This is SUPERLATIVE: A Podcast about watches, the people behind them, and the worlds that inspire them. This week, our host and aBlogtoWatch Founder Ariel Adams sits down with me, Ripley Sellers, who is one of the newest members of the editorial team here at aBlogtoWatch. At the time we recorded this episode, I had only been working with the crew for a few weeks, and recording this podcast was the single longest conversation that I had ever had with Ariel (obviously, that has since changed), meaning that you will get to know me through the exact same conversation that he did. To start the show, Ariel asks me about my thoughts on the intersection of watches and personality within the greater realm of watch-related media, along with how I got started working in this unique industry, in the first place. After discussing my origin story and the surprisingly limited number of truly enjoyable jobs that exist within the greater watch industry, Ariel and I dig into the concept of watches as a hobby, the ongoing reluctance to label it as such, and why simply just calling it a hobby would make life easier for everyone.

After briefly discussing a few of the things that the United States can learn from Switzerland when it comes to watchmaking, Ariel and I discuss the role of social media in modern-day watch collecting, and why we both think that jumping headfirst into Instagram’s algorithm may not be best for new collectors who are still developing their own tastes and preferences. After debating whether or not new collectors should even like Rolex, along with the greater psychology of retail denial, Ariel and I then get into some of the reasons people actually want to own Rolex watches, in the first place, along with the rise in watch-related crime and whether or not I personally think it will have any type of long-term impact on how people interact with watch collecting as a hobby. To close out the show, Ariel asks me about why I wanted to work at aBlogtoWatch and what I hope to accomplish in my role here going forward, which then spirals into a conversation about novel materials in watchmaking and how we need to always ask ourselves, “Is it just different or is it actually better?”

Stay up-to-date with Ripley and his work at aBlogtoWatch:   

• Instagram — @ripley.sellers
• aBlogtoWatch Articles — Ripley’s Articles

Show Notes:

• 00:49 — The intersection of watches and personality within the greater contest of watch-related media.
• 05:46 — How Ripley first got into the world of watches.
• 10:59 — Jobs within the watch industry and the limited number of enjoyable roles that exist.
• 14:18 — The concept of watches as a hobby and why formally recognizing it as such would make life easier for everyone.
• 19:03 — The mindsets of the people behind the companies who sell luxury watches and the misunderstandings that can arise between them and the people who actually buy their products
• 27:17 — What the United States can learn from the Swiss when it comes to watchmaking.
• 30:01 — The role of social media in modern day watch collecting, and why Ariel and Ripley both think that it may not be best for new collectors.
• 35:49 — Should new collectors like Rolex?
• 41:58 — The psychology of Rolex denial and why people actually want to own Rolex watches.
• 48:02 — Watch-related crime and whether or not it will change how people interact with timepieces.
• 53:27 — Why Ripley wanted to work at aBlogtoWatch, and what he hopes to accomplish there in the future.
• 58:10 — Novel materials in watching and how we should always ask ourselves, “is it different or is it better?”