HODINKEE Podcasts

This week on The Business of Watches, we head to La Chaux-de-Fonds and sit down with a CEO that running a very different business than most watch brands. Mitchell Wein is the scion of a family that's been in the watch business for more than a century, and the Marathon brand launched back in 1939, supplying timing instruments for the Allied Forces in World War II. 
Selling watches, stopwatches, and clocks to governments and military organizations is still the bulk of Marathon's business these days. Wein says 80% of the watches they sell, by volume, are for these kinds of clients. For a company based in Toronto that makes its watches in Switzerland, that comes with a special list of challenges, particularly in the current geopolitical landscape, where conflicts are heightening, and more trade barriers are being erected. Marathon notably supplied the U.S. military with field watches during the Gulf War way back in the early 1990s, and even today, Wein says the company always has to be ready for a potential war and a potential big order from a military looking to outfit its soldiers with a watch able to withstand the rigors of modern armed conflict. 
But first, we're joined by another Canadian from the wide world of watches. Hodinkee Editor-in-Chief, James Stacey, drops in to talk about a recent trip to Japan and the launch of the Louis Vuitton X De Bethune LVDB-03 Louis Varius Project, a very exclusive travel watch that, if you're in the right price bracket, comes with a Sympathique clock that serves as a docking station to wind and set the watch. 
Show Notes: 
2:04 Introducing The Louis Vuitton X De Bethune LVDB-03 Louis Varius Project (Hodinkee) 
5:16 Denis Flageollet 
6:40 F.P. Journe Reveals Why He Paid More Than $6 Million For A Breguet Clock He Designed 
9:30 Hands-On: The DB25 Starry Varius (Hodinkee) 
11:01 Exclusive: Hermes heir takes aim at LVMH's Arnault in missing shares civil lawsuit, court document shows (Reuters) 
13:02 Travels With A Marathon Watch In Search Of Adventure (Cole Pennington, Hodinkee) 
13:40 The Marathon Navigator – Now With A Steel Case! (Hodinkee) 
14:30 Marathon X Jeep 
18:00 Marathon Our Story (Marathon) 
26:00 Comparison of Marathon Navigator Steel vs. Plastic (You're Terrific YouTube) 
30:02 Doxa 
34:15 Marathon Limited Edition ADANAC Stainless Steel Navigator Pilot's Automatic 
40:05 Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) Following a Nuclear Detonation (U.S. Dept. Health and Human Services) 
42:16 IntroducingThe Marathon Navigator 'Blue Yonder' Limited Edition (Hodinkee) 
48:11 NATO Stock Numbers (Wikipedia) 
1:02:30 Robertson Screw (Wikipedia) 
1:10:12 Marathon Clocks (Amazon)

On this week's episode of The Business of Watches, a brand that's very much in the news. We're in Meyrin, just outside of Geneva, to talk to the head of Baume & Mercier, the near-200 year old brand that's just been sold by Richemont to Italy's Damiani Group. Michael Guenoun speaks passionately and with conviction about the pressures the brand faces due to the strong Swiss franc, rising costs, and its commitment to remaining in the approachable-priced segment of the watch market. 
Guenoun highlights the brand's rich history, its model lines, and its strategy for retail, distribution, and pricing. Recorded before the sale of Baume & Mercier was announced officially, we asked him if the brand was up for sale, and his answer is worth tuning in for. The conversation gives the listener a sense of where Guenoun and his team expect the brand to be and achieve under new leadership for a deal that's still short on details, but is expected to close this summer and take Baume & Mercier under a new corporate umbrella with a company that is based in Italy rather than in Switzerland like Richemont.
But first, we're joined by a very special guest for his take on the latest business headlines in the watch world. Adrian Barker is the man behind Bark & Jack - the popular and influential YouTube channel and accessories shop selling straps, coffee mugs, and other products.  It's a big moment for Adrian as he's just about to launch his first watch collaboration - a dive watch with U.K. brand Christopher Ward. 
Adrian gives us the lowdown on what he learned from the collaboration process with the watchmaker and what he's doing with the design to make this very much an expression of his own personal taste and philosophy on what makes a proper watch. We also talk about Patek Philippe's recent decision to roll back prices in the U.S. in response to lower tariff rates, while implementing another price increase in other markets. 
Show Notes 0:57 Adrian Barker and Bark & Jack 
1:34 Visit Glasgow 2:23 Christopher Ward 
3:11 ETA SA 
5:00 The story of Christopher Ward and CEO Mike France 
9:20 Who Makes Christopher Ward Watches (Bark & Jack) 
12:08 Bark & Jack products 14:05 Patek Philippe 
17:37 Richemont Sells Baume & Mercier 
20:04 Damiani Group 
22:55 Michael Guenoun (World Tempus) 
23:30 History of Baume & Mercier 
25:25 Riviera collection (Monochrome) 
26:51 Clifton Baumatic 
28:00 Baumatic movement (Caliber Corner) 
38:30 TimeVallee 
45:30 As China Retreats And The U.S. Wobbles, Is India The Next Great Hope For The Luxury Watch Market? 
49:20 Richemont maisons 
53:55 Who wants to buy Baume & Mercier and why?
55:04 Watches and Wonders 2026

On this week's episode of The Business of Watches, we head to Nidau, Switzerland, where we sit down with Ben Küffer, the young Chief Executive Officer of family-owned watch brand Norqain. It's a frank discussion of the challenges of starting a brand and creating a signature watch–the Norqain Wild One–at a time when the industry is crowded with competitors, and it's tough to stand out. We focus on Norqain's unique strategy of recruiting former and current professional athletes as not only brand representatives, but also investors and executives. The big news is Norqain's deal to be the official luxury timepiece of the National Hockey League, an agreement guided by former NHLer and Norqain co-founder Mark Streit with some help from superstar and company investor Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins. 
We also discuss the surprise success of Norqain's 'Enjoy Life' Freedom 60 chronograph that struck a chord with consumers with its ice cream-themed colors and endorsement by Mark Wahlberg to become the brand's top-selling watch. Despite that success, and perhaps in a bid to play the scarcity card, Norqain now says it plans to discontinue the model, at least for now. 
But first, we're joined by TanTan Wang, who is back from Colorado, and some quality time with Oris's new Big Crown Pointer Date 'Bullseye.' We also talk about the recent headlines in the watch world, including the proposed sale of Richemont's Baume & Mercier to Italy's Damiani Group, as well as Omega's very commercial 300M diver, which it is launching for the Milano Cortina Winter Games. 
Show Notes 
1:57 Oris Big Crown Pointer Date Bullseye 
3:15 TanTan's essay and the fight against watch snobbery 
3:47 Richemont Sells Baume & Mercier 
5:43 Omega Releases A White Ceramic Seamaster 300M For Milano Cortina 2026 
9:40 Norqain 10:22 Mark Streit 
11:10 Norqain Scores Multi-Year Sponsorship Deal With NHL Aimed At Vaulting Swiss Brands To The Big Leagues 
12:03 Sidney Crosby Partners With Watch Company Founded By Former NHLers (ESPN) 
18:00 Talking Watches With Jean-Claude Biver 
19:55 Norqain Wild One 
20:25 BIWI SA 
26:00 Hands-On with the Norqain Wild One (Fratello) 
30:40 Hands-On With the Norqain Freedom 60 40mm Enjoy Life (Fratello) 
35:55 Norqain Independence Skeleton Chrono 42mm 
37:31 Swiss watch export statistics 
39:44 Swiss watch industry employment 
45:00 Stan Wawrinka 
51:30 Norqain world and values

On this week's episode of The Business of Watches, we wrangled some time with someone who was born into the world of the Swiss watch industry but who has taken an outsider's path to business success. Manuel Emch is the managing director of Louis Erard and also one-third of the radical upstart micro-brand Kollokium. We sat down last year, and Emch outlined his circuitous route and unique approach to building and selling watch brands. 
But first, Hodinkee Magazine's editorial director Malaika Crawford drops in to give her take on Louis Vuitton's latest novelties and La Fabrique du Temps with a behind-the-scenes look at the atelier and its skilled artisans and craftspersons. Plus–what is Rolex telling us with its latest group of Hollywood testimonees? 
Show Notes 
1:35 LVMH Watch Week 2026 
2:15 La Fabrique du Temps
8:30 New Rolex Testimonees in 2025 
11:00 Louis Erard 
11:20 Kollokium 
12:00 Grenchen, Switzerland
13:26 HEC Lausanne
16:00 Nick Hayek Sr. 
18:19 Jaquet Droz (Hodinkee) 
22:50 Jaquet Droz website 
27:30 Romain Jerome  
36:20 Louis Erard (Hodinkee) 
45:20 Louis Erard x Alain Silberstein 
54:00 MB&F 
58:10 Swatch AI Dada 
59:45 Kollokium (Hodinkee) 
1:02:00 Kollokium short film 
1:07:10 Tupperware 
1:13:07 Louis Erard Regulator

On this week's The Business of Watches, we head to Villeret, Switzerland, and the storied Swiss watchmaker Minerva. The brand, founded in 1858, is truly the jewel within Montblanc's watchmaking division, which itself is part of Swiss luxury conglomerate Richemont. Laurent Lecamp is the man leading Montblanc and Minerva's watchmaking operations, and he sat down with us for a detailed discussion on Minerva and what he's doing to satisfy the clients that he calls "fans" and not customers. Montblanc and Minerva won't be participating in Watches and Wonders this year, and Lecamp outlines the different paths that the brands are taking within the Richemont group. He also talks about his penchant for running extreme marathons, sometimes wearing a Minerva or Montblanc timepiece. 
But first, a new format to start the show. We're joined by Hodinkee senior business editor, Mark Kauzlarich, to chew over some of the business headlines making news in the watch world. We talk about potential executive changes in the top job at TAG Heuer and also discuss what we think the business strategy might be behind Omega's new Speedmaster that boasts a ceramic bezel, lacquered dial, and a new price tag. 
Show Notes 0:30 Montblanc / Minerva 0:45 Audemars Piguet And Ten More Brands To Join Watches And Wonders For 2026 1:00 Minerva Is The Watchmaking Jewel Within Montblanc And Showcases Its Talents With A New Art Piece (Hodinkee) 2:00 Business Montres 
3:50 TAG Heuer 
5:20 LVMH Watches and Jewelry 
7:10 Jean-Christophe Babin (Instagram) 
8:50 The Omega Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch Black & White (Hodinkee) 
12:00 Hands-On The Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean For 2025 (Hodinkee)
15:30 Villeret, Switzerland 
16:36 Laurent Lecamp (Instagram) 
17:40 GIA (Gemology Institute of America) 
19:50 Cyrus Watches
23:00 Example of Minerva bezel 
26:00 Montblanc's New Minerva Monopusher Chronograph (Hodinkee) 
28:20 Montblanc Club M58 (Watchonista) 
43:12 Montblanc Star Legacy Suspended Exo Tourbillon Château de Versailles (YouTube)
48:10 Richemont 
51:00 Montblanc Ice Marathon (Revolution)