Time 2 Calibrate

• Episode 33: Our 1st retailer, Sam Messiha from gem Bijou

  Bob's ex-employer drops by to sit in the hot seat. In all seriousness, we had a great conversation with one of Canada's leading watch retailers. We've spoken with media personalities, collectors, brand representatives, brand owners, and designers, but never with a retailer before. It was about time we had someone on the other side of the watch counter. You'll really enjoy this conversation.  Gem Bijou website: https://gembijou.com/ Sam's watch: https://monochrome-watches.com/tudor-black-bay-black-bezel-red-triangle-79220n-exclusive-review-live-photos-specs-price/ Brent's right wrist: https://www.rzewatches.com/collections/utd/products/utd-8000-gr Brent's left wrist: https://www.omegawatches.com/fr-ca/watch-omega-seamaster-diver-300m-co-axial-master-chronometer-42-mm-21030422001010 Marc's watch: https://sherpawatches.com/ultradive-moon_and_sun/ Bob's watch: https://www.casio.com/ca-en/watches/gshock/product.DW-5600BCE-1/ Our Discord Community: https://discord.gg/3pfhUFPYFD 00:14 – Introduction 01:04 – Wrist Checks 05:41 – Sam’s all-time favorite employee 11:16 – How it all began 13:45 – Carrying the watches collectors want 15:45 – How Sam’s heritage shaped his perspective 17:21 – Sam’s destiny in the watch/jewelry business 19:27 – Going the extra mile, events, shows, etc. 20:56 – Travels in the watch business 22:47 – Gem Bijou’s competitive advantage 26:32 – Building relationships with brands 28:52 – Gem Bijou’s newest brand, Montblanc 30:59 – Cool customer stories 38:00 – What are people buying right now? 41:42 – Keeping the right products in stock 44:31 – Balancing bloops & beeps vs. brick & mortar 45:53 – Online marketing and social media 48:04 – How Sean came into the picture (the retail version of Marc) 50:30 – New brands Sam is working with 53:31 – Dream brand to bring into Gem Bijou (apart from Isotope) 57:32 – Proudest decision or pivot that helped his business 59:57 – Gem Bijou pre-owned watches 1:02:07 – All about Sam’s 1959 Omega Speedmaster 1:04:43 – Advice for new retailers 1:08:12 – What would Sam be doing instead of retailing 1:08:52 – How Sam measures success 1:12:52 – How Sam deals with PIA customers like Marc 1:15:49 – Thank yous and goodbyes 1:16:55 – T2C OUT!

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• Episode 32: Toronto Weekend Recap (They're such a good person!)

  This is our annual recap of the Toronto Timepiece Show, which this year also included the Timepiece World Awards and the TGN/Marathon party. We had a wonderful time. Although we are tired, if asked, we would gladly do it all over again next weekend. Brent's Hanhart 215 ES: https://www.hanhart.com/en/product/415-es-reverse-panda-39-mm/ Bob's Isotope Mercury Shadow: https://isotopewatches.com/products/isotope-mercury-shadow Marc's Isotope Moonshot Chrono: https://isotopewatches.com/products/chronograph-moonshot-terra-maris Timepiece Show website: https://www.timepieceshow.com/ Timepiece World Journal website: https://www.timepieceworld.com/ Our community discord: https://discord.gg/3pfhUFPYFD 00:14 – Intro 00:52 – Wrist checks 03:36 – Favorite moments at the Toronto Timepiece Show 09:50 – Top picks at the show 20:42 – The feeling after the show 27:36 – Stories about the watchfam 36:02 – Standout peeps we met 43:25 – About the Timepiece World Awards 52:23 – Surprise winners 59:12 – The famous TGN/Marathon party 1:09:30 – What we’d like to see next 1:15:50 – Cool watches on collectors’ wrists 1:20:25 – Thank yous & goodbyes 1:21:07 – T2C OUT!

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• Episode 31: Jason Hutton returns... for the forth time!

  Jason is back once again, making him our very first four-time guest and our only repeat guest overall! Today, we're discussing the upcoming Toronto Timepiece Show and the inaugural Timepiece World Awards, of which he is the producer. Jason also has a special announcement to make, so be sure to listen until the end to catch it. We always enjoy having Jason on the show and look forward to welcoming him back again soon! Timepiece Show: https://www.timepieceshow.com/ Timepiece World: https://www.timepieceworld.com/ T2C Discord Community: https://discord.gg/3pfhUFPYFD 00:12 – Introduction 01:04 – Wrist checks 04:59 – How doesn’t it feel being our first 4-peat guest? 06:43 – About the new venue at this year’s Toronto Timepiece Show 09:34 – More shows = more easy? 11:11 – Handling the unexpected 14:21 – What’s new for the shows? 16:49 – Visiting other shows/networking 19:09 – Getting the most out of the shows 23:26 – Capping the number of brands 25:12 – Jason’s thoughts on concurrent events 27:02 – Concurrent shows are not pirates 30:48 – What has Jason learned so far 34:44 – What could have been done differently this year 36:27 – All about the awards show & where to watch 41:46 – Looking forward to the 2026 Awards Show 45:36 – Es-tu Mr. Timepiece? 46:56 – The big announcement! 49:43 – Any brand commitments for the new Show? 50:43 – Local retailers participation 42:09 – Watch releases timed with the events 53:29 – What’s next? Anything left in the tank? 57:24 – Most rewarding element of doing all these shows 59:27 – Thank yous and goodbyes 1:00:11 – T2C OUT! Robin Williams on Who's line is it anyway: https://dai.ly/x5sbwhf

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• Episode 30: The one with Jose Cermeno

  If you're not familiar with Jose's watches, we highly recommend visiting his website (link below) to follow along more closely as we delve into his creations. Jose is a passionate, charming, friendly, and knowledgeable individual. We are proud to have him with us and to showcase another remarkable young Canadian watchmaker. We hope you enjoy the show! Jose Cermeno Watches: https://www.josecermeno.com/ Our Discord Community: https://discord.gg/3pfhUFPYFD 00:15 – Introduction 01:02 – Wrist checks 07:15 – About Jose Cermeno 07:56 – Going to watchmaking school in Switzerland 13:00 – Parental pride 14:27 – How did his internships influence his designs 17:56 – Jose’s special Tudor 21:08 – Watchmaking – in front vs. behind the bench 23:06 – How being a valet influenced his designs 25:09 – Initial challenges of starting his brand 28:31 – How many ouchies did it take to get started 29:27 – Jose’s dexterity working with leather 36:29 – Leather in the long run 39:58 – Balancing details and simplicity 46:20 – Coming back after a 6-year hiatus 54:44 – Future models, to leather or not to leather… 58:07 – Scale up or not to scale up... 1:01:50 – James Fournier’s UN Torpilleur story – THANK YOU RIKKI 1:03:05 – Jose’s other watches and what he’d like to own 1:07:06 – Future complications for Jose Cermeno watches 1:13:40 – Balancing price vs. exclusivity vs. quality 1:15:34 – Reject rate for dials 1:17:38 – Working the threads through his dial blanks 1:19:36 – Advice for aspiring watchmakers/brand owners 1:22:17 – Brands that inspire Jose 1:30:34 – Creating brand awareness and watch reviews 1:33:28 – Form over function or vice-versa 1:34:51 – Accidents are the mother of invention 01:39:02 – Thank yous and Goodbyes 01:39:48 – T2C OUT! 01:39:50 – But wait, there’s more…

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• Episode 29: The one with Marathon's Mitchell Wein

  Brent and Marc sit down with Mitchell Wein, the President of Marathon Watch Company, a proudly Canadian brand known for producing highly durable watches for militaries worldwide, as well as for civilian collectors. This episode is a bit lengthy, but trust me, by the end, you’ll wish it were even longer. What an amazing gentleman! You can find Marathon Watches here: https://www.marathonwatch.com/ And the T2C Discord community can be found here: https://discord.gg/3pfhUFPYFD 00:12 – Introduction 00:43 – Wrist Checks 08:47 – Mitchell’s Bio 13:57 – Wisdom through the generations 18:00 – Selling to civilians, what started it 31:06 – Is Marathon still mostly government procurement? 35:17 – Pivotal moments or breakthroughs 41:45 – What would Grandpa Wein think of Marathon today? 46:22 – Being a good human, great advice from Mitchell 50:30 – What about them dressy vintage Marathons? 59:54 – How varying currencies can erode margins 1:03:36 – Old car jokes 1:05:26 – Playing the long game 1:15:12 – About winning the U.S. Best Value Bronze Medal 1:21:17 – Raiding Mitch’s drawers part One 1:25:44 – Continuous improvements, even those you don’t see 1:33:16 – Why traditional watches are still needed in modern warfare 1:36:17 – Material or tech restraints for government contracts 1:37:17 – The Jeep collab, where, what, when, how? 1:40:34 – What else does Marathon make? 1:45:39 – Raiding Mitch’s drawers part Deux 1:53:02 – Interacting with civilian collectors 1:55:16 – Special word from Milspec “Watch” Group 1:57:16 – Thank yous and Goodbyes 1:57:55 – T2C OUT!  

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