The Grumpy Collector

The grump has been away for awhile, but is BACK!  We get caught up hearing about traveling through Europe with just a single watch (gasp!), the state of the watch collection (what watches were added and removed during 2022), and finally what are the Grump's predictions for watches in 2023.  It's a full packed episode, hope you enjoy!

Get the scoop on all the activities, events, and parties during the first ever New York Watch Week, aka the trifecta of watch events that took place between October 19-23, 2022.  This included RedBar Global Meetup, WatchTime NYC, and Worn & Wound's Wind Up Watch Fair.  Hear first-hand what it was like to attend all the events and things to keep in mind if you want to attend similar events in the future.  Learn from the Grump's mistakes!

The world of watches is literally flooded with options to store and transport your watches.  In this episode we break down all the various options on the market, their pros and cons and the things you should keep in mind when selecting your next watch box, case, tool roll or watch tube.  I've grappled with the idea of the perfect watch box for over a decade and have a pile of discarded watch boxes to prove it.  Learn from the Grump so you don't make similar mistakes along your watch journey.

If the watch world is a solar system, then the watch trade show that is Watches & Wonders is the Sun, which everything revolves around.  From Omega X Swatch MoonSwatch to the "Lefty" Rolex GMT II Master and all the new watch releases in between, we leave no announcement unexamined. Learn which watch brands got it right and which got it WAY wrong this year.  We cover all the new watches from Patek Philippe, Rolex, Ressence, Grand Seiko, TAG, Edox, Zenith, Omega, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Panerai, and many others! 

In this episode we do a deep dive into the Grump's watch collection, what did it look like like at the beginning of 2021, what came and went throughout the year, and what moves are planned in 2022.  It was a BUSY year with way more changes than I originally thought.  Did the Grump actually sell a Jaeger-LeCoultre from his collection?  Did he finally jump on the Rolex bandwagon?  Is it true, he only loves chronographs?  Find the answers to these questions are more in this week's episode.

This episode is all about Everyday Carry, aka EDC.  The idea and ethos as well as the community that's grown up around EDC is all based on curating and being mindful of the tools, gear, and gadgets we interact with and use every day.  In this episode, we'll cover some of the various categories of gear that falls into the EDC world (such as bottle openers, flashlights, pens, wallets, etc) as well as review of the better and lesser-known makers who are creating some amazing creations today that are affordable and accessible.

For this week's episode, we uncover the world of neo-vintage Jaeger-LeCoultre limited-edition watches.  The early 1990's all the way through the mid-2000's was an amazing time for JLC watches with groundbreaking Reverso designs and movements as well as new benchmarks in enamel work and wood marquetry.  This episode also acts as an experiment with Spotify's new video-format podcast.  Which means if you listen to the podcast on Spotify you can see accompany video as we go through all the rich watch content.  If you listen to the podcast through other platforms, fear not, as you can follow along with slides posted on the show notes page at www.TheGrumpyCollector.com!

Join the grump as we review the vast world of rocks and mineral collecting, where to get inspiration, tips for building a collection, and explore adjacent topics like their mystic and non-traditional healing uses and various collecting strategies including getting out there yourself!  We'll wrap up with the related topic of gold prospecting!

While autumn for most people means falling leaves, crisp air, and pumpkin spice everything, for watch collectors it means it's time for Geneva Fall Watch Auctions!  We cover all the major watch auctions that have taken place in the last 10 days including two charity watch auctions, The Pink Dial Project and Only Watch as well as major watch auctions by Phillips, Antiquorum, and Christies!  Get the Grump's take on which watches were bargains and which watches were busts in this super-sized episode.  Discover what today's auction prices mean for the health of the watch market for both new and vintage.

What does it takes to be a superior coffee mug?  In this battle royale we assess the merits of 10 different mugs from the humble NYC diner mug by Fishs Eddy all the way to mugs and cups by PKK Ceramics, East Fork Pottery, Haand, Willowvane, Best Made, Granby Workshop, Object-Matter "O-M" and others!!!  What's the current "hype mug" of 2021 aka #TheMug and does it deserve all the hype?  Which mugs are worth the price and which are not even worthy to hold your morning brew regardless of cost!  You'll never look at a coffee mug the same way ever again!

In this inaugural episode we baseline our expectations and goals for the podcast and then dive head first into Grand Seiko, the fastest growing luxury watch brand in the US.  What's attributed to their meteoric rise, what will it take for them to continue to grow, and why do collectors love their watches so much?  Troy, the "grump" reviews a few in his collection, what first attracted him to the brand, and some mistakes he feels Grand Seiko has made along the way.