Lume Plotters - Watch-Talk, -Banter, -Speculation and -News

This week is a short one! We rapid fire through the idea of waitlists… How long would we wait for a watch, and under what circumstances? Also- what alternatives exist to waitlists? How could watch companies better suit the needs and wants of their customers, all while maintaining the laws of supply and demand? Give us a follow, and feel free to reach out to us on Instagram: @lumeplotters Or… leave us an audio comment using the link below, and we may just play it in an upcoming episode: https://www.speakpipe.com/lumeplotters

This week we repeat our five watch collection challenge, but this time with more rules and a very special guest! We welcome Parm of the Chrono Passion 7 podcast to Dubai (all the way from rainy London) to discuss our top picks for a five watch collection. But it’s not that simple this time! Tune in to see what the caveats are! Give us a follow, and feel free to reach out to us on Instagram: @lumeplotters Or… leave us an audio comment using the link below, and we may just play it in an upcoming episode: https://www.speakpipe.com/lumeplotters

So, just like that, Watches & Wonders is over. Another year, another slew of releases. This week, we sum them up, and give you our top picks, both within and out of our budgets, as well as discuss things that didn’t quite tickle our pickle. Give us a follow, and feel free to reach out to us on Instagram: @lumeplotters Or… leave us an audio comment using the link below, and we may just play it in an upcoming episode: https://www.speakpipe.com/lumeplotters

Watch lingo! We all hear it, but not all of us know what it all means… Have no fear, the Lume Plotters to the rescue! This week we break down a watch into its major components and discuss every piece that you should be aware of, so that you, dear listener, can also be up to speed on what to say whilst discussing watches! Give us a follow, and feel free to reach out to us on Instagram: @lumeplotters Or… leave us an audio comment using the link below, and we may just play it in an upcoming episode: https://www.speakpipe.com/lumeplotters

In this week’s installment, we guide you through a (somewhat) comprehensive initial review of the 2024 Watches & Wonders new releases! Of course, as this is a live first take, there is much more to unpack, which we will do in due time! Enjoy! Give us a follow, and feel free to reach out to us on Instagram: @lumeplotters Or… leave us an audio comment using the link below, and we may just play it in an upcoming episode: https://www.speakpipe.com/lumeplotters

After the release of the Morgan Stanley watch rankings, Rolex is clearly on top. We play devil’s advocate and ask the question- “WHY?”. With so many different brands in the world, why buy a Rolex when you can have a slew of other great watches! We take you through each offering in Rolex’s catalog and talk about the big competitors in each segment. Give us a follow, and feel free to reach out to us on Instagram: @lumeplotters Or… leave us an audio comment using the link below, and we may just play it in an upcoming episode: https://www.speakpipe.com/lumeplotters

A hotly debated topic this week, watch winders! Are they good for your watch, or should you avoid them? Also- what’s the best way to store your watches at home, and while traveling? Tune in to find out how we do it! Give us a follow, and feel free to reach out to us on Instagram: @lumeplotters Or… leave us an audio comment using the link below, and we may just play it in an upcoming episode: https://www.speakpipe.com/lumeplotters

What watch books are on our shelves? This week, the Lume Plotters take you through our libraries and discuss which books we swear by, which we like, and which we can’t stand! Tune in to find out what you’re missing! Give us a follow, and feel free to reach out to us on Instagram: @lumeplotters Or… leave us an audio comment using the link below, and we may just play it in an upcoming episode: https://www.speakpipe.com/lumeplotters

It’s lights out and away we go! This week we delve into the tightly knit history of Formula 1 and watches. From the very beginning, to where we are today, we take you through all of the official F1 timekeeping sponsors, as well as each team’s individual watch sponsors. All this just in time for the beginning of the 2024 season! Give us a follow, and feel free to reach out to us on Instagram: @lumeplotters Or… leave us an audio comment using the link below, and we may just play it in an upcoming episode: https://www.speakpipe.com/lumeplotters

In today’s installment of the Lume Plotters podcast, have compiled 13 of YOUR questions that you have submitted through Instagram. We go through each one and discuss (and debate) the listener’s chosen topics. Ranging from collection advice, to choosing favorite watches in our collection, and prospective insight on the future of the industry, you get it all in this episode. Give us a follow, and feel free to reach out to us on Instagram: @lumeplotters Or… leave us an audio comment using the link below, and we may just play it in an upcoming episode: https://www.speakpipe.com/lumeplotters

Today we take another deep dive, this time into the brand G-SHOCK. Are they a hit or a miss? For anyone that knows the Lume Plotters, you already know the answer today. We discuss some history and delve into our favorites of the catalog, and even design our very own! Tune in to catch a “glimpse” of what we would want our very own limited editions to look like! Don't forget to use code LUMEPLOTTERS at optowatchco.com to get 20% off for all of their amazing straps (we are not geeting from this - just helping out a friend of the show) Give us a follow, and feel free to reach out to us on Instagram: @lumeplotters Or… leave us an audio comment using the link below, and we may just play it in an upcoming episode: https://www.speakpipe.com/lumeplotters

For the first time EVER someone brings you the ULTIMATE watch brand rankings list. While most YouTubers limit themselves to 20 or so brands, the Lume Plotters decided to do this tenfold. We gathered a list of about 260 brands and went through each one by one, to give you the end all, be all, ranking list. Also, the results are quite surprising! Enjoy! Don't forget to use code LUMEPLOTTERS at optowatchco.com to get 20% all of their amazing straps (we are not geeting from this - just helping out a friend of the show) Give us a follow, and feel free to reach out to us on Instagram: @lumeplotters Or… leave us an audio comment using the link below, and we may just play it in an upcoming episode: https://www.speakpipe.com/lumeplotters

So, dear listener, hold on to your britches, as this is a long episode. Full-length feature film long. After we failed miserably last week to give our watch industry predictions of 2024, this week we make up for it! We quick fire through the remaining brands, and Marton attempts to control Ralf’s derailing ramblings of watch brands no one really cares about. Don't forget to use code LUMEPLOTTERS at optowatchco.com to get 20% all of their amazing straps (we are not geeting from this - just helping out a friend of the show) Give us a follow, and feel free to reach out to us on Instagram: @lumeplotters Or… leave us an audio comment using the link below, and we may just play it in an upcoming episode: https://www.speakpipe.com/lumeplotters

We at the Lume Plotters always give ourselves lofty goals. Often these goals are severely unattainable. One such goal was trying to give all of our watch predictions for 2024 in one episode. We just about managed to just about get through Casio, Seiko, Rolex and Tudor in this episode (spending entirely too much time on G-Shocks, as usual). As such, tune in next week as well, as we quick fire through the remaining hundred brands! Give us a follow, and feel free to reach out to us on Instagram: @lumeplotters Or… leave us an audio comment using the link below, and we may just play it in an upcoming episode: https://www.speakpipe.com/lumeplotters

Ralf has just returned from China, and was supremely impressed with the level of watch shopping (and shopping in general) that Chengdu had to offer! Gather ‘round, and let Uncle Ralf take you on his journey. Second, surprisingly not too far off from the first topic, a listener asked us about how we fared during the Covid pandemic, and how our collecting habits, as well as tastes evolved during that time frame. It’s pretty clear that both of the Lume Plotters were affected significantly, but in entirely different ways! Give us a follow, and feel free to reach out to us on Instagram: @lumeplotters Or… leave us an audio comment using the link below, and we may just play it in an upcoming episode: https://www.speakpipe.com/lumeplotters

So today is a double-header! We start by divulging our most cringe-worthy and embarrassing watch-related moments… hopefully this shows you that doing or saying the wrong things doesn’t have to be bad! Just chalk it up as a learning experience! Second, we chat with Mubarak, the founder of the Dubai-based watch strap company Optowatch. We ask him about how he got into the strap game, and of course how it all works! Tune in! Oh yeah, and Mubarak has graciously given our listeners a 20% discount across the board from now through the 29th of February, just use the promo code “LumePlotters” at checkout through the link below! Enjoy! https://optowatchco.com/discount/LumePlotters Give us a follow, and feel free to reach out to us on Instagram: @lumeplotters Or… leave us an audio comment using the link below, and we may just play it in an upcoming episode: https://www.speakpipe.com/lumeplotters

We’re back on another field trip! Today, we take you on a stroll through the watch boutiques of the infamous Mall of the Emirates! We discuss the the offerings on hand and how to navigate this maze of a mall, if you have never been. Join us as we pass by the usual suspects such as Cartier, Blancpain, Omega, IWC, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Rolex, A. Lange & Sohne, and a few others that will surprise you! Give us a follow, and feel free to reach out to us on Instagram: @lumeplotters Or… leave us an audio comment using the link below, and we may just play it in an upcoming episode: https://www.speakpipe.com/lumeplotters

In today’s episode we discuss an ancient parable, Theseus’ paradox. Buckle your seatbelts, you’re in for a wild ride… philosophically speaking, that is. So, Theseus’ paradox (otherwise known as the Ship of Theseus) tells of a ship that bit by bit, piece by piece was reconstructed after parts slowly decayed or broke. The questions is, once all of the pieces are replaced, what is left? Can it still be called the same ship? So, we equate this to our watch collecting habits, especially with regard to vintage and heirloom pieces. By replacing a movement, or a case, or a bracelet (or perhaps even all three), are we still left with the same watch? Some people argue for leaving things the way they are, in an untouched, unmolested state. Others argue for polishing, restoration and servicing. Who is right? Let’s delve in! Give us a follow, and feel free to reach out to us on Instagram: @lumeplotters Or… leave us an audio comment using the link below, and we may just play it in an upcoming episode: https://www.speakpipe.com/lumeplotters

In our last and final installment of the Lume Plotters Interviews series (from the 2023 Dubai Watch Week at least…), a sad and lonely, singular Lume Plotter (Ralf, albeit along with our honorary Lumeplotter apprentice Rajeev) interviews another watch industry mogul, Mike Manjos, the Chief Sales Officer of WatchBox and Chief Revenue Officer at Govberg Jewelers. Unfortunately, Marton was stuck at work; but fortunately, Mike was able to deliver a stellar interview with Ralf at the helm. As both a pre-owned specialist at WatchBox, and representing a slew of brands as an authorized dealer through Govberg Jewelers, Mike truly has an all-encompassing view of the industry! Tune in as he reveals what’s to come in the not so distant future of the watch market! Give us a follow, and feel free to reach out to us on Instagram: @lumeplotters Or… leave us an audio comment using the link below, and we may just play it in an upcoming episode: https://www.speakpipe.com/lumeplotters

Welcome everyone to 2024, and Season 2 of the Lume Plotters! We found it fitting to start the year with some ongoing watch news: 1.) Apple Watch patent infringement? So allegedly, Apple is forced to stop selling the Series 9 and Ultra 2 variants of the Apple Watch, as the blood oxygen sensor tech that is used in these models infringes on a patent by another company. What will Apple’s next steps be to get out of this pickle? 2.) Can we expect more price increases from our favorite brands in 2024? We know the market is deteriorating, so will ADs be offering discounts or lowering prices in the future to compensate for the lack of sales? Or will they be increasing or decreasing their production output instead? 3.) There is a “new” watch brand on the horizon! Breitling has purchased the rights to Universal Geneve, and are relaunching the brand! What does this mean, where will it be positioned, what kind of movements will they use, and does this mean we will soon see a new Genta Polerouter soon? Give us a follow, and feel free to reach out to us on Instagram: @lumeplotters Or… leave us an audio comment using the link below, and we may just play it in an upcoming episode: https://www.speakpipe.com/lumeplotters