Hamilton Murph

For James Shanahan, the win came as a surprise.

“It’s surprising that I won the watch,” he said with a laugh.

James lives and works in St. Louis, where he writes investment research as an equity analyst. “I upgraded Berkshire Hathaway to buy recently,” he mentioned. “We have to reposition portfolios defensively.”

Watches, for James, have always carried a sense of history and meaning.

“Both my grandfathers served in World War II and Korea, and my father in Vietnam. I like that Hamilton’s history is connected to military history,” he shared. “I love the Hamilton Khaki Aviation Pilot. It’s simple, uncluttered, and a really handsome watch.”

His watch journey began after graduating from business school. “I bought an Ebel stainless steel and gold watch, a celebration watch, and I wore it for 20 years.” Later, he wore his grandfather’s Omega De Ville before diving deeper into watch culture.

“As I started doing research on the luxury market, I realized it wasn’t looking so strong. I wasn’t even aware of the whole watch community and culture. I thought maybe it’s time for me to get a new watch. Watches are fascinating with the engineering, design, style, and history behind the different watch brands.”

Since then, James has collected a few notable pieces, including an IWC Portofino and the Omega Pierce Brosnan Bond Watch, both automatic. “I’d love to see the IWC Ingenieur on Wolf raffles in the 42 mm size.”

He’s been part of seven raffles so far, often landing in the Top 10 and earning more entries along the way.

“Like many of us, I’m on the list at my Rolex AD. I like the OP 36 Green,” he said. “I even had an entry for the OP 41 tonight.”

James admitted his wife was skeptical at first. “She told me it was a scam,” he said, laughing.

Now, after his win, he’s even more invested in the Wolf community. “The weekly raffles are super fun,” he said. “I like the community, even Marc Martin. He’s taken it in good humor.”