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A cancer diagnosis, a bucket list trip to Japan, and a watch brand born from a carpe diem of what is important in life...

It is easy to run life on autopilot, day in and day out, until something stops you cold and reminds you how little time we might actually have. Most of us think about that abstractly. For Ryan LeClaire and his wife Andrea of Makoto Watches, it became something much more literal.

A few years ago, Andrea was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer, with an initial prognosis of four months to live. Ryan did what any husband would do and dropped everything, including selling their furniture business, to be with her. That kind of news shifts your perspective fast. For this couple it became carpe diem, a shared mission to seize every day they had. Andrea encouraged Ryan to follow his passion. As a lifelong watch collector with an eye for design, the direction was already clear. So he started designing watches, staying home with her, and combined with a bucket list trip to Japan, Makoto Watches was born...

https://www.analogexplorer.com/p/ae-48-carpe-diem-with-mokoto-watches

For full show notes, Analog Explorer ® is a reader-supported publication and podcast. To receive new posts, full show notes, and more, ⁠⁠⁠⁠consider supporting Analog Explorer on Substack.⁠⁠⁠

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https://open.substack.com/pub/analogexplorer/p/ae-47-elliot-brown-california-dreamn?r=8z6az&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

This time last year was bananas, to say the least. Right as the Vancouver Timepiece Show was getting underway, the #watchfam found itself watching favorite brands navigate a full-blown trade war, sometimes on an hourly basis. Some brands were upfront about passing on the tariff costs. Others quietly ate them to keep prices steady for their customers. And a small few, including Elliot Brown, made the difficult call to pause sales to the United States entirely until things settled.

A year on, Gem Parker of Elliot Brown is back on the mic at the 2026 Vancouver Timepiece Show to recount that year, and to tease out where Elliot Brown is going next.

For full show notes, Analog Explorer ® is a reader-supported publication and podcast. To receive new posts, full show notes, and more, ⁠⁠⁠consider supporting Analog Explorer on Substack.⁠⁠⁠

Full show notes on Substack

https://open.substack.com/pub/analogexplorer/p/ae-46-the-voice-of-your-universe?r=8z6az&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

One of the things that draws me to shows like the Vancouver Timepiece Show is the creative independence on display. These brands are not just growing up, some of them are just ‘grown up.’ And what many of them are producing now sits at a level that can go toe to toe with far bigger names, at a price point that still lets the rest of us play along. Gavox Watches out of Belgium is a perfect example of that.

For full show notes, Analog Explorer ® is a reader-supported publication and podcast. To receive new posts, full show notes, and more, ⁠⁠consider supporting Analog Explorer on Substack.⁠⁠