From a Borrowed Datejust To Watchbox Diaries: How Passion Became A Career with Lucy Kapetanovic

A stretched Jubilee bracelet. Scratches that read like chapters. That’s where Lucy’s journey began—borrowing a humble Datejust that revealed how watches carry lives, not just time. From that spark grew Watchbox Diaries and a mission: make watch culture warmer, clearer, and far more welcoming to women and first-time enthusiasts.

We trade spec-sheet chest beating for honest experience—how a watch fits, why a dial pulls you back, and what makes an “everyday” piece quietly perfect. Lucy opens up about starting a channel in a male-dominated space, the creators who encouraged her, and the subtle shift she’s seen as more women show up, ask questions, and claim their place at the table. We talk practical inclusion too: how to host meetups where a G-Shock gets as much love as haute horlogerie, and why creating a low-pressure vibe grows real community.

Then we dig into the hard truths behind vintage. Servicing can be slow, pricey, and wildly different across brands. Some prioritize conservation; others refinish more aggressively. Knowing where you stand on patina, polish, and originality helps you avoid regret. Lucy shares her “classic with a twist” philosophy—think Vacheron’s 1921 or a Grand Seiko dial that shifts from silver to pink—and why “perfectly boring” watches like the OP and Explorer endure. Along the way we explore collecting by decade, heirloom thinking, and the liberating idea that buying for love beats buying for resale.

If you’ve ever wondered how to find your voice in this hobby, how to pick pieces you’ll still adore in five years, or how to make a newcomer feel at home at a watch table, this conversation delivers. Subscribe, share with a watch-curious friend, and leave a review to help more enthusiasts find their people.

Show some support to Lucy here:

https://www.instagram.com/thewatchboxdiaries/?hl=en

Chapters

• 0:00 Meet Lucy: Origins And Purpose
• 3:10 Community, Events, And Recognition
• 5:25 The Rolex Datejust That Changed Everything
• 9:40 Imperfections, Patina, And Storytelling
• 13:40 Service Fails, PolyWatch, And Lessons
• 18:10 Inheritance, OP36, And “Perfectly Boring” Watches
• 24:20 Breitling Memories And Meaning Over Hype
• 29:10 Dance Background And How It Shapes Taste
• 33:20 Starting A Channel And Women’s Voices
• 38:00 Inclusion, Intimidation, And Asking Questions
• 42:40 Building Welcoming Watch Clubs
• 46:50 Collecting A Watch From Every Decade
• 51:00 Vintage Risks, Servicing Costs, And Reality
• 57:30 Restoration Experiments With Brands
• 1:03:20 Patina vs. Polish: Where To Draw Lines
• 1:07:40 Taste Defined: Classic With A Twist
• 1:11:00 Grand Seiko Obsessions And Daily Wear
• 1:16:20 Tool Love vs. Beauty: Purpose In Collections
• 1:22:30 Dressy, Sporty, And The Hybrid Sweet Spot
• 1:27:00 Never-Sell Pieces And Sentiment

Transcript

Blake Rea: 0:01

Hello, everybody. Welcome to another episode here of the Lonely Wrist Podcast. I am your host, as always, Blake Ray. And today's guest is going to be a fun one. While she did not set out to work in watches, she followed her curiosity that turned into a passion, into a platform, and now ultimately a career. She is the creator of the Watchbox Diaries, a voice that shapes and normalizes women buying, wearing, collecting, and confidently talking about watches in a space that is dominated by men. She has also been doing eBay finds, podcasts, YouTube, brand, brand storytelling. She works with Anne Ordain and Paulin, and she has helped reshape, in my opinion, what representation and horology can look like without losing authenticity while doing so. Today we are going to be talking passion, turning profession, finding your voice in a male-dominated industry, and building community online and what it really takes to stay genuine while your hobby becomes your job. So settle in. I know. Yeah, no, thanks for coming on. This has been a fun one. We've been trying to make this happen for a while now.

Lucy Kapetanovic: 1:36

Yeah.

Blake Rea: 1:37

Yeah, I'm not gonna lie. When I saw you, when I saw you doing content with my friends, I was a little jealous. I was like, what the hell?

Lucy Kapetanovic: 1:45

I'm just I'm here there and everywhere. And yeah, it's it's a bit crazy. Life has been a bit crazy, life has been crazy, like good, good, crazy, but it's good. So yeah, if ever I don't respond to you, I'm really sorry.

Blake Rea: 1:56

Just no, no, I'm picking our heads sometimes. I'm I'm 99.9% of the time, I'm I'm usually ghosted. So you you you are the point one zero point one percent. And yeah, we we met I'm trying to keep up with it because it seems like a blur. I know we were hanging out in Austin briefly, and then before then we met in was it we met in Switzerland, right? What's in that Switzerland?

Lucy Kapetanovic: 2:22

Do we meet yeah, we do we meet in Time to Watches briefly?

Blake Rea: 2:27

So we so we may we may have met in LA. We yeah, we met in LA at the minutes and hours, yeah, and then time to watches in Switzerland.

Lucy Kapetanovic: 2:38

Yes, I was there as well. I was there with Paul in.

Blake Rea: 2:42

Yeah. So it seems like everywhere like I know, it seems like everywhere like we end up being in the same place at the same time, always.

Lucy Kapetanovic: 2:50

So I met so many people last year that I've been speaking to for years or know of through you know, watch content and and the watch community that I'd never met before. So it was like it's kind of a blur of community and and events from last year, I think.

Blake Rea: 3:09

It's this it's the same to me. It's the same to me because when I was in Austin, I was helping a brand there, and and I like looked over and I was like, I don't think I know her.

Lucy Kapetanovic: 3:21

And then and then, like, yeah, like we made eye contact a couple of times, and I was like, okay, like I think I know her, like maybe somewhere, but it just becomes so so funny because I I'm short-sighted, so high I wear glasses, but for my YouTube videos, like events that I'm there kind of the watchbox diaries, I've tended to not wear my glasses for it. And a lot of last year I ended up because my eyes got really sore from from all the the air con, I guess, and all the traveling and stuff. My eyes were really dry, so I was wearing glasses. And the amount of people that came up to me is like, you vaguely look familiar, but I can't really I can't place you. And then I took my glasses off. I was like, Oh, I'm the bookbox diaries like, yes, that's you. I'm like, how like I understand, I kind of understand now why people didn't know that Clark Kent was Superman because a lot of people didn't recognize that it was me with glasses on. Naturally, naturally what happened in LA with you.

Blake Rea: 4:27

That could be, that could be. I mean, I don't put myself out there. Like, I mean, if you watch any of the content that I do, like I think this is one of the few times where I put my faith on camera, you know, because I've I've tried to be very intentional with the content that I produce. It's not about me, it's about the watches, you know, is the way I see it. So, like a lot of times too, like if you I mean again, if you watch the content that I produce, like I literally just use like a little white table and a white background. I don't do all these crazy like flatlays with books and like accessories. I mean, if you guys, if you guys do that, more power to you, but like I'm very kind of clean and minimalist, and and I don't like to put myself out there because it's not about me, it's not about it's about the watches. And you know, we talked briefly about this, kind of like preserving my passion, you know, and and so yeah, yeah, I I'm curious to for you, like let's start from the beginning. You know, obviously, you're from what I read, like your journey with watches began with you. Was it borrowing your stepdad's like Rolex date just? Is that yeah, that's what was it? What was it about that watch that really like changed watches for you?

Lucy Kapetanovic: 5:43

It wasn't super flashy, and I know that sounds funny because it was a date just with a Jubilee bracelet, but it this was well loved. It was a very simple champagne dial, very understated, 36 millimeter, and it was stretched like that bracelet was just fully stretched from use. It had dings and dents and scratches and marks all on it. And I loved that about it. It wasn't a super flashy thing, it was kind of different to I guess the ladies' watches that I was used to you know being pointed in the direction of, but it also wasn't huge, big tall watches that when you I guess when you don't really know watches and you think of men's watches, that's kind of what you uh expect to see. You know, you've very, very distinct male, big tall watch aesthetics, very small pink, dainty girly watches. And you don't often, or you didn't often, I guess, back in back in the day, that that crossover between the two. So this size that wasn't too flashy, wasn't too girly, wasn't too masculine. It was just a perfect simple piece, but with all the dings and dents and history and character built into it, I just kind of fell a little bit in love with it. And then upon inquiring about it, like, oh, what's the story with this? Like, when did you get it? Obviously, as a non-watch, proper watch person at the time, you you still know who Rolex are. So, you know, you start asking the questions, and my stepdad's basically like, oh, it's been here with me, it's been here with me, you know. I dinged it on this thing for you know, it's been on this hot, and then the story started coming out around it, and I was like, Yeah, this I need to know more about this.

Blake Rea: 7:34

So that that was the moment for you that it like light bulb where it it stopped becoming an accessory and kind of started becoming like something of meaning?

Lucy Kapetanovic: 7:42

Is that yeah, a hundred percent. Yeah, yeah. And then sorry, sorry, I was gonna say this, and then you know what he wanted to do really was buy something of significance, love it, wear it, build history, bring, build stories to it, and then pass that down to his children. And that then this yeah, that took it over the edge for me. I was like, okay, this this is a sentimental item that has all the history that can be passed down. It's not just a thing to be put in a box, it's not just a thing that tells time. There's like there's extra to it.

Blake Rea: 8:18

Yeah, and something too that I read, thanks to uh to Vincent, my buddy Vincent from Mainspring. I know me too. He he he he gave me everything I needed to know about you. Well, at least I at least I read. I read his entire article and his his whole write-up on you, and I was like, okay, Vincent, you're the man, I don't have to go anywhere else. But in that article, that you know, you seem to really kind of resonate with like the dings and imperfections and like vent, you know, vintage patina, and and how that kind of communicated with you beyond like a sparkly, shiny object, you know. Yeah, is that accurate?

Lucy Kapetanovic: 8:58

100%. Yeah. I I love those imperfections. I love the character. You know, some people love everything super pristine and and brand new. And I don't, I like things that have a little bit of that, you know, they're not perfect, but they're perfect in that in their imperfections. They have a history, you know, there's there's stories to tell. You can like I imagine stories from some of those dinks and dents. Like, oh, I bet the previous owner got it from this. And it's just it's interesting and it's good fun. It's kind of like going to a museum but having one on your wrist. You know, there's there's stories, there's art, there's, you know, there's there's a bit more to it than just it feels like there's more life to it, there's more character, and it's not it's not just cold.

Blake Rea: 9:48

Yeah, no, no, so super funny. So, like at one point when I first got into the watch industry, I was I was selling watches, and and I come from like, you know, when you go through the markets, like I I would go through the markets of Istanbul, and like, you know, you see people and with the way that they show a watch's sapphire, like a sapphire crystal, they put a power drill with like a drill bit on it, and they're like, you know, like sapphire, sapphire, like to show. And so, so funny no shit. I've never told anybody this, but I was literally like like I was demoing, like, I was like, oh, watches have sapphire crystals now. The only thing that could scratch a sapphire crystal is a diamond, and so I take my watch off. It was it was a panor, it was another panor eye, and I literally like like scratch it all up against the glass there, like the the glass like showcase. And then I I looked at it and it's got a huge gash in it, and I'm like, oh shit, what the hell did I just do? Like, how is it possible that glass can scratch a sapphire? And then so I'm I'm freaking out. I'm like almost like looking there like an idiot, like, oh yeah, like uh I don't want to show you what I just did to my own watch. But then I then I go home and I put poly watch on it and I just like rubbed it and gone. And I was like, oh okay. So apparently it was you know transfer. Yeah, it was it was transfer onto the sapphire, but for that whole one second, I was like freaking out. I was like, I'm never gonna do that again.

Lucy Kapetanovic: 11:24

Poly watch to the rescue.

Blake Rea: 11:26

I know, and then now they have poly watch with like little, I think they're little like what are they like diamond chunks or something now? So they they work for for sapphires instead of acrylic or some shit.

Lucy Kapetanovic: 11:35

Yeah, okay. I didn't know that.

Blake Rea: 11:37

I didn't yeah, I think they have another, so I can I can I can send you a link if you need. But it seems that like how long did you borrow that date just and like it seems like it was probably more important for you to like borrow it than at now looking back, like even owning it, right?

Lucy Kapetanovic: 11:56

Is that I mean I will own it one day, it will be mine. Oh wow, it will be mine one day, but not until it's officially passed down, which obviously I do not want to rush.

Blake Rea: 12:06

But yeah, of course, yeah.

Lucy Kapetanovic: 12:08

I mean, that's actually how I ended up with my Rolex, my OP36, because the concept of having your watch, loving it, creating history with it, and then passing it down to your children. Love that idea. Like it's so it's it's so sweet and sentimental. And yeah, obviously, I'm not getting that date just anytime soon. Fingers, you know, fingers toys crossed. So yeah, for for my 30th birthday, I'm insanely lucky. This isn't like an everyday occurrence. I can't just go out and purchase, you know, a Rolex. But yeah, for my 30th, I got to choose a watch for me to have sent, you know, to add sentimental value to to eventually pass down to my children with all of my history, my dings, my dents, my my character and stories added to it. And I didn't end up like I didn't go out of my way to choose a Rolex. It could have, you know, if I had got hold of a Seiko to begin with or a Grand Seiko, or you know, I probably would have gone with one of those, but because the watch that started it all, the sentimental watch was the Rolex, I was like, I kind of do also want a Rolex to do that with. And I didn't want anything flashy, I loved that idea with it. So I looked at the OP because it is the perfect everyday watch, you know, very versatile, sturdy. It's I do say this about like the OPs and the Relics Explorer. I'm like, they're very, they're perfectly boring watches. They're the perfect boring watch. I love that about it. So I looked at all this, it was not even that long ago, and you could try on all of the different colours. I must have tried on seven or eight OP colourways in in store in stainless steel, which now is completely unheard of unless it's an exhibition piece. So I tried loads of them on, couldn't really make the right decision, and then went in and found this 369 blue dial OP. And I was like, that's the one. That is the one. It's slightly different, which again apparently now is is my thing. Classic with a twist. It was it's something that really stood out to me, but in such a subtle way, slightly different to the standard OP. So yeah, blue dial as well. That song burst is beautiful, 36 millimeter as well, and yeah, that's that's that's my baby now. And I get to I've definitely got some dinks, definitely got some dinks in it already.

Blake Rea: 14:37

It's uh it's a beautiful baby.

Lucy Kapetanovic: 14:40

She is, she's a beautiful baby, yeah. I love her very much.

Blake Rea: 14:45

I at one point in my journey have also owned a blue dial or petual and 41, and then the black dial. I do too, I do too, and and yeah, it's cool. And then I've started to kind of like move away from Rolex, like personally, so like you know, over time, like I had, I think I had at one point like I know this not's gonna sound really weird and arrogant, but I had like five five Rolexes at one point, and then there was only one that really kind of resonated with me. And I had the Starbucks submariner, I had the blue and black OP, and then I still have the date just Wimbledon and 41 with like the flu de bezel, the Jubilee, like the the kit, right? The the the the essential kit.

Lucy Kapetanovic: 15:44

I like the colorways on them. I think it's a really interesting piece.

Blake Rea: 15:49

I I love that watch. And to me, like you know, living in in Vegas, like a lot of my friends are like, Oh, Blake, you need a Vegas watch, like a vague, and I'm like, what is a Vegas watch? And it's gotta be something like gold, like a gold Daytona, or like you need to get that rainbow daytona, like, yeah, yeah, or like a meteorite. I'll take a meteorite Daytona if somebody's listening out there, but or even like uh like a day date, right? And to me, I was joking with my friend, so like you know, Formula One, when they they started having Formula One here, like we always do like a huge group of like people that come into town, and so one of my friends, it was like a lot of the the group that comes like is from the Rolex forms. Like they were like there's probably like 50 of us like that came that got together. We all were doing dinners of 50 and like you know, events of 50, and like you know, watches Switzerland, like shut the boutique down for us, like all this cool crazy stuff. And you know, I knew they were all Rolex people, so I wore my Wimbledon, and and one of the guys was like, Oh man, like I love that. And he was wearing a platinum Daytona, and so I was like, uh, okay, cool. Like, but he's he's a he's a good buddy, and so he's like, let's trade for the day, and we had the same wrist size, so I'm like, Okay, like I'm very happy to to give you my my little minuscule date gest here for your platinum Daytona for the day, and and so I had yeah, I had a Vegas watch for all of a day, but but no, no, and and yeah, Rolex is it's just one of those brands that people always get. It's like that's the watch, like aspirational watch. And for me, it was actually actually Brightling, you know. Brightling, my dad was a Brightling guy, so so yeah, inheriting his watch was kind of like one of those things that like was the most meaningful things that ever happened to me, you know.

Lucy Kapetanovic: 17:50

And that's it just so much more meaning meaningful when it's sort of passed down from generation as well, like that additional element of mentality.

Blake Rea: 18:00

There, there's there's a cooler story that I've talked about before, and some people who listen probably know, but like my dad, like he was a real estate agent in North Carolina, which is where I was born, and then we moved out to Vegas together, and then you know, for whatever reason, like he decided to get his his real estate license here in Nevada. And so after he graduated his his real estate program, he was like one of the guys in the in his like teachers there, you know, which was some some some dude, some younger guy, you know. My dad's like, you know, in his mid-sixties, right? Like he's you know, being educated by this like 35-year-old guy, right? So so, anyways, he said, Oh, you need a nice watch if you want to be a real estate agent. And so, of course, my dad comes to me as a watch collector, like, Blake, what watch should I get? I was like, You don't have to get a watch, like you can just borrow it of mine, you know. So at the time I had like at first it was a to sew PRX, and then he was like, I need I need something nice, man. Something nice. And I was like, This is a nice watch. But then I I gave him my 1601 day trust, like my vintage day trust, which I had for another brief period, and that that's something I moved on. And then, and then eventually he was like, Man, this is like isn't flashy enough. I'm like, what do you mean flashy enough? So, like me, my wife, and my dad all were like, all right, let's just go to Booker and take a look and see what they got. And you know, my dad's like, I need a Rolex, man. I need a Rolex. And I'm like, you don't need a Rolex. Like, everybody's got a Rolex, like, you know. And so we go to the certified pre owned cases of Rolex, and like my dad found this like date just like diamond bezel, like diamond markers. And it was like, I don't even know how much it was, but it was way overpriced because you know that was when they just started the CPO program, and like everything was like 35% more expensive than it was. I was like, Dad, don't do this. I just tried to keep keep telling him. And so eventually he was like, Okay, well, what else am I gonna buy? And so I'm like just like rushing around the store, like looking for him to like to save him from this like gaudy day just. And eventually I get to the Brightley case and I'm like, Well, what about this? It's like a two-tone super ocean, like gold bezel, like on rubber, like it's got like a nice little like micro adjustment, super comfortable, and then you know, that was it.

Lucy Kapetanovic: 20:46

Flashing watch, perfect. That's exactly what he needed. He wanted the flash for everyday brightling, different, different brand.

Blake Rea: 20:56

Yeah, it's it just says something different, you know. Like it just it says something different about my dad. And so, so yeah, and then I was you know thinking at some, you know, obviously, like at some point, you know, this is gonna be something that I inherit. So I'm like in a in a weird, selfish way, I'm thinking like, oh, oh fuck, like if he buys this, like I don't think I'm ever gonna be able to enjoy this, you know. And uh and so so yeah, when when he passed away and I got that that brightling, like I love it, I love it so much, and it means so much more. Yeah, um, all right, rant over. All right, but before watches, you were in like was it dancing and like like was it like theater? Is that right? Did I understand that correctly?

Lucy Kapetanovic: 21:46

Like well, yeah, I don't really tell too many people, but yeah, my you know when you have a university degree and then you finish university and you don't ever do what you did at university, yeah. Um try not to tell too many people. Oh I'm sorry. If you never see me out and about, I'm probably doing the running man, but I do have a degree in dance and performance.

Blake Rea: 22:11

That's that's not embarrassing, is it?

Lucy Kapetanovic: 22:15

You know, just a little fact there, no, but like, oh, you didn't see your dance. I was like, no, I didn't, sorry.

Blake Rea: 22:21

Vincent aired you out.

Lucy Kapetanovic: 22:24

Telling all my secrets.

Blake Rea: 22:26

Yeah. I mean, no, I thought it was cool because you know, obviously, like that's artistic is creative, right? Like it's expressive, just very much like watches. So, like, would you say that like you know, going to school school and learning about dance and and performances, like stage performances, like would you say that that impacted you like as a collector in some weird way?

Lucy Kapetanovic: 22:52

I I think maybe how I approached dance and the study of dance is kind of similar to watches. You know, part of the reason I chose the course that I did was because they actually had quite a lot of history subjects around it, you know, the history of a particular dance and the reasons that they do that, and the cultures around the particular dance and the style. So, like learning about that history and the stories around it and the you know the origins is definitely something that I also implement within my approach to watches as well. That's probably where my you know part of the reason I love vintage pieces is because of that mentality and and that connection to to history and you know past stories. So yeah, I guess maybe, maybe you can connect the two that way. It's definitely free-flowing, like dance. There's so many varieties of it. I don't know if you have more than a couple of watches, you just fancy wearing a particular watch based on your mood that day. And again, that's very that's very much like like dance. It's it's how you feel that day, and that's how you it's it's an expression of yourself, and I think the watches are that, you know, yes, they do tell the time for me personally, and what I wanted to get out there is it's an extension of of my personality, it's an extension of my my likes and my preferences and my style, and you know, it's just a further extension of of myself, and it's a very personal thing like a watch is a very personal thing, in my opinion. So that's why, yeah, that's I guess that's the connection that I have to to dance.

Blake Rea: 24:42

Do you do you wake up and like immediately know like which watch you're gonna put on, or do you have to like kind of like mull around and be like, oh, I'm feeling like this today. Like, let me try this. And then you put a watch on, you're like, uh, I love this, but not for today. Like, does that happen to you?

Lucy Kapetanovic: 25:00

I'm I'm kind of a little bit of both because I don't again, I don't know whether people listening are similar to me in that respect, but sometimes I will wake up and my mind or daughters do a million things at once, and I'll have like 10,000 tabs open. And one of them will be, what watch haven't I worn in a long while? Do they feel lonely? Oh, maybe I'll wear that watch today. And then what outfit am I gonna wear with that watch? And I'll be like, that's the watch I'm wearing, and I'll build my outfit around it. And then some days I'll just wake up and be like, I'm gonna wear my favourite again today. Doesn't matter. Doesn't matter that I've worn it five days in a row. I want to I'm hyper focused on this watch at the moment. Or you can switch the strap up and then match it to your outfit. But yeah, I'm kind of a bit of both depending on how active I think my brain is, and how I feel like watches they get lonely if they're not worn for a while.

Blake Rea: 25:56

Maybe this is appropriate for the show considering the name of my podcast.

Lucy Kapetanovic: 26:04

Exactly. I feel like there are watches in my collection that get a little bit lonely, and then I feel bad and guilty as a watch parent that I've neglected some of my children. So I must must switch it up.

Blake Rea: 26:20

I say that to my my wife a lot. Like when we when we're running errands for the day, if we're if we're gone for like four hours or so, like I like look up, I'm like, I'm like, honey, like we were gone for four hours. That's like three years to like a dog, like jokingly, you know. Like like we need to get home. They've probably been waiting a month for us, you know. Like, I need to I need to have that approach for watches because like I have so many watches that I don't wear. And I think I think a purge is coming. I think a purge is coming. But I need to think about like I I bring watches into my collection and then I forget why I brought them into the collection. And then when I wear them again, I realize, like, oh, like this is why I purchased it or whatever, you know, like so that gets lost on me.

Lucy Kapetanovic: 27:11

But I like the idea. So my my the half, he is kind of a nerd and he loves a good spreadsheet. So he for the last two years has actually done a spreadsheet and daily updates of which watch he chooses to wear that day based on his entire collection. And at the end of the year, there's obviously a pie chart involved to show which ones are the favourites, which ones haven't been worn so much. And then there's the talk of the purge, like this has this has only been worn twice this year. Okay. I like the idea of wearing that watch for a week, and then if you're still not in love with it and you you just don't remember the reasons that you that you but purchased it in the first place, maybe we think about getting rid and then find if finding a home with someone who will actually wear it and appreciate it.

Blake Rea: 28:02

Yeah, that's what I that's what that's what has given me like comfort in in clearing out stuff. Like, I'm like, hey, like in my collection is probably somebody's grail, and like it's rotting in my collection or collecting dust or whatever, but like somebody might rob a bank to buy one of the watches that I have, or like you know, like mug somebody, or like I don't know. I mean, not that I have muggable watches, but you get it, right? Like somebody who who was would go to any length of measure to to to have that watch. And so I've started to like get some comfort in that. Oh, yeah, for your significant there, there is apps for that, just so you know.

Lucy Kapetanovic: 28:43

If if he it sounds like he does it the manual way, and like yeah, no, he's he's he's very good with with Excel. Okay, he's a whiz. I don't know what he uses. He doesn't want to use the app. He likes it's he likes his little spreadsheet. I'm sure he knows about the apps.

Blake Rea: 28:58

The world needs people like him for sure.

Lucy Kapetanovic: 29:01

He's really helpful when it comes when it comes to using Excel. I'm like, what was that? Oh, what was that formula again?

Blake Rea: 29:08

Is he is he good with Word and PowerPoint and all the whole the whole package?

Lucy Kapetanovic: 29:12

Okay, no, he's pretty much he's a nerd, yeah. I would say very helpful, great in a quiz as well.

Blake Rea: 29:20

Oh, okay. Super curious. So it seems like you also let's talk about transitioning into the watch industry full time because now you're with Anne Ordain and Paul and like shout out to Lewis. Lewis is is a friend of the pod. You know, you is you left a career, was it in manufacturing? Is that did I understand that correctly too? Is this is this more stuff that like you were trying to bury?

Lucy Kapetanovic: 29:46

No, I I love the the transition. I love the the very drastic transition or seemingly drastic transition of you know what I was doing before to to what I'm doing now. But yeah, I was a production planner for a manufacturing company before full-time watches. So something that requires you to be incredibly organized and deal with multiple people in you know multiple departments at multiple different levels. So, you know, very transferable, transferable skills. But obviously, I was also doing my YouTube stuff in my spare time, evenings and weekends and and stuff. So yeah, it became a quite a juggling act beforehand.

Blake Rea: 30:29

What what inspired you to create like a channel like this? Like to share your your your perspective, like where was the the light switch that you're like, okay, like my passion can't I can't so for me, just some context, and maybe you can frame it how you want, but like I was so passionate about watches that like I couldn't contain it within me. That I'm like it just oozed out of me. So like I was talking about it all the time to my wife, and I'm like, oh my god, like baby baby, check out this new this new watch release, and she's like, shut the hell up. So like part of me was like, if I if I don't have anybody to talk about this or express myself like to, or in this case, like the podcast, I was I was joking with somebody, like it really just started as like me and friends having conversations, and I kind of wanted to archive them, and I was like, let me put them online so I can listen to later, and and now it became a real thing. But like, you know, how did you decide to like put yourself out there and and start producing content, sharing your perspective? Like, where was that light that light bulb moment for you?

Lucy Kapetanovic: 31:42

Well, I actually had someone at home to chat watches to, which was which was great, but it consumes most of our life, however, it became very queer, very clear very quickly that as a minor I'm quite in minority being a female within the watch within the watch community. So it was nice, like the community is fantastic, it was very supportive of of me as a female coming into it and and sharing. And it's such a supportive place. I I absolutely adore it, but there weren't many females out there doing it. Obviously, I massively, massively look up to you know, people like Kat and Catelyn because the Ten and Two podcast was one of the ones that really got me confident, more confident in being part of the community and like actually having a voice and a relevant voice in a very male-dominated area. So yeah, that I guess the turning point kind of was I've seen other women do it. I've met other women. I and then with you know, some of the women that I have spoken to, they were very nervous to get into it. There's not many, there weren't many channels out there that you know that were that were female oriented. So, and the podcast and the videos that I that I found, I it's not that I struggled to connect with them, but there was something missing for me with it. Something that felt and I wanted to create something that was very casual and relaxed and accessible to people because coming into that industry as a female, it can seem quite intimidating. And even not, even if you take like the female aspect of it out, it can seem quite intimidating because there's so much to learn, there's so many brands, there's so many like elements to a watch and and things like that. So I wanted to create something that was yeah, that was easily accessible and understandable to people. And it's not necessarily about the specs because there are multiple people out there that do it way better than me. They know their stuff in terms of like the movements or the elements of it, and unless it's something for me that's like super, super interesting. The movement, things like the movement aren't necessarily a big, a big thing for me. And that's fine, you know. That's that's not if you're looking for intricate details of movements, I'm not, I'm probably not your gal, but something that's accessible, something that okay, she's wearing, she's wearing this watch. This is what she likes about it, this is what she dislikes about it. And having that kind of approach to it, I thought, well, I'll give it a go. And if even one person out there resonates with that and appreciates that content, you know, thanks me for being a bit more accessible, then that's amazing. Like, I'd feel fantastic because you know, people did that for me and it felt amazing. So and it's been so so nice. Like when people come up to me and they're like, We love your content. You know, my wife doesn't really like watches that much, but the podcasts that she likes are yours, and honestly, it just makes me so so happy and so like so grateful for what I do.

Blake Rea: 35:09

Yeah, I mean, that's Kat is amazing, and same thing for Catelyn. They're both amazing creators. So I was also very sad when the 10 and 2 podcast ceased, but now they're at it seems like they're off to to they're still they're still accessible, right? They're still contributing to the community in different ways.

Lucy Kapetanovic: 35:29

Yeah, and they did it, they started a podcast, and now they're both working full-time in watches as well.

Blake Rea: 35:38

Yeah, yeah. I I've I've I've had I was working full-time in watches, and I I stepped back to doing this, which would just seemed more fun, you know, I guess, because like you know, having to sell watches, it's not very fun. I felt like I felt like a door-to-door salesman or something, you know, like having to go ring, you know, not not really, but you get it, right? Like I was chasing people down to buy watches, you know.

Lucy Kapetanovic: 36:09

And and some people love it, and that's great if that if that's your passion. But if you have the ability to to do something that you thoroughly enjoy, then obviously you're gonna choose to do that, aren't you?

Blake Rea: 36:20

Yeah, yeah. Curious to talk about I I I have personally seen firsthand like a shift in and women getting into the watch industry, like I've seen it. I I've also seen male collectors discriminate against women in the it was I'll have to tell you what happened offline, like once we wrap this podcast, but it was terrible. And then so since you've got in, like, have you seen the shift now? And have you seen like it be like lowering the bar? I wouldn't say lowering the barrier of entry, but you know, these are very technical objects, you know, and some people feel like they need to be technical to talk about them or or to create content about them. And and that's not really what people care about. People care about like the perspective that you apply to that that product or or that watch or release or whatever. So, you know, I'm sure you've probably noticed like a shift on on how women are now being received in in the watch industry.

Lucy Kapetanovic: 37:27

Yep. Yeah, I've seen so many more. It's it's maybe not necessarily that there weren't female enthusiasts out there, but that they're a bit more confident in in actually being part of the community now. But yeah, there's like the shift has has been huge since I started out on Instagram maybe eight years ago, seven, eight years ago now, and even on YouTube, meeting at events, there's more females that are genuinely interested and intrigued in the watches. It is intimidating, especially when you first, you know, you want to get into watches, but there's so much new language to learn that and terminology that you don't necessarily know, and you might feel intimidated because you don't know it, but then you also might be too intimidated to ask the questions to people. So then you end up never learning and never sort of developing that that love and that passion. So yeah, Reach, I always say to people like, don't be afraid to ask if you think it's a stupid question, it's not a stupid question because it means you learn something.

Blake Rea: 38:34

Yeah.

Lucy Kapetanovic: 38:35

Something new. And yes, there are that there, I think there always will be, and it's with every it's with literally with every hobby and industry. You are gonna get people that are gonna either like belittle you or make you feel like you're stupid or that you don't know anything. And yeah, it can there are certain people out there that make it feel like a like a boys' club, but I person my personal experience is that they're very few and far between. And yeah, I love the support of the rest of the community. That if something like that is flagged, I feel there are a lot more people that come in and show support for them and go, no, that's not okay. Like it's this is a hobby for everybody.

Blake Rea: 39:23

Yeah. A lot of a lot of my time too, like when I'm not doing this, so I I have a watch club. I run a watch club here in Vegas. And so like I've been trying to create this whole idea on like fostering an environment that everybody feels comfortable. You know, that's that's the biggest challenge. And like, you know, I had one we were planning an event with one, I can't remember which brand it was, but one of the guys in the club, he was like in the chat. Like we have a huge WhatsApp chat, like all of us. Like, that's where all the clubs are, the watch clubs. So so he like, he like was. In there and he like he saw the event and then he sent me like a private message, and he was like, Hey Blake, like I want to come to this meetup, and I'm like, Oh, cool! Like, yeah, I'll see you there. He's like, But I only have one watch, so I'm not like a watch collector. Like, am I am I like can I like is it okay if I come? Yeah, I'm like, what? Like, what's happening here? Like, like you don't you don't even have to own a single watch to come to our watch events. Like, you know, I want to create a space if I can, like in a perfect world, and this is not not that, but like if you're watch curious, like you you can go to any watch event, you know, in in my eyes, all the events that I go to, like you can go to wind up, you can go to it watch time or freaking watches and wonders if you want to do that, you know. I don't know why you would, but like, you know, you can go to those events, so like just figuring out my challenge and something that I'm trying to work on is like how do we communicate that to everybody, you know, like because you know, creating that and fostering that that environment that everybody feels welcome, like we're already a small hobby, and if we continue with the trajectory that we're on, like there's just gonna be less and less of us as time continues, I think, you know, and so how can we lower the bar, you know, and how can we communicate that this is an industry for everybody, and that you don't have to own a watch to be a watch enthusiast, or I struggle with that every day.

Lucy Kapetanovic: 41:43

There's a big there's a massive difference between being a watch collector and being a watch enthusiast. You know, a collector, you may have a specific watch that you collect multiples of or a brand that you collect multiples of. A watch enthusiast to me is you someone who is just interested in watches, in learning watches, in looking at watches, in talking about watches. You could own a you could own a G Shock and come to a meetup and feel feel comfortable there. Like I am a chapter head for one of the red bars, the red bar Cambridge, and we have so many people that come in that are a little bit nervous. And then I'm like, just look at the table, you know, people will be just as excited about a G-Shock as a Langansonner. Like there's a table that you know, people bring such an array that people are interested in their stories and where they got them from, and you know, a little bit info, you know, a bit more about the watch themselves and the people that own the watches as well. And you end up half the time just talking and making friends with people as well. So that's how you bring in the the community aspect of it. And I love the amount of variety. I'm obviously very biased, but I love like I love our chapter because it's so inclusive, it's everyone's so friendly, and it's such a fun, pleasant, low, like low pressure, just chilled, chilled group of people. And yeah, like I just love them.

Blake Rea: 43:17

Same, same. Like everybody in in our group here is like we have so much diversity. Like it's it's awesome. It's so so cool to see everybody coming together from total different parts of the world, like total different backgrounds, like and just the watches all bring us together. It's it's it's magical.

Lucy Kapetanovic: 43:40

That's it. There's there's no bias and there's no bias there. And if you know, if there is, it gets called out. And I, you know, if you've got an issue with it, off you go, because that's not yeah, that's not that's not the healthy environment we we wanna you know, we want to provide.

Blake Rea: 43:58

Yeah, and for me, like when I started like my group, like like I literally like started off and I started adding people to it, and I'm like, hey, here's what I'm doing, here's what I'm doing. And then I started to notice that people have like purged themselves from the group, you know. And at first I was like, I was like, oh, what am I doing wrong? Yeah, like people are like backing out of my WhatsApp group, like they're self-deleting themselves, like from what's up. And then as I started talking to like some of our other like co-founders, they're like, Oh, they're just doing the work for us, you know. If they're not gonna show up to the events and and you know, they don't want to talk watches, they don't want to share wrist picks or anything, like let them let them go, you know. I want to talk about you as a collector. You know, I also read that you were trying to collect a watch from every decade of the 20th century.

Lucy Kapetanovic: 44:52

Is that yeah, you've done your research, yes. Like Vincent's literally just giving everything away.

Blake Rea: 44:58

Yes, well, shout out to Vincent, Mainspring, that's my buddy.

Lucy Kapetanovic: 45:03

Yeah, no, well, that was the goal initially, and I kind of got carried away with multiple other things, say the last two years or so. But yeah, the goal was to get a watch from the 1920s onwards, was the the goal at the time, like up to 20, yeah, the 2020s. So one for every every decade. So I think I already had 20s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 80s, 90s, 2010s, and 2020 now as well. So I thoroughly broke my 1920s one, that's gone. So but I still I don't I still don't only have a few a few left to collect, I think. And I think this year might be the year to actually I say that. I say that we bought a house last year, so renovations may take a may take a front seat with that one, but yeah, for years, I think I wanna I wanna bring that goal back up because the thought of of having that collection just feels amazing because I've then covered each decade. You can see the variety from you know era to era, the style changes. These aren't super, you know, super expensive pieces. Like one of them was an eBay purchase from when I first started my journey. So one of them was you know, gifted from a friend who serviced you who services watches. He's like, Hey, do you want to try this on for a little bit? You know, I'm gonna sell it eventually, but do you wanna do you wanna have a little play around with it? I took obviously this man was very smart. He's a very smart salesman because I wore it for a week, absolutely fell in love with it and bought it off him. This was a it's my little 1950 Amiga, super simple, the most beautiful patina on the dial, clean, yeah, just a joy to look at. So that was yeah, that one I'm a most fan of.

Blake Rea: 47:18

Tell me about your I'm curious, like so, like obviously, wristwatches in the 1920s, like pocket watches were still kind of like the jam, you know. So, like what what what watch do you own from the 1920s? It's a wristwatch.

Lucy Kapetanovic: 47:38

It was uh an Rnex, I think it was tank, little just this little gold-plated tank. It's a little eBay purchase from the 1920s, and it was it was a gorgeous piece, and I've unfortunately damaged it beyond repair, really. But I do want to replace it with something a little bit more sparkly now, I think. Going again, I'm going I'm going against everything I previously said, but that like 1920s art deco bracelet, like the hidden hidden watch style. I'm really into that. I'm really, really into that. So I think I think that's gonna be my replacement. Maybe I need to get on like the auction sites for it because they seem to have some really good art deco vintage pieces from the 20s.

Blake Rea: 48:30

I I love art deco, it's like my thing. So yeah, I mean that's crazy. And then, you know, obviously in the 1918s, you know, during like the trench era, that's when like utility watches and then you transition. Yeah, it's it's such a cool period to me. Yeah, I'm curious, and I actually have a video that by the time I I launch this podcast, it might be out, but I'm trying to talk about, or at least I'm trying to educate people on how they bring watches into their collection. You know, like I have, and this makes sense to me, but I'm curious. I might you might be able to correct me here on air. But like, you know, when you buy a car, right, you're like, oh, Nissan, Ford, or you know, other cars in the UK. I'm not sure what cars are popular in the UK, but but but you know, like you're like, you like start doing research, like, oh, this has a gear train problem, or like, oh, this has like like a camshaft issue, or like, you know, the the the the whatever, right? People people people look at they do research on repairing a car before they own the car. And so I I want to talk about that, like, and I'm going to in some other content, but like I wish us as collectors thought about that, you know.

Lucy Kapetanovic: 49:57

It probably is the one downside, particularly to vintage watches, because it gets a lot more expensive with vintage pieces to repair because a lot of the parts are harder to source if you want the original like for like. So, yeah, like I would say like the one downside to being into vintage and getting into vintage is the servicing, that you have to be aware of that and have an idea that they are costly. Like servicing a watch is costly, it is, it's it's going to cost you money. And obviously, the more expensive the watch, the more expensive the service is going to be. A lot of you know, the the bigger brands, you have to take them to them directly.

Blake Rea: 50:42

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Lucy Kapetanovic: 50:43

To to get them serviced. If you know, you know, someone who owns a service center, brilliant. That's an extra, that's an extra bonus to you. But yeah, with vintage pieces, it can get pretty expensive to to repair, repair them.

Blake Rea: 50:58

So you're you're pretty into the choir. Uh I literally for the past two years, and this I am literally done. I'm literally done. I I I so like for me as a as a creator, like I see a lot of people doing like watch reviews and like that's fine, and like little short reels and stuff like that. That's just not who I am, you know. Like, I I want to I want to do content that takes real time to produce, you know, and it probably is gonna kill me at some point, it'd be the detriment of me. But over the past two and a half, maybe three years, I have purchased vintage watches from I think seven or so different brands. And I I looked for just the shoddiest ones that I could find, and then I sent them off to the brands to document the journey that the watch took to restoration. And I literally uh I mean, it's been three years in, and I'm still like it took me like 14 months to get my watch back from Omega, you know. It took me 10 months to get my watch back from Bulgary, you know, and then Rolex never serviced the watch that I sent them with, and they gave me no reason why they didn't service it, you know. Yeah, and then Cartier, like, you know, they service the watch in five weeks, you know. So it's like I didn't I didn't have the the courage to do it for Brightling because I've all I've heard Brightling is such a nightmare to to work with in that regard, but I don't know, but I mean it's worth getting them though, yeah, yeah. And then I actually have a watch that just came back from Zenith, but like, but yeah, yeah, I I I think people need to talk about this more. And so if if I can make a goal in 2026 is to to educate people, like you need to like, we need to reframe our mind before we buy this shit, you know.

Lucy Kapetanovic: 53:02

Just just unless you're literally having it, having a watch for a short period of time and turning it around quickly, be aware of the servicing and repair costs, or know what where you're sending them to, or you know, if you have the insurance to do it, just think of the long-term um ownership of it a little bit as well.

Blake Rea: 53:24

There's an interesting thing that I discovered during this process that I never expected. And like as I like Zenith is is the example that I'm gonna use. Omega, I could also use, but like some brands when they get a watch, a vintage watch in, they take like a conservation first approach, you know? Yeah, like like who who is who and I never thought about this. Like, because I'm buying watches at pawn shops here in Las Vegas, and I have no attachment to them, and I'm sending them back to the brands to to document what it's like, what it costs, like how long it takes, how good of a job they do. But like then I as I as I started getting to brands like Zenith or or or Omega, you know, they they only get watches from like like they only get like hair, like vintage hairlooms like fam that have been passed down through the family, you know, and like Zenith, for example, like you know, like I had the the Zenith that I sent in, it had like water damage to it. And so like there was like what I I thought I I could be wrong, but what appeared to be like mildew on the dial. And so, like, you know, here in my mind, I'm thinking like, oh, like they're gonna change the dial, you know, like nope, nope, nope, they they they were like, we would not suggest changing the dial, you know, at any at any cost, but in my mind, I'm thinking like this dial's gross, right?

Lucy Kapetanovic: 55:06

Like, I want a new dial, you know, but uh as I mean, I'm 100% approach it from the other side.

Blake Rea: 55:14

Yeah, I know, I know, I know, I know. But like here, here's like where like I figured in my mind, like I tried to like convince myself differently, but like if this was like a watch that had sentimental value to me, like if it was like, you know, like you talked about like your stepdad's date just, or like if it this was my grandpa's or my or my dad's or whatever, you know, like then I would I would never in a million years think about changing the dial, right? Or polishing the watch or whatever, right? But since I I acquired it with this with it with no emotional attachment and the intention on sending it back, like to me, like it kind of washes that away.

Lucy Kapetanovic: 56:03

What do you mean sending it?

Blake Rea: 56:05

Sending it back to the brands.

Lucy Kapetanovic: 56:09

What do you mean?

Blake Rea: 56:10

Sorry, like for for restoration.

Lucy Kapetanovic: 56:13

Okay, so you purchase it.

Blake Rea: 56:14

I pur I purchased watches with the intention on sending them right, okay, right. So like it's just one big social experiment, you know, but like I purchased a vintage watch that I found, the shittiest one I could find, the coolest looking one that I could find. That like, oh, let's let me let me buy, and then immediately, like the second I buy it, like two days later, it's already off to the brands, you know, like not even getting a chance to wear it, you know. So that's where I found myself in trouble because like then it came back, and I'm like, oh, I don't even want this watch. Like, I bought this for the the experiment's over, you know, and so I found myself in a weird situation, but um, did you you've been purchasing watches to send off to test the servicing centers? Yes, okay, okay, stupid, right?

Lucy Kapetanovic: 57:08

I mean, it's it's a different approach for sure.

Blake Rea: 57:13

It's the stupidest thing I think I've ever done. It's like by the by the by the time I'm I'm I'm I produce this piece of content, and and I literally like I have emails from the brands, I have like and then I just I I I have accumulated so much information that like I'm like fuck, how do I even format this? Like, I don't even know how to present this. So, you know, this is gonna be a video that I literally like I literally wrote a little like bullet point of like, hey, here's what happened here, here's what happened there. But like I just come to the realization after all this that no matter what watch you buy, no matter what brand you send it to, it just sucks to own in the long term to service. Like service centers just suck no matter what what what it is, not to own the watch.

Lucy Kapetanovic: 58:03

Yeah, in terms of like the process and how long it does take, I guess.

Blake Rea: 58:07

Experience is terrible no matter what.

Lucy Kapetanovic: 58:10

I think I don't know, five weeks for Cartier is pretty good.

Blake Rea: 58:14

That was amazing. That was the only one, but it was it was a modern Cartier. So let me make that clear. It was a modern Cartier, everything else was vintage, and so like Bulgari. I had a Bulgari Gerald Genta Diagano, freaking awesome. And it I sent it off to Bulgari, and then like they didn't so this is weird, but but brands do what they call polishing and and shining, and I didn't understand the difference. So, like, you know, it's shine, it's just like, oh, let's just put it under a little wheel, let's just give it a little bit of life, you know. But then you got people that polish a watch that'll like take everything out, take all the scratches out that they can, like surface scratches, and so like they shouldn't do that without permission. No, though, yeah. No, I I I I that was a part of the experiment. Like, I wanted to test how good they could polish the watches, you know. So so these watches came back. I'm like, why is there like little surface scratches still here? Like, I wanted them to polish this, right? And and in your case, you're probably cringing because I'm like getting rid of all the characters.

Lucy Kapetanovic: 59:15

No, you would never replace that dial. We would never fully polish it.

Blake Rea: 59:20

Well, the the thing is, like, some of the watches, like, as I bought them, like I the I want I want to be the caretaker for like the next like my family, like 150 years, like 200 years, like whatever, whatever, right? I want to keep these watches in the family for for as long as I can, right? And the other side of it was like, okay, I'm bringing in a watch from the 1960s that like parts are already like freaking impossible to find. Like, I need to find as the best parts that I can and bring them into the watch right now so I can guarantee still next yeah, for the next 30, 40, 50, 60, 100, however long years. That like they'll be good. So that was that was my other realization.

Lucy Kapetanovic: 1:00:07

It's all personal preference.

Blake Rea: 1:00:09

It is.

Lucy Kapetanovic: 1:00:10

Yeah. I mean, regardless of the social experiment with it, like it is entirely personal preference. I can see why brands want to preserve the original features of it. And also, you know, from my perspective, I want as as much of my vintage watch to be authentic and original as possible. I love the patina of a watch. I do too. That additional, yeah, additional character to it. But I yeah, I kind of do understand I want to get it to as good a condition as possible to increase the intestine.

Blake Rea: 1:00:46

Yeah. Of it. And so so also on the flip, I I have other watches, like and and the the most common one was like Zenith, right? So this is the one that people will see very soon. Like this, I'm working on this content right now. But like I went into like a meeting with like five or six people from Zenith, which was like insane. Like I didn't expect to like you know, I just expected to like send the watch in. But they were like wanting me to present my vintage collection to them. And like I did I did that. So I'm like, hey, here, I got this watch here, I got that watch there, I got this watch there. Before I got on that call, they wanted me to like send pictures of them, like the head, the watch head, like the case back. Like they wanted me to open the case back and send them pictures of the movement. And so, like, with the the the face, like the the inside of the case, and so like they went through like all the stuff that I sent, and then they were like, like, this is the watch that we think you should restore. And and I I guess I'll I'll show you a picture of it, but but yeah, like after they selected that one, my heart was like like yes, like because there was one in there that I sent them that that aged so beautifully, so beautifully, and I'm like, I don't want to change the dial, I don't want to change the scratches, like it doesn't even have an original crown, like I don't even care. Like, I I'm gonna keep this watch like this, yeah. Right. So, like, weirdly enough, like I don't I don't know why or how I make those just determinations, but like you know, I think there is a lore on both sides, if that makes sense.

Lucy Kapetanovic: 1:02:36

Just wake up and choose violence some days. Like, I'm gonna change the topic.

Blake Rea: 1:02:42

I feel like you're gonna block me and be like, this guy like sucks, like he looks at watches weighing.

Lucy Kapetanovic: 1:02:47

Sacrilege with vintage basis.

Blake Rea: 1:02:52

Um so curious, let's let's let's jump here a little. So if you could describe your taste of watch collecting, like your watch taste, like like how would you do so?

Lucy Kapetanovic: 1:03:11

Classic with a twist. Oh, okay. Classic with a twist. That all the you know the those classic elements of a piece, but something that's a little bit different that has a quirk to it, like the Vashron American 1921 is like prime example of classic with a twist. It's you know a beautifully classically made piece, but it's tilted, which is un, you know, it's it's an unusual element to it. Although, you know, very broad spectrums of of my personal preference, everything from MBNF and Debitune down to you know very simple classic pieces like Seiko's and Grand Seiko's, very clean, beautiful dials. But yeah, I would definitely describe my style as classic with a with a twist. There's usually some element that's a little bit of out of the ordinary, and that's kind of what I'm drawn to.

Blake Rea: 1:04:11

You also described from what I read the Grand Seiko cherry blossom as the love of your life.

Lucy Kapetanovic: 1:04:23

She is my baby. I love her so much. She is she's my favorite child. I know you're not supposed to say that about your children, but yeah, she's she is the love of my life. I've had her now. Gosh, how am I how old am I? Yeah. So I've had her since my 30th. So I've had her four years, and every single time I put that watch on, I fall in love. I get distracted by the dial when I look at the time, and I go, oh, wait, actually, I do want to check the time. And I think that for me is what you strive strive for when you buy a watch. To have that, oh my God, I love this watch moment. Whenever you look at your wrist, if you're distracted by the dial, or you're distracted by the polishing or the hands, or you know, that that element of the watch that you fell in love with when you purchased it, if you're still doing that years later, you've you're onto a winner. That's like that's a forever love for sure. And that's yeah, that's cherry for me. And I I fell in love with that watch on C like I saw pictures of it online because it was US only. And a self-proclaimed non-girly girl, like it was a pink watch, but it's not a pink watch.

Blake Rea: 1:05:38

No, it's not.

Lucy Kapetanovic: 1:05:39

It's it's unique in that way, you know, how it goes from silvery to white to to pink. You get it, you have to get it in the right light to have that element to it. And I loved that that dial texture, the Zeratzi polishing. Absolutely fell in love with it online. So if I and it lived up to it plus 20 times more, like when I finally got it in person, and yeah, still very much in love. Look how passionate I am about like talking about it. This is this is a watch four years later. Like, I'm still so head over heels in love with that piece.

Blake Rea: 1:06:14

Yeah, forever. So great, so great, so funny and ironic. If things worked out the way that they were planning to, your podcast, our listeners would have been listening to Grand Seiko before you. Yeah, but we recorded a podcast at Grand Seiko and it got corrupted. Oh from frickin' stream yard, frickin' terrible. So so hopefully it'll be after this, it'll be after your episode. That'll be much much more of a power punch. Um but but no, so for me, right? I have the Grand Seiko Limited US exclusive of like 300, and they came out with it last year. It's like they came out with I think one was like I think one was like a pink dial, and then one was like a purple dial, or like a blue, blue and pink or something. Do you know what I'm talking about?

Lucy Kapetanovic: 1:07:14

The US I mean which case shape?

Blake Rea: 1:07:18

I mean they're the I'm kind of getting a little bit of a 44 GS, I think, case. Yes, yeah, and so it's like a bluish purple like spring dry. I'll send you the link after. And I purchased that watch and I own it, it's in my collection, it's lonely, it's very lonely. But to me, I when I look at that watch, it's so beautiful, and I'm like, this is way too beautiful. Like, why would I even wear something this beautiful? Like, I'm a grungy dude. Like, like I want to watch it like I can freaking like jump in like the mud with, you know, and like you know, it's got 100 meters of water resistance or something like that.

Lucy Kapetanovic: 1:08:02

Like you can do it, go for it.

Blake Rea: 1:08:03

I know, but it's just so beautiful. The dial is like distracting, and it's like, you know, if I was and I I actually when I bought that watch, like I immediately like in our club, like, do you guys ever let people like borrow watches? Like club people, like, hell borrow that, borrow that. The week I the week after I bought it, like I just immediately let one of my friends run it for like a month, you know. And so he put all the first scratches on it.

Lucy Kapetanovic: 1:08:33

And oh no, okay, that's I mean, that's I don't care.

Blake Rea: 1:08:37

I don't yeah, I don't care about that. But but it's it's just still such a beautiful watch. Like, I'm like worried, like, oh if I wear this, like I'm gonna be looking down at the dial like every two seconds. I'm gonna get distracted. Like, yeah.

Lucy Kapetanovic: 1:08:51

Oh no, I bought a watch that I'm in love with, it's terrible.

Blake Rea: 1:08:56

Yeah, I know, right? But but the dial it gives off this like bluish, purplish, like in some light, it's almost like black, and it's it's I'll I'll show you, I'll show you.

Lucy Kapetanovic: 1:09:10

Yeah, uh yeah, just that sums up Grand Seiko. Like their dials. I've got a video coming. I might even be out when this video is live about the whisty grand seiko wisteria that's oh cool. Market only their GMT.

Blake Rea: 1:09:24

Yeah.

Lucy Kapetanovic: 1:09:25

Purple dial, beautiful, beautiful piece. Like they're dial, like the way that they do their dials, the textures they put in, the colorways that they choose to go along with it as well. It's it's unlike any other. They've they had their niche is beautifully, beautifully designed dials for sure.

Blake Rea: 1:09:47

Yeah, yeah. No, as as I've grown as a collector, you know, like some watch brands that are very romantic, I guess, about how they market and tell stories. And this watch, you know, like is inspired by the way the the the water runs through our manufacturer, like the trees when we look out, and like I'm like, okay, cool. Like, like I I want to watch, like, and and this goes back to me as a collector. Like, I'm a utility guy, you know, like I like watches that like were designed for a purpose, you know, like like just something that was like of the era, like it was a tool, it was designed to be functional and practical, you know, versus like and that's where a lot of brands even like lose me, like Vachron, like loses me, you know, like along and salt, like loses me. Yeah, because they make beautiful, I mean they make some of those beautiful watches. AP loses me, like some of those beautiful watches in the world, but they're just that, you know. And I'm probably gonna get slayed online for saying this, but it's just my opinion.

Lucy Kapetanovic: 1:11:01

I think everyone's different, it's all it's all personal preference. That's why there's so much beauty in the variety that is out there. There's there is something for everyone. Like if you're into the aesthetics of it, fantastic. There's a brand for that. If you're into the utilitarian element of it, there's a brand for that. If you only like dive watches, there's you know, there's brands for it. I think for me, it's whether you have an appreciation for those other elements. They might necessarily speak to you, they might not be your personal preference, but you know, panoramic as an example, I think that's what you're wearing. Yeah, not for me at all, just not for me. But I have an appreciation, like I have an appreciation for what they do, and you know, their design is unique to them. It's you know, their branding is fantastic, they are well-mount well-made pieces, but I would never own one, they're not for me. More for me, more for you, exactly. You know, they're very structural tiles, but they are for something for other people, and I like yeah, I love the variety.

Blake Rea: 1:12:10

Yeah, what about in your collection now? So we're coming up to like almost like an hour and 15 minutes here. I don't want to keep you any longer. I've got a million more questions I can ask you. We might need to do a part two, but in your collection now, yeah, I'm sure you have watches that are like, you know, you buy a watch and then it appreciates, right? Not something I really care about, but you're like, oh, that's cool. Like, I I I appreciate the fact that like it, I'm not gonna lose my ass off if something happens. So I'm sure you have why, or let's just look at it from a sentimental perspective, probably better. But like watches in your collection now that you would never sell, regardless of any value that they could have on the potential secondary market. What would that be?

Lucy Kapetanovic: 1:12:59

I mean, I I do say to like when you're speaking to someone, this is probably tangent slightly, but when you're speaking to someone not into watches, or even a couple of people that are really into watches, one of their first questions is how much does it resell for? Does it hold its value? And that's not how that's not how I purchase watches, that's not how I approach approach them. Like, do I like it? Do I love like do I love it? Do I want it in my collection? Yes. That's it. Like that's pretty much as far as it gets. If I go to sell it and it's and it does well, bonus, like absolute bonus. But yeah, which mean which does also mean that a lot of the watches that I do have in my collection hold a value to me quite significantly. You know, there are a few in there that I would I would sell. There are a few in there that I definitely wouldn't. Like obviously, my Rolex and my Grand Seiko, I would never sell. I've got a 19, like my 1950s Amiga. I just love that dial. It's so simple, but I don't think I would ever sell it. There's something like a Hamilton khaki field that I've got in there. Maybe one day I will sell that if you know another clean white dial comes along. And but I'm not gonna sell it based on what I can get for it in the secondary market. It's it's more a I've had it, I've loved it, I've enjoyed my time with it. I knew what I was getting into when I made that purchase in terms of like spending the money. I made sure it was of of significant I was all right parting with that money. So that when I do go to sell it, is it gonna go to a good home? Yeah, cool. Done. That's that's kind of it to me. So yeah, they're they're all I think in the collection, there's always gonna be one that one or two that you don't really care or don't mind, sorry, like switching out. But yeah, for me, it does mean in the way that I collect, it does mean quite a few of them have a bit of sentimental value at least attached to them. So kind of be tough to part with.

Blake Rea: 1:15:08

That's what I'm that's what I'm facing right now because I purchase watches like as mementos. And so, like, when I'm going through my collection and I'm and I'm trying to figure out the purge, right? Like, oh, I purchased this during that, or like this for that. Like, what like that makes it even harder to do, you know, beyond the fact that the spreadsheet thing try that. I have it, I have the app on my phone.

Lucy Kapetanovic: 1:15:40

Wear it for you know, what wear it for a week and see how you get on with that.

Blake Rea: 1:15:45

I had the app that's tracking it right now, and like there's watches that like I will will never sit, like panorai. Like Panterai was like like my grail watch, like before I even got into watches. And like I went to New Chatel, like I think it was like three years ago, and like I got like a private tour of the Panterai factory, and like you know, like I got to sit down with the uh the CEO, and like we just had like a you know, like a chat like over coffee, and I was like, and then when I came back, I bought this one. I was like, okay, like hey, so like as like I had my Panterai that I loved, and now I need a Panterai to mark that coffee, you know. So so so yeah, but but yeah, so I don't know. But for me, like Panterai does have some good white dials, wink wink, you know.

Lucy Kapetanovic: 1:16:42

It's just something about them. I think they had one a couple of years ago, I think it was their submission to the pink project that they did, and that one I kind of liked, and yeah, that's kind of the only one that's really resonated with me. And it sucks because I'm like, you know, in there's that there's brands that I really want to like, and I just haven't found the one to connect with it. Like um JLC, love them as a brand, love what they do, love the quality of their pieces. Again, classic with a twist with the unique, you know, reverso setup, but hadn't found the one that I was that like just really connects me to the brand. Wow, and then they released that rose gold. Is it the mono face last week?

Blake Rea: 1:17:37

Yeah, yeah, reverso tribute.

Lucy Kapetanovic: 1:17:39

Yeah, fell in love straight away. Absolutely fell in love with it. That is such a beautiful piece. Couldn't put my finger on exactly what you know why is that so different to to the other Reversos? But for me, that's the one that has really connected me to the brand. Have an appreciation, but that's the one for me to to really connect with them. Do you have any like that?

Blake Rea: 1:18:07

Where do you see the price tag?

Lucy Kapetanovic: 1:18:10

I'm never gonna I'm not gonna be able to afford it.

Blake Rea: 1:18:13

I don't think I was like, okay, Lucy, go Lucy, damn.

Lucy Kapetanovic: 1:18:17

Like if anyone wants to gift me that for my birthday this year, that'd be great.

Blake Rea: 1:18:21

I I think, yeah, I mean, there is, right? So, like just a couple weeks ago, like, or maybe like a couple months ago, I had the chance to to wear a Parmesani Tonda PF for I think I had it for like three months or four months. Lovely. And so, you know, the the PR company was like, hey, just run this. Like, this was right when it came out, and so like I'm wearing it into like all the watch stores around it. People like, how the hell did you get that? You know, like we don't we we we have customers waiting for this watch, like because it was like the the light blue dial or whatever, like yeah, it's like that gray, it's like a gray blue, like I don't even know how describe it. But then they were like, Where did you get this? And I was like, Oh, I Parma Johnny sent it to me. They're like, like, you know, and then people around the whole like store were like, like, oh, let me see. They're taking pictures of it, like passing it, like, hey, hey, Johnny, come see this. Hey, hey, like Susie, come see, like, come take a look at what what Blake's got. Like, and in that watch, right? Like, you know, the way that the GMT hand tucks under, you know, I was like, This is freaking amazing. And then additionally, one of my friends wanted me to help him like find a watch because like I'm I'm in all the dealers' chats still, so like I can get watches at wholesale, you know, for a lot of brands, which doesn't help my case. watch collector but but so he's like hey i want this vashron what is it is a vasron here was it let me i'm gonna have to look it up but it was it was the three handed vashron just like the little three handed dress watch historic function is it part of the historic shit i i literally hold on i literally have it like on the top of my tongue because i i i just had it i was just wearing it no you're so close though it's a 56 56 the Vashran 56 three hander so it wasn't the calendar it was the 56 self winding yeah and and i i he you know same thing so like he was somewhere i think he was in miami for like art basil or something and he's like oh just ship it to your house so like i i sourced the watch and shipped it to me and then i like of course was i got the watch in i was like you know making sure like all was kosher and then i i sent him a text i'm like hey bro like can i wear this he's like hell yeah you can like all right dude like i love you like so then i start running that you know i i wore that for about a week and he's like oh just you know wear it for as long as you want ship it to me when you're done you know he was he's that type of that type of friend never want to keep that i i literally shipped it back to him after a week because every time i wore it i was like i love this but i'll never buy this but i love it but like why would i why would i wear this what like what what would you know like and a part of like the the content that i produce like i i want to do like culture content as opposed to like the traditional watch outlets who talk about like release after release after release after release you know so like i want to talk about like collectors conflicts and journeys and like the thought process and like you know how to get into watches like you know how to how to like smooth up your role ex dealer like you know i want to talk about all this stuff you know and for me like i i started to like think about like how i bring watches into my collection like like what purpose does it serve me right in that watch same thing for the tonda like the parmesan like the most beautiful watches you will ever in grand seiko that i already own like the most beautiful watches you will ever own as a watch collector but they serve no purpose in my collection what do you wear to special events if you have to go to a wedding what are you wearing a reverso okay so I have a I have a reverso I have a gold cartier tank I have what other dress watches do I have this is actually kind of dressy because it's on like alligator this is a dressy panorai right so that's like a hybrid for me what else uh so like in terms of I guess you would say like the three watch or the five watch collection that everyone talks about you have the element that those watches like the space that those watches would fit into is already occupied essentially yeah like I love I love my reverso I love my tank oh I have a carte Santos like with you know like that would be another one my Rolex date just like those could all serve the same purpose you know I mean I'm trying to think what I have more dress watches but just I mean the Grand Seiko right that we could even fit in that little boat is like a dressy sporty watch but you know I guess with like Parmigiani it's it's a a brand that's different it is doing it's kind of more Indies maybe not the don't like the exact word but it's it's not a mainstream brand.

Lucy Kapetanovic: 1:24:12

And then Vacheron do produce beautiful pieces. So you could I I mean hot take I think I think Parmigiani is in my opinion like Patek level it's just more left field than like a standard like people when you're asking people about brands of that level they would probably automatically go to like Langer and Patek and and that. So it's a little bit more of a it's high quality but it's a left more of a left field choice I would say.

Blake Rea: 1:24:42

If if it feels more like artisanal you know like it feels more like like like hit like I'm sure I mean I I'm at this point when I start to think about bigger brands like I think about like automation and mass production and machine you know machine assembly you know I don't know what level of Pat Tech you know does that but like you know Parmigiani doesn't make a ton of watches you know and so I mean I think it's very artisanal in the sense that like they're just so rare out there. You know like they're they're they're not gonna produce a whole ton of them you know and like you know it seems like if you go to kernel 24 right now and look up Pat Tech like you know you're gonna see a frickin' trillion of them for sale you know but but yeah I still haven't really like and I don't really put myself in situations like that like oh I gotta wear a tuxedo okay like else uh you won't see me there you know so um but even even for my wedding you know I wore speedmaster a speed master on I actually wore a speed master on the most untraditional way I wore it on sailcloth uh so but no I I also have watches that I would define as hybrids like I have the the zenith defy revival right freaking love that I have the chronamaster sport like I freaking love that like I have an IWC Mark 18 like that's a hybrid you know I have the IWC Pirates chronograph hybrid you know like they're I feel like sporty watches can be dressy but dressy watches can't be sporty I don't know my grand saca looks pretty good on a rubber rubber strap yeah my my friend he's been trying to prove it to me for the past three years he has a Cartier Santos du Mont and he wears it on a rubber strap and I'm like okay that's kind of badass it's kind of yeah it's not like smart casual vibe it works it works somehow so so I could be wrong you can wear it just jeans and t-shirt or it's puff like it looks great with a tux or a you know an evening dress. Well I I remember too like I went you know I think we were getting ready to travel and like so me and my wife we were packing like our flight was out in the evening and I'm like up the up the street here there's kind of like like a breakfast spot it's kind of like Denny's it's kind of like iHop it's kind of like Waffle House so like 99% of like my like kit you know is like whatever like athletic pants you know like right now I'm wearing NBA basketball pants with a t-shirt so I I went in there NBA basketball pants t-shirt and then I had like a hoodie like like a zip up hoodie like from Adidas and then I was wearing flip flops because it was you know like I don't know it was like not cold but not hot but and a reverso it worked it worked it worked why why the hell not yeah well I want to thank you for spending so much time with us this has been an amazing episode we could probably go for the next four hours and and not even realize but want to be respectful of your time and our listeners so Lucy thank you so much for tuning in giving us your insights sharing time with us you know letting us tell your story and hopefully I'll see you soon maybe maybe maybe I'm I'm thinking about just confuse you yeah well maybe maybe I might be coming to watches and wonders so I'm sure you'll be at time to watch is probably where I'm gonna be this year Beau Raj maybe traveled loads last year let's see where this this year takes me yeah I'll have to if if I go for sure I'll have to text Lewis and say like send Lucy to the Beau Rage but uh but no no hopefully I'll see you in Switzerland this year. We'll see hopefully I'll be there yeah well if not Vegas everybody wants to come to Vegas if not there's who knows where I'll where we'll both be well it's actually quite across quite a lot anyway so I'm sure I'll my my only connection to the UK is well now technically through you and through Georgia but additionally there's like this like UK like party club and it's like it it's I don't know what they're called but like they they go they live in the UK and they market themselves as like a tourist like like tourist group to UK people to want to come party to Vegas and so like I communicate with those guys because they're bringing these like footballers and like you know these like really high status people to Vegas and then they reach out to me and I'm like sitting down with these like footballers from like Manchester United who like I don't know who the fuck they are I I I I you know and it brings an interesting situation to my to my life like all these Premier League guys that I'm having lunch with and dinner with I don't even know who the fuck they are like because I just don't I don't watch football like that but I guess normal people yeah no but it it's cool it's cool it's cool to like to meet those guys and like when they come when they come down and they come down in groups you know it's like it's like five footballers and like they want to freaking try and buy a Rolex or whatever or like you know they want to they want to get the the Vegas watch experience like I'll like meet up with those guys and yeah introduce so Vegas scene so so maybe you can come with one of those groups to Vegas that sounds great get involved in that yeah yeah Lucy thank you so much for spending time thanks so much for having game it's been it's been a good chat we'll talk yeah we'll talk super soon for sure