Interviews
The King of the Watch-Spotters: @niccoloy
Interviews
The King of the Watch-Spotters: @niccoloy
King of these researchers is Nick Gould aka @niccoloy. Based in Australia, Nick has been studying watches and the brands that make them for many years and has made some of the most epic discoveries, initially through picture research and then a follow-on interest in researching brands and their histories. He is now a contributor to a number of watch magazines and I have had been in contact with him since 2019, discussing his Tudor and Rolex finds. One of my favourites was a photo of The Boss, Bruce Springsteen, wearing a vintage blue Tudor snowflake Sub!
There is no denying that people love to read his posts and others like it. Why does he believe people enjoy these posts so much? “People particularly like the finds from the past, when watches didn’t have the “hype” attached to them. Notable people were wearing them at the time because they liked the watch purely for its aesthetics or function, such as a journalist wearing a Heuer Monaco or an actor wearing his own Patek Philippe Nautilus.”
His account is now, however, so much more than simple watch spotting. He is adept at researching brands and finding fascinating information on the different variations and models and some of their practical applications. Was researching the history of brands a natural progression? “Not necessarily, but I got curious in relation to a few things so decided to go down the rabbit hole!” One rabbit hole I’m grateful he went down was the Tudor Submariners issued to the US Navy, as specifically an extract from the 1973 US Navy Diving Manual, in which Tudor watches are listed within the approved suppliers list. Its small, but important information like this, that keeps him ticking.
You can find all the above posts and so much more by checking out Nick Gould’s Instagram account @niccoloy.