{"version":"1.0.0","episode":{"title":"The Detroit Watch Guy — John Shiha on Rolex, Watchmaking & Building a Career at Lucido Fine Jewelry","url":"http://getcarcurious.com/episodes/the-detroit-watch-guy-john-shiha-on-rolex-watchmaking-building-a-career-at-lucido-fine-jewelry","audioUrl":"https://anchor.fm/s/10cf88010/podcast/play/120841706/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2026-5-1%2F425288519-44100-2-bc1c60e7dc3eb.mp3","description":"John Shiha didn't grow up planning to become one of Michigan's most respected watchmakers. He started at 14 — cleaning cigarette burns off the showcases of a mall jewelry store after his grandfather made him work 13-hour days just to take the job. From there, it was the last high school watch repair program in North America, one of the youngest acceptances ever to the Rolex watchmaking school in Lititz, Pennsylvania, and a cold call to Vince Lucido that turned into a handshake deal and a career.In this episode, Jake Berkal and Frank Zombo sit down with John, now General Manager at Lucido Fine Jewelry, for a wide-ranging conversation on the craft, the business, and the culture of luxury watches. We cover what actually happens during a full Rolex service, why Rolex is designed to be worked on a decade later, the philosophy that you don't own a Patek Philippe — you take care of it for the next generation, why fakes are a hard pass, and how to start a meaningful collection at any price point. Plus John's takeaways from Watches & Wonders: the Rolex 100-year Jubilee dial, Gerald Charles' perpetual calendar, and the value play happening at Grand Seiko.If you've ever wondered what makes a $500 Seiko worth keeping for 50 years, why 904L stainless steel matters, or how an authorized dealer relationship actually works — this one's for you.Big thanks to John for coming on. Visit the team at Lucido Fine Jewelry — Sterling Heights, Rochester, Birmingham, and beyond. www.lucidojewelry.com Follow Dealer Out of Office for new conversations with the people, brands, and craftsmen behind the automotive and luxury worlds.\n"},"annotations":[{"startTime":627.3,"endTime":636.2,"type":"brand","title":"fossil","url":"/glossary/fossil","quote":"Aren't aren't you like always wearing a fancy watch and at the time, you know\n[631.0s] It was like a fossil or something","canonicalId":"brand:fossil","priority":0.2,"confidence":0.85,"source":"hybrid-fuzzy+gpt-5.4-nano","data":{"explanation":"Fossil is a consumer watch brand that’s generally positioned as more affordable and fashion-oriented compared with luxury brands. Here it’s mentioned as the kind of watch the guest was wearing at the time, before getting into watch repair training."}},{"startTime":641.7,"endTime":678.6,"type":"topic","title":"watch repair program","url":"/glossary/watch-repair-program","quote":"there's a watch repair program that you can go to\n[641.7s] at what was called the career prep center at 15 mile and Bandai\n[650.8s] so right across from Stirling Heights High School and\n[656.4s] You could you go there half of your day basically","canonicalId":"topic:watch-repair-program","priority":0.25,"confidence":0.9,"source":"hybrid-fuzzy+gpt-5.4-nano","data":{"explanation":"The guest describes a high-school-level watch repair program that let students spend part of the day training and earning credit. The segment emphasizes attendance requirements and how the program fit into junior and senior year.","simplifiedExplanation":"They’re talking about a school program where students learned how to repair watches. The guest explains it was structured like a class with strict attendance rules so you could earn credit."}},{"startTime":641.7,"endTime":656.4,"type":"place","title":"15 mile and Bandai","url":"/glossary/15-mile-and-bandai","quote":"there's a watch repair program that you can go to\n[647.1s] at what was called the career prep center at 15 mile and Bandai\n[650.8s] so right across from Stirling Heights High School","canonicalId":"place:15-mile-and-bandai","priority":0.15,"confidence":0.75,"source":"hybrid-fuzzy+gpt-5.4-nano","data":{"explanation":"This refers to a specific intersection used to locate the “career prep center” where the guest could attend watch repair training. It’s a geographic detail that helps listeners understand the local program’s setting.","simplifiedExplanation":"That’s a street-intersection location the guest uses to describe where the watch-repair program was. It’s basically how you’d find the place on a map."}},{"startTime":650.8,"endTime":656.4,"type":"place","title":"Stirling Heights High School","url":"/glossary/stirling-heights-high-school","quote":"at what was called the career prep center at 15 mile and Bandai\n[650.8s] so right across from Stirling Heights High School and\n[656.4s] You could you go there half of your day basically","canonicalId":"place:stirling-heights-high-school","priority":0.15,"confidence":0.85,"source":"hybrid-fuzzy+gpt-5.4-nano","data":{"explanation":"Stirling Heights High School is the nearby school used as a landmark for where the career prep center was located. The guest uses it to explain how close the watch repair program was to their high school.","simplifiedExplanation":"This is the high school the guest mentions as a reference point. They’re saying the watch-repair program was right across the street from it."}},{"startTime":715.8,"endTime":722.94,"type":"brand","title":"Rolex","url":"/glossary/rolex","quote":"I was I think I was the top student in the class at the time and he's like, Rolex has a school in","canonicalId":"brand:rolex","priority":0.35,"confidence":0.9,"source":"hybrid-fuzzy+gpt-5.4-nano","data":{"explanation":"Rolex is a luxury watch brand known for high-end mechanical watches and strong brand recognition. In this segment, it’s referenced as the kind of watch company that has training or a “school,” tying the guest’s watch-repair education to the industry.","simplifiedExplanation":"Rolex is a famous luxury watch brand. The guest is saying their watch-repair training connected them to the kind of education Rolex offers."}},{"startTime":2055.1200000000003,"endTime":2060.3,"type":"car","title":"Lincoln Nautilus","url":"/cars/lincoln/nautilus","image":"https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c4/2019_Lincoln_Nautilus_%22Reserve%22_2.7L_front_4.22.19.jpg","quote":"and He designed the aquanaut nautilus or the nautism the royal oak, correct? He I mean ...","canonicalId":"car:lincoln:nautilus","priority":0.5,"source":"hybrid-fuzzy+gpt-5.4-nano","data":{"explanation":"The Lincoln Nautilus is a mid-size luxury SUV made by Lincoln. It’s often discussed because it represents Lincoln’s approach to combining comfort and everyday practicality in a family-sized vehicle. In a podcast, it may come up when people reference the “Nautilus” name and connect it to other products or design themes.","simplifiedExplanation":"The Lincoln Nautilus is a luxury SUV, which means it’s a bigger family vehicle designed to feel comfortable. It’s made by Lincoln and is meant for everyday driving with extra comfort and features. The name “Nautilus” can also be used in other contexts, which is why it might be mentioned alongside other “Nautilus” references.","imageAttribution":"Kevauto (CC BY-SA 4.0)"}}],"speakers":[{"id":"s1","name":"Auto Hauler Exchange","role":"host"}],"transcripts":[{"url":"http://getcarcurious.com/episodes/the-detroit-watch-guy-john-shiha-on-rolex-watchmaking-building-a-career-at-lucido-fine-jewelry/transcript.vtt","type":"text/vtt"}]}