Wristwatch Weekly

Peter @themysterywatchguy

Welcome to the Watch Podcast with Peter (Mystery Watch Guy) and Chris (Budget Watchman). With over 30 years of collecting experience each, we cover everything from beginner watches to high-end luxury. Peter helps new collectors get started, while Chris focuses on affordable watches and microbrands. Each week, we break down watch news, new releases, and share honest insights on brands like Rolex, Omega, Grand Seiko, Casio, Timex, and more, helping you make better watch decisions without the hype.

  1. Sep 28

    Inside Christopher Ward with Senior VP Mike Pearson | Bel Canto, The Twelve, Loco & What’s Next | Ep.15

    Wristwatch Weekly Episode 15, Peter and Chris are joined by Mike Pearson, Senior Vice President of Christopher Ward for North America and Global Retail, for a deep dive into the past, present and future of one of the most talked-about independent watch brands in the world. We start with What’s On The Wrist, before going right back to Mike’s beginnings in watches, including the £20 X-Files watch that started it all, the pieces with the most sentimental value, and the moment he found himself talking watches with the legendary Gerald Genta. Mike then takes us through his career in the watch industry, including his time with Zodiac, why he turned down opportunities with major Swiss brands, and what eventually convinced him to join Christopher Ward. From there, we get properly into the brand. We discuss the evolution of Christopher Ward from its early online days, why the Bel Canto changed everything, how The Twelve became one of the company’s most important watches, the development of the Twin Flags logo, and why the original SH21 movement didn’t have the same impact when it first launched. Mike also gives his view on: The line between inspiration, homage and derivative designWhy comparisons to Royal Oak, Nautilus and other integrated-bracelet watches don’t bother himWhether Christopher Ward is still a microbrandWhether being known as a “value brand” is becoming a limitationCustomer service, quality control and growing painsWhether Christopher Ward could ever sell a £10,000 watchWhy in-house movements aren’t always the answerThe new C63 Sealander ChronographThe upcoming C1 Loco ClassicWhat makes a watch recognisably Christopher WardWhether the collection needs a stronger women’s offeringAnd where the brand goes nextMike also gives Peter and Chris some invaluable advice as they begin their own watch-brand journey: build the watch you believe in, know exactly why you made it, and don’t let every opinion pull the design in a different direction. EP15 TXT We finish with some quick-fire questions, favourite watches, affordable picks, brands Mike thinks are doing great things, and a little Aston Villa chat. What is the most important Christopher Ward watch ever made? And could you ever see yourself spending £10,000 on a Christopher Ward? 00:00 Introduction – Mike Pearson joins Wristwatch Weekly00:27 What’s On The Wrist02:43 Mike’s first watch and sentimental collecting05:25 Meeting Gerald Genta08:02 Falling out of love with the watch industry10:50 Zodiac and finding the passion again14:00 Why Christopher Ward over a major Swiss brand?15:52 How Christopher Ward has changed since 200522:05 The three watches that define Christopher Ward24:01 How Peter became a Christopher Ward fan27:08 The Christopher Ward name and identity29:28 The Twin Flags logo debate32:00 SH21 and why it didn’t transform the brand34:33 How Bel Canto changed everything37:02 The Twelve and integrated-bracelet comparisons39:03 Inspiration vs derivative watch design42:59 Christopher Ward’s biggest misses45:58 Customer service, QC and growing pains51:12 Is Christopher Ward still a microbrand?53:06 Is “good value” becoming a backhanded compliment?55:27 Could Christopher Ward sell a £10,000 watch?58:34 C12 Loco and Christopher Ward movements01:00:41 Do in-house movements actually matter?01:02:30 C63 Sealander Chronograph and Sellita01:05:55 C1 Loco Classic and GPHG01:10:02 What makes a watch recognisably Christopher Ward?01:13:10 Can Christopher Ward stay distinctly British?01:14:26 What’s missing from the Christopher Ward collection?01:15:56 Advice for Peter and Chris starting a watch brand01:18:32 Mike Pearson Has To Choose01:21:06 Best watch under £1,00001:21:51 Watch brands smashing it right now01:22:58 Least attractive Christopher Ward ever made01:24:19 Aston Villa and scoring at Villa Park01:26:12 Mike’s five-year ambition for Christopher Ward01:28:33 Outro

    Inside Christopher Ward with Senior VP Mike Pearson | Bel Canto, The Twelve, Loco & What’s Next | Ep.15
  2. Sep 21

    New Rolex Padellone, Christopher Ward Chronograph & G-Shock CasioNaut | Wristwatch Weekly Ep.14

    Wristwatch Weekly Episode 14 is here, and Budget Watch Man Chris is back for another week of new watch releases, strong opinions and the occasional disagreement. We start with What’s On The Wrist, with Chris showing off a newly acquired old-stock Casio G-Shock and Peter wearing the Elliot Brown Bloxworth Heritage Diver, before getting straight into some of the biggest releases of the week. First up is Rolex and the unexpected new Rolex Perpetual Padellone, bringing an annual calendar, moonphase and a completely different side of Rolex to the modern collection. Is it one of the most interesting Rolex releases in years, or are complications like this completely unnecessary on a Rolex? Then we get into the new Christopher Ward C63 Sealander Chronograph, which inevitably brings us back to the design and homage debate from last week. Christopher Ward openly references classic chronographs in the design, but does that make it derivative, or are they simply making the type of watch customers actually want? We also discuss: Tissot PRX Quartz ChronographIWC Ingenieur Automatic 50th AnniversaryHamilton Khaki Field Mechanical x Call of DutyTimex Deepwater Meridian 200 HEV AutomaticHublot x Jeff Koons Classic Fusion Balloon DogAnd because Chris is back, we couldn't finish without some G-Shock talk. We take a closer look at the leaked new Casio G-Shock GAC-2500 / GMC-2500 models, already nicknamed the “CasioNaut”, and discuss whether these could become some of the most popular G-Shocks Casio has ever released. At the end of the show we pick the watches we would actually spend our own money on, talk about the biggest surprises of the week, and Chris reveals that he may have something very interesting coming up involving Nico Leonard. If you enjoy the podcast, please Like the video, subscribe to Wristwatch Weekly, and let us know your thoughts in the comments. Which of this week's releases would you actually buy? And be honest: is the Hublot Balloon Dog brilliant, or one of the ugliest watches ever made? 00:00 Welcome to Wristwatch Weekly Episode 1400:22 What’s On The Wrist02:04 Rolex Perpetual Padellone05:21 Christopher Ward C63 Sealander Chronograph10:54 Tissot PRX Quartz Chronograph15:20 IWC Ingenieur 50th Anniversary20:42 Hamilton Khaki Field x Call of Duty25:34 Timex Deepwater Meridian 200 HEV Automatic28:59 Hublot x Jeff Koons Balloon Dog34:06 New G-Shock “CasioNaut” leak38:26 Which new watch would we actually buy?39:21 Budget Watch Man, Nico Leonard & what’s coming next40:43 Outro #WristwatchWeekly #WatchNews #Rolex #ChristopherWard #GShock

    New Rolex Padellone, Christopher Ward Chronograph & G-Shock CasioNaut | Wristwatch Weekly Ep.14
  3. Sep 14

    Nico Leonard vs Christopher Ward + The Biggest New Watch Releases | Wristwatch Weekly Ep.13

    In Wristwatch Weekly Episode 13, I’m joined once again by fellow watch collector and TikTok creator GatorCris for a packed episode covering eight of the biggest recent watch releases, leaks and announcements. We start, as always, with What’s On The Wrist, with GatorCris wearing his Radcliffe × The Mad Watch Collector collaboration and me wearing the classic Rolex Submariner No Date. Then we get into the watches. We discuss the return of the Tudor Northflag, the leaked Casio G-Shock that the internet has already nicknamed the “CasioNaut”, TAG Heuer’s new Carrera Chronograph Sport, the insane Oris ProPilot X Gonzo Edition, Breitling’s Miles Davis Navitimer, the return of Gallet, Zenith’s new Chronomaster Solo Sport and the fan-selected Seiko Prospex 1965 Heritage Diver. And then things get interesting. We finish the episode with a proper discussion about Nico Leonard calling out Christopher Ward, accusing the brand of borrowing too heavily from other watches and describing it as a “copy machine with a logo on it.” Is Nico right? Where does inspiration end and homage begin? Should Christopher Ward be held to a different standard from Casio, Tudor, Rolex, Omega, Glashütte Original and countless other brands that have used familiar watch design language? And when almost every watch can be compared to something that came before it, is genuine originality even possible anymore? GatorCris and I give our thoughts on the whole situation, Christopher Ward’s designs, homage watches, Nico’s own collaborations and whether the controversy is actually helping Christopher Ward more than hurting them. The discussion runs through examples from across the industry rather than treating Christopher Ward in isolation. Let us know what you think in the comments: Is Christopher Ward guilty of copying other brands, or is Nico Leonard being unfair? And which of this week’s new releases would you actually buy? Make sure to follow GatorCris on TikTok and check out his watch content. If you enjoy the podcast, please hit the Like button, subscribe to Wristwatch Weekly, and join us for the next episode. 00:00 Welcome to Wristwatch Weekly with GatorCris00:24 What’s On The Wrist01:29 Nico Leonard vs Christopher Ward teaser01:49 The latest watch releases02:03 Tudor Northflag returns05:23 The leaked Casio G-Shock “CasioNaut”11:41 TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Sport15:50 Oris ProPilot X Gonzo Edition20:10 Breitling Navitimer B09 Miles Davis23:38 Gallet returns under Breitling30:46 Zenith Chronomaster Solo Sport33:02 Seiko Prospex 1965 Heritage Diver39:17 Which new watch would we actually buy?40:55 Nico Leonard vs Christopher Ward41:19 “Copy machine with a logo on it”43:10 Is Nico actually right?45:18 The problem with the homage argument46:07 When big brands copy smaller brands47:01 Nico’s own watch collaborations48:14 Can any modern watch be completely original?49:12 The Christopher Ward Twelve debate50:58 Does Nico have too much influence?52:18 Is the controversy actually helping Christopher Ward?53:03 Why we became Christopher Ward fans54:28 What watch collectors are saying online55:34 Nico continues the Christopher Ward debate57:08 Where does the controversy go next?57:55 GatorCris outro58:15 End Chapters

    Nico Leonard vs Christopher Ward + The Biggest New Watch Releases | Wristwatch Weekly Ep.13
  4. Aug 30

    Seiko x Honda, TAG Heuer, IWC Mercedes & More | Wristwatch Weekly Ep.12

    Wristwatch Weekly is back for Episode 12, and after a few weeks away, Chris and I have plenty of new watches to catch up on. We start with what’s on the wrist, including the Christopher Ward C60 Sapphire Edge and my new Omega Seamaster Ultra Deep, before getting into some of the biggest and most interesting recent releases. This week we discuss: Seiko 5 Sports × Honda Motocompo Limited EditionTAG Heuer Formula 1 Solargraph ZandvoortIWC Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar ProSet × Mercedes-BenzFears Brunswick 40.5 Jump Hour UltimusChristopher Ward Trident 30×30 Blue Marine FoundationPanerai Luminor Marina CarbotechTAG Heuer Carrera × Team Ikuzawa × BamfordUnimatic Pro DiverTimex Marlin GMTCasio’s affordable transparent-dial releaseThere’s plenty of debate around watch pricing, whether some limited editions are actually worth the money, Christopher Ward’s value proposition, TAG Heuer being underrated, Panerai’s unmistakable design and whether quartz watches deserve more respect. We also head into Budget Corner, talk about what’s currently on our wish lists, and discuss the latest update on the La Touraine Maritimer Summer Edition. If you enjoy the show, please hit the Like button, subscribe to Wristwatch Weekly and let us know in the comments which of these new releases you would actually buy. 00:00 Wristwatch Weekly is back00:30 What’s On The Wrist01:38 Seiko 5 Sports × Honda Motocompo04:23 TAG Heuer Formula 1 Solargraph Zandvoort08:25 IWC × Mercedes-Benz Perpetual Calendar ProSet12:34 Fears Brunswick Jump Hour Ultimus13:20 The Christopher Ward Jump Hour debate19:02 Christopher Ward Trident 30×3021:44 Christopher Ward vs Longines HydroConquest24:26 Panerai Luminor Marina Carbotech28:39 TAG Heuer Carrera × Team Ikuzawa × Bamford31:14 Is TAG Heuer underrated?33:59 Unimatic Pro Diver36:44 What’s next on the wish list?39:09 Budget Corner39:16 Timex Marlin GMT41:14 Affordable Casio transparent dial42:35 La Touraine Maritimer Summer Edition update44:13 The podcast is properly back45:40 Wristwatch Weekly giveaway46:01 Outro The episode opens with the return of the regular show, your wrist checks and a catch-up on the recent releases before moving through the main watch discussions and Budget Corner Chapters

    Seiko x Honda, TAG Heuer, IWC Mercedes & More | Wristwatch Weekly Ep.12

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

Welcome to the Watch Podcast with Peter (Mystery Watch Guy) and Chris (Budget Watchman). With over 30 years of collecting experience each, we cover everything from beginner watches to high-end luxury. Peter helps new collectors get started, while Chris focuses on affordable watches and microbrands. Each week, we break down watch news, new releases, and share honest insights on brands like Rolex, Omega, Grand Seiko, Casio, Timex, and more, helping you make better watch decisions without the hype.

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