January has been busy, and a longer break between recordings turns into a chance to slow down and catch up.

Cold weather across the country keeps Aaron home for a few days, which opens the door to reconnect. Marc is braving the Denver cold with Cuban-style coffee and thoughts of Miami, while also reflecting on the passing of Bob Weir. His influence is impossible to overstate. The connection many of us share to Grateful Dead music runs deep, but it is especially personal for Felix and Brian, whose relationship with that music has been a constant thread.

This episode centers on timing, service, and why relationships still matter in this hobby. Marc is back in his Oris after a mainspring repair handled by Right Time Watches. The work was done quickly and graciously, with no pressure for a full service. Just the right repair at the right moment.

That experience flows directly into Aaron’s latest purchase. A used King Seiko with a gorgeous silver sunburst dial, bought from Right Time during a FaceTime call with Marc. What started as a fun, slightly impulsive moment turned into a masterclass in customer service. A brief concern after the watch arrived, led to thoughtful back-and-forth, reassurance, and a simple fix. No issue at all. Right Time for Seiko, in every sense.

The conversation widens to Aaron’s growing Seiko lineup, spanning from Seiko 5 all the way to Grand Seiko. Six Seikos with six different movements, and a reminder that meaningful collections are built through stories. Still, the new year wasted no time. Aaron already has his first Seiko of the year, and Marc somehow beat him by two days with a used Seiko sourced from Australia via Chrono24 (story to come!).

The heart of the episode lands with a story from Berea College. Students in Aaron’s Student Craft program, all of whom attend tuition free and work on campus, expressed interest in mechanical watches. Aaron carried that curiosity to the The Grey Nato Slack community.

The response was generosity beyond expectation. Members didn’t just offer inexpensive watches tucked away in drawers. They donated them outright.

The students were fascinated by mechanical watches, grateful for the kindness, and excited by the idea of something tangible and lasting that wasn’t tied to a phone. In a moment when anger and unkindness feel easy to find, this became a bright spot. A reminder that a shared hobby, a generous community, and the right conduit can create something meaningful that stays with you.

Good timing. Good people. Right time.

Aaron and Marc are back from the holiday break after crossing paths in opposite directions. Aaron visits family in Denver while Marc trades winter for Miami and the Florida Keys.

They settle back in with travel stories and time away, and how a reset reshapes perspective on life and on watches. Aaron’s Seiko 5 returns from service with new hands and crystal, naturally opening the door to an unplanned state of the collection. Field watches, versatility, and the quiet influence of the Seiko 5 become a thread, especially as Aaron realizes he now owns more field watches than actual fields he plans to explore.

Marc checks in from the tropics, where his Black Bays take in beach days, art, sunshine, and an unapologetic amount of seafood, Cuban food, and key lime pie. Time with family includes hands-on moments with his brother’s heirloom Datejust and reflections on travel, family, and reconciling feelings about his hometown, its culture, and the constant presence of creativity.

The conversation drifts where it wants to, touching on gifted watches including a Vostok Amphibian with Cold War roots, the evolving shape of Aaron’s collection, and the kind of watch curiosity that shows up when schedules loosen and expectations disappear.

Loose, unplanned, and very much back in rhythm for the new year.

Marc and Aaron record after coming off a professional Zoom call with Danny, Marc’s longtime friend and frequent collaborator on Crosshatch projects. The three of them are quietly amused that they managed to resist doing a wrist check during the meeting, only to open another Zoom later to do exactly that. Beer check makes an appearance, and the conversation eases in from work to watches without much resistance.

Straps are very much on the mind. Aaron has been rotating watches when he gets home from work and spending time with Veblenist straps, gifting a couple, experimenting with blue leather on a bead-blasted Seiko, and appreciating what an upgrade good leather can be. Marc, still loyal to bracelets, admits a strap has been sitting in his cart longer than he would like to admit.

The guys talk about an unexpected trip to Kentucky to hear Felix play guitar publicly for the first time, holiday travel ahead, and the realization that this is likely the final episode of the year. Along the way they cover seeing the new Tudor Ranger 36mm and Omega Planet Ocean in person, a detour into helium escape valves as brand language, Aaron’s 100-meter rule, Jomashop finds including a Seiko 5 Marc helped track down for Adelle, old Seiko 5 logos, watch rules, Blundstones, and the watches that are still quietly lingering in the back of their minds.

They wrap up without a formal year-end list or big retrospective, just a moment to pause, reflect, and say thanks for listening and joining the conversation so far.