The Grey NATO - 155 - MKII, Tornek-Rayville, And The Early Days Of Microbrands With Bill Yao
"How much is this going to cost?... I can afford to lose that kind of money, so let's just do it anyway"
This one has been a long time coming! So please show a big TGN welcome to Bill Yao of MKII watches and the recently re-launched Tornek-Rayville. Bill is a long-standing fixture in the microbrand scene and has been working in watch creation for the better part of 20 years. From his roots in Seiko modification to MKII, Tornek-Rayville, a new magazine, and a bunch more, Jason and James had a lovely chat with Bill – and you had better believe they get into the contentious world of homage watches.
Apart from Bill’s long-awaited appearance, Jason and James follow up with a trio of excellent Final Notes covering a lovable and inexpensive clock from Seiko, a country-music-themed new podcast co-hosted by our pal Andy Green, and an exciting new trailer from the folks behind Valley Uprising and The Dawn Wall.
Click here to play episode 155 from your browser.
A huge thank you to Bill for coming on the show and to you for listening. Be sure to jump into the comments and let us know what you think, but for now, just press play.
6:40 Dewalt Cordless Jigsaw https://bit.ly/3lwKZqS
7:14 Homage Episode https://bit.ly/3ilmdrN
8:50 Jason’s Aquastar Deepstar https://bit.ly/37gWgmZ
9:10 Crown and Buckle Matte Supreme “Greige” strap https://bit.ly/3jp9OSS
10:22 Hadley Roma Jubilee bracelet https://bit.ly/3lrXRyw
19:00 MKII Watches https://bit.ly/3jlEV1M
22:05 MWR https://bit.ly/3xrt7A1
24:36 MKII Quad 10 https://bit.ly/3jfskNm
34:40 Military Omega Seamaster https://bit.ly/2VxE5Xf
36:50 MKII Blackwater https://bit.ly/2Vwd3Q2
46:58 Tornek-Rayville TR-900 https://bit.ly/3ChL5J1
48:55 AF0210 Straps https://bit.ly/3yBxbyQ
59:20 American Trench MKII Tee shirt https://bit.ly/3il7OvK
1:01:45 American Trench X MKII Crewman Jacket https://bit.ly/3rQjw4E
1:03:07 American Trench 0-0 Jacket (launching soon!)
1:05:20 Guinea Pig Zine https://bit.ly/2SSf9Zy
1:12:23 MKII Watches on Instagram https://bit.ly/3fswfpi
1:13:15 Seiko Victory Marathon Alarm Clock https://bit.ly/37r1dJH
1:16:35 Smashville Podcast https://bit.ly/3yoTeZv
1:19:04 The Alpinist trailer (via youtube) https://bit.ly/3C8mdmK
This was a fun episode. The "homage" discussion was interesting - like James I have a instinctual aversion to most homages, but the line gets very very blurry when half of the Swiss brands have a connection to their history in name only. Maybe at the end of the day it doesn't matter, so long as a watch is fun and well made.
Great episode, been waiting for you guys to finally have Bill on! Great timing with the release of the Tornek-Rayville, which I was able to get in on! I was also happy to hear James shift a little on his homage opinion. “Strong Opinions, Loosely Held”!
I thoroughly enjoy homage watches, I own a few vintage issued military watches for which I also own a corresponding homage that I tend to wear more often to protect my originals.
At the end of the day one of my favorite, everyday wear watches is my Tudor Black Bay 58, which you would be hard pressed to convince me is not much more than a high quality homage!
Thanks and Keep Up the Awesome Work!!