Gabe and Asher conduct the first-ever Openwork Watch Brand Draft — a snake-style, six-pick fantasy exercise where each host selects watch brands they'd want to own and operate across three categories: independent, micro/challenger (under $5,000), and mainstream luxury. Ground rules exclude AP, Patek, Rolex, Richard Mille, and any brand Collective Horology carries, keeping the conversation free of commercial conflicts and full of candid business analysis.
The independent and micro picks reveal what Gabe and Asher value most in a watch business — from creative extensibility and succession planning to supply chain execution and untapped product categories. Some selections are love letters to brands already firing on all cylinders; others are driven by a conviction that the right operational changes could unlock serious growth. The hosts don't hold back on where they'd steer things differently if handed the keys.
The mainstream luxury round sparks the sharpest strategic debate, with one pick framed as a direct competitive threat to Patek Philippe and the other as a brand with world-class watchmaking credentials that just needs permission to break out of a self-imposed design box.
Plus, J.N. Shapiro joins the Collective Horology Open House lineup on June 6th in Hollywood — RSVP at collectivehorology.com/openhouse.
Openwork is a weekly podcast about how the watch industry actually works. An unfiltered look behind the scenes — no press releases, no hype, and no sponsored takes. Hosted by Asher Rapkin and Gabe Reilly, co-founders of Collective Horology. Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube Music, or wherever you get your podcasts.
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