All Articles (187)
Horology — Around the World
Canada's Quiet Watchmaking Renaissance
Switzerland, Germany, and Japan dominate the conversation. But over the past two decades, a small and energetic group of Canadian brands has quietly built a reputation for thoughtful design, rugged tool watches, and strong enthusiast communities. For collectors willing to look beyond the traditional watchmaking centres, Canada offers several compelling manufacturers worth noticing.
Three Canadian brands stand out: Halios, Marathon, and RZE. These companies represent different corners of the Canadian watch scene, from military heritage to modern microbrand innovation.
Marathon Watch Company
Marathon Watch Company, based in Canada but manufacturing largely in Switzerland, is perhaps the most historically significant. Founded in 1939, Marathon has supplied watches to Allied forces since World War II and continues to produce timepieces built to U.S. and Canadian military specifications. Models like the GSAR (Governmen
Entrepreneur & Media Personality
Patrick Bet-David: From Tehran to Valuetainment
Iranian-born American entrepreneur, author, and media personality — founder of Valuetainment, host of the PBD Podcast, and minority owner of the New York Yankees.
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Patrick Bet-David — Founder, Valuetainment |
Host of the PBD Podcast |
Patrick Bet-David is an Iranian-born American entrepreneur, author, and media personality. He founded Valuetainment — a bus
Rolex Submariner
The Submariner Effect: How One Rolex Influenced an Industry
Few watches have shaped an entire category the way the Rolex Submariner has. Since its debut in 1953, the Sub became...
The Watch That Launched a Thousand Dives:
Watches Inspired by the Rolex Submariner Few watches have shaped an entire category the way the Rolex Submariner has. Since its debut in 1953, the Sub became the blueprint for the modern dive watch:
- black dial
- rotating timing bezel
- luminous markers
- robust Oyster case
- bracelet built for real-world abuse
It didn’t just become popular. It became the template. Below is a deep dive into watches that were clearly inspired — visually, structurally, or conceptually - by the Submariner. Design Elements the Su
The Rolex 116300 “Lavender” is one of those references that didn’t feel special—until it disappeared.
It’s not “the watch someone famous wore.”
It's not hype.
It’s not rare.
It’s not limited.
It’s not loud.
But it’s one of those watches that quietly grows on you.
It captures a specific era of Rolex—slightly bolder case proportions, experimental dial playfulness, and the final chapter of the classic 31xx movement line. For collectors who appreciate nuance over noise, this Datejust might be one of the smartest under-the-radar steel Rolex buys of the past decade.
And in the right light? Yes—it really does glow lavender.
Entrepreneur & Business Coach
Dan Martell: From Rehab to a $100M+ Holding Company
Canadian entrepreneur, SaaS investor, and bestselling author of Buy Back Your Time — coaching tech founders to scale their businesses while reclaiming their lives.
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Dan Martell — Founder, Martell Ventures |
Author of Buy Back Your Time |
Dan Martell is a Canadian entrepreneur, bestselling author, investor, and business coach specializing in SaaS and tech founders. His book Buy Back Your Time became
Venture Capitalist & Tech Co-Founder
Joe Lonsdale: Palantir, 8VC, and the Pursuit of Hard Problems
Co-founder of Palantir Technologies, founder and managing partner of 8VC, and one of Silicon Valley's most prolific builders — turning data, capital, and policy into lasting institutions.
| Joe Lonsdale — Founder & Managing Partner, 8VC |
Co-founder of Palantir Technologies |
Joe Lonsdale is an American entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and philanthropist. He co-founded Palantir Technologies — one of the most influential data analytics and software companies in the world — alongside Peter Thiel, Alex Karp, and others. He also co-founde
Author & Media Personality
Featured Entrepreneur: Building an Empire One Episode at a Time
Arthur Brooks is a Harvard professor (specifically the Parker Gilbert Montgomery Professor of the Practice of Public Leadership at the Harvard Kennedy School, and Professor of Managem...
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Featured Entrepreneur |
Featured Entrepreneur |
Arthur Brooks is a Harvard professor (specifically the Parker Gilbert Montgomery Professor of the Practice of Pu
Media Personality
Featured Entrepreneur: From Founder to Venture Builder
Supercar Ron is a popular American YouTuber and social media influencer (real name Brad Bonham) based in Utah. He is famous for his massive collection of exotic supercars and hypercar...
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Featured Entrepreneur |
Featured Entrepreneur |
Supercar Ron is a popular American YouTuber and social media influencer (real name Brad Bonham) based in Utah. He is famous for hi
NFL Legend & Philanthropist
Devin McCourty: Three Super Bowls, One Exceptional Wrist
13 seasons with the New England Patriots, three Super Bowl rings, and a post-retirement mission to give back — Devin McCourty's Cartier Santos-Dumont Skeleton is as refined as his legacy.
| Devin McCourty — New England Patriots |
Cartier Santos-Dumont Skeleton on the wrist |
Devin McCourty is a former American professional football player who spent all 13 seasons of his NFL career as a safety with the New England Patriots (2010–2022), earning three Super Bowl championships along the way. A first-round draft pick out of Rutgers University, McCourty was a cornerstone of New England's defence and a longtime team captain.
Since retiring, McCourty has channelled
Film & Screen Watch Spotting
Jason Statham's Panerai Radiomir in Operation Fortune
In Guy Ritchie's 2023 action-comedy spy thriller, Jason Statham's elite operative Orson Fortune pairs his lone-wolf swagger with one of horology's most storied military watches — the Panerai Radiomir.
| Jason Statham as Orson Fortune — Operation Fortune (2023) |
Panerai Radiomir on the wrist of Orson Fortune |
In Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre (2023), directed by Guy Ritchie, Jason Statham plays Orson Fortune — an elite, lone-wolf super spy and private contractor hired by the British government. It's a role tailor-made for Statham: cool, calculating, and impeccably outfitted.
Among the film's many style details, watch enthusiasts clocked the Panerai Radiomi
Olympic Gold Medalist & Two-Division UFC Champion
Henry Cejudo's Rolex Submariner — Triple C on the Wrist of a True Triple C
Olympic gold medallist. UFC Flyweight Champion. UFC Bantamweight Champion. Henry Cejudo grew up moving more than forty times as a child of undocumented immigrants, lost his Olympic gold in a wildfire, and still became the most decorated combat athlete alive. The Rolex Submariner on his wrist is the tool watch for a man who has never stopped going deeper.
| Henry Cejudo — Rolex Submariner. Source: @tntsportsufc / Instagram |
The Submariner — Cerachrom bezel, Oystersteel, tool watch built for depth |
Henry Carlos Cejudo was born on February 9, 1987, in Los Angeles, California, to parents who had crossed
Seven-Time Super Bowl Champion & Watch Collector
Tom Brady's AP Royal Oak Offshore Perpetual Calendar: The GOAT's Grand Complication
Seven Super Bowls. Five Super Bowl MVPs. A $9 million Sotheby's auction. A one-of-one Audemars Piguet commissioned specifically for his Netflix Roast. On Mindset of a Champion, Tom Brady sits down wearing the Royal Oak Offshore Perpetual Calendar Chronograph — a watch that automatically accounts for every month, every leap year, and every long season. Very on-brand.
| Tom Brady — AP Royal Oak Offshore Perpetual Calendar Chronograph. Mindset of a Champion |
The Offshore Perpetual Calendar — octagonal bezel, tapisserie dial, perpetual calendar display |
Boxer, Influencer & Entrepreneur
Jake Paul's Richard Mille RM 11-03: The Problem Child's $370K Flyback Chronograph
Vine star. Disney Channel actor. Professional boxer. Co-founder of Most Valuable Promotions. The man who pulled 65 million simultaneous Netflix viewers to watch him beat Mike Tyson. Jake Paul is many things — and the Richard Mille RM 11-03 Flyback Chronograph on his wrist is exactly the watch for someone who has spent his entire career making people underestimate him, then making them watch anyway.
| Jake Paul — Richard Mille RM 11-03. Source: @kaitrumpgolfer / Instagram |
The RM 11-03 — tonneau case, skeletonised movement, flyback chronograph |
Jake Joseph Paul was born January 17, 1997, in Cleveland, Ohio,
MMA Champion, Boxer & Entrepreneur
Conor McGregor's Franck Muller Vanguard: The Notorious One's Diamond-Bezel Watch
From a plumber's apprentice in Crumlin collecting welfare to the first UFC fighter in history to hold two championship belts simultaneously, Conor McGregor built an empire through will, performance, and a persona so big it became its own industry. The Franck Muller Vanguard with diamond bezel on his wrist is exactly the watch the "Master of Complications" designed for the man who complicated every room he walked into.
| Conor McGregor — Franck Muller Vanguard. Source: @thenotoriousmma / Instagram |
Franck Muller Vanguard — tonneau case, bold Arabic numerals, diamond-set bezel |
Conor Anthony McGregor w
Actor, Director & Vintage Rolex Devotee
Jason Bateman's 1979 Rolex Daytona: The Watch He Traded a Franck Muller to Own
He wore it on stage at the Oscars. He wore it in a Vanity Fair clip about Ozark slang. He wore it to a Dodgers game. The 1979 Rolex Daytona Ref. 6263 "Panda" on Jason Bateman's wrist is the same watch — every time — and the story of how he got it is one of the most honest things a Hollywood actor has ever said about collecting.
| Jason Bateman — 1979 Rolex Daytona Ref. 6263. Source: @jenniferaniston / Instagram |
Rolex Daytona Ref. 6263 — 37.5mm steel, white "Panda" dial, black acrylic bezel |
Jason Kent Bateman was born January 14, 1969, in Rye, New Yo
Comedian, Television Host & Mechanical Collector
Jay Leno's A. Lange & Söhne Datograph Perpetual Calendar: The Watch for a Man Who Understands Machines
Over 180 cars, 160 motorcycles, and a working tank with live ammunition in Burbank, California. Jay Leno built his collection the same way he built his career — systematically, on his own terms, without spending money he hadn't already earned. On his wrist at Jay Leno's Garage: a platinum A. Lange & Söhne Datograph Perpetual Calendar. The most mechanically sophisticated watch from the most technically uncompromising watchmaker in the world, on the wrist of the man who has spent his entire adult life in pursuit of that exact quality.
| Jay Leno — A. Lange & Söhne Datog |
Automotive Photographer & Canon Explorer of Light
Larry Chen's Heat Wave x Nixon Time Teller: Car Culture on the Wrist
The man who has spent 20+ years photographing Formula Drift, Pikes Peak, Gymkhana, and every corner of grassroots car culture on the planet is wearing a watch built for people who grew up around orange gauge clusters and warm dashboard glow. The Heat Wave x Nixon Time Teller is a limited-edition collaboration that makes complete sense on Larry Chen's wrist — and almost no sense on anyone else's. In the best possible way.
| Larry Chen — Heat Wave x Nixon Time Teller. Source: Jay Leno's Garage / YouTube |
Nixon x HWV Time Teller — tonal grid dial, fluorescent orange markings, debossed silicone band |
Motoring Journalist, Presenter & Rally Competitor
Henry Catchpole's Autodromo Group B Pegasus Edition: The Watch Built for Someone Who Actually Competed in a Rally
Evo magazine's former features editor, Hagerty's The Driver's Seat presenter, British Rally Championship competitor, and owner of an unfinished 1979 Ford Escort Mk2 rally car he hopes to finish one day — Henry Catchpole is wearing the Autodromo x Mobil 1 Group B Pegasus Edition. One of 70 ever made, sold out in under 24 hours, built to honour the most spectacularly dangerous era in rallying. It fits him with an exactness that most watch spots can only aspire to.
Henry Catchpole — Autodromo x Mobil 1 Group B Pegasus Edition. Source: Hagerty / YouTube |