Episode 36: America’s Premier Watchmaker, Roland Murphy

An old friend of Marc's stops by for a visit; he also happens to be one of America's top watchmakers and the founder of RGM Watches. This conversation was as entertaining as it was educational. Take a trip with us down memory lane, sit back, and enjoy!

RGM Watches: https://www.rgmwatches.com/

RGM on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rgmwatches/

Roland's watch: https://www.rgmwatches.com/watches#/80140/

Bob's watch: https://isotopewatches.com/products/isotope-mercury-shadow

Marc's watch: https://moelsandco.com/moels-369

The T2C Discord Community: https://discord.gg/3pfhUFPYFD

00:13 – Introduction
00:52 – Wrist Check
03:15 – Roland’s Bio
17:50 – How his training influenced his career
21:54 – Starting RGM
28:37 – 20-year overnight success
31:41 – Why Lancaster County?
32:56 – Challenges of building a watch brand in the U.S.
38:52 – Sourcing equipment in the early days
48:39 – Sourcing watchmakers
50:07 – Developing an in-house movement from scratch
55:10 – Where to begin when creating a new movement
58:16 – The importance of traditional finishing
1:03:05 – RGM still offers servicing for outside brands
1:08:02 – Movements that are not fun to work on
1:11:04 – What impresses Roland
1:13:04 – The early days of equationoftime.com
1:17:53 – The first internet community-driven watch designs
1:21:55 – Balancing traditional with contemporary
1:23:14 – What’s a typical day like?
1:27:52 – Roland’s favorite complications
1:34:07 – The revival of American Watchmaking
1:36:24 – Who would Roland collaborate with?
1:39:01 – Can we visit?
1:40:43 – Rapid fire questions
1:43:35 – What’s next for RGM?
1:44:52 – Thank yous and goodbyes
1:46:08 – T2C OUT!