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This week's guest is someone I've wanted to sit down with and talk to for a long time. Will Welch was named the editor-in-chief of GQ in the fall of 2018, and he officially took the steering wheel in early 2019. He'd already been with the iconic magazine and media brand for more than a decade at that point, but he's someone who came to GQ from the world of music journalism ?and he's far from your typical fashion editor. I've been reading his work forever and have followed along as he rose to become editor-in-chief of GQ Style and creative director of GQ before finally earning that gig at the top of the masthead.
In his first year as editor-in-chief, he's focused on reorienting the magazine in a direction that he thinks fits the here-and-now while also building something that can last. He's perfectly candid about this, and we spoke openly about the things that he thinks are no longer "very GQ" and why he thinks it's important to think of the brand as a "fashion magazine" and not a "men's magazine." Yeah, we did a lot of air-quotes while we spoke ?perfect for a podcast, right?
Will Welch (Photo by Matt Martin)
Will's also a serious fake watch guy. If you're listening to the first part of the episode and find yourself thinking "Wait, when did this become a media or fashion podcast?" ?stick with us! I promise that we get to watches, and it's well worth the wait to hear all about Will's fake watch journey. We talk about why we both love smaller watches, all the things that make the fake watch community so unique and special, and how he thinks about replica watches in the context of GQ. Two nerds, two mics, lots of hot takes.
We were enjoying our chat so much that we ran way over on time, only wrapping up because Will had to run back to help his team finish the next issue of GQ. Our conversation is the full episode this week, and I think you're all really going to like it.
We hope you enjoy Episode 81 of HODINKEE Radio. Check out the show notes below, and let us know what you think in the comments.
ADVERTISEMENT Wrist CheckWhile Will's love of Replica Rolex started with his vintage Datejust (yellow gold with a black dial, obviously), he's now a fan of the brand's modern pieces too. This Daytona is a great go-anywhere, do-anything watch, and the black-on-white color scheme looks great with Will's usual all-black-everything look. He's also hard on things, and this Daytona can definitely take a beating. It's one of a few modern Replica Rolex's in his collection these days, but he's really holding out hope for a black-and-red "Coke" GMT...
Show Notes8:00Rachel Tashjian
11:50Larry David's GQ Cover Feature
12:00Tyler, The Creator GQ Cover Feature
19:30GQ Says Goodbye to the Suit
21:45The Fader
27:00Adam Rapoport
30:23Frank Ocean GQ Cover Feature
36:45GQ's New Masculinity Issue
37:00Brad Pitt GQ Cover Feature
40:30Stephen's GQ fake watch Coverage
41:00GQ's fake watch Vertical
42:00Wes Lang On GQ
43:40Aurel Bacs GQ Feature
49:30The Amazing Made-In-America Hamilton Electric, The World's First Battery Powered Watch
1:02:00Stephen's 1016
1:09:53Talking replica watches With Jack Nicklaus
1:10:00Talking replica watches With John Mayer, Part 2
1:10:10Talking replica watches With Reza Ali Rashidian
1:14:00Big Fit Of The Day
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