The SJX Podcast

It's been a promising year for independent watchmaking, and Watches & Wonders hasn't even taken place yet. On episode 35 of the SJX Podcast, SJX and Brandon discuss Rexhep Rexhepi's first in-house chronograph bearing his own name. What Mr Rexhepi does, others often imitate, so it's worth thinking about how the launch of this traditional-yet-novel chronograph will shape the future of the category.

The conversation also turns to Ressence, which has just unveiled its own in-house movement, and has done so at a fair price. Russian AHCI-member Anton Suhanov also joins the ranks of indies with their own calibres, installing a 15+ mm luminous balance wheel in his third wristwatch. And that's not the only Russian watch boasting unusual specs — Konstantin Chaykin revealed the series production version of his ThinKing, the thinnest watch ever at just 1.65 mm thick, complete with double 'mystery' displays.

New names also made their debuts recently, including Stéphane Pierre and Mathieu Cleguer, who has come up with a novel double-wheel escapement of his own design. These makers are illustrative of a broader trend in independent watchmaking, namely the engineer-led brand.

Show notes:

00:20: Rexhep Rexhepi RRCHF
06:45: Raymond Weil Millesime “The Fifty”
07:20: Ressence Type 11
10:00: Anton Suhanov Flamingo
15:00: Konstantin Chaykin ThinKing Mystery
16:30: Cleguer Inspiration One
18:00: Stéphane Pierre L’Impétrant
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Why do watch debates get so heated, so fast — and why does no one ever change their mind? On episode 34 of the SJX Podcast, Brandon sits down with King Flum, collector and author of the ScrewDownCrown Substack, to dig into the psychology behind the arguments that define online watch communities.

Drawing on research from psychologists including Jonathan Haidt and Dan Kahan, the conversation covers why our preferences form before we start thinking, why smarter collectors tend to construct more elaborate — not more objective — arguments, and why an attack on your watch can feel like an attack on you personally.

Read more here: https://www.screwdowncrown.com/p/your-brain-is-a-defence-lawyer-watch-forum-psychology
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Seiko is on something of a resurgence, aiming to take back its reputation as a value leader after the emergence, over the past decade, of increasingly competitive micro-brands. On episode 33 of the SJX Podcast, SJX and Brandon discuss the King Seiko Vanac, now available in titanium, and the Marinemaster, which has been transformed through a number of incremental upgrades.

The discussion then turns to some other affordable new releases from Orient Star, Raketa, and Christopher Ward, which just launched an in-house 'flyer' GMT calibre with a five-day power reserve.

Show notes:

00:35: King Seiko Vanac Titanium
3:30: Seiko Marinemaster
8:00: Orient Star M45
11:10: Raketa Baikonur
12:20: Christopher Ward Sealander True GMT
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Watches & Wonders is less than a month away, so for episode 32 of the SJX Podcast we're talking about what we'd want to see from some of the major brands like Patek Philippe, Grand Seiko, and Tudor. It's always difficult to make predictions, and the best releases from every year are usually a surprise, but Andrew put together a few picks that we believe would be crowd-pleasers, were they to be made.

SJX and Brandon also discuss the latest minute repeater from Girard-Perregaux, and SJX's own collaboration with Habring²: the Chrono-Felix Medicus chronograph.

Show notes:

1:00: Patek Philippe
3:00: Grand Seiko
4:20: Tudor
7:30: Girard-Perregaux Minute Repeater Flying Bridges
11:30: Habring² x SJX Chrono-Felix Medicus
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Episode 31 of the SJX Podcast digs into two major industry reports — one from Vontobel on the primary market and one from EveryWatch on the secondary — and what they reveal about where value is concentrating in the watch industry. SJX and Brandon discuss the K-shaped nature of the market, the dominance of F.P. Journe among independents, and Cartier's remarkable ability to sell across every price tier.

The discussion also touches on the role of emotion in driving purchase decisions, the financialisation of the hobby, and why market reports have limited utility for collectors.

Show notes:

00:30: K-shaped market dynamics — Vontobel and EveryWatch reports
3:00: F.P. Journe dominance among independents
4:00: Cartier's unique market position
10:00: Emotion vs. financialisation
14:00: Marteau & Co.
16:00: Phillips
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