The Countdown | Submariners, Starwalker, and Slowing Down

Catching up with an LA collector—plus Tiffany regrets, Domino’s hype, and summer reading that doesn’t suck.

Tony Traina

Jul 22, 2025

Good afternoon. In today’s newsletter: The Countdown returns with a young LA collector. But first—

If you’re looking for some watch-related summer reading that isn’t all guides and reference books, here are a few recs:

Hands of Time, Rebecca Struthers
Deluxe: How Luxury Lost Its Luster, Dana Thomas
A Grand Complication, Stacy Perman
The Cartiers, Francesca Brickell Cartier

The Roundup

🤑 Tiffany & Co. pissed off a lot of clients who wanted that bright blue Nautilus. (Bloomberg) “Salespeople were instructed to guide top prospects toward spending $2 million to $3 million [in jewelry], according to people familiar with the sales strategy. No official waitlist. No guarantees.”

About a year after the announcement of the Tiffany 5711, I spoke to a handful of dealers and collectors for this collector’s guide to the Nautilus. By then, they were talking about the fact that all 170 pieces hadn’t even been allocated because the rollout had been so mismanaged by Tiffany & Co. At first, clients were beating down the door to buy the limited-edition Nautilus. Tiffany gave them the runaround (or shakedown) for months before looking around and realizing they’d alienated many of their most valuable clients. Whoops!

🍕 How the Domino’s Rolex became an unlikely collector favorite. (Esquire) One of the more fun articles I put together last summer was about the Rolex “Domino’s” Air-King. I took an Amtrak up to Milwaukee to visit a dealer who had one in stock, bought a Domino’s pepperoni, and snapped some photos.

So I was excited when Esquire’s Johnny Davis reached out to chat about the Domino’s Rolex again. Not unlike the Nautilus, interest peaked during the pandemic when dealers were listing the pizza watch for $20k, but it’s cooled off since.

These “special” dials—retailer signatures, corporate logos, etc.—mostly don’t hit the same for me anymore. The premium they command over standard examples has, in many instances, continued to grow. If a retailer signature was a 2x premium, now it can be 3-4x. The stories are still cool, but the watches often aren’t worth the premium.

Still, there are exceptions for everyone. Since I’m from Indianapolis, some of those Heuers with the Indy Motor Speedway logo are worth every penny. So if you really love that new stuffed crust pizza…

🎉 Minutes + Hours Los Angeles.1 This weekend! Explore over 60 brands and thousands of watches at the Minutes + Hours Show in Los Angeles, July 26–27. See, try and buy microbrands, indies & more. Get your free tickets now:

RSVP NOW!

The online Unpolished archive is the best way to find old newsletters.

The Countdown | Talking Submariners, Starwalkers, and Slowing Down with Trevor Wynn

The Countdown is our monthly collector feature that follows a simple 3-2-1 format: 3 watches, 2 objects, 1 piece of advice. Check out previous editions of The Countdown here.

“I vividly remember getting a Guess pocket watch around 1998,” says Trevor Wynn. His obsession with watches hasn’t stopped since. Trevor is a Los Angeles-based attorney, a young collector, and hosts the Paré Paré podcast.

I’ve hung out with Trevor a few times over the past year or so. His interests and our conversations casually flow across classic “finer things” fare—watches to cars to architecture and back again—but Trevor talks about them in an approachable way. Sure, it’s expensive stuff, but it doesn’t feel materialistic. Trevor is always considered and thoughtful.

“I have so many passions,” Trevor says, “I was struck by the interplay between bars, architecture, furniture, and the podcast has been a way to blend talking about all of these subjects and exploring the relationships between them.”

Trevor Wynn laying down a pod, along with his two Submariners.

Rolex Submariner (Ref. 14060M)

“After I finished law school, my dream was to buy a Rolex Submariner,” Trevor says. He knew he wanted the classic no-date Sub, so got an education in four- and five-digit Rolex.

The Rolex Submariner ref. 14060M is essentially the last of the old-school Submariner references. Aluminum bezel, slimmer case—before Rolex transitioned to those ceramic bezels and chunky “maxi” cases designed to impress from across a Wall Street trading desk. The “M” stands for its updated, chronometer-certified movement that gives the dial four lines of text.

“For a while, this Submariner was my infrequent daily,” Trevor says. As he’s thrown himself more into the hobby, it’s gotten less wrist time.

“It reminds me of all the time it took to become a lawyer,” Trevor says, “a testament to all that work paying off.”

Adanac by Gallet/Marathon

In the mid-1980s, Gallet- and Marathon-produced Adanac (Canada spelled backwards) watches were issued to the U.S. Air Force and Canadian armed forces. Trevor says he was drawn to its simple design and value.

“It harkens back to the Benrus Type II, but with a quartz movement and slimmer case,” he said. The Type II is certainly more well-known, but this is a descendant, also issued to North American militaries. And the asymmetric cases are just rad.

“I’m not a military watch collector, but they’re remarkable. The premium for an issued Tudor or Rolex isn’t worth it to me, but I love this watch.”

Tudor Submariner (Ref. 79090)

“As I wore the Rolex Sub, I started learning more about Tudor Submariners,” Trevor said. While his Rolex has some old-school traits, it’s still a modern proposition.

But the Tudor Submariner is more of a throwback. It keeps many of those four-digit traits of true vintage Rolex—plastic crystal, hollow end links, and tritium lume.

“Compared to my 14060, it really harkens back to Submariners of the past,” Trevor said. “Even in period—this watch is from 1992—it was a throwback and out of date.”

And the Tudor Sub has two daring features that the Rolex Submariner could never—a blue dial and blue bezel.

Jonathan Ward icon leather weekend bag. — Jonathan Ward is mostly known for ICON and its restomods or takes on classic cars, but he also makes a clean leather bag.

J. Ward Leather Weekend Bag

“When I carry this bag, it feels like an event,” Trevor said. Jonathan Ward is most known for his Toyota Land Cruiser and ICON builds, which take classic vintage designs like the Land Cruiser or Bronco, and infuses them with modern tech and comfort inside.

“Jonathan has a lot of passions beyond just cars, and leatherworking is one,” Trevor says.

The bag is beautifully designed and cut. Jonathan and Trevor are both car lovers in Southern California, and the bag was actually a gift to Trevor. “I don’t have any other bag that even comes close to this level of detail and craftsmanship.”

“Any trip that doesn’t involve an airplane, I’m using it. It’s the perfect weekend bag.”

Montblanc Starwalker Pen

“My girlfriend gave me this pen,” Trevor says. It’s a rollerball, easier and more functional than a fountain pen.

“The details and the way the pen feels in your hand are magical,” he says. He’s not about to become a pen collector, but Trevor says it’s fun to have one nice pen.

“I do find myself writing more now—personal writing, notes for the podcast.”

An object that actually instills worthwhile habits in you? That’s what it’s all about.

“Cars were my first love,” Trevor says. His daily is a Mercedes SL500 from the 2000s.

“I don’t have that many opportunities to take vacation, but every time I hop in my car, it’s like a mini vacation.” Which brings us to his advice:

“Try to enjoy what you have. In this hobby, all of these hobbies, especially with social media, you’re always thinking about what’s next, but we don’t stop and appreciate what we have.”

Classic advice, but a worthwhile reminder. It means appreciating how far you’ve come—wearing, using, enjoying. Not worrying about what’s next.

“I used to dream about owning a Submariner,” Trevor says, “I’m lucky that I can wear one every day now.”

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