trophy slideshow-left slideshow-right chevron-left chevron-right chevron-light chevron-light play play-outline external-arrow pointer hodinkee-shop hodinkee-shop share-arrow share show-more-arrow watch101-hotspot instagram nav dropdown-arrow full-article-view read-more-arrow close close close email facebook h image-centric-view newletter-icon pinterest search-light hodinkee-logo search magnifying-glass thumbnail-view twitter view-image checkmark triangle-down chevron-right-circle chevron-right-circle-white lock shop live events conversation watch plus plus-circle camera comments download x heart comment default-watch-avatar overflow check-circle right-white right-black comment-bubble instagram speech-bubble shopping-bag shop watch Stories Sort Arrows New Search Clear Search

HODINKEE Radio Episode 10: Tony Fadell

The inventor of the iPod offers his unique perspective on the future of luxury watchmaking.

ADVERTISEMENT

Subscribe to the show: (Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, TuneIn). Already heard it once or twice? Please leave a short review here, and tell us which guests we should have on!

I guess I'll come right out and admit it: the first time I met Tony Fadell, I was super nervous. It was during a press event for Nest, Tony's company that makes smart devices for the home (which he has since sold to Google), and I spotted him wearing a Patek Philippe ref. 5990 Nautilus Chronograph during the keynote presentation. After our formal post-speech interview, I asked him about his watch and instantly realized I had nothing to worry about. Tony is as friendly and approachable as he is brilliant and insightful, and at the end of the day he's just a big nerd like the rest of us. In the years since this first encounter, I'm happy to say I've had many chances to talk watches with Tony and I learn something new every time.

As a watch collector, Tony is interested in both classic vintage watches that represent great design and modern watches that push the boundaries of what is possible from materials and engineering standpoints. But you might remember that earlier this year Tony was actually involved with the release of a watch, the Ressence Type 2 e-Crown Concept. The Type 2 e-Crown combines a fully mechanical watch with an electronic mechanism that sets the time and gets the watch back on track after the power reserve winds down. A few weeks ago, Tony sat down with editor-in-chief Jack Forster and me to talk about the development of the e-Crown, his own history in watch collecting, and what he thinks the watch industry needs to do to survive in the 21st century.

We hope you enjoy Episode 10 of HODINKEE Radio. Check out the show notes below and let us know what you think in the comments.

ADVERTISEMENT

Wrist Check

While Tony's collection is pretty diverse, including watches that are vintage and modern, complicated and minimal, more often than not you'll spot him wearing something from Ressence. The day we recorded he was rocking a Type 5, which is the sportiest watch in the Ressence collection. The watch is made of two sealed chambers, one housing the movement and one housing the time-telling discs and a layer of transparent oil, connected by a series of magnets. The oil totally eliminates parallax distortion between the crystal and the display, making it perfect for underwater activities – you can read the time at any angle with no problems. Mechanically and aesthetically it's unlike any other watch that has ever been made.


Show Notes