The Watches of a Vocalist (Seiko, TAG Heuer, Hamilton, & More)

Hi, I'm Robin Wilson. I'm a rock singer from Tempe, Arizona, and these are my watches. Robin, pleasure to meet you, sir. Teddy, a pleasure. So, two years ago, you were coming to town for a gig, and we were able to connect, talk a little bit more about watches over text, and we started discussing, hey, we should just do a sit-down. Let's look at your collection, because I liked your taste. You have an eclectic view of things, and I think that comes from your background, which I'd also like to talk about. So, lead singer of the Jim Blossoms. Love your band. Thank you. First, just to start, talk a little bit about your background and music, but where did that start, and then how did this bridge to watches come to be? Well, we formed our group in 1988 in Tempe, Arizona, and we made a big splash on the local scene. Went to South by Southwest. Record companies started coming around, taking us to and stuff like that. We got signed into A&M Records in 1990. Got our first hit on the radio in the summer of 93, and we've been on the road ever since. So, it's such a fluke to be able to have a hit record. When you're making the record, you try to make as good a record as you can. You want it to be awesome, but for the most part, you're locked in what it is you're doing, what it could potentially become. So, we didn't imagine we were going to have a hit record. Some of our favorite bands were groups like The Replacements, and we would have never imagined that we could outsell our heroes. So, it's kind of a fluke. A lot of things have to line up to have a hit record. You've got to be good. You've got to have the songs, and then you have to be willing to stay in that band for years and years and do a lot of sucking up to DJs and that kind of stuff. So many people see the glamour side of your business and music, but there's a grind too, right? It's mostly a grind. Mostly what we do is travel. I probably travel an average of 12 hours for every one hour I spend on stage. So, we do anywhere between 80 and 100 shows a year. So, I'm at the airport about 140 times a year or something like that. So, it's mostly travel and grinding it out. Fifteen years ago, you mentioned you started getting watches. What was the reason for it, and what drew you to it? Well, my best friend and I decided we were on a trip, and we decided we were going to buy watches. We were at the Hong Kong airport, which is like a big watch mall. Hong Kong is the hub for watches. And we're like, let's go get watches. And so, I started looking at Hamilton's right away, and I bought a beautiful Hamilton dress watch, and I just loved it. And that's what really began my interest. And so, I started looking into other watches, and I was immediately drawn to the Speedmaster. And once I got a Speedmaster, I felt like a grown-up, really. And I don't know. I've been on this path ever since. You know, I don't go too crazy. My collection isn't... it's not even really a collection. You know, I have a lot of jackets, but I wouldn't say I collect jackets, you know. But what is the guiding principle, though, as you look to, say, acquire, collect, whatever term you want to use? Like, what do you think about, and what usually draws your eye? Well, if it's just like for functionality, you know, I do a lot of outdoor activities. I do a lot of hiking, so I've got the G-Shocks for that. I love having an altimeter on the watch. But if it's for the stage, you know, it's about trying to feel cool. You know, whether or not I actually am is not important. What's important is that I feel cool, and that I hit the stage with confidence. Some of it's about flash. Yeah. So, let's maybe like transition to some of your watches. You mentioned Hamilton, and you mentioned flash. I think a combination of those two ideas probably leads us right to this watch. You want to tell us a little bit more? Yeah, the Ventura is really cool, and I love this version of it. The mid-century retro-futuristic aesthetic is just awesome. It looks so great on stage. So, when you buy a watch, I mean, you're thinking about also it being able to wear it. I would assume that you wear a lot of these on stage. Have you worn all of these just about on stage, or yes or no? Not all of them. Most of them. Certainly all the mechanical watches have been worn on stage. And then for the Ventura, what else just drew you to this design? I mean, there's obviously like this Elvis connection that's always affiliated with this piece. Yeah, there is that, but I was never the biggest fan of Elvis, but he is like kind of the original rock singer. So, you know, swimming in his wake is not a bad way to go. Mostly, it's the mid-century aesthetic, the lines. This was, I believe, designed in 1959. In the late 50s, yeah. Which was the same year that, I believe, the same year Gibson came out with the Explorer and the Flying V, which really have a very similar sort of retro... Yeah, I could totally see the Flying V silhouette with that. ...future aesthetic. And, you know, that's what in 59, this is what they thought the future was going to look like. And so that's really what drew me to it. I love the mid-century aesthetic. I collect mid-century lighting and furniture, and that's really what won me over, the distinct shape. There's so much polish on here. It just, it really jumps out at you on stage. And a few years back, we were doing a festival, and I was hanging out with my friends from Collective Soul, and they all wear matching Venturas. And so I traded with Jesse, the guitar player, and I gave him my Monaco, and I wore his Ventura for three days. And I just, I loved it. And those guys, they all have the gold one that's kind of skeletonized, and that wasn't for me. But this design language really speaks to me. The black with the red accents, that's definitely my favorite color scheme. And yeah, as soon as I, after wearing Jesse's for three days, I decided I was going to get one. Is this a watch you wear on stage quite a bit? All last summer. All last summer, yeah? This was my go-to all last year. Because I had the Monaco was getting serviced, and so was my Speedmaster. So I thought I need something fun, flashy for the stage this summer. So yeah. Ventura, very nice. You mentioned G-Shocks as well. So you have a variety of G-Shocks. You hike. You're probably the first person I've ever heard of actually requiring an altimeter and wanting that as a feature in one of their watches. That's great that, you know, you're using your watches as you hopefully had them intended. Yeah. I mean, I don't need the altimeter. It's just kind of fun to check it every once in a while. But I did want something that was kind of bulletproof, had world time and alarms and all of that. Again, the red and black color scheme, the G-Shock Rangeman. I think this is the most badass G-Shock design. It is so cool. It's right out of like a 90s sci-fi movie. It's so cyberpunk and it's gigantic on my wrist, but I just love it. You have two different Rangemans as well. Yeah, that one I just got about a year ago because when I saw the all black version of it, I thought that was even more badass than this one. I hike a lot. I work with a charity called the Love Hope Strength Foundation, and we raise money by going on these big hikes. And in just a couple of weeks, I'm going to Spain. We're going to hike 62 miles on the Camino. And so this one, we'll get a few miles coming up in Spain. This one in particular has been to the summit of Kilimanjaro. It's amazing. It's been to Everest Base Camp. Oh, so you're not doing some casual hikes. You're really going for it. I've done a few. It's not like mountain climbing. It's not mountaineering, but it's like trekking at high altitude. I'm going through like the metro parks by where I'm from. I'm a little bit, it's more hills than it is. So that's legit for me. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, those, those were pretty legit hikes. And, uh, so yeah, this one's been all, I've certainly worn this on stage quite a bit. It's been all over the world and, uh, it's in several natural national parks here in the States and, uh, yeah, Everest Base Camp and summit of Kilimanjaro. So, uh, the Rangeman, I mean, if, if the zombie apocalypse or a comet hit the earth, this would be the watch you would hopefully have if you had to set off into the last of us wilderness, you know, that I watched could be a weapon itself, honestly, how, how chunky it is. And I love the, the black one. It's like if Batman needed a watch, the all black color scheme is just so bad-ass. So I, I, when I bought it, I thought, oh, I'll wear this one to Spain, but now I feel like I should take this one and keep putting those kind of miles. It looks Yeah. And I, I love to wear, I, I love to wear a watch at the gym, you know, like a good daily beater like this. You can't beat it. So, and then in terms of another G Shock, we have more than 5,000 series cases. This could be first place in this collection. It really is awesome. And it's, it's such a beautiful piece of design and I love the weight of it. Uh, the all steel, it just, it feels substantial. It looks really cool. The, the shiny bits catch the light on stage. It looks great. And so this one I, I wore daily for several years. Like as soon as I got it and that's a well-loved watch. Yeah. It's the, the patina that I've been able to put on that. It looks sweet. I mean, that looked great. I mean, it looks like, uh, you know, the guy that going to be wearing one right now with your jacket and you're set up for a year. Yeah, no doubt. But, um, yeah, I think if I could only keep one, it would probably come down to this G Shock or the Speedy. It's an amazing piece. Yeah. Now let's look at a Seiko. So you have a SSC solar chronograph diver prospect series. Please tell us more. I love it because it's got the diver bezel and the chronograph feature. So it's super useful. And again, the red and black color scheme, just gorgeous. And, uh, you know, so I, I love using this again. I exercise all the time. I love being able to time two things at once. And so having a Chrono and a dive bezel is really cool. I wish more people would do that. I've ever, since I got this, I've been looking and I don't really see anybody else that has that. Are you aware? There are some, but you're right. In terms of chronograph, we basically just followed the mold of the tachymeter bezel as being like the standard or like a telemeter where I think there's a lot of function with that, having a dive bezel. And also let's keep in mind that this is probably one of the best features for timing is like a rotating bezel. And oftentimes it might be better than even a chronograph and being able to judge the passing of time. I really enjoyed it. It's the first dive watch I've ever had. And I, I love the, the tactile nature of the bezel. I love being able to time two things at once. And I found this one it it's several years old and they don't make it anymore. And so I, when I, when I discovered it and I saw the red and black, the diver Chrono, like I got to find it. I ended up finding that on eBay. I just started to notice that people, some people that I respect were wearing Seikos and I thought they were cool. And so I, I started looking at them. I was always more interested in, as far as Japanese watches, I was always a fan of Casio and G-Shock. So I started looking at Seikos and yeah, it was my, my friend Wes and my friend Matt members of Vertical Horizon. Cool. Yeah. We were out on tour with them a couple of years back and they noticed those two guys like watches a lot and they have a few and they noticed that I was wearing a different watch every day. And so we started talking and it was Wes from Vertical Horizon who showed me his Pogue and somehow I had never heard of it, but as soon as I heard about it and saw it and heard the story, I'm like, that's for me. That, that is definitely something I want. It's relatively affordable, it's vintage, it's so eye-catching. One of the most historically important chronographs of all time. And then, you know, worn in space during the Skylab missions by William Pogue. And then we were talking before, like this is the watch that gets talked about the most when you wear it, right? Like people notice this watch on you. They, they do. I've had, I've had more people notice this watch than anything else that I have. Most people don't really care or look at that kind of stuff. For sure. I do. Every time I see a watch on somebody's wrist, I'm, I'm checking it out. But yeah, when I heard the story about this, I, I knew I had to have one. And, you know, I was, when I was a kid, astronauts, they were every kid's idol. You know, we wanted to be like that. And so that's why one of the reasons I connected so closely to the Speedmaster when, when I first got a Speedmaster, I, I, I felt so great. And it was, I was so proud and, you know, I was just constantly like looking at it and, you know, and I felt like I look good, it's functional, and this is the only watch I ever need. And then it only took a few more years before I started looking at more. But when I found out about the Pogue, yeah, I absolutely had to have one. It's got a lot of scratches. There's, I, I'm tempted to want to get it sort of buffed up, but that's probably a bad idea. I wouldn't do that. I keep, have you worn that on stage too? Yeah. Oh yeah. Yeah. Many, many times. And I'm, I'm definitely gonna be wearing it out this summer for sure. I don't think, I don't think you let that pallet, and people will let you know in the comments, I think, let it, let it ride. Yeah. Let it ride. Yeah. That's, that's, you know, it's the same kind of thing with guitars or whatever. You don't, you don't take a 50-year-old guitar and like, Like a beautiful Les Paul. You let, let that patina, let it age. That's where it gets its beauty. Let it age. And so, Totally agree. Yeah. Seiko Pogue. Nice. And then you mentioned the Speedmasters. You have this like, and I'm noticing a trend too. You like chronographs a lot. I do. I like, I like timing myself for various tasks or whatever. It's just kind of fun. The Speedmaster was my, was my first, and it's not so much that it's a chrono. It's the overall mid-century look of the Speedy, the, the connection to NASA, all those things. They took it, it connected me to my childhood and made me feel like a grown-up. So that was, that was really what that watch did for me. These other chronos are, are fun, but I'm not buying, like, I didn't get the Monaco because it's a chrono. I got it because of the awesome case. Yeah. Because it's just so cool looking and the mid-century aesthetic and, you know, anything you can do to sort of trick yourself into feeling like Steve McQueen. And, you know. That's always going to be an easy way to go fall into it for sure. Yeah. So you have two Moon Swatches and you also had a Speedmaster. And then can we, let's talk about this story about the Speedmaster too, because this is something that you just recently gifted to somebody special in your life. So could you, so explain like where the Moon Swatches serve, what was your interest in them? And then also like the Speedmaster, you've spoken to why you're so intrigued by it. Yeah. But tell me more about why that watch is now, you know, passed on to somebody else and. Yeah. Well, I gave, I just recently gave my Speedmaster to my brother Lance. Hi Lance. And, you know, it's just somebody I have tremendous respect for and I love. And I just, I wanted him to have a real watch, a luxury watch. And I looked for months and months to see if I could find him a used one. And then eventually I just decided, no, I'm just going to give him mine, you know. And he eventually is going to give it back to my son. So it'll be cool that it belonged to all three of us at some point. That watch, I wore it so much and I would wear it everywhere. The gym, skate parks, I put some dings on it, crashing on my skateboard. And I was so proud. I'm like, look at that scratch, you know, and just, I screwed up a Speedmaster on a skateboard and you're like, yeah, that's kind of cool. But yeah, I just gave my Speedy to my brother. I know he's enjoying it a lot. And the Moon swatches like sort of scratched that itch for me. It's, it has the same aesthetic and the same functionality. It's obviously not the same thing, but it's, it's so fun to wear that to the gym and the grocery store and stuff. You have two of them. Love it. Yeah. Yeah. I like the Mercury. I think the Mercury is the best looking one, the all black scheme is beautiful. And then this is the 65. That's right. I figured for one, I really wanted to get a, and I still want the white Speedy and that looks just like it almost. And also I was born in 65. So I thought, well, I've got to, I've got to get that one. And that's, that's a lot of connection there. Yeah. Yeah. And you know, and I have lots and lots of straps and it's fun to switch them out. And I'm glad I have a few watches that are 20 millimeters so I can, I can sort of pick and choose. Let's talk about the Monaco. The Monaco. Yes. Oh God. So it's... You have a lot of joy talking about this. Like what's your fascination? Well, it's, it's mostly the aesthetic again, the mid-century lines. It kind of looks like some of my lamps and furniture. It's, there's so many shiny bits on it. It just really pops on stage. It's, it's a statement piece. And you know, that statement is, I want to feel cool. You know? It is a cool guy's watch. Like this, like the shapes and forms, the silhouette, like there's nothing else like this watch. It's, it's really something. And it just looks, it looks so great on stage, catches the light from every direction, the indices, the way they catch the light. It's almost like a mirror ball. And yeah, it just makes me feel cool. I actually have a framed portrait of Steve McQueen wearing this watch in my kitchen. It's that great picture of him where it's like pulling up his scarf or whatever. I got to have that in my kitchen. Damn it. Yeah. Yeah. The Monaco, this is probably the most legit watch on the table right now. You know, and it, it does catch the eye and other watch nerds think it's cool. Or at least they think that it's a bold choice. It is. It's not, it's not a safe choice by any means, but it's probably one of the most iconic watches. And we have a variety of chronographs that we've talked about thus far that are some of the most important, I would put this right in the Pantheon. That's something along with the Speedmaster has been one of the most important chronographs of all time. And when you look at some of like your watches, like something like this one, are there like times experiences you think about, like, have you ever worn this in a special gig? Like, do you ever think about like building connection with a watch when you're like, you're going on stage, like what goes through your mind and identifying it? All right, I want to wear this watch today. Or do you not even think about it? No, I don't. I don't think about it like that, but I, I do try to rotate them in terms of what I'm wearing on stage. But I don't specifically think, oh, I'm doing this one big gig, I got to wear that or whatever. And then next up, final watch on the table, but a great one at that. We have the Black Bay 58 GMT. Yeah, super cool. Beautiful. Again, the red and black. I'm seeing a theme. Aesthetic. Yeah, I'm seeing a theme. I had, I had been thinking about a GMT for a long time, and I had been looking at Tudors for several years as well. And when this one came out, I was able to get one right away. And I only put it back on the, on the bracelet. I was, as soon as I bought it, I took the bracelet off and put on one of my Shinola leather straps, and I was swapping out leather straps all the time. And it was only recently that, about a month ago, getting, I was thinking about this interview and I was looking at my watches and I thought, oh, I'm bored. Let me put the bracelet back on there. And it's, it's like a whole different piece. It is so much flashier and it's less sporty, more elegant with the bracelet on it. I would agree. And, you know, it just, it feels more like a rich guy watch when you, when you put the bracelet on. And having a GMT, the functionality is so awesome. I'm always flying and it's kind of fun to, you know, land and, you know, get to, get to tweak that hour hand. It's, it's really fun. So, and this one is, it's just so beautiful. It's understated. I love the, the design language of the Tudor. There's something utilitarian about the design. It's not quite as like a piece of jewelry as like, say a Rolex or whatever. And this one in particular, the GMT function is awesome. But for me, it was, it was the color scheme that definitely sold me on this. Yeah. I remember when that released in 2024, everyone's like, oh man, this is a peculiar color choice that they decided on. And like, when you saw like the press images, but then you saw this in person, it's like, whoa, this works really well. It's yeah. It's absolutely beautiful. I've heard of, you know, a number of people on YouTube complaining about the, the golden accents, but I, I really like them. I think it looks beautiful. I do too. And then if somebody you're talking about having like that mid-century touch, like this feels like it was just plucked right from that era and you know, it fits. And if somebody likes a mid-century furniture and things of that sort, you know, the Springs are probably right at home. Yeah. So that, that one I wear all the time now it's because I'm on the air, I'm on airplanes all the time. And I, you know, that's the one I want to wear on the plane anymore. Well, Robin, thank you so much for doing this, man. It's I'm a big fan of your work and as glad we're able to finally get together and talk a little bit more about this, man. Yeah. It's a pleasure. It's fun to play in your world. Well, I can't play in your world, so you can have fun playing in mine. Yeah. Maybe, maybe this summer, hopefully we'll be playing nearby and you come down to the show. Yeah. I'll, I'll be in the stands. I won't be on stage. Yeah. Well, I might let you stand on the side of the stage. All right. I'll take it. I'll take it. All right. Good seeing you, sir. You too. Pleasure.