Collecting Together with Josh Wright

For those with a passion for well-made things, the obsession lies not only in how an object is made but why it came to be made that way. For Josh Wright, understanding the history of a craft has fueled his interest in guitars, wine, and watches, allowing him to forge deeper connections with his collections. There’s a joy in tracing seemingly infinite storylines and histories, perpetually pulling back each fascinating layer. It’s about endless discovery.

Wright is many things. He is the founder of Distinctive Guitar, an e-commerce shop and storefront for rare and collectible guitars. He’s a sommelier, and a watch collector. At the intersection of these identities lies a deep curiosity to learn and discover more. 

We sat down with Wright at his home in Chicago. Over a bottle of Anne-Sophie DuBois’ Fleurie l’Alchimiste from 2018, we discussed collecting, craftsmanship, and how his work with artisan guitar makers inspired him to seek out watchmakers with the same artisanal spirit.

Being on two sides of a sales process, being both a consumer and a collector, is fascinating. You have opinions of what is better, but in a sales process trying to give someone the pros and cons, you have to convey that some things are not better, they are simply different, and here are the reasons why. The difficulty lies in a customer knowing what they like or dislike, it’s hard for me to tell them which to choose.

Sounds like trying to suggest a first watch to someone…

Exactly. You have to do your best to figure out what you like. The journey always starts with heritage and history and a fundamental understanding of what a modern-day equivalent started as, whether it is a guitar or a watch.

How did you begin to understand the guitar market?

I spent a lot of time trying to understand, from a design perspective, what made guitars important. Once you know that a Fender Telecaster was the first electric guitar in 1949, you can ask questions like, “what did that do to the world around it and why is it important?” Once you know what music influenced it, you can begin to understand the design perspectives of the makers.

What makes a vintage guitar special?

There are some guitars that are unmistakable; when you strum them out they sound like a cannon. It is amazing how resonant old wood can be, an electric guitar that is 60 years old can sound like an acoustic guitar unplugged. That three-dimensional aspect gives an old guitar soul.

How does this differ from a modern guitar?

The fundamental difference between guitars sixty to seventy years ago and guitars today is the wood. Older guitars were made primarily with old growth maple—you’re talking trees that are hundreds of years old. Guitars today are not often made with primary growth woods.

Why are heritage and history important to you as a collector?

It’s only when I developed an understanding of where the craft came from that I could really understand and appreciate what modern guitar makers are trying to do now. My passion for guitars came from this deep understanding and appreciation of why vintage guitars are amazing. Maybe I’m sentimental, but I get wrapped up in storylines.

What got you interested in watches?

It wasn’t until I got married and my in-laws gifted my wife and me Rolexes for our wedding that I really started to understand that Rolex was more than just the Submariner. I wanted to understand why a specific watch was an icon and what influenced the design and the period in which it was developed.

When was this?

In 2015, and in 2016 when I was starting to think about selling my business, I started getting more serious about watches. I just studied, I came at it the same way as I did guitars. I studied all of the nuances of 50s and 60s Submariners. That was the jumping-off point for me just falling into more research.

You have focused predominantly on vintage watches, what is it that speaks to you about vintage?

I come from the world of vintage guitars, obviously, and watches followed suit. To me, vintage watches just had a soul and a spirit that was missing in modern watchmaking. There was magic and the thrill of the chase in finding vintage watches.

What was your first vintage purchase?

My first big vintage watch purchase was a 1966 gilt dial Submariner with a perfect black gloss dial. I spent a year looking for that watch and just like I did with guitars, I spent a lot of time gaining an understanding of the vintage watch market. I felt like I really understood why that watch was worth it. 

Has your collecting philosophy changed?

I really focused on why something was a design icon. Now, I’m really only looking at modern watchmakers and spending a lot of time understanding them. I see the connection, you know, certain pieces are just so absolutely avant-garde, they don’t need to harken back to a design principle that comes from a place, it’s breaking new ground. I respect that.

How do you apply the lessons you’ve learned through working with guitar craftsmen to modern watchmaking?

Deep down, I wanted to understand what a brand is about, where they come from, and why they are here. The biggest boutique guitar makers were all first master builders at Fender or another shop. One way or another they decided that they knew enough to go do their own thing. I think watchmaking is the same, you look at Gerald Genta, F.P. Journe, Max Büsser— they all had experience working for others before stepping out on their own.

You designed a guitar based on your fascination with watches – how did that come together?

In 2017, I asked Breedlove Guitars to create a guitar, which I call Hands of Time. It really symbolizes my evolution from guitar collector to watch collector. I always had this idea and I wanted to bridge my passion for collecting guitars and watches. I wanted to build a guitar that incorporated all of the things I had ever planned to do in a custom guitar.

Why Breedlove?

Breedlove was my first real love and the first boutique guitar I owned. I bought a Breedlove Atlas, it was $800 and the most I’d ever spent on a guitar, and I just couldn’t believe the sound it produced. Of all the guitars I’ve held, it is one of the best sounding guitars I’ve ever played, and I don’t know if there was a better value for the money at the time.

How long did it take to make?

It took seven months to create, and it was kind of around the end of my guitar journey and the beginning of this era of watch collecting. I guess F.P. Journe had a huge influence on that guitar.

How did F.P. Journe influence The Hands of Time?

I saw an interview with F.P. Journe that spoke about his love for Abraham-Louis Breguet. The whole interview spoke about his philosophy. One thing that he’s always thought about is simplicity in design. Despite his watches being unbelievably complex, he keeps the design simple. I read this article at a time when I was struggling with the design of the Hands of Time guitar and I reframed the ethos of the project, and we completely simplified the design to how it stands today.

Do you collect anything else?

I think for my own sanity, in watch collecting or collecting anything for that matter, there is a fine line between a passion and an unhealthy obsession. I think I would drive my wife crazy if I were collecting something else. It’s been fun to get my wife into watch collecting because she has a different perspective and it’s fun to see watches through her eyes.

Photography by Jeff Marini