The Analog Explorer® is a journey with fellow enthusiasts and the #watchfam to discover their passions with watches and beyond. As a professional photographer, hiker, and recreational diver based in the Pacific Northwest, host AJ Barse shares his drive for exploration through interviews and discussions with analog enthusiasts, collectors, creative watchmakers, and others who celebrate the impact and art of horology. The most universally limited resource is time; and the Analog Explorer reminds us all of the need to Fac Tempus Ad Explorandum i.e. "Make the Time To Explore."
For full show notes, follow on Substack (https://www.analogexplorer.com/p/ae-48-carpe-diem-with-mokoto-watches)
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 (https://makotowatch.com/), 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 (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. (https://www.analogexplorer.com/)
11 Jun 2026
AE | 47 - Elliot Brown; California Dream'n Dials & Community
Full show notes on Substack (https://open.substack.com/pub/analogexplorer/p/ae-47-elliot-brown-california-dreamn?r=8z6az&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true) (https://open.substack.com/pub/analogexplorer/p/ae-46-the-voice-of-your-universe?r=8z6az&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true)
https://open.substack.com/pub/analogexplorer/p/ae-47-elliot-brown-california-dreamn?r=8z6az&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true (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 (https://elliotbrownwatches.com/), 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. (https://www.analogexplorer.com/)
21 May 2026
AE | 46 "The Voice of Your Universe" - Gavox Watches - Michael Happé
Full show notes at https://open.substack.com/pub/analogexplorer/p/ae-46-the-voice-of-your-universe?r=8z6az&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true (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. (https://www.analogexplorer.com/p/ae-43-community-connections-2026)
Who has been a guest on Analog Explorer
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Sinziana Iordache
Jérôme Burgert
George
José Miranda
Katie
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
YouTube views
257,172
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
5 ratings
Spotify
4.0 / 5
4 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 41 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
22
Social presence
0
YouTube
82
Engagement
68
Contact Analog Explorer
Guest appearances
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