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Rolex Sub, Studio Underd0g x Fears, & a rare Japanese grail — Erika’s 3-WATCH THROW DOWN
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Rolex Sub, Studio Underd0g x Fears, & a rare Japanese grail — Erika’s 3-WATCH THROW DOWN

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We’re back at The Jeffrey Craft Beer & Bites, a bar that sounds like someone named their dog after it, in the heart of Manhattan, and sat down with Erika Ratini (@watchmissgmt), one of the most compelling new voices in watch collecting, for a 3-Watch Throw Down.

Food, travel, Japanese independents, and a Rolex Submariner she spotted across a room like a scene from a rom-com. This is her story.

Watch 1: Rolex Submariner Date ‘Starbucks’

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The “big girl watch.” A promotion, a green dream, and a sales associate who took the Rolex Submariner off her own wrist to let Erika get a sense of how it would fit. The second it locked on? Superpowers. Don’t laugh, you know exactly what she means. And yes, that Glidelock bracelet remains the greatest bracelet in watchmaking. Fight us.

Watch 2: Studio Underdog × Fears SERIES02 Manhattan

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Released right here in New York. Inspired by the cocktail, built like a work of art, 1mm of amber sapphire over radial-brushed steel that makes you want to order a glass of bourbon just looking at it. Erika was in the room when the Studio Underdog × Fears SERIES02 Manhattan was revealed. Coincidence? Probably not. She was actually tapped to help tease its massive launch.

Watch 3: Naoya Hida & Co. NH Type 4A

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Here’s where the collection goes somewhere else entirely. A Naoya Hida & Co. watch is definitely not something you see every day. So, if you do, you will definitely want to take a moment to take all of its intricacies in. A Japanese independent that barely exists outside of Tokyo trunk shows, with hand-engraved Arabic numerals that look machine-perfect and a crystal so vintage-inspired it practically disappears. Wind it. Hear it. Feel it. It’s priced around US$18,500, and, despite being a very under-the-radar brand, in Erika’s eyes, it’s worth every cent.

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From the world’s most recognisable dive watch to a 300-piece NYC collab to one of horology’s best-kept secrets: this is what a real watch nerd’s collection looks like.