Introduction to Collector's Gene Radio
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Speaker
Which is the remarkable thing about Joran. They're really known for their dials. Yeah. But you get an idea of this collection. I'm not a guy that goes through the technological advantages or disadvantages of each caliber. I don't give a shit about that.
00:00:12
Speaker
What I care about is, is the dial unique? Is it a beautiful piece? Does it start a conversation? And these watches do all of that and more. What's going on, everybody? And welcome to Collector's Gene Radio.
00:00:25
Speaker
This is all about diving into the nuances of collecting and ultimately finding out whether or not our guests have what we like to call the collector's gene. If you have the time, please subscribe and leave a review.
Exploring the Unique Atmosphere of F.P. Journe Boutique in Miami
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Speaker
It truly helps. Thanks a bunch for listening and please enjoy today's guest on collector's gene radio.
00:00:45
Speaker
Welcome back to Collector's Gym Radio. We are having a very special episode today. We're in Miami at the F.P. Journe Boutique. And if you didn't notice, I have an extremely special guest with me, Kevin O'Leary, aka Mr. Wonderful. Welcome back to the channel.
00:00:58
Speaker
Thank you so much. We're in an iconic boutique for F.P. Journe, the Miami Boutique. This is sheer legend in here. The design of this place and the the watches that have come through here, the collectors that gather here.
Kevin O'Leary on Unique Dial Designs in His Collection
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Speaker
It's a classic situation because There are no watches to buy here. It's true. But it oozes watches. It certainly does. And we have someone to help us out to talk about all this. Pierre, head of America's for F.P. Joran.
00:01:22
Speaker
So let's get into it.
00:01:27
Speaker
Kevin brought an insane collection of Jorans that we have to talk about. um Kevin, where do you want to start? Because there's so much to take in here. You know, it's, I think we're back to the pieces that I, uh,
00:01:40
Speaker
really grabbed me. And it's funny, always thought the Elegant, which was traditionally the entry level of Journe, I think originally it's 15 or 17,000, right? No, 17,000. Yeah. Even 14,000, I think. Yeah. yeah And so um it was one of my first pieces and I really loved it. And i and i i when I look at my collection, there's there's a couple of pieces I wear a lot.
00:02:02
Speaker
And it's the chronometer bleu, as some people call the Putin watch, because the rumor is he has it, ah and the elegance.
00:02:13
Speaker
You know, when I'm grabbing, I mean, I love them all. They're all like my children. And I've got some incredible pieces here. But the key to this is look at how different the dials are. Yeah. Look at how the dials are all different, and yet they all have some common element. Right. but You can tell that they're all cousins.
00:02:30
Speaker
Yes. They're all from the same family. And I think that's what's remarkable about Jure. Now, this piece, this is a Chanel called The Boyfriend. I put it in there um because the dial was fired at the Jure and Dial Factory. See, it's
The Importance of Chronometry and Precision in Watches
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Speaker
the only one in the world. was made by Chanel. It was a charity auction. I purchased it.
00:02:47
Speaker
But it's funny because I showed it to FP in Geneva just a few weeks ago and watches a wonder and he remembers it. He remembers how difficult it was to make that dial because it's hand-painted enamel with little dots, which is the remarkable thing about Joran.
00:03:02
Speaker
They're really known for their dials. But you get an idea of this collection. I'm not a guy that goes through the technological advantages or disadvantages of each choice caliber. I don't give a shit about that. What I care about is, is the dial unique? Is it a beautiful piece? Does it start a conversation?
00:03:18
Speaker
And, you know, all, and these watches do all of that and more. Whenever I watch where any of these pieces, I mean, technically they're all different in some way or another, but some guys love to get into, you know, the reserve power,
00:03:34
Speaker
I don't give a shit about any of that. Yeah. To me, it's... I wouldn't go into this. I wouldn't go into the size of this crew like in 2003 and all that for me, don't understand. But to to understand the essence, it's only about the chronometry.
00:03:47
Speaker
The watch has to be precise. I'll show you one watch here that is the exception and then we're going to talk about this. So it's all about this. Now, obviously, it's a dinosaur. Who cares about chronometry and precision of time when you have your telephone?
What Makes F.P. Journe Watches Unique?
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Speaker
But this is what he's trying to do. This going back to Abraham Le Breguet, Georges Daniels, you know, these these mentors, you know, all the Lépine and Bertoux that he has as his ah idols. and This is what it's about. if you know what the but If you're not really ticked by chronometry, maybe you shouldn't buy journal. Sure.
00:04:16
Speaker
Because that's what it's about. especially on the chronomètre souverain, optimum, and resonance, the three chronometers that we have. that's you like This is the optimum here, which is the black-labeled version. This is the resonance, and this is basically the chronomètre souverain. So you have an automat automatic in the middle, but the rest here is what we call the trilogy. sure Well, I think what's which's interesting, you know, a lot of people that are watching, going to be watching this are not into watches at all, right? They they appreciate it, but they don't know a lot of times anything about watches. They like ours. But they like something they like. I mean, this yeah there's, you know, I have many, many boxes showing this with many watches in them, but there's nothing quite like this when you display the art artistry of these dials. Yeah.
00:04:56
Speaker
Well, I think what's what's always fun is, you know, Jorn's entry-level piece, if you will, is an elegant. And when you explain to people, but imaginen but when you explain to people, it's not just a quartz.
00:05:10
Speaker
But when you explain to, when I explain to people rather, I have a lot of friends who don't care about watches, but when I explain to them, you know, this is why it's this, or this is why it's this shape, or this is why it has this movement. But when I explain to them how the elegant works, their minds are absolutely
Kevin's Journey into the F.P. Journe Society
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Speaker
And I think it's such an interesting topic because it gets people that are really not into watches It kind of enters them in, it kind of ushers them in, in this way of like, wait, you're saying I could set this on my nightstand and wake up and it's going to change the time. when We met originally, right?
00:05:39
Speaker
so Yeah. thought My wife has one and she loves it because she never has to worry about whining it or anything. She goes through all the time. She says, it always has the right time on it. That's all she cares about. It was a great idea. Yeah.
00:05:51
Speaker
Now, Kevin, you started with the Tokyo, and I mean, the legend has it that you bought four watches at once, and... Well, that's it's true. um and I was so... I fell in love so much with the Jorn Society because I met Brad Schwartz that night and some very eclectic, crazy people.
00:06:09
Speaker
And, you know, the fellow in there in the UAE who told me, you're going to have a really good time, he was right. And so I said to Brad, how do I get into society? said, you can't. You've got to have at least... Three?
00:06:20
Speaker
I think it's two. Two. But very back now it's three. That's a baby. Yeah. So, it's my wife, Linda. Honey, I'm going to call you right back. I'm going to call you right back.
Challenges and Stories in Acquiring Rare Watches
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Speaker
You know, it's... ah She was calling to see if she could get a journe. Yeah, was probably asking the other elegant. Should we build wife? And and i I sat down with, ah I wanted, I can't remember, like ah we had a discussion in New York and we ended up in Miami, I think.
00:06:49
Speaker
Azuma. Right here. Azuma. And I think you believed me when I said I was passionate. and and oh that that then ah We had discussions before. So that was the so so what happened?
00:07:00
Speaker
So yes, he does buy ah all his watches, but there there was the price money, which was a CTT. The top of the New York. So so the the issue that we had about this is that you don't qualify.
00:07:13
Speaker
because You don't own your journey, son, because you buy like, you could buy 20 now. That doesn't make a difference. You cannot qualify. You don't have the history. So we we bargaining and bargaining. And one time he said, you're going to send me this watch because of your son.
00:07:26
Speaker
That's right. What are you talking about? So I don't know if Kevin is a good salesperson, he's a very good buy-in person. He gave me the reason that I would basically say, what do you mean? said, you told me that your son at Babson.
00:07:39
Speaker
And if I can acquire this watch, obviously not give, it we don't give anything, but if I can acquire this watch, I will do a speech at Babson in order for your son. He's George. Yeah.
00:07:50
Speaker
That's it. and I mean, I know he's already a passionate, I know who he was. So he had to take all these boxes. Then the pandemic hit, we had to wait two years. And then I did the keynote. I thought it was very successful. It was amazing. And then I had my second son over there. So now we had my two sons and he did come and he, every time he said, as soon as the pandemic is over, we'll talk to Nancy and we'll organize this. And we did. And we had a great time about entrepreneurship. And by then I had many other journeys.
00:08:13
Speaker
But that's true. it like it it's Sometimes it's just serendipitous lock on how things... So people in New York, the people that got it or didn't get it, was yelling at me or yelling at my staff over there. Tell them the truth.
F.P. Journe's Customer Philosophy
00:08:24
Speaker
yeah Because of myself, what would you have done? we Now you're a father. Okay, so what would you have done? Of course your son. yeah i mean, I'm not going to sell the son to a guy that's going to flip it. right Don't get me wrong. But if if I know that you're going to be okay, yes, I'm going to push it in for this. you know if That's okay. I don't need more speeches. And perhaps son, they left, so I don't need another one.
00:08:42
Speaker
Well, no, ah I think that story, you know, doesn't get told enough in the right light of, you know, because you're you're talking about this stuff and you mentioned, like, I bought four lines. It's about and money. It really wasn't. And I think that's what I want to imagine. So sit to Pierre.
00:08:57
Speaker
Walk me through the calibers. What should I collect? Correct. but Where should I go? and But I love the blue. I love... And there was one available. Yeah. but And that piece, I mean, I've been all over the world with that piece.
00:09:09
Speaker
People go crazy for the blue. They go out of their friggin' minds. It's the simplest style. Yeah. I mean... There's one thing we didn't talk about ah because i know a lot of ah other companies, especially did this, now it's a bit more complicated for them, but you say, oh, you have to buy this, this, this to buy that.
00:09:27
Speaker
Oh, that's bullshit. We yeah never did this in our lives. And then on top of it, kind of laughing right now because you say, okay, if we were to do this, we don't have this. We don't have this, we don't have this, and we don't have that. So I don't know how i'm going to start to sell in these three before you get that.
00:09:41
Speaker
The only reason why sometimes ah we need to know the history, like for example, a black label like this one, you come in, you want a black label, not possible. right You need to be a known entity and supporting the boutique for quite a while before you can even have one. sure So yes, you need to buy this, the whatever. If you don't want to buy anything, don't buy anything. We're not we're not pushing you.
00:10:01
Speaker
And it's not easy to get anything else. And also, if there's a progression, if you like, some people would start with a resonance. Now, sometimes we say, you shouldn't start with a resonance. But if the guy is like that level at the like Decfili, Vacherot, all this, and it only has high complications, do I start with an elegant?
00:10:19
Speaker
Yeah. No. Right. That we have to compose. That's what
The Allure of F.P. Journe's Blue
00:10:23
Speaker
depends the relationship we have. A lot of the guys I met at Journe joen in the First Society were very hardcore Patek guys.
00:10:29
Speaker
Absolutely. They had drifted. They were company. They were in company. Not too long, yeah. And it's it's I have a lot of Pateks too. And I love Pateks. I mean, I like all watches, but Journe is a different kind of... They're all different, but Journe is something else and it's hard to put your finger on it. Yeah.
00:10:46
Speaker
But that's why... have to experience it. Yeah. 100%. hundred precise Well, I think, you know, I'm looking at your collection here and we talked about this story of buying the four watches at once. And, you know, we talked about the investment side of things, but it's true that you are a collector. I mean, you can look at this collection and understand that you're a collector. I mean, to to get a vertical tourbillon and put a ah red K on it is is something else. And it's so you and it's so yours.
00:11:09
Speaker
know But I have to tell you something. I have no idea what I paid for these pieces. And that doesn't mean i don't care. It's just that's not why I bought them. Well, and I think that debunks a thing that a lot of people think about the reason that you collect is this money thing because, sure, you you talk about stocks a lot. I'm never going to sell it.
00:11:27
Speaker
I'm never going to sell it. So it's it's really not that. It's does it fit? Is it a new dial? Does it start a conversation? And for me, the journe is the journe. I mean, you know...
00:11:37
Speaker
I'm lucky to get one or two pieces a year. Where's your second? I don't Maybe only one this year. Well, it's only one. But you know, we have a maximum per one. and one perpoke Maximum. So people ask me, so I didn't get mine. I said, no, it's maximum one. Because if I do for everyone that I know one, don't have the top words.
00:11:52
Speaker
And then there's always a joke. said, the care I need one. I said, listen, if you want, come back tomorrow. I'm going use my hammer and my screwdriver. I'm going to make you one. On top this, it's going to be unique in the world. And it's going to say Tag Heuer. It's not like I don't want to say to you. It's like, I don't have it.
00:12:05
Speaker
so So stop harassing me. I don't have don't have it. Right. I don't, I've never, I know i don't obviously harass, but my point is a journe, a collection like this is pretty rare. Yeah. It's pretty rare. I mean, black label, 60. Yeah. not like it happened over. No, it didn't happen overnight, but it's also when I, I always open the journe for, usually I'm going to wear
Unique Watches as Conversation Starters
00:12:25
Speaker
during the day because I wear six there's always a journe in there somewhere sure but when I'm I just find in certain seasons I'm drifting into different looks it's it's really amazing it's amazing well I think what's in that vertical tourbillon take that out for dinner sometimes people go crazy look at that yeah that's a that's a crazy piece just a spectacular it's a crazy piece it's just beautiful Yeah, i was I was wearing that on a flight to Dubai and the and I was waiting in the lounge to go on the plane. Here in Miami actually, maybe it was in New York, and a woman comes up to me and says, what is that monstrosity on your wrist?
00:13:03
Speaker
How do you tell the time with that? and said, don't, it's the same story. that guess as It doesn't matter. doesn't have the right time on it. and And she said, well, what is it? I said, what it is, is a conversation starter. You came over, you walked all the way over here with that little cheese ball in your hand to ask me about this one.
00:13:20
Speaker
And for those reasons, I'm out. It's a true story. yeah so That's great. I love it. Well, Kevin, this collection amazing. absolute madness. I can't wait to see what you have on the way. And I know Pierre brought some really special things. But before we wrap this up, is there another watching here that you want to talk about that that is just, you find to be ah such a culmination of everything that you love about Joran?
00:13:39
Speaker
I think it has to be the Tokyo. I don't even hesitate. Yeah, these two guys right here Well, the Tokyo is... Well, there were Tokyo. Yes. But this is called, we we call that we need the Tokyo Chrono. Well, the Tokyo, yeah. It's not rough, so yes. yeah I'm not a crazy guy but on the Tokyo series. This one I had to go because it looks vintage. yeah It looks smaller than what it is. I mean, when you think about all the colors on here, you would never put these colors on a palette and say, this is going to work, and it works so well. works.
00:14:04
Speaker
Yeah. It's a lot more. You have to remember, François Poir has a very good eye. I mean, you look at all the boutiques, François Poir did all these boutiques. Sure. If you take one shot of the boutique, everything here has been decided by. Micro-manage. We have pictured this column because it was great. I don't like it. What do we do? Everything.
00:14:18
Speaker
So this is a true ah macro-management story. Yeah. By the way, these two Tokyos are the rarest other than the piece unique. No. No. Number six, New York. Number six, New York.
00:14:30
Speaker
We it in the total of the 80s, Tenko Boutique. So, I'm not saying after that. Yeah. Yeah. mean, that's pretty rare. No, no, it is rare. I mean, everything jean is rare. There's no thing with all the mass production, but in terms of the Tokyo, I think the duke the the one, there was one resonance was like 12 and then Chronosurant was 21 back when. Yeah.
00:14:49
Speaker
Well, I consider that a piece unique. There's not going to be another red K on it for a while, I don't think. No, at least there shouldn't be. Yeah, I thought it shouldn't be. But i look, it it is. They're all fantastic. yeah I mean, you know. Thank you for bringing him here. yeah um they're They're all special in their own way.
Kevin's Favorite Pieces and Their Unique Appeal
00:15:04
Speaker
So individualistic, but like we said, all part of the same family. And I know Pierre has some crazy stuff that he wants to show all. Let us know Pierre's Cruiser stuff. Let's see we got. So all the way I'm going to show you, i don't own them.
00:15:15
Speaker
My trust owns them now. These are the actually eight watches that belong now to my kids and my wife. Something happens. All right, so here you have what we call the brass collection. Réserve de marche, lune, chronograph, calendrier, resonance, tourbillon.
00:15:32
Speaker
All these... are in brass movement. All these bear the number 100. There are only two sets left in the world. One is located in Chicago, set number 1000, and set number 100.
00:15:44
Speaker
The set 1000 is spectacular because it's a set ah that was done all like this because our DNA at that time was black and yellow. Mine was acquired through, took me 22 years to do this.
00:15:56
Speaker
the These two, my father purchased at the beginning, had no money. say All the money was staying in the company. Then I bought these three after, when my father was still alive. And this one I discovered about three years ago. So just a- What's the deal on the Celigar?
00:16:11
Speaker
ah this house. This is the Vagabondage. So then you have the set of brass. There's only six different calibres, so you're going to have a seventh one. So that's why this one was very important for me to acquire. Then I brought this Vagabondage. It's called the Vagabondage I. Now at that time was called the Vagabondage. Vagabondage is a central escapable with a disc that basically jumps and turns at 12.
00:16:34
Speaker
at at the ah twelve And these are 38 millimeters? Well, I don't know how you calculate it, the shape. I mean, it is a smaller watch. This one came out, I think, 2005. For so far, it did a limited edition of three pieces, all for Charlie. I think it was the 150th anniversary of the Red Cross.
00:16:50
Speaker
And it was a yellow gold, which he never does, white gold, which he never does, only once in his life, and then a it was gold. So that was all. I was there with Gillo, his ex-partner that unfortunately passed away.
00:17:02
Speaker
I said, you have to do something for the collectors. You can't just do this sure and then do that. The origin of this is the movement existed before and he offered it to Karkier back in the because it was too complicated for us.
00:17:15
Speaker
So he had in the drawer. He said, well, let's do something with it. François-Préis has a lot of things on his drawers. I would love one day to sit down with him. They never had time to go through his drawers. He had no idea ah the the the wealth of things that he has, sometimes finished, sometimes not finished.
00:17:28
Speaker
So he said, after long discussions, a lot of wine, lot of bargaining, said, okay, I'll do it. But it is not a precise watch. It is not the future of things to come.
00:17:40
Speaker
Therefore, and it's not accurate because it's a disc. The disc cannot be accurate, you know, compared to a hand that's light, the whole disc is. It cannot bear my name. doesn't say it's pigeon here. clearly It's not an intrusion.
00:17:51
Speaker
No kidding. It makes it even more valuable. The mention of its reverse marketing, like you have no idea. up No pictures taken, no press release, release
Pierre Showcases Rare Watches
00:17:59
Speaker
nothing. We have nothing to to work with. And then there's only, on the second ah catalog, can't remember which year, 2006, I think, there's page 15 on the way bottom on the right, a little drawing of the vagabond. I said, like, yes, I recognize it.
00:18:12
Speaker
It says the pigeon on the back, so it's not a fake one. But this is the true journe in a sense that If it's not precise, it's not a rule. So don't buy it. Iqlans have been sold in auction.
00:18:23
Speaker
Absolutely. They have, yeah. So this one was the first one, and then we never thought about the second one. And then he came up with a V2, which is now a jump ah minute, and then we have the jump second. So that's the end. This is the original.
00:18:36
Speaker
And I think, didn't 1916 auction some of these at some point? Well, very possible. We made 70 of these 16-ninders. I remember George telling me about how how how well that sold. That was crazy.
00:18:49
Speaker
piece There's another one, which don't know if I have picture here, the Francisco Coppola, handwatch. Sure. if you notice it, sure no name drone. It's not precise. I mean, just imagine the friction, the movement, the weight.
00:18:59
Speaker
It's not possible. It's not the true drone. I mean, just imagine. And then I want to show you this one, which is basically the grail. This is a fantastic watch. It's called the T30.
00:19:10
Speaker
It is to celebrate the 30th anniversary of François Paul making watches, which is not the date of the creation of the company, 1999. We're talking about 1982. The guy's been making watches for 50 years.
00:19:21
Speaker
the The first one was a pocket watch about this big with a tour meal, regular numerals, Roman numerals, things that he doesn't do anymore. When he was working for his uncle, right? Yeah, it was working for his uncle. It took him five years to complete his pocket watch because he was to work at night and the weekends. In the day, had to work for his uncle, Michel, so he couldn't do it.
00:19:40
Speaker
So it took a long time. I remember when we launched I think 2012, I can't remember the years. I was in my farm upstate New York and Francois called me middle of the office and said, Can you squeeze your margins on the T30?
00:19:52
Speaker
I said, sure. I already squeezed mine, but what's what's the deal? i said, verbatim, obviously in French, I'm translating, but verbatim, he said, sometimes you talk from your heart, sometimes you talk from your wallet.
00:20:02
Speaker
This is a hard watch. This is the first application watch. Because without collectors that bought us all the way to 2012, we would not be here. So it was a gift, and we put a price at 99,000 for a limited edition of a movement that we never make again.
00:20:17
Speaker
Just imagine. The thing is, when you look at the movement, and this is Troujón, he said, look, it looks exactly the same as the pocket watch. it Do you think inside is the same?
00:20:30
Speaker
After 30 years of mistake, I'm going to make other mistakes. i'm not make the same ones. So it looks unbelievable. The same as the pocket watch. He said inside, is not at all.
00:20:42
Speaker
Unbelievable. Yeah, that's great. And then you have Hunter's case with a serial number. and Mine is number eight. These DSH back. the guilloche back and then silver and gold. So the, the, the, maybe we we're romancing it, but we said he couldn't do all gold on the first one because didn't happened enough money to buy all gold. So he had to buy silver and gold to minimize the price. That's spectacular. And so note that the pocket watch was never sold. He still owns it. We actually did once in New York and ah right after the exhibit, but we showed this one, the tourbillon that the number one wristwatch in 91 and also the pocket watch.
00:21:15
Speaker
We had the three together and it was so, anxious, so nervous, they say, if we lose them, I'm finished. So they never leave the manufacturer after that. It's pretty, it's fine. You know, it's fine. You'll never hold another one in your hand. No, I mean, the Hunter's case back too. And you know, the case is little oxidized, which I like it this way, you know.
Legacy and Preservation of Watch Collections
00:21:35
Speaker
yeah I mean, you you you see this engine turning of on items like old 1960s Hermes pieces that they used to do for the home and all these things they used to do, these you know engine turn pieces you know from Revenant and Fair and all these people. And it's just such of the time that you see that. The great thing about these watches, I can tell you each and every watch a story.
00:21:57
Speaker
that you don't care about, I care about. yeah There's an emotion in each of these words. If I selected these eight and to give it to my kids, and then I told them, you know, who to contact if ah if something happens, obviously, Francois Paul, Paul Boutros and William Massena. Those are the three people you have to contact, ah you know, because what are you going to do with this?
00:22:14
Speaker
And what I'm asking my kids is that set of 100, if, of course, if you break it, you're going to make more money. That's why the old de auction has to do it. In my memory, don't do it. don't Let's try to keep that set intact for another generation.
00:22:27
Speaker
After that, that's all I- This would this would it be sold and intact. It would be a crazy auction. Yes. Well, they said number one was only five worth of them. It number one. So that was- It would be a crazy thing. It was $12 million. dollars Well, the good thing for you is that Paul Boutros may stop calling you and start calling it like now. Yeah, because... For me.
00:22:45
Speaker
Yeah, it but And Phillips is probably the right guys to do this, save such a history. what you were You're talking about Paul Boutros, that was part of the Winnie. We're talking about watch clubs and communities. The first one was the Watch Enthusiast New York.
00:22:58
Speaker
Sure. Paul was part of it. So is William Massena. A lot of the Zool collectors, Felipe, Jordau, all these were part of the Winnie. The first Winnie club that I knew about was New York. Sure. So, there is things. And Paul Boutros is an early collector back from the early 2000s. He's also major guy at the New York Choreologic Society. Cern launches a... Absolutely.
00:23:17
Speaker
The HSNY, yeah. Very interesting. They just had their gala as the the largest ever, ever, ever. It just shows you there's such an interest now, the renaissance of of mechanical watches in Cern's. They're doing a fantastic ah and job at the HSNY. Next year is their 160th anniversary.
00:23:35
Speaker
160th anniversary in America. You may know the association that is no older than this. No, no, no. They have the largest watch library books in the world. Amazing. All right. Guys, there you have it. Thanks so much again for coming on Collector's Dream Radio.
00:23:46
Speaker
Today was really, really special. Thank you both for sending me down. I think we should. said i I don't see why we don't. White wine, we're not savages. We're not savages.
00:23:57
Speaker
All right, that does it for this episode. Thank you all for listening to Collector's Gene Radio.