The Holy Trinity of YouTube Wristwatch Content: Theo & Harris, Federico Talks Watches, and Teddy Baldassarre

I’m a watch geek, always have been one. Got into the habit of wearing a watch at about age 10 when I was given an age-appropriate Timex, and to this day I don’t leave the house without a watch on. Actually, I feel naked without one.

I love everything about watches, but mostly the styles, designs, and the respective brands rich history. I’m supplementing my limited knowledge about the inner-workings of watches by subscribing to some good YouTube channels, spending time on the Hodinkee site daily (absolute leader in watch-related content), dedicating my Instagram space to largely watches only, and, general library research.

I don’t have a collection per se, and the kings of the social media watch community would not be impressed with the dozen watches in my rotation. But that’s ok, because I’m satisfied with each one. I have none of the fabled "Holy Trinity" of watches (Patek Phillipe, Audemars Piguet, and Vacheron Constantin) although my “Grail” watch is among them. Safe to assume I own no true new luxury watches, those priced from say $5K up to the low 6 figures.I do however own a vintage Rolex and Tudor model. On the other end of the spectrum, I do not own any fashion watches, and I do not recommend you own any either. Everything I have is solid though,  with names any watch aficionado will certainly know and respect: Omega, Tag, B+M, Weil, Concord, Mido, Seiko, Orient, et al.

As I near early retirement and am excited about having real time to pursue my interest in watches, I’ve discovered the treasure trove of content available in the space, be it YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook. It has been a literal education for me, and I’m particularly thankful for three of the kings of the watch community whose YouTube content has me glued to my iPad each and every day.

 All three are highly entertaining, ridiculously knowledgeable and passionate about the craft, and extremely accessible to the watch novice among us. Two of the three run active vintage watch businesses, and the third has announced an upcoming line of watch bands. While the subject matter is basically the same, each purveyor adds a distinct style to their own channel, and each, as of this posting have tens of thousands of  subscribers, so the dudes are busy. All three have multiple platform presences, but my recommendation here is limited to their respective YouTube channels. If you have even a fleeting interest in horology, check their respective channels out. 

Christian Zeron – Theo & Harris

Christian Zeron is a 20-something guy who came up with the idea in college of selling vintage watches and offering intelligent, articulate, critical content with little-to-no filter (this I particularly enjoy) about all thing watches. His focus is largely vintage, but by no means is he pigeon-holed to the genre. He produces a daily video (50,000 subscribers) of the utmost professional quality, unmatched by anyone doing a similar vlog in the space, with a heavy dose of personality.  The videos can be recommendations, rants, updates, Q&A, and a highly-enjoyable something he calls Liquor Run, where he and his father (who by the way is a total bon vivant;  epic wine and watch geek) sit around a table with an adult beverage (usually wine) and discuss watches in a frank and humorous manner, that often takes the discussion in other directions. The wine recommendations should be paid serious attention as his "old man" knows what he speaks, which is an added benefit to the viewer.

Christian's passion for watches comes out in every episode, his delivery and tonal command would work in a court of law as well as it does on the channel (he has mentioned quite publicly that law school was an option that he really didn’t care to pursue; he’d be good at it though), and I come away from each viewing with either more knowledge than I had previous, a good quote, and usually quite a bit of laughter. His early videos held nothing back, but the more recent appear to edit out the few vulgarities spoken, assumingly to attract a broader audience. Although I’ve not met him in person, I’ve exchanged emails with him, and he is generous with his time and as affable in writing as he is on camera.

The Watch Shop component typically has  dozens of vintage pieces for sale at prices that seem competitive, a partnership with French leather-goods producer Jean Rousseau that produces beautiful hand-made watch straps and wallets, and a few luxury offerings in the sunglasses and bag space.

The Theo & Harris brand has been around for about 4 years now, and I expect it to continue to flourish under Christian’s absolute and un-tethered zeal for the industry.

Federico Iossa – Federico Talks Watches (Delray Watch Co)

Federico Iossa is an uber-watch geek, partner in a vintage watch company, and producer of Federico Talks Watches, a YouTube channel with 52,000+ subscribers. A big man with a gentle nature, his topics are consistent with those of interest to other watch geeks (present company included), although his expertise is the mid-high end of the luxury market. The quality of his vlogs are really good, and he has a flair for production style with his video lead-in of what I believe to be a sped up sunny Biscayne Bay scene with jazzy, Miami-flavored background music (when he was based in Brooklyn the lead-in was the East River I believe, but shot in black & white with dark and forbidding weather).

His watch lineage background is impressive. He was formerly employed by the Richemont Group and worked retail and product management for several luxury brands. His opinions are intelligently-stated, his knowledge unquestioned, and his animated delivery and personality draw you in, in the same manner a well-liked, casual college professor would. To have a cup of coffee or beer with him and have a healthy debate about watches would be a bucket list item for many watch aficionados; he’s that good at what he does.

His vintage watch shop, Delray Watch Company,  offers vintage timepieces and service, and it’s clear that Federico is genuine about having strong personal connections to his client base.

Teddy Baldassarre

Teddy Baldassarre, an entrepreneur from the greater Cleveland area, is special to me as he was the first “watch guy” I found on YouTube. After vegging out on Teddy’s channel (40,000+ subscribers), I ventured far-and-wide to find others with preferable watch content. Watches are the focus of Teddy’s platform, but there is a good mix of men’s fashion too.

What I most appreciate about Teddy is that there is no limit to his channel content. Every potential subject matter surrounding watches has been addressed. He provides a good amount of content videos pertaining to price ranges of watches that Christian and Federico really don’t delve into in the same focused manner. For instance, “Best Watches Under $200” produced an informative, well-paced ride through the lower-end of the market, pointing out well-made, inexpensive watches with both style and substance. Every watch Teddy discusses in his videos are imaged on screen in a neat and clean graphic which provides the name, model number, and the anticipated price of the piece.

Teddy’s content appeals to more the “every man,” a guy looking for a solid recommendation for a thousand dollar watch as opposed to someone making an investment decision. But make no mistake, he addresses the top of the luxury market too. His delivery is warm, his topics presented in a way that’s thought-provoking, intelligent, and he typically provides enough choices and information that gives the viewer a real sense of buying power. He has a sensibility about him that promotes trust, something a watch buyer today needs given the vast array of non-traditional purchasing choices and the obvious caveats. His topics are interesting and varied; you’ll definitely find content that will inform more than entertain, although his videos are very entertaining, just not in a mirth sense.

These three content kings will provide you with, at the very least, a primer to establish what information and knowledge you seek in all things horology.There are literally no end to the content available out there, but I find Christian, Federico, and Teddy to be the best at what they do.