Series 1: The Story

THE STORY…

The Story is the original limited-series podcast from Watches & Politics — a cinematic exploration of how timekeeping shaped politics, war, diplomacy, globalization, industry, and modern power itself. Hosted by political scientist and horology enthusiast Edi Shipoli, the ten-part series reveals how watches evolved from practical tools into symbols of authority, prestige, identity, and cultural influence. Blending political history, horology, economics, and storytelling, the series uncovers the hidden relationship between mechanical timekeeping and the making of the modern world.

Rather than focusing only on collecting or luxury brands, The Story examines how clocks and watches disciplined labor, coordinated armies, standardized empires, projected soft power, and transformed global culture. From medieval Europe and Calvinist Geneva to World War battlefields, Cold War diplomacy, the Quartz Crisis, and the rise of vintage collecting, each episode reveals a different layer of horological history and political power. Designed for collectors, historians, luxury enthusiasts, and curious listeners alike, the series combines deep research with accessible storytelling and cinematic narration.

Episode Breakdown

• Episode 1 — The Birth of Mechanical Timekeeping: How medieval public clocks became instruments of civic authority, religion, and political identity.

• Episode 2 — Industrial Revolution & the Democratization of Time: How mass production transformed labor, class structure, punctuality, and the politics of time.

• Episode 3 — Time and Turmoil: Watches in Wartime: How WWI and WWII turned wristwatches into military tools of coordination, espionage, and survival.

• Episode 4 — The Quartz Crisis & Political Turmoil: How Japanese innovation disrupted Swiss dominance and reshaped global watchmaking.

• Episode 5 — Timepieces of Power: How watches became diplomatic gifts, status symbols, and instruments of influence.

• Episode 6 — Time Across Borders: How globalization, trade, sustainability, and smartwatches transformed the luxury watch industry.

• Episode 7 — The Resurgence of Vintage & Neo-Vintage: How heritage, scarcity, auctions, and storytelling revived mechanical watch culture.

• Episode 8 — The Watch Collector as Political Actor: How collectors, tastemakers, editors, and institutions shape legitimacy and prestige.

• Episode 9 — Time Zones & Power Zones: How empires standardized time to coordinate territory, trade, and industrial expansion.

• Episode 10 — Watches & Politics: The Present Tense: How watches intersect today with media, identity, lobbying, sanctions, gender, and cultural power.

Join the Story

Whether you are a collector, historian, policymaker, watch enthusiast, or simply curious about the hidden forces that shape culture and power, Watches & Politics invites you to explore history through a completely different lens. Watch the episodes, subscribe to the channel, share your thoughts, and become part of a growing global conversation about horology, politics, identity, and time itself. If the series resonates with you, support the project by subscribing, commenting, and sharing it with others who believe watches are never just watches.