Sometimes the of the best conversations, and friendships, happen when you least expect them.
My friend Dan over at the Zulu Time Podcast has said it for years, and the 2026 Vancouver Timepiece Show proved it once again: You show up for the watches, but you stay for the people. And sometimes the people show up for you.
“You show up for the watches, but you stay for the people.”
Ken as Arken Watch Co. wasn’t at the show as a brand this year. No table, no speakeasy (this year), just Ken as a fellow lover of watches and the #watchfam checking out the floor as a regular attendee and catching up with friends.
So naturally, we caught up as we went on walk-about on the floor and handed him a mic as we did for a little audio tour, though fair warning, this one was recorded at peak hour on day one, so the audio has a bit more show floor character than usual.
Professionally, Ken’s got a busy year ahead. The Sage Grey Alterum (on wrist at the show) that debuted at British Watchmaker’s Day is on its way.
And the long-awaited Model 3 is finally ready and there may be a few collaborations and smaller projects that may also be in the pipeline.
Regardless of being a brand owner, Ken is just like any one of us in the #watchfam; eager to check out and trying out watches from any of the brands. We got briefly distracted by Baltic’s new Worldtime with a stone dial, which sounds very much worth getting distracted by. More on that when Remi gets on the mic later in the feed…
Links of note | Arken Watches
Analog Explorer Episode 35 - from last year’s Vancouver Timepiece Show
AE. 35 | ARKEN Watches - Vancouver Timepiece Show
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In this episode of the Analog Explorer Podcast, I meet Ken Lam—founder, designer, marketer, photographer, customer service rep (and just about everything else) behind ARKEN Watches, live from the Vancouver Timepiece Show. If you’ve ever wondered what it means to be a true one-man brand, Ken’s story is a masterclass in building something from the ground …
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Fac tempus ad explorandum — make the time to explore.
