Welcome to this Watch live. Hi, I'm Lydia Winters. And today, Haters Gonna Hate. Are they? Well. Wait, are you the hater? Yeah. Well, OK, Today we're talking about changing your mind about a watch. I feel like haters don't change their minds. Oh So what would you call me like a short term hater. Like a initial hater. A little hater. An initial hater. An initial hater. OK, we have talked about this on the podcast before.
The fact that I my first instinct is like, Nah, I don't like it. That is your. That is your first. Instinct. I'm like a small except when you. Met me, of course. Wait, actually. You took a while to grow on me, Sir. I am an acquired taste. That is true. A slow burn, but that's good. That's the best way. That's how you keep it going for a long, long time.
Oh boy. But anyway, so we had a question from Bianca, who is part of the Real Time Show chat group that we are part of. The Real Time Show is an amazing podcast with a watchmaker. Rob A. Jeweler. And watch ADL on. And then also they have David who's doing a bit of everything I think writing and all kinds of stuff. Great podcast, highly recommend we are big, big fans of them. True. Bianca asked this question to us and to them and so they have answered it already and now it's
our turn. This is such a great question from Bianca. She's been thinking about this. What are the watches that you didn't like Slash hated at first that then became favorite purchases, favorites or purchases for Lydia? Sounds like Rolex OP's for me. I think it's the Bulgari Serpente Tobagas. And then a secondary question, are there any common themes on when this tends to happen? So for her, she said.
For example, I think for me, when I tried on the Bulgari for the first time, it wasn't a very good experience all around. The retailer, like wasn't great and it tainted my thoughts on the watch. But I've since realized that the two are obviously unrelated. And so I love everything about this question. Number one, that there are two parts. We were like, this is an episode. Part question this.
Is an episode and I think maybe we'll tackle the second part first, just because I want to say a couple things about that. I it really does. I think it is so much experience dependent on your initial reaction, like who you're with. So for example, when we've looked at watch releases, I remember being with our our AD, looking at the new Rolex watch releases and we were all like Explorer 2 tone. I don't know. Wait, what do you mean all? I think. I did not share that opinion.
That was you. Who's always more open and nice. They're like, I don't know about that you know. And so you it kind of can especially in the watch world. You're with all your friends. You're talking about a new release and you're like, no, I don't think so. Or like Bianca talks about like a bad dealer Experience can really make it 'cause you can be so excited to see that watch. I mean, we've had this, this happened in Dresden. There was a watch I really, really wanted.
To see. Went directly to the boutique. It was not a a good experience it it did take down my love for that watch. It took down my love for the whole brand. Yeah, that's true. Which is unfortunate. So these experiences that you have and that's at a boutique experience. So it's kind of their fault. But sometimes, you know, it might be at an AD or it may be you see the watch on someone
that you meet at an event. And if that person rubs you the wrong way, it could affect how you see that watch or that brand, especially if they're very enthusiastic about it. You can associate that person with the watch. I've had that happen with me where I'm like, yeah, I don't like that brand. And I think about like, wait, why is that? And I realize it's because I associate it with maybe a person that I'm not really into. Yeah, when I was a teacher, way back when I was an elementary
school teacher. For those of you who don't know, probably none of you know 4th grade. I taught 4th grade in the US for only one year. It's what my degree is in. And then I was like, no thank you. But I felt the same way with like the kids in my class. Their names. I was like, that name is now tied to that kid. And I know that a lot of parents who are teachers, they can't like name their kids any names of like students they've had
because they feel too. Tied. Are they the ones with all of these really interesting different kinds? Of names because. You're like resurrect. I got to pick something that isn't tied to this little terror that I had in my class. I will not name the terror, but there is a name where I'm like if I hear that name, I'm like shutter 1215 years later. These associations happen whether we like it or not, and I do think it's possible to forcefully like change that, but
it takes effort. Yeah, but like Bianca said, she realized like those don't have anything to do with each other. So I think that's always a good thing to think about with watches are like there. It is about your mindset in that moment. I'm like that with movies. Depending on if the movie has been really hyped, then I typically don't like it the first time I watch it. If I go in with no expectations, I really like it. So I think in this case that's more for watches that I like at
first. But in the good side, sometimes if the watch is something where I'm like, I don't like that, then I see it in person, it can kind of change my mind on it. Well, speaking OK, Yeah, You have some. Yeah, my, my. I think my best example of this is my FXD, right? So FXDMN 21 was announced a few years back, and during the announcement it became clear to me this was not a watch for me. OK, So I liked the marketing.
Like I thought it was really interesting With the divers and the two, you know, you've got one navigating and one timing and you loved it. That was cool. The design of the watch, the look of it. Loved it like everything about it. Bidirectional bezel, all these cool features. Loved it, fixed lugs, Loved it right. As soon as I heard what size it was, I was like, Oh well, it's not for me. I have 16 centimeter wrists O a 42mm watch. I just.
Felt like a no. Well, the Explorer 2 is 42mm, but this was 42mm watch with a really wide lug to lug. I think 50. 4mm. Because of those fixed lugs and I'm like 54 impossible can't do it, not going to do it. Which, for those of you who don't know, and I like this fun fact because I didn't know FXD stands for fixed. It does, which is really cool. Yeah, that is. Cool. Yeah. So as soon as I heard that, I was just immediately my brain was like, this watch is not for me.
Move on. Oh, so not even like I hate you. You thought you liked the watch, but you were like this is it's it's not even in my radar in that way. Sometimes if a watch like like this, it's like, it's definitely too big for me. I don't hate it after that, but I don't like it because I'm like, well, I I can't burn the limited amount of love I have inside of me on something that I you only. Have a limited amount of love. Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, I have. It's. Finite. I have.
Oh, I have a lot of love. Oh, really? I don't. We just. It's unlimited. It's. No, it probably is limited. Yeah. And also, we're talking about what a hater I am, so I don't know how that I don't. Want to burn up what limited love I have on something that I believe is not for me. OK. Yeah. So I I tend to then shun those things and be like that's not for me, but RAD when, you know, a couple months later, however long it was when it came in, said you, you got to just just
come. Come look at it. Yeah, I know you don't think it's cool he. Knows her taste. It really, really, really does. Went in, tried it on. Boom in love. Yeah, you were in love. Everything was different from how I thought it would feel on the wrist, so it was an immediate change of feelings. So yes, it is a big watch. It's a big watch, but on my wrist, the shape of my wrist, it fits very well. Also it's titanium, so it's very
lightweight. Also it is on a strap and the way that the strap fit was very good. So all of these elements came together to make it like, oh actually I love this watch and want it. So maybe in that way it was kind of good that you had lowered your expectations or kind of like this is out then you get a surprise versus sometimes when you see one in person and you're like oh this wasn't wasn't like wasn't as good as I thought. Maybe. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Yeah. So I've said for years, like, you cannot judge a watch without seeing it in person. But there are certain things that we sometimes just think, oh, OK, but I know with this and it, a lot of it often has to do with the numbers, because numbers don't lie. But I'm here to say all the numbers don't lie. They do not tell the whole story. And. Shakira says hips don't lie. Oh well. Tips and numbers, I mean that. Sounds a lot less nerdy. The numbers don't lie, but.
We'll go with numbers, don't lie. Shakira can agree on this one, so I I really think what it looks like and how it fits are things that you can only gauge once you. Have it in front of you. So photos and and also not all photos are photos, right? So often what we see are renderings, digital renderings of the product and they're also super close up and. You. Don't see a watch that way.
So when you're looking at these images, whether it's in a video, whether it's in photos on Instagram or the marketing materials direct from the brand, like, that's not what the watch will look like. It is way too close. So unless you have, I don't know. I don't know what like Super Zoom vision is. Like super Zoom vision, who's been around the nephews too much? He's like, oh, let me just get on my Super Zoom vision. Unless you have macro vision, then you're not going to see the watch.
That way, that's. True. See it more distant and the elements will not relate to each other in the same space that they do in photos when it's really close up, right? So I think it's important to see it in person to know what it what it really looks like. But then of course to see how it fits because the numbers and the fit can be different because case size. OK, case size is to me a a horrible indicator of fit. It is one element, but it is not even nearly enough.
If all you know is case size to me, then you don't know how a watch will fit, because lug to lug is also very important. But even that it's just not enough because it's how are the lugs shaped. Many watches, especially ones with bigger lug to lug manufacturers, will shape those lugs so they turn down very quickly. Yeah, that's true. And then it's different how it looks on you. Different. It looks different then how the Casein bezel are shaped.
Can also have a huge effect on how big it looks. That's where the OP 41 came in. You know, it didn't have a super long lug to lug. It wasn't a super thick botch, but it's just felt too big on my wrist. But it's because of the way the lugs were shaped, the the the way that it fit across the wrist. And then, yeah, as I mentioned, thickness, thickness is a huge part of it as well. All of those things come together to show like or not to show, but to to make a watch fit
the way it does. So you got to try it on. Yes, so I was thinking about this and I Bianca's completely right. The OP's in colors. I was like cool for someone have 4 now, love them so much. They're my favorite watches. But since I've talked about that I thought about another one and so for me, I think sometimes it's just like different designs like like if something is kind of different visually I can be a bit like no no I don't like
that. So when I first saw, when I had seen, when we we started getting into watches and heard a lot about the Patek Nautilus, and when I looked at it because I'd like quickly associate things, I thought it kind of had like a Teletubby head. This just in. Actually. You're probably not the first person to say that, but that's amazing. Yeah. It's just like there's something about how it's kind like it's not exactly symmetrical, but it
has like these little. Ears. And so. I I see it immediately when you. I was like, oh, that's like a really expensive teletubby watch. That's an amazing collab that should happen. Protect and Teletubbies. I don't even know. Yeah, but when I first got to see it in person here in Stockholm, our friend at Sotheby's was like, hey, come see this beautiful watch. I have not saying what it was. And then it was a gorgeous 2 tone vintage Nautilus. It looked perfect on me.
It was a great size. It was a reference, 3800. OK, very impressive, 'cause I was like it was a Nautilus and in this much. Life.com. I will yes write what reference it is. And I will post photos. I'll pull the photos from it. But then I was like, whoa, this Teletubby is for me because it was gorgeous I think. But one thing though, I realized, is how different a watch can look in 2 tone. Because as soon as it wasn't like only steel, then the teletubbiness kind of went away for me.
And so all of a sudden I was like, whoa, I see this as something different. Yeah. So that was a watch that I really made a big turn on and love it, yeah. I think that OK. Still not a watch for me, but I I respect the design in a different way than my first initial it's. Funny, because when we walked away from you trying on that watch, you said that was a watch for you and you started looking at yes. I did. I did. I I think you cooled on them
over time, but you did fall. It's hard to like UN Teletubby, like go full. The Teletubby There's one last thing that I think is a great example of about how you have to try on a watch, and how trying on a watch at the AD may not actually be enough. That's true. This is about you. Oh, it's about you're you're
picking my stories there. Wow. Because when you go try and watch on at the ad, if it's especially if it's on a bracelet, it's not like they're going to size the bracelet for you to just try it on. So typically you just drape this watch. You know the bracelet will be too big on you. You drape it at RAD. Sometimes they'll give us little pieces of foam that you can put behind and that kind of helps a little bit, but the reality is it's still not a a great fit.
Small wrist problem. So you had tried on the Daytona multiple times at RAD you? Never cared about. It and you were well. You were like, oh, that's nice, but it doesn't fit me that great. It doesn't feel that great on the wrist. And then when you were with Brit Pierce, you tried on hers and and your wrists are similar and so it fit your wrist and then you fell in. Love. Then I fell in love. Yeah, it it was because it's completely different to actually have it on and have it in your
size. I've even been at a watch event and someone let me try on their Sky dweller no a squad squad. I'm making a lot of sounds today. I'm also making a lot more voices than normal so I'm like in anti mode a sky dweller and his wrist was very similar size to mine. It was so I wish I took a photo of it because I was like you know what? You could win. I could rock a sky dweller. So it does make a big difference. I I completely agree. You got to go try things on,
yeah. We would love to know what watch have you turned on? Turned. Turned on.