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It's been a while since we had one of our own team members on HODINKEE Radio, but I promise this one was worth the wait. This week, Grey and I sit down with senior writer James Stacey, who shares the awesome story of how he went from an adventure-seeking kid to a fake watch enthusiast with a day job to a full-time writer, photographer, and more. James has a story that I think will tick a lot of familiar boxes for people, and he's the rare example of someone who was able to actually turn his passions into his livelihood, mostly through working hard, learning a lot, and connecting with other great people.
While we of course touch on where James comes from, what he was doing before he worked in watches, and how he finally made his way to HODINKEE, we get into a lot of other stuff too. We talk about some of the wildest adventures James has ever been on, we discuss his personal fake watch collection and what it takes for a fake watch to make the cut, we contemplate what happens when your hobby becomes your livelihood, and we chat about James's other passions, which include cars, cameras, movies, and more. I've known James for the better part of a decade, and I still learned a ton during our conversation. I don't want to spoil too much, so I'm just going to leave it at that.
We hope you enjoy Episode 77 of HODINKEE Radio. Check out the show notes below, and let us know what you think in the comments. If you're craving more HODINKEE editor interviews, be sure to check out our chats with Ben, Cara, Jack, and Joe too.
ADVERTISEMENT Wrist CheckYou knew this fake watch was going to be on a grey NATO, right? (If not, check this out.) This Doxa Sub 300 Professional was created to celebrate the iconic dive watch's 50th anniversary, and it's one of just 300 pieces produced. It's also a pretty perfect James Stacey watch. It's from a brand with real history, it instantly gets you some street cred with the real fake watch nerds, and it's a go-anywhere, do-anything kind of sport watch. I happen to think the orange dial goes great with that NATO, and I've always been a fan of the pairing of that barrel-shaped case with the multi-tier bezel, giving the fake watch a really unique set of proportions. This is one of James's all-time favorite watches, and for plenty of very good reasons.
Show Notes10:35James's First fake watch Post
12:30James's NUVO Articles
17:30The Clipperton Expedition With Oris
18:00ABTW Baselworld 2017 Vlog #1
20:30A Week On The Wrist: The Tudor Black Bay GMT
22:30A Week On The Wrist: The Replica Rolex Explorer Reference 214270
35:30James's Polar Dial Explorer II
38:30James's Doxa Sub 300 Professional
46:30The Grey NATO
54:33My Leica: James Stacey
1:03:40Helplessness Blues
1:05:30Blue Meridian
1:05:45Blue Water, White Death
1:06:30North By Northwest
1:06:50No Country For Old Men
1:08:10Patek Philippe 5164A
Podcast Hodinkee-radio Episode 75 replica watches And... 5295