Smash Cut: 15 questions with Felix Scholz, Executive Editor at Revolution
The Antipodes' most prolific watch writer (and co-host of the popular OT: The Podcast) weighs in on grails, the concept of 'luxury' and the trends he could live without in 2021.
Like all the great rapid-fire interviews that I fervently hope ‘Smash Cut’ might someday become, questions range freely across a plethora of topics — all with the singular goal of painting a vivid portrait of whomsoever I happen to have the good fortune to interview. Punchy, personable, and (hopefully) chockful of interesting tidbits, ‘Smash Cut’ is the proverbial dessert to this newsletter’s dinner — a great way to encourage dialogue outside of an individual’s stated area of expertise, so I can get fashion people to give their take on watches; have ‘watch guys’ obsess about cocktails and so on.
To set things off, I’m delighted to speak with Mr. Felix Scholz — a fixture in the world of English-language watch writing who splits his time between editorial and the wild west of watch-related podcasting…
Early in my horological baptism Time+Tide was a hugely invaluable resource. The website’s emphasis on video reviews and the more attainable segment of the market — a focus that’s maintained to this day — proved crucial in dissolving luxury watchmaking’s intimidating, often unrelatable aura; and now here I am half a decade later, all in on German three-quarters plates and other wallet-crushing esotera. A transition in which Felix has played no small role.
In the 10 or so years that he’s been covering watches, the Antipodes’ most prolific editor has wracked up bylines at a laundry list of publications that will register even if you’re not an avid horophile — from GQ to Hodinkee, and more recently, the Aussie edition of Revolution Magazine. Then, during the earliest days of the COVID-19 shutdown in Melbourne, Felix even launched his own podcast (co-hosted with Andy Green, another Time+Tide alumnus).
Now well into its 54th episode, OT: The Podcast has become an indispensable part of my weekly listening (major highlights including a deep dive into the history of Rolex with James Dowling and a laugh-a-minute conversation with artist & collector Phil Toledano). A couple weeks ago, Felix was gracious enough to sit down for a chinwag and the inaugural edition of ‘Smash Cut’. You’ll find his answers — very sparingly edited — below.
You’re at the bar — what are you drinking?
I don’t really have a drink of choice. My preferences are driven far more by mood and the people around me. That said, I’m a sucker for something light and fruity; possibly with Champagne in it. If I’m flying — what is ‘flying’ even, lol — I love a Bloody Mary. Recently, my default drink around the house is a plain and simple Maker’s Mark.
What’s a track that’s been heavy in your playlist lately?
It’s not a single track per se, but I’ve been listening to a lot of Taylor Swift these days.
Grail watch?
This might come as a bit of a shock, but I don’t really believe in grails: the term’s so overused that it’s essentially become meaningless. There are stupidly rare stupidly beautiful watches out there I love, but I’m not going to spend years hunting down an example and bankrupting myself to buy it. That’s just not who I am.
One book, article or other piece of long-form writing you’d recommend to friends?
Oh man, I love the long-form stuff over at WIRED — I always find myself hyping it up. That said, Joshua Davis’s sprawling piece on the Cougar Ace salvage operation is a truly wild read. I wish I could write like that.
The watch to save if your house is on fire?
To be honest, they’re pretty low on the list of priorities. But for sentimental reasons — my NOMOS Club Automat. Everything else is just stuff.
A brand that you feel remains consistently underrated?
There are a few directions you can take this: my typical go-to answers are NOMOS and Grand Seiko, but the cat is outta the bag on those guys. So I’ll go a different (some might say contrarian) direction — Hublot.
‘Watch guys’ love to hate Hublot, but when it comes to pushing forward, consistently clever, on-brand design that integrates some really interesting technology, the brand’s hard to beat. Plus, they know how to have fun when designing watches — that’s pretty rare.
In a word, your style of collecting can be described as…
“Pragmatic.”
What’s your personal take on the word ‘luxury’?
Sheesh. How do I answer this without coming across like an idiot (or worse)? The obvious answer is ‘time’ but that’s painfully on the nose considering what I do for work. It’s also not entirely true: if you were locked up in jail you’d have all the time in the world, but little in the way of luxury.
So, at a fairly philosophical level I’d say luxury is about having the ability to make choices and act on them.
You’ve got company for dinner — what’s your go-to?
I’m not the world’s greatest cook by a long stretch; and I’m certainly not somebody who flexes via cuisine — simple is better. But if people are coming over, I’m definitely doing something with lots of roast vegetables. It’s hard to stuff up and doesn’t require me to be constantly stirring a pot. Ultimately, that means I can spend that time chatting to people.
Favourite watchmaking complication?
I love a mechanical alarm: the quirkiness and obsolescence really embodies what’s great about watches.
In your mind, the ultimate designer collab would consist of…
Oh man. I don’t have a great answer to this, so I’m going to steal somebody else’s. We chatted to Simon Wood (the guy who founded Sneaker Freaker) and he said that the dream shoe collaboration would be between Nike and Louis Vuitton. Power move right there.
Wise words to live by?
In a former professional life, I worked on a music festival with an amazing events manager Molly. She gave some wonderful advice about what to do when you meet someone famous: “be cool, don’t be a dick”. Over the years, I’ve found that simple wisdom to hold true, and it’s applicable in all facets of life. Thanks Molly!
The biggest misconception people have about your profession?
Probably that I know how to fix or work on watches. To paraphrase an old saying: “those who can, do. Those who can’t, review”.
What’s a trend — whether in watches, fashion, or pop culture — you want to see less of in 2021?
I’ve got to say, I’d like to see people stop complaining about supply, hype and the enormity of waitlists. I’m not very hopeful.
Social distancing notwithstanding, what’s the best meal you’ve had this year?
That’s a hard one — it’s been a very rough year in Melbourne for the hospitality industry. I’ll say the first meal that I ate with friends after our ‘hard’ lockdown ended: it was nothing special, and in a way that made it special.
Read Felix’s articles at Revolution online or listen to OT: The Podcast here.
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