Unpolished Watches

It’s almost the end of summer. Before we head back to school and a few of you lucky folks head to Geneva Watch Days, I decided it was time for a Mid-Year Awards Show. I called up Andy Green and Felix Scholz of the O.T.: The Podcast to talk about the releases we’ve seen so far in 2026.
We start by discussing trends: The rise of “economy gold,” the second generation of microbrands, outer space is back in a big way, and our most worn watches of the year.
Then, we give out some fun awards: Best Watch Under $2,000; the Discourse Award, for generating the most posts per unit of watch actually produced; the Beige Award for most boring release; Best Release of the Year (overall); Most Likely to be a Grail in 20 Years; and the ‘Big Dog’ Award.
We also talk plenty about Chanel Blue and the Best Blue Award, craft, value, and if it’s okay to take five years to “develop” a color.
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What will be a grail in 2046?

We closed the episode with a question that turned out to be two questions. I asked Felix and Andy to name the watch from 2026 they think will be a grail twenty years from now, and they immediately answered different prompts.
Felix went predictive: His pick was the Jubilee motif Oyster Perpetual, and his reasoning had nothing to do with whether he wants one. It’s about how the catalog will read in 2046: Rolex made a weird dial for a single year, 20 years ago, and then never again. It’s the kind of thing collectors love.
Andy went personal: The watch he still expects to want in 20 years, the Chopard L.U.C 1860 Areuse Blue. It’s not that the latest L.U.C will be breaking auction records in 20 years, he just likes it. We talk about the new Alpine Eagle XPS “Mountain Glow,” but Andy’s pick for 2046 is the L.U.C 1860—something about it feels more certain as a future classic. He held it back from his Best Release of the Year list to save it for this question.
My pick was somewhere between the two: The Daniel Roth Extra Plat Skeleton. Production is genuinely limited, and each one is numbered, which means we might have a good idea how many were actually made in 20 years. Daniel Roth, Gérald Genta, and La Fabrique du Temps will also likely be the last watchmaking projects from legendary watchmakers Enrico Barbasini and Michel Navas. It’s the kind of thing we only grow to appreciate as the years pass, especially their connection to Genta himself and the first generation of indies.
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Show Notes
* OT: The Podcast on Apple Podcasts; OT: The Podcast on Substack
* Watches mentioned include: the Sinn U1, Earthen Ceramic, Andy's Rolex Land-Dweller (in for service), TAG Heuer Formula 1 Solargraph, Buzz Aldrin’s Speedmaster; Kiwame Tokyo Sakura, Anoma, Raymond Weil A.R.T, Hamilton Khaki Field 250, Blue Chanel J12, Cartier Privé collection; Naoya Hida x Zenith GFJ, Grand Seiko Ushio diver UFA, IWC Ingenieur 35 in Pool Blue, Chopard 1860 Areuse Blue, Daniel Roth Extra Plat Skeleton, titanium IWC Perpetual Calendar, and more.
END-OF-SUMMER SALE!

Head to the Unpolished Store to shop our selection of Canvas and Leather Straps. We’ll be restocking for fall in the next week, so everything currently in the store is marked down at least 10%:
* Canvas Straps are $59
* Matte Calfskin Straps are $95
Check them out in the Store: shop.unpolishedwatches.com
Thanks for listening, and let us know your award winners for the first half of 2026.


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Full show notes: www.unpolishedwatches.com/p/what-we-want-from-iwc-and-how-to
Today’s Collector Conversation is with Wesley Smith, founder of Standard H, an automotive-inspired clothing brand. Wesley has worked in fashion and menswear for 30 years, and he’s also a big watch enthusiast.
During his recent visit to Chicago, we sat down to talk about both. First, we get nerdy about t-shirts. The simplest garment there is, but dozens of decisions go into making one, whether it’s from Uniqlo, Buck Mason, or Standard H. How can you tell if it’s a good t-shirt? Besides his own, what’s Wesley’s favorite?
Then we talk watches. What bugs us about the Lange Saxonia Annual Calendar; how to fix IWC; loud rotors; a TAG Heuer Carrera we’ve both owned; the spec sheet-ification of watches; the problem with most midsize watches; and more. The first ~20 minutes are clothing talk, then we get into watches.
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Show Notes
* Standard H website; on Instagram
* Standard H Avant t-shirt
* Real Review: Lange Saxonia Annual Calendar
* TAG Heuer CS3111 Carrera Re-edition from 1996
* My TAG Heuer Carrera ‘Glassbox’ Week on the Wrist
* Barrelhand
Shop our line of straps in the Unpolished Store: shop.unpolishedwatches.com


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John Cote has been collecting watches since the 1990s. He learned from his dad, who collected pocket watches while John was growing up in Manhattan. He’s one of the guys that’s still out there hunting watches every single week. In addition to collecting, he’s written for Hodinkee, Fratello, in addition to being a prolific contributor on the NAWCC forums. He’s been the president of his local NAWCC chapter and served as a board member until 2025.
John says his collecting philosophy is that “a collection should tell a story. He’s got a different approach to acquisition—he buys watches, usually mid-century chronographs, in pairs. He looks to pair the steel tool watch with its dressier counterpart.
We talk about what you learn that you might not otherwise by hunting pairs; why John loves these boomer chronographs; how he’s seen watch collecting evolve over 30+ years; what he thinks about all these little dress watches; and a whole lot more. John’s from my hometown of Indianapolis, so it was a pleasure to have him on to talk watches.
Subscribe to the podcast to get future episodes in your feed: Spotify / Apple / RSS
Unpolished is the newsletter for collectors and a top-20 Fashion Substack. John for free or become a paid member for $8/mo:

I’m going to continue publishing these shorter ‘collector conversations’ in between full podcast episodes—let me know if you’re enjoying them, and what other topics you’d like to see covered.

Show Notes
* John Cote on Instagram
* The Boomer Watch Is On Sale, Unpolished
* American Pocket Watches: A Primer For The Wristwatch Collector, John’s article on Hodinkee
* A Very American Way to Lose an Industry, Unpolished
* NAWCC Forums
* John’s Wittnauer chronograph pair—he wore the black dial when we chatted:



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Today’s guest is an explorer, attorney, writer, and watch collector. He’s been on five dives to the Titanic, and led the expedition that recovered the Apollo engines that launched men to the Moon. He’s a member of The Explorers Club, the society that counts astronauts, mountaineers, and famous explorers as its members.
I’m excited to be joined by David Concannon. He’s also an accomplished attorney with 30+ years of experience, and has a hell of a watch collection.
As part of his work with the Explorers Club, he works with Rolex on its Explorers Club Grant, which puts watches in the field. We talk about that program and what it’s like working closely with Rolex.
We discuss his first Submariner, collecting watches, what watch he plans to take on his next expedition, and a whole lot more.
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For those of you listening on audio, the Unpolished Podcast is also now published as video on our YouTube channel HERE.
Show Notes:
* David Concannon on Substack
* Relics of Apollo, Part 1, 2, 3 (David Concannon)
* Rolex GMT-Master recall ad (Hodinkee)
* Early Rolex Le Mans ad (Ad Patina)
* The Explorers Club
* Rolex Explorers Club Grant
* Carl Spencer’s Rolex Sea-Dweller (Hodinkee)

Unpolished is the newsletter for watches, and a top-20 Fashion Substack. Join for free or become a member for $8/mo ($80/year):

Subscribers also get (1) 10% off in the Unpolished Store, (2) $50 off a service at Watchcheck, and (3) access to all comments and Q&As.



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

Full show notes: www.unpolishedwatches.com/p/meet-canadas-best-watchmaker-bradley
Canada isn’t exactly known for its watchmaking, but today’s guest is changing that, one handmade watch at a time.
When I saw Bradley Taylor announce his latest watch, the Ardea, I knew he’d be a good guest.

It’s a well-made, time-only watch—in vogue right now—but completely his own. The Ardea ($62k in steel; $82k in platinum) features a retrograde seconds that snaps back to zero every minute, and almost all of the components are made by Bradley in his Vancouver workshop.
Bradley went to watchmaking school in Le Locle, Switzerland, and earned his Patek Philippe Level II certification before setting off on his own in 2020. We talk about his journey to becoming an independent watchmaker, the challenges of running a solo workshop, his thoughts on the market for high-end (and high-priced) indies, and where he fits in. Then, we dig into his latest release, the Ardea.
For more on Bradley or to get in contact with him: bradleytaylor.ca
Thank you to The Escapement for sponsoring today’s episode. For more info and tickets, visit theescapement.com.
For those of you listening on audio, the Unpolished Podcast is also now published as video on our YouTube channel HERE:
Unpolished is the newsletter for watch collectors, and a top-20 Fashion Substack. Join for free or become a member for $8/mo:

Subscribers also get (1) 10% off in the Unpolished Store, (2) $50 off a service at Watchcheck, and (3) access to all comments and Q&As.



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