HODINKEE Radio: Episode 5: Eric Ku

August 06, 2018

Subscribe to the show: (Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, TuneIn). Already heard it once or twice? Please leave a short review here, and tell us which guests we should have on! If you're having a conversation with a group of watch collectors, there's a pretty good chance that at some point someone is going to mention Eric Ku. It could come in the form of "But did you see that crazy Sub that Eric sold last month?" or maybe something like "Oh, this? Yeah, I got it from Eric." He's a staple in the collector and dealer communities C?and for good reason. Eric started out as a watch enthusiast in his dorm room at University of California Berkeley and eventually became a collector in his own right as evidenced by Eric's episode of Talking Watches. He then evolved his personal passion into a career as one of the most reliable watch dealers on the planet, operating under the name 10PastTen. Not bad, right?What a lot of people don't realize though is that there's a lot more to Eric Ku than rare, killer examples of mid-century Rolex watches. He's a dedicated patron of contemporary, independent watchmakers and it was actually Vianney Halter's Antiqua that first opened his eyes to the wonders of horology. The guy also knows a ton about food and enjoys a great glass of wine. He's someone who really understands the all important idea that watches are best enjoyed as part of a life well-lived, and it was a pleasure sitting down to talk to him for this show.?We hope you enjoy Episode 5 of HODINKEE Radio. Check out the show notes below and let us know what you think in the comments. Wrist Check It's hard to imagine a more quietly gangster watch than a Patek Philippe ref. 3939. From a distance, this just looks like a little yellow gold watch with three hands, but then you get up close and notice the slide set into the left side of the case for the minute repeater and the diminutive "Tourbillon" written in the sub-register C that's when you realize this thing is no joke. The styling, the engineering, and the finishing are all top notch. We asked Eric to bring something fun on his wrist, and boy did he come through. Show Notes 1:45Eric's Patek Philippe Ref. 39392:34Profile of case maker Jean-Pierre Hagmann8:34Rolex Submariner Ref. 16610LV aka The Kermit9:46Ed Delgado's website "Double Red Sea Dweller"10:47Example of a "spider dial" on a Submariner Ref. 551213:15A Comprehensive Review Of The Ref. 5513 Matte Dial Submariner15:50The Sale Of Paul Newman's Rolex Daytona, The Most Expensive Wristwatch Ever30:12Vianney Halter Classic30:23Eric's Vianney Halter Antiqua32:53Philippe Dufour Simplicity Number 1733:25 Gronefeld watches33:33The Pascal Coyon Chronometer37:44Cartier Tank Cintre52:28Farallon restaurant in San Francisco53:00Cafe Jacqueline54:57n/naka in Los Angeles55:36Niki Nakayama's "Chef's Table" episode57:35 El Toyanese food truck59:10Bystander Street Photography Exhibition