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Episodes from HODINKEE Podcasts

The Business of Watches [022] Maxime Couturier And Lorenzo Maillard Of The New Chronopolis Watch Fair

There is already a bevy of alternatives or side venues to the mighty Watches and Wonders, taking place during what's now known as Geneva Watch Week. Maxime Couturier and Lorenzo Maillard expect there's room for one more. They're the guys behind Chronopolis, a new gathering space in downtown Geneva that's promising to give profile to the 20 or so brands participating during what's arguably the most important week of the year for the industry. Armed with a hipster watch enthusiast persona, Couturier, Maillard, and their crew of dealers, collectors, and friends, embody what makes the watch scene cool a...

Apr 1, 2026•45 min

The Business of Watches [021] La Joux-Perret CEO Jean-Claude Eggen

This week on The Business of Watches, we get to the heart of what makes a mechanical or quartz-powered watch tick. Jean-Claude Eggen is the Chief Executive Officer of La Joux-Perret, a Swiss movement manufacturer that's on the rise as it competes with rivals, including Sellita, as a supplier to brands ranging from mainstream mass market players such as TAG Heuer to upstart micro-brands, including Kollokium. Eggen doesn't pull punches when discussing what's driving growth at LJP as he talks prices, movement development, and technology, and how to keep clients coming back. LJP has experienced massive increases in...

Mar 25, 2026•1h 0m

The Business of Watches [020] Doxa CEO Jan Edocs

This week on The Business of Watches, a Swiss brand that resonates with much of the Hodinkee community, Doxa. Founded in Le Locle, Switzerland, and now based in Biel/Bienne, it has more than a century of history and is responsible for designing and producing some of the most iconic dive watches ever built. With links to legendary figures, including Jacques Cousteau and author Clive Cussler, Doxa has served as a case study for how to revive, rebuild, and grow a brand by zeroing in on the best parts of its story while keeping prices approachable at a time...

Mar 18, 2026•1h 13m

The Business of Watches [019] Greubel Forsey CEO Michel Nydegger

This week on The Business of Watches, we're in La Chaux-de-Fonds to talk to the man heading Greubel Forsey, one of the most revered and respected brands in independent watchmaking. The company had been on a recent roll, with Meta CEO and chairman Mark Zuckerberg seen wearing its pricey timepieces and a 'Mechanical Exception' win for its Nano Foudroyante at the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie Genève (a watch also in Zuckerberg's collection). Then news broke that Stephen Forsey, one of the brand's founders, was stepping down from the board, and, in a widely-seen social media post, Forsey said he h...

Mar 11, 2026•1h 10m

The Business of Watches [018] Zenith CEO Benoit De Clerck

This week on The Business of Watches, we talk to the man who runs the brand that makes the mighty El Primero movement. Benoit de Clerck has been in the CEO chair at Zenith Watches for a couple of years now, and that's coincided with a challenging time for the sector and one of the industry's most storied brands, with more than 160 years of history and still located in its original manufacturing location in Le Locle, Switzerland. Under de Clerck's leadership, Zenith is responding to the challenges with a multi-pronged approach. It's throttling production to keep sell-in a...

Mar 4, 2026•51 min

The Business of Watches [017] Oliver Müller, The Man Behind The Numbers For The Morgan Stanley Swiss Watcher Report

This week on The Business of Watches, we go behind the scenes with the man who compiles and crunches the numbers for the Morgan Stanley Swiss Watcher report, the most influential and widely read annual financial league table on the industry. Oliver Müller has been around the sector for some three decades, beginning his career at Omega before executive roles at a series of brands, including Laurent Ferrier, where he served as Chief Executive Officer. He's now a consultant to the industry and has helped shape brand strategy and positioning for the likes of Akrivia and Rexhep Rexhepi, a...

Feb 25, 2026•1h 8m

The Business of Watches [016] Gerald Charles CEO Federico Ziviani Makes The Case For Another Genta-Linked Brand

What's in a name? More specifically, what is a name worth? Gerald Genta, likely the most famous watch designer in history and responsible for conjuring iconic models from the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, the Patek Philippe Nautilus, the IWC Ingenieur, and the Universal Geneve Polerouter, among others, sold his eponymous watch brand and name to what is now Bulgari and LVMH in the early 2000s. Then he started another brand - using his middle name instead of his family name - and that became Gerald Charles. It was sold to the Ziviani family in Italy in 2003, as Genta remained e...

Feb 18, 2026•52 min

The Business of Watches [015] Marathon Watches CEO Mitchell Wein Says He Has To Be Ready For War

This week on The Business of Watches, we head to La Chaux-de-Fonds and sit down with a CEO that running a very different business than most watch brands. Mitchell Wein is the scion of a family that's been in the watch business for more than a century, and the Marathon brand launched back in 1939, supplying timing instruments for the Allied Forces in World War II. Selling watches, stopwatches, and clocks to governments and military organizations is still the bulk of Marathon's business these days. Wein says 80% of the watches they sell, by volume, are for these kinds o...

Feb 11, 2026•1h 23m

The Business of Watches [014] Baume & Mercier CEO Michael Guenoun Talks Strategy On The Eve Of The Brand's Sale By Richemont

On this week's episode of The Business of Watches, a brand that's very much in the news. We're in Meyrin, just outside of Geneva, to talk to the head of Baume & Mercier, the near-200 year old brand that's just been sold by Richemont to Italy's Damiani Group. Michael Guenoun speaks passionately and with conviction about the pressures the brand faces due to the strong Swiss franc, rising costs, and its commitment to remaining in the approachable-priced segment of the watch market. Guenoun highlights the brand's rich history, its model lines, and its strategy for retail, distribution, and p...

Feb 4, 2026•57 min

The Business of Watches [013] Norqain CEO Ben Küffer On The NHL Partnership And The Challenge Of Standing Out In A Crowded Market

On this week's episode of The Business of Watches, we head to Nidau, Switzerland, where we sit down with Ben Küffer, the young Chief Executive Officer of family-owned watch brand Norqain. It's a frank discussion of the challenges of starting a brand and creating a signature watch–the Norqain Wild One–at a time when the industry is crowded with competitors, and it's tough to stand out. We focus on Norqain's unique strategy of recruiting former and current professional athletes as not only brand representatives, but also investors and executives. The big news is Norqain's deal to be the o...

Jan 28, 2026•59 min

The Business of Watches [012] Manuel Emch, The Head Of Louis Erard And 'The Numbers Guy' At Kollokium, On How To Build A Successful Swiss Watch Brand

On this week's episode of The Business of Watches, we wrangled some time with someone who was born into the world of the Swiss watch industry but who has taken an outsider's path to business success. Manuel Emch is the managing director of Louis Erard and also one-third of the radical upstart micro-brand Kollokium. We sat down last year, and Emch outlined his circuitous route and unique approach to building and selling watch brands. But first, Hodinkee Magazine's editorial director Malaika Crawford drops in to give her take on Louis Vuitton's latest novelties and La Fabrique du T...

Jan 21, 2026•1h 25m

The Business of Watches [011] The Head Of Montblanc's Timepieces Division Laurent Lecamp On Minerva, Hairsprings, And What's Next For The Brand

On this week's The Business of Watches, we head to Villeret, Switzerland, and the storied Swiss watchmaker Minerva. The brand, founded in 1858, is truly the jewel within Montblanc's watchmaking division, which itself is part of Swiss luxury conglomerate Richemont. Laurent Lecamp is the man leading Montblanc and Minerva's watchmaking operations, and he sat down with us for a detailed discussion on Minerva and what he's doing to satisfy the clients that he calls "fans" and not customers. Montblanc and Minerva won't be participating in Watches and Wonders this year, and Lecamp outlines the different paths that the brands are t...

Jan 14, 2026•54 min