance friendship forged through watch enthusiasm unfolds into one of the most illuminating conversations about why we truly collect timepieces. James Bachici (The Timist) shares his remarkable journey from a 15-year-old boy mesmerized by a Citizen Blue Angels watch to becoming a respected voice in the watch community and creator of the Wandering Watch Project.

The conversation takes an unexpectedly emotional turn as James recalls how his grandfather placed $100 down on layaway for that first Citizen, teaching him that valuable things require dedication and sacrifice. This watch—still his most cherished possession—was on his wrist when he married, creating an unbreakable bond between timepiece and milestone. Blake reciprocates with his own poignant story about inheriting his late father's Breitling, revealing how watches become vessels for our deepest connections and memories.

Beyond personal stories, they explore the fascinating psychology behind collecting. James articulates something many collectors feel but struggle to express: "We catalog our memories with our watches... I can tell you what watch I was wearing when significant milestones happened." This insight illuminates why watch enthusiasts form such deep attachments to objects that, functionally speaking, have been technologically surpassed.

Their candid discussion about content creation exposes the tension between authentic passion and commercial interests in watch media. Both agree that the most meaningful content springs from genuine enthusiasm rather than algorithmic optimization—a refreshing perspective in today's metrics-driven environment.

The episode culminates with reflections on why watches uniquely accelerate friendship formation compared to other hobbies. As James beautifully puts it, "We come for the watches, but stay for the people." Whether you're a seasoned collector or simply curious about this fascinating world, this conversation offers profound insights into the human connections that timepieces mysteriously facilitate.

You can follow James and listen to his podcast here:

https://www.instagram.com/the_timist_ig/

https://timistpodcastseries.buzzsprout.com/

Chapters

• 0:00 Meet James Bokich: The Timist
• 3:30 Childhood Roots in Watches and Gaming
• 10:00 The First Watch: A Life-Changing Citizen
• 16:56 The Wandering Watch Project
• 31:17 Podcast Origins and Finding Genuine Connections
• 45:19 Passion vs Profit in Watch Content Creation
• 1:04:45 Watch Stories and Personal Journeys
• 1:21:39 Watches and Wonders: Behind the Scenes
• 1:35:22 Consolidation and Collection Evolution
• 1:55:20 Industry Reflection and Watch Community Values
• 2:05:22 Dream Watches and Future Collecting Goals

Transcript

Blake Rea: 0:02

Hello everyone and welcome to another episode of the Lonely Wrist. As always, I'm your host, Blake Ray, and today on the show we have a new friend, one of the hosts of yet another amazing watch podcast. This host podcast are not only insanely well done but insightful and bring fun and transparency to the watch industry with genuine candid and refreshing conversations. He also partnered with Oris to fuel the Wandering Watch project, which you may have seen on my Instagram, which is a cool and unique charity project. We'll talk a little bit about that later and after this. You should know that sitting down with us today is James Bokich, the Timist. Did I fuck that up?

James Bachici: 0:45

okay, no, no, no, it's perfect, it's perfect. You did great, it's great, it's perfect welcome to the show thank you, blake, happy to be here, um, so excited for our conversation. Yeah, did I seriously fuck it up though? No, no, no, it's fine. It's fine, it's good. It's good. Is it fine? Or did I mess it up? No, you said it right. You just put a pause in the middle, but like the two words connected, it's, it's right.

Blake Rea: 1:07

You said it right, it's good I have a script I have to like read. You know, I've been trying like, uh, I've been listening to your podcast and like you give these like really cool, like, like like insightful intros, like really like make people hang on to the end. You know, because cause you like we'll summarize everything, and then I'm like, well, maybe I should just start like introducing people instead of saying like, hey, welcome to the episode. You know what I mean. I'm trying to get a little bit more organized here.

James Bachici: 1:35

That's very kind of you to say. I figured that, um, I kind of try to put myself in the guest shoes and go. If I were to just throw it to them, be like, welcome to the episode. Um, who are you and what do you do? Sometimes it's kind of awkward for people to kind of talk about themselves Totally, and so I try to do as much research as I possibly can, uh, beforehand and then compile an intro that is, you know, insightful, a little flattering, um, and kind of take that heat away from the guests so they don't have to worry about introducing themselves Because you know how it is. You can be a little bit nervous when you're on, you know, being interviewed in the chair, right?

Blake Rea: 2:13

Yeah. And then when somebody asks you like what do you do? Or like I mean, it's always that awkward, like, did I describe myself properly? Is this how my peers would think about me, if they? You know, if I were to package myself and sell it um 100?

James Bachici: 2:29

totally. And then there's we. We both know that there's like the standard answer of like what it is that you do, and then there's like the more in-depth of like day-to-day like I can't go into like explaining all that, there's way too much stuff. So you kind of try to wrap it up in a uh neat bow and deliver it in like bite-sized chunks it's, it's working man, it's awesome.

Blake Rea: 2:50

I I enjoy uh, I enjoy the intro just as much as I enjoy the podcast. So, um, which is nice, so that's good, that's good. Thank you, um, tell me about your journey to starting the Timeless podcast. You know why watches. I mean, I know you come from. You know people are watching. Now you can see that you have a gamer's cave there and you work in the game the video game development industry, if I'm not mistaken from what I've read. So why watches? And how did you get into watches? And how did you get into watch podcasting?

James Bachici: 3:32

Yeah, thank you for asking that question. It's it's a long journey. Like, like most of us have it started at a very early age. Watches and gaming, for that for that matter. Okay, um, I was raised by my grandparents and, um, they explore and experiment with different industries, different works, different hobbies. And I mean, what kid doesn't like video games, especially if you're like a child of the 80s and kind of hit your like 10, 10, 15 year olds, uh, in the 90s, uh, you have the nes, you have the sega genesis, you have the game boy.

James Bachici: 4:11

Um, gaming was just part of my, my foundation. I started with the atari 2600 and kind of worked my way up from there. So gaming was not my first job. I I started in the fast food industry, in the service industry, and then entered the gaming uh industry from there. Uh, watches, on the other hand, were with me also from early on in my childhood, where my grandfather always wore a watch and he was a mechanic by trade. So what he would do is he'd buy these like old beaters, repair them, fix them and then flip them, sell them, and I would be there with him, you know, helping in the garage, holding a flashlight, bringing a screwdriver or wrench and mechanics and, you know, intricate machinery was always a part of my universe, a part of my world growing up. So I always had a passion or a love or an interest in things and how they worked. And so when I turned 15, I was looking at getting a job because I was really eager to make money so that I could buy stuff. I wanted a car, wanted, I wanted, I won, you know, more games. I wanted, um, I wanted watches, I wanted my own wrist watch.

James Bachici: 5:34

And when I turned 15, um, my grandpa and I went to the mall, uh, to go looking for watches. And, uh, to go looking for watches. And, um, that's when I kind of fell in love with the citizen. Um, eco drive, blue angels, titanium Uh, yeah, it was, it was, it was it's known as the Skyhawk, and I was all about how many things can a watch do? Back then I was like this watch can do everything except for heat up my food, right, right, powered by light titanium.

James Bachici: 6:14

I'm also an aviation nut again. From a young age I loved going fast, I loved all things fast, I loved speed. So airplanes was really high up there Like cars, airplanes, cars, airplanes, watches, video games. That was basically all the same, yeah, all the same, all the same. So many, um so many like layers that just kind of intersect, um. And then I saw top gun and I was like, well, game over, I want to be a fighter pilot when I grow up, like like that's, that's who I'm gonna be. And so then we saw this watch. It was um, it was in a case, it was. It was um, it was at sears.

James Bachici: 6:50

You know sears, yeah I do remember sears and it had the cool navy, blue and yellow uh dial and bezel and I kind of fell in love with it. And then I asked how much it cost and the fine gentleman behind the counter was like 550 dollars and as a as a 15 year old, that's a lot of money today, yeah this was a 15 year old me, that was like 2001, so I mean that's still a lot of money today, let alone a 15 year old back in 2001.

Blake Rea: 7:26

It almost seems like you'd save up your whole life to get it.

James Bachici: 7:29

Yeah, basically it might as well have been forever, but that watch hit me hard. I was just smitten by it and my grandpa being the best he saw that watch kind of imprint itself on me, best he saw, he saw that watch kind of imprint itself on me and um, and we asked uh, I don't know if layaway is still a thing.

Blake Rea: 7:54

Uh, I think it is. We shared vegas, is it?

James Bachici: 7:56

yeah, I think it is so for, for people that are listening or watching, uh, layaway is sort of a program that some businesses offer. Uh, it doesn't require a credit check. It's sort of like. It's sort of like a good faith, like an iou, almost like yeah they ask you like a pay plan exactly.

James Bachici: 8:16

they ask you for a certain amount, to put down to kind of show good faith that you really want to buy the item, and then they put that item in a safe or somewhere and then it stays there until you pay off the remaining balance.

Blake Rea: 8:30

Or if you don't buy it, you lose everything. Or if you don't buy it, you lose everything yeah.

James Bachici: 8:33

Yeah, but the cool thing for a 15 year old is that, uh, well, I had no credit, uh, and I was broke, so I, you know, broke, so I, you know, really benefited from this program. Um, my grandpa put a hundred dollars down and, um, that's why, uh, I don't want to get emotional, but that's why this watch is my favorite watch. It's it's always gonna be with me, forever and ever and always. Because, um, grandpa taught me a lot of good lessons in life, and one of them them was like, if you want nice things, that's totally fine. Uh, you, just, you know, you have to work for them, you have to sacrifice some things, you have to put money aside, you have to be, uh, disciplined. And so he's like hey, let's put it on layaway, I will put a hundred dollars down and then you pay the rest. Um, you know, you'll get a job and you pay the rest when you can. And that's exactly what happened. I got a job at Kentucky Fried Chicken. I worked in fast food and I would go to the mall with grandpa every other week or so and put down as much as I was able to save twenty dollars, fifty dollars, uh, until eventually I paid it off and, and I got the watch and I I still have it, it still runs, it's perfect and it's my favorite watch. Of all the watches that I have and likely all the watches that I will acquire um, for the rest of my life. That watch is my favorite.

James Bachici: 10:04

And fast forward to 2020, when the pandemic hit. Um, the dream was always to um buy a Breitling Navitimer, like I wanted a Navitimer, but the Citizen Skyhawk was a lot more affordable than the Navitimer. That's naturally, naturally, that's for sure. Um, I remember seeing, you know, john Travolta in in that leather jacket and there was a P-51 Mustang behind him and he looked so cool and he was doing the whole wrist shot thing and I was like, oh, that is the most beautiful watch I've ever seen in my life, and so that was the dream. And in 2020, I was fortunate enough, with my wife, to be able to make that dream a reality and I bought my first luxury watch, no-transcript, which was like $717, I still remember way back when that was the most expensive watch and that was quite a jump from that to a Navitimer in 2020.

James Bachici: 11:16

Sure, but yeah, since the pandemic, since 2020, I got really, really deep into watches and I make videos when I can, when I have the time, because I do have a day job.

James Bachici: 11:30

Like you mentioned, I work in the gaming industry and to do the kind of videos that I want to do, to put out um, to produce, to generate um, it takes a lot of time, as you know yeah, same, and so I wanted to do more within the watch community, but it wasn't feasible to just crank out watch videos the way I envision them, so a podcast was the natural sort of um route that I felt would make sense to take, because I get to talk to people within the community and editing is a lot easier, even though it still takes me like three hours plus to edit one episode Um.

James Bachici: 12:13

So, yeah, I I picked up podcasting and I was fortunate enough to meet a bunch of wonderful people within the community. And actually it's funny because it's something that I talked to Andrew Morgan on the last episode that I recorded, and that is we come for the watches, at least for me, we come for the watches. We're enamored and entranced by the first podcast episode in february of 2024 and now, now, now we're here, now I get to be a love, a guest on your lovely podcast, blake. Thank you for.

Blake Rea: 12:55

Thank you for inviting me yeah, no, no, I mean, um, we had obviously met through sophie sophie's watch world and she had posted, um your oris project, which I was like man, this is so cool. Like this is all about the community and that's what I'm here for. You know, like the watches are cool, the watches are great, I love watches, but I find myself like coming in and out of passion with watches in a weird way. I know that sounds weird as I'm having a watch podcast, um, but yeah, I mean the community is what keeps me going, keeps me alive, keeps me here, like, keeps me pushing. So so, yeah, yeah, and then it just seemed like such a cool way to engage, I mean, I guess, in some type of way, with the community. Um, because I've never really done anything like you know, like your project where you have the watch and it's going around and I was lucky enough to be the first one to get it.

Blake Rea: 13:54

you know, because I was taking it to switzerland. That was so funny.

James Bachici: 13:58

That was so funny and so serendipitous because, honestly, that wasn't supposed to happen, right, um and I?

James Bachici: 14:03

I think I told you the dream was to have a world tour with the watch and for folks that don't know what the Wandering Watch Project is, it's a little idea that I've been kind of watch within the wide world of of watch fam fandom and have folks spend time with the watch, make memories with the watch, take photos, take videos and then post them up and then ultimately, once the watch completes its tour, it'll come back, um, and we will auction the watch off and all the proceeds from the auction will go to a charity which is currently tbd, and I'm still trying to work out the exact auction logistics because it is a world that I don't know, but through the medium of podcasting and wonderful kindness from from guests such as kellyock, which you've had on the podcast and she's amazing she recommended some folks and I will reach out to them and figure out the logistics of how to actually auction off the watch.

James Bachici: 15:16

But the idea is that the watch will go to someone that also appreciates the community, the watch fam and stories and memories that we generate with these little wrist-worn timepieces and ultimately, I hope to make a video with all the content and all the photos and all the videos that everyone that has had the watch in their possession and kind of make a living, sort of scrapbook, of sorts of like hey, this is the one watch that traveled the world and made a few people smile.

Blake Rea: 15:57

I had a thought about the concept too of like I mean, we talked about it but getting like a little postcard and then just signing it, and then everybody who gets it because it, you know, get like one of those like little, like welcome to vegas postcards or whatever.

Blake Rea: 16:08

But ironically, the way that the watch got to atlanta was through a friend. So a friend came in from atlanta and I was like, oh, since you're going back to atlanta, you know the watch was going to to our friend gc, after you know he's on the podcast too, but he's like the, like the, the main founder of the watch society, like the watch societies which we have a vegas club here, vegas chapter, and he's like the second one, and then chris is also, you know, the third one, and there's just a bunch of other guys we've got some guys in hawaii and texas and you know. But, um, it's just such a cool concept and it would be so cool if the watch ended up at like, at like Christie's or like Phillips and like it went for, like you know, like 30, 40, 50 grand, just because like absolutely that'd be amazing yeah, I mean, that's the dream.

James Bachici: 17:01

I want it to sell for as much as possible so that we can donate all that money to a good cause, for a charity, and just.

James Bachici: 17:08

We are left with the memories and the times that we spent with the watch and hopefully make the watch world a slightly smaller place, because we all have different backgrounds, we all do different things and life happens to all of us, but we'll all be connected by this one watch that we've had on our wrists, uh, for some amount of time, and then it was sold and the money was all, uh, you know it's gone for something good and we we made a little tiny uh contribution to the, to the wellness of of society, and the goal, uh, or part of the goal, is to make the watch world a smaller place, to connect us, to kind of bring us all together and say uh, blake, you're part of the wandering watch project.

James Bachici: 17:54

Oh, yeah, yes, I am okay, cool, awesome like that. That has actually happened, as I was trying to um, uh, secure uh representatives from each of the states in the us, uh, and and spoiler alert the watch, the wandering watch project, was going to be international, but then we scoped it down to national just because of the logistics and the cost of shipping things at the international level. The only reason it went to watches and wonders with you was because you were going to watch us and wonders, and so we kind of jumped at that opportunity, which was hilarious because it went back to where the watch was made.

James Bachici: 18:30

So like the watch was made in switzerland and you brought it right back well, I also.

Blake Rea: 18:35

I also um, got some. I mean, you know you know this already, but I got to to show it and explain it to the ceo of oris and we filmed some, some content with it, which is kind of cool. I mean, I messed up the whole audio, but I'm sure you'll figure all that out. I'm not an audiophile. I just got this new beautiful podcast mic, but no, I mean, still, the fact is that it came full circle back to Switzerland. I think GC took it to ireland or something, something didn't he?

Blake Rea: 19:07

yes, he did, yes, he did so like it's definitely like touching a couple, a couple places in europe, um, but no, yeah, it's such a great project and I'm humbled to be a part of it and I can't wait to see. Um, where is the watch now, by the way? Do you, do you even know?

James Bachici: 19:22

at this point, I do know, right now the watch is actually in. It's in Florida. Oh, okay, cool, nice, it's in Florida.

Blake Rea: 19:31

And yeah, yeah, when do you think it'll land sometime in the auction? Like when do you guys plan to auction?

James Bachici: 19:39

it.

Blake Rea: 19:39

Maybe a year or so.

James Bachici: 19:41

The good news is that there's no deadline, Sure sure the good news is that there's no, there's no deadline.

James Bachici: 19:45

And um, I was so grateful and thankful to uh, vj from from oris, who donated the watch. Such a such an incredible guy. Um, josh, just a humble josh. And vj just pure class, amazing gentlemen.

James Bachici: 20:00

Um, you know, when I pitched them, the idea I was like I have no um clear end insight. Um, I would love to just have it go for as long as we possibly can, um, but it's going to be year plus, it's going to be your plus out. So this is um like a 2026, maybe summer, uh or fall um, where we're going to try and get it to an auction. But, um, like, I'm also expecting that the the the more people handle the watch and the more widespread the wandering watch project gets. Um, I'm hoping that more people want to be a part of it and they'll sign up and reach out to me, and then we'll just add more and more folks to the roster that the watch is going to like travel to, so, uh, so, in some sense it could be forever. It could just be a wandering watch forever, but at the same time, I want to put a nice end cap on it so that we can get that money into a charity's hands as quickly as possible. Sure.

Blake Rea: 21:00

Yeah, I remember when I was getting it and I have a safe where I keep all my watches and I was reaching in as I was getting ready to go to Geneva and I had I'd only brought two watches. I brought the Oris and then I brought my Doxa, which like lives on my wrist for most of the time because for whatever reason, like I don't know if it's like something medically wrong with me, but I, I like my wrist swells like like four or five millimeters, it feels like. So I always have to like anyways yeah.

Blake Rea: 21:32

Yeah, I'm always adjusting 20 times, 30 times a day. So, like, as I was getting on the plane, getting up into the air, I was like, oh, I'm like swelling, like like I need to go into Doxa zone, and then, and then, yeah, as I was walking around, you know, I did get to spend some good time with it, but but when I was packing, I like reached into the safe and I just like I scratched like the watch. I don't know where I scratched it, but then I was thinking, cause, I mean, the first one hurts, I guess, if you own the watch right. And then in this case it's not my watch. So I don't, I don't, I don't necessarily feel bad that I scratched it, but I also do because. But I also don't because you know, this watch is being packaged with the story, absolutely and absolutely. You know every scratch is a story. So imagine if, like, we could accelerate the wear on this watch, like in a year or two or whatever, and make it look like it came out like the 70s. It'd be freaking amazing.

James Bachici: 22:34

You know what?

Blake Rea: 22:34

I mean it could be amazing, like a modern horse that's got like a patinaed out dial and like you know, like the lume, you know like it's starting to fade and like you know it doesn't happen as much anymore.

James Bachici: 22:48

but you get it. Absolutely. No, no, absolutely so it's. It's a diver's date uh, 39 mil for folks that are wondering. And I specifically requested that it not be on the bracelet. I wanted it on the rubber strap. I mean, I just I was thinking about the logistics of it all as well. I didn't want a watch that people would stress about having to adjust the bracelet If it's on a rubber strap. You put it on, boom, it's done. And I totally hear you on the first scratch. But I mean, I'm so glad that it happened and it's not, it's not my watch, it's all of our watch in a sense. So I'm glad that you got a scratch on it because when it reaches the next person they don't have to worry about. Oh, my goodness, I don't want to put the first scratch on the watch. It's already there. A memory has been made and we're talking about it right now. So, case in point, a memory has been made with it.

Blake Rea: 23:42

Yeah, yeah. No, it's a great project. Thank you for including me and uh, and we'll definitely leave. Like you know, I try to leave descriptions and stuff, so if people want to sign up, it's cool to see you know how passionate the community is and full circle moment you know.

James Bachici: 23:58

Um, that's, that's what we're here for, um thank you for thank you for being part of it. It like I really appreciate you being down for it and also helping me find folks across multiple states. Um, I I know once we once we connected you were super down and I'm very appreciative for the connections that you've helped me make with with folks within the watch community in various states. Um, that was literally part of the agenda for what this project is supposed to do, so like. Thank you, thank you for that.

Blake Rea: 24:29

That's. All it takes is like I mean, you just meet a couple of people who are going to advance the network and then you got a couple more people who may advance it, like so so yeah, it's pretty, pretty easy. I mean, I've I've been in the watch industry for a while and and yeah, it just seems like I know too many people want to watch industry, which is a weird thing to say no such thing. Yeah, I know, I know I say that now, um, but you know, just let me know, like, as you know you, it progresses. I'll find people for you in other states, you know, because there's some cool people that I think you know who should definitely get to spend some time with it. Yeah, um, appreciate it.

James Bachici: 25:03

I'm curious about you know who should definitely get to spend some time with it.

Blake Rea: 25:05

Yeah, um, appreciate it. I'm curious about you know, your, your direction of the pod, you know, and, um, in a weird way, like I am just kind of like one of those, those guys that just kind of like just hops on presses, record and blasts I don't do any editing anymore like we spent so much time like doing all that and, um, you know, like my wife was a podcast editor and she stopped, she stopped editing and then we were like, oh, are we going to see? Like people stop listening, you know, and I'm like I just need to get better at speaking and so so, anyways, I was like, okay, I have to, I have to talk, but I have to be a better presenter. But tell me about, you know, the Timus podcast, like you know, like where do you plan to take it? Like something I noticed that you're doing that I have no idea is you have seasons. I just have like episodes and I'm like what the hell? Like how do you know how many seasons are an episode, or episodes are in a season, are in an episode, or episodes are in a season, which is weird.

Blake Rea: 26:04

But I very much, um, you know, I, I just I post, you know I want to share the stories and I've got access to people that some people don't don't have access to. I guess, or hopefully, it doesn't come off as an arrogant perspective on things, but you know, I just want to have those conversations and whether they're private or public, you know this is the same conversation we'd have in private, you know. But you know how do you see the future direction of the podcast going? And then I'm always curious about you know how you choose your guests. You know, like do you just follow your gut? Like do you want to? You know, just focus on, you know, people that have like cornerstones in the community, like what talk to me about that?

James Bachici: 26:48

Uh, great question, Great questions. I should say um. The easy answer is that, um, although it may seem like there's a plan and a roadmap there, very much isn't. Um, I landed onasons simply because I couldn't record any more podcasts at one point last year, just because we were moving and I was very busy with work and it felt appropriate to wrap up at least for a while. And I was away for a few months, so I didn't record anything. I didn't invite any guests over and I was away for a few months, so I didn't record anything. I didn't. I didn't uh, you know, invite any guests over and I most definitely didn't have time to edit. So I had left at like episode nine in season one, and so for episode 10, I just felt like it would be appropriate for me to kind of wrap up a season while I focused on life, with sort of how I got into watches, and that didn't require a guest, that was just me sort of sitting down and recording for a while, and that's sort of how the seasonality of it all came to be.

James Bachici: 28:05

The seasonality of it all came to be. That is not to say that I have a clear sort of roadmap of how season three will go, or season four, or even when season two is going to end it's probably going to end maybe October, november of this year so that I can have a couple months at the end of the year to kind of plan out season three, which leads nicely into how I sort of establish who I'm going to interview or which guest I'm going to have on. And initially it was just folks that I was interested in speaking with that I was curious to learn more about and their background and get a look behind the scenes, behind the curtain. You know, like I said earlier, we all have our own um professions, our own backgrounds, our own hobbies, um, and I just wanted to learn more about you know certain industries or certain jobs or roles or insider things that some people have access to. And about a couple episodes in it became very obvious to me that I wanted to also emphasize on representation. A lot, of, a lot of. There's a lot of guys in the watch space and I really wanted to kind of try and be very even and fair with the guests that I bring on. And so I specifically pursued you know certain people and asked them would you kindly which is also a video game term if you play Bioshock. Would you kindly consider being a guest on my podcast? And in the beginning it's difficult because you don't have a repertoire, you don't have a portfolio, you don't have episodes to go. Here's who I am and sort of the work that I do get an idea and if you're interested, I'd love to have you. So in the beginning it was.

James Bachici: 30:07

It was a lot of you know friends and folks that I just kind of got to knew within the watch community. Um, connor is a great example. We became fast friends. Uh, he's a just a first class uh guy and I, I I really appreciate his insight and he's just a fun and insightful dude. And so it was like you know, it was like, hey, you want to talk about watches and he's like, yeah, let's do it. It's like cool, let's do it. Adam is another great example. He's watch college on Instagram and and Connor is watches and blunders on Instagram. They're just yeah, they were born out of friendship and shared passion and love for, for watches.

James Bachici: 30:47

Um, and you know how we can get you know, we sit down and just talk watches for hours and hours and hours and easy, easy, it's like, okay, cool, we can turn this into a podcast, because I'm sure that if we like these things, there's other people out there that also like these things, or maybe different things that have some overlap. That would make for interesting conversation, um, and debate. So, um, how I pick my guests? Now, more often than not it's talking to my current guest and they go. You know who you should bring on. You should have this person or that person join because they have interesting insights and input on on this and that or the other, which is exactly what happened, um, with James McVay of the vamps. Um, I was talking to Andrew Morgan, we, we got to recording an episode and you know he'd mentioned, uh, james McVay and I was like, oh yeah, I, I know that he, he's done some stuff with popping crowns, chris, from Instagram. Um, and he's mentioned, uh, james McVay, and I was like, oh yeah, I, I know that he, he's done some stuff with popping crowns, chris, from Instagram. Um, and he's like, yeah, you should, you should, reach out. And then I looked him up and he's got like close to a million followers on Instagram and I'm like, how, how, just how, um, this isn't going to work. But I messaged him anyway and he did see the message and he was kind and sweet and and that's how I got him as a guest on on the podcast Um, which I'd like to pull back a bit more and kind of emphasize the importance of just trying, just try, um.

James Bachici: 32:20

More often than not, we go through analysis, paralysis and we go. There's just so many ways that this is just not going to work. My experience in life is that if I would have stopped every single time that I was worried that something wasn't going to work, I wouldn't have achieved anything, including my job, including my profession. Right, so, just try, um. That that's a very long winded way of saying. More often than not, my current guest will give me ideas or suggestions or recommendations on who I should interview next, and then I just reach out and hope for the best, and sometimes they respond, uh, other times they don't. That's okay.

Blake Rea: 33:05

That's it. No, um, it's funny how you know you, you your intro, and how you decided to do it. And for me, I have some overlap in my story, but I was, I was selling watches and then, um, got really sick. You know I've talked about this, know I'll say save the details, but, um, anyways, so like when watch releases would come out, like people would be like, hey, like what do you think about this release, or that release, or um, I kept having the same conversations over and over with the people I'd sold watches to, or friends at this point, you know, like my same opinion. And then I was like, how can I like just maybe I just do a zoom with everybody and, like you know, like, beat it all down at one time, answer all the questions? But then I was like, well, zooms are engaging. You know, like maybe I could just do a podcast or whatever.

Blake Rea: 34:04

Um, we started off with um, my friend justin. Um, he's like one of my best watch, he's like one of my best buddies just ever, and um and we started watch collecting together, which is super cool, and he kind of like was really we kind of went into different directions, like he went into like micro brands and I went into, like you know, like the panerai and like the bigger brands and all this and all this stuff, and so we kind of just like went in separate little paths. But you know, at the end of the day it kind of came full circle and then, you know, so he was my first guest and then, you know, he continued to assist you, to assist and co-host for quite a while and then, anyways, so the first real guest that I had was Periscope. You know, jose Periscope, oh yeah, oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. And I was like I'm either going to get screwed by this, because he is essentially calling out every watch brand and nobody's ever going to want to work with me or do anything, or the exact opposite. And so, like, when I did the podcast with him, it took us a while to get to editing, you know, because I was editing the podcast and it didn't. We didn't publish the first episode but the second. I published that episode.

Blake Rea: 35:27

This was like during formula one, the first formula one. So it was like two years ago, uh, no, two, two, like two novembers ago and, um, rob report, like the magazine was doing some something here like a like a house of rob event here in vegas and they like reached out and they were like, hey, like we want you to speak on our panel about watch collecting. Like we know you're in vegas like a great person to come, you know, host or be on the panel, and so, um, it was kind of a cool experience because I had never done anything like live. And here I am, like like three or four podcasts in and I'm already speaking on a rob report panel and my co, my co panelist, was, of course, editor-in-chief or the whatever for rob report, and then it was cameron bar, from kathleen tailored, which is, you know, like somebody who I've looked up to for like a real long time and he's just been such a wealth of knowledge.

Blake Rea: 36:23

Um, for, for me in the watch industry, like, um, and you know, we we had met before that, prior to um, because they have a vintage watch show that comes to vegas every year and I went there and I was looking for like, uh, like I'd save, to save some money. I was trying to get a speedmaster mark ii, yeah, and so, like a vintage one, like maybe even the racing dial if I could find it. Um, so I go around, I'm looking for like the mark ii. And then I'm asking everybody like, hey, do you have this? Or you know any type of like tonu speedies, um. And then you know, as I'm like asking this guy, he's like, hey, man, like here's my card. I look over and then I look at his card, I'm like, okay, just put in my pocket and walk away. And then I go back, I start watching youtube videos and I go through my favorites and I was like video that inspired me to get a speedmaster.

Blake Rea: 37:09

Mark 2 is the guy who I just met, who is now. Then I texted him. I said, oh shit, like, if you can help me find a speedy, you know like um, I'd be so grateful. He's like, oh, like, we see him every once in a while, but you, you know, if something comes up like good luck, you know, I'll let you know. So I ended up getting one. And then, yeah, just full circle moment, we did an event here with Doxa the next year and then I think he'd already came on the podcast at that point, but we'd stayed in touch. And then he came to my Doxa event, which was cool, you know, cause everybody didn't expect him to show up out of all the people you know like that would come to a local watch club event, um, and yeah, it's just kind of one of those things that you know, watches are just one of those hobbies that they you can either grow with people or like can push you away from people, and usually it it isn't the latter, um, but but everybody has their own, their own perspective on watches and and everybody knows that and appreciates that and that's what brings us together, that, like, you may like a navitimer and I may like a speedy or whatever, right, um, I do love a navitimer for the record, but, um, you get it, you get it like 100.

Blake Rea: 38:24

It's just one of those weird genuine hobbies and, um, the passion behind it is crazy. It's like something I've never seen or experienced before, because there's a lot of hobbies out there that they have like a rabid I mean gaming is the same like they just have rabid communities behind each game. You know'm a Resident Evil guy, so sorry if that offends you. Some people hate the Resident Evil series and the whole franchise and anyways, you just have people that are so passionate about the hobby it's more positivity than I think, any other community hobby that I've ever entered. And, yeah, I just kept going and same thing.

Blake Rea: 39:08

I haven't. I have no direction, like this is just all off the cuff. You know, a lot of times like I'm like, oh shit, like I have a podcast that I have to publish next Tuesday. I don't even have a podcast guest, you know, yeah, but I never. I've never gotten caught up in that where, like I haven't had one to publish and I hope I don't get there, um, but but no, I keep pushing every day, every week, to, to tell new stories and it just becomes now an extension of my personality. And you know, I feel like a lot of people in the watch industry, as a consumer of watch media, like they, they, they have some secondary motive, you know which is annoying, you know, and you know I get it like that's fine, whatever cool.

Blake Rea: 39:52

But you know you don't see a lot of content creators out there who are just in it for the passion, you know they're. They're selling watches, they're um, you know they have an ulterior motive to talk about watches, to profit off of them. And uh, and to me I've joked, you know, because I watched. Uh, I'm sure you've probably seen madman, like everybody.

Blake Rea: 40:12

Oh, yeah, yep so yeah, the whole first season they're talking about like, like developing a campaign for, like the smoking companies, like the tobacco industry, and then they're like, you know, they go back and they get all these these scientists and do all these research and they said, okay, well, smoking will kill you, smoking is toxic, like you'll have bad lungs, whatever you know, insert these things here. But then they go and they'd be like, well, maybe we should make smoking cool, you know, and just ignore all the bad things, and and so when I think about people that make content, that also sell watches, I the why, yeah, yeah, I think in a weird way about that season and that show, because I mean we're all enamored with watches and some of us make. I mean I know I've made bad purchasing decisions. I've seen a watch that I want so bad that, like I'm like, okay, well, I can eat ramen for a couple of weeks.

James Bachici: 41:09

Like how many you know?

Blake Rea: 41:10

like, or maybe like I'll go like I had. I used to have an Uber activation, like an Uber active Uber account, so like I'd be like okay, well, I can just go drive, you know, five days, like 12 hours a day, like to buy this water. You know what I mean.

Blake Rea: 41:25

Like I put myself in an overworked myself to to buy these things and um, so I, I know how one addicting the hobby, addictive the hobby, can be. Um and, and yeah, I know a lot of my friends that are also in my watch club. Like I joke with them, I say, look like if you make any bad financial decisions because of being in my watch club, like I feel like I need a waiver for you to sign, even though I don't have one.

James Bachici: 41:52

But jokingly, like I, I joke about that and uh, and so, yeah, it's just, it's just one of those hobbies, man, it's just one of those hobbies yeah, I mean, I think we all, we all do what we do for different reasons, right, there's always a why behind it and sometimes, um, you know it's, it's a respectable why, and other times it's it's more of a you know, get that bag why. Sure, sure, sure, sure. Um, for me, it's just, you know, I, I love engaging with people. For me, it's just, you know, I love engaging with people. I love talking to people and learning and adding more and process that they go through to make it, you know, final product so that they can place it in the watch, fascinates me and that's like I do it. Because of that, like I love making things, I always loved making things.

James Bachici: 43:00

I just wanted to find a medium or a good balance between, you know, spending two weeks on one video that's like seven minutes long that I am happy with to put out because I want to make it, because I want to learn about this brand and this particular watch and walk through its history and then feel good about what I put out, not because it's the latest and greatest hotness and I want to capitalize on SEO or whatever, but more because, like, I just find this watch fascinating and I want to talk about it, and then I, I I couldn't do that consistently, and so podcasting and talking to people, though, was a lot easier. Would you know, sit down, do some research on on a guest and then just have a watch conversation, just watch talk, and that that requires a lot less editing. It's still, you know, two to three hours per episode, but I can manage that on like a saturday and and do a few episodes. Um, the why is very, very important, right?

Blake Rea: 44:05

the why dictates a lot, and, yeah, I'm just I'm grateful that enough people have found my why to be worthwhile and and they've, they've decided to be a guest yeah, no, I'm, I think about that and I don't get even very analytical because I have, you know, friends who are like into like the numbers and metrics and all that. I'm just like I just want to post, you know, something that reflects my current state of my mind, like, if it does good, it does good. If it flops, it flops. You know, I don't even get into that flops. You know, um, I don't even get into that.

Blake Rea: 44:49

But, um, I also something, as a you know, fellow podcaster, I've also in my mind, like before I have a guest on like, I've like in my mind put together some type of formula how the podcast will turn out. So I guess my question now for you is um, has there ever been somebody who came onto your podcast and you're like, okay, here's the direction that I'm going to take this, and then it just like, you just go the opposite direction. But then, for the better of your podcast, you're like, okay, this is way cooler than I'd ever dreamed.

James Bachici: 45:20

The person that comes to mind is Andrew Morgan.

Blake Rea: 45:21

Oh yeah.

James Bachici: 45:23

Yes, just because our conversation lasted just shy of three hours, which was about an hour and a half longer than I expected it to be, and it it turned into a two parter and the first part, part one, at this point in time, is already published. Part two is yet to be published, um, but part two. We went on a wild journey that spanned, uh, korean pop, dramas, cheese, um, you know, cars, uh, bad purchase decisions, um, it was just, and I was along for the ride because andrew is just a phenomenal storyteller and he's magnetic in a sense. Totally, I had my large, big picture talking points and I was kind of like you know, let's just roll with it, I'm just going to have fun with it. It's Andrew Morgan, he knows what he's doing and I'm having a blast, so I'm just going to love the journey that we'll go on.

James Bachici: 46:32

And, yeah, that's how it turned into almost a three-hour long session that requires two parts for the interview, but I enjoyed it, I thoroughly enjoyed it and that's part of the magic. Again, my why is to have fun and meet people and learn new things, and that session fulfilled that why. And I was like why? Cause I'm having a good time with Andrew Morgan.

Blake Rea: 46:56

So we just rolled with it. Yeah, no, I um, I have your, your first episode. I need to go back and listen to it. I'm struggling to keep up. I've and the same thing with you. I feel like I'm at a meat grinder Cause. Yeah, I think I have like 15 YouTube videos to put together for brands that like, like are like hey dude, like what the fuck, where's our video? And I'm like sorry, like I'm, you know, like I do the best that I can, like I promise I'll get get it to everybody who are asking me, but I also have a bunch of side projects and a full-time job.

James Bachici: 47:33

I specifically stay away from time-boxed projects, though I will say that I have enough of that in my day job. I'm a producer, I have schedules, I have roadmaps, I have things that I need to see be completed by a certain time. For me to sign up for more of that in my hobby would be absolute madness. So I stay away from these time sensitive videos or projects. And what I do for fun, as a hobby, out of passion and love, should not stress me. And sometimes love should not stress me, yeah, and, and sometimes, you know, it's kind of inching towards that stressor arena which is like, oh, I, I need to publish this video by this date because that's when I promised everyone they would go out on is not something that I'm interested in? Um, yeah, or, or, you know, I'm actively fighting. So respect.

Blake Rea: 48:27

So respect to you, it's hard and I think people get it. You know cause this is. You know, creativity like this is like raw creativity. Like you know, I'm not the guy that puts a lot of structure into I mean I. I do my best to write, like and script everything because I'm kind of like an anti-content creator. Creator, I know that sounds weird but as as somebody who like has has understands that the YouTube space to a degree, like I see people who are intentionally making like longer content you know, just for watch time and I'm like, is, is that, is that ethical?

Blake Rea: 49:08

Like I mean, I ask myself, like would I would? I appreciate that understanding. You know how people get paid on YouTube and all this. And then, um, you know it really boiled down to um.

Blake Rea: 49:23

Last year I went to um, switzerland, to shoot content. You know I was lucky enough to have that opportunity um switzerland to shoot content. You know, I was lucky enough to have that opportunity and I got to go to a couple different watch manufacturers and shoot with them, and one of them I'm still working on bouvet. I got a chance to go to the bouvet castle manufacturer crazy and they they haven't even asked me about the video. They're like, they're so cool like I, I I have followed up with them saying like hey, like um, like um, but anyways, um, I went to Zenith, which is, you know, by far one of my top, top, top watch brands.

Blake Rea: 49:58

I went to Panerai and you know I went to, you know, some of the micros. I got to shoot some content with Ferlin, mari and all this, but but anyways, um, you know I did this whole Zenith factory tour and Zenith has, like they were like the first real manufactured kind of do in-house thing, where they're like, hey, we need to bring everything together and, you know, make it in-house and this and that, and they have like I think they have like seven, if I'm not mistaken like 17 or 18 different buildings on their campus.

Blake Rea: 50:28

And like this is done there, that's done there, that's done there, yada, yada, yada, um. So I literally was filming at a factory in the morning, then literally took a train to the zenith factory, filled at zenith in the evening and then took a train out to go to film at panoram in the morning, you know what I mean. So I was just like back to back to back and so, like I took this, I was there at their manufacturer like maybe like four hours, five hours, just shooting every single thing. And the girl, amazing person I was just talking to her today but you know she's like I don't want to be on camera, like I'm not that person. So you know, she's this little French girl, you know, and, and so I'm having to go back and like wait, what did she say?

Blake Rea: 51:15

And then I'm writing down little notes and then having to bring it all in and then redo the voiceover, pull the assets together and then deliver it, because I had no choice but to like rush that one out because the, the then marketing director at zenith was going to hublo. So I'm like, with my luck, like I'll have this video that never gets approved from zenith, like you know. So oh no and the day before she left I was like, okay, this is my deadline, boom, and I got. Anyway. That took this like four hour tour and consolidated into like three minutes.

James Bachici: 51:55

That's insane.

James Bachici: 51:57

That is absolutely insane. It is very cool, very glamorous, very difficult, very stressful, but also super rewarding. I've never been to Switzerland. That is one of the dreams I I would love to go, especially during watches and wonders. To see these factory tours and experience firsthand, like where these tiny wrist machines are being created, would be mind-blowing. I would constantly be pinching myself. The closest thing I got to that was back in 2015.

James Bachici: 52:30

Um, microsoft and xbox were hosting the greatest games in xbox history, like lineup for launch, and I think tomb raider, forza, motorsport 5 and halo 5 were like the headlining titles and working, uh, at 343 industries now known as halo studios. Uh, and halo 5 being my game, my game. You know what I mean. I'm part of a game. I work on a large team, of course, hundreds of super talented people.

James Bachici: 53:04

Um, we were asked to sort of travel the world during special events and showcase the game. I was setting up the build, propping the consoles, prepping press and also special guests, and then they would play the title. They played Halo Infinite Excuse me, halo 5. And then we would pack up and go to the next venue excuse me, halo 5. And then we would pack up and go to the next venue, and I was fortunate enough to have a team where I could, you know, work with them, where they would go in the world, and I had one teammate go to Australia, another teammate go to um, brazil, um went to Germany and the UK as well, and I chose the Asia tour because if I'm going to make the schedule, I'm going to pick where I get to go.

James Bachici: 53:57

Okay, so the closest thing I got to sort of running around doing mentally intensive work plus physically, uh, demanding work as well, um, long hours, uh, tear down, build back up, um, and then you know, work with press, you always you're on. All the time was during. That time was 2015. I was gone for a month and we did taipei, taiwan, we did hong kong, we did singapore, and then we finished off in tokyo, japan, dope, um, but. But you know all this to say it was physically and mentally exhausting, but you'd wake up and you'd go I'm in Singapore right now, shut up and get to work. You know, like that energy kind of like carries you, it's almost like a Red Bull for your soul. I would imagine it was very similar for you as well. Right, where you wake up and you're like I'm exhausted, but I have three Watchmaker Studio tours. Let's go.

Blake Rea: 55:11

It was worse at this past. Watches and wonders 2025. Um, because, uh, every single night, like it was, like I, I made the mistake of not flying in early, so, like I, I flew out on the 31st, I'm here in Pacific time. Um, I got there on the the first, I had like maybe like four hours or five hours to rest, zenith party, zenith 160th anniversary party, first night. Then, you know, I was like, oh shit, okay, like you, you have to do press on like day one and you have to get it out as soon as possible, or like everybody's just gonna click to other bullshit. So then I was like, after you know, coming back from this 160th cocktail party, like I just go right back into editing, like trying to get this video out the same night, popped it together, uploaded it day one, boom, done.

Blake Rea: 56:02

Um, then just all over again day two, I was like doing all the micros going around, I mean, every single night it was, I'd say, 12, 14, 15 hours of watch um experiences and then editing, and then low sleep. And everybody I talked to was like, oh yeah, like I got like two hours of sleep last night, like four hours of sleep, like I'm like I haven't slept, like you know, like, and I was there for what? Eight days, eight or nine days, so, um, dude, it was brutal. It was brutal but it was amazing and I honestly was. I was so scared to go out there, like, just because I just was like I don't know if I can handle this, like I don't know if my body, like, will be recoverable after this.

Blake Rea: 56:51

You know, because you know I work behind a desk and like I'm kind of like sluggish, you know my normal day and um, so, anyways, I was just like I don't know. And then you know, not only did I survive but I had, literally the whole time I had, uh, like maybe like a 60 or 70 pound camera backpack, yeah, yeah, three cameras. I had like light, a lighting kit, like a lighting package. I had like bounces and I had like batteries, like like v-mount batteries, which are freaking heavy. And I said, and there I had like my two tripods, my light stands hanging off of me like I was walking around you're walking studio dude, I literally was, and um, you know.

Blake Rea: 57:33

So, every chance I I got to sit down and take my backpack off, I was like, okay, this is, you know, cool, I'm just gonna survive, you know. So I don't know how I made it, but anyway you made it, did you have fun?

Blake Rea: 57:45

I did. Yeah, I got to see some crazy watches. Um, I got to talk with the brand. I got to see, like, how much of production it really is. Um, and and sophie like I got to meet sophie, I spent I spent all pretty much the entire entire show with sophie which was I saw all your stories.

James Bachici: 58:05

it was great. I mean, I smiled from ear to ear every time I would see you guys and I love that you both helped each other out with like capturing stuff.

Blake Rea: 58:11

It was so good it was it was, yeah, it was super dope, and I guess the concept for her and I was like like okay, you're working with all these micro brands, you know, like you know everybody in the micro brand space and like I think that I know a good amount of people and the the big box space. You know the swatch group brands and they'll you know swatch groups not there, but you get it like the richmont and the lvmh brands and all this, like I know all those people. So like why don't I sit on your, sit in on your meetings and you sit on all my meetings and like like, well, I mean, they'll love it, the brands love it because they get to do one presentation and get two pieces of content or three or four. And Sophie, like she has a way of taking one little moment and package it into like 50 little pieces of content. I'm like how do you do that?

James Bachici: 58:58

You know, like she's just so creative. She's so creative and so full of energy, life and bubbly. And also the way she pairs her outfits with the watches. Like I'm just like.

Blake Rea: 59:10

I don't know how you do that, she's, she's, she's joy, she's just joy 100, 100, like just to see her passion and uh, I told her, like you know, her passion is like very contagious, you know, when it comes to her like on camera presence, like the energy she puts into it, like it's very refreshing, it's amazing. Um, yeah, I mean, just getting to spend time with her and to kind of learn how her brain works was one of the cool, most rewarding things that I got out of it and to tend to build like a genuine, like friendship and relationship with her. Like you know, it transcended watches and wonders, you know, obviously, because after watching wonders were done. We were sitting there like, um, like we were, like you know, just hanging out, like doing dinner and, like you know, like meeting for breakfast and, like you know, just doing all these little things like walking together, like we're going to grocery stores together, like that's amazing it was super cool.

James Bachici: 1:00:10

It was super cool the watches have that superpower though, and I'm sure you've noticed this like where it kind of accelerates and you kind of speed run through, uh, friendship creation, whereas you know it would take you, you know, insert random number of days, weeks, months, yeah, yeah, to establish that same kind of relationship with someone that is outside of the hobby, um, watches and cars as well. I've noticed really kind of speed run you through that friendship, uh, mileage creation, generation, and you're just like, yeah, it's like we know each other since forever because, like you know, it watches and it's, it's fascinating, it's truly, truly fascinating and it's happened, uh, time and time again in my life. Um, I love it, I love it I do too and you can.

Blake Rea: 1:00:58

You can tell a friend in a weird way by like what type of watch they're wearing. I know that sounds so weird but, like you know, like funny story is, you know you talked about your navitimer, like like I'm a brightling guy, like so, because you're a brightling guy and I'm a brightling guy, like we're friends. But like a lot of the people like like who I know, like hate on brightling and I'm like well, my dad was a brightling guy, like so, like I have no choice, you know, and uh, and it's cool, and I don't think I don't know if I talked about this like really ever, but, um, you know, like my dad, uh, like my dad never really like was into watches and um, but he had like gotten a job at like a um, like a real estate brokerage and he was like training people like how to sell, sell homes and do real estate and client interaction, all this stuff. And so somebody came up to him and said, like dude, you need a nice watch, and so, and then I guess, naturally, right, I have a watch podcast, this was, this was like maybe last January, like last January, um, and and so like naturally, um, like he comes up to me he's like, hey, what should I get? And I'm like, well, like I gave him a vintage Rolex, he wore it. He's like this, sucks, I gave him. I gave him a Tissot PRX. He wore it.

Blake Rea: 1:02:26

Like I want something that's you know, that's got the name cachet to it, you know. And I'm like, okay, I don't really know what you're talking about. Like the tassau is a great watch, respectable um. But you know, he was like I want like a nice rolex or something. And so we went to like the jewelry store here and it was like me, my wife and my dad and uh. And then we went to like the certified pre-owned section for bucherer and um, dude, he found this like really gaudy, like rolex, like mother of pearl dial, like diamond bezel, like diamond markers, like date date, just like. Um, it was like I think it was like close to like 20.

James Bachici: 1:03:08

Oh, wow others are like 20 now hold on, because that sounds pretty cool to me. In like some in some scenarios. In some scenarios to each their own.

Blake Rea: 1:03:17

Um, it was, it was very flashy and I'm like I'm like, you know, he's like well, like, if you've got 10 minutes to find me, something better than this. Because he was like set on buying a watch, you know, and so I literally was like running around the store of my wife. I'm like think about something better than this. You know, because deep down, like I'm like I I wanted to watch. Maybe this sounds selfish or terrible or whatever, but I'm like I want to watch. That is one timeless, you know, and I'm not a very flashy guy. You know, this is my dad's watch. I'm thinking about this like this is going to be a family heirloom, you know, yeah, selfishly, um, like I want to watch that that not only he will enjoy, but I'll enjoy you know, um, not just because he enjoyed it or owned it, but I want to watch that I can genuinely enjoy.

Blake Rea: 1:04:08

And then so we go around and we land into the brightling case. We land on the super ocean 44, nice, um, two tones. So I had the gold bezel on rubber. And then, you know, he was like, oh, this is cool, like fuck, how much is this? It's like 6600, all right, box it, let's go.

Blake Rea: 1:04:27

You know, it's like I was like we're not only just dodge a bullet, but, um, like you know, like you don't need you don't need that to spend that much on a watch to get the same respect, like you're gonna get the same respect from a breitling as you will from a rolex, like people who know watches, know breitling, they know rolex, yada, yada, yada.

Blake Rea: 1:04:47

Like all the diamonds is mother of pearls, a little overdone. But then, um, it was cool, um, because we got to share that moment. And then, you know I think I don't know if I talked about this when my dad passed away in last august and um, and now that brightling's mine and and I wear it like all the time, and like when we were like me and my brother were like dealing with like the whole like estate and everything. Um, I was like I don't really care about anything but this brightling, like this is mine, like you can sue me, you can come and do whatever you want, but I'm keeping this like I don't care. You can have the car, you can have everything else, like I don't care, like this is, this is my you know thing that I get to kind of like you know, because it was cool, because you were there with him.

Blake Rea: 1:05:36

Yeah, we shared that moment together. It was so important and you know, my dad only had one watch. So he like woke up every morning like the first thing he did put on his bright light and then, whenever, because it had, it has a date complication, um, but like he didn't even know how to set the date. So, like every time, like one of those weird like months would come around where it's like 30 or like you know, like he'd call me or he, you know he, you know we, we, we live together for a period of time, um, and he was like just come, set it. You know, come sit and start to run down there in the morning before he runs out, and I'm like you know, I'm trying to flip the date around for him and everything, make sure it's set and all this and yeah, so I've got a lot of good memories with that and um. And so naturally I had to be a brightling guy.

Blake Rea: 1:06:21

And then, um, I picked up one of the, the, the 38 navis, like the navitimer ones, and I was like this isn't, this isn't a navitimer like, this is just a, a navitimer type brightling. This isn't a real navitimer. But then, um, I'm starting, uh, like a weird little series and you know, because I'm in vegas and, like people, unfortunately there's a lot of misfortune here, you know, and I maybe this is bad juju or whatever, but, um, I pick up a lot of watches from pawn shops here. You know, obviously I know what I'm looking for, um, but I picked that, that navitimer up at a pawn shop and then I got rid of it and then, like, maybe like five or six weeks, I was on the hunt for like a, like a chronograph, like a navi chronograph, and then I go in to the pawn shop here same one I picked up the first navitimer cosmonaut in the case, oh, wow, wow, bought it and I was like, I was like I don't even care, like how much this is, but this is the watch that I want, um, and you know, of course, when they, when I pulled, they pulled the price out and I was like like that's a great price in my mind, but I know you could do better.

Blake Rea: 1:07:42

Yeah, so I got, uh, my nap, my cosmonaut, for 2600 out the door. Wow, what year? Uh, it's one of the older, like mid-2000s now, because there's a couple generations of them yeah yeah, there's like the first gens which you know.

Blake Rea: 1:07:59

Those are, yeah, well 12 they're out there.

James Bachici: 1:08:01

15 yeah, they're crazy.

Blake Rea: 1:08:03

This is one of the more underappreciated ones but, um, from my understanding and I could be wrong on this and all the research that I did but this was the first generation to introduce the flyback, because I don't think the original navi, a cosmonaut, has a flyback. I could be wrong I don't think so.

James Bachici: 1:08:22

um, and for folks that don't know what the uh cosmograph is, um, it's basically a really advanced uh brightling navitimer but instead of having a 12 hour, uh plots, it's 24, which means that when both hour and minute hands are at the 12 o'clock, it is technically midnight and it will say 24 at the top and you'll have all 24 hours and that's just, that's just so cool. Because that that's so cool? Because that's the kind of watch that makes you work to tell the time, because we're all programmed to look at the hands real quick and glance and we know what time it is, but this watch forces you to actually pay attention to where the hands are pointing so you can tell the time, and that's just so, so cool.

Blake Rea: 1:09:08

Yeah, and so, as I started wearing it, there's a secret to reading it and people who have people who have the cosmonauts know, but it alternates in between arabics and plots and so, um, when it's on in arabic, like it's not an hour, you know like. Or it's not, sorry, it's not a minute, yeah right. But when you hit a plot, you're like, okay, this is 10, 15, 20, you know like or it's not, sorry, it's not a minute, yeah, right. But when you hit a plot, you're like okay, this is 10, 15, 20, you know like that is an amazing price.

James Bachici: 1:09:34

Oh, I am jealous. I would love a cosmonaut I would love a cosmonaut.

Blake Rea: 1:09:39

When I bought it, I took it to the brightling boutique and I was like like, hey, like I'm getting ready to buy this brightling. Like, do you have straps? Because I saw the strap was just busted, dude, and they had the, um, the old like buckle that folds through and it snaps over and I hate those like I hate those in Cartier, I hate those in every, every brand. Um. So I was like I want to buy a buckle right now and I want to buy a couple straps. And they're like, oh, yeah, cool, this is what we got.

Blake Rea: 1:10:05

And then so the guy's like, wait, you're buying a strap for a watch you don't have. I'm like, yeah, but I'm, I'm about to go right after this and buy it. You know, I just want to make sure I can wear it today. And then so the guy's like, wait, like, can you show me a picture of what you, what you got? I'm like, look, I just need a 22 leather black, leather black rubber. But just give it to me. I was like, okay, cool, like you know, like, flip it through my phone. He's like oh, you know, like you're getting a cosmonaut, like you found a cosmonaut at the pawn shop here. That's not like. And I'm like yeah, he's like how much do you pay if you don't like 26? He's like I will buy it right now on four grand, like I promise. And I'm like nah, dude, nah yeah, no, no, no, no.

James Bachici: 1:10:45

That's a keeper.

Blake Rea: 1:10:46

Right there, that's a keeper for sure, for sure, and so, um, I need to wear it. I need to wear it more often. I find myself like and where, like, if I'm gonna wear like my brain, I'm gonna wear my dad's brightling, you know, obviously. But, um, you know, and, and the cool thing I've noticed is I think about watches really differently.

Blake Rea: 1:11:06

I mean, maybe other people think this, but not on the are they like future? They're time keepers. They tell you the present, but they also tell you the past in the future. You know, because, like, I can tell you, like in a weird way, like what watch I was wearing, like when this happened, you know, like significant milestones in my life. I'm like, oh, I was wearing that watch, I was wearing this watch, or like I remember this happened and this walk, you know, like significant milestones in my life. I'm like, oh, I was wearing that watch, I was wearing this watch, or like I remember this happened and this one you know what I mean like I can think about, like I could catalog all my memories with my watches if I had to, you know that's, that's amazing.

James Bachici: 1:11:42

It's again, it's like a moment in time captured like a scrapbook almost of sorts. Um, and you know, we romanticize and wax lyrical about what watches mean to us, but it is a very personal journey and, to your point, we can all sort of have different ways of how we perceive or choose to um experience our journey with our watches. But there's overlap and I think there's beauty and and and I don't know some kind of magic and how. You know how, how we like. Yeah, I, I got married in the citizen Skyhawk. That's another reason why it's so special to me. It's the watch that I bought with my grandpa. I got married in it. Um, to your point, we have these milestone experiences not necessarily milestone, but these meaningful experiences in get it, you get it, and that's also part of my logic behind.

James Bachici: 1:12:55

Uh, when people ask me, like how, how do you find your, your audience and and your people? And the answer is you, don't you just be true to yourself and they will find you? Like, they will find you. It's like. It's like you and and and sophie, right, you found each other in switzerland at a watch nerd event and y'all bonded and connected. And then you, the next thing you know is like breakfast tomorrow yeah, okay cool. Groceries yeah, because we're gonna be here for a while, okay, cool. And then watches do that. They kind of again accelerate your friendship generator and things just happen. Um, they do. It's pretty unique and pretty special. So I think that's that's a really cool way of how you you perceive your watches as well yeah, and it's, it's.

Blake Rea: 1:13:40

It's weird because I I I've actually went through a huge consolidation like I had how did that go uh, it's been going. I actually sold a watch today, and I sold a watch today, but I bought two more well, follow-up question, but no, the one.

James Bachici: 1:14:02

Did the watch you sell cover the two watches you purchased?

Blake Rea: 1:14:07

oh okay, so you're still in the red but but the but the 40 that I sold covered the two that I just bought gotcha okay yeah, so like I had a bunch of like smaller watches that I just wasn't wearing, you know, like some moon swatches and like some g shocks and like some luminox stuff that like I had gotten like early into my journey and like they were cool for me at the time. But you know like I just ended up kind of in a weird way like transcending them, um, and the most important ones, of course, I kept. Like I kept my first swiss watch. You know like I kept that. I kept a watch.

Blake Rea: 1:14:48

I lived in istanbul and that that whole trip I just I just wore one watch that was just wow, very cool, all blacked out luminox watches and so, like I just I kept that. You know, of course, um and and so yeah, just the stuff that really had no meaning or purpose and it just wasn't getting where. And I think what really helped me through it is and I, of course I like, if I look at the bigger picture of things, I probably lost a lot of money, you know, like selling them um, because they're not, like you know, rolexes or paddocks or aps or anything crazy that um like I'd bought for a great price, like you know. But anyways, like I just really like what made me kind of get over. That is like I just know that they're gonna be worn, which is great, and I know that they're going to a good, a good home, and the watch I sold today, um. Last year I picked up um. Do you know? Do you know le jour?

Blake Rea: 1:15:41

the brand okay, so le jour is like an older, like french independent brand and in the 70s, like they had, like um a partnership with, with hoyer, and so like, like hoyer, like you talked about tom cruise, right, like so the, the porsche design chronograph, one which you know was worn in, and top gun, top gun, yep, um, a couple brands did like spin-offs of that, like you saw, like the hoyer pasadena, right. Then you saw, well, obviously, the, the, the orfina right or the iwc or the porsche design or whatever.

Blake Rea: 1:16:18

Um, so le jour was essentially like a licensing deal with hoyer and so I picked one up for uh at the watch show, like a couple years ago, like maybe last year or something, and I just sold it to my watch club that he was like. He literally was like fascinated on getting a porsche design, my chronograph like 10 grand, and I was like dude, just wear this, you know, and like let me know if it scratches the itch, you know. And then he got his porsche design, like literally like he texted me a picture this morning. Doa, dude, it arrived dead on arrival. The chronograph did not work, wow.

Blake Rea: 1:16:57

And so I'm like, oh fuck, like that's wow but anyways, um, his head's been spinning and he's just like dude, I just can't take your watch off and I'm like well, I can't put it on like I have, I just enjoy other watches. So like yeah, just just give me how much I paid for it and like we'll make it a deal very nice. And then so ironically, like I mean I sold him for like 850 bucks and he's like a good buddy of mine. But then I started finding some listings and they were like three grand and I'm like, oh, I guess I'm a really good friend, you know listen, it's gonna get mileage.

James Bachici: 1:17:34

It's gonna be worn. You made somebody happy. You're not wearing it, it's right, it's it's.

Blake Rea: 1:17:40

It's a win no, it's totally a win and um, and I even said like, like I'm gonna, um, I'm gonna get to to wear this any time. You know pretty much like I'm gonna have to borrow this any time. You know pretty much Like I'm going to have to borrow this from you. Yeah, it's right there. Yeah, it's accessible and he comes every single month to my watch club meetup. But the money that I did, so the watch that I did purchase today, dude, I've been going through a Zenith kick Like Zenith is like my I noticed that you're wearing the chronograph right now, are you not?

James Bachici: 1:18:13

yes, of course, beautiful, beautiful. I love those tri-sub registers.

Blake Rea: 1:18:17

God, I love it so much so good, um, but I picked up two vintage defies like from the 60s. So, um, I had reached, I saw, like, I saw a seller on ebay and I was, like you know, just doing the hunting, and then I went to his website and then, dude, he had some crazy vintage like heaters, like hoyer calculators and like like all this crazy stuff. Like I mean, he had he had some of the vintage porsche designs that we're talking about. I mean, um, and then so I went to his website, just like, shot a message from him, what's up? And he's like, dude, let's just do a video call tomorrow. Boom, that was today.

Blake Rea: 1:18:55

So, and then, um, you know, he apparently knows some of the, the guys here in vegas with me, like some of the guys I bought watches from, and, uh, and, of course, like you know, he's following the same people I'm following and he's, you know, vice versa, um, on instagram. But then he's like, oh, bro, like I don't know if you know, but it's buy one, get one free watch day, and I think it was, I thought it was fucking with me, you know. I was like, oh, okay, like you know, but he's like, he's like no, dude, like like, pick another one, wow, yeah, and he was like wow, I'm gonna give you like a two for one deal.

Blake Rea: 1:19:32

That's crazy, that's wild, it was the wildest thing ever. And then I immediately sent him the money so he can't like, he can't like, think about it like and say like I can't send these watches, yeah, but um, I got the, the vintage defies with like the octagonal cases, like the real harsh. Like I just kept thinking like I love those watches and like you had to be a crazy, a crazy bastard to wear those in the 60s, you know, and even even even so now you know, but yeah, but these are the kind of watches that you know, you wear and you go.

James Bachici: 1:20:06

there's so much history, there's so much story. There's so much history, there's so much story, there's so much mystique and allure and unknowns about this watch, and it makes you feel special and cool, right, like having something that's more unique and more niche. It just makes you feel a little bit different, doesn't it?

Blake Rea: 1:20:24

Dude, they're amazing. Like I said, I got two and he had one from every era, right, so they had like three, they like over the span of like the five or six years or whatever they were made. I don't like there's still a lot of like gray um information there, but he had like three different movement, three different calibers, like three different, you know, like levels of like, like um, like patina, and like I'm like, okay, like I want the oldest one, I want the newest one, and so like I'll skip the middle one, um, but, uh, but anyways, yeah, and then once they come back, like I've already been talking to zenith about, uh, like getting them restored, you know. So, wow, yes, I've, yeah, I've I've restored a lot of watches in my life and I, I'm gonna, I'm getting ready to start documenting these processes, like of like me getting a watch at a pawn shop, bringing it in, like you know, like filming it really close up the macro and like showing all the the wear and then like documenting the service experience. You know, cause, you know, I just don't think there's a lot of content out there, like you see, people like Marshall who are like poking out and doing that, um, but not a lot of people are dumb enough and stupid enough to send them back to the service centers. Like I am, you know. So like I kind of like, if I'm going to pay for that, you know, pay for that premium.

James Bachici: 1:21:53

Like I want to get you know content that nobody has, and so you're going to see that I'm excited to watch that, honestly, because that that sounds really interesting and exciting to see. The question that I have for you I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm interviewing you now. The question that I have for you I'm, I'm, I'm interviewing you now, okay, sure, do you? Do you plan on holding on to all these watches that you're going to take on this journey? You're going to hold on to? Okay?

James Bachici: 1:22:17

Because I was going to say as a uh, you know, potential buyer in the future, it would be really, really cool to learn a bit more about the history of this, this watch this guy, blake rea, is selling. You know what I mean. And then, and then you know, you're like, yeah, well, this is where I purchased the watch, this is its journey, this is how it went through service and this is what I did with it when he got back, like, you have a sort of service record, um, you know, or carfax, but for watches, that'd be pretty cool. I have a couple. I have a sort of service record, you know, or Carfax, but for watchers that'd be pretty cool.

Blake Rea: 1:22:52

I have a couple. I have a couple that have gone through this whole process and that's just content. That's in my queue. But I did it with SBD Mark two. It was at Omega for eight months, nine months, something like that I also got. Are you familiar with the? The Omega Seam master soccer references? Oh yeah, yep, got one of those, did the same thing, send it to omega.

Blake Rea: 1:23:15

Um, I picked up, uh like a santos medium busted at pawn shop, find cheap as dirt, you know, no bracelet, nothing, just a busted ass leather strap and a watch head. It didn't have a cabochon, dude, like, the crown was like the crystal, the cabochon like fell off at some point. Um, so, anyways, same thing, send it to cartier, like, and that was a rocky one. But I literally was going back and forth. I was like, dude, you're gonna, you know, like you know, the watch came back. I was just so disappointed when I saw it and I'm like you need to send this back immediately, you know, and this type of stuff that nobody talks about.

Blake Rea: 1:23:52

But then, um, I also picked up, uh, like one of the, the vintage ginta bulgari, like diagonals, oh yeah, yeah, like, those are yeah and cool like alpacino war one in heat. No, they're not really beefy, like 30, 35, 36 millimeter. I'll send you a picture, um. But it was weird because, you know like, as I'm like going through these pawn shops, like I can't say, hey, like, let me open this. You know what I mean. Like you know you, you get pawn shops that are weird. So I was like, why is this watch keeping perfect time? But why does the chronograph not work? I was like what the hell? Like something's weird, you know, um, because, like I said, it was just dead accurate, but I just, whenever I pressed the chronograph, like nothing would happen, couldn't reset it, didn't do anything.

Blake Rea: 1:24:39

So then I bought it and I was just like, okay, like it was a cheapy, you know, like 600 bucks, something like that. Um, I took it home and then I opened it up and it was one of those frederick pk like mecca courts, like one of the first mecca course movements, like from the 70s, and I was like, well, that makes sense, because the main timekeeping is battery powered, you know, but the chronograph is mechanical, you know, and it, dude, had this like all um, like rhodium finished, like like movement. I mean, dude, it was freaking beautiful, like you know. And so that's back at bulgari right now, which has been like 10 months, you know.

James Bachici: 1:25:22

So this is like, I mean, this is content, that's like long game shit, you know right through the sheer nature of how slow service intervals sort of take place with with all these brands. You kind of have to you, by nature of it, have to have multiple, multiple, multiple watches in flight, just so you can kind of have a cadence that makes sense. Otherwise you know you're waiting what? Six to nine months, maybe even even a year for some of them. It's, it's, it's a very complicated sort of game of hopscotch.

Blake Rea: 1:25:57

Yeah, the. The only reason why I haven't sent the Navi in is because I heard Breitling is so bad with their service. You know, like I heard they're so backed up and they, they told me like the people at Breitling were like, do you just enjoy this? Because when I was like, I was like like turning the crown, like winding it, the crown fucking fell out. I like pulled the crown. I was like, oh okay, so then I put the crown back in. I just like, literally I'm trying to like parse it, and then the crown never fell out again. So like lucky there. But, um, yeah, so that will be one in the future. And this is all content that, like you know, I don't. I don't think there's anybody else out there that that's doing stuff like that.

James Bachici: 1:26:36

At least I haven't seen it, you know well, no, not, especially not with, like, the number of watches and the varied type of watches that you're talking about. It's, it's, it's cool, it sounds really cool and interesting. You have to send me some photos of the, of the cosmonaut, because it's so nice.

Blake Rea: 1:26:54

Congrats, well done it's dope and I, I literally was like I have to have a flyback chronograph in my collection. You know, at some point right, and now I have, I. I weirdly, I'm like I want this, I want this, I want this. Complication like this is the complication. And you know, now I have a couple. Oh, I've got. This is probably the worst one to do this project with, but I got a busted ass hublo, big bang, unico flyback chronograph like the skeleton. Oh wow, a thousand dollar watch. Like a busted ass one. Like I mean, this thing is busted dude. Like, um, I like took a shower, I put it. Like in the same like I shut the door to the bathroom like left it dude. I come out and it's just like condensation, like oh god, oh no, oh no, the date complication like you can't even change the date on it unless you're lucky like I'd say like one out of ten times you can change the date.

Blake Rea: 1:27:50

Um, and then so, once the condensation happened, I was like oh shit, like I'm like screaming away. Unless you're lucky I'd say like one out of 10 times you can change the date. And then so, once the condensation happened, I was like oh shit, I'm like screaming. My wife like, hey, go get this screwdriver. I literally took the whole watch apart to get all the condensation out of the crystal. That sounds horrible.

James Bachici: 1:28:04

What I will say is to your point earlier where you said that you know you had quite a few watches that you weren't wearing and some of them were, like you know, swatches or what have you. Um, and and a couple minutes ago you just said that you really wanted a flyback chronograph. Yep, the thing is, nobody says that in the beginning, like nobody says I really, you know, you know what I want. Missing a flyback chronograph, I'm missing a flyback chronograph, that's what I'm missing. Nobody says I really, you know, you know what I want. Missing a flyback chronograph, I'm missing a flyback chronograph, that's what I'm missing.

James Bachici: 1:28:34

Nobody says that unless you've gone through the journey and and sort of racked up the mileage. So when you say things like I've let go some watches that weren't you know, that didn't imprint themselves on me, I didn't experience meaningful life experiences with these watches, um, therefore they don't have like a sacred place in my heart and therefore within my watch box, when you say things like I've let go of some watches, um, that is experience and mileage on full display and therefore that is when you can say things like you know what I really need, I need a flyback chronograph. Nobody says that unless they've, you know, purchased the 10, 20, 30, dozens and dozens of watches that they've lived through, lived with and have sold and now go. Yeah, but a flyback chronograph is is what my life really needs right now.

Blake Rea: 1:29:25

You know I I've always, I've always been fascinated by chronographs, which are, people say, is the least useful complication, and I love them too. Like I love them, I use them. Um, but then you know, to have a brightling, navitimer, cosmonaut, 24 hour dial, you know, slide circular, slide ruler, and have a flyback chronograph like it's just.

James Bachici: 1:29:54

It's just so cool, it's got so many weird things in it, yeah so many weird complications that you know we don't necessarily need in our lives. But you know, it's one thing to say that I have an avatar, which is cool in and of itself it's very cool. I mean, I have one, I love it, it's gorgeous, I'm a big fan. But it's a whole nother proposition to say I have a brightling navitimer cosmonaut with a flyback chronograph, 24 hour dial, not bezel dial, um, and yeah, it's really old and cool. Like it's just a whole nother proposition. It just there's levels to this, there's levels to the nerd dump, you know it would be a lot cooler if I had a bracelet for it.

Blake Rea: 1:30:39

That's where I'm at now. I'm like you know, like when you see, like Matthew McConaughey, oh, that'd be a lot cooler if you did, bro, you know what I mean Like that needs to be the next, the next little like checkbox for that Navitimer, like I need the bracelet and and yeah, I'll get it, don't, don't you worry.

James Bachici: 1:30:56

I have no doubt. I have no doubt. I can't wait for you to get it and to include it in the video, like I want to see that video.

Blake Rea: 1:31:03

Yeah, I'll send you some pictures. Yeah, I mean we spent an hour and a half. I mean I could. Um, yeah, I mean we spent an hour and a half. I mean I could go forever. It seems like I literally had so many questions that like we didn't like even like touch on, so I have the time or we could do it let's just do it, let's go for it let's do it okay, go okay yeah, I'll run through it.

Blake Rea: 1:31:23

we'll run through. Um, hit me, what's the topic of conversation that you think the watch community isn't having enough? Hmm, great question. I got a bunch of great questions. That's why I was like, fuck, I need to use these Great question Um, I think it's.

James Bachici: 1:31:40

Um. It's very important for us to remember that we all have our own individual tastes and preferences. Some of us really need a flyback chronograph in our lives. It seems like, uh, but not everyone does, right, not everyone does, but you have the wherewithal, the sensitivity and the experience to know that that's you and that means that it's it's. It's not wrong or incorrect for me to not want that.

James Bachici: 1:32:06

I think what we don't talk about enough within the watch community is that it's okay to have very different tastes and preferences and flavors, and just because we don't share them doesn't make us inherently wrong or incorrect. This is more not necessarily directed towards the community, but more towards comments on YouTube videos or Instagram posts where people are just like I'm behind of a keyboard and I'm invincible. So I'm going to dunk on your preference and taste because I can, and if what you say or what you put out is not what I agree with, it's automatically wrong. Uh, that hurts my soul and it it to me speaks uh at a lack of um, uh, maturity and understanding. Um, because if everyone liked the same things, it would be such a boring industry. It would be such a boring place, such a boring hobby to be in, you know. But like I learned about that French brand that you discussed earlier that had ties to Hoyer, that I didn't know about that, I'm now curious about to want to learn more, I didn't know about that, I'm now curious about to want to learn more. It is that aspect that I think needs more, more, more light, more understanding, more, more peace. It's okay to not like the same things, and just because of like a brand, that's another thing.

James Bachici: 1:33:42

If a brand puts out a watch, it's not for everyone, I promise you it's not for everyone. I promise you it's not for everyone. In fact, from its inception, it wasn't designed to be for everyone. It's for someone. And if that someone is not you, because you don't like it, be cool with it. It's not for you. Walk away, look at other things, look at things that you do like, just feel, feel okay, you're you're, you're raising your blood pressure for no reason it's like you didn't even invest a single dollar into this watch, but you are just slam dunking on it being shitty and offended.

James Bachici: 1:34:14

I am very offended for something that had nothing to do with I haven't invested time, energy, money or sweat or blood into. But now I'm offended for some reason and you know it's it's free speech, it's you can. You know it's it's free speech, it's you can, you can do it, but I, it's you're. You're yelling into the void and you're not changing anything. You would be better off to not raise your blood pressure and just be like, just understand that not everything is targeted or made for you, right? No?

Blake Rea: 1:34:40

it's for someone.

James Bachici: 1:34:42

It may not be it's facts.

Blake Rea: 1:34:44

And you know, a lot of times when I have these podcasts and I have like once I get confirmation from a brand or something that somebody is coming on, I'll go to my watch club and say like, hey, I've got the CEO of and this is a perfect example, the CEO of Docs are coming on my podcast, ceo of Doxa coming onto my podcast. And so I had to bring up the fact that they came out with like the sub 200T diamonds, which is just like an all iced out diamond up diver's tool watch. And I had to bring it up, you know, because I was like you know, like I was like I don't understand this, and he was like, well, you don't have to because we are selling these. And you know, like I was like I don't understand this and he was like, well, you don't have to because we are selling these. And you know, in the middle east, where people don't want to be seen wearing a two thousand dollar dive watch, they want to be seen wearing a ten thousand dollar.

Blake Rea: 1:35:35

You know, micro brand or whatever. You know what I mean. Um, and the fact that you know there's. He was just like. You know it was a very strategic decision and I was like and and after that podcast, I got so many, so many dms from people that were like thank you for asking, because now we understand why this watch exists. And I was like I didn't understand either, you know. But but a lot of, a lot of time, energy, effort, money, like things that we may never understand, you know goes into. I mean these and a lot of times. These products are, are are well thought out for years in advance.

James Bachici: 1:36:13

Yeah, yeah, absolutely. I mean the project, the, the product life cycle takes years and millions and millions of dollars of research and development to actually put a product out today. It's been cooking for three to five years, maybe even more if it's, if it's a new movement, you know, and some people don't understand that it's. It's not like they dreamt it up last year in september and then in april they're like and now it's now, it's live, we go ahead and buy it. It doesn't work that way. If anyone that has been in any production capacity to see the runway required to conceptualize, research and develop, uh, test, prototype and then actually try to put something out, it takes years, thousand percent.

James Bachici: 1:36:59

Another another great example, by the way, of like why is it? Why are you making this? Because it's kind of anti and antithetical to what your brand stands for. Porsche did not want to make the cayenne, they did not want to make an suv, but you know why they did range rover. They made an suv because people were buying big cars and people were spending big money and the profit margins in an SUV over a standard car are much higher and they needed that influx of money. If you want that hardcore, pure driver-focused, enthusiast Porsche that you deem is the pure essence of what a Porsche is, you have to also be okay with that same company making a big SUV so that they can make money, so that they can actually have that division that produces that GT3 RS that you might necessarily not deem the core target audience, so that they can have money to make the thing you want to buy facts.

Blake Rea: 1:38:13

No, yeah it, that's an interesting, an interesting dialogue. Um, you talked about having you know your, your citizen, um blue angels, your navi, like what, what's next for you, like in collecting you know, is there anything like you're eyeing, like like on on the on the horizon?

James Bachici: 1:38:34

here should I bust out my chrono 24 wish list. Uh, I'm not gonna do that, but you can skim it, you can skim it um, as if I have to, I already know what's on there.

Blake Rea: 1:38:46

Yeah, no, I mean you can let people know who've got ears.

James Bachici: 1:38:53

It's a lot we start out with. I only want this watch and I started out with, like, my dream watch is the Breitling Navitimer and, as we all know, if you're listening to a watch podcast, you already know you're watching it, you're already in the thick of it, you've been infected, it's too late for you, so stick around. The thing is, um, there's so many different reasons and excuses and and ideas that we come up with and we just keep adding them to the list. So for me, I don't see an end to it. I I respect and appreciate people. They're like I'm gonna have a core six watch collection or a core three watch collection. Respect, I respect you. More power to you, godspeed. I stopped doing that in like year three, where I got super serious about my watch. You know addiction and it's like hey, if I, if I can save for it, I will buy it. When I can afford it and I'm once I get it, I'm going to go to the next one and save, and when I can get it, I get it and then I'll go to the next one. But to answer your question, I have a milestone birthday watch cooking right now with Armand, who's the sweetest man ever from Sartori, biard. It is a custom SB04E that I'm really excited to get. Uh, it is for my 40th birthday and it's got a back engraving, it's got a custom, uh, two-piece dial that I I built out with him and I'm just absolutely over the moon and I can't wait to have it. Um, that's in the wings, that's already been paid for and I just you know to have it. That's in the wings, that's already been paid for. We're just waiting right now.

James Bachici: 1:40:32

After that, I am absolutely enamored and am fascinated by Spring Drive. I would love SBGA 211, aka the Snowflake, because it's beautiful. I know it's cliche. It's the watch that put Grand Seiko on the map as far as North America is concerned. I don't care, I don't buy the watch for that reason. I buy the. I want the watch because I just really think it's cool, it's beautiful, it's that continuous seconds, that constant secondhand, that's just gorgeous. Um, I really want one of those and I really liked the, the power reserve on on the front as well. Not that I mind a back case power reserve, but I really like the Snowflake, so that will hopefully be added to the collection at some point in the future.

James Bachici: 1:41:13

Nice, outside of that, there's this really cool Omega, speedmaster, solar, something rather the name escapes me. It was done in collaboration with this aviation light aircraft thing. It's made out of titanium. That's one of the main reasons I write why I really like it. I love titanium, um, like a material science nerd. Generally speaking. Um, it's got this like carbon fiber dial titanium case and it's got ties to aviation. I think it's really really cool. They're not too expensive, but obviously they've been discontinued for quite a while, so that I'm hoping to add one day to the collection.

James Bachici: 1:41:52

I'd also love to have a Panerai as well, ideally in titanium. I like the 177 a lot because it's got the small seconds. The 176 is pretty cool as well, but there's something about Panerai and a sandwich dial and that loom and that just like tough cool crown guard situation where, like the navitimer, you can spot it from across the room. Be like that's a panerai or that's a navitimer, like there's something timeless and iconic about it, uh, that I would love to have in the collection. Um, I can keep going, but I think that's enough. I gave you three watches. I gave you four.

Blake Rea: 1:42:28

I I am a degenerate because I have the um, the new blue dial grand seiko that they came out with this past year, limited to 300 very nice congrats, well done, I have, I have what three panoramas, two panor, three, I don't even know anymore. I have the 44 Luminor and then I just picked up the Quaranta radio, oh, yep, yep, yep, yep, freaking, amazing. And I had the 45 radio mirror before and looking for my next one, you know, rip. Rest in peace to my bank account.

James Bachici: 1:43:07

The dream is to go to Florence, in Italy, and pick one up from their showroom slash museum. That would be a dream. The dream is to do the same thing with the Snowflake as well. Go to Japan, go to Tokyo and pick one up. It's an expensive proposition, given that traveling to these locales in and of themselves is very expensive. And then you're like oh, and now I'm also going to drop somewhere between I don't know four and eight grand on a watch maybe, depending on what you pick up.

Blake Rea: 1:43:41

Right, that's expensive. We're not made of money we have're. And yeah, I know I I thought too like just being in the industry would make watches cheaper.

James Bachici: 1:43:53

Yeah.

Blake Rea: 1:43:53

No, it's still very expensive, I guess. I guess in somehow my mind I was like, oh, if I get the watch industry somehow some way, like watches will get cheaper or like the exact opposite happened.

James Bachici: 1:44:08

You now have access to more watches and more people, and now you know more, and just because you know more, you want more.

Blake Rea: 1:44:12

Well then, like you know, when I like there's important, like I've noticed, like when I have some big podcast guests on, like I'm like, okay, well, now I need one of their watches. And that happened with ulysses nardone. So I was like, well, I had the president of un come on and then when I went to I mean this was before, but, um, ever since, I found a watch like from one of my dealers and it had like the serial number was the same podcast number, like. So, like you know, like this was like like yeah, anyways, so like it was released I think it was, I don't know, I have to look. I have to look but it was like the same podcast episode number, like 22 or something like that. I don't know about you, but that sounds like destiny. So, yeah, because you know for for you, and they have like a plate here on the side with the serial number. So I was like I bought that and then just to, just as I got closer to like the brand because, dude, they're freaking amazing they're wild, they're absolutely wild.

James Bachici: 1:45:22

It is that is mind-blowing how they can blend sort of their historical um, uh, historical significance and and all their watchmaking with like this crazy, uh, modern, forward thinking, silicon and the freak in it of itself, like just it's very, very cool, very impressive. And the air did you get to see the air at the? Um? I wish I could buy one.

Blake Rea: 1:45:44

Yeah, Did you get to see the air at the? I wish I could buy one, yeah. Yeah, I was joking with Matthew, which is like the the boss guy, you know. I was like hey, man, like I like this, but I can't afford this, you know, and he was laughing, so I I dropped my hints you know, but but no, no, funny, funny.

Blake Rea: 1:46:09

My hints, you know, but but no, no, funny, funny, funny, funny, um, because, uh, you know, I had met fx, which is like the president, and then he came on the podcast, like you know, and um, and then he, he came back to vegas and like something happened, like somebody like he had a meeting or something that got canceled, um, and so he like called me and it was like, like you know, we had, we had kept up on instagram, but he's like dude, I'm in vegas, like let's have breakfast, and I was like okay, the fucking president of un has asked me for breakfast, like I'm gonna drop everything I'm doing and go, um, and then, uh, and then so we're sitting there having breakfast and then you know, matthew, like boss, big boss man, like comes down and like sits down there with I was like oh shit, like you know, like, and then um, so so then you know, because fx, like I bought, I bought my watch from my dealer, but then fx was like like like I'll help you get a bracelet and do all this, you know.

Blake Rea: 1:47:01

And so I got a bracelet from, from, from fx, and you know, then matthew was like I've never seen. So they, they use that bracelet on a different dial color. They don't have it on my dial color. So I was like one of the I guess I don't know if this is the case, but I was one of the few people that had this dial color with this bracelet, because they don't say cool it's like a mesh, like woven mesh bracelet, that specific reference.

Blake Rea: 1:47:27

So so then when matthew comes down, he like looks down on my wrist. He's like, oh, like, can I see that? You know? Like takes it off, takes a picture. Like he takes off his like prototype un and like takes a picture of, like, my humbled un diver. You know, that's just so cool. And then they're like we're going to some like site visits if you want to come with us, and I was like, yeah, that's amazing yeah.

Blake Rea: 1:47:51

So then you know, I know all the retailers here, but then when we went to Switzerland for this past year, like the guys from, do you know, rashaun and Perry Perry Dash from the Rish Check Pod, do you know?

James Bachici: 1:48:07

um, rashaun and um and perry, perry dash from the wrist check pod. You know, uh, I've, I've.

Blake Rea: 1:48:09

I don't know them, but I've listened to them yeah, so they were doing like um, like, uh, like a party, like with you in, and so this is why, like next year you just have to come with me, um, and and it was like a, it was like a who's who of watch people, you know, like I mean, everybody was there, like you know, sitting I was sitting next to fx, like across from me, uh was georgia benjamin, you know, amazing, amazing creator. Then ben's watches and then roman scharf and um, something happened with nico. Nico was like nico ended up like leaving um, but you know, just everybody in the watch industry sophie's there, then um, lydia in um, and voo, which also have a great watch podcast and I mean it's just a who's who of the watch industry and uh, it was just an amazing experience. And then, of course, you know you've got rashaun and perry and just I mean it was just crazy, crazy experience.

Blake Rea: 1:49:11

And and after the whole dinner we like took this bus and went out to like this like little, like wine place, vineyard, and uh, and then we all, you know, just it just turned into like a huge dance party and then everybody from un's dancing and like you know what I mean. And then I was thinking this was like 1 am, you know like 2 am something like already just crazy tired and I'm like, fuck, I have to get up and film with matthew, like I literally had like scheduled to sit down with him like his whole p I was with his whole pr company and like all this and I'm like I don't even know like if I can make it to my bed tonight like, let alone the interview you know to film for you tomorrow. Um, somehow I did it, but you know then, like sure enough, like after that whole night, like he just literally just like came in, let's just game on. I'm like, wow, like these guys are fucking amazing, you know they make.

James Bachici: 1:50:07

So it was like like on professional, very, very on point after after all of that.

Blake Rea: 1:50:12

Yeah, I mean just to see, like, how people let loose, and then I'm sure my dogs are literally trying.

James Bachici: 1:50:19

They sound adorable.

Blake Rea: 1:50:21

Going for the cameo. Going for the cameo, um, but but no, like just to see, like both sides of the spectrum, like crazy, fun and and crazy, uh, like professional, and just get down to it. I mean they, they blend the spectrum of of crazy and and you know, and professional, yeah, yeah very cool, very impressive like that.

James Bachici: 1:50:45

That sounds like it was a lot of fun and something that I hope to maybe one day experience. I mean just the mere uh idea of being in switzerland for a watch event is sort of a? Um, it's going to sound cheesy, but almost like a spiritual experience. You know, we're like I'm in switzerland for a watch event full stop like if you're into watches, that sounds amazing. Um, let alone to have, like a bunch of other industry folks that you know you get along with well and and have fun, that sounds awesome it's there.

Blake Rea: 1:51:15

Yeah, next year we'll see we can plan it together if you're, if you're up and for it. Um, if somebody, okay, so let me come out on the record. And if you're listening to my podcast now and you've made it fucking two hours listening to us talk and you have not listened to james's podcast, I don't know what is wrong with you yet. But, um, if somebody, if somebody could listen to one episode of you know, the time is, you know which one do you think best represents like your, your, your character, your persona best? I don't, I don't see you as a persona, but you know you're just like hey, look, if, if you could carve one episode into stone forever, which it is on the internet, so it will be, but you get it like if, if you could say, look, this is the only episode you need to listen to to understand who I am and what I'm trying to do and I thought we were friends.

James Bachici: 1:52:10

And then you hit me with like these tough questions, man, like what is happening right now? Like I, I, I know I'm sorry, no, no, it's fine, it's a great question again. Great question. Um, weirdly enough, so a lot of people message me and they're like you are gonna chat with andrew morgan. I'm like, yeah, I'm gonna chat with andrew morgan. They're like that is so cool. Like how did you do that? I'm like, well, you know, we go back.

James Bachici: 1:52:32

He came, he came by seattle back in 2023 and you know we hung out for a couple days and we became friends, uh, and they had a more sort of animated reaction to that. But I would say, personally, I geeked out, nerded out and was in absolute awe when I, when I was able to interview armand biard of sartori biard, this very small independent uh micro brand the guy was a designer back in like the 90s and 2000s and like he just kept blowing me away with all the things and all the sort of uh coincidences in life, overlapping uh just experiences things that you know I grew up with and sort of appreciated. Like he designed a Nokia, like a classic Nokia phone, a Nokia phone that millions and millions of people know and would recognize if they saw it the.

Blake Rea: 1:53:33

Razr.

James Bachici: 1:53:34

No, no, even before that, even before the Razr, he designed that. He designed a bunch of other office products that millions of us have interacted and engaged with, but we wouldn't know that he's the guy that actually designed them. So my interview with Armand Biard of Sartori Biard is one of my absolute favorites, just because of the awe and wonder that he was able to sort of lay out and just keep blowing me away Like I was just impressed, just as is with his company and the watches that he produces and context. He is a uh a watchmaker that uh uses a bunch of manufacturers, uh all well-respected uh within the watch industry and allows people like me to access a bespoke watchmaking experience and build a watch that is is not requiring me to mortgage a house. Right, you can get a bespoke piece unique watch made by armand um for less than forty five hundred, which, in the watch space again, that is not a small chunk of change. That is a lot of money. However, in the grand spectrum of things, when you're talking about piece, unique or bespoke watches, that you can actually talk to the guy that will be making the watch for you and he will ask you what's your favorite color, what are you into, what's your background, do you have any family stories that you want to share, things that he can incorporate into the watch he takes you on that journey? And to be able to do that for less than, let's say, $5,000 is unheard of within the watch industry. Again, it's not a small chunk of change. It's a lot of money, but it is not.

James Bachici: 1:55:26

In the grand scheme of things, when you're in this arena and I was just blown away by his, by his company, his brand, his ethos and his approach to watchmaking, in that you can have a 3500, four thousand dollar watch or you can go a hundred thousand plus, depending on what wild and crazy invention you want to do. He, he can do it, but, but, but just the gamut, the, the spectrum that he covers between like thirty five hundred dollar watch that you, you know I can work with you and get some modifications and make it your own, uh, all the way up to like twelve thousand maybe, if you want, or a hundred k plus tourbillon, uh, custom engravings, absolute works of art that you can say. There are many watches in this world, but only one of them looks and sounds like this, because I worked with the creator to make it. That is wild.

James Bachici: 1:56:16

So for me personally, that was my favorite. Uh, not that, not that I have a favorite guest they're all special and I love them all but the one that blew me away the most in that I I saw him from afar, I appreciated his brand, I loved his work, and then he said, yeah, I'll, I'll come on your podcast. And in that podcast I learned so much more about him that I just I was blown away.

Blake Rea: 1:56:44

So, no, that's amazing. And yeah, that's a brand that, respectfully, I haven't paid really any attention to, and and I had the same conversation. Uh, I feel like I have this conversation with every brand, like I'm not out looking for watch brands Like I probably should be, you know but like I'm just trying to like support the brands that I do know that I am passionate about. You know, um, and I had that conversation today with like, with like norking, you know, like a brand that, like everybody knows norking at this point. But, like you know, I was telling their marketing people like, yeah, like I've been to some of your events, like you guys have great, a great product. And same same thing for like maurice lacroix.

James Bachici: 1:57:35

Yep, like I really enjoyed your, your episode with maurice lacroix and um, and they're such a great brand that's so underappreciated, agreed stefan and andre are first class again, gentlemen, so nice, so kind, so sweet, and they don't have as much uh of a spotlight on them as they deserve.

Blake Rea: 1:58:00

So completely agree and and it was one of those brands where, like um, I had like andre had reached out and like I was like, oh, marissa, qual, like okay, cool, like I was like really early into this whole journey and, um, you know, I wasn't working with the same amount of brands that I was, I guess, at this point now, um, but then he's like, hey, I used to live in vegas.

Blake Rea: 1:58:22

Like I'm coming to vegas, like you know, let's do it, like, let's meet up, and so like he texted me and I was, like you know, I'm always like just trying to be very accommodating, but I was like, yeah, like I'll come pick you up at the airport and like we'll go like have watch club event. So like we had beers and like some of his friends came out and we, like you know, spent like five or six hours just like chilling, like you know, talking about watches, like you know philosophy, like you know, after the first hour, like the watches just kind of like fell to the side and he was just, like you know, talking about me and like my, you know what I'm trying to do in the watch industry and like all this. And then um took a couple weeks for for us to get stefan on um and then full circle funny um on june 5th.

James Bachici: 1:59:15

I was gonna say there's an event coming up, isn't there?

Blake Rea: 1:59:18

there is yeah, tell me, it's gonna be freaking amazing. We um have this art studio, so they did a watch with wado, okay, and we have this art studio. It's just a literally like a blank canvas and um, and the whole concept was to like, like, literally get like a camera and like, blast it and like, have wado, like like drawing art for all the guests and then so people are watching it, like on the walls and all this, and then, for whatever reason, like, wado, like just had a scheduling conflict, it just couldn't happen and we just had such a small date, um, because stefan's coming too, so, so, so now it's just going to be. I know it's such a downgrade from the epicness that we have, but, um, we've like went in and like, we've made a drink like this, this is, I mean this, this is like some next level event planning that I've never done, you know, but we like went out and made a cocktail for every collection you know, for them.

Blake Rea: 2:00:16

So that way, like, um, you know, like the masterpiece or the pontos or whatever you know like, can you tell me what's in the icon? Uh, yeah, let me pull it up. Um, yeah, let me see, because we've been going back and forth for a couple months now. Very cool, um, all right, let's see. So the pont so actually so funny. Um, because, uh, so I was texting andre, I was like oh yeah. He's like, oh, what do you? Was like we're working on this panel, like, do you want to be on the panel? He's like, no, I'm just going to be in the back like sipping Ponto or sipping icons. Uh so the I the icon is an urban, old fashioned, bold, modern and assertive. You know, like an old fashioned served on the city rooftop bar bar. It's all about timeless and cool with a modern facelift. The chronograph for the skeleton version, that's, the smoked variant with a spicy kick so I spent some time with the 39 mil skeleton icon in stainless steel.

James Bachici: 2:01:15

Um, it was on loan while I was uh in italy and it was. It was a family trip. Uh, not, not with marise lacroix, it was my family, with my wife and I. We went to italy, um, but uh, andre was super sweet and kind and loaned me the watch and I wanted to sort of have this, this recurring theme where maybe, when I travel, um, I will take one watch and that will be my travel watch and it'll be a sort of memory generator and a special special time. Um, uh, establisher, right Like the, that, that moment in time will always be tied to me wearing the Maurice Lacroix icon 39 skeleton stainless steel. There you go, um, and it was phenomenal.

James Bachici: 2:02:03

Titanium one, why not? So the timing wasn't great because the titanium one wasn't out yet, or there were, I think it was very limited. So Andre couldn't get me the titanium one, because you know I love titanium, like I said. But I fell in love with the 39 mil and it was great, like, I absolutely loved it, my wife loved it. By the end of the trip, I told uh, I told andre, I was like this hurts, it hurts, I have to send it back. It hurts me, it hurts my soul. I love it.

Blake Rea: 2:02:33

Yeah, I know, I felt that way because I had the, I had the pontos on loner, um, I had the white and blue pontos and, um, like he came to town like a second time and then he, I was just like I'm just going to leave it with you. I was like, oh okay.

James Bachici: 2:02:48

That's what he did with Adam from Watchcology. They met and he's like, yeah, I'm just going to. He just gave him the watch off of his wrist. It was a 42 mil blue dial, icon Andre's, just the best.

Blake Rea: 2:03:00

I know, yeah, he's, he's became like a really good close friend. And so I've been thinking about like, because now, like, I somehow put myself in a situation where I have to moderate a panel, so I'm just like, what do I say? Like, how do I introduce the brand? Like, how do I keep the conversation going, which I mean, keeping the conversation going is gonna be the easy part, but, um, but, like you know, a lot of brands like lean on their heritage and like marise lacroix doesn't have a lot of heritage.

Blake Rea: 2:03:35

But if you look at all these other brands like I think you know, as as a watch nerd and people who are listening, like who are starting to transcend collecting, like it's like, does the brand align with your values? You know, like and and and maybe like, if you're lucky enough, you get to meet the people like like james and I do, like get to meet the people behind these brands, and then you say wow, like their whole ethos, mission, their vision for the brand, everything like I support, you know, and then a hundred percent, a hundred percent, and I will.

James Bachici: 2:04:12

Also, I'll throw in the fact that, um, yes, 50 years, right, would they? They're celebrating 50 years. This year of of existence, maurice LaCroix is uh, is not, let's say, a lot within the watch space, but the flip side of that is also, let's look at richard mill, they have a lot less than 50 years. Okay, so it's not a, it's not a, it's not a, a downer. I I would see it as no, no, it's not. 50 years is a long time. It is um, and, and they're still around and they exist and they're making moves and they're keeping um, they're keeping fresh, and I think they're blending their, their, the years and their legacy and the history they do have really, really well, in interesting ways with the urban and more modern and more, let say, contemporary um audience. It's very, very interesting.

Blake Rea: 2:05:08

They are yeah and um and funny, and so, like we did a tuesday stream and my friend picked up one of the um, the icon tides, and he like unboxed it on the stream and it was like oh yeah. And then we went on this whole like marisa quavarant, and then like um, as I started like thinking about like how I was going to moderate this panel, I was like I don't even have a Marisa Kwa watch that I can wear Like, so I need to. First of all, I need to borrow one, you know, like so I can moderate a panel, and one of their watches would be just a dick move to be talking about Marisa Kwa wearing something else. So then I started going through and I was like like dude, the 1975. Oh yeah, your newer watches, classy, very classy, classy, timeless, like, so that's the one that I put in. I'm like I want to wear this when I'm speaking, you know, and then maybe I'll make some content about it.

Blake Rea: 2:06:01

It like I, I just think um, and I had one of the sacos like just a um, well, I also have alpina, like one of the alpina alpiners, with just like a silver um, silver dial, silver bracelet, just like all silver dress piece sports. The alpina is a more sports piece, but this is like I had a grand saco like one of the 9f spring drives, like the sbgp, like 001 or something like that, with like the champagne dial, and then like I just I didn't, it didn't, I didn't wear it, so I got rid of it. And then like ever since I got rid of it, I just I missed, I missed that piece. So like that, maurice lacroix, like I think, like while I have it going to like fill the void of like my missing grand Seiko in a weird way, We'll see what happens by the end of the panel.

Blake Rea: 2:06:52

Yeah, yeah, for sure. Well, I want to thank you for, I mean, this has been an epic one. I'm not going to break it up into two episodes, like if, if you've, if you've made it thus thus far, hopefully you have a lot. Well, hopefully you don't have a long commute, but hopefully you made it to the end. But, um, but no, no, I mean you've spent quite a lot of time with us, like just getting to, to have this. To chalk this up, I mean, I don't have a lot of other podcasters on, so it's always cool. Um, funny enough, you're, you're right behind uh, well, people who know this, now I can say it but you're right behind roshan from rishabh.

Blake Rea: 2:07:27

So like he's before you and then you're after him. So, um, so, yeah, yeah, you're, you're in, you're in the good queue of uh, of guests there, so that's.

James Bachici: 2:07:39

That's probably highly incorrect, because everyone in your queue is good. Thank you I feel, like it too, I feel like it too no yeah you have some wonderful guests and and I appreciate the time and thank you for the invite. It's been an absolute blast and yeah, yeah, we've been talking for two hours and eight minutes. Doesn't feel like it? We're watch nerds. Come on, this is what we do. We talk watches.

Blake Rea: 2:07:59

That's why you come here, right, it's watch, talk we could keep going, but you know, we just need to to be conservative to a degree, you know so there's only so much patience people have yeah and no, we'll have to. We'll have to try this again. You know, at some point, like I have you back. You know, I think um, I've been thinking about how I can have people back without it seeming weird oh yeah, I mean, I'm happy to be a guinea pig.

Blake Rea: 2:08:23

If you like, I could be the first one to do a recurring well, somebody, somebody who has, like I have like podcasting experience, you know, like so.

James Bachici: 2:08:32

So yeah, of course, of course, and I I officially and cordially invite you on my podcast as well, please, I'd love to have you as a guest. Will you please accept? Yes, I will.

Blake Rea: 2:08:44

Wonderful Transaction has been approved.

James Bachici: 2:08:48

It's legal binding in all 50 states.

Blake Rea: 2:08:51

Yeah, yep, yep and Canada maybe it's a Tuesday. Thank you again for spending so much time with us, of course, it's been my pleasure, thank you. I'll be on yours in a couple of days, I'm sure.

James Bachici: 2:09:07

Yes, let's put it on the books officially and we'll make it happen. Thank you, blake, I appreciate you.

Blake Rea: 2:09:10

Thank you as well. Talk to you soon.

James Bachici: 2:09:12

Talk soon, bye-bye.