029: The Lucky Loupe with Ryan Thomas

0:00 Ryan: But I, I think, you know, for some newer people, you, you know, your, your word is really important. You gotta, they gotta understand that, you know, if they make a deal, they gotta, you know, carry through with it and, you know, think about it before you make a deal, you know. Some people don't understand, you know, the way of doing things and making deals. David: Welcome to WatchSmarts, where smart people get smarter about watches. I'm your host, David Newman. Let's jump right in. If you're feeling lucky, but you should be because we have an amazing guest.

0:44 And, uh, the reason I use the word lucky is, of course, his brand that he buys, sells, and trades watches under is The Lucky Loupe, luckyLoupe.com. And Mr. Ryan Thomas, welcome to the show. Ryan: Yeah, thank you for having me. David: So this is gonna be a fun conversation. You and I met at the NAWCC through some nefarious connections like Mr. John Cody, who's also a previous guest- Mm-hmm … on the show. And I, I say nefarious with a lot of love, of course. Mm-hmm. But, uh, how in the world did you get into this crazy business? Tell us the backstory of your early connection to watches and how that led to the work that you're doing today.

1:28 Ryan: Okay. So I would say, you know, I was, uh, connected to watches very early. My dad had some American pocket watches, like two or three years old even. I remember just loving these watches, wanting to pull them off, pull them out, wind them, take the crystal off, set them. Uh, I think the seed was planted early on, but I really didn't get into it until probably 10 years ago. You know, I had a vintage, uh, Triumph TR3 British car, and I bought some Heuer, uh, dash timers that I was gonna put on my car, and then I decided I didn't wanna drill into the dashboard, so I sold them. And then I was reading about, you know, vintage watches, Heuers, and then, you know, it kind of went from there.

2:14 I started buying and selling to kind of pay off the hobby, and it, you know, it just kind of went from there. David: So when you say went from there, now we have a major, major buying, selling, and trading business. I just popped over to eBay to have a look at your storefront. Over 17,000 items sold. Yeah. Over 17,000 items sold. Many, many hundreds, maybe even thousands for sale right here right now as we're talking. So take us back a little bit to your, you know, you're interested in watches. By the way, what color was the, uh, Triumph TR3?

2:56 Ryan: Uh, I do still have it. It's, uh, British Racing Green. David: Ah, of course. Of course. So, Ryan: yeah. David: That is the only answer. That is the best answer. Yeah. That is the answer I was hoping for. Good answer. Yeah. Good answer. That is a beautiful, beautiful, beautiful car. I'm glad you still have it. Thank you. That's amazing. Ryan: Yeah, thank you. It's downstairs in the garage. David: So we're not gonna give out your address of where this garage is. We're totally not doing that- … 'cause that would not be cool. So as a watch aficionado, before you became- Mm-hmm … the mega center of buying, selling, and trading watches, what watches sort of spoke to you? What were some of your early purchases that you enjoyed wearing? And then what was the transition from watch aficionado to watch collector?

3:41 Ryan: So vintage watches, even right from the start, were what I was primarily interested in, you know, right from the beginning. And- David: Yeah … Ryan: you know, uh, chronogra- like, I had those dashboard timers. So chronographs, you know, right at the beginning, like the Heuer Carrera, the original one, three register, was like, that was my grail watch then. David: Yeah. Ryan: Um, I never ended up buying that early on, but it, you know, it was all, all about vintage. I mean, I've always been kind of, uh, in my hobby buying and selling, you know, cars, uh, vintage hi-fi gear. It was always kind of a thing that naturally happened where I'd, you know, flip stuff on the side to kind of pay for the hobby.

4:23 David: Right. Ryan: So with the watches, I think I already understood, you know, the buying and the selling process, so it, it kind of started quickly on. But I would say COVID, when I had a little more time, was when I realized, you know, maybe I can start making money doing this. And then- David: Yeah … Ryan: you know, after COVID, I, I quit my previous job and then, you know, pretty much went straight into watches from there. David: How about that? What, what was your day job previously? Ryan: Oh, I was a project manager for a construction company, so, so very different. I- David: Isn't this a lot more fun? Ryan: Yeah, yeah. I didn't miss… You know, there's certain people I miss, but yeah, the headaches of dealing with people on, in condominiums and on boards and with the city is, yeah, I don't miss that.

5:13 David: Yeah, exactly. So let's talk about vintage watches. I think a lot of new collectors or newer collectors are really, really scared of vintage watches because you literally don't know where the watches have been. Yeah. You don't know what condition things are in. If you've never opened up a watch, you have no idea what's waiting inside. Mm-hmm. What… G- give us kind of a 101 or a 201 of vintage watches, what to be careful about, what to look for, what, you know, what are some common traps and foibles. Ryan: So I would say, obviously, knowledge is power, uh, with watches in general, but even more so vintage watches. And, and for me, I think I probably read about vintage watches for maybe a year or even two years before even buying.

6:02 So I was kind of understanding things to look for and, uh, just certain signs. But- You know, I would, I would say, uh, aside from, from reading about watches, you know, I think- Yeah … NAWCC, meeting people, the right people that I trusted and could ask questions really gave me confidence early on to s- you know, spend, you know, a couple thousand dollars at that point was, you know, very scary to spend on a vintage watch, so. David: Right. Ryan: You know, getting the, the thumbs up from one or two people that have been doing it for much longer than me, you know, you know, gave me the conf- uh, the confidence to make those early purchases.

6:42 So I- Yes … I think, you know, it is important for new collectors to really meet, meet those people in person, and, and, uh, along with meeting them, be able to handle some of the watches they might own or- Yeah you know, more in the, that type of context. That, that was what- David: Absolutely … Ryan: got me rolling, I think. David: Yeah. No, that's great. And just again, for our listeners who don't know, that is the National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors. NAWCC- Mm-hmm … is what Ryan and I are talking about. Did you start with a local chapter, or did you go right to one of the national events? Ryan: So, uh, I met a guy through a Facebook deal, a g- a guy, uh, named Ravi Karan. A lot of the watch guys know him, and he, he said, "You know, uh, you need to go to one of the, the big shows." And this, this was before COVID, and there was a Florida, Florida regional show Which was two weeks out, and I was like, "You know, I'm gonna book the flight and go out there."

7:38 David: Yeah. Ryan: So I went out there. You know, I brought a little cash, and I bought three or four great watches. I, you know, met some incredible people, friends that actually lived in Chicago, and then I met people, you know, that are all over there. And just- David: Yeah … Ryan: that experience of being at the show, hanging out with those guys an- and, you know, handling all those watches, you know, real- that was really the thing that planted the seed for, you know, maybe this could be more than just a, a hobby, you know? David: Ryan, are you… Because I'm, I'm just kind of channeling the way I would process that advice. Mm-hmm. Um, are you an introvert by nature or no? Ryan: I wouldn't say necessarily, no.

8:20 David: Okay. So people who are more introverted, because you go to one of these NAWCC events- Mm … certainly a regional show, but absolutely the big national show, it would be very easy to get overwhelmed and go, "Oh, my God- Oh, Ryan: yeah. And I did … David: there's so much, and there's so… You know, the crowds and people." Yeah. And being brave enough, I wanna k- kind of congratulate you and commend you- Ryan: Thank you … David: for being brave enough to kind of step out of your shell, meet people- Mm-hmm … make connections- Yeah … be a little bit vulnerable and say- Yeah "Hey, you know, I'd love to talk to you about your watches, or tell me about your collection- Mm-hmm … or what's going on over here. You know, educate me- Yeah … about this a little bit." So people have to get out of their comfort zone perhaps- Yeah … if they're more introverted- Mm-hmm … to establish those kinds of relationships.

9:08 Ryan: Yes. Well, I think, too, you know, I, I, like I said, Ravi, I was like, "You know, this guy is like me." Yeah. You know, I, I had that comfort. You know, there's, there's probably guys at this show that are kind of like me that, you know, that have the interest in the history and, you know, kind of that businessman, you know, mentality. So I- Yeah … I don't think… I had some, uh, you know, anxiety. It was a big place, and I was going somewhere on my own I'd never been. But, you know, I was really looking forward to it. I remember I, I couldn't even sleep, like, the night before I left because I was- David: Oh, sure … Ryan: so excited about it. David: Quick commercial break here to ask you, have you seen all of the cool resources, downloads, and guides waiting for you at watchsmarts.com?

9:52 Go check it out. You'll love it. Let's talk about specific watch brands and maybe some of your favorite vintage pieces or even vintage brands, you know, brands that kind of get better with time, and not, not necessarily- Mm … the usual suspects, but, you know, little niche-y kind of fun things that you are really interested in. Someone's looking at… And, you know, well, maybe even back up half a step. What is the definition of vintage? Does it have to be, like, a… Like, is it 40 years old? Is it… What's the age range of c- sort of the beginning of the vintage category of watches? Ryan: You know, I don't know if there's a confirmed definition. For me, I feel like anything with, uh, sapphire crystal doesn't feel as vintage.

10:37 You know, plexiglass crystals- Yeah … is kinda what I feel like vintage. But, you know, probably at this point, you know, '80s, even '90s is probably, you know, that's probably the start of vintage. And, you know, there's a lot of- Okay people that say neo-vintage, and I don't know what the definition of it. That's kind of the- Sure … transitional period. But, you know, f- for me, I think '80s. '80s/'90s is what I feel like were the- David: Yeah … Ryan: you know, David: s- So tell us about some of your favorite br- And again, this is, I know it's a snapshot in time. This has probably changed, and it's always changing. Mm-hmm. Um, but right now as we're recording this, as we're having our conversation, what are some of your favorite watches, you personally, and then what do you see moving and getting a lot of, uh, demand in the marketplace also?

11:24 Ryan: For me, you know, I guess what really excites me to personally find is, you know, excellent preserved examples, and then a lot of the time I'm, you know, I'm not looking, I'm not really s- fixed on finding this certain watch. David: Yeah. Ryan: I'll get surprised by a certain, you know, a certain condition or, you know, kind of the, the process of finding it and knowing where it's been, uh, knowing where it came from is exciting for me. But I mean, I, I just really, I love, I love chronographs. I love divers. I, I love dress watches. I think I have broad taste. David: Yeah. Ryan: And watches, condition being at the forefront is, is important for me. David: Sure.

12:04 Ryan: Brand-wise, you know, I love, uh, Omega, Rolex. Pretty much, I like a lot of different brands. It's hard for me to say specifically. Right. Because I have a w- you know, broad taste. But, uh- Quick, David: pick, pick your favorite kid. Go. Pick your favorite child. Actually- Exactly … Ryan: maybe my favorite watch I'm wearing right now, it's a, it's actually more of a modern watch. It's a Lange Cabaret. David: Hmm. Ryan: I, I bought this at, uh… I have it on right now. David: Yeah. Ryan: But, uh, I bought that at one of the shows. David: So let's talk about how do you decide … Because of course, what fascinated me, and this is my first time at the NAWCC convention, and there are some seasoned collectors and some seasoned dealers there.

12:47 Yeah. And some of the stories I heard, and I'm sure you know this, it's old hat to you, I bought a watch on Friday, and I sold it on Saturday- Yeah … and I made $3,000. Ryan: Yeah. David: So does this mean that the guy on Friday was an idiot and the person on Saturday was a sucker? Or what's the … You know, because the whole thing with flipping, the, the core concept, buy low, sell high. Mm-hmm. You would think that a s- a savvy collector or a savvy dealer would never buy low, and a savvy collector and a savvy dealer would never, you know, would never- Mm … you know, sell, sell high or too, uh, too high.

13:27 You, you know what I'm saying. Yeah. They know when, they know when they're overpaying- Yeah … and they know when they're overcharging, or people know when they're being overcharged. Mm-hmm. So there has to be some kinda knowledge gap- Yeah … between, you know, why are you selling this Breitling for 3,000 on Friday and I'm selling it to someone else for 5,000 on Saturday? Mm. Walk us through how that works. Ryan: You know, so I would, I would say some of it comes back to knowledge. Knowledge is power. The guy that had it could be a very knowledgeable dealer and, and, uh, you know, the, a small detail or just the, the condition could make it that much more. David: Yeah. Ryan: But I, I think it also depends on the person buying, the knowledge of the person buying the watch.

14:13 So if you are, uh, particularly, you know, knowledgeable about Rolex and, and you're the dealer that bought that watch and people know, you know, this, if this guy had bought it, then I know the watch is right. You know, I'm willing to pay, you know, this fair, may- maybe a little higher price just 'cause, you know, they know the watch is right. And I would say, for example, like, there are times, you know, people would say I overpaid for a watch. You know, that's, that's crazy. And then I know this certain guy that will pay me this much for the watch that's looking for it. So, you know- Yeah … I think some of it comes down to the, the reputation of the dealers. And then, uh, yeah, I would say the reputation of the dealers and, and knowing you have the right customer for it, but- David: Yeah.

14:59 Ryan: Yeah. Interesting … I wouldn't say that there's, like, necessarily suckers on, on both end of the, ends of the spectrum, too. David: Sure. Ryan: Well- Maybe you got that, that watch for a great deal 'cause every time you buy, you, you spend, you know, thousands of dollars with the same person, and they know you're gonna buy it, so they'll toss you a really good deal once in a while, too. So- David: Yes. Absolutely … Ryan: that could be it, too. David: I wanna talk about when, what you said about when you went to Florida for the regional- Mm-hmm show, and you said, "I brought a little bit of cash." Mm-hmm. So I'm at the show with you in Lexington. Ryan: Mm-hmm. David: There's people with duffle bags full of cash. Yeah. Like 40, $60,000.

15:41 Yeah. Like, you know- Yeah … like they're in the mob or something. I mean, it- Yeah. … very interesting because- Yeah … and this was, this was collectors. These, these two guys that I was just kind of observing what was going on, chatting with them a little bit, they were collectors. Yeah. They were not professional dealers. Mm-hmm. But a guy, like, whips out a giant wad of cash like a drug dealer- Yeah. He- … and says, "You want 10K for that? Great. Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. Here you go. Thanks." Yeah. It's, um- "Appreciate it, man. High five. High five." He was glad to buy it for 10. The guy was glad to sell it for 10. Mm-hmm. So this is, people need to know that if you're, if you're at one of these events, this is a cash is king business. Like, people are not doing- Yeah … Venmo. They're not doing credit cards. Has that always been the case?

16:23 Ryan: I mean, f- for me, yes, and I, I think it comes back to the, like, NAWCC being older generation. And- Yeah … you know, maybe, I'm sure it is, uh, with different organizations it is different, but I think a lot of those guys are old school. They expect cash, and that's just kind of what the norm- Right everyone that goes to those shows is used to. But, you know, those large amounts of cash for the first time, it's like, whoa, that's, that's, that's crazy. David: It was pretty impressive. It was pretty impressive. And there's also, you know, it's funny because these guys, one particular transaction I remember they had done a lot of business together over the years. Mm-hmm. And the person turns to me, the buyer turns to me And I'm just, again, observing, chatting.

17:06 I'm, I'm in the conversation. Mm-hmm. He says, "If you buy from this guy, you will never be sorry. He's a top-" I mean, he's almost, like, vouching for this guy, going- Yeah … "I've bought and sold a lot with him." Mm. "And, you know, you will not find a better, more stand-up guy." Mm-hmm. So there is this thing about reputation, right? Oh, yeah. And there is certainly within NAWCC. No, I think that- Like, if you screw somebody over, it's, you're done … Yeah. Ryan: That's, that's the whole business, too. Your, your reputation is really everything and- David: Yeah … Ryan: very important. David: Very important. Now, you also mentioned that some of the NAWCC folks are old-school. Uh, I would agree with you.

17:47 I mean, I think- Yeah … you and I combined brought the average age down to about 64, and I happen to be 62. Yeah. So as a younger person, as a younger person, what sh- and especially 'cause you've been doing this now for a while, so turn the clock back, you know, five years, 10 years. Mm. Uh, what challenges did you have being in the younger generation in a field where typically most folks are, you know, 50, 60, 70 plus? Ryan: I think for me personally, I didn't really have a challenge. Maybe 'cause I, I don't know, I'm, like, into old, the things that older people… My hobbies are old-school hobbies. Uh- Yeah you know, so I, I, in some ways I connect, I think, with, with people- David: Yes … Ryan: you know, that age more so than people my age.

18:32 Um- Yeah … so I didn't really have any challenges, and I understood how to, how to do deals, you know, before that, just 'cause I'd been doing it. So it was kinda natural for me. But I, I think, you know, for some newer people, you, you know, your, your word is really important. You gotta, they gotta understand that, you know, if they make a deal, they gotta, you know, carry through with it, and, you know, if… Think about it before you make a deal, you know. Some people don't understand, you know, the way of doing things and making deals. David: Hey, David Newman here with a quick commercial break. Have you seen our social media channels that have video snippets from our favorite interviews? Check us out on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube.

19:12 Now, back to the episode. Because literally tens of thousands of watches have passed through your hands- Mm-hmm … do you have, like, watchmakers on call? Do you have a team of folks that can open things up, look at things, tune things up, or are, are you even doing that, some of that yourself be- becoming- I, me, I, I- kind of a watchmaker, watch fixer-upper person? Ryan: I wouldn't call myself a watchmaker at all. I know how to take watches apart, and I can do very minor repairs. David: Yeah. Ryan: Um, but I have probably at least eight or nine people that I use, that I don't employ. But, uh, you know, people that are, you know, better at, you know, they have their own specialties, so certain watches will go to this guy, certain to another guy.

19:59 Yeah. So, you know, I… And part of that was NAWCC, honestly, meeting, meeting some of these watchmakers through that organization. David: Yeah. Ryan: Guy, guys I can trust to, you know, meet, meet at the show and hand over, you know, five, $6,000 watch and have, have, you know, no worries. David: Yes, for sure. But- Well, let's talk about a couple of, uh, lesser-known brands. I'm just literally browsing through your store here. And, uh, I'd love to num- n- number one, kinda get your take on the brand and some of your- Mm-hmm … favorite pieces that you have for sale right now. And then also- Yeah … just generally kind of historically, if they're significant, kind of how, why, where. Mm-hmm. Uh, the first one I wanna ask you about is Gruen.

20:42 Mm-hmm. Gruen is a very interesting watch company. Tell us a little bit about- Yes … them and, and what some of your favorite pieces or style of pieces are from them. Ryan: So Gruen's really, it's a, it's a true American company. They were, they were, uh, you know, made in Switzerland, but I think they were only sold in the US. Uh, they were US, you know, market-specific. And, you know, I think they were one of the, the staples of that art deco, '30s, '40s, '50s, you know- Yeah … iconic watch that- Yeah … you know, that… And people dressed really nice then, so they were, you know, perfect watches for daily wearers, for people that dressed like that. You know, as far as favorites go, I mean, I have to say the, the Gruen Majesty, which is the, you know, the long Curvex, Curvex case watch.

21:30 Okay. That's a very cool Gruen. But, you know, I've had so many great Gruens, you know, design-wise and condition-wise. I, I think there's so many, you know, great, uh, interesting watches that they made. David: Yeah. Ryan: And, and reasonably priced too. I mean, you can find great Gruens for 100 bucks a lot of the time if you- David: Yes … Ryan: do some searching. Uh, and they're, they're really good watches There is a great book on Gruen. A guy Kyle, uh, I can't remember his last name. He is an AWCC and it's, it's the number one Gruen book I think for, for people that want to get into Gruen. David: Very fun. Well, staying with the American provenance, not American anymore, but, uh, talk to us about Bulova.

22:16 Ryan: I think Bulova had one of the, the best design departments probably out of any watch company in history. It was probably, I think probably a lot of younger guys out of college that just came out with some absolutely incredible, uh, designs for the time. You know, I would say, you know, those innovative designs really started to come in the '50s and '60s. You know, it wasn't only Accutrons, it was kind of across the board. David: Mm-hmm. Ryan: Um, but so many great designs and again, very reasonable prices. I mean, a lot of s- still you can get a lot of great Bulovas for $100. And you know, I still love finding those, those great, uh, interesting Bulovas in, in nice shape.

22:58 They're always exciting. For sure. And, and very American. They feel very… You know, I feel connected to the American, you know, nature of that company. David: Yes, very much so. And th- this is I'm sure a love-hate with a lot of people, but let's talk about Seiko and maybe some of the vintage Seikos more so than the modern. Um, the reason I say, you know, love-hate, with the contemporary lines, they're always bringing stuff out and then discontinuing it for no reason, right? Yeah. It's very popular. Sells like crazy. They're like, "No, no, we're not doing that anymore." It's like, well, come on guys. Yeah. What's going on? Ryan: Yeah. They're kind of all over the place. David: But taking, taking us back to, you know, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, what are some interesting Seiko design trends there?

23:43 Ryan: You know, design trends wise, I think the- David: Or, or just favorite pieces, favorite types of Seiko … Ryan: favorite piece. I mean, the… I would say the chronographs and the divers are, are incredible watches. Uh, very interesting and, and reasonably priced. You know, harder to find good examples. There's, I think a lot of, uh, collectors get scared of Seiko 'cause, like, looking on eBay, there's so many, you know, ones that are kind of fixed up, kind of pieced together. And I could just leave one bit of advice. I think I always… With vintage watches in general, I kinda like buying from people that don't normally sell watches. You know, someone that's, they probably found it in an estate.

24:25 You know, they sell dolls and all kinds of random things. But, you know, it's, you- I think you have a good chance of getting a good vintage watch when it's sold by someone that doesn't sell watches, just meaning that they kind of found it in a drawer, found it in an estate, and it's been… No, you know, no one's opened it in 40 years. And- David: Right … Ryan: you know, sometimes they don't have the best pictures, but I, I think I have a lot of great luck, you know, with all vintage watches when, when buying from those types of people. And, you know, sometimes that's on eBay or, or other types of places, but, you know, I, I feel like I always have confidence buying. For sure. And I don't hear that said very much, but, but- David: No, no, that makes perfect sense because if, if they're, if they're doing, like, you know, sneakers and record albums and toys and, "Oh, look, there's a watch-" Ryan: Yeah … David: number one, they're gonna be interested in selling that watch 'cause they- Yeah … don't know what to do with it otherwise, right?

25:18 Like, "Oh- They'll probably pay $5 for it … someone please buy this watch." And they also probably might not know as much about watches because they're also doing the baseball cards and the toys and the LPs and everything else. Ryan: Yeah. David: That's really, really good, um, smart advice. As far as sources beyond eBay, as far as your purchasing, 'cause you obviously work with people who are selling estates and, uh, maybe even cleaning out old inventory. But literally, where do you look? What's the range of places that you source inventory from? Ryan: You know, the, the shows is, is definitely a major, a major source and, and people that I've met through the shows.

25:59 David: Yeah. Ryan: But aside from that, I mean, just kinda doing it for a while, I just have a, kind of a lot of people every single day that reach out to me that wanna sell stuff. I think that started with the shows and then also on, you know, online I've met- You know, people through eBay or through Instagram or, you know, just from, from looking online that, you know, kinda offer me stuff. I think if you're doing it a while, you'll, it'll, it'll kinda naturally happen for anybody- David: Sure. No, that's great … that's, that's selling. So you have kind of some marketing gravity is happening. Ryan: Yeah. Yeah. But I don't, I don't think I have any great answers as far as, you know, on- online, other, other types of sources. David: Do you do Facebook Marketplace, anything like that?

26:40 Ryan: Not- David: Flea markets- I don't- … thrift shops? Ryan: Not really, no. David: Okay. Ryan: Nope. David: Yeah. I Ryan: don't have enough time to. David: Sure. There's some mileage in estate sales though, yes? Estate sales? Ryan: You know, I, I don't really go to estate sales. I think estate sales used to be a good source for watches, but I think most of those companies kinda have someone that they pass over their jewelry to now. Oh, I see. So you gotta be that guy that's, you know, connected to them. So I don't- David: Yeah … Ryan: I'm sure there's more watches, great watches, but I think, you know, they're getting sourced, you know- They're David: getting siphoned off way Ryan: before- Siphoned off … the estate sale … yeah, to a certain person. Yeah. David: Yeah. Ryan: But I, I'm, I'm sh- I mean, I hear about great finds, so I don't know.

27:22 Like, I, I had a, uh, I have a, a Lecltre Deepsea Alarm, which is a very collectible, uh, early Lecltre diver, and person I got it from bought a, a purse from an estate sale, and the watch was in there. David: Oh, my gosh. Ryan: And I bought it, so I, I mean, there's been other great watches that I've been, I've heard people f- people, uh, you know, got from estate sales. So I can't say- Yeah … there aren't, but. David: Such great stories. Well, as we're wrapping up, Ryan, what, what would you say, a piece of advice or final kind of words of wisdom, parting thoughts for the newer collector who's just getting into vintage? Maybe they've got some new watches- Mm-hmm … that they've gotten into, but now they're, they're vintage curious.

28:06 They're vintage curious. They're ready to spend- Got it … a couple thousand bucks on a beautiful- Yeah … vintage piece that they can really trust the, uh, source from. Mm-hmm. What should they look for? What should they be thinking about? Ryan: So like I said a bunch of times, knowledge is power. You know, reading, reading- Yeah about the watches. But I would say, uh, as far as that vintage journey starting, I wouldn't write off, you know, a certain watch, you know, because you don't like the style or you don't like the brand until you've had that watch, you know, handled it and been able to look at it. 'Cause I think early on, you know, I had people that told… You know, kind of made me shy away from certain watches, or I had- Yeah … certain prejudices.

28:46 "Oh, that watch is bulky," you know, from the dimensions. But you know, handling it in person, I'm like, "Wow, I, I actually love this." So- David: Yeah … Ryan: I think that journey, you need to be able to handle some of the watches to w- you know, kind of start that journey off and learn what- Yeah you like. David: Nothing replaces that in-the-hand or on-the-wrist experience. Ryan: It, it doesn't. C- I mean, even pictures of watches too, you think, "Oh, I don't like the way this looks," and then you see it in person and you're like, "Wow, actually I can see what, why people like this watch." So- David: Right. Yeah … Ryan: it comes down to, you know, kind of meeting, meeting people again and, and going to the shows or, you know, meeting some people locally that, you know, if there's… If you're in a bigger city that might have some of the watches- Yes … that you can look at.

29:29 David: Absolutely. Well, let's leave people with some places to go and some things to look at. Mm-hmm. Website, eBay store, where can people get connected to you and some more watch goodness, more vintage watch goodness? Ryan: So definitely, uh, you know, through Instagram. My Instagram is luckyloupe. I do have a website, theluckyloupe.com, but I don't have my inventory on there. You know, my most complete inventory would be on eBay. David: Yeah. Ryan: So, you know, people can always see, see that and then reach out to me directly or, or whatnot. Yeah. But, but- David: And just to be clear, it is luckyloupe.com, not theluckyloupe- Yeah, Ryan: yeah.

30:09 David: I'm sorry … .com. The name of the store- I meant to say that, you know … is The Lucky Loupe. Thank you. But for folks that wanna go check it out- Yeah, luckyloupe.com … it is simply luckyloupe.com. And it's not loop like Fruit Loop, it is loupe like the eyepiece, L-O-U- Yeah … P-E, L-O-U-P-E. Yeah, Ryan: exactly. That's how you know you David: got the right- So don't, d- we… Ryan doesn't sell Fruit Loop. Yep. It's luckyloupe.com and then the link to the eBay store is right there as well. Ryan: Yep. Mm-hmm. David: Well, Ryan Thomas, this has been such a pleasure. Thank you for hopping on with us. Ryan: Yeah, thank you, David. It, it flew by. David: And that wraps up another episode of Watch Smarts. Listen, if you love this show, if you love watches, subscribe, download, leave us a rating or review on your favorite podcast platform, and check out all the free resources waiting for you at watchsmarts.com.