The Grey NATO – 335 – Guilty Pleasure Watches (and more!)
On this episode, the TGN boys are chatting about their guilty pleasures, from watches to cars, food, movies, and more, it’s the things we like but dont always like to admit.
Stay in the mix for a Final Notes that will have you chasing The Duke across America while you attempt to understand the tragedy of the Titan submersible via a brand new documentary.
Click here to play episode 335 from your browser – Thanks so much for listening.
5:30 Jason’s Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Titanium 45mm
6:35 James’ Rolex Explorer II
15:10 Mr. Noodles
16:37 Whole Grain Milling Organic Corn Tortilla Chips
17:55 Lakrids Bulow Caramel Dates
20:26 “Love Actually” (2004)
20:45 “You’ve Got Mail” (1998)
21:25 “Fool’s Gold” (2008)
24:11 “Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels” (1998)
26:50 “Northwest Passage” Stan Rogers
31:20 Dodge Challenger
33:06 Dodge Ram SRT-10
35:22 C5 Corvette
36:22 Jakub Wrobel’s Drift Corvette
36:50 “Which Corvette is best Corvette?”
38:20 Panerai Luminor 1950 PAM372
45:05 Hublot Classic Fusion Ferrari
55:25 “Titan: The Oceangate Submersible Disaster” (Netflix)
59:30 Midnight Run (1988)
“Do anything, but let it produce joy.” – Walt Whitman.
I completely understand both of your perspectives about watches being a guilty pleasure, but I’d like to offer another idea about their mass appeal and the broader acceptance of the wristwatch as we know it.
As an artist, sculptor, and silversmith, I’ve wrestled with similar feelings. Early in my career, I struggled with the notion that my clients were motivated by vanity when they chose to possess and wear one of my decorative creations. That changed after I visited the Motorcycle Exhibit at the Guggenheim Museum in New York a few years ago. Something primal clicked in my brain as I found myself overwhelmed by the sheer beauty of the motorcycle—its sinuous lines, curvilinear forms, raw power, and the sense of speed that demands delicate control. In that moment, it became as aesthetically powerful to me as the beauty of the female form.
To this day, I still don’t fully understand my attraction—but I now understand why people adorn themselves with jewelry, tattoos, certain clothes, or drive a specific car. We’re drawn to objects that speak to us, just as we’re drawn to our significant others, sunsets, or the elegance of the golden ratio. The list goes on.
A watch, then, is decoration on a much deeper level. Our attraction to shape, color, and proportion is a fundamental part of human nature. I can’t fully explain why the Speedmaster might be the most perfectly balanced dial ever created—any more than I can explain the smile of the Mona Lisa. Some things are simply works of art: mysterious, beautiful, and compelling. And I believe we don’t need to crack the code to appreciate one of the most accessible art form of all—something we can wear on the wrist. Guilty Pleasure?