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Hilary Jay joins David Newman to discuss her wild journey from wearing heirloom diamond watches in college to cofounding Maximal Art, a brand that pioneered the "watch bracelet" and reached 2,000 stores worldwide. Hilary shares how a chance connection with the Thompson Twins in 1980s London turned a hobby of making collages into a global business that adorned stars like Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson. She pulls back the curtain on the "Watch Bracelet" phenomenon, revealing how her designs ended up in prestigious museums like the Louvre and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The conversation takes a dramatic turn as Hilary recounts the "Great Radium Recall," where OSHA with Geiger counters discovered her vintage dead stock dials were radioactive. From celebrity parties in Paris to navigating high stakes product recalls, Hilary illustrates how a career in design is like a game of "Barrel of Monkeys," where every unique pivot leads to the next adventure.

⏱️ Timestamps

00:00 : Early Connections

• Hilary remembers wearing Victorian diamond watches from her grandmother as bracelets in college.
• She explains why it never mattered if those early watches actually worked as long as they were beautiful jewelry.

02:26 : Meeting John Wind

• How a college friendship built on date nights making collages turned into a global business partnership.
• The journey from art school in England to finding unique pieces at the Bricklane Flea Market.

03:51 : The Thompson Twins

• The unexpected phone call from Alana of the Thompson Twins that launched a jewelry company.
• Delivering handmade pieces to Paris and partying all night with 1980s rock stars.

06:06 : The Jewelry Collage

• Discovering watch dials in bags of junk and embedding them in resin with pearls and chains.
• How Maximal Art became known for jewelry collage and produced thousands of unique pieces.

08:45 : The Watch Bracelet

• Finding a box of non-functional watches from a lawyer with a side gig in watch repair.
• The birth of the watch bracelet which eventually landed in the collection of the Louvre.

10:25 : Influencer Marketing

• Using old fashioned PR to get jewelry onto album covers and into the hands of Michael Jackson.
• Why giving away pieces to celebrities like Janet Jackson and Patti LaBelle was the ultimate growth strategy.

12:51 : The Functionality Shift

• Transitioning from purely cosmetic pieces to watches that actually served a horological purpose.
• The challenge of finding manufacturers and the risk of being knocked off by your own factory.

20:28 : The Radium Crisis

• The terrifying moment OSHA showed up at a retail store with Geiger counters to test her jewelry.
• Executing a massive recall across Neiman Marcus and Saks after discovering dead stock dials were radioactive.

25:55 : Advice for Makers

• Hilary shares the reality of the trade show market and the challenge of building a business today.
• Why finding your bliss is more important than chasing big financial returns in a small enterprise.

30:44 : The Barrel of Monkeys

• Viewing a multifaceted career as a series of iterations that hook into one another.
• Why the ability to iterate and use design thinking is the secret to a long and interesting career.

A watch does not have to work to be a masterpiece, but it probably should not be radioactive.
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FREE GUIDE: Buy Your First Great Watch Without Getting Burned

Download the WatchSmarts Beginner Buyer's Guide »

• Know exactly what matters (and what doesn't) before you spend a dollar
• Avoid the 10 common mistakes that cost beginners thousands
• Find a great watch that fits your life, your style, and your budget
• Skip the jargon, the snobbery, and the "collector nonsense"
• Get a simple decision framework that makes buying easy and obvious

Get the FREE WatchSmarts Beginner Buyer's Guide

David Newman sits down with Geoffrey Parker, the Chairman of the Board for the NAWCC, to explore a life dedicated to mechanical precision. Jeff shares how his childhood fascination with a local watchmaker and a professional background in complex scale modeling led him to salvage a "rectangle lot" of junk watches from eBay to teach himself the trade. From the emotional weight of restoring a Vietnam veteran's cherished Seiko to navigating the diverse factions of the horological community, Jeff explains why a watch is much more than just a tool. He offers a peek at his own impressive collection, including a 1951 original Omega and award winning custom skeletonized builds, while providing essential advice for beginners looking to find their own hidden treasures at flea markets and local meets.

⏱️ Timestamps

00:04 : Welcome to the Show

• David introduces Jeff as a watch guru, maker, and industry insider.
• Jeff reflects on his earliest memories and his lifelong connection to the craft.

00:41 : The Face Against the Glass

• Jeff recalls being the "Norman Rockwell" boy with his face pressed against a local watchmaker's window.
• How his background building 1/8 scale car replicas with 4,000 parts prepared him for the precision of horology.

02:46 : The "Rectangle Lot" Experiment

• Buying a "wreck and tangle" lot of junk watches on eBay to see if he could actually fix them.
• The card table and simple tools that launched a decades long journey into professional repair.

04:44 : The Emotional Side of Repair

• Salvaging a late husband's water damaged watch for a grieving coworker.
• Restoring a Vietnam veteran's faceted Seiko that became one of the most meaningful projects of his career.

06:10 : Ancestral Watchmakers

• Discovering a hidden family history of watchmaking that dates back over 150 years.
• Why Jeff feels he was destined to pick up the trade as the only current family member in the craft.

14:31 : Building Award Winning Timepieces

• The story of the skeletonized Swiss movement build that won first prize at a national craft contest.
• Why Jeff plans to eventually leave his cybersecurity career to focus on building custom watches full time.

22:52 : Leading the NAWCC Community

• Navigating the different subgroups of wristwatch, pocket watch, and clock collectors.
• Why the "MoonSwatch" phenomenon is a vital gateway for bringing younger collectors into the hobby.

28:58 : Innovation at the Museum

• Highlighting the Bulova exhibit and the fascinating immigration story of Joseph Bulova.
• Exploring the legacy of Accutron tuning fork technology and its impact on American watchmaking.

32:30 : Show and Tell

• A look at a garnet colored Baume & Mercier and a completely original 1951 Omega Seamaster.
• The rare 1963 Zodiac chronograph that required a two year restoration process.

37:44 : Advice for the New Collector

• Why beginners should look for makers fairs and watch meets to find what truly excites them.
• Approaching affordable vintage collecting with a "gambling" mindset for better entertainment value.

41:30 : The Lightning Round

• Jeff explains why he would choose one great masterpiece over a collection of five good ones.
• Why the value of pre owned watches makes them a smarter choice than buying brand new.

A great watch is a perfect storm of engineering, history, and art that reminds you to enjoy every second.
==========
FREE GUIDE: Buy Your First Great Watch Without Getting Burned

Download the WatchSmarts Beginner Buyer's Guide »

• Know exactly what matters (and what doesn't) before you spend a dollar
• Avoid the 10 common mistakes that cost beginners thousands
• Find a great watch that fits your life, your style, and your budget
• Skip the jargon, the snobbery, and the "collector nonsense"
• Get a simple decision framework that makes buying easy and obvious