What Is Unpolished?
Unpolished is the independent newsletter for watch collectors & insiders, including recs on what to buy (and not to). A top 30 Fashion & Beauty newsletter on Substack.
It’s honest, transparent, and sharp—no brand ads or outside influence. Only what matters to collectors.
You can be a free or paid subscriber. There are two paid tiers:
Standard: $99/year or $9/month
Founding Member: $199/year
2026 Founding Member perks:
2025 Unpolished Rewind Magazine! It felt like a shame to just put 2025 behind us, so I’m printing the best writing and photography from Unpolished in a physical magazine. It’s still being finalized, but expect about 60 perfect-bound pages of the most popular newsletters from 2025, along with plenty of photos of the best watches I saw this year (vintage and modern), including some stuff that hasn’t been published yet.
Your choice of any strap from the Unpolished Store. Canvas or Leather.
More subscriber benefits:
All paid subscribers get 10% off orders from the Unpolished Store.
All paid subscribers can access the comments section, chats, and exclusive Q&As.
All annual subscribers get $50 off any watch service from Watchcheck.
For independent watch coverage with real edge, subscribe now:
What paid subscribers get every week
Unpolished is sent 2x/week. Typically, that means a weekday and weekend issue. Regular monthly columns include:
The Watchlist. A curated monthly list of hidden vintage watch deals from small auctions, eBay, and other corners of the internet. Mostly under $20k, highlighting bargains and “buyer bewares” – not dealers or retailers. Since relaunching in 2024, subscribers have scored deals on vintage Cartier, Jaeger-LeCoultre, TAG Heuer, and more.
The Countdown. Our monthly collector feature following a simple 3-2-1 format, where collectors chat about 3 watches that define their taste, 2 objects they love, and give 1 piece of advice. Previous editions here.
Podcast: A monthly conversation with a collector or insider. Find previous episode here or follow on Spotify / Apple.
Unpolished Index. Our hands-on review column that actually rates watches on a scale of 1–100. Find previous ratings here.
Other Features. You’ll also get photo reports, collector’s guides, and other in-depth content, original stories, and refreshingly honest takes.
Why should you pay for Unpolished?
Unpolished is built on a simple idea: Great media is worth paying for. Media has changed drastically over the past decade. Subscriptions mean we answer only to you –not advertisers, brands, or PR firms. As an independent voice who’s seen how the industry works, I’ll focus on the stories that actually matter to collectors.
To maintain this focus, Unpolished makes a few commitments:
Subscription-first
No advertising from watch brands
No press trips
Okay, But Who Are You?
I’m Tony Traina. Former editor at Hodinkee and, before that, an attorney. I started this very newsletter as a passion project focused on vintage watches in 2020. It was called "one of the best single-operator newsletters on the internet,” I’ve also contributed to GQ, Sotheby’s, High Snobiety, and A Collected Man.
I was an editor at Hodinkee for over two years, writing hundreds of articles and hosting a weekly podcast before leaving in October 2024. Some of my best articles are here.
I also do consulting, communication, and editorial work for brands, media, and dealers—send an email to discuss collaborations.
🎧 If you want to hear me talk, I’ve appeared on podcasts besides Hodinkee Radio, including: Worn & Wound Podcast; That Watch Podcast; Openwork by Collective Horology; Hairspring Podcast; The Waiting List Podcast; and O.T. The Podcast.
🎥 I’ve also talked about a few of my own watches on YouTube with Tom Brown (2024) and Oak & Oscar (2022).
Also follow me on Instagram or even TikTok (groan).
Questions? Email me: tony@unpolishedwatches.com.
Check out the most recent issues of Unpolished here.
