Guitarist Josh Smith Is Not A Purist; He’s An Open-Minded Musician AND Watch Fan
You might want to know who Josh Smith is. I mean, guitar players don’t often headline a Fratello story. Guitarist Josh Smith was born on October 7th, 1979, in Middletown, Connecticut, and is an American blues-rock guitarist, vocalist, songwriter, and producer whose playing sits comfortably at the intersection of blues, jazz, and rock. He received his first guitar at the age of three and began taking lessons at six, quickly developing a particular fondness for B.B. King, Muddy Waters, and T-Bone Walker. By age 12, Smith was already being described as a blues prodigy, playing professional jams and touring with the Rhino Cats, with whom he spent eight years. Over the years, Smith has also worked with names including B.B. King, Joe Bonamassa, Eric Johnson, and Mick Jagger.
Alongside his work as a performer, Josh Smith has steadily released solo albums, and he runs Flat V Studios in Los Angeles, where he has produced records for artists such as fellow guitarist Eric Gales. Smith is not simply a guitarist who occasionally steps into the studio; he has built a career around playing, recording, and producing the music he clearly prefers to be surrounded by. He’s also an avid, curious, and open-minded watch fan, interested in all kinds of timepieces and brands, new and vintage. His attitude toward music is much the same. He started with the blues but later ventured into jazz, and he doesn’t shy away from a bit of rock either. This spirit shows in his playing and on his hands. On his left hand, there’s a tattoo of bebop legend Charlie Parker, and on his right hand, blues icon Stevie Ray Vaughan is pictured.
Guitarist Josh Smith: “I’m coming to Geneva, bring your watches to the show”
Since Smith was coming to Geneva to play a show at a festival held by the Blues Association de Genève (BAG), he asked people on his Instagram page to bring nice watches. I showed up early with a nice-enough watch and a few questions.
Fratello (F): Please tell me how your love for watches was ignited.
Josh Smith (JS): “Yeah, so the in-depth watch thing is kind of new for me — since COVID, basically. When I was a kid, there were some cool watches around that my great-grandfather and my grandfather left to my dad, who then left them to me. They were, like, great American watches — Hamilton rail watches and a Waltham pocket watch. And I love them, but I was always uncomfortable playing guitar with the watch on my wrist, so I would take it off. I still do, yeah. I’m still trying to find the right watch I can wear all day and all night.
Image: Maryline Graemiger
It’s going to be hard, though, because I have been playing guitar for 35 years without wearing one. It will probably just feel weird, whereas Joe [Bonamassa] wears a Rolex all the time, and when he doesn’t have a heavy watch on his wrist, he feels uncomfortable. I’m not used to the weight, so I’m trying to reteach myself to play with one now. Anyway, to answer your question, I started going down the watch rabbit hole during COVID. I was on YouTube, and the videos that dragged me in were mostly about watch repair. I started watching guys restore watches and repair them.”
F: So you’re into watchmaking and not just watches, right?
JS: “Yeah, I really like the technical aspect of watches. It’s so fascinating to realize that this thing that this guy’s working on was built in 1945, and once he fixes it, it’ll run perfectly. You know, that’s amazing to me. I’m the kind of guy who, when I get into any subject, will go all the way. Then I want to learn everything about the history, who’s behind it, and how it works. With watches, it started with asking questions like: what’s the difference between a hand-winder and an automatic watch? What does the escapement do? What’s the frequency of the movement? I also went into the history of plenty of brands. Who was Louis-Abraham Breguet? What is all this stuff that he made? What are all the different complications he invented?
I went deep into so many different brands, finding out what they’re famous for, what their most iconic watches are. I’m fortunate to travel so much that I can go to lots of cool stores and look at cool watches, and I just fell in love right away. I started realizing, like, I was never taking my phone out of my pocket to check the time anymore.”
Josh Smith wearing his Enicar Sherpa Graph
F: What was the first watch you purchased after going down the rabbit hole?
JS: “It was a vintage watch, an Enicar chronograph. I have a bunch of Enicar watches now because I really like that brand. I was going through brand history videos, and this video about Enicar came up. It was all about the Racine family, and they turned the name backward. But mostly, I started seeing these Sherpa Graph chronographs from the 1960s with Valjoux 72 movements inside. I looked them up and found they were way cheaper than comparable watches with the same movements, and they are just really nice. Maybe I should have worn my Sherpa Graph now. But I have it upstairs; I will show you later. It’s a great watch — one of my favorites. I also have an Enicar Sherpa Jet, a GMT. Oh, and I also own a LeCoultre Futurematic, a watch without a crown. It was for the American market, so there’s no ‘Jaeger’ on the dial.”
“The Enicar Sherpa Graph is just a great watch for the money.”
JS: “Yeah, they’re just cool watches. Look, I’m not a rich guy, and my enthusiasm for watches has far exceeded my budget. And the Enicar Sherpa Graph is just a great watch for the money. Also, it has a 40mm case, so it fits. I started buying these other vintage watches, and they would end up with my wife. She would wear them instead of me because they just didn’t look right on me. The thing is, I have really big hands and wrists. So the vintage stuff I bought looks really small on me. I think I have 20cm wrists, and I like bracelets. But some of these old bracelets can’t get past my hands. It can be challenging, but I do like bracelets more than straps. I don’t know why, but I just feel more comfortable wearing them. I’m also scared to drop a watch when trying on one with a strap and pin buckle.”
Image: Maryline Graemiger
F: Do you have favorite brands and watches, vintage or new?
JS: “Let me start by saying I’m not too crazy about Rolexes. I don’t feel them. Maybe the only watch I might consider is a vintage ‘Root Beer.’ I also don’t need a Nautilus or a Royal Oak, vintage or new; I don’t like those watches. There’s so much more out there. I have so many brands and watches I like that it’s hard to answer your question.”
Josh Smith wearing his Otsuka Lotec No. 6
F: In that case, please tell me about the Otsuka Lotec No.6 you’re wearing.
JS: “I have been following Otsuka Lotec for a few years, and I have a home in Japan. It’s my favorite place, and my wife and I go there a lot. Some places just register as comfortable and familiar, and Japan immediately felt like that. And I like Japanese watchmaking. Whether it’s watches, denim, or knives, the Japanese craftspeople do everything well. That’s the main thing I love about Japan. As a person, I felt a connection to them; their work resonates with me. Look, I’m kind of a serious guy. I don’t drink, I don’t smoke, and I don’t play around. I do what I do, and I try to do it the best I can. I’m obsessed with being the best musician I can be. The Otsuka Lotec No.6 is original, well made, and big enough to look good on my wrist.”
F: Is there another Japanese watch brand on your radar?
JS: “I would love to own a watch from independent watchmaker Hajime Asaoka, but his creations are maybe a bit too small for my wrist. I also love Masa & Co. watches; they have the most beautiful hands. They’re made in a tiny workshop, and everything is done by hand, including the movements, but the hands are crazy. They are very intricate but not too ornate. They blew me away when I first saw them.”
“You can imagine why a musician like me likes a watch like that”
JS: “There’s also something interesting coming from Gaku Okada, a young watchmaker. I accidentally bumped my Otsuka Lotec against something and broke the crystal. When I went to their workshop, I met with Gaku Okada. He had just constructed the Tempo Rubato Metronome as a graduation piece for his watchmaking studies. It’s not a watch; it’s a 100% mechanical metronome, and the bezel is how you set the speed. So now, he’s teaming up with Otsuka Lotec, and they’re making a version with time on top of the metronome. You can imagine why a musician like me likes a watch like that.”
Josh Smith with his signature Ibanez FLATV2 MSN Mint Sand guitar and an Enicar Sherpa Graph on the wrist
F: Are there similarities between the world of guitars and watches?
JS: “I found a great parallel between independent watchmakers and guitar makers. Guys who come up with a new amp circuit in the guitar respect the tradition of what came before, just like modern-day watchmakers do. I like that about so many new guys making watches. I love Breguet, but the new guys are trying something different — new escapements, a new kind of dial layout or hands or something — and I respect and admire that. They care deeply about tradition and then put their unique little twist on it. They do their thing and make it as good as they can. That is the same dedication I put into my guitar playing.
Image: Maryline Graemiger
In a way, there’s a big comparison between the craft of the blues, where it all starts with three chords, and watchmaking, where it all starts with three hands. From that point, you can start improvising and adding things, whether it’s complications or more chords, more complex harmonies, and so on. There’s a lot of crossover. Lots of guitar players are into watches, and lots of watchmakers play guitar. I guess we’re kindred spirits.”
