Sept. 29, 2026
026: From Rectangle Lots to the NAWCC Boardroom with Geoffrey Parker
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David Newman sits down with Geoffrey Parker, the Chairman of the Board for the NAWCC, to explore a life dedicated to mechanical precision. Jeff shares how his childhood fascination with a local watchmaker and a professional background in complex scale modeling led him to salvage a "rectangle lot" of junk watches from eBay to teach himself the trade. From the emotional weight of restoring a Vietnam veteran's cherished Seiko to navigating the diverse factions of the horological community, Jeff explains why a watch is much more than just a tool. He offers a peek at his own impressive collection, including a 1951 original Omega and award winning custom skeletonized builds, while providing essential advice for beginners looking to find their own hidden treasures at flea markets and local meets.
⏱️ Timestamps
00:04 : Welcome to the Show
- David introduces Jeff as a watch guru, maker, and industry insider.
- Jeff reflects on his earliest memories and his lifelong connection to the craft.
00:41 : The Face Against the Glass
- Jeff recalls being the "Norman Rockwell" boy with his face pressed against a local watchmaker's window.
- How his background building 1/8 scale car replicas with 4,000 parts prepared him for the precision of horology.
02:46 : The "Rectangle Lot" Experiment
- Buying a "wreck and tangle" lot of junk watches on eBay to see if he could actually fix them.
- The card table and simple tools that launched a decades long journey into professional repair.
04:44 : The Emotional Side of Repair
- Salvaging a late husband's water damaged watch for a grieving coworker.
- Restoring a Vietnam veteran's faceted Seiko that became one of the most meaningful projects of his career.
06:10 : Ancestral Watchmakers
- Discovering a hidden family history of watchmaking that dates back over 150 years.
- Why Jeff feels he was destined to pick up the trade as the only current family member in the craft.
14:31 : Building Award Winning Timepieces
- The story of the skeletonized Swiss movement build that won first prize at a national craft contest.
- Why Jeff plans to eventually leave his cybersecurity career to focus on building custom watches full time.
22:52 : Leading the NAWCC Community
- Navigating the different subgroups of wristwatch, pocket watch, and clock collectors.
- Why the "MoonSwatch" phenomenon is a vital gateway for bringing younger collectors into the hobby.
28:58 : Innovation at the Museum
- Highlighting the Bulova exhibit and the fascinating immigration story of Joseph Bulova.
- Exploring the legacy of Accutron tuning fork technology and its impact on American watchmaking.
32:30 : Show and Tell
- A look at a garnet colored Baume & Mercier and a completely original 1951 Omega Seamaster.
- The rare 1963 Zodiac chronograph that required a two year restoration process.
37:44 : Advice for the New Collector
- Why beginners should look for makers fairs and watch meets to find what truly excites them.
- Approaching affordable vintage collecting with a "gambling" mindset for better entertainment value.
41:30 : The Lightning Round
- Jeff explains why he would choose one great masterpiece over a collection of five good ones.
- Why the value of pre owned watches makes them a smarter choice than buying brand new.
A great watch is a perfect storm of engineering, history, and art that reminds you to enjoy every second.
==========
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WEBVTT
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This file was generated by Descript
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Geoffrey: People don't always agree.
00:00:01.428 --> 00:00:01.876
We know this.
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David: Sure.
00:00:02.788 --> 00:00:06.486
Geoffrey: However, for the most part,
if there's a passion for horology,
00:00:06.961 --> 00:00:10.905
it's like the only thing I've ever
seen that's parallel to it in a way is
00:00:10.908 --> 00:00:14.774
religious communities, because people
support each other with a common belief
00:00:14.776 --> 00:00:16.241
and a common interest and passion.
00:00:16.327 --> 00:00:16.739
So-
00:00:16.796 --> 00:00:17.190
David: Yeah
00:00:17.333 --> 00:00:19.115
Geoffrey: my role is not peacekeeper.
00:00:19.120 --> 00:00:23.905
My role is really as chairman of the
board to help advance the organization.
00:00:24.038 --> 00:00:29.416
David: Welcome to Watch Smarts, where
smart people get smarter about watches.
00:00:29.682 --> 00:00:31.032
I'm your host, David Newman.
00:00:31.262 --> 00:00:32.625
Let's jump right in
00:00:43.940 --> 00:00:46.609
Well, my friends, you
are in for a real treat.
00:00:46.626 --> 00:00:53.058
We have watch guru, watch
enthusiast, watchmaker, watch
00:00:53.257 --> 00:00:57.363
insider, Mr. Jeffrey Parker with us.
00:00:57.382 --> 00:00:58.947
And Jeff, welcome to the show.
00:00:59.236 --> 00:01:00.436
Geoffrey: Thank you so much, David.
00:01:00.440 --> 00:01:02.652
I, you know, I hope I
can live up to all that.
00:01:03.219 --> 00:01:06.602
David: Well, I, I think you
can, and, and I think you do.
00:01:06.858 --> 00:01:09.558
So take us back to the very beginning.
00:01:09.667 --> 00:01:15.060
What was your earliest memory or your
earliest connection with watches?
00:01:15.769 --> 00:01:19.090
Geoffrey: Honestly, for me, we
go way… We're gonna have to
00:01:19.090 --> 00:01:20.501
turn on the way back machine.
00:01:20.548 --> 00:01:21.100
David: Okay.
00:01:21.100 --> 00:01:25.118
Geoffrey: You know, I'm, I'm probably
older than I look to, to the audience.
00:01:25.683 --> 00:01:31.943
When I was a probably pre-teen, I lived
in a little town, and in that town we
00:01:31.943 --> 00:01:36.551
had a jewelry store, and there was a
watchmaker set up in the jewelry store.
00:01:37.126 --> 00:01:42.525
And every time I went down past the candy
store or the hardware store down towards
00:01:42.527 --> 00:01:45.092
the park, I had to go past that shop.
00:01:45.582 --> 00:01:51.643
And probably around, I'm guessing,
11, 12, something like that, I started
00:01:51.655 --> 00:01:55.732
getting interested in what he was
doing back there, and I literally
00:01:55.744 --> 00:02:00.820
was the Norman Rockwell cover of a
little boy with his face pressed to
00:02:00.820 --> 00:02:05.304
the glass watching the watchmaker,
and I got absolutely fascinated.
00:02:05.880 --> 00:02:12.106
So from literally pre-teen till
decades, many decades later, here
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I am, and the interest just grew.
00:02:14.331 --> 00:02:23.442
Now, fast-forward about, um, maybe about
20 years from when my interest in watches
00:02:23.442 --> 00:02:27.602
and my little, teeny watch collection
started happening, like, you know,
00:02:27.609 --> 00:02:32.224
high school graduation watch, college
graduation watch, that kind of thing.
00:02:32.917 --> 00:02:36.477
I was very involved with
fine scale modeling.
00:02:36.719 --> 00:02:40.398
So I built some of those great
big one-eighth scale, like
00:02:40.412 --> 00:02:44.126
three, four feet long antique
car replicas you see in museums.
00:02:44.380 --> 00:02:45.001
Wow.
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With those 4,000 parts and the
hand-laid spokes that are… Oh, yeah.
00:02:48.579 --> 00:02:48.835
Yeah.
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And so from that, which I loved
doing, and I was detailing
00:02:52.251 --> 00:02:54.011
down to one 32nd of an inch.
00:02:54.499 --> 00:03:00.877
And one day, just suddenly out of
the blue, I realized, "You know, this
00:03:00.902 --> 00:03:06.255
modeling I'm doing is incredibly fine
and detailed, and I need magnifying
00:03:06.258 --> 00:03:10.203
glasses and everything to see what
I'm doing, and help like hands, and-
00:03:11.225 --> 00:03:15.031
Watches are pretty small, and I've
been collecting them for a long time.
00:03:15.033 --> 00:03:18.593
I wonder if I could actually work on them.
00:03:18.986 --> 00:03:25.024
So I went to the world source
of watches, eBay, and I bought
00:03:25.024 --> 00:03:26.875
what I call a rectangle lot.
00:03:26.952 --> 00:03:30.024
A rectangle lot is not rectangular shaped.
00:03:30.024 --> 00:03:31.249
It's a wreck and a tangle.
00:03:31.918 --> 00:03:32.351
Nice.
00:03:32.351 --> 00:03:34.608
And it was, it was just
a junk lot, you know?
00:03:34.650 --> 00:03:36.638
And they were, they were gonzo.
00:03:36.677 --> 00:03:38.744
They were, like, I didn't
think they were salvageable.
00:03:39.018 --> 00:03:40.561
And some cheap tools.
00:03:40.691 --> 00:03:42.105
I didn't know they were cheap tools.
00:03:42.105 --> 00:03:43.846
I was just looking not to spend a fortune.
00:03:44.266 --> 00:03:44.596
David: Yeah.
00:03:44.654 --> 00:03:48.924
Geoffrey: So I brought all this stuff back
and I got, uh, I got it all shipped in.
00:03:49.237 --> 00:03:51.971
I bought a light, I bought a card table.
00:03:52.177 --> 00:03:54.805
I still have that card
table, decades later.
00:03:55.331 --> 00:03:59.207
And I basically started to take
them apart and watch videos and,
00:03:59.216 --> 00:04:05.275
and try to get some training where I
could, and essentially learn, could
00:04:05.291 --> 00:04:06.868
I work on these watches or not?
00:04:06.873 --> 00:04:07.868
How do you open them?
00:04:07.868 --> 00:04:08.817
How do you clean them?
00:04:08.817 --> 00:04:10.436
How do you change batteries?
00:04:10.452 --> 00:04:11.536
How do you fix things?
00:04:11.536 --> 00:04:13.118
How do you replace hands?
00:04:13.118 --> 00:04:17.971
And it took me quite a while,
but I actually managed to salvage
00:04:18.265 --> 00:04:20.313
that entire rectangle lot.
00:04:20.750 --> 00:04:23.853
So my sister had a birthday
coming up and I called her and I
00:04:23.885 --> 00:04:25.732
said, "Hey, do you have a watch?"
00:04:25.756 --> 00:04:28.026
And she said, "Yeah, but
none of them work," you know?
00:04:28.026 --> 00:04:31.192
I said, "Well, listen, I've, I got a
bunch of them here I was just messing
00:04:31.192 --> 00:04:34.143
with. Do you… Let me send you some
pictures, see if you like any of
00:04:34.143 --> 00:04:38.486
these." So she was like, "Okay." You
know, so I sent her the pictures and
00:04:38.490 --> 00:04:42.283
she called me back right away. She
said, "Oh, Jeff, these are beautiful.
00:04:42.514 --> 00:04:45.553
I like that silver and gold one
with the blue dial." And you
00:04:45.554 --> 00:04:46.478
know, I said, "You know what?
00:04:46.500 --> 00:04:47.808
I'm coming up to visit soon.
00:04:47.815 --> 00:04:48.871
You got a birthday coming up.
00:04:48.873 --> 00:04:52.175
I'll just bring them for you." And
she asked the natural question, "How
00:04:52.175 --> 00:04:56.332
much do you want for them?" And I
said, "Oh, this is a birthday gift."
00:04:56.332 --> 00:04:57.674
I- I'm like, "I'm just learning.
00:04:57.825 --> 00:04:59.311
You know, I don't know
how long they'll last.
00:04:59.568 --> 00:05:00.385
They work now.
00:05:00.428 --> 00:05:03.897
They, you know, I've, I've salvaged
them." You know, I told her the story
00:05:03.914 --> 00:05:05.354
and she- Yeah … was kind of thrilled.
00:05:05.551 --> 00:05:06.633
She still has them.
00:05:07.006 --> 00:05:11.241
I'm still like, I don't know, 15 years
later replacing batteries occasionally
00:05:11.241 --> 00:05:14.341
and making sure they're tuned up
and running for the automatics.
00:05:14.344 --> 00:05:16.601
But she, she did in fact
love them and she kept them.
00:05:16.623 --> 00:05:18.198
Well, then I made a mistake.
00:05:18.732 --> 00:05:22.520
I told the people at work that I
was starting to work on watches and
00:05:22.520 --> 00:05:25.410
of course, oh boy, they showed up.
00:05:25.410 --> 00:05:30.062
"Oh, I stuck it in a drawer after it went
into the pool when it's not waterproof.
00:05:30.062 --> 00:05:31.136
I don't know what to do." Right.
00:05:31.494 --> 00:05:34.019
You know, so they were sobbing
like they're handing me their,
00:05:34.356 --> 00:05:35.698
you know, mortally wounded baby.
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Well, I, I actually, I said, "Look, I
don't know if I'm even gonna charge you.
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I'm just learning, uh,
you know, no guarantee.
00:05:42.623 --> 00:05:45.802
You can really take it to a watchmaker
if you want this fixed." "No, no, too
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expensive." I'm like, "Okay, whatever."
00:05:48.050 --> 00:05:48.323
David: Right.
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Geoffrey: So, but I fixed them.
00:05:49.552 --> 00:05:53.767
And from that, it kind of went
from a hobby to paying taxes
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over not too long a time.
00:05:55.808 --> 00:05:56.161
Yeah.
00:05:56.161 --> 00:05:57.212
And, "Can you find me this?
00:05:57.243 --> 00:05:58.227
Can you get me this?
00:05:58.251 --> 00:05:59.087
Can you fix this?
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Can you just fix the strap?
00:06:00.784 --> 00:06:02.144
Can you add a new one?
00:06:02.147 --> 00:06:04.909
Can you, you know, do battery?"
And those were just, like,
00:06:05.485 --> 00:06:06.537
you know, the little things.
00:06:06.542 --> 00:06:10.624
But as it grew, I started to
realize, hey, I'm really liking this.
00:06:10.624 --> 00:06:15.584
And, and I realized, yeah, I'm not
building models so much anymore as I
00:06:15.584 --> 00:06:17.265
am building watches and fixing them.
00:06:17.265 --> 00:06:17.651
David: Yeah.
00:06:18.140 --> 00:06:22.180
Geoffrey: Then I accidentally found
a connection to some of my ancestors
00:06:22.183 --> 00:06:23.791
that were actually watchmakers.
00:06:24.310 --> 00:06:27.491
And I couldn't believe it,
'cause I wasn't aware of any
00:06:27.539 --> 00:06:29.221
watchmakers in our history at all.
00:06:29.221 --> 00:06:32.049
I figured I was a, a one-off, but no, no.
00:06:32.387 --> 00:06:36.252
Um, I actually have watchmaking in our
ancestry, and I'm the only one that
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I'm aware of that does, that picked up
the trade, like 150-odd years later.
00:06:41.865 --> 00:06:45.390
So from there it's been
nothing but, like, up.
00:06:45.455 --> 00:06:49.158
I mean, shortly thereafter, I was
in Florida at the time for work,
00:06:49.188 --> 00:06:52.094
and living and working there,
but I was traveling quite a bit.
00:06:52.126 --> 00:06:56.860
And, and I found a local chapter
of the NAWCC for the Miami
00:06:56.860 --> 00:06:58.484
region, where I was based.
00:06:58.547 --> 00:07:00.407
And, and, uh, I joined.
00:07:00.530 --> 00:07:03.698
And I was like, oh God,
this is gonna get expensive.
00:07:06.984 --> 00:07:11.419
But what I really got out of it,
and why I've stayed now for, I
00:07:11.421 --> 00:07:17.183
don't know, 14-ish years, is the
people have just been phenomenal.
00:07:17.193 --> 00:07:21.211
It's like having so many… like
having a huge extended family.
00:07:21.577 --> 00:07:21.719
Yeah.
00:07:21.719 --> 00:07:24.842
You know, people you know for a
long time that would give you the
00:07:25.145 --> 00:07:29.137
shirt off their back that, I, I
mean, are just great, great people.
00:07:29.171 --> 00:07:32.294
And it, it's almost like
finding this little hidden
00:07:32.298 --> 00:07:34.056
treasure or community out there.
00:07:34.448 --> 00:07:35.027
Yeah.
00:07:35.027 --> 00:07:37.284
And, you know, enjoying some
of the great people in it.
00:07:37.317 --> 00:07:39.770
And so the passion has never gone down.
00:07:39.770 --> 00:07:43.330
I actually graduated to
making watches, um, David.
00:07:43.366 --> 00:07:47.536
It, it's like… And about two, three
years ago, I finally, on a whim, I'd
00:07:47.537 --> 00:07:51.921
done a commercial, a TV commercial
for a national conference that was,
00:07:51.983 --> 00:07:56.183
a convention that was in the town
I lived in with local TV stations.
00:07:56.592 --> 00:08:01.217
And I had built a few watches, um,
and I had them with me for the TV
00:08:01.222 --> 00:08:04.246
commercial because they were just
fascinated, thrilled with these.
00:08:04.770 --> 00:08:09.206
And, uh, one of the producers dropped
one of them, but I had them with me and,
00:08:09.206 --> 00:08:14.656
um- I brought them to the convention and
I decided to, on a whim, just to enter
00:08:14.659 --> 00:08:16.587
them into the, into the craft contest.
00:08:17.105 --> 00:08:18.369
And son of a gun, they won.
00:08:19.784 --> 00:08:24.677
So I was like, "Okay, never expected
that." I was just doing it because I
00:08:24.680 --> 00:08:28.229
couldn't talk myself out of it, and I was
here and they were here, so what the heck?
00:08:28.257 --> 00:08:28.514
But-
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David: Yeah
00:08:29.024 --> 00:08:30.470
… Geoffrey: I never expected anything.
00:08:30.643 --> 00:08:34.299
I just did it for kind of the
challenge and the thrill, you know,
00:08:34.308 --> 00:08:35.913
figuring, okay, you know, they'll…
00:08:36.013 --> 00:08:39.299
I'm sure they've got a loser's prize
or runner-up prize or something.
00:08:39.299 --> 00:08:43.227
But no, I actually won a first prize
and two second prizes, and I was
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like, even for the busted one, wow.
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David: Yeah, amazing.
00:08:48.483 --> 00:08:50.662
Well- Yeah … so thank
you for all of that.
00:08:50.663 --> 00:08:51.850
I've got so many questions.
00:08:51.856 --> 00:08:55.332
I'd love to take you back a
little bit to the first part of
00:08:55.332 --> 00:08:58.026
the story, the early watches.
00:08:58.026 --> 00:09:02.458
You mentioned high school graduation
watch, other- Yeah … gift watches.
00:09:02.957 --> 00:09:06.599
What was it early on that you enjoyed?
00:09:06.599 --> 00:09:11.174
Or what brands or what style of watches
called to you first back in those days?
00:09:11.590 --> 00:09:16.341
Geoffrey: Well, my high school
graduation watch was a square TV type
00:09:16.374 --> 00:09:19.959
Seiko 5, and I really loved that.
00:09:19.959 --> 00:09:22.074
I felt I'd, I'd, you
know, won the lottery.
00:09:22.303 --> 00:09:23.732
I was so proud of that watch.
00:09:23.733 --> 00:09:26.230
It was the first piece of
any kind of jewelry I had.
00:09:26.572 --> 00:09:30.188
And then I inherited my grandfather's
watch when he passed, and it
00:09:30.188 --> 00:09:34.380
was an Omega Seamaster, and
that, that kicked it up a notch.
00:09:34.424 --> 00:09:37.767
It was not very much longer later
when I, when I ended up with his
00:09:37.767 --> 00:09:40.580
watch, and that thing fascinated me.
00:09:40.580 --> 00:09:45.042
It had a sub seconds dial, you know, it
didn't look like a modern wristwatch.
00:09:45.045 --> 00:09:48.904
And it was- Yeah … so finely
made and detailed, and it was, you
00:09:48.904 --> 00:09:53.434
know… It was just one of those
things that I just dearly loved.
00:09:53.721 --> 00:09:57.999
Unfortunately, uh, in a divorce
a little bit, a few years on, um,
00:09:58.003 --> 00:10:02.980
I lost that watch, and it took
me seven years to find it again,
00:10:02.980 --> 00:10:04.674
or at least the exact same model.
00:10:04.854 --> 00:10:05.060
But-
00:10:05.060 --> 00:10:05.595
David: Yeah
00:10:05.654 --> 00:10:06.065
… Geoffrey: I did.
00:10:06.073 --> 00:10:06.472
David: How about
00:10:06.519 --> 00:10:06.685
Geoffrey: that?
00:10:07.487 --> 00:10:07.987
Yeah.
00:10:07.993 --> 00:10:11.571
It's like, I, I think when you
start on something and the bug
00:10:11.588 --> 00:10:15.206
bites you, it becomes like, oh,
ooh, that looks good, you know?
00:10:15.220 --> 00:10:15.600
Yeah.
00:10:15.776 --> 00:10:16.317
Like that.
00:10:16.784 --> 00:10:19.527
Ooh, that, that's a neat
watch, you know, kind of thing.
00:10:19.569 --> 00:10:24.931
And it's based on what kind of, you
know, funds do you have available,
00:10:24.950 --> 00:10:26.694
what do you feel like collecting.
00:10:26.720 --> 00:10:31.198
So for a while it was just things
that looked fun or interesting
00:10:31.199 --> 00:10:32.633
or I really liked Seiko.
00:10:32.633 --> 00:10:36.135
I got quite a few of those for
a while, you know, and that kind
00:10:36.135 --> 00:10:37.933
of thing kind of started me off.
00:10:37.933 --> 00:10:39.109
And then I, I went up.
00:10:39.110 --> 00:10:43.454
Of course there were the prerequisite
Timex watches because of course I was
00:10:43.468 --> 00:10:45.731
young and, you know, using my hands a lot.
00:10:45.741 --> 00:10:46.132
David: Sure.
00:10:46.210 --> 00:10:48.815
Geoffrey: They would get all
messed up, but they, they kept
00:10:48.816 --> 00:10:50.296
working, you know, kind of thing.
00:10:50.296 --> 00:10:50.494
And-
00:10:50.608 --> 00:10:51.066
David: Yeah
00:10:51.249 --> 00:10:53.919
… Geoffrey: and then I ended up
with a, a fancy dressed watch.
00:10:53.919 --> 00:10:55.540
Another Omega I think it was.
00:10:55.581 --> 00:11:00.629
And, and it just, it grew from there,
and until when I had started working
00:11:00.649 --> 00:11:04.218
with them, um, after the model building
thing when I was living in Florida,
00:11:04.223 --> 00:11:10.678
I realized- Well, I think it was as a
result of joining the NAWCC because the
00:11:10.679 --> 00:11:14.424
National Association of Watch and Clock
Collectors, that group in Miami, chapter
00:11:14.424 --> 00:11:16.580
60, oh my God, did they enable me.
00:11:16.920 --> 00:11:19.509
You know, because you walk into a
meeting and you're surrounded by
00:11:19.547 --> 00:11:22.139
things that are just drool-worthy and-
00:11:22.330 --> 00:11:22.720
David: Yes
00:11:22.744 --> 00:11:23.061
… Geoffrey: you know.
00:11:23.392 --> 00:11:25.469
So I was pretty much done and cooked.
00:11:25.478 --> 00:11:27.912
The little pop-up turkey
thing came up for me.
00:11:27.912 --> 00:11:29.698
You know, like, but I had to learn.
00:11:29.718 --> 00:11:31.422
It's like you have to ask the questions.
00:11:31.429 --> 00:11:32.793
Do you have the service history?
00:11:33.004 --> 00:11:34.058
How long have you owned it?
00:11:34.067 --> 00:11:36.064
When was it last serviced?
00:11:36.064 --> 00:11:37.332
How is it running?
00:11:37.342 --> 00:11:38.239
What's wrong with it?
00:11:38.269 --> 00:11:39.528
What defects does it have?
00:11:39.953 --> 00:11:40.095
Yeah.
00:11:40.095 --> 00:11:44.612
Now, you have to learn to, like, ask
questions about it, or else you can get
00:11:44.623 --> 00:11:46.507
stung, even if people don't mean to.
00:11:46.941 --> 00:11:47.229
You know?
00:11:47.229 --> 00:11:47.494
Yeah.
00:11:47.555 --> 00:11:47.888
Yeah.
00:11:48.354 --> 00:11:52.193
And, you know, from there,
I think it, it just grows.
00:11:52.194 --> 00:11:56.117
And as you have more liquid assets, as
you get more interested, as you want to
00:11:56.118 --> 00:12:01.263
reach the next rung up kind of thing, I've
progressed to, you know, favorite brands.
00:12:01.265 --> 00:12:02.940
Like I've got a lot of Omegas.
00:12:02.947 --> 00:12:04.582
I've got a lot of Tag Heuers.
00:12:04.621 --> 00:12:06.592
Uh, I collect Zodiac.
00:12:06.623 --> 00:12:10.774
Um, you know, Baume & Mercier,
one of my favorite brands.
00:12:10.822 --> 00:12:15.227
Um, just it's like you find the things
that, that really appeal to you.
00:12:15.228 --> 00:12:19.816
And for me, quality of
engineering, refined styling,
00:12:19.845 --> 00:12:22.074
and attention to detail catch it.
00:12:22.094 --> 00:12:27.206
So now I do still buy and own Seikos, but
I also own a lot of Seiko Presage watches.
00:12:27.548 --> 00:12:27.719
Yeah.
00:12:27.719 --> 00:12:31.269
And I love the ones with a real
enamel dial, like a pocket watch dial.
00:12:31.615 --> 00:12:32.996
And I also have Grand Seiko.
00:12:33.050 --> 00:12:37.486
So, you know, unfortunately, you can't
own a lot of those because they set
00:12:37.486 --> 00:12:39.047
you back about what a Rolex would.
00:12:39.078 --> 00:12:39.469
So-
00:12:39.633 --> 00:12:40.003
David: Right
00:12:40.070 --> 00:12:44.611
… Geoffrey: but dang, for accuracy,
I mean, good Lord, you keep those
00:12:44.614 --> 00:12:48.047
things running and they're accurate
to within a couple of seconds a year.
00:12:48.339 --> 00:12:48.811
Yeah.
00:12:48.811 --> 00:12:50.585
Almost like a quartz or a digital watch
00:12:57.752 --> 00:13:01.174
David: Quick commercial break here
to ask you, have you seen all of the
00:13:01.175 --> 00:13:05.063
cool resources, downloads, and guides
waiting for you at WatchSmartx.com?
00:13:05.502 --> 00:13:06.815
Go check it out.
00:13:06.815 --> 00:13:08.125
You'll love it You know, it's funny,
when you were talking about getting
00:13:08.125 --> 00:13:10.060
in as a little kid, pressing your face
up against the glass, I'm imagining
00:13:10.063 --> 00:13:15.338
that this watch repair shop, they
also had watches in the window- Right
00:13:15.338 --> 00:13:16.325
somewhere, right?
00:13:16.325 --> 00:13:16.540
Yeah.
00:13:16.540 --> 00:13:16.555
Yeah.
00:13:16.555 --> 00:13:18.238
But you weren't really
interested in the watches.
00:13:18.240 --> 00:13:22.031
You were, you were interested in
what's that guy doing with the loupe
00:13:22.034 --> 00:13:25.843
and the tools and the hunched over and
doing all- Right … of this magic.
00:13:26.426 --> 00:13:27.800
Geoffrey: How does he make it work?
00:13:27.865 --> 00:13:28.535
Yeah.
00:13:28.535 --> 00:13:29.087
Everything was moving.
00:13:29.146 --> 00:13:30.655
How does he know what's wrong?
00:13:30.891 --> 00:13:31.829
How does he fix it?
00:13:31.853 --> 00:13:33.548
Where, where did he learn all this stuff?
00:13:33.870 --> 00:13:34.250
Yeah.
00:13:34.250 --> 00:13:36.536
You know, what does he do when
things don't work, you know?
00:13:36.564 --> 00:13:42.084
It, it's like I was just… My dad was
an engineer, and I think I got some of
00:13:42.084 --> 00:13:46.543
that inquisitive nature about how do
things work, how do they go together.
00:13:46.545 --> 00:13:50.233
When they fail to proceed, you
know, what's causing the problem?
00:13:50.320 --> 00:13:50.564
And-
00:13:50.565 --> 00:13:51.060
David: Yeah
00:13:51.589 --> 00:13:55.986
… Geoffrey: you know, y- you
could work with, like, HVAC.
00:13:56.132 --> 00:13:58.204
It's nowhere near as involved.
00:13:58.213 --> 00:14:02.344
I mean, when you're talking about pieces
of steel, you've got, you know, rebar that
00:14:02.347 --> 00:14:07.245
makes buildings, all the way down- Yeah
… using those same pieces, pieces of steel
00:14:07.632 --> 00:14:09.852
to hairsprings that make the watch go.
00:14:10.274 --> 00:14:10.502
Yeah.
00:14:10.502 --> 00:14:11.549
You know, they regulate it.
00:14:11.578 --> 00:14:12.932
Uh, it's the same steel.
00:14:12.933 --> 00:14:16.394
It's how you use it and what
you do with it that matters.
00:14:16.396 --> 00:14:16.406
Yeah.
00:14:16.406 --> 00:14:20.639
And I think pe- It was a combination
of elements that was just
00:14:20.640 --> 00:14:22.077
like the perfect storm for me.
00:14:22.084 --> 00:14:23.778
That, you know-
Yeah … the time was right.
00:14:24.346 --> 00:14:28.233
You know, it was just like, okay,
well, I, I'm, like, I don't have
00:14:28.247 --> 00:14:31.904
time to do models at the moment
because of my travel schedule, but
00:14:31.913 --> 00:14:35.677
jeez, I'm in all these different
countries and they've got watches.
00:14:36.074 --> 00:14:36.773
David: Yes.
00:14:38.230 --> 00:14:42.281
You mentioned also about the watch
repair, like, as soon as the word got
00:14:42.281 --> 00:14:46.783
out, like, in, in your office that,
"Oh, Jeff repairs watches." Oh, yeah.
00:14:46.783 --> 00:14:50.411
People come to you with their sob
stories and their broken, funky,
00:14:50.424 --> 00:14:54.446
sad little stories, uh, and broken,
funk- funky, sad, little watches.
00:14:54.867 --> 00:14:59.872
What were, what were either a repair
horror story or just something
00:14:59.872 --> 00:15:03.593
really silly or really bad that
someone did to a watch that you were
00:15:03.595 --> 00:15:05.634
able to then salvage and repair?
00:15:06.293 --> 00:15:07.935
Geoffrey: There were a couple
of them that come to mind.
00:15:07.997 --> 00:15:11.463
A, a good friend of mine from the,
the next office over, she was part
00:15:11.463 --> 00:15:15.773
of the same complex, literally came
to me and started crying and saying,
00:15:16.010 --> 00:15:19.523
"This was my late husband's, and he
took it swimming in the pool before
00:15:19.523 --> 00:15:21.688
he died, and it stopped working.
00:15:21.688 --> 00:15:23.445
It wasn't waterproof,
and he threw it in…
00:15:23.504 --> 00:15:24.449
I threw it in a drawer.
00:15:24.607 --> 00:15:25.608
He's gone now." Oh.
00:15:25.881 --> 00:15:29.108
"But when I heard that you were working
on watches, I wondered if there's any
00:15:29.108 --> 00:15:33.549
possible way, you know, that you could
get this thing going again." And I said,
00:15:33.549 --> 00:15:36.054
"Look, Pat, you know, chances are slim.
00:15:36.371 --> 00:15:38.197
Not to none, but very slim.
00:15:38.848 --> 00:15:41.896
What I can do is look and see the
state of it, see if I think it's
00:15:41.897 --> 00:15:45.419
recoverable, and then I'll tell you
every step of the way what I'm doing."
00:15:45.429 --> 00:15:49.091
She said, "You know, I, I can't get a
second mortgage for this." I said, "I'm
00:15:49.091 --> 00:15:50.562
not sure I'm gonna charge you at all.
00:15:50.568 --> 00:15:52.016
I'm learning." Yeah.
00:15:52.016 --> 00:15:54.893
You know, I want to do this for the
experience and the, and the value of it.
00:15:55.250 --> 00:15:59.329
Oh, I open this poor thing up,
and what was left of it was rusted
00:15:59.617 --> 00:16:01.828
completely and green all over.
00:16:01.828 --> 00:16:03.122
It was a quartz watch.
00:16:03.632 --> 00:16:07.353
So I said, "Look, um, I think I
can save the dial and the hands.
00:16:07.379 --> 00:16:08.511
It's gonna need a crystal.
00:16:08.526 --> 00:16:09.559
It needs a polish.
00:16:09.851 --> 00:16:13.269
We're gonna need a new movement for
it, and I can find one that fits.
00:16:13.391 --> 00:16:16.068
Do you-" Yeah … "want me to
continue?" And she said yes.
00:16:16.082 --> 00:16:20.925
So I literally, you know, it was pretty
much a complete guts replacement.
00:16:20.937 --> 00:16:22.807
The, the crystal was salvageable.
00:16:22.808 --> 00:16:24.133
I just polished it, really.
00:16:24.406 --> 00:16:27.339
The case I could, I could get clean
enough so that she could tell it
00:16:27.353 --> 00:16:29.032
was worn, but it was presentable.
00:16:29.435 --> 00:16:29.470
Yeah.
00:16:29.470 --> 00:16:33.464
Put a new strap on it, and she
w- she, she about fainted when I
00:16:33.488 --> 00:16:34.540
showed it to her and it was running.
00:16:34.540 --> 00:16:34.737
That's great.
00:16:35.117 --> 00:16:36.765
She literally, we had to get her a chair.
00:16:36.765 --> 00:16:37.431
She got faint.
00:16:37.512 --> 00:16:37.651
I mean-
00:16:37.651 --> 00:16:38.474
David: Yeah
00:16:38.709 --> 00:16:40.607
Geoffrey: so that was one that went well.
00:16:41.313 --> 00:16:45.328
One that didn't go so well is a
Vietnam vet got in touch with me, and
00:16:45.328 --> 00:16:50.457
he had a beautiful Seiko, um, with a
faceted lens and a tiger's eye dial,
00:16:50.458 --> 00:16:55.172
and he had had that with him, uh,
through a barely survived situation.
00:16:55.172 --> 00:16:56.895
It was incredibly important to him.
00:16:57.181 --> 00:16:57.596
David: Mm.
00:16:57.628 --> 00:17:00.076
Geoffrey: So, and I don't
remember at the moment how he
00:17:00.077 --> 00:17:01.895
actually found or contacted me.
00:17:01.895 --> 00:17:05.174
I think word would… started to get
out in all kinds of places that you
00:17:05.174 --> 00:17:06.772
don't know where they're coming from.
00:17:07.279 --> 00:17:11.492
And this was really before we had to
worry as much about cybersecurity,
00:17:11.567 --> 00:17:14.313
you know, and, and getting, you
know, hacked and stuff like that.
00:17:14.709 --> 00:17:18.134
So I said, "Yeah, I mean, this
could take a year to find the, all
00:17:18.135 --> 00:17:19.327
the right parts and everything.
00:17:19.328 --> 00:17:23.237
I'm gonna need a donor watch, but I
can probably do it." And it, it did.
00:17:23.237 --> 00:17:24.662
It took me about eight months.
00:17:25.099 --> 00:17:29.755
And oh, my God, I got replacement parts,
movement holder rings, regulators.
00:17:29.759 --> 00:17:33.399
I finally had to scrap the old
movement and just literally use,
00:17:33.454 --> 00:17:37.192
like, plates and, you know, rebuild
the whole thing from the ground up.
00:17:37.472 --> 00:17:37.941
David: Yeah.
00:17:38.008 --> 00:17:38.939
Geoffrey: New crystal.
00:17:38.952 --> 00:17:40.484
Thank God for Jules Borel.
00:17:40.493 --> 00:17:41.123
They had one.
00:17:43.417 --> 00:17:46.136
And I managed to salvage
the original strap.
00:17:46.146 --> 00:17:47.968
I got… I sent that out for polishing.
00:17:47.969 --> 00:17:50.774
I didn't think I could manage it
without really screwing it up.
00:17:51.208 --> 00:17:54.757
So it was about as close to
new when I handed it to him,
00:17:54.758 --> 00:17:57.485
and he just was overwhelmed.
00:17:57.986 --> 00:18:02.393
I mean, he just started sobbing, you know,
when I, when I gave that back to him.
00:18:02.393 --> 00:18:02.558
Yeah.
00:18:02.676 --> 00:18:07.169
I, you know, it's like you ask how
much, you know, was something like that?
00:18:07.169 --> 00:18:09.164
I think I charged him
a few hundred dollars.
00:18:09.530 --> 00:18:11.376
I don't know what it's worth today.
00:18:11.376 --> 00:18:12.327
I really didn't care.
00:18:12.328 --> 00:18:14.339
I was just- Sure … so
happy to do that for him.
00:18:14.752 --> 00:18:14.998
David: Yeah.
00:18:15.081 --> 00:18:16.848
Geoffrey: I mean, it really
meant something to me.
00:18:16.852 --> 00:18:19.692
That was one of the most
meaningful ones I ever got.
00:18:19.883 --> 00:18:23.309
And here's the problem,
Dave, that comes with that.
00:18:23.366 --> 00:18:25.153
I fell in love with that watch.
00:18:25.558 --> 00:18:26.402
David: Mm.
00:18:26.454 --> 00:18:26.690
Geoffrey: So-
00:18:26.690 --> 00:18:29.067
David: It's like adopting a
puppy or fostering a puppy, that
00:18:29.067 --> 00:18:30.299
you don't want to give it back.
00:18:30.554 --> 00:18:33.737
Geoffrey: Well, I, I knew I was gonna
give it back, but I had to have one.
00:18:33.737 --> 00:18:37.621
And so- Sure … I found one, and I
added it to my collection just because
00:18:37.953 --> 00:18:42.804
it's almost like you form a relationship
with a piece because you- Yeah
00:18:42.845 --> 00:18:46.956
did it so well and you want to… You
know, it means so much to somebody.
00:18:46.957 --> 00:18:50.475
It's like for me, that's a lot
of the passion that drives it.
00:18:50.475 --> 00:18:52.907
If somebody's in need or
somebody's hurting, if I can
00:18:52.919 --> 00:18:55.285
help, you know, I love doing that.
00:18:55.288 --> 00:18:56.935
It's just part of my personality.
00:18:57.309 --> 00:19:01.237
David: Now, you speak of this with such
love and such passion and such dedication.
00:19:01.718 --> 00:19:07.048
I am sure that it's occurred to you
multiple dozens of times, "Maybe
00:19:07.049 --> 00:19:08.778
I could do this full time." Right.
00:19:09.076 --> 00:19:14.094
But yet, here you are, still have the
day job, still a respected cybersecurity
00:19:14.094 --> 00:19:16.461
professional and trainer and consultant.
00:19:16.895 --> 00:19:21.334
What prevented you for the last
10, 15 years from making the
00:19:21.369 --> 00:19:23.313
leap and doing this full time?
00:19:23.783 --> 00:19:25.364
Geoffrey: It's a long s- I mean,
00:19:25.419 --> 00:19:27.142
David: but clearly, besides common sense.
00:19:27.475 --> 00:19:27.830
Geoffrey: Yeah.
00:19:27.865 --> 00:19:34.399
Com- Well, hopefully common sense, but
it's a long series of events and things
00:19:34.399 --> 00:19:39.285
that transpire, life experience Yeah You
know, my divorce was not a pretty one.
00:19:39.379 --> 00:19:40.115
Very messy.
00:19:40.116 --> 00:19:41.587
I lost everything literally.
00:19:42.190 --> 00:19:44.589
Um, and I had to start again
and I said, "I can't start
00:19:44.590 --> 00:19:46.060
from matchmaking," you know?
00:19:46.199 --> 00:19:52.058
And- Yeah It was bad enough that
I said, "Okay, I need to get over
00:19:52.059 --> 00:19:55.949
this. I need to be single for a
while." And I got a job that involved
00:19:56.031 --> 00:20:00.224
nearly a half of the year travel,
sometimes a little bit more than that.
00:20:00.293 --> 00:20:00.318
Yeah.
00:20:00.318 --> 00:20:01.648
And that was great for me.
00:20:01.672 --> 00:20:06.962
Single, you know, lots of different
countries, lots of different things to do.
00:20:07.025 --> 00:20:08.381
Helped me collect for a while.
00:20:08.862 --> 00:20:14.989
And part of that was getting more licenses
and certifications and qualifications.
00:20:15.373 --> 00:20:15.643
David: Yeah.
00:20:15.685 --> 00:20:18.621
Geoffrey: So eventually I
got tired of the traveling.
00:20:18.637 --> 00:20:20.714
Honestly, I was a road
warrior and I burned out.
00:20:20.757 --> 00:20:24.073
It's like people would say, "Jeff,
you've got a million frequent
00:20:24.073 --> 00:20:27.427
flyer miles. You know, where
are you going on your vacation?"
00:20:27.428 --> 00:20:30.860
And I'm like, "My couch and eating
my own wings." That's right.
00:20:30.860 --> 00:20:31.082
You know?
00:20:31.526 --> 00:20:34.938
And I was giving them away to people
that needed medical procedures
00:20:34.939 --> 00:20:36.434
and couldn't fly, or family.
00:20:36.930 --> 00:20:37.041
Yeah.
00:20:37.041 --> 00:20:38.851
You know, it's like way too many.
00:20:39.543 --> 00:20:43.248
The long and the short of it is I said,
"Okay, I'm not ready to, to, you know,
00:20:43.297 --> 00:20:46.277
pull the trigger and go into watchmaking.
00:20:46.277 --> 00:20:49.410
It's a great hobby and I love it, but
I want to earn the money to support
00:20:49.410 --> 00:20:52.474
it, because I'm really collecting
more than I ever thought I would."
00:20:52.895 --> 00:20:53.222
David: Yes.
00:20:53.249 --> 00:20:54.652
Geoffrey: And I've still
got to pay the bills.
00:20:54.688 --> 00:21:00.853
So I decided to stay a little bit
longer in the industry, and in the
00:21:00.853 --> 00:21:05.168
next job I got, I had a manager
that said, "If you can prove to us
00:21:05.205 --> 00:21:08.752
that you've got what it takes, I'm
gonna promote you and big time."
00:21:08.810 --> 00:21:14.093
And I said, "That sounds good." So, uh,
I started working on another degree.
00:21:14.094 --> 00:21:17.672
I actually have several advanced
degrees and, you know, I've
00:21:17.674 --> 00:21:21.227
got a lot of cybersecurity
certifications, more than most.
00:21:21.883 --> 00:21:26.772
And I said, "Okay, I'm gonna do
this." So here I am working full
00:21:26.773 --> 00:21:31.337
time and going to school for a
master's degree in information
00:21:31.340 --> 00:21:33.346
security management and engineering.
00:21:33.353 --> 00:21:34.698
Mm. Don't ever do that.
00:21:34.734 --> 00:21:35.989
I will never do that again.
00:21:36.339 --> 00:21:38.038
I thought my PhD was hard.
00:21:38.054 --> 00:21:38.963
This one was killer.
00:21:39.009 --> 00:21:40.171
This one damn near killed me.
00:21:40.519 --> 00:21:41.057
David: Wow.
00:21:41.073 --> 00:21:47.400
Geoffrey: So six years later, I had
several published papers and was, I,
00:21:47.438 --> 00:21:51.314
I don't want to say a rising star, but
certainly well known in the industry.
00:21:51.314 --> 00:21:54.190
And I said, "Okay, I better ride
this horse a little bit longer."
00:21:54.647 --> 00:21:59.250
And at the same time, my collection,
my involvement with NAWCC had been,
00:21:59.567 --> 00:22:00.992
you know, growing and everything.
00:22:00.996 --> 00:22:06.222
But, you know, I knew there was no way
that I could make that involvement more
00:22:06.393 --> 00:22:08.015
while I still had the school commitment.
00:22:08.026 --> 00:22:11.634
So once I graduated- Right … just
a few years ago now, I said,
00:22:11.794 --> 00:22:13.550
"Okay, now I can do more."
00:22:14.070 --> 00:22:14.277
David: Yeah.
00:22:14.287 --> 00:22:17.395
Geoffrey: So the answer to your question
is a few years from now, without a
00:22:17.399 --> 00:22:19.185
doubt, I will be full time watches.
00:22:19.364 --> 00:22:23.155
David: You mentioned, of course,
NAWCC, and with your great humility,
00:22:23.155 --> 00:22:26.221
you just failed to mention that
you started to serve on the
00:22:26.221 --> 00:22:27.666
board, and you are now chairman.
00:22:27.669 --> 00:22:31.072
You are now the head honcho for
a little period of time here.
00:22:31.072 --> 00:22:31.452
I know.
00:22:31.464 --> 00:22:31.795
Shh.
00:22:31.815 --> 00:22:34.772
Keep it down, otherwise the phone
will start ringing off the hook.
00:22:35.166 --> 00:22:39.151
But I do want to ask you, because I'm
brand new, I'm just a brand new member.
00:22:39.152 --> 00:22:41.852
I, you know, you and I
met at my first event.
00:22:42.427 --> 00:22:42.608
Hello.
00:22:43.810 --> 00:22:48.665
There seem to be three, at least three,
and probably as on the board you're seeing
00:22:48.667 --> 00:22:53.844
probably 20, but to me, three different
factions, three different subgroups.
00:22:54.212 --> 00:22:57.815
There seems to be the watch people,
the pocket, the, I'm sorry, the
00:22:57.815 --> 00:23:01.450
wristwatch people, the pocket
watch people, and the clock people.
00:23:01.803 --> 00:23:02.299
Geoffrey: Correct.
00:23:02.836 --> 00:23:07.277
David: I know from leadership and
volunteer roles in other professional
00:23:07.277 --> 00:23:12.514
associations, there's always the saying,
"Well, you can't make everyone happy."
00:23:13.065 --> 00:23:20.137
I would say with these three sort of
divisions really of NAWCC, you can't avoid
00:23:20.259 --> 00:23:23.498
making some people unhappy all the time.
00:23:23.596 --> 00:23:24.149
All the time.
00:23:24.149 --> 00:23:25.855
Someone's gonna be
unhappy about something.
00:23:26.244 --> 00:23:27.533
How do you see the community?
00:23:27.538 --> 00:23:29.716
Because you mentioned this
amazing community, which I just
00:23:29.716 --> 00:23:31.235
started to experience myself.
00:23:31.866 --> 00:23:35.560
Do the pocket watch people connect
with the clock people, connect with
00:23:35.561 --> 00:23:39.774
the wristwatch people, or is it like
three separate religions under one roof?
00:23:40.353 --> 00:23:42.253
Geoffrey: No, we're, we're
all friends with each other.
00:23:42.262 --> 00:23:44.095
Depends on what's going on, what you need.
00:23:44.395 --> 00:23:48.460
My very good friend Jim is a past
president, and he's into clocks.
00:23:48.694 --> 00:23:48.985
David: Yeah.
00:23:49.046 --> 00:23:51.261
Geoffrey: By the way, he
does some amazing clocks.
00:23:51.261 --> 00:23:55.634
And believe it or not, there are
crossovers between clocks and watches.
00:23:55.660 --> 00:23:57.120
They're not the same.
00:23:57.527 --> 00:24:00.821
You're talking the difference
between electric, gas, and diesel.
00:24:00.822 --> 00:24:02.606
We're talking completely
different animals here.
00:24:02.606 --> 00:24:02.809
Yeah.
00:24:03.328 --> 00:24:05.562
However, there are crossovers.
00:24:05.595 --> 00:24:10.303
And just because, you know, my buddy
Pete sells pocket watches and repairs
00:24:10.305 --> 00:24:15.785
them, restores them, or Jim for example,
uh, you know, uh, it, it's like they
00:24:15.786 --> 00:24:19.640
respect what I do, and they're always
willing to help when I need help.
00:24:19.963 --> 00:24:20.195
Yeah.
00:24:20.195 --> 00:24:24.135
And I respect what they do, and they've
always got something interesting going on.
00:24:24.144 --> 00:24:27.007
So I'll see something I've never
seen before, and I don't care if
00:24:27.008 --> 00:24:31.190
it's a, a clock or a French swinger
or, you know, something else.
00:24:31.190 --> 00:24:33.946
And, and by the way, there's more
than just those three groups.
00:24:33.946 --> 00:24:36.998
We have street clocks,
tower clocks- Uh-huh
00:24:36.998 --> 00:24:38.992
electric horology.
00:24:38.995 --> 00:24:41.086
I mean, there's, there's
a lot more out there.
00:24:41.177 --> 00:24:41.659
David: Sure.
00:24:42.116 --> 00:24:44.595
Geoffrey: And for me, it's like, no.
00:24:44.597 --> 00:24:45.735
I mean, people are people.
00:24:45.743 --> 00:24:49.064
You're always gonna have… You
know, people don't always agree.
00:24:49.166 --> 00:24:49.617
We know this.
00:24:49.617 --> 00:24:50.029
David: Sure.
00:24:50.531 --> 00:24:54.221
Geoffrey: However, for the most part,
if there's a passion for horology,
00:24:54.697 --> 00:24:58.637
it's like the only thing I've ever
seen that's parallel to it in a way is
00:24:58.638 --> 00:25:02.509
religious communities, because people
support each other with a common belief
00:25:02.510 --> 00:25:03.974
and a common interest and passion.
00:25:04.056 --> 00:25:04.469
So-
00:25:04.533 --> 00:25:04.916
David: Yeah
00:25:05.068 --> 00:25:06.847
… Geoffrey: my role is not peacekeeper.
00:25:06.852 --> 00:25:11.644
My role is really as chairman of the
board to help advance the organization.
00:25:12.006 --> 00:25:13.649
There's patterns to everything.
00:25:13.677 --> 00:25:17.557
It, it, it's like sometimes the
clocks are up, the watches are down.
00:25:17.894 --> 00:25:21.713
Right now, we're in a period
where watches are really popular.
00:25:21.719 --> 00:25:22.970
Clocks, not so much.
00:25:22.972 --> 00:25:24.076
It goes in waves.
00:25:24.181 --> 00:25:24.617
David: Yeah.
00:25:25.103 --> 00:25:28.565
Geoffrey: So that's part of the
reason why, like, the, the Swatch
00:25:28.568 --> 00:25:30.331
people are going nuts right now.
00:25:30.434 --> 00:25:35.164
And what's great for us is we're
looking to grow our membership.
00:25:35.385 --> 00:25:37.116
And how do we do that?
00:25:37.116 --> 00:25:40.787
Well, yeah, there's gonna be folks
that you're and my age, of course, but
00:25:40.789 --> 00:25:43.406
there's also the younger generations.
00:25:43.421 --> 00:25:46.425
Some of them are in school, some
are in college, some are in- Yeah
00:25:46.482 --> 00:25:47.082
the workforce.
00:25:47.103 --> 00:25:50.246
Some are like me, just a little
kid, but they see something that
00:25:50.246 --> 00:25:54.187
fascinates them, and Dad gave them
or Mom gave them their first watch.
00:25:54.482 --> 00:25:54.498
Yeah.
00:25:54.498 --> 00:25:57.537
So, you know, it's like we
still want those people.
00:25:57.801 --> 00:26:03.678
I saw a phenomenon occur that has stunned
me to my core and hasn't stopped stunning
00:26:03.678 --> 00:26:08.117
me, which is when Swatch Group, I think
it was back in '21 now, like we're
00:26:08.118 --> 00:26:14.800
talking five years ago, introduced the
Moonswatch, the blend of Omega and Swatch.
00:26:15.345 --> 00:26:18.753
For me, it's something of a
novelty because I have quite a
00:26:18.754 --> 00:26:24.509
few Omegas, and I love them, but
when you strap on a bio ceramic,
00:26:24.548 --> 00:26:26.976
which looks and feels like plastic.
00:26:26.976 --> 00:26:30.197
It's like, if you're wearing
the real thing, why would you?
00:26:30.244 --> 00:26:33.446
And the answer is, if you like
it, if it's fun, if it's colorful,
00:26:33.689 --> 00:26:35.094
if it's interesting, fine.
00:26:35.095 --> 00:26:36.149
You like it, just like it.
00:26:36.435 --> 00:26:36.603
Yeah.
00:26:36.606 --> 00:26:38.589
It's like people like
different flavors of ice cream.
00:26:39.099 --> 00:26:45.142
However, where it fills a sweet spot
is younger folks that can't spend 3 or
00:26:45.145 --> 00:26:50.889
5 or 10 or 12,000 bucks- Yeah … on
an Omega, but they can dig up a couple
00:26:50.889 --> 00:26:52.929
of hundred bucks for a MoonSwatch.
00:26:53.135 --> 00:26:53.431
And it-
00:26:53.434 --> 00:26:53.766
David: Yeah
00:26:53.971 --> 00:26:56.193
… Geoffrey: it gives them
the feeling like, "I am a
00:26:56.218 --> 00:26:58.621
card-carrying member of this club."
00:26:59.085 --> 00:26:59.304
David: Yeah.
00:26:59.305 --> 00:26:59.424
And
00:26:59.424 --> 00:27:04.521
Geoffrey: they love that So my hat's off
to Swatch Group because they did something
00:27:04.521 --> 00:27:06.630
I've never seen people do in modern times.
00:27:06.633 --> 00:27:12.535
They had thousands of people lining
up outside their stores to get this.
00:27:12.730 --> 00:27:17.478
To this day, they just released
the Audemars Piguet blend
00:27:17.478 --> 00:27:19.194
with Swatch pocket watches.
00:27:19.259 --> 00:27:19.650
David: Yeah.
00:27:19.698 --> 00:27:22.152
Geoffrey: Which to me, yeah, no, no.
00:27:22.412 --> 00:27:22.980
Just no.
00:27:23.849 --> 00:27:29.346
But for a lot of people that want that
feeling, that want that brush with
00:27:29.365 --> 00:27:35.384
greatness- Yeah … that will never have a
chance to own a real AP, yeah, go for it.
00:27:35.385 --> 00:27:38.422
If it's interesting, it's colorful,
you know, it's like you can
00:27:38.423 --> 00:27:40.594
just show it off to your friend,
"Look what I got," you know?
00:27:40.983 --> 00:27:42.751
And enjoy it for what it is.
00:27:43.230 --> 00:27:43.423
David: Yeah.
00:27:43.423 --> 00:27:43.646
That's
00:27:43.646 --> 00:27:44.006
Geoffrey: okay.
00:27:44.030 --> 00:27:46.073
It's bringing the people in.
00:27:46.351 --> 00:27:52.435
My whole approach is, okay, okay,
okay, they just got millions of
00:27:52.448 --> 00:27:57.717
people swarming stores globally
and buying them out online.
00:27:58.112 --> 00:27:59.684
I want 1% of that.
00:28:00.057 --> 00:28:03.472
I want the- Yeah … people
that are interested in watches,
00:28:03.503 --> 00:28:05.675
pocket watches, horology, clocks.
00:28:06.004 --> 00:28:09.424
They've got something from their
grandparents that they want to make
00:28:09.450 --> 00:28:11.369
work again that's been sitting there.
00:28:11.692 --> 00:28:13.264
You know, how do they do it?
00:28:13.288 --> 00:28:13.980
Where do they go?
00:28:13.989 --> 00:28:15.347
Where's a resource?
00:28:15.697 --> 00:28:21.408
And that's, uh, you know, the whole
premise of the NAWCC is educational.
00:28:21.740 --> 00:28:23.136
We have a school of horology.
00:28:23.146 --> 00:28:27.109
We have a museum, one of the
biggest repositories of horology
00:28:27.318 --> 00:28:29.220
information in the North Americas.
00:28:29.230 --> 00:28:30.452
It's like- Yeah … you know.
00:28:30.838 --> 00:28:32.346
So we've got a lot going on.
00:28:32.346 --> 00:28:34.406
But this is not an advertisement for them.
00:28:34.406 --> 00:28:38.390
It just happens to be something that I'm
a part of and I've invested a lot in.
00:28:38.489 --> 00:28:40.023
And I'm trying- Yes … to make it grow.
00:28:40.369 --> 00:28:41.148
David: Absolutely.
00:28:41.352 --> 00:28:47.006
Well, I d- I did want to ask you about
the museum and specifically, I think
00:28:47.007 --> 00:28:51.536
one of the newer additions to the
museum is the Bulova exhibit, correct?
00:28:51.561 --> 00:28:52.049
Geoffrey: Oh, yeah.
00:28:52.114 --> 00:28:52.639
Yeah.
00:28:52.726 --> 00:28:56.590
David: Talk about that because I think
Bulova, to, to most people listening to
00:28:56.591 --> 00:29:01.887
us, maybe casual, you know, they might not
even know that Bulova's a thing anymore.
00:29:01.905 --> 00:29:06.956
And I love all the new Bulova
watches, all the retro designs.
00:29:07.305 --> 00:29:09.602
They're coming out with some
amazing, amazing things.
00:29:09.633 --> 00:29:13.559
And they have such a special
place in American watchmaking.
00:29:13.570 --> 00:29:15.312
Talk about that-
Yeah … for a moment, Jeff.
00:29:15.933 --> 00:29:19.189
Geoffrey: Joseph Bulova is one
of the great immigration stories.
00:29:19.301 --> 00:29:23.014
He emigrated to the United States
with about 30 cents in his pocket.
00:29:23.020 --> 00:29:23.329
Yeah.
00:29:23.329 --> 00:29:25.080
He was the founder of that feast.
00:29:25.542 --> 00:29:31.019
And probably their greatest claim to fame
was the Accutron tuning fork watches.
00:29:31.486 --> 00:29:35.736
Which, you know, the, the Spaceview
one that the astronauts were wearing.
00:29:36.126 --> 00:29:40.070
You know, maybe not on all their missions,
but it was really cool back in the-
00:29:40.227 --> 00:29:40.459
David: Yeah
00:29:40.459 --> 00:29:44.698
… Geoffrey: you know, the JB Champion
days, um, in the '60s and '70s.
00:29:45.084 --> 00:29:49.095
They still make gorgeous,
really high quality watches.
00:29:49.108 --> 00:29:51.822
You saw one, you know, at, at
the convention that I had, that
00:29:51.822 --> 00:29:53.533
blue Super Seville, the new one.
00:29:53.898 --> 00:29:54.141
Yeah.
00:29:54.141 --> 00:29:59.408
But that one is based on a, a hybrid
technology that uses quartz and
00:29:59.410 --> 00:30:02.488
it uses very fine motor control.
00:30:02.491 --> 00:30:06.083
It's, it's like, kind of like the
philosophy of Grand Seiko, where it's
00:30:06.108 --> 00:30:10.067
literally pulsing at 262,000 kilohertz.
00:30:10.488 --> 00:30:13.779
You know, or, no, 262 kilohertz,
not thousand, but, you know.
00:30:13.790 --> 00:30:14.104
Yeah.
00:30:14.436 --> 00:30:17.327
So it looks like that
secondhand is sweeping.
00:30:17.408 --> 00:30:17.689
Yeah.
00:30:17.689 --> 00:30:20.428
Not like it's going ch, ch, ch, ch,
like a- Right … regular watch would.
00:30:20.747 --> 00:30:25.581
That was their, their, in a way, a
callback to their tuning fork watches,
00:30:25.591 --> 00:30:29.653
where it was literally vibrating at a
frequency that made it s- look like it
00:30:29.654 --> 00:30:31.714
was sweeping like an electric clock.
00:30:32.027 --> 00:30:32.987
Very beautiful.
00:30:33.012 --> 00:30:35.607
But, you know, they've had great designs.
00:30:35.613 --> 00:30:36.702
So has Citizen.
00:30:36.714 --> 00:30:39.615
Citizen's had some beautiful
watches over the years.
00:30:40.015 --> 00:30:42.908
They're not mutually exclusive
clubs, they're just different,
00:30:43.368 --> 00:30:44.529
you know, producers.
00:30:44.632 --> 00:30:51.206
And Bulova, I think deserves a space in
the museum because they really innovated
00:30:51.209 --> 00:30:53.255
some beautiful, wonderful technology.
00:30:53.270 --> 00:30:53.586
Yeah.
00:30:53.916 --> 00:30:58.619
And so telling their story is great
for people because then they get
00:30:58.638 --> 00:31:02.030
a lot of information they didn't
have, and they can start looking at
00:31:02.031 --> 00:31:05.593
what was the design philosophy, what
were they trying to do, when did
00:31:05.608 --> 00:31:09.704
innovation really hit the gas, you
know- Yeah … and go full speed ahead.
00:31:10.497 --> 00:31:12.819
You know, do they have watches
I might like, you know?
00:31:12.820 --> 00:31:17.625
And their, their whole Marine Star series,
there was a time during the early '80s
00:31:17.629 --> 00:31:22.222
when, when quartz really took over, right
through to the, uh, mid-'90s I'd say,
00:31:22.222 --> 00:31:27.627
where they were using combinations of,
you know, titanium and, and gold accent,
00:31:27.630 --> 00:31:30.845
and they were just beautiful time pieces.
00:31:31.147 --> 00:31:31.417
David: Yeah.
00:31:31.418 --> 00:31:31.591
And
00:31:31.647 --> 00:31:32.794
Geoffrey: they still made clocks.
00:31:32.794 --> 00:31:33.393
They still do.
00:31:33.476 --> 00:31:39.212
And so they had a big calling and
a big section of history, just like
00:31:39.408 --> 00:31:41.324
Hamilton Watch for the pocket watches.
00:31:41.785 --> 00:31:42.524
David: Yes.
00:31:42.621 --> 00:31:43.003
Yeah.
00:31:43.021 --> 00:31:44.035
Really, really amazing.
00:31:44.049 --> 00:31:47.948
And, uh, I think- Are they
celebrating 150 years?
00:31:47.955 --> 00:31:47.984
Yeah.
00:31:47.984 --> 00:31:52.966
Like, we just passed our 250th national,
but I think it's 150 for Bulova, right?
00:31:53.328 --> 00:31:53.752
Geoffrey: Yes.
00:31:53.752 --> 00:31:53.762
Yes.
00:31:53.957 --> 00:31:54.594
David: Yeah.
00:31:54.699 --> 00:31:55.510
Really fun.
00:31:56.261 --> 00:31:58.473
Hey, David Newman here with
a quick commercial break.
00:31:58.473 --> 00:32:01.858
Have you seen our social media
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00:32:01.870 --> 00:32:03.481
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Check us out on TikTok,
Instagram, and YouTube.
00:32:07.814 --> 00:32:09.727
Now, back to the episode.
00:32:11.250 --> 00:32:14.816
Tell me a little bit about
your current watch collection.
00:32:14.818 --> 00:32:18.140
What is in the collection, what
are some of your favorites, and
00:32:18.140 --> 00:32:19.969
what do you have your eye on next?
00:32:20.302 --> 00:32:21.232
Geoffrey: Oh, gosh.
00:32:21.323 --> 00:32:22.973
I have a few of my favorites here.
00:32:22.973 --> 00:32:24.342
If, if you want, I can hold them up to
00:32:24.342 --> 00:32:24.479
David: the camera.
00:32:24.479 --> 00:32:24.944
Oh, yeah.
00:32:24.944 --> 00:32:26.158
No, let's do a little show and tell.
00:32:26.158 --> 00:32:26.764
That'd be great.
00:32:26.967 --> 00:32:27.354
Geoffrey: Okay.
00:32:27.379 --> 00:32:29.151
Well, I mentioned Baume & Mercier.
00:32:29.160 --> 00:32:31.618
This is my, one of my latest acquisitions.
00:32:31.625 --> 00:32:35.125
I don't know if the dial will
show up well enough, um, but
00:32:35.139 --> 00:32:37.187
this is a garnet colored dial.
00:32:37.264 --> 00:32:37.943
David: Oh, yes.
00:32:37.947 --> 00:32:38.097
Very,
00:32:38.097 --> 00:32:38.496
Geoffrey: very- Like garnet,
00:32:38.750 --> 00:32:40.498
David: really dark ruby, beautiful
00:32:40.515 --> 00:32:41.572
Geoffrey: dial … yeah, yeah.
00:32:41.572 --> 00:32:43.415
And I, I love Baume & Mercier.
00:32:43.438 --> 00:32:44.580
They're so well made.
00:32:44.581 --> 00:32:46.608
I love their design quality, their ethic.
00:32:46.927 --> 00:32:48.794
Simple, but sophisticated.
00:32:48.870 --> 00:32:50.377
So I like a lot of those.
00:32:50.581 --> 00:32:55.166
In addition to more modern watches
like this Seamaster Aqua Terra from
00:32:55.524 --> 00:33:00.024
Omega, here's one from 1951 that is- Mm
00:33:00.024 --> 00:33:02.104
all original except for the clasp.
00:33:02.165 --> 00:33:04.920
This is the original 1951 strap.
00:33:05.430 --> 00:33:06.573
David: How about that?
00:33:06.710 --> 00:33:08.210
Geoffrey: And dial and everything.
00:33:08.210 --> 00:33:08.620
And, and-
00:33:08.620 --> 00:33:11.152
David: It's got a cream dial,
blue hands, is that right?
00:33:11.276 --> 00:33:14.551
Geoffrey: No, this one, uh, yeah, no,
it's, they're black and silver hands.
00:33:14.692 --> 00:33:14.908
Definitely unique.
00:33:14.908 --> 00:33:15.739
Oh, black and silver
00:33:15.741 --> 00:33:16.148
David: hands.
00:33:16.172 --> 00:33:16.565
Very nice.
00:33:16.909 --> 00:33:17.044
Geoffrey: Yeah.
00:33:17.044 --> 00:33:17.395
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
00:33:17.401 --> 00:33:20.071
The lugs are capped and I won't, I won't
change it 'cause it's still original.
00:33:20.273 --> 00:33:24.346
But yeah, it's, I mean, this one's
beautiful and it's running really well.
00:33:24.347 --> 00:33:27.533
It's a nice manual… Actually,
no, this is an automatic.
00:33:27.536 --> 00:33:29.176
It's one of their earliest automatics.
00:33:29.695 --> 00:33:30.474
Here's another one.
00:33:30.483 --> 00:33:32.937
This is, I mentioned
that I like Zodiac a lot.
00:33:33.293 --> 00:33:33.483
David: Yeah.
00:33:33.483 --> 00:33:34.962
Geoffrey: I found this one.
00:33:35.022 --> 00:33:39.151
It, it was in a watchmaker's
estate collection in a bottom
00:33:39.151 --> 00:33:44.022
drawer, just the movement and the
And, uh, this was a rectangle.
00:33:44.161 --> 00:33:47.160
I, I mean, it literally had broken teeth.
00:33:47.207 --> 00:33:49.674
The chronograph mechanism was not working.
00:33:49.964 --> 00:33:52.292
This was well beyond my skill level.
00:33:52.777 --> 00:33:52.974
Yeah.
00:33:52.982 --> 00:33:56.168
I sent this off and it took almost
two years to get it restored.
00:33:56.695 --> 00:33:57.494
David: Really?
00:33:57.544 --> 00:33:59.689
Geoffrey: I, I don't want to
talk about my taxes that year.
00:33:59.689 --> 00:34:01.425
I spent a lot of money on this watch.
00:34:01.442 --> 00:34:02.407
David: Okay.
00:34:03.002 --> 00:34:05.125
Geoffrey: But it's fairly rare.
00:34:05.425 --> 00:34:06.693
It's worth a lot of money.
00:34:06.708 --> 00:34:07.652
It's beautiful.
00:34:07.663 --> 00:34:08.808
It's fully restored.
00:34:09.000 --> 00:34:09.446
David: Yeah.
00:34:09.645 --> 00:34:11.062
Geoffrey: It, it makes my heart sing
00:34:11.741 --> 00:34:14.864
David: So Zodiac is a very
interesting and fun brand.
00:34:14.915 --> 00:34:18.364
Originally Swiss, and then
bought by Fossil Group, right?
00:34:18.384 --> 00:34:18.775
Geoffrey: Yes.
00:34:18.775 --> 00:34:19.065
David: Yeah.
00:34:19.065 --> 00:34:21.817
But that sounds like it was back
from the original days when they
00:34:21.817 --> 00:34:23.092
were- Oh, yeah … a Swiss company.
00:34:23.261 --> 00:34:24.630
Geoffrey: That's a 1963.
00:34:24.775 --> 00:34:25.237
David: Yeah.
00:34:25.237 --> 00:34:25.248
Yeah.
00:34:25.440 --> 00:34:26.413
Very interesting.
00:34:26.413 --> 00:34:27.303
What else do we have?
00:34:27.542 --> 00:34:27.565
Geoffrey: Yeah.
00:34:27.565 --> 00:34:28.659
Uh, let's see.
00:34:28.677 --> 00:34:30.994
Well, I told you that I built watches.
00:34:31.009 --> 00:34:31.902
Here's one that I built.
00:34:31.940 --> 00:34:33.627
This is the one that won the first prize.
00:34:34.043 --> 00:34:37.446
This is- Oh, yes … skeleton
dial, skeleton movement.
00:34:37.502 --> 00:34:39.603
Let me just open it so
that you can see it.
00:34:40.172 --> 00:34:43.960
So when you're wearing it, you
can literally see all the way…
00:34:43.985 --> 00:34:44.466
Where is it?
00:34:44.507 --> 00:34:44.641
Yeah.
00:34:44.641 --> 00:34:44.694
In
00:34:44.695 --> 00:34:45.170
David: the back.
00:34:45.178 --> 00:34:45.608
Yeah.
00:34:45.608 --> 00:34:45.618
Yeah.
00:34:45.753 --> 00:34:47.860
Geoffrey: All the way through
the movement, which is- How
00:34:47.862 --> 00:34:48.196
David: about
00:34:48.242 --> 00:34:48.710
Geoffrey: that?
00:34:49.422 --> 00:34:53.119
I… Every time I wear this one
somewhere, people are coming up to me.
00:34:53.166 --> 00:34:55.495
"Where did you get that?
How do I get one?" And-
00:34:55.496 --> 00:34:56.058
David: Yes
00:34:56.867 --> 00:35:00.425
… Geoffrey: which is why I said, in a few
years, you know, when I go full time,
00:35:00.426 --> 00:35:03.282
I'll, I'll start, you know, building
these for people if they want them.
00:35:03.558 --> 00:35:04.027
David: Yeah.
00:35:04.102 --> 00:35:04.816
Geoffrey: Or similar.
00:35:04.816 --> 00:35:07.364
But things like this, they,
they just appeal to me.
00:35:07.377 --> 00:35:11.708
The reason why I started this one
is I found a wristwatch that was
00:35:11.712 --> 00:35:17.841
just skeletonized, and it was a
Fairly inexpensive Asian model.
00:35:18.265 --> 00:35:20.910
And I said, "I wonder if
I can make one of those."
00:35:20.997 --> 00:35:21.421
David: Yeah.
00:35:21.540 --> 00:35:24.042
Geoffrey: But I want to do it better,
and I want to use a Swiss movement.
00:35:24.243 --> 00:35:25.176
And so I did.
00:35:25.732 --> 00:35:25.977
David: Yeah.
00:35:25.980 --> 00:35:28.337
Geoffrey: Um, you know, I
was so thrilled by that.
00:35:28.337 --> 00:35:30.607
It's like for a while I
was making them for people.
00:35:30.649 --> 00:35:33.564
I ran out of time, you know,
when I started school again
00:35:33.564 --> 00:35:34.913
and started a full-time job.
00:35:34.924 --> 00:35:36.585
But I'm, I'm gonna go back to that.
00:35:36.941 --> 00:35:38.375
This is another interesting one.
00:35:38.377 --> 00:35:42.560
This is a… Blue is my favorite color
in watches and, for the most part.
00:35:42.864 --> 00:35:46.803
This is an Omega Seamaster, a
square dial one from the '70s.
00:35:47.223 --> 00:35:48.287
This is all original.
00:35:48.379 --> 00:35:50.698
Um, and it's got that
really pretty blue dial.
00:35:50.971 --> 00:35:51.281
David: Yeah.
00:35:51.298 --> 00:35:51.352
Look at
00:35:51.520 --> 00:35:51.531
Geoffrey: that.
00:35:51.531 --> 00:35:54.379
Don't know if the light shows
up, but it's, it's really cool.
00:35:54.426 --> 00:35:57.651
David: I had no idea that
Seamasters came in that particular
00:35:57.654 --> 00:35:59.767
case, shape, and configuration.
00:36:00.035 --> 00:36:00.216
Yeah.
00:36:00.216 --> 00:36:03.259
You always think of them as the, kind
of the classic round dive watch, right?
00:36:03.259 --> 00:36:05.705
With the bezel, and that's
what a Seamaster is.
00:36:06.116 --> 00:36:07.250
Geoffrey: That was a fluke.
00:36:07.250 --> 00:36:11.394
I went to, to get a watch strap from
a friend at a show, like a year ago.
00:36:11.915 --> 00:36:14.736
And he said, "Oh, let me just
give you the strap." You know?
00:36:15.118 --> 00:36:17.939
And I looked down and
there it was in the case.
00:36:18.607 --> 00:36:23.939
And I, uh, you know, I kind of was
transfixed . And he looked at me,
00:36:23.942 --> 00:36:25.299
he says, "You like that, Jeff?"
00:36:25.301 --> 00:36:27.270
And I'm like, "No, no,
no." And he said, "Come on.
00:36:27.526 --> 00:36:30.274
I saw you looking at it." I
said, "I came to get a strap.
00:36:30.308 --> 00:36:31.236
I'm getting a strap.
00:36:31.258 --> 00:36:35.009
Thank you for the strap." He said,
"Just try it on, see if you like the
00:36:35.011 --> 00:36:36.381
way it looks." And I'm like, "No.
00:36:36.419 --> 00:36:38.325
If I try it on, I'm leaving with it."
00:36:38.473 --> 00:36:38.837
David: Yeah.
00:36:39.006 --> 00:36:41.297
Geoffrey: He's like, "No, come on,
you know, y- you gotta at least.
00:36:41.299 --> 00:36:43.964
I mean, how often do you see
that?" I said, "Never." You know.
00:36:44.662 --> 00:36:49.823
So, um, anyways, he decided, because
he was a good friend and I'd, I'd
00:36:49.825 --> 00:36:53.181
done him a solid, you know, he
said, "Hey, uh, let me give it to
00:36:53.181 --> 00:36:55.381
you for cost." And I said, "Okay.
00:36:56.961 --> 00:36:57.620
Here you go."
00:36:58.167 --> 00:36:58.667
David: Go ahead.
00:36:58.676 --> 00:36:59.442
Twist my arm.
00:36:59.442 --> 00:36:59.890
Go ahead.
00:36:59.894 --> 00:37:00.109
Geoffrey: Yeah.
00:37:00.198 --> 00:37:00.584
Wait.
00:37:00.691 --> 00:37:01.758
Grab the other arm too.
00:37:01.759 --> 00:37:02.191
I'll do it.
00:37:02.524 --> 00:37:03.114
David: Right.
00:37:04.263 --> 00:37:05.658
Well, this is fantastic.
00:37:05.712 --> 00:37:10.524
As we're landing the plane, I want to
ask- Yeah … for a newer person, someone
00:37:10.524 --> 00:37:12.658
who's maybe just getting into watches.
00:37:12.658 --> 00:37:15.288
They just maybe, you
know, they got the bug.
00:37:15.307 --> 00:37:17.263
They're watching some YouTube videos.
00:37:17.265 --> 00:37:20.571
They're a soon-to-be NAWCC member.
00:37:20.913 --> 00:37:23.778
But if you had a friend who was
just getting into watches and
00:37:23.779 --> 00:37:27.685
watch collecting right now, what
would be your best advice for them?
00:37:28.254 --> 00:37:31.692
Geoffrey: I would say look for
things going on in your area.
00:37:31.826 --> 00:37:36.752
If you live anywhere near a school,
any school, there's things like maker's
00:37:36.765 --> 00:37:39.640
fairs, and younger folks go to those.
00:37:39.665 --> 00:37:42.379
It's a, lots of older folks
and parents go to them, too.
00:37:42.647 --> 00:37:48.857
They have such a complex mishmash of
things, everything from, you know,
00:37:48.857 --> 00:37:51.281
antique radios to radio control.
00:37:51.553 --> 00:37:54.365
You know, they have 3D
printers the size of a room.
00:37:54.794 --> 00:37:55.015
Yeah.
00:37:55.017 --> 00:37:59.855
But they often have stuff about watches
and clocks and mechanical things,
00:37:59.906 --> 00:38:04.298
and that's a great place to start
to see what really gets you excited,
00:38:04.299 --> 00:38:05.859
what gets you passionate about this.
00:38:05.863 --> 00:38:05.883
Yeah.
00:38:06.192 --> 00:38:07.424
Um, and there's other things.
00:38:07.433 --> 00:38:08.698
Look for watch meets.
00:38:08.727 --> 00:38:10.384
Look for shows in your areas.
00:38:10.384 --> 00:38:11.877
Look for clubs.
00:38:11.921 --> 00:38:16.508
Um, if you want to, there's a whole
free section of the NAWCC that it's
00:38:16.508 --> 00:38:18.274
not YouTube, but we've got forums.
00:38:18.674 --> 00:38:18.902
David: Yeah.
00:38:18.902 --> 00:38:19.102
And
00:38:19.173 --> 00:38:21.174
Geoffrey: you can get a lot
of your questions answered.
00:38:21.747 --> 00:38:22.986
See what we're about, you know?
00:38:22.986 --> 00:38:26.604
At least find out where in your
area can you find something,
00:38:27.040 --> 00:38:28.748
you know, if not the NAWCC.
00:38:28.749 --> 00:38:32.761
And you said it, Dave, it's,
YouTube is a great resource for
00:38:32.761 --> 00:38:33.957
learning about these things.
00:38:34.225 --> 00:38:34.546
David: Yeah.
00:38:34.556 --> 00:38:37.527
Geoffrey: You know, with our friend Mr.
Google now and Gemini and all the rest of
00:38:37.527 --> 00:38:41.615
the tools out there, if you see something
you like- Yeah … you know, show it a
00:38:41.616 --> 00:38:43.569
picture and say, "What is this?" Start
00:38:43.600 --> 00:38:43.933
David: there.
00:38:44.537 --> 00:38:45.521
Such a great idea.
00:38:45.758 --> 00:38:50.875
And of course, you also mentioned in
addition to nawcc.org, where people should
00:38:50.875 --> 00:38:54.524
go and check out all the wonderfulness
there, you also mentioned eBay, right?
00:38:54.548 --> 00:38:58.137
eBay's a nice- Oh, yeah … place just
to look at, hey, what are people selling?
00:38:58.140 --> 00:39:04.257
And a- again, from $20 to
$2,000 and up and up from there.
00:39:04.424 --> 00:39:04.604
Yeah.
00:39:04.627 --> 00:39:07.428
But kind of get a feel for
what's out there, right?
00:39:07.428 --> 00:39:12.183
Get a feel for, hey, I can have a really
nice, beautiful wint- vintage watch that
00:39:12.183 --> 00:39:14.319
works, it's cleaned, it's reconditioned.
00:39:14.319 --> 00:39:17.458
You know, guys like you are putting
all this labor and love into it.
00:39:17.815 --> 00:39:18.917
Couple hundred bucks.
00:39:18.985 --> 00:39:20.350
Couple hundred bucks sometimes.
00:39:20.360 --> 00:39:20.715
Yeah.
00:39:20.715 --> 00:39:20.725
Yeah.
00:39:20.983 --> 00:39:25.074
There used to be this misconception
that people who collect watches, well,
00:39:25.075 --> 00:39:29.122
they collect Rolexes or they, they
collect, you know, Audemars Piguet.
00:39:29.215 --> 00:39:32.270
It's like, no, no, there's a
lot of collecting that happens
00:39:32.271 --> 00:39:33.492
at the affordable end- Yeah
00:39:33.493 --> 00:39:37.137
of the hobby, and that's where maybe
people should start looking just to
00:39:37.139 --> 00:39:40.814
get some, uh, experience and to get
their feet wet to see what they like.
00:39:40.815 --> 00:39:41.155
Geoffrey: Yeah.
00:39:41.374 --> 00:39:43.191
It, it's probably the best place to start.
00:39:43.218 --> 00:39:45.828
And it… You know, go to
a flea market in your area.
00:39:46.037 --> 00:39:46.489
Yes.
00:39:46.540 --> 00:39:47.592
They're all over the place.
00:39:47.821 --> 00:39:49.024
Go to a pawn shop.
00:39:49.402 --> 00:39:49.472
Mm-hmm.
00:39:49.472 --> 00:39:49.689
You know?
00:39:49.768 --> 00:39:51.766
Go to… You know, it's not just eBay.
00:39:51.791 --> 00:39:55.509
There's Facebook has got
zillions of groups for- Oh,
00:39:55.510 --> 00:39:55.894
David: yeah
00:39:55.939 --> 00:39:56.443
… Geoffrey: collectors.
00:39:56.743 --> 00:39:58.163
Pocket watches, clocks.
00:39:58.467 --> 00:40:02.004
A lot of really good people are on there.
00:40:02.249 --> 00:40:06.297
There are also a lot of really
bad people, so get help and advice
00:40:06.306 --> 00:40:08.088
from somebody with experience-
00:40:08.226 --> 00:40:08.619
David: Yes
00:40:08.642 --> 00:40:10.824
… Geoffrey: before you start
shelling out the hard-earned bucks.
00:40:11.088 --> 00:40:11.417
David: Yeah.
00:40:11.573 --> 00:40:13.934
Geoffrey: Because you don't want to
take… you know, get taken advantage of.
00:40:13.959 --> 00:40:16.561
But there's Mercari, there's Etsy.
00:40:16.563 --> 00:40:21.441
I mean, you're, you'd be amazed
at, you know, some of the places,
00:40:21.511 --> 00:40:22.682
you know, where you can go.
00:40:22.940 --> 00:40:25.800
What I would say is you just
hit the nail right on the head.
00:40:25.837 --> 00:40:27.519
Start small.
00:40:27.778 --> 00:40:28.099
David: Yeah.
00:40:28.157 --> 00:40:30.519
Geoffrey: You know,
start really affordably.
00:40:30.885 --> 00:40:32.796
Think of it like gambling, you know?
00:40:33.066 --> 00:40:36.490
If, if you can afford to lose it and
you're willing to, it's entertainment.
00:40:36.490 --> 00:40:37.153
It's not- That's
00:40:37.153 --> 00:40:37.595
David: right.
00:40:37.795 --> 00:40:38.539
… Geoffrey: an investment.
00:40:39.550 --> 00:40:40.255
David: I'm laughing.
00:40:40.256 --> 00:40:43.530
This is a laugh of recognition
because that is both a highly
00:40:43.536 --> 00:40:45.428
accurate and highly sad statement.
00:40:45.435 --> 00:40:46.878
Think of it like gambling.
00:40:47.129 --> 00:40:47.146
Oh.
00:40:47.146 --> 00:40:49.727
Think of it like your
favorite friendly addiction.
00:40:50.590 --> 00:40:50.949
I think you are correct.
00:40:50.949 --> 00:40:53.559
So watches, I mean, watches
are just so much fun.
00:40:53.575 --> 00:40:57.087
To get back to what you were saying,
it's really a combination of design,
00:40:57.308 --> 00:41:00.534
engineering, and history all in one hobby.
00:41:00.927 --> 00:41:01.373
Geoffrey: And art.
00:41:01.562 --> 00:41:01.908
Yes.
00:41:01.993 --> 00:41:03.307
David: And art, yes.
00:41:03.313 --> 00:41:03.328
Yeah.
00:41:03.506 --> 00:41:04.517
Absolutely right.
00:41:05.179 --> 00:41:06.665
Well, we have our lightning round.
00:41:06.665 --> 00:41:08.257
It's our last piece of business here.
00:41:08.257 --> 00:41:11.745
Our lightning round is just five
very quick A or B questions.
00:41:12.314 --> 00:41:14.867
And, uh, are you ready, Jeff,
for the lightning round?
00:41:14.871 --> 00:41:15.129
I hope
00:41:15.129 --> 00:41:15.582
Geoffrey: I'm ready.
00:41:15.895 --> 00:41:16.535
David: Okay.
00:41:16.760 --> 00:41:19.317
Question number one is strap or bracelet?
00:41:19.645 --> 00:41:20.060
Geoffrey: Yes.
00:41:20.996 --> 00:41:21.602
David: Excellent.
00:41:21.680 --> 00:41:23.228
Vintage or modern?
00:41:24.177 --> 00:41:25.515
Geoffrey: Modern at the moment.
00:41:25.954 --> 00:41:28.789
David: And then again, for the
folks just starting out, one
00:41:28.789 --> 00:41:30.708
great watch or five good ones?
00:41:31.617 --> 00:41:32.675
Geoffrey: No, one great one for me.
00:41:33.178 --> 00:41:33.692
David: Okay.
00:41:33.849 --> 00:41:34.018
But
00:41:34.644 --> 00:41:36.817
Geoffrey: I'm fairly advanced
in my collection, so.
00:41:36.817 --> 00:41:37.252
David: Sure.
00:41:37.767 --> 00:41:38.416
No worries.
00:41:38.417 --> 00:41:42.631
And then question number four is
buy new or hunt for pre-owned?
00:41:43.157 --> 00:41:43.982
Geoffrey: That depends.
00:41:44.012 --> 00:41:47.458
I'm gonna go for pre-owned if
it's in really good shape because
00:41:47.458 --> 00:41:48.662
it's like buying a new car.
00:41:48.928 --> 00:41:52.261
Minute it leaves the lot, it drops
in value by at least half, so.
00:41:52.268 --> 00:41:53.017
David: Good point.
00:41:53.332 --> 00:41:57.660
And then from a design standpoint,
final question is loud, colorful
00:41:57.661 --> 00:42:00.038
watch or quiet, restrained watch?
00:42:00.166 --> 00:42:01.612
Geoffrey: Quiet and
restrained at the moment.
00:42:02.141 --> 00:42:02.958
David: Excellent.
00:42:03.039 --> 00:42:03.659
All right.
00:42:03.874 --> 00:42:07.326
Any final thoughts, parting words
of wisdom as we're wrapping up?
00:42:07.755 --> 00:42:09.738
Geoffrey: Yeah, jump in and have fun.
00:42:10.234 --> 00:42:13.837
You know, more than anything, if this
weren't fun, if it weren't rewarding for
00:42:13.845 --> 00:42:15.359
me in some ways, I wouldn't be doing it.
00:42:15.731 --> 00:42:15.995
Yeah.
00:42:15.995 --> 00:42:19.713
You know, I, I don't have a lot of
free time these days, so where and
00:42:19.713 --> 00:42:22.076
how I spend it is because I love it.
00:42:22.076 --> 00:42:23.923
It's my passion, and it's fun.
00:42:24.535 --> 00:42:24.639
Yeah.
00:42:24.639 --> 00:42:28.272
It's not always fun, but overall
it's given me enough back for what I
00:42:28.272 --> 00:42:30.004
want- Yeah … that I keep doing it.
00:42:30.864 --> 00:42:31.590
David: Amazing.
00:42:31.721 --> 00:42:35.019
Well, my friends listening
and watching, keep having fun.
00:42:35.032 --> 00:42:36.145
That's Jeff's advice.
00:42:36.171 --> 00:42:37.191
Keep having fun.
00:42:37.593 --> 00:42:39.659
Jeff Parker, thank you,
thank you, thank you.
00:42:39.668 --> 00:42:42.948
It's been such a pleasure to get to know
you, and I'm looking forward to, uh,
00:42:42.981 --> 00:42:44.739
our next chapter of friendship, too.
00:42:45.327 --> 00:42:46.057
Geoffrey: Sounds good, Dave.
00:42:46.095 --> 00:42:46.547
Me, too.
00:42:48.764 --> 00:42:51.363
David: And that wraps up
another episode of Watch Smarts.
00:42:51.398 --> 00:42:56.255
Listen, if you love this show, if you
love watches, subscribe, download,
00:42:56.303 --> 00:43:00.160
leave us a rating or review on
your favorite podcast platform, and
00:43:00.161 --> 00:43:05.144
check out all the free resources
waiting for you at watchsmarts.com.
NOTE
This file was generated by Descript
00:00:00.089 --> 00:00:01.328
Geoffrey: People don't always agree.
00:00:01.428 --> 00:00:01.876
We know this.
00:00:01.876 --> 00:00:02.284
David: Sure.
00:00:02.788 --> 00:00:06.486
Geoffrey: However, for the most part,
if there's a passion for horology,
00:00:06.961 --> 00:00:10.905
it's like the only thing I've ever
seen that's parallel to it in a way is
00:00:10.908 --> 00:00:14.774
religious communities, because people
support each other with a common belief
00:00:14.776 --> 00:00:16.241
and a common interest and passion.
00:00:16.327 --> 00:00:16.739
So-
00:00:16.796 --> 00:00:17.190
David: Yeah
00:00:17.333 --> 00:00:19.115
Geoffrey: my role is not peacekeeper.
00:00:19.120 --> 00:00:23.905
My role is really as chairman of the
board to help advance the organization.
00:00:24.038 --> 00:00:29.416
David: Welcome to Watch Smarts, where
smart people get smarter about watches.
00:00:29.682 --> 00:00:31.032
I'm your host, David Newman.
00:00:31.262 --> 00:00:32.625
Let's jump right in
00:00:43.940 --> 00:00:46.609
Well, my friends, you
are in for a real treat.
00:00:46.626 --> 00:00:53.058
We have watch guru, watch
enthusiast, watchmaker, watch
00:00:53.257 --> 00:00:57.363
insider, Mr. Jeffrey Parker with us.
00:00:57.382 --> 00:00:58.947
And Jeff, welcome to the show.
00:00:59.236 --> 00:01:00.436
Geoffrey: Thank you so much, David.
00:01:00.440 --> 00:01:02.652
I, you know, I hope I
can live up to all that.
00:01:03.219 --> 00:01:06.602
David: Well, I, I think you
can, and, and I think you do.
00:01:06.858 --> 00:01:09.558
So take us back to the very beginning.
00:01:09.667 --> 00:01:15.060
What was your earliest memory or your
earliest connection with watches?
00:01:15.769 --> 00:01:19.090
Geoffrey: Honestly, for me, we
go way… We're gonna have to
00:01:19.090 --> 00:01:20.501
turn on the way back machine.
00:01:20.548 --> 00:01:21.100
David: Okay.
00:01:21.100 --> 00:01:25.118
Geoffrey: You know, I'm, I'm probably
older than I look to, to the audience.
00:01:25.683 --> 00:01:31.943
When I was a probably pre-teen, I lived
in a little town, and in that town we
00:01:31.943 --> 00:01:36.551
had a jewelry store, and there was a
watchmaker set up in the jewelry store.
00:01:37.126 --> 00:01:42.525
And every time I went down past the candy
store or the hardware store down towards
00:01:42.527 --> 00:01:45.092
the park, I had to go past that shop.
00:01:45.582 --> 00:01:51.643
And probably around, I'm guessing,
11, 12, something like that, I started
00:01:51.655 --> 00:01:55.732
getting interested in what he was
doing back there, and I literally
00:01:55.744 --> 00:02:00.820
was the Norman Rockwell cover of a
little boy with his face pressed to
00:02:00.820 --> 00:02:05.304
the glass watching the watchmaker,
and I got absolutely fascinated.
00:02:05.880 --> 00:02:12.106
So from literally pre-teen till
decades, many decades later, here
00:02:12.106 --> 00:02:14.258
I am, and the interest just grew.
00:02:14.331 --> 00:02:23.442
Now, fast-forward about, um, maybe about
20 years from when my interest in watches
00:02:23.442 --> 00:02:27.602
and my little, teeny watch collection
started happening, like, you know,
00:02:27.609 --> 00:02:32.224
high school graduation watch, college
graduation watch, that kind of thing.
00:02:32.917 --> 00:02:36.477
I was very involved with
fine scale modeling.
00:02:36.719 --> 00:02:40.398
So I built some of those great
big one-eighth scale, like
00:02:40.412 --> 00:02:44.126
three, four feet long antique
car replicas you see in museums.
00:02:44.380 --> 00:02:45.001
Wow.
00:02:45.013 --> 00:02:48.263
With those 4,000 parts and the
hand-laid spokes that are… Oh, yeah.
00:02:48.579 --> 00:02:48.835
Yeah.
00:02:48.835 --> 00:02:52.249
And so from that, which I loved
doing, and I was detailing
00:02:52.251 --> 00:02:54.011
down to one 32nd of an inch.
00:02:54.499 --> 00:03:00.877
And one day, just suddenly out of
the blue, I realized, "You know, this
00:03:00.902 --> 00:03:06.255
modeling I'm doing is incredibly fine
and detailed, and I need magnifying
00:03:06.258 --> 00:03:10.203
glasses and everything to see what
I'm doing, and help like hands, and-
00:03:11.225 --> 00:03:15.031
Watches are pretty small, and I've
been collecting them for a long time.
00:03:15.033 --> 00:03:18.593
I wonder if I could actually work on them.
00:03:18.986 --> 00:03:25.024
So I went to the world source
of watches, eBay, and I bought
00:03:25.024 --> 00:03:26.875
what I call a rectangle lot.
00:03:26.952 --> 00:03:30.024
A rectangle lot is not rectangular shaped.
00:03:30.024 --> 00:03:31.249
It's a wreck and a tangle.
00:03:31.918 --> 00:03:32.351
Nice.
00:03:32.351 --> 00:03:34.608
And it was, it was just
a junk lot, you know?
00:03:34.650 --> 00:03:36.638
And they were, they were gonzo.
00:03:36.677 --> 00:03:38.744
They were, like, I didn't
think they were salvageable.
00:03:39.018 --> 00:03:40.561
And some cheap tools.
00:03:40.691 --> 00:03:42.105
I didn't know they were cheap tools.
00:03:42.105 --> 00:03:43.846
I was just looking not to spend a fortune.
00:03:44.266 --> 00:03:44.596
David: Yeah.
00:03:44.654 --> 00:03:48.924
Geoffrey: So I brought all this stuff back
and I got, uh, I got it all shipped in.
00:03:49.237 --> 00:03:51.971
I bought a light, I bought a card table.
00:03:52.177 --> 00:03:54.805
I still have that card
table, decades later.
00:03:55.331 --> 00:03:59.207
And I basically started to take
them apart and watch videos and,
00:03:59.216 --> 00:04:05.275
and try to get some training where I
could, and essentially learn, could
00:04:05.291 --> 00:04:06.868
I work on these watches or not?
00:04:06.873 --> 00:04:07.868
How do you open them?
00:04:07.868 --> 00:04:08.817
How do you clean them?
00:04:08.817 --> 00:04:10.436
How do you change batteries?
00:04:10.452 --> 00:04:11.536
How do you fix things?
00:04:11.536 --> 00:04:13.118
How do you replace hands?
00:04:13.118 --> 00:04:17.971
And it took me quite a while,
but I actually managed to salvage
00:04:18.265 --> 00:04:20.313
that entire rectangle lot.
00:04:20.750 --> 00:04:23.853
So my sister had a birthday
coming up and I called her and I
00:04:23.885 --> 00:04:25.732
said, "Hey, do you have a watch?"
00:04:25.756 --> 00:04:28.026
And she said, "Yeah, but
none of them work," you know?
00:04:28.026 --> 00:04:31.192
I said, "Well, listen, I've, I got a
bunch of them here I was just messing
00:04:31.192 --> 00:04:34.143
with. Do you… Let me send you some
pictures, see if you like any of
00:04:34.143 --> 00:04:38.486
these." So she was like, "Okay." You
know, so I sent her the pictures and
00:04:38.490 --> 00:04:42.283
she called me back right away. She
said, "Oh, Jeff, these are beautiful.
00:04:42.514 --> 00:04:45.553
I like that silver and gold one
with the blue dial." And you
00:04:45.554 --> 00:04:46.478
know, I said, "You know what?
00:04:46.500 --> 00:04:47.808
I'm coming up to visit soon.
00:04:47.815 --> 00:04:48.871
You got a birthday coming up.
00:04:48.873 --> 00:04:52.175
I'll just bring them for you." And
she asked the natural question, "How
00:04:52.175 --> 00:04:56.332
much do you want for them?" And I
said, "Oh, this is a birthday gift."
00:04:56.332 --> 00:04:57.674
I- I'm like, "I'm just learning.
00:04:57.825 --> 00:04:59.311
You know, I don't know
how long they'll last.
00:04:59.568 --> 00:05:00.385
They work now.
00:05:00.428 --> 00:05:03.897
They, you know, I've, I've salvaged
them." You know, I told her the story
00:05:03.914 --> 00:05:05.354
and she- Yeah … was kind of thrilled.
00:05:05.551 --> 00:05:06.633
She still has them.
00:05:07.006 --> 00:05:11.241
I'm still like, I don't know, 15 years
later replacing batteries occasionally
00:05:11.241 --> 00:05:14.341
and making sure they're tuned up
and running for the automatics.
00:05:14.344 --> 00:05:16.601
But she, she did in fact
love them and she kept them.
00:05:16.623 --> 00:05:18.198
Well, then I made a mistake.
00:05:18.732 --> 00:05:22.520
I told the people at work that I
was starting to work on watches and
00:05:22.520 --> 00:05:25.410
of course, oh boy, they showed up.
00:05:25.410 --> 00:05:30.062
"Oh, I stuck it in a drawer after it went
into the pool when it's not waterproof.
00:05:30.062 --> 00:05:31.136
I don't know what to do." Right.
00:05:31.494 --> 00:05:34.019
You know, so they were sobbing
like they're handing me their,
00:05:34.356 --> 00:05:35.698
you know, mortally wounded baby.
00:05:36.599 --> 00:05:40.183
Well, I, I actually, I said, "Look, I
don't know if I'm even gonna charge you.
00:05:40.183 --> 00:05:42.615
I'm just learning, uh,
you know, no guarantee.
00:05:42.623 --> 00:05:45.802
You can really take it to a watchmaker
if you want this fixed." "No, no, too
00:05:45.808 --> 00:05:47.539
expensive." I'm like, "Okay, whatever."
00:05:48.050 --> 00:05:48.323
David: Right.
00:05:48.344 --> 00:05:49.456
Geoffrey: So, but I fixed them.
00:05:49.552 --> 00:05:53.767
And from that, it kind of went
from a hobby to paying taxes
00:05:53.799 --> 00:05:55.451
over not too long a time.
00:05:55.808 --> 00:05:56.161
Yeah.
00:05:56.161 --> 00:05:57.212
And, "Can you find me this?
00:05:57.243 --> 00:05:58.227
Can you get me this?
00:05:58.251 --> 00:05:59.087
Can you fix this?
00:05:59.097 --> 00:06:00.771
Can you just fix the strap?
00:06:00.784 --> 00:06:02.144
Can you add a new one?
00:06:02.147 --> 00:06:04.909
Can you, you know, do battery?"
And those were just, like,
00:06:05.485 --> 00:06:06.537
you know, the little things.
00:06:06.542 --> 00:06:10.624
But as it grew, I started to
realize, hey, I'm really liking this.
00:06:10.624 --> 00:06:15.584
And, and I realized, yeah, I'm not
building models so much anymore as I
00:06:15.584 --> 00:06:17.265
am building watches and fixing them.
00:06:17.265 --> 00:06:17.651
David: Yeah.
00:06:18.140 --> 00:06:22.180
Geoffrey: Then I accidentally found
a connection to some of my ancestors
00:06:22.183 --> 00:06:23.791
that were actually watchmakers.
00:06:24.310 --> 00:06:27.491
And I couldn't believe it,
'cause I wasn't aware of any
00:06:27.539 --> 00:06:29.221
watchmakers in our history at all.
00:06:29.221 --> 00:06:32.049
I figured I was a, a one-off, but no, no.
00:06:32.387 --> 00:06:36.252
Um, I actually have watchmaking in our
ancestry, and I'm the only one that
00:06:36.252 --> 00:06:41.854
I'm aware of that does, that picked up
the trade, like 150-odd years later.
00:06:41.865 --> 00:06:45.390
So from there it's been
nothing but, like, up.
00:06:45.455 --> 00:06:49.158
I mean, shortly thereafter, I was
in Florida at the time for work,
00:06:49.188 --> 00:06:52.094
and living and working there,
but I was traveling quite a bit.
00:06:52.126 --> 00:06:56.860
And, and I found a local chapter
of the NAWCC for the Miami
00:06:56.860 --> 00:06:58.484
region, where I was based.
00:06:58.547 --> 00:07:00.407
And, and, uh, I joined.
00:07:00.530 --> 00:07:03.698
And I was like, oh God,
this is gonna get expensive.
00:07:06.984 --> 00:07:11.419
But what I really got out of it,
and why I've stayed now for, I
00:07:11.421 --> 00:07:17.183
don't know, 14-ish years, is the
people have just been phenomenal.
00:07:17.193 --> 00:07:21.211
It's like having so many… like
having a huge extended family.
00:07:21.577 --> 00:07:21.719
Yeah.
00:07:21.719 --> 00:07:24.842
You know, people you know for a
long time that would give you the
00:07:25.145 --> 00:07:29.137
shirt off their back that, I, I
mean, are just great, great people.
00:07:29.171 --> 00:07:32.294
And it, it's almost like
finding this little hidden
00:07:32.298 --> 00:07:34.056
treasure or community out there.
00:07:34.448 --> 00:07:35.027
Yeah.
00:07:35.027 --> 00:07:37.284
And, you know, enjoying some
of the great people in it.
00:07:37.317 --> 00:07:39.770
And so the passion has never gone down.
00:07:39.770 --> 00:07:43.330
I actually graduated to
making watches, um, David.
00:07:43.366 --> 00:07:47.536
It, it's like… And about two, three
years ago, I finally, on a whim, I'd
00:07:47.537 --> 00:07:51.921
done a commercial, a TV commercial
for a national conference that was,
00:07:51.983 --> 00:07:56.183
a convention that was in the town
I lived in with local TV stations.
00:07:56.592 --> 00:08:01.217
And I had built a few watches, um,
and I had them with me for the TV
00:08:01.222 --> 00:08:04.246
commercial because they were just
fascinated, thrilled with these.
00:08:04.770 --> 00:08:09.206
And, uh, one of the producers dropped
one of them, but I had them with me and,
00:08:09.206 --> 00:08:14.656
um- I brought them to the convention and
I decided to, on a whim, just to enter
00:08:14.659 --> 00:08:16.587
them into the, into the craft contest.
00:08:17.105 --> 00:08:18.369
And son of a gun, they won.
00:08:19.784 --> 00:08:24.677
So I was like, "Okay, never expected
that." I was just doing it because I
00:08:24.680 --> 00:08:28.229
couldn't talk myself out of it, and I was
here and they were here, so what the heck?
00:08:28.257 --> 00:08:28.514
But-
00:08:28.624 --> 00:08:29.024
David: Yeah
00:08:29.024 --> 00:08:30.470
… Geoffrey: I never expected anything.
00:08:30.643 --> 00:08:34.299
I just did it for kind of the
challenge and the thrill, you know,
00:08:34.308 --> 00:08:35.913
figuring, okay, you know, they'll…
00:08:36.013 --> 00:08:39.299
I'm sure they've got a loser's prize
or runner-up prize or something.
00:08:39.299 --> 00:08:43.227
But no, I actually won a first prize
and two second prizes, and I was
00:08:43.235 --> 00:08:45.289
like, even for the busted one, wow.
00:08:46.994 --> 00:08:48.255
David: Yeah, amazing.
00:08:48.483 --> 00:08:50.662
Well- Yeah … so thank
you for all of that.
00:08:50.663 --> 00:08:51.850
I've got so many questions.
00:08:51.856 --> 00:08:55.332
I'd love to take you back a
little bit to the first part of
00:08:55.332 --> 00:08:58.026
the story, the early watches.
00:08:58.026 --> 00:09:02.458
You mentioned high school graduation
watch, other- Yeah … gift watches.
00:09:02.957 --> 00:09:06.599
What was it early on that you enjoyed?
00:09:06.599 --> 00:09:11.174
Or what brands or what style of watches
called to you first back in those days?
00:09:11.590 --> 00:09:16.341
Geoffrey: Well, my high school
graduation watch was a square TV type
00:09:16.374 --> 00:09:19.959
Seiko 5, and I really loved that.
00:09:19.959 --> 00:09:22.074
I felt I'd, I'd, you
know, won the lottery.
00:09:22.303 --> 00:09:23.732
I was so proud of that watch.
00:09:23.733 --> 00:09:26.230
It was the first piece of
any kind of jewelry I had.
00:09:26.572 --> 00:09:30.188
And then I inherited my grandfather's
watch when he passed, and it
00:09:30.188 --> 00:09:34.380
was an Omega Seamaster, and
that, that kicked it up a notch.
00:09:34.424 --> 00:09:37.767
It was not very much longer later
when I, when I ended up with his
00:09:37.767 --> 00:09:40.580
watch, and that thing fascinated me.
00:09:40.580 --> 00:09:45.042
It had a sub seconds dial, you know, it
didn't look like a modern wristwatch.
00:09:45.045 --> 00:09:48.904
And it was- Yeah … so finely
made and detailed, and it was, you
00:09:48.904 --> 00:09:53.434
know… It was just one of those
things that I just dearly loved.
00:09:53.721 --> 00:09:57.999
Unfortunately, uh, in a divorce
a little bit, a few years on, um,
00:09:58.003 --> 00:10:02.980
I lost that watch, and it took
me seven years to find it again,
00:10:02.980 --> 00:10:04.674
or at least the exact same model.
00:10:04.854 --> 00:10:05.060
But-
00:10:05.060 --> 00:10:05.595
David: Yeah
00:10:05.654 --> 00:10:06.065
… Geoffrey: I did.
00:10:06.073 --> 00:10:06.472
David: How about
00:10:06.519 --> 00:10:06.685
Geoffrey: that?
00:10:07.487 --> 00:10:07.987
Yeah.
00:10:07.993 --> 00:10:11.571
It's like, I, I think when you
start on something and the bug
00:10:11.588 --> 00:10:15.206
bites you, it becomes like, oh,
ooh, that looks good, you know?
00:10:15.220 --> 00:10:15.600
Yeah.
00:10:15.776 --> 00:10:16.317
Like that.
00:10:16.784 --> 00:10:19.527
Ooh, that, that's a neat
watch, you know, kind of thing.
00:10:19.569 --> 00:10:24.931
And it's based on what kind of, you
know, funds do you have available,
00:10:24.950 --> 00:10:26.694
what do you feel like collecting.
00:10:26.720 --> 00:10:31.198
So for a while it was just things
that looked fun or interesting
00:10:31.199 --> 00:10:32.633
or I really liked Seiko.
00:10:32.633 --> 00:10:36.135
I got quite a few of those for
a while, you know, and that kind
00:10:36.135 --> 00:10:37.933
of thing kind of started me off.
00:10:37.933 --> 00:10:39.109
And then I, I went up.
00:10:39.110 --> 00:10:43.454
Of course there were the prerequisite
Timex watches because of course I was
00:10:43.468 --> 00:10:45.731
young and, you know, using my hands a lot.
00:10:45.741 --> 00:10:46.132
David: Sure.
00:10:46.210 --> 00:10:48.815
Geoffrey: They would get all
messed up, but they, they kept
00:10:48.816 --> 00:10:50.296
working, you know, kind of thing.
00:10:50.296 --> 00:10:50.494
And-
00:10:50.608 --> 00:10:51.066
David: Yeah
00:10:51.249 --> 00:10:53.919
… Geoffrey: and then I ended up
with a, a fancy dressed watch.
00:10:53.919 --> 00:10:55.540
Another Omega I think it was.
00:10:55.581 --> 00:11:00.629
And, and it just, it grew from there,
and until when I had started working
00:11:00.649 --> 00:11:04.218
with them, um, after the model building
thing when I was living in Florida,
00:11:04.223 --> 00:11:10.678
I realized- Well, I think it was as a
result of joining the NAWCC because the
00:11:10.679 --> 00:11:14.424
National Association of Watch and Clock
Collectors, that group in Miami, chapter
00:11:14.424 --> 00:11:16.580
60, oh my God, did they enable me.
00:11:16.920 --> 00:11:19.509
You know, because you walk into a
meeting and you're surrounded by
00:11:19.547 --> 00:11:22.139
things that are just drool-worthy and-
00:11:22.330 --> 00:11:22.720
David: Yes
00:11:22.744 --> 00:11:23.061
… Geoffrey: you know.
00:11:23.392 --> 00:11:25.469
So I was pretty much done and cooked.
00:11:25.478 --> 00:11:27.912
The little pop-up turkey
thing came up for me.
00:11:27.912 --> 00:11:29.698
You know, like, but I had to learn.
00:11:29.718 --> 00:11:31.422
It's like you have to ask the questions.
00:11:31.429 --> 00:11:32.793
Do you have the service history?
00:11:33.004 --> 00:11:34.058
How long have you owned it?
00:11:34.067 --> 00:11:36.064
When was it last serviced?
00:11:36.064 --> 00:11:37.332
How is it running?
00:11:37.342 --> 00:11:38.239
What's wrong with it?
00:11:38.269 --> 00:11:39.528
What defects does it have?
00:11:39.953 --> 00:11:40.095
Yeah.
00:11:40.095 --> 00:11:44.612
Now, you have to learn to, like, ask
questions about it, or else you can get
00:11:44.623 --> 00:11:46.507
stung, even if people don't mean to.
00:11:46.941 --> 00:11:47.229
You know?
00:11:47.229 --> 00:11:47.494
Yeah.
00:11:47.555 --> 00:11:47.888
Yeah.
00:11:48.354 --> 00:11:52.193
And, you know, from there,
I think it, it just grows.
00:11:52.194 --> 00:11:56.117
And as you have more liquid assets, as
you get more interested, as you want to
00:11:56.118 --> 00:12:01.263
reach the next rung up kind of thing, I've
progressed to, you know, favorite brands.
00:12:01.265 --> 00:12:02.940
Like I've got a lot of Omegas.
00:12:02.947 --> 00:12:04.582
I've got a lot of Tag Heuers.
00:12:04.621 --> 00:12:06.592
Uh, I collect Zodiac.
00:12:06.623 --> 00:12:10.774
Um, you know, Baume & Mercier,
one of my favorite brands.
00:12:10.822 --> 00:12:15.227
Um, just it's like you find the things
that, that really appeal to you.
00:12:15.228 --> 00:12:19.816
And for me, quality of
engineering, refined styling,
00:12:19.845 --> 00:12:22.074
and attention to detail catch it.
00:12:22.094 --> 00:12:27.206
So now I do still buy and own Seikos, but
I also own a lot of Seiko Presage watches.
00:12:27.548 --> 00:12:27.719
Yeah.
00:12:27.719 --> 00:12:31.269
And I love the ones with a real
enamel dial, like a pocket watch dial.
00:12:31.615 --> 00:12:32.996
And I also have Grand Seiko.
00:12:33.050 --> 00:12:37.486
So, you know, unfortunately, you can't
own a lot of those because they set
00:12:37.486 --> 00:12:39.047
you back about what a Rolex would.
00:12:39.078 --> 00:12:39.469
So-
00:12:39.633 --> 00:12:40.003
David: Right
00:12:40.070 --> 00:12:44.611
… Geoffrey: but dang, for accuracy,
I mean, good Lord, you keep those
00:12:44.614 --> 00:12:48.047
things running and they're accurate
to within a couple of seconds a year.
00:12:48.339 --> 00:12:48.811
Yeah.
00:12:48.811 --> 00:12:50.585
Almost like a quartz or a digital watch
00:12:57.752 --> 00:13:01.174
David: Quick commercial break here
to ask you, have you seen all of the
00:13:01.175 --> 00:13:05.063
cool resources, downloads, and guides
waiting for you at WatchSmartx.com?
00:13:05.502 --> 00:13:06.815
Go check it out.
00:13:06.815 --> 00:13:08.125
You'll love it You know, it's funny,
when you were talking about getting
00:13:08.125 --> 00:13:10.060
in as a little kid, pressing your face
up against the glass, I'm imagining
00:13:10.063 --> 00:13:15.338
that this watch repair shop, they
also had watches in the window- Right
00:13:15.338 --> 00:13:16.325
somewhere, right?
00:13:16.325 --> 00:13:16.540
Yeah.
00:13:16.540 --> 00:13:16.555
Yeah.
00:13:16.555 --> 00:13:18.238
But you weren't really
interested in the watches.
00:13:18.240 --> 00:13:22.031
You were, you were interested in
what's that guy doing with the loupe
00:13:22.034 --> 00:13:25.843
and the tools and the hunched over and
doing all- Right … of this magic.
00:13:26.426 --> 00:13:27.800
Geoffrey: How does he make it work?
00:13:27.865 --> 00:13:28.535
Yeah.
00:13:28.535 --> 00:13:29.087
Everything was moving.
00:13:29.146 --> 00:13:30.655
How does he know what's wrong?
00:13:30.891 --> 00:13:31.829
How does he fix it?
00:13:31.853 --> 00:13:33.548
Where, where did he learn all this stuff?
00:13:33.870 --> 00:13:34.250
Yeah.
00:13:34.250 --> 00:13:36.536
You know, what does he do when
things don't work, you know?
00:13:36.564 --> 00:13:42.084
It, it's like I was just… My dad was
an engineer, and I think I got some of
00:13:42.084 --> 00:13:46.543
that inquisitive nature about how do
things work, how do they go together.
00:13:46.545 --> 00:13:50.233
When they fail to proceed, you
know, what's causing the problem?
00:13:50.320 --> 00:13:50.564
And-
00:13:50.565 --> 00:13:51.060
David: Yeah
00:13:51.589 --> 00:13:55.986
… Geoffrey: you know, y- you
could work with, like, HVAC.
00:13:56.132 --> 00:13:58.204
It's nowhere near as involved.
00:13:58.213 --> 00:14:02.344
I mean, when you're talking about pieces
of steel, you've got, you know, rebar that
00:14:02.347 --> 00:14:07.245
makes buildings, all the way down- Yeah
… using those same pieces, pieces of steel
00:14:07.632 --> 00:14:09.852
to hairsprings that make the watch go.
00:14:10.274 --> 00:14:10.502
Yeah.
00:14:10.502 --> 00:14:11.549
You know, they regulate it.
00:14:11.578 --> 00:14:12.932
Uh, it's the same steel.
00:14:12.933 --> 00:14:16.394
It's how you use it and what
you do with it that matters.
00:14:16.396 --> 00:14:16.406
Yeah.
00:14:16.406 --> 00:14:20.639
And I think pe- It was a combination
of elements that was just
00:14:20.640 --> 00:14:22.077
like the perfect storm for me.
00:14:22.084 --> 00:14:23.778
That, you know-
Yeah … the time was right.
00:14:24.346 --> 00:14:28.233
You know, it was just like, okay,
well, I, I'm, like, I don't have
00:14:28.247 --> 00:14:31.904
time to do models at the moment
because of my travel schedule, but
00:14:31.913 --> 00:14:35.677
jeez, I'm in all these different
countries and they've got watches.
00:14:36.074 --> 00:14:36.773
David: Yes.
00:14:38.230 --> 00:14:42.281
You mentioned also about the watch
repair, like, as soon as the word got
00:14:42.281 --> 00:14:46.783
out, like, in, in your office that,
"Oh, Jeff repairs watches." Oh, yeah.
00:14:46.783 --> 00:14:50.411
People come to you with their sob
stories and their broken, funky,
00:14:50.424 --> 00:14:54.446
sad little stories, uh, and broken,
funk- funky, sad, little watches.
00:14:54.867 --> 00:14:59.872
What were, what were either a repair
horror story or just something
00:14:59.872 --> 00:15:03.593
really silly or really bad that
someone did to a watch that you were
00:15:03.595 --> 00:15:05.634
able to then salvage and repair?
00:15:06.293 --> 00:15:07.935
Geoffrey: There were a couple
of them that come to mind.
00:15:07.997 --> 00:15:11.463
A, a good friend of mine from the,
the next office over, she was part
00:15:11.463 --> 00:15:15.773
of the same complex, literally came
to me and started crying and saying,
00:15:16.010 --> 00:15:19.523
"This was my late husband's, and he
took it swimming in the pool before
00:15:19.523 --> 00:15:21.688
he died, and it stopped working.
00:15:21.688 --> 00:15:23.445
It wasn't waterproof,
and he threw it in…
00:15:23.504 --> 00:15:24.449
I threw it in a drawer.
00:15:24.607 --> 00:15:25.608
He's gone now." Oh.
00:15:25.881 --> 00:15:29.108
"But when I heard that you were working
on watches, I wondered if there's any
00:15:29.108 --> 00:15:33.549
possible way, you know, that you could
get this thing going again." And I said,
00:15:33.549 --> 00:15:36.054
"Look, Pat, you know, chances are slim.
00:15:36.371 --> 00:15:38.197
Not to none, but very slim.
00:15:38.848 --> 00:15:41.896
What I can do is look and see the
state of it, see if I think it's
00:15:41.897 --> 00:15:45.419
recoverable, and then I'll tell you
every step of the way what I'm doing."
00:15:45.429 --> 00:15:49.091
She said, "You know, I, I can't get a
second mortgage for this." I said, "I'm
00:15:49.091 --> 00:15:50.562
not sure I'm gonna charge you at all.
00:15:50.568 --> 00:15:52.016
I'm learning." Yeah.
00:15:52.016 --> 00:15:54.893
You know, I want to do this for the
experience and the, and the value of it.
00:15:55.250 --> 00:15:59.329
Oh, I open this poor thing up,
and what was left of it was rusted
00:15:59.617 --> 00:16:01.828
completely and green all over.
00:16:01.828 --> 00:16:03.122
It was a quartz watch.
00:16:03.632 --> 00:16:07.353
So I said, "Look, um, I think I
can save the dial and the hands.
00:16:07.379 --> 00:16:08.511
It's gonna need a crystal.
00:16:08.526 --> 00:16:09.559
It needs a polish.
00:16:09.851 --> 00:16:13.269
We're gonna need a new movement for
it, and I can find one that fits.
00:16:13.391 --> 00:16:16.068
Do you-" Yeah … "want me to
continue?" And she said yes.
00:16:16.082 --> 00:16:20.925
So I literally, you know, it was pretty
much a complete guts replacement.
00:16:20.937 --> 00:16:22.807
The, the crystal was salvageable.
00:16:22.808 --> 00:16:24.133
I just polished it, really.
00:16:24.406 --> 00:16:27.339
The case I could, I could get clean
enough so that she could tell it
00:16:27.353 --> 00:16:29.032
was worn, but it was presentable.
00:16:29.435 --> 00:16:29.470
Yeah.
00:16:29.470 --> 00:16:33.464
Put a new strap on it, and she
w- she, she about fainted when I
00:16:33.488 --> 00:16:34.540
showed it to her and it was running.
00:16:34.540 --> 00:16:34.737
That's great.
00:16:35.117 --> 00:16:36.765
She literally, we had to get her a chair.
00:16:36.765 --> 00:16:37.431
She got faint.
00:16:37.512 --> 00:16:37.651
I mean-
00:16:37.651 --> 00:16:38.474
David: Yeah
00:16:38.709 --> 00:16:40.607
Geoffrey: so that was one that went well.
00:16:41.313 --> 00:16:45.328
One that didn't go so well is a
Vietnam vet got in touch with me, and
00:16:45.328 --> 00:16:50.457
he had a beautiful Seiko, um, with a
faceted lens and a tiger's eye dial,
00:16:50.458 --> 00:16:55.172
and he had had that with him, uh,
through a barely survived situation.
00:16:55.172 --> 00:16:56.895
It was incredibly important to him.
00:16:57.181 --> 00:16:57.596
David: Mm.
00:16:57.628 --> 00:17:00.076
Geoffrey: So, and I don't
remember at the moment how he
00:17:00.077 --> 00:17:01.895
actually found or contacted me.
00:17:01.895 --> 00:17:05.174
I think word would… started to get
out in all kinds of places that you
00:17:05.174 --> 00:17:06.772
don't know where they're coming from.
00:17:07.279 --> 00:17:11.492
And this was really before we had to
worry as much about cybersecurity,
00:17:11.567 --> 00:17:14.313
you know, and, and getting, you
know, hacked and stuff like that.
00:17:14.709 --> 00:17:18.134
So I said, "Yeah, I mean, this
could take a year to find the, all
00:17:18.135 --> 00:17:19.327
the right parts and everything.
00:17:19.328 --> 00:17:23.237
I'm gonna need a donor watch, but I
can probably do it." And it, it did.
00:17:23.237 --> 00:17:24.662
It took me about eight months.
00:17:25.099 --> 00:17:29.755
And oh, my God, I got replacement parts,
movement holder rings, regulators.
00:17:29.759 --> 00:17:33.399
I finally had to scrap the old
movement and just literally use,
00:17:33.454 --> 00:17:37.192
like, plates and, you know, rebuild
the whole thing from the ground up.
00:17:37.472 --> 00:17:37.941
David: Yeah.
00:17:38.008 --> 00:17:38.939
Geoffrey: New crystal.
00:17:38.952 --> 00:17:40.484
Thank God for Jules Borel.
00:17:40.493 --> 00:17:41.123
They had one.
00:17:43.417 --> 00:17:46.136
And I managed to salvage
the original strap.
00:17:46.146 --> 00:17:47.968
I got… I sent that out for polishing.
00:17:47.969 --> 00:17:50.774
I didn't think I could manage it
without really screwing it up.
00:17:51.208 --> 00:17:54.757
So it was about as close to
new when I handed it to him,
00:17:54.758 --> 00:17:57.485
and he just was overwhelmed.
00:17:57.986 --> 00:18:02.393
I mean, he just started sobbing, you know,
when I, when I gave that back to him.
00:18:02.393 --> 00:18:02.558
Yeah.
00:18:02.676 --> 00:18:07.169
I, you know, it's like you ask how
much, you know, was something like that?
00:18:07.169 --> 00:18:09.164
I think I charged him
a few hundred dollars.
00:18:09.530 --> 00:18:11.376
I don't know what it's worth today.
00:18:11.376 --> 00:18:12.327
I really didn't care.
00:18:12.328 --> 00:18:14.339
I was just- Sure … so
happy to do that for him.
00:18:14.752 --> 00:18:14.998
David: Yeah.
00:18:15.081 --> 00:18:16.848
Geoffrey: I mean, it really
meant something to me.
00:18:16.852 --> 00:18:19.692
That was one of the most
meaningful ones I ever got.
00:18:19.883 --> 00:18:23.309
And here's the problem,
Dave, that comes with that.
00:18:23.366 --> 00:18:25.153
I fell in love with that watch.
00:18:25.558 --> 00:18:26.402
David: Mm.
00:18:26.454 --> 00:18:26.690
Geoffrey: So-
00:18:26.690 --> 00:18:29.067
David: It's like adopting a
puppy or fostering a puppy, that
00:18:29.067 --> 00:18:30.299
you don't want to give it back.
00:18:30.554 --> 00:18:33.737
Geoffrey: Well, I, I knew I was gonna
give it back, but I had to have one.
00:18:33.737 --> 00:18:37.621
And so- Sure … I found one, and I
added it to my collection just because
00:18:37.953 --> 00:18:42.804
it's almost like you form a relationship
with a piece because you- Yeah
00:18:42.845 --> 00:18:46.956
did it so well and you want to… You
know, it means so much to somebody.
00:18:46.957 --> 00:18:50.475
It's like for me, that's a lot
of the passion that drives it.
00:18:50.475 --> 00:18:52.907
If somebody's in need or
somebody's hurting, if I can
00:18:52.919 --> 00:18:55.285
help, you know, I love doing that.
00:18:55.288 --> 00:18:56.935
It's just part of my personality.
00:18:57.309 --> 00:19:01.237
David: Now, you speak of this with such
love and such passion and such dedication.
00:19:01.718 --> 00:19:07.048
I am sure that it's occurred to you
multiple dozens of times, "Maybe
00:19:07.049 --> 00:19:08.778
I could do this full time." Right.
00:19:09.076 --> 00:19:14.094
But yet, here you are, still have the
day job, still a respected cybersecurity
00:19:14.094 --> 00:19:16.461
professional and trainer and consultant.
00:19:16.895 --> 00:19:21.334
What prevented you for the last
10, 15 years from making the
00:19:21.369 --> 00:19:23.313
leap and doing this full time?
00:19:23.783 --> 00:19:25.364
Geoffrey: It's a long s- I mean,
00:19:25.419 --> 00:19:27.142
David: but clearly, besides common sense.
00:19:27.475 --> 00:19:27.830
Geoffrey: Yeah.
00:19:27.865 --> 00:19:34.399
Com- Well, hopefully common sense, but
it's a long series of events and things
00:19:34.399 --> 00:19:39.285
that transpire, life experience Yeah You
know, my divorce was not a pretty one.
00:19:39.379 --> 00:19:40.115
Very messy.
00:19:40.116 --> 00:19:41.587
I lost everything literally.
00:19:42.190 --> 00:19:44.589
Um, and I had to start again
and I said, "I can't start
00:19:44.590 --> 00:19:46.060
from matchmaking," you know?
00:19:46.199 --> 00:19:52.058
And- Yeah It was bad enough that
I said, "Okay, I need to get over
00:19:52.059 --> 00:19:55.949
this. I need to be single for a
while." And I got a job that involved
00:19:56.031 --> 00:20:00.224
nearly a half of the year travel,
sometimes a little bit more than that.
00:20:00.293 --> 00:20:00.318
Yeah.
00:20:00.318 --> 00:20:01.648
And that was great for me.
00:20:01.672 --> 00:20:06.962
Single, you know, lots of different
countries, lots of different things to do.
00:20:07.025 --> 00:20:08.381
Helped me collect for a while.
00:20:08.862 --> 00:20:14.989
And part of that was getting more licenses
and certifications and qualifications.
00:20:15.373 --> 00:20:15.643
David: Yeah.
00:20:15.685 --> 00:20:18.621
Geoffrey: So eventually I
got tired of the traveling.
00:20:18.637 --> 00:20:20.714
Honestly, I was a road
warrior and I burned out.
00:20:20.757 --> 00:20:24.073
It's like people would say, "Jeff,
you've got a million frequent
00:20:24.073 --> 00:20:27.427
flyer miles. You know, where
are you going on your vacation?"
00:20:27.428 --> 00:20:30.860
And I'm like, "My couch and eating
my own wings." That's right.
00:20:30.860 --> 00:20:31.082
You know?
00:20:31.526 --> 00:20:34.938
And I was giving them away to people
that needed medical procedures
00:20:34.939 --> 00:20:36.434
and couldn't fly, or family.
00:20:36.930 --> 00:20:37.041
Yeah.
00:20:37.041 --> 00:20:38.851
You know, it's like way too many.
00:20:39.543 --> 00:20:43.248
The long and the short of it is I said,
"Okay, I'm not ready to, to, you know,
00:20:43.297 --> 00:20:46.277
pull the trigger and go into watchmaking.
00:20:46.277 --> 00:20:49.410
It's a great hobby and I love it, but
I want to earn the money to support
00:20:49.410 --> 00:20:52.474
it, because I'm really collecting
more than I ever thought I would."
00:20:52.895 --> 00:20:53.222
David: Yes.
00:20:53.249 --> 00:20:54.652
Geoffrey: And I've still
got to pay the bills.
00:20:54.688 --> 00:21:00.853
So I decided to stay a little bit
longer in the industry, and in the
00:21:00.853 --> 00:21:05.168
next job I got, I had a manager
that said, "If you can prove to us
00:21:05.205 --> 00:21:08.752
that you've got what it takes, I'm
gonna promote you and big time."
00:21:08.810 --> 00:21:14.093
And I said, "That sounds good." So, uh,
I started working on another degree.
00:21:14.094 --> 00:21:17.672
I actually have several advanced
degrees and, you know, I've
00:21:17.674 --> 00:21:21.227
got a lot of cybersecurity
certifications, more than most.
00:21:21.883 --> 00:21:26.772
And I said, "Okay, I'm gonna do
this." So here I am working full
00:21:26.773 --> 00:21:31.337
time and going to school for a
master's degree in information
00:21:31.340 --> 00:21:33.346
security management and engineering.
00:21:33.353 --> 00:21:34.698
Mm. Don't ever do that.
00:21:34.734 --> 00:21:35.989
I will never do that again.
00:21:36.339 --> 00:21:38.038
I thought my PhD was hard.
00:21:38.054 --> 00:21:38.963
This one was killer.
00:21:39.009 --> 00:21:40.171
This one damn near killed me.
00:21:40.519 --> 00:21:41.057
David: Wow.
00:21:41.073 --> 00:21:47.400
Geoffrey: So six years later, I had
several published papers and was, I,
00:21:47.438 --> 00:21:51.314
I don't want to say a rising star, but
certainly well known in the industry.
00:21:51.314 --> 00:21:54.190
And I said, "Okay, I better ride
this horse a little bit longer."
00:21:54.647 --> 00:21:59.250
And at the same time, my collection,
my involvement with NAWCC had been,
00:21:59.567 --> 00:22:00.992
you know, growing and everything.
00:22:00.996 --> 00:22:06.222
But, you know, I knew there was no way
that I could make that involvement more
00:22:06.393 --> 00:22:08.015
while I still had the school commitment.
00:22:08.026 --> 00:22:11.634
So once I graduated- Right … just
a few years ago now, I said,
00:22:11.794 --> 00:22:13.550
"Okay, now I can do more."
00:22:14.070 --> 00:22:14.277
David: Yeah.
00:22:14.287 --> 00:22:17.395
Geoffrey: So the answer to your question
is a few years from now, without a
00:22:17.399 --> 00:22:19.185
doubt, I will be full time watches.
00:22:19.364 --> 00:22:23.155
David: You mentioned, of course,
NAWCC, and with your great humility,
00:22:23.155 --> 00:22:26.221
you just failed to mention that
you started to serve on the
00:22:26.221 --> 00:22:27.666
board, and you are now chairman.
00:22:27.669 --> 00:22:31.072
You are now the head honcho for
a little period of time here.
00:22:31.072 --> 00:22:31.452
I know.
00:22:31.464 --> 00:22:31.795
Shh.
00:22:31.815 --> 00:22:34.772
Keep it down, otherwise the phone
will start ringing off the hook.
00:22:35.166 --> 00:22:39.151
But I do want to ask you, because I'm
brand new, I'm just a brand new member.
00:22:39.152 --> 00:22:41.852
I, you know, you and I
met at my first event.
00:22:42.427 --> 00:22:42.608
Hello.
00:22:43.810 --> 00:22:48.665
There seem to be three, at least three,
and probably as on the board you're seeing
00:22:48.667 --> 00:22:53.844
probably 20, but to me, three different
factions, three different subgroups.
00:22:54.212 --> 00:22:57.815
There seems to be the watch people,
the pocket, the, I'm sorry, the
00:22:57.815 --> 00:23:01.450
wristwatch people, the pocket
watch people, and the clock people.
00:23:01.803 --> 00:23:02.299
Geoffrey: Correct.
00:23:02.836 --> 00:23:07.277
David: I know from leadership and
volunteer roles in other professional
00:23:07.277 --> 00:23:12.514
associations, there's always the saying,
"Well, you can't make everyone happy."
00:23:13.065 --> 00:23:20.137
I would say with these three sort of
divisions really of NAWCC, you can't avoid
00:23:20.259 --> 00:23:23.498
making some people unhappy all the time.
00:23:23.596 --> 00:23:24.149
All the time.
00:23:24.149 --> 00:23:25.855
Someone's gonna be
unhappy about something.
00:23:26.244 --> 00:23:27.533
How do you see the community?
00:23:27.538 --> 00:23:29.716
Because you mentioned this
amazing community, which I just
00:23:29.716 --> 00:23:31.235
started to experience myself.
00:23:31.866 --> 00:23:35.560
Do the pocket watch people connect
with the clock people, connect with
00:23:35.561 --> 00:23:39.774
the wristwatch people, or is it like
three separate religions under one roof?
00:23:40.353 --> 00:23:42.253
Geoffrey: No, we're, we're
all friends with each other.
00:23:42.262 --> 00:23:44.095
Depends on what's going on, what you need.
00:23:44.395 --> 00:23:48.460
My very good friend Jim is a past
president, and he's into clocks.
00:23:48.694 --> 00:23:48.985
David: Yeah.
00:23:49.046 --> 00:23:51.261
Geoffrey: By the way, he
does some amazing clocks.
00:23:51.261 --> 00:23:55.634
And believe it or not, there are
crossovers between clocks and watches.
00:23:55.660 --> 00:23:57.120
They're not the same.
00:23:57.527 --> 00:24:00.821
You're talking the difference
between electric, gas, and diesel.
00:24:00.822 --> 00:24:02.606
We're talking completely
different animals here.
00:24:02.606 --> 00:24:02.809
Yeah.
00:24:03.328 --> 00:24:05.562
However, there are crossovers.
00:24:05.595 --> 00:24:10.303
And just because, you know, my buddy
Pete sells pocket watches and repairs
00:24:10.305 --> 00:24:15.785
them, restores them, or Jim for example,
uh, you know, uh, it, it's like they
00:24:15.786 --> 00:24:19.640
respect what I do, and they're always
willing to help when I need help.
00:24:19.963 --> 00:24:20.195
Yeah.
00:24:20.195 --> 00:24:24.135
And I respect what they do, and they've
always got something interesting going on.
00:24:24.144 --> 00:24:27.007
So I'll see something I've never
seen before, and I don't care if
00:24:27.008 --> 00:24:31.190
it's a, a clock or a French swinger
or, you know, something else.
00:24:31.190 --> 00:24:33.946
And, and by the way, there's more
than just those three groups.
00:24:33.946 --> 00:24:36.998
We have street clocks,
tower clocks- Uh-huh
00:24:36.998 --> 00:24:38.992
electric horology.
00:24:38.995 --> 00:24:41.086
I mean, there's, there's
a lot more out there.
00:24:41.177 --> 00:24:41.659
David: Sure.
00:24:42.116 --> 00:24:44.595
Geoffrey: And for me, it's like, no.
00:24:44.597 --> 00:24:45.735
I mean, people are people.
00:24:45.743 --> 00:24:49.064
You're always gonna have… You
know, people don't always agree.
00:24:49.166 --> 00:24:49.617
We know this.
00:24:49.617 --> 00:24:50.029
David: Sure.
00:24:50.531 --> 00:24:54.221
Geoffrey: However, for the most part,
if there's a passion for horology,
00:24:54.697 --> 00:24:58.637
it's like the only thing I've ever
seen that's parallel to it in a way is
00:24:58.638 --> 00:25:02.509
religious communities, because people
support each other with a common belief
00:25:02.510 --> 00:25:03.974
and a common interest and passion.
00:25:04.056 --> 00:25:04.469
So-
00:25:04.533 --> 00:25:04.916
David: Yeah
00:25:05.068 --> 00:25:06.847
… Geoffrey: my role is not peacekeeper.
00:25:06.852 --> 00:25:11.644
My role is really as chairman of the
board to help advance the organization.
00:25:12.006 --> 00:25:13.649
There's patterns to everything.
00:25:13.677 --> 00:25:17.557
It, it, it's like sometimes the
clocks are up, the watches are down.
00:25:17.894 --> 00:25:21.713
Right now, we're in a period
where watches are really popular.
00:25:21.719 --> 00:25:22.970
Clocks, not so much.
00:25:22.972 --> 00:25:24.076
It goes in waves.
00:25:24.181 --> 00:25:24.617
David: Yeah.
00:25:25.103 --> 00:25:28.565
Geoffrey: So that's part of the
reason why, like, the, the Swatch
00:25:28.568 --> 00:25:30.331
people are going nuts right now.
00:25:30.434 --> 00:25:35.164
And what's great for us is we're
looking to grow our membership.
00:25:35.385 --> 00:25:37.116
And how do we do that?
00:25:37.116 --> 00:25:40.787
Well, yeah, there's gonna be folks
that you're and my age, of course, but
00:25:40.789 --> 00:25:43.406
there's also the younger generations.
00:25:43.421 --> 00:25:46.425
Some of them are in school, some
are in college, some are in- Yeah
00:25:46.482 --> 00:25:47.082
the workforce.
00:25:47.103 --> 00:25:50.246
Some are like me, just a little
kid, but they see something that
00:25:50.246 --> 00:25:54.187
fascinates them, and Dad gave them
or Mom gave them their first watch.
00:25:54.482 --> 00:25:54.498
Yeah.
00:25:54.498 --> 00:25:57.537
So, you know, it's like we
still want those people.
00:25:57.801 --> 00:26:03.678
I saw a phenomenon occur that has stunned
me to my core and hasn't stopped stunning
00:26:03.678 --> 00:26:08.117
me, which is when Swatch Group, I think
it was back in '21 now, like we're
00:26:08.118 --> 00:26:14.800
talking five years ago, introduced the
Moonswatch, the blend of Omega and Swatch.
00:26:15.345 --> 00:26:18.753
For me, it's something of a
novelty because I have quite a
00:26:18.754 --> 00:26:24.509
few Omegas, and I love them, but
when you strap on a bio ceramic,
00:26:24.548 --> 00:26:26.976
which looks and feels like plastic.
00:26:26.976 --> 00:26:30.197
It's like, if you're wearing
the real thing, why would you?
00:26:30.244 --> 00:26:33.446
And the answer is, if you like
it, if it's fun, if it's colorful,
00:26:33.689 --> 00:26:35.094
if it's interesting, fine.
00:26:35.095 --> 00:26:36.149
You like it, just like it.
00:26:36.435 --> 00:26:36.603
Yeah.
00:26:36.606 --> 00:26:38.589
It's like people like
different flavors of ice cream.
00:26:39.099 --> 00:26:45.142
However, where it fills a sweet spot
is younger folks that can't spend 3 or
00:26:45.145 --> 00:26:50.889
5 or 10 or 12,000 bucks- Yeah … on
an Omega, but they can dig up a couple
00:26:50.889 --> 00:26:52.929
of hundred bucks for a MoonSwatch.
00:26:53.135 --> 00:26:53.431
And it-
00:26:53.434 --> 00:26:53.766
David: Yeah
00:26:53.971 --> 00:26:56.193
… Geoffrey: it gives them
the feeling like, "I am a
00:26:56.218 --> 00:26:58.621
card-carrying member of this club."
00:26:59.085 --> 00:26:59.304
David: Yeah.
00:26:59.305 --> 00:26:59.424
And
00:26:59.424 --> 00:27:04.521
Geoffrey: they love that So my hat's off
to Swatch Group because they did something
00:27:04.521 --> 00:27:06.630
I've never seen people do in modern times.
00:27:06.633 --> 00:27:12.535
They had thousands of people lining
up outside their stores to get this.
00:27:12.730 --> 00:27:17.478
To this day, they just released
the Audemars Piguet blend
00:27:17.478 --> 00:27:19.194
with Swatch pocket watches.
00:27:19.259 --> 00:27:19.650
David: Yeah.
00:27:19.698 --> 00:27:22.152
Geoffrey: Which to me, yeah, no, no.
00:27:22.412 --> 00:27:22.980
Just no.
00:27:23.849 --> 00:27:29.346
But for a lot of people that want that
feeling, that want that brush with
00:27:29.365 --> 00:27:35.384
greatness- Yeah … that will never have a
chance to own a real AP, yeah, go for it.
00:27:35.385 --> 00:27:38.422
If it's interesting, it's colorful,
you know, it's like you can
00:27:38.423 --> 00:27:40.594
just show it off to your friend,
"Look what I got," you know?
00:27:40.983 --> 00:27:42.751
And enjoy it for what it is.
00:27:43.230 --> 00:27:43.423
David: Yeah.
00:27:43.423 --> 00:27:43.646
That's
00:27:43.646 --> 00:27:44.006
Geoffrey: okay.
00:27:44.030 --> 00:27:46.073
It's bringing the people in.
00:27:46.351 --> 00:27:52.435
My whole approach is, okay, okay,
okay, they just got millions of
00:27:52.448 --> 00:27:57.717
people swarming stores globally
and buying them out online.
00:27:58.112 --> 00:27:59.684
I want 1% of that.
00:28:00.057 --> 00:28:03.472
I want the- Yeah … people
that are interested in watches,
00:28:03.503 --> 00:28:05.675
pocket watches, horology, clocks.
00:28:06.004 --> 00:28:09.424
They've got something from their
grandparents that they want to make
00:28:09.450 --> 00:28:11.369
work again that's been sitting there.
00:28:11.692 --> 00:28:13.264
You know, how do they do it?
00:28:13.288 --> 00:28:13.980
Where do they go?
00:28:13.989 --> 00:28:15.347
Where's a resource?
00:28:15.697 --> 00:28:21.408
And that's, uh, you know, the whole
premise of the NAWCC is educational.
00:28:21.740 --> 00:28:23.136
We have a school of horology.
00:28:23.146 --> 00:28:27.109
We have a museum, one of the
biggest repositories of horology
00:28:27.318 --> 00:28:29.220
information in the North Americas.
00:28:29.230 --> 00:28:30.452
It's like- Yeah … you know.
00:28:30.838 --> 00:28:32.346
So we've got a lot going on.
00:28:32.346 --> 00:28:34.406
But this is not an advertisement for them.
00:28:34.406 --> 00:28:38.390
It just happens to be something that I'm
a part of and I've invested a lot in.
00:28:38.489 --> 00:28:40.023
And I'm trying- Yes … to make it grow.
00:28:40.369 --> 00:28:41.148
David: Absolutely.
00:28:41.352 --> 00:28:47.006
Well, I d- I did want to ask you about
the museum and specifically, I think
00:28:47.007 --> 00:28:51.536
one of the newer additions to the
museum is the Bulova exhibit, correct?
00:28:51.561 --> 00:28:52.049
Geoffrey: Oh, yeah.
00:28:52.114 --> 00:28:52.639
Yeah.
00:28:52.726 --> 00:28:56.590
David: Talk about that because I think
Bulova, to, to most people listening to
00:28:56.591 --> 00:29:01.887
us, maybe casual, you know, they might not
even know that Bulova's a thing anymore.
00:29:01.905 --> 00:29:06.956
And I love all the new Bulova
watches, all the retro designs.
00:29:07.305 --> 00:29:09.602
They're coming out with some
amazing, amazing things.
00:29:09.633 --> 00:29:13.559
And they have such a special
place in American watchmaking.
00:29:13.570 --> 00:29:15.312
Talk about that-
Yeah … for a moment, Jeff.
00:29:15.933 --> 00:29:19.189
Geoffrey: Joseph Bulova is one
of the great immigration stories.
00:29:19.301 --> 00:29:23.014
He emigrated to the United States
with about 30 cents in his pocket.
00:29:23.020 --> 00:29:23.329
Yeah.
00:29:23.329 --> 00:29:25.080
He was the founder of that feast.
00:29:25.542 --> 00:29:31.019
And probably their greatest claim to fame
was the Accutron tuning fork watches.
00:29:31.486 --> 00:29:35.736
Which, you know, the, the Spaceview
one that the astronauts were wearing.
00:29:36.126 --> 00:29:40.070
You know, maybe not on all their missions,
but it was really cool back in the-
00:29:40.227 --> 00:29:40.459
David: Yeah
00:29:40.459 --> 00:29:44.698
… Geoffrey: you know, the JB Champion
days, um, in the '60s and '70s.
00:29:45.084 --> 00:29:49.095
They still make gorgeous,
really high quality watches.
00:29:49.108 --> 00:29:51.822
You saw one, you know, at, at
the convention that I had, that
00:29:51.822 --> 00:29:53.533
blue Super Seville, the new one.
00:29:53.898 --> 00:29:54.141
Yeah.
00:29:54.141 --> 00:29:59.408
But that one is based on a, a hybrid
technology that uses quartz and
00:29:59.410 --> 00:30:02.488
it uses very fine motor control.
00:30:02.491 --> 00:30:06.083
It's, it's like, kind of like the
philosophy of Grand Seiko, where it's
00:30:06.108 --> 00:30:10.067
literally pulsing at 262,000 kilohertz.
00:30:10.488 --> 00:30:13.779
You know, or, no, 262 kilohertz,
not thousand, but, you know.
00:30:13.790 --> 00:30:14.104
Yeah.
00:30:14.436 --> 00:30:17.327
So it looks like that
secondhand is sweeping.
00:30:17.408 --> 00:30:17.689
Yeah.
00:30:17.689 --> 00:30:20.428
Not like it's going ch, ch, ch, ch,
like a- Right … regular watch would.
00:30:20.747 --> 00:30:25.581
That was their, their, in a way, a
callback to their tuning fork watches,
00:30:25.591 --> 00:30:29.653
where it was literally vibrating at a
frequency that made it s- look like it
00:30:29.654 --> 00:30:31.714
was sweeping like an electric clock.
00:30:32.027 --> 00:30:32.987
Very beautiful.
00:30:33.012 --> 00:30:35.607
But, you know, they've had great designs.
00:30:35.613 --> 00:30:36.702
So has Citizen.
00:30:36.714 --> 00:30:39.615
Citizen's had some beautiful
watches over the years.
00:30:40.015 --> 00:30:42.908
They're not mutually exclusive
clubs, they're just different,
00:30:43.368 --> 00:30:44.529
you know, producers.
00:30:44.632 --> 00:30:51.206
And Bulova, I think deserves a space in
the museum because they really innovated
00:30:51.209 --> 00:30:53.255
some beautiful, wonderful technology.
00:30:53.270 --> 00:30:53.586
Yeah.
00:30:53.916 --> 00:30:58.619
And so telling their story is great
for people because then they get
00:30:58.638 --> 00:31:02.030
a lot of information they didn't
have, and they can start looking at
00:31:02.031 --> 00:31:05.593
what was the design philosophy, what
were they trying to do, when did
00:31:05.608 --> 00:31:09.704
innovation really hit the gas, you
know- Yeah … and go full speed ahead.
00:31:10.497 --> 00:31:12.819
You know, do they have watches
I might like, you know?
00:31:12.820 --> 00:31:17.625
And their, their whole Marine Star series,
there was a time during the early '80s
00:31:17.629 --> 00:31:22.222
when, when quartz really took over, right
through to the, uh, mid-'90s I'd say,
00:31:22.222 --> 00:31:27.627
where they were using combinations of,
you know, titanium and, and gold accent,
00:31:27.630 --> 00:31:30.845
and they were just beautiful time pieces.
00:31:31.147 --> 00:31:31.417
David: Yeah.
00:31:31.418 --> 00:31:31.591
And
00:31:31.647 --> 00:31:32.794
Geoffrey: they still made clocks.
00:31:32.794 --> 00:31:33.393
They still do.
00:31:33.476 --> 00:31:39.212
And so they had a big calling and
a big section of history, just like
00:31:39.408 --> 00:31:41.324
Hamilton Watch for the pocket watches.
00:31:41.785 --> 00:31:42.524
David: Yes.
00:31:42.621 --> 00:31:43.003
Yeah.
00:31:43.021 --> 00:31:44.035
Really, really amazing.
00:31:44.049 --> 00:31:47.948
And, uh, I think- Are they
celebrating 150 years?
00:31:47.955 --> 00:31:47.984
Yeah.
00:31:47.984 --> 00:31:52.966
Like, we just passed our 250th national,
but I think it's 150 for Bulova, right?
00:31:53.328 --> 00:31:53.752
Geoffrey: Yes.
00:31:53.752 --> 00:31:53.762
Yes.
00:31:53.957 --> 00:31:54.594
David: Yeah.
00:31:54.699 --> 00:31:55.510
Really fun.
00:31:56.261 --> 00:31:58.473
Hey, David Newman here with
a quick commercial break.
00:31:58.473 --> 00:32:01.858
Have you seen our social media
channels that have video snippets
00:32:01.870 --> 00:32:03.481
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Check us out on TikTok,
Instagram, and YouTube.
00:32:07.814 --> 00:32:09.727
Now, back to the episode.
00:32:11.250 --> 00:32:14.816
Tell me a little bit about
your current watch collection.
00:32:14.818 --> 00:32:18.140
What is in the collection, what
are some of your favorites, and
00:32:18.140 --> 00:32:19.969
what do you have your eye on next?
00:32:20.302 --> 00:32:21.232
Geoffrey: Oh, gosh.
00:32:21.323 --> 00:32:22.973
I have a few of my favorites here.
00:32:22.973 --> 00:32:24.342
If, if you want, I can hold them up to
00:32:24.342 --> 00:32:24.479
David: the camera.
00:32:24.479 --> 00:32:24.944
Oh, yeah.
00:32:24.944 --> 00:32:26.158
No, let's do a little show and tell.
00:32:26.158 --> 00:32:26.764
That'd be great.
00:32:26.967 --> 00:32:27.354
Geoffrey: Okay.
00:32:27.379 --> 00:32:29.151
Well, I mentioned Baume & Mercier.
00:32:29.160 --> 00:32:31.618
This is my, one of my latest acquisitions.
00:32:31.625 --> 00:32:35.125
I don't know if the dial will
show up well enough, um, but
00:32:35.139 --> 00:32:37.187
this is a garnet colored dial.
00:32:37.264 --> 00:32:37.943
David: Oh, yes.
00:32:37.947 --> 00:32:38.097
Very,
00:32:38.097 --> 00:32:38.496
Geoffrey: very- Like garnet,
00:32:38.750 --> 00:32:40.498
David: really dark ruby, beautiful
00:32:40.515 --> 00:32:41.572
Geoffrey: dial … yeah, yeah.
00:32:41.572 --> 00:32:43.415
And I, I love Baume & Mercier.
00:32:43.438 --> 00:32:44.580
They're so well made.
00:32:44.581 --> 00:32:46.608
I love their design quality, their ethic.
00:32:46.927 --> 00:32:48.794
Simple, but sophisticated.
00:32:48.870 --> 00:32:50.377
So I like a lot of those.
00:32:50.581 --> 00:32:55.166
In addition to more modern watches
like this Seamaster Aqua Terra from
00:32:55.524 --> 00:33:00.024
Omega, here's one from 1951 that is- Mm
00:33:00.024 --> 00:33:02.104
all original except for the clasp.
00:33:02.165 --> 00:33:04.920
This is the original 1951 strap.
00:33:05.430 --> 00:33:06.573
David: How about that?
00:33:06.710 --> 00:33:08.210
Geoffrey: And dial and everything.
00:33:08.210 --> 00:33:08.620
And, and-
00:33:08.620 --> 00:33:11.152
David: It's got a cream dial,
blue hands, is that right?
00:33:11.276 --> 00:33:14.551
Geoffrey: No, this one, uh, yeah, no,
it's, they're black and silver hands.
00:33:14.692 --> 00:33:14.908
Definitely unique.
00:33:14.908 --> 00:33:15.739
Oh, black and silver
00:33:15.741 --> 00:33:16.148
David: hands.
00:33:16.172 --> 00:33:16.565
Very nice.
00:33:16.909 --> 00:33:17.044
Geoffrey: Yeah.
00:33:17.044 --> 00:33:17.395
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
00:33:17.401 --> 00:33:20.071
The lugs are capped and I won't, I won't
change it 'cause it's still original.
00:33:20.273 --> 00:33:24.346
But yeah, it's, I mean, this one's
beautiful and it's running really well.
00:33:24.347 --> 00:33:27.533
It's a nice manual… Actually,
no, this is an automatic.
00:33:27.536 --> 00:33:29.176
It's one of their earliest automatics.
00:33:29.695 --> 00:33:30.474
Here's another one.
00:33:30.483 --> 00:33:32.937
This is, I mentioned
that I like Zodiac a lot.
00:33:33.293 --> 00:33:33.483
David: Yeah.
00:33:33.483 --> 00:33:34.962
Geoffrey: I found this one.
00:33:35.022 --> 00:33:39.151
It, it was in a watchmaker's
estate collection in a bottom
00:33:39.151 --> 00:33:44.022
drawer, just the movement and the
And, uh, this was a rectangle.
00:33:44.161 --> 00:33:47.160
I, I mean, it literally had broken teeth.
00:33:47.207 --> 00:33:49.674
The chronograph mechanism was not working.
00:33:49.964 --> 00:33:52.292
This was well beyond my skill level.
00:33:52.777 --> 00:33:52.974
Yeah.
00:33:52.982 --> 00:33:56.168
I sent this off and it took almost
two years to get it restored.
00:33:56.695 --> 00:33:57.494
David: Really?
00:33:57.544 --> 00:33:59.689
Geoffrey: I, I don't want to
talk about my taxes that year.
00:33:59.689 --> 00:34:01.425
I spent a lot of money on this watch.
00:34:01.442 --> 00:34:02.407
David: Okay.
00:34:03.002 --> 00:34:05.125
Geoffrey: But it's fairly rare.
00:34:05.425 --> 00:34:06.693
It's worth a lot of money.
00:34:06.708 --> 00:34:07.652
It's beautiful.
00:34:07.663 --> 00:34:08.808
It's fully restored.
00:34:09.000 --> 00:34:09.446
David: Yeah.
00:34:09.645 --> 00:34:11.062
Geoffrey: It, it makes my heart sing
00:34:11.741 --> 00:34:14.864
David: So Zodiac is a very
interesting and fun brand.
00:34:14.915 --> 00:34:18.364
Originally Swiss, and then
bought by Fossil Group, right?
00:34:18.384 --> 00:34:18.775
Geoffrey: Yes.
00:34:18.775 --> 00:34:19.065
David: Yeah.
00:34:19.065 --> 00:34:21.817
But that sounds like it was back
from the original days when they
00:34:21.817 --> 00:34:23.092
were- Oh, yeah … a Swiss company.
00:34:23.261 --> 00:34:24.630
Geoffrey: That's a 1963.
00:34:24.775 --> 00:34:25.237
David: Yeah.
00:34:25.237 --> 00:34:25.248
Yeah.
00:34:25.440 --> 00:34:26.413
Very interesting.
00:34:26.413 --> 00:34:27.303
What else do we have?
00:34:27.542 --> 00:34:27.565
Geoffrey: Yeah.
00:34:27.565 --> 00:34:28.659
Uh, let's see.
00:34:28.677 --> 00:34:30.994
Well, I told you that I built watches.
00:34:31.009 --> 00:34:31.902
Here's one that I built.
00:34:31.940 --> 00:34:33.627
This is the one that won the first prize.
00:34:34.043 --> 00:34:37.446
This is- Oh, yes … skeleton
dial, skeleton movement.
00:34:37.502 --> 00:34:39.603
Let me just open it so
that you can see it.
00:34:40.172 --> 00:34:43.960
So when you're wearing it, you
can literally see all the way…
00:34:43.985 --> 00:34:44.466
Where is it?
00:34:44.507 --> 00:34:44.641
Yeah.
00:34:44.641 --> 00:34:44.694
In
00:34:44.695 --> 00:34:45.170
David: the back.
00:34:45.178 --> 00:34:45.608
Yeah.
00:34:45.608 --> 00:34:45.618
Yeah.
00:34:45.753 --> 00:34:47.860
Geoffrey: All the way through
the movement, which is- How
00:34:47.862 --> 00:34:48.196
David: about
00:34:48.242 --> 00:34:48.710
Geoffrey: that?
00:34:49.422 --> 00:34:53.119
I… Every time I wear this one
somewhere, people are coming up to me.
00:34:53.166 --> 00:34:55.495
"Where did you get that?
How do I get one?" And-
00:34:55.496 --> 00:34:56.058
David: Yes
00:34:56.867 --> 00:35:00.425
… Geoffrey: which is why I said, in a few
years, you know, when I go full time,
00:35:00.426 --> 00:35:03.282
I'll, I'll start, you know, building
these for people if they want them.
00:35:03.558 --> 00:35:04.027
David: Yeah.
00:35:04.102 --> 00:35:04.816
Geoffrey: Or similar.
00:35:04.816 --> 00:35:07.364
But things like this, they,
they just appeal to me.
00:35:07.377 --> 00:35:11.708
The reason why I started this one
is I found a wristwatch that was
00:35:11.712 --> 00:35:17.841
just skeletonized, and it was a
Fairly inexpensive Asian model.
00:35:18.265 --> 00:35:20.910
And I said, "I wonder if
I can make one of those."
00:35:20.997 --> 00:35:21.421
David: Yeah.
00:35:21.540 --> 00:35:24.042
Geoffrey: But I want to do it better,
and I want to use a Swiss movement.
00:35:24.243 --> 00:35:25.176
And so I did.
00:35:25.732 --> 00:35:25.977
David: Yeah.
00:35:25.980 --> 00:35:28.337
Geoffrey: Um, you know, I
was so thrilled by that.
00:35:28.337 --> 00:35:30.607
It's like for a while I
was making them for people.
00:35:30.649 --> 00:35:33.564
I ran out of time, you know,
when I started school again
00:35:33.564 --> 00:35:34.913
and started a full-time job.
00:35:34.924 --> 00:35:36.585
But I'm, I'm gonna go back to that.
00:35:36.941 --> 00:35:38.375
This is another interesting one.
00:35:38.377 --> 00:35:42.560
This is a… Blue is my favorite color
in watches and, for the most part.
00:35:42.864 --> 00:35:46.803
This is an Omega Seamaster, a
square dial one from the '70s.
00:35:47.223 --> 00:35:48.287
This is all original.
00:35:48.379 --> 00:35:50.698
Um, and it's got that
really pretty blue dial.
00:35:50.971 --> 00:35:51.281
David: Yeah.
00:35:51.298 --> 00:35:51.352
Look at
00:35:51.520 --> 00:35:51.531
Geoffrey: that.
00:35:51.531 --> 00:35:54.379
Don't know if the light shows
up, but it's, it's really cool.
00:35:54.426 --> 00:35:57.651
David: I had no idea that
Seamasters came in that particular
00:35:57.654 --> 00:35:59.767
case, shape, and configuration.
00:36:00.035 --> 00:36:00.216
Yeah.
00:36:00.216 --> 00:36:03.259
You always think of them as the, kind
of the classic round dive watch, right?
00:36:03.259 --> 00:36:05.705
With the bezel, and that's
what a Seamaster is.
00:36:06.116 --> 00:36:07.250
Geoffrey: That was a fluke.
00:36:07.250 --> 00:36:11.394
I went to, to get a watch strap from
a friend at a show, like a year ago.
00:36:11.915 --> 00:36:14.736
And he said, "Oh, let me just
give you the strap." You know?
00:36:15.118 --> 00:36:17.939
And I looked down and
there it was in the case.
00:36:18.607 --> 00:36:23.939
And I, uh, you know, I kind of was
transfixed . And he looked at me,
00:36:23.942 --> 00:36:25.299
he says, "You like that, Jeff?"
00:36:25.301 --> 00:36:27.270
And I'm like, "No, no,
no." And he said, "Come on.
00:36:27.526 --> 00:36:30.274
I saw you looking at it." I
said, "I came to get a strap.
00:36:30.308 --> 00:36:31.236
I'm getting a strap.
00:36:31.258 --> 00:36:35.009
Thank you for the strap." He said,
"Just try it on, see if you like the
00:36:35.011 --> 00:36:36.381
way it looks." And I'm like, "No.
00:36:36.419 --> 00:36:38.325
If I try it on, I'm leaving with it."
00:36:38.473 --> 00:36:38.837
David: Yeah.
00:36:39.006 --> 00:36:41.297
Geoffrey: He's like, "No, come on,
you know, y- you gotta at least.
00:36:41.299 --> 00:36:43.964
I mean, how often do you see
that?" I said, "Never." You know.
00:36:44.662 --> 00:36:49.823
So, um, anyways, he decided, because
he was a good friend and I'd, I'd
00:36:49.825 --> 00:36:53.181
done him a solid, you know, he
said, "Hey, uh, let me give it to
00:36:53.181 --> 00:36:55.381
you for cost." And I said, "Okay.
00:36:56.961 --> 00:36:57.620
Here you go."
00:36:58.167 --> 00:36:58.667
David: Go ahead.
00:36:58.676 --> 00:36:59.442
Twist my arm.
00:36:59.442 --> 00:36:59.890
Go ahead.
00:36:59.894 --> 00:37:00.109
Geoffrey: Yeah.
00:37:00.198 --> 00:37:00.584
Wait.
00:37:00.691 --> 00:37:01.758
Grab the other arm too.
00:37:01.759 --> 00:37:02.191
I'll do it.
00:37:02.524 --> 00:37:03.114
David: Right.
00:37:04.263 --> 00:37:05.658
Well, this is fantastic.
00:37:05.712 --> 00:37:10.524
As we're landing the plane, I want to
ask- Yeah … for a newer person, someone
00:37:10.524 --> 00:37:12.658
who's maybe just getting into watches.
00:37:12.658 --> 00:37:15.288
They just maybe, you
know, they got the bug.
00:37:15.307 --> 00:37:17.263
They're watching some YouTube videos.
00:37:17.265 --> 00:37:20.571
They're a soon-to-be NAWCC member.
00:37:20.913 --> 00:37:23.778
But if you had a friend who was
just getting into watches and
00:37:23.779 --> 00:37:27.685
watch collecting right now, what
would be your best advice for them?
00:37:28.254 --> 00:37:31.692
Geoffrey: I would say look for
things going on in your area.
00:37:31.826 --> 00:37:36.752
If you live anywhere near a school,
any school, there's things like maker's
00:37:36.765 --> 00:37:39.640
fairs, and younger folks go to those.
00:37:39.665 --> 00:37:42.379
It's a, lots of older folks
and parents go to them, too.
00:37:42.647 --> 00:37:48.857
They have such a complex mishmash of
things, everything from, you know,
00:37:48.857 --> 00:37:51.281
antique radios to radio control.
00:37:51.553 --> 00:37:54.365
You know, they have 3D
printers the size of a room.
00:37:54.794 --> 00:37:55.015
Yeah.
00:37:55.017 --> 00:37:59.855
But they often have stuff about watches
and clocks and mechanical things,
00:37:59.906 --> 00:38:04.298
and that's a great place to start
to see what really gets you excited,
00:38:04.299 --> 00:38:05.859
what gets you passionate about this.
00:38:05.863 --> 00:38:05.883
Yeah.
00:38:06.192 --> 00:38:07.424
Um, and there's other things.
00:38:07.433 --> 00:38:08.698
Look for watch meets.
00:38:08.727 --> 00:38:10.384
Look for shows in your areas.
00:38:10.384 --> 00:38:11.877
Look for clubs.
00:38:11.921 --> 00:38:16.508
Um, if you want to, there's a whole
free section of the NAWCC that it's
00:38:16.508 --> 00:38:18.274
not YouTube, but we've got forums.
00:38:18.674 --> 00:38:18.902
David: Yeah.
00:38:18.902 --> 00:38:19.102
And
00:38:19.173 --> 00:38:21.174
Geoffrey: you can get a lot
of your questions answered.
00:38:21.747 --> 00:38:22.986
See what we're about, you know?
00:38:22.986 --> 00:38:26.604
At least find out where in your
area can you find something,
00:38:27.040 --> 00:38:28.748
you know, if not the NAWCC.
00:38:28.749 --> 00:38:32.761
And you said it, Dave, it's,
YouTube is a great resource for
00:38:32.761 --> 00:38:33.957
learning about these things.
00:38:34.225 --> 00:38:34.546
David: Yeah.
00:38:34.556 --> 00:38:37.527
Geoffrey: You know, with our friend Mr.
Google now and Gemini and all the rest of
00:38:37.527 --> 00:38:41.615
the tools out there, if you see something
you like- Yeah … you know, show it a
00:38:41.616 --> 00:38:43.569
picture and say, "What is this?" Start
00:38:43.600 --> 00:38:43.933
David: there.
00:38:44.537 --> 00:38:45.521
Such a great idea.
00:38:45.758 --> 00:38:50.875
And of course, you also mentioned in
addition to nawcc.org, where people should
00:38:50.875 --> 00:38:54.524
go and check out all the wonderfulness
there, you also mentioned eBay, right?
00:38:54.548 --> 00:38:58.137
eBay's a nice- Oh, yeah … place just
to look at, hey, what are people selling?
00:38:58.140 --> 00:39:04.257
And a- again, from $20 to
$2,000 and up and up from there.
00:39:04.424 --> 00:39:04.604
Yeah.
00:39:04.627 --> 00:39:07.428
But kind of get a feel for
what's out there, right?
00:39:07.428 --> 00:39:12.183
Get a feel for, hey, I can have a really
nice, beautiful wint- vintage watch that
00:39:12.183 --> 00:39:14.319
works, it's cleaned, it's reconditioned.
00:39:14.319 --> 00:39:17.458
You know, guys like you are putting
all this labor and love into it.
00:39:17.815 --> 00:39:18.917
Couple hundred bucks.
00:39:18.985 --> 00:39:20.350
Couple hundred bucks sometimes.
00:39:20.360 --> 00:39:20.715
Yeah.
00:39:20.715 --> 00:39:20.725
Yeah.
00:39:20.983 --> 00:39:25.074
There used to be this misconception
that people who collect watches, well,
00:39:25.075 --> 00:39:29.122
they collect Rolexes or they, they
collect, you know, Audemars Piguet.
00:39:29.215 --> 00:39:32.270
It's like, no, no, there's a
lot of collecting that happens
00:39:32.271 --> 00:39:33.492
at the affordable end- Yeah
00:39:33.493 --> 00:39:37.137
of the hobby, and that's where maybe
people should start looking just to
00:39:37.139 --> 00:39:40.814
get some, uh, experience and to get
their feet wet to see what they like.
00:39:40.815 --> 00:39:41.155
Geoffrey: Yeah.
00:39:41.374 --> 00:39:43.191
It, it's probably the best place to start.
00:39:43.218 --> 00:39:45.828
And it… You know, go to
a flea market in your area.
00:39:46.037 --> 00:39:46.489
Yes.
00:39:46.540 --> 00:39:47.592
They're all over the place.
00:39:47.821 --> 00:39:49.024
Go to a pawn shop.
00:39:49.402 --> 00:39:49.472
Mm-hmm.
00:39:49.472 --> 00:39:49.689
You know?
00:39:49.768 --> 00:39:51.766
Go to… You know, it's not just eBay.
00:39:51.791 --> 00:39:55.509
There's Facebook has got
zillions of groups for- Oh,
00:39:55.510 --> 00:39:55.894
David: yeah
00:39:55.939 --> 00:39:56.443
… Geoffrey: collectors.
00:39:56.743 --> 00:39:58.163
Pocket watches, clocks.
00:39:58.467 --> 00:40:02.004
A lot of really good people are on there.
00:40:02.249 --> 00:40:06.297
There are also a lot of really
bad people, so get help and advice
00:40:06.306 --> 00:40:08.088
from somebody with experience-
00:40:08.226 --> 00:40:08.619
David: Yes
00:40:08.642 --> 00:40:10.824
… Geoffrey: before you start
shelling out the hard-earned bucks.
00:40:11.088 --> 00:40:11.417
David: Yeah.
00:40:11.573 --> 00:40:13.934
Geoffrey: Because you don't want to
take… you know, get taken advantage of.
00:40:13.959 --> 00:40:16.561
But there's Mercari, there's Etsy.
00:40:16.563 --> 00:40:21.441
I mean, you're, you'd be amazed
at, you know, some of the places,
00:40:21.511 --> 00:40:22.682
you know, where you can go.
00:40:22.940 --> 00:40:25.800
What I would say is you just
hit the nail right on the head.
00:40:25.837 --> 00:40:27.519
Start small.
00:40:27.778 --> 00:40:28.099
David: Yeah.
00:40:28.157 --> 00:40:30.519
Geoffrey: You know,
start really affordably.
00:40:30.885 --> 00:40:32.796
Think of it like gambling, you know?
00:40:33.066 --> 00:40:36.490
If, if you can afford to lose it and
you're willing to, it's entertainment.
00:40:36.490 --> 00:40:37.153
It's not- That's
00:40:37.153 --> 00:40:37.595
David: right.
00:40:37.795 --> 00:40:38.539
… Geoffrey: an investment.
00:40:39.550 --> 00:40:40.255
David: I'm laughing.
00:40:40.256 --> 00:40:43.530
This is a laugh of recognition
because that is both a highly
00:40:43.536 --> 00:40:45.428
accurate and highly sad statement.
00:40:45.435 --> 00:40:46.878
Think of it like gambling.
00:40:47.129 --> 00:40:47.146
Oh.
00:40:47.146 --> 00:40:49.727
Think of it like your
favorite friendly addiction.
00:40:50.590 --> 00:40:50.949
I think you are correct.
00:40:50.949 --> 00:40:53.559
So watches, I mean, watches
are just so much fun.
00:40:53.575 --> 00:40:57.087
To get back to what you were saying,
it's really a combination of design,
00:40:57.308 --> 00:41:00.534
engineering, and history all in one hobby.
00:41:00.927 --> 00:41:01.373
Geoffrey: And art.
00:41:01.562 --> 00:41:01.908
Yes.
00:41:01.993 --> 00:41:03.307
David: And art, yes.
00:41:03.313 --> 00:41:03.328
Yeah.
00:41:03.506 --> 00:41:04.517
Absolutely right.
00:41:05.179 --> 00:41:06.665
Well, we have our lightning round.
00:41:06.665 --> 00:41:08.257
It's our last piece of business here.
00:41:08.257 --> 00:41:11.745
Our lightning round is just five
very quick A or B questions.
00:41:12.314 --> 00:41:14.867
And, uh, are you ready, Jeff,
for the lightning round?
00:41:14.871 --> 00:41:15.129
I hope
00:41:15.129 --> 00:41:15.582
Geoffrey: I'm ready.
00:41:15.895 --> 00:41:16.535
David: Okay.
00:41:16.760 --> 00:41:19.317
Question number one is strap or bracelet?
00:41:19.645 --> 00:41:20.060
Geoffrey: Yes.
00:41:20.996 --> 00:41:21.602
David: Excellent.
00:41:21.680 --> 00:41:23.228
Vintage or modern?
00:41:24.177 --> 00:41:25.515
Geoffrey: Modern at the moment.
00:41:25.954 --> 00:41:28.789
David: And then again, for the
folks just starting out, one
00:41:28.789 --> 00:41:30.708
great watch or five good ones?
00:41:31.617 --> 00:41:32.675
Geoffrey: No, one great one for me.
00:41:33.178 --> 00:41:33.692
David: Okay.
00:41:33.849 --> 00:41:34.018
But
00:41:34.644 --> 00:41:36.817
Geoffrey: I'm fairly advanced
in my collection, so.
00:41:36.817 --> 00:41:37.252
David: Sure.
00:41:37.767 --> 00:41:38.416
No worries.
00:41:38.417 --> 00:41:42.631
And then question number four is
buy new or hunt for pre-owned?
00:41:43.157 --> 00:41:43.982
Geoffrey: That depends.
00:41:44.012 --> 00:41:47.458
I'm gonna go for pre-owned if
it's in really good shape because
00:41:47.458 --> 00:41:48.662
it's like buying a new car.
00:41:48.928 --> 00:41:52.261
Minute it leaves the lot, it drops
in value by at least half, so.
00:41:52.268 --> 00:41:53.017
David: Good point.
00:41:53.332 --> 00:41:57.660
And then from a design standpoint,
final question is loud, colorful
00:41:57.661 --> 00:42:00.038
watch or quiet, restrained watch?
00:42:00.166 --> 00:42:01.612
Geoffrey: Quiet and
restrained at the moment.
00:42:02.141 --> 00:42:02.958
David: Excellent.
00:42:03.039 --> 00:42:03.659
All right.
00:42:03.874 --> 00:42:07.326
Any final thoughts, parting words
of wisdom as we're wrapping up?
00:42:07.755 --> 00:42:09.738
Geoffrey: Yeah, jump in and have fun.
00:42:10.234 --> 00:42:13.837
You know, more than anything, if this
weren't fun, if it weren't rewarding for
00:42:13.845 --> 00:42:15.359
me in some ways, I wouldn't be doing it.
00:42:15.731 --> 00:42:15.995
Yeah.
00:42:15.995 --> 00:42:19.713
You know, I, I don't have a lot of
free time these days, so where and
00:42:19.713 --> 00:42:22.076
how I spend it is because I love it.
00:42:22.076 --> 00:42:23.923
It's my passion, and it's fun.
00:42:24.535 --> 00:42:24.639
Yeah.
00:42:24.639 --> 00:42:28.272
It's not always fun, but overall
it's given me enough back for what I
00:42:28.272 --> 00:42:30.004
want- Yeah … that I keep doing it.
00:42:30.864 --> 00:42:31.590
David: Amazing.
00:42:31.721 --> 00:42:35.019
Well, my friends listening
and watching, keep having fun.
00:42:35.032 --> 00:42:36.145
That's Jeff's advice.
00:42:36.171 --> 00:42:37.191
Keep having fun.
00:42:37.593 --> 00:42:39.659
Jeff Parker, thank you,
thank you, thank you.
00:42:39.668 --> 00:42:42.948
It's been such a pleasure to get to know
you, and I'm looking forward to, uh,
00:42:42.981 --> 00:42:44.739
our next chapter of friendship, too.
00:42:45.327 --> 00:42:46.057
Geoffrey: Sounds good, Dave.
00:42:46.095 --> 00:42:46.547
Me, too.
00:42:48.764 --> 00:42:51.363
David: And that wraps up
another episode of Watch Smarts.
00:42:51.398 --> 00:42:56.255
Listen, if you love this show, if you
love watches, subscribe, download,
00:42:56.303 --> 00:43:00.160
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00:43:00.161 --> 00:43:05.144
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