Series 2: The Insiders

THE Insiders…

After the success of The Story, Watches & Politics evolved into something larger: a long-form interview series exploring the people shaping horology from the inside. The Insiders brings together collectors, historians, scholars, executives, journalists, auction specialists, independent watchmakers, retailers, economists, curators, and cultural voices to examine how watches influence power, legitimacy, identity, memory, and global culture today.

Hosted by political scientist and horology enthusiast Edi Shipoli, the series moves beyond traditional watch interviews and product discussions. These are conversations about influence, globalization, institutional memory, collecting, craftsmanship, media, diplomacy, and the politics of luxury itself. Each guest offers a different lens into the modern watch ecosystem: how heritage is constructed, how markets create legitimacy, how auctions shape cultural value, how collectors influence brands, and how independent makers challenge industrial structures.

Across the series, listeners encounter leading figures from auction houses, independent manufactures, collector communities, academia, intelligence and diplomatic backgrounds, media platforms, and the global luxury industry. Some episodes focus on military history and espionage. Others explore economics, scholarship, digital communities, vintage collecting, globalization, sustainability, soft power, or the future of independent watchmaking.

At its core, The Insiders argues something simple but powerful:
mechanical watches survived not because they remained necessary tools, but because they became carriers of meaning.

And wherever meaning, prestige, memory, access, and identity intersect — politics is never far away.

Featured Voices in the Series

Historians, Scholars & Economists - Experts who explore how industrialization, capitalism, marketing, and standardized time transformed modern society and reshaped global horology.

Brand Leaders & Independent Watchmaking - Executives and founders who discuss heritage, succession, globalization, craftsmanship, and the future of independent watchmaking.

Collectors, Dealers & Market Makers - Guests who reveal how collectors, dealers, and private networks shape legitimacy, taste, access, and cultural influence.

Auctions, Data & Community Platforms - Figures from the industry who explain how auctions, analytics, transparency, and collector communities now influence value, prestige, and historical importance.

Media, Books & Horological Knowledge - Voices who explore books, scholarship, long-form thinking, and the preservation of horological memory in the digital age.

Power, Crime, Diplomacy & Statecraft - Guests who bring horology into conversations about intelligence, military culture, illicit networks, diplomacy, secrecy, and political power.

Guest Episodes

• Eric Wind — Founder of Wind Vintage, discussing vintage collecting, auctions, cultural capital, and the rise of neo-vintage watch culture.

• Dr. Brendan M. Cunningham — Economist and author of Selling the Crown, discussing watch brands from Rolex to Seiko, marketing strategy, industrial rivalry, and the politics of watch collecting.

• James Schaaf — Co-founder of CollectorSphere, examining collector communities, intelligence reports, and how organized collectors reshape power dynamics in horology.

• Professor Michael O’Malley — Historian and author of Keeping Watch, exploring railroads, standard time, industrialization, and the political discipline of timekeeping.

• Giovanni Prigigallo — Co-founder of EveryWatch, discussing data transparency, digital platforms, market analytics, and the future of collector influence.

• Zaf Basha — Renowned Jaeger-LeCoultre and military watch scholar, discussing wartime watches, military specifications, vintage collecting, and horological memory.

• Gary Getz — Founder of The Collectors Room, examining collector communities, education, soft power, and digital discourse in modern horology.

• Pierre Biver — Next generation executive of independent watch brand Biver Watches, and former Phillips specialist exploring generational change, auctions, succession, and cultural authority in modern collecting.

• François-Xavier Hotier — President of Ulysse Nardin Americas, examining marine chronometers, naval history, globalization, luxury strategy, and cultural responsibility.

• Nicholas Ferrell — Former intelligence and diplomatic official exploring military Seikos, espionage watches, operational culture, and the politics of secrecy.

• C’Quon “CQ” Gottlieb — Senior Client Advisor at The 1916 Company and co-founder of CP Time Collective, discussing identity, access, representation, and global collector culture.

• Christopher Daaboul — Founder of EsperLuxe, examining scarcity, private markets, relationship capital, and the politics of access in modern collecting.

• Geoffrey Kelly — Former FBI Art Crime Team investigator, discussing luxury goods, illicit networks, cultural property, and watches as portable stores of value.

• Jacopo Corvo — Co-owner of GMT Italia, discussing Italian collector culture, independent watchmaking, heritage revival, and retailer influence.

• Paul Boutros — Head of Watches Americas at Phillips, discussing auctions, provenance, scholarship, cultural legitimacy, and the institutionalization of watch history.

• Michel Nydegger — CEO of Greubel Forsey, exploring restraint, ultra-high horology, succession, governance, and craftsmanship as cultural resistance.

• Mitch Katz — Author of Time on My Hands, exploring collecting as narrative, legitimacy, memory, and personal cultural expression.

• Roman from Fifth Wrist — Independent media voice, exploring books, scholarship, collector education, and the preservation of horological knowledge.

• Halim Trujillo — Founder of Watch Collecting Lifestyle, discussing independent watchmaking, collector-driven media, lifestyle culture, digital influence, and how modern horology balances heritage, aspiration, and authenticity.

Join the Conversation

Whether you are a collector, historian, executive, student of culture, or simply curious about why watches continue to matter in the modern world, The Insiders invites you into the conversations shaping horology today. Watch the interviews, subscribe to the channel, share your thoughts, and become part of a growing global community exploring watches through the lenses of history, politics, craftsmanship, identity, and cultural power. If these conversations resonate with you, support the project by subscribing, commenting, and sharing the series with others who believe watches are never just objects — they are stories about people, influence, and time itself.