Scottish Watches Podcast #40 : With Ariel Adams From ABlogToWatch

Listening via a podcast player? Well click here – http://www.scottishwatches.co.uk/2019/05/20/scottish-watches-podcast-40-with-ariel-adams-from-a-blog-to-watch/ – to read the show notes with all the photos, links and video stuff on show! If you want to listen via the website then scroll to the bottom of this page for the online player.

It is a very special episode with a man whose name I have struggled with a few times.

sorry…

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We try to ask him some questions, but it turns out that you cannot stop the journalist in Ariel from asking and answering his own questions. @phillywatchcollector was right

Ariel has never been to Scotland, so we educate him on Scottish Tags, Irn Bru and the Argyll Arcade.

Turns out that it is a badge of honour to receive a cease and desist notice from Rolex, so we are publishing this photo again.

https://mapsontheweb.zoom-maps.com/post/164254814446/map-showing-the-most-popular-drinks-company-in

Then some watch talk, some watch company talk and some watch media talk.

Including chat about a watch we have actually discussed from Kennsen

News : New Watches Round Up W/C 1st April

How many watches should you own, we settle on 42 and pose the question what do you say to your significant other what they say, “but you buy yourself watches”….”why do you need this watch”?

Send us your answer.

We talk about Microbrands (or owner-operators as I prefer) and the seeming desire for USA watchmakers to rise again as fully integrated companies, and how difficult t really is, taking the example of a watchmaker we are big fans of, Karel at Barrelhand.

Is the future of microbrands a cooperative model, and is the future of the big groups a divestment, hibernation or even killing off some brands?

The media talk is of particular interest and the question of how sustainable it is for a media platform to also be a retailer. ABTW is very much editorial led but others are certainly picking alternative business models.

Should we see our readers as a commodity to be monetised or sold to?

Are marketing and editorial are distinct things and are we seeing more and more media channels being content with their opinion being purchased by a watch company rather than being earned by producing great watches?

How do you make money in media?

Do you need to either sell your opinion or sell products, is there a third way?

Ariel talks about it all and about his mission to be evangelical about watches and watch collecting.

The Laco RAD-AUX a watch that Ariel was the design director for

https://www.laco-watches.com/en/press-release-laco-rad-aux

Ariel’s main message summed up, stop running watch brands like banks! So much so that he would personally rather burn with his watch collection rather than just pick one to save!

But which watch company would Ariel like to save first with him at the helm?

We do get some very quotable quotes from Ariel

“Nobody needs it, and it’s beautiful and we want it”

“No more collective memory to need this item as a tool”

It is a great and thought-provoking show even if we do say so ourselves.

We hope you enjoy it as much as we did – thank you Ariel for your time.

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