Long Roads

In this episode, we sit down with the one, the only, Steve Laughlin from Raven Watches. Steve is a good friend of ours and we always love spending time with him. He visited last year for Intersect, and he was in town once again for Intersect this year. This podcast episode was literally what our conversations are like when we are hanging out. Most of this conversation was about food, as it is one of the passions outside of watches that ties us all together. We also discuss travels, watches, and languages. Part 2 coming soon.

In this episode, after a very busy weekend, we sit down with the man, the myth, the legend, Mr. Bill Yao. Some credit him as the godfather of microbrands, some say he started the Seiko modding-movement, but we credit him as being an inspiration for us to start Nodus. After the last day of WindUp, we sit in a tiny hotel room and drink too much wine to reflect on our first WindUp since the pandemic started. We also discuss the history of Tornek Rayville, tell stories from behind the curtain, and try to remember 20 years worth of MK II releases.

It's a long one. This time, we are going JRE-style with a long-form conversation with Steve from Raven Watches. This conversation is very wide ranging - we discuss Intersect 2021, to reflecting on our brands, traveling the world, Los Angeles, what we should do next, angry customers, and Rolex.

Phew. So much has happened since April. So much more is happening between now and the end of the year. In this episode, we go over the Sector Series launch, Intersect 2021, and after the beer kicks in, we discuss the strange habits of Generation Z, trends in the video game industry, and more.

Cullen and I catch up after keeping our heads down and staying busy throughout Q1. We talk pizza, GameStonk, bitcoin, and Retrospect III.

Cullen and I sit down and catch up on life, politics, and closing out 2020.

Brett Williams is the founder and designer at Albany Watch Company. In his day job, he is an actor, who's latest work includes Ridley Scott's latest project on HBO max, Raised by Wolves. Recently, he has decided to turn one of his passions into a business - a story we are very familiar with - his recent off-screen project has been a couple of years in the making, but they just launched their debut, the Ama diver, on Kickstarter and they reached their goal within an hour.  In this conversation, Brett and I talk about being an actor, artist, and creative; we discuss the history of the Ama divers from Japan, and we also talk about what he has been doing with Albany for the past two years before launching this past week. We talk about how we take criticism on our designs from the watch community and what comes next for Albany.

In this episode of the podcast, Cullen and I catch up after my four month stint in Asia. Despite being back in LA, this podcast was recorded remotely, as I have been quarantining for two weeks, just to play it safe. We discuss my return to the US, the past few months of isolation, and the difference between the US and Asia. We also talk about COVID19's impact on the watch industry as a whole and how watch companies are coping. We talk about the road map from now until the end of the year and Cullen gives us a status update on the projects that are currently in the pipeline.

In this episode of the podcast, I catch up with my friend, Mark, who is a scientist, beer enthusiast, and a valued member of the Nodus Fam. We talk about beer, watches, and life. We also discuss the work he is doing as a scientist, and how his firm has had to re-orient themselves to work on a coronavirus vaccines for the ongoing global pandemic. Mark is also the owner of Mark's Straps, a strap company based in New Jersey, and we discuss his thoughts on how global supply chain might affect his business.

This is another board meeting episode, where I touch base with Cullen, who is on the other side of the world. We catch up on work, life, and current events. During this episode, we have a wide-ranging conversation about the next few Nodus projects that will take us into the fall, how retail and brick and mortar shopping is going to change, and how we are each dealing with working-from-home. We also discuss SBA loans and the small business stimulus plan by the US government. We talk about the things we miss the most about pre-pandemic times and discuss the important role that American businesses and corporations play in lending a helping hand during this crisis. 

Dallas Thornton is an up-and-coming independent musician based in Los Angeles. In our conversation, we discuss the role of art in the modern world and the process of creating it, whether that is embracing creativity or compromising for commercial feasibility. We also discuss the importance of having range - or breadth of skills and experiences - in solving both kind and wicked problems. Finally, we discuss who the world could look different on the other side of this pandemic. Dallas plays a couple of his songs in this episode.

In this episode of the podcast, I have a beer with Cullen with guitars in hand. We talk about music, beer, and jam on a few tunes. These are strange times that we live in, and it is important to remember that these important things in life. Stay safe, stay clean, and wash your hands.

Songs featured in this episode:
Nightrain - Guns N’ Roses
Man In The Box - Alice in Chains
Good Love Is On The Way - John Mayer
Remedy - The Black Crowes
Queen Of California - John Mayer

In this episode of the podcast, I sit down with KC and Marshall in KL, Malaysia, where I was at for the first Nodus Tour Asia. We talk about career choices and how we chose the path we are on, the genesis of the Matick Blog - Marshall and KC’s online watch magazine - and how our collaboration with them came to be. We also talk about KC’s first Nodus - a Contrail Laguna Sand - and how it got stolen. 

In this episode, Cullen and I talk about my recent trip to Europe, drama in the watch industry, how coronavirus is affecting our business, and my upcoming Asia trip. 

Cullen and I continue our conversation from last episode, but this time with much more booze. We talk about how we pick colors for our models, the Iranian conflict, and we end with a Q&A.