Watches and Politics

Edi Shipoli

Watches and Politics is a limited-series podcast exploring the surprising connections between horology and history. Hosted by political scientist Edi Shipoli, each episode uncovers how watches have shaped war, diplomacy, industrial revolutions, and global power. This is the story of timekeeping as a political force—from Calvinist Geneva to Cold War summits, from luxury diplomacy to digital disruption. Smart, stylish, and historically rich.

  1. 2D AGO

    Paul Boutros - Who Decides Value? Auctions, Power, and Watch Legitimacy

    Auction results are often treated as facts. But are markets all neutral? Markets are systems — with incentives, hierarchies, and gatekeepers. Collectors play a pivotal role in them. Paul Boutros is Head of Watches, Americas at Phillips, one of the most influential auction houses in the global watch market. Over the last decade, Phillips has not only set records, but has actively reshaped which watches are remembered, which collectors are elevated, and which narratives become canonical. In this episode of Watches & Politics, we examine auctions not as sales events, but as institutions of legitimacy. We discuss how value is constructed, how historical importance is framed, and how pricing power migrates across regions, generations, and tastes. This conversation explores the mechanics behind authority: How watches become “important.” How scarcity is managed. And how auction houses quietly function as political actors within the luxury ecosystem. #watches #auctions #phillips #paulboutros #fpjourne #ffc #francisfordcoppola

    40 min
  2. Watches & Politics | Series 3 — Watch Books: Why Watches Are Written, Not Just Worn

    SEASON 3 TRAILER

    Watches & Politics | Series 3 — Watch Books: Why Watches Are Written, Not Just Worn

    Watches are not just designed.They are written. I n this video, I’m introducing Series 3 of Watches and Politics — a new chapter focused entirely on watch books. As an academic and lifelong watch collector, I’m constantly asked:• Where should I start reading about watches?• Which books actually matter?• What’s real history — and what’s just beautiful marketing? This series is my answer. Each episode in Series 3 is a 10–15 minute, podcast-ready breakdown of a single watch book — not just a review, but context:• who wrote it and why it matters• what the book is really about• what I liked, what I didn’t• who should read it — and who can skip it• how it fits into watch history, culture, and power This series connects directly to:▶ Series 1 — the political, historical foundations of watches▶ Series 2 — interviews with insiders, collectors, and industry voices Series 3 is the library.The long memory of watch culture. If you collect watches, study design, love history, or simply want to understand why certain watches — and books — become canonical, this series is for you. 📌 Subscribe for bi-weekly book episodes📌 Comment with the next watch book you want covered📌 Share with the friend who always recommends “one more watch book” Welcome to Watches and Politics — Series 3: Watch Books.

    7 min

  3. FEB 21

    Jacopo Corvo - Who Decides Taste? Watches, Power, and the Milan Effect

    In watchmaking, power does not always sit with brands. Sometimes it sits with cities.Sometimes with collectors.Sometimes with retailers who decide what deserves attention — and what does not. Jacopo Corvo is co-owner of GMT Italia, a Milanese retailer whose history stretches back to the 1950s and whose modern influence is deeply felt across independent haute horlogerie. Under his family’s stewardship, GMT Italia evolved from traditional brand distribution into a cultural gatekeeper — shaping taste, reviving heritage, and introducing independent watchmakers to one of the most demanding collector communities in the world. In this episode of Watches & Politics, we explore Italy not as a market, but as a tastemaking system. We talk about Milan as a cultural filter, about the “Corvo Reverso” and what it reveals about heritage revival, and about the quiet power of retailers who operate between brands and collectors. This is a conversation about legitimacy: How independent brands gain authority. How narratives create value. #watches #politics #history #independentwatchmaking #reverso #fpjourne #mbandf #urwerk #milan

    42 min

  4. FEB 14

    Geoffrey Kelly — Illicit Value, Cultural Property, and the Power Behind Luxury and Watches

    In this episode of Watches & Politics, I’m joined by Geoffrey Kelly, retired FBI Special Agent and founding member of the FBI Art Crime Team, for a conversation about culture, value, law, and power. Over his career, Geoffrey led investigations recovering more than $100 million in stolen artwork and cultural property. While his work focused on art and antiquities, the systems he describes — illicit trafficking, cross-border movement, private transactions, and contested ownership — increasingly apply to high-value watches. We explore how cultural objects function inside illicit networks, how investigators read objects as evidence, and why restitution is never just legal — but deeply political. This conversation sheds light on how value is enforced, negotiated, reclaimed, and fought over when culture intersects with crime. Rather than sensationalism, this episode offers a sober, institutional perspective on luxury objects as instruments of power — and the structures that police them.

    50 min

  5. FEB 7

    Christopher Daaboul from EsperLuxe — Access, Trust, and Power in the Independent Watchmaking Market

    In this episode of Watches & Politics, I’m joined by Christopher Daaboul, founder of EsperLuxe, to explore access, trust, and power in the modern private watch market, focusing on independent watchmaking. As retail and brand authorization increasingly fail to meet demand, independent dealers and private networks have emerged as the real centers of gravity. Chris operates precisely at this intersection — where scarcity, discretion, legitimacy, and trust determine who gets access and who does not. We discuss how watches move not just as objects, but as stores of value, social signals, and instruments of influence. Our conversation explores how legitimacy is constructed outside brand control, how trust replaces contracts, and how informal networks increasingly govern luxury markets across borders. This episode offers a rare inside look at how power actually flows through contemporary watch culture — quietly, selectively, and behind closed doors. We talk about the most rare and sought after watches, from Rexhep Rexhepi to De Bethune, from Urwerk to MB&F, and all other watches.

    49 min

  6. FEB 1

    CQ Gottlieb — Who Gets to Collect? Identity, Access, and Power in Watches

    In this episode of Watches & Politics, I’m joined by C’Quon “CQ” Gottlieb — Senior Client Advisor at The 1916 Company and co-founder of CP Time Collective — for a conversation about identity, access, and the shifting power dynamics of modern watch collecting. CQ approaches watches not as transactional objects, but as cultural artifacts — tools for belonging, storytelling, and self-definition. From his global background and advisory work to building CP Time as a space for under-represented collectors, he offers a rare inside view into how taste, legitimacy, and influence are being redefined today. We discuss how collector networks act as cultural nodes, how new geographies are reshaping what counts as “important,” and how heritage is being reinterpreted through new voices rather than inherited authority. This episode captures a pivotal transition in horology: from centralized power and brand dominance to plural, community-driven narratives.

    57 min

  7. JAN 23

    Nicholas Ferrell — Watches, Intelligence, and the Quiet Power of Time

    In this episode of Watches & Politics, I’m joined by Nicholas “Nick” Ferrell — founder of DC Vintage Watches, creator of Sycamore, former intelligence analyst, diplomat, and National Security Council staffer — for a conversation at the intersection of timekeeping, secrecy, and state power. Nick’s career bridges two rarely connected worlds: the intelligence and diplomatic community on one hand, and the vintage watch world on the other. Our discussion explores how watches function inside institutions where timing, discretion, and reliability are matters of life, death, and policy — and how those same objects later circulate as artifacts of history, memory, and power. We talk about MACV-SOG Seikos, field watches worn by intelligence officers, the culture of the Situation Room, and how “tool watches” become carriers of covert histories. We also explore how dealers, writers, and designers shape which secret stories are preserved, mythologized, or forgotten — and how brands and collectors participate in that process. This episode sits at the crossroads of war, intelligence, collecting, and narrative control — a core axis of Watches & Politics.

    56 min

  8. JAN 16

    François-Xavier Hotier — Heritage, Innovation, Identity, and the Politics of Modern Watchmaking

    In this episode of Watches & Politics, I’m joined by François-Xavier Hotier of Ulysse Nardin, one of the most unconventional and forward-thinking brands in Swiss watchmaking. Our conversation explores how innovation, identity, and strategic risk-taking operate in an industry defined by tradition. From Ulysse Nardin’s historic ties to marine chronometers and navigation to its radical experimentation with materials, mechanics, and design, we examine how a brand balances heritage with disruption — and why that balance is inherently political. We discuss how brands decide which histories to preserve and which rules to break, how innovation becomes a form of differentiation and power, and how modern watchmaking speaks to a new generation of collectors seeking meaning beyond nostalgia. This episode reveals how Ulysse Nardin’s approach challenges conventional narratives — and why pushing boundaries can be as important as protecting the past. #WatchesAndPolitics #UlysseNardin #FrançoisXavierHotier#InnovationInHorology #ModernWatchmaking #TimeIsPolitical#IndependentThinking #LuxuryAndPower

    1h 14m
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
7 Ratings

About

Watches and Politics is a limited-series podcast exploring the surprising connections between horology and history. Hosted by political scientist Edi Shipoli, each episode uncovers how watches have shaped war, diplomacy, industrial revolutions, and global power. This is the story of timekeeping as a political force—from Calvinist Geneva to Cold War summits, from luxury diplomacy to digital disruption. Smart, stylish, and historically rich.

Information

  • Creator
    Edi Shipoli
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    29
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Edi Shipoli
  • Show Website
    Watches and Politics

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