INSIDER VIEW: Standing on the shoulders of giants
Whether I’ve found inspiration in Sir Isaac Newton’s famous 1675 letter to Robert Hooke, or from rock band Oasis’ 2000 critical flop of an album, the common thrust of the phrase: “If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants” remains one that I absolutely swear by.
One of the things that I’ve learnt as I’ve got older is that it’s important to know what you don’t know. Being aware of your own knowledge gaps is not a weakness — it’s the only route to self-improvement. Don’t get me wrong, I know some stuff. On certain topics, I know quite a lot of stuff. But it’s very difficult to be an expert in a multitude of fields. The key to negating these expertise deficits is to lean on those that very much are leaders in their chosen profession or hobby.
This is why running the watch industry’s trade publication can often leave me with imposter syndrome. It’s my job to be hooked into the collective matrix of what goes on at retail and brand level in the watch ecosystem, and along the way I get to meet, interview, and occasionally befriend the best minds out there. The result is that it can look like I know exactly what I’m talking about at all times, but I assure you that this is merely a mirage. If I have a skill, it is in knowing where the brains trust lies on a given subject, and squeezing as much juice out of these experts as possible. Not only is this great for my own learning on myriad hot topics, but I then aggregate it all together to make what (I think) is a must-read copy of Watch Insider each month.
For instance, I’ve never sold a second-hand watch in life. I’ve never sold any watch in my life, come to think of it. Ironically, the more exposure I have to experts in pre-owned watches of all shapes and sizes, the scarier the prospect seems to me. There are so many moving parts and pitfalls and market fluctuations everywhere you look. But John Reardon of Collectability knows exactly what to do, especially when it comes to Patek Philippe. In fact, there’s a compelling argument for saying that he’s the world’s foremost expert on all things Patek. There is no shortcut to this level of expertise. It takes years of diligence and passion. If I can learn even a small amount from the interview I recently conducted with him, then I am the winner.
Likewise, running a retail store of any description in 2026 feels like a fool’s errand on a number of levels. Government red tape, taxes up to your eyeballs, declining footfall on the high street. Who would be so mad? Well, Steven Hammalian and wife Linda’s Little Treasury Jewelers store in the Baltimore–Washington metro area of the US is a remarkable success story. Linda took the plunge back in 1996, selling low-end jewelry from a shopping cart. Today, Little Treasury Jewelers is a genuine destination for luxury watches. As impressive as Linda’s entrepreneurial endeavor was, Steven joining after a long and successful career in consultancy is inspiring. He knew he had something to offer, and now the couple’s respective skillsets dovetail perfectly to run what has become an outstanding watch and jewelry store.
The same with English store Judith Hart Jewellers. Part of a bigger shopping centre, it lacks the gold-plated frills, bells, and whistles of some of her more illustrious counterparts in British suburbia. But this is what makes her such an impressive individual in my eyes. She’s done a tremendous job over a 45 year period, and seen a thousand other businesses come and go. The work she’s doing with the likes of Seiko and Citizen in particular is exemplary, and there are millions of consumers out there that would consider buying a watch from her store as a luxury purchase, because of the environment she has created.
I could go on — the founders of new crypto watch brand Supernova, Rolf Studer from Oris, and Christopher Marinello from Watch Recovery International all lend considerable wisdom to the forthcoming issue of Watch Insider — but I feel like I’ve made my point. I’m only as good as the people and ideas that I surround myself with. In a field of pygmies like me, there are giants that walk among us in the watch industry. The best advice I can give is to get their attention and listen.
