Lonely Wrist: All Things Watches & Horology

He fell in love with Ikepod in 1990s Paris. Years later, he didn’t just buy a watch, he bought the brand. Christian-Louis Col joins us to tell the unfiltered story of reviving Ikepod after bankruptcy: what you actually get when you acquire a “dead” Swiss watch brand, what’s missing when there are no archives, and why rebuilding trust means more than a new logo and a press release. We get into the real mechanics behind the comeback, from service challenges and sourcing parts to the cont...

What if buying a watch felt less like chasing hype and more like discovering your taste—one smart step at a time? We sit down with Watch Gang CEO Chad Tsagris to unpack how a bold subscription model, a curated “Wheel,” and five-figure mystery drops turned collecting into an experience that’s equal parts education and adrenaline. Chad shares how he went from vintage dealer and early vendor to acquiring the company with Swiss investors, and why the next chapter centers on trust, transparency, a...

How do you preserve a 40-year legacy while innovating for the future? When Coralie Charriol unexpectedly stepped into the CEO role following her father's passing, she faced exactly this challenge with the iconic Swiss luxury brand he'd built from scratch. Philippe Charriol was a visionary who left Cartier after 15 years to launch his own brand in 1983. His revolutionary approach focused on women as independent purchasers—not just recipients of gifts chosen by men—and centered around a distin...

What happens when a frustrated vintage watch collector stumbles upon a forgotten brand with a fascinating cinematic history? Angus McFadden joins us to share how he breathed new life into Alsta, the Swiss-made American watch brand that adorned Richard Dreyfuss's wrist in Jaws and Johnny Depp's in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. McFadden's journey began in 2014 when his frustration with authenticating vintage Rolex pieces led to an unexpected discovery – an Alsta dive watch in a part-exchange...

What if your watch could do more than just tell time? What if it could help protect the very places that inspire its design? Trip Henderson's journey from Navy service to tech entrepreneur to disaster relief leader ultimately led him to create Lōcī (pronounced "low-kai"), a watch brand with environmental conservation at its core. His experiences at sea—standing on a ship deck in the middle of the Atlantic, witnessing a night sky untouched by light pollution—sparked a lifelong passion for mea...

What happens when watch enthusiasm meets a passion for service? The Anti-Watch Watch Club (AWWC) is redefining what a watch community can accomplish by focusing on those who protect us every day. Cody Fite, Head of Business Development at AWWC and 20-year Army veteran, takes us inside this unique nonprofit founded by veterans and first responders who initially connected through their shared love of watches. Unlike traditional charities bogged down by bureaucracy, AWWC delivers immediate help...

What transforms a casual watch observer into a passionate enthusiast with a collection of over 35 timepieces? For Anna of Chrono Girl Life, it began with simple curiosity about her partner's hobby and evolved into a rich journey of discovery, creation, and community. In this revealing conversation, Anna shares how her initial skepticism about watches gave way to genuine fascination as she began asking questions about movements and mechanics. Her first mechanical timepiece—an Orient Bambino—o...

What happens when your entire life is erased in an instant? At 23, Robert Spencer survived a catastrophic accident that left him with total amnesia - wiping away every memory from birth until that moment. This devastating experience gave him a profoundly unique relationship with time that most of us will never understand. In this riveting conversation, Robert shares how he rebuilt his life without past experiences to guide him, concealing his condition from loved ones for over a decade. He r...