453 South Spring St. Suite 1100.
Los Angeles, California 90013.
When I’m on the road, I become intensely focused and hyper-aware of a desire to not waste my energy on anything other than the task ahead – which involves days full of scrutinizing fonts, exclamation points, lume coloration, and fine details like the sweeping shape of the “2” in a Rolex Daytona ref. 6263 bezel insert. It all matters and the details tell a watch’s story; in the case of the ref. 6263, the shape of that “2” tells me whether or not it is the correct bezel insert for that production year of that specific watch. Hell, sometimes it involves smelling supposedly “original” papers to determine if they’re the genuine article or a reproduction. It takes a lot more focus than one might assume.
Traveling as much as I do certainly has its advantages and I consider myself lucky to do so. I try to make it as civilized an affair as possible; I take refuge in the AA lounge to escape the herds of humans that still don’t seem to grasp how post-9/11 airport security works or fail to understand that personal space is common decency, especially during a pandemic. The lounge is also a prime location for watch spotting; I sometimes feel like the cobbler that’s preoccupied with everyone’s shoes. Pre-flight, you can usually find me scarfing down two bananas and a bottle of water and glancing at the watches in the room.
The most common watch I see in airports is the Rolex Datejust, mostly in steel and occasionally in two-tone. We’ve spoken and written about it often before, but the Rolex Datejust is arguably the most versatile watch one can own. It symbolizes success, fine craftsmanship, and most importantly, it can be worn with just about anything. When I see a two-tone Datejust on the wrist of an older gentleman, I can’t help but wonder if he won the watch in a sales contest or maybe got it as a gift after putting in a certain number of years at a company. That kind of gesture was once so common and seems lost in a world that’s focused on a disposable workforce and gig hopping. For me, it’s never about the rarity of the watch or the dollar value, it’s always about the story of that watch and how it wound up with that person. I spotted a black ceramic Rolex GMT-Master ref. 116710LN on the wrist of a gentleman in front of me in the lounge who was taking a business call. It was refreshing to see an alternative to ceramic “Pepsi” GMTs for a change. These days, it seems like the world and the watch market think “rare” and “desirable” is anything made by Rolex with a ceramic bezel insert, and in my opinion, that hype was created wholly by the manufacturer. Seeing the “non-Pepsi” ceramic GMT on the wrist of this guy made me smile, and it made me wonder if he bought the watch before all of the hype. The watch appeared to be well-worn and was being used for its intended purpose in tracking multiple time zones. It’s nice to see them being used.
I was on my way to Miami this time. No matter what time of year it is, Miami is always hot, always sticky, and that humidity immediately tells you where you are by punching you right in the face when you step out of the sliding doors at MIA. There was a brief cold snap during this trip, but that humidity never truly fades – even in January.
My team and I have spent a fair amount of time in Miami over the past few years. Between Florida’s low income-tax rate, easy access to NYC, and its relatively easy lifestyle, Miami has developed into a bit of a hub for the watch business and is home to a sizable dealer network. I was headed there to attend the Original Miami Beach Antique Show and the International Watch and Jewelry Guild show. These are both typically great places to find rare pieces and meet with some of the heavies in the watch dealer community. My situational awareness is heightened on the road because I’m typically carrying watches and need to stay alert. I do my best to keep a low profile and stay under the radar so I can move through an area quickly and securely without being noticed. That feeling has become second nature after all these years and a positive side effect is that I’ve learned to drink in my surroundings and I can observe what’s going on around me quickly – which is an incredibly powerful skill for a photographer. Capturing the adventure with a camera has been an important part of my life for a long time, and I find it goes hand-in-hand with the job brilliantly.
On this specific trip, there was a lot of ground to cover with two back-to-back shows. The difference between these two shows is that the Original Miami Beach Antique Show is a public event held over the weekend and focused on the end customer, and the IWJG show is exclusively for dealers and set up to allow for peer-to-peer trading. Being that we had two events to hit, I was accompanied by Tyler Vanes, C + T’s VP (who you already know if you’ve followed us for any amount of time) and Mike Nouveau – who is part of our NYC team and operates as a buyer and client relationships manager. We opted for an Air BnB to keep the team together. You may have gleaned from this that traveling as much as I do can be a love/hate kind of thing. I love the road and the experiences that come with it, and hunting watches is my passion. I also love the feeling of not knowing what I may find, not knowing who I may meet, not knowing where this adventure is going to take me. The true essence of Craft + Tailored being “more than just watches” is also about it being a conduit to different passions.
The team arrived at the house we had rented late. We were tired, but we immediately started talking watches and there was a real excitement between us for the upcoming shows. The coolest part about the C + T team is that we are all friends and ultimately family. We all obviously share a passion for watches, but everyone involved is also up for the adventure and ready to take the trip. The most satisfying thing for me as the founder and CEO of C + T is bringing the people that make up our company together. It may be that it makes me feel a bit less crazy in my obsessions and helps normalize that my ultimate passion in this world is watches, horological history, the study of time, and the nature of time altogether. Aside from the convenience factor, staying in house with the team really amplifies that sense of camaraderie and I think it makes these trips much more pleasant than if we were in hotels.
The proverbial coffee shop is the perfect melting pot of cultures and one of the grand equalizers in the world. I dig real, local shops. I don’t add sugar or any of the other bullshit that degrades what is so special about coffee to begin with, and I’m always looking for the insider’s spot in whatever city I find myself in. You want to know where the arts culture of the city lives? Where the best off-the-grid restaurants are, or where you should really try to go as a traveler and not a tourist in a big city? Whether it’s Miami, NYC, Paris, London, or Hong Kong, truly local coffee shops are where you start. That’s where I’ve always gained access and insight to a city in a way the internet simply can’t provide. Spend 15 minutes in a first wave coffee shop, introduce yourself to a barista if it’s slow enough, pay attention to the bulletin board. The coffee shop is the modern cultural crossroads. It’s where you will find the keys to the city if you pay attention. My favorite spot in Miami is Panther Coffee; they have a few locations, but my favorite is in the one in the Wynwood arts district. Panther is a roaster and that location’s patio is a perfect vantage point to see the vibrant side of Miami pass in front of you; locals, tourists, artists, business folks – they all pass through the painted walls of Wynwood and they all stop at Panther.
The shows themselves were strong for us. We left with some really interesting pieces including quite a few of the affordable staple pieces that we always need to have in stock as a busy dealer, some under the radar pieces like a “Jumbo” Wakmann Triple Calendar, and some rarities like a 1966 Breitling Co-Pilot ref. 765-CP and an unpolished 1979 Rolex Datejust in two-tone with a beautiful “Buckley Dial.” However, these shows proved once again you never know what’s left on the floor until the last bell rings. We had packed up, gone through all of the booths, hustled throughout the morning, and right as we were leaving, we happened upon a rare 1979 Rolex Day-Date 18038 with a factory onyx dial which was in literally flawless condition. The deal for the watch had to be done in under 10 minutes or we were going to miss our flights and it was done literally on the walk out.
The real fun for me is in the aftermath, the meals with the team after a busy day on the show floor where we can all unwind and go over the things we found. Those dinner conversations offer a moment of pause where we can really just be the nerds we are at heart and forget the business a bit. Whether it’s pouring over the pieces we pulled with a lupe, or just enjoying a great meal together, it makes it all worthwhile, and I feel so fortunate to do what I do with these guys by my side.
Check out 'Reference Tracks' our Spotify playlist. We’ll take you through what’s been spinning on the black circle at the C + T offices.
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