WU25 Panel: Talking Photography and Watches with Bulova x Photoville
This panel, which features a collaborative effort between Bulova and Photoville, is a unique dialogue on the profound relationship between photography and horology. Featuring photographer Brian Alcazar (@1st), Photoville founder Sam Barzilay, and Jason Gong of Complecto, this discussion is wide ranging and appropriately touches on what makes photographing New York City special. You won’t want to miss it! View the interview on here on YouTube or read along below.
The following conversation has been lightly edited for brevity and clarity.
Zach Kazan
Hello, everyone, and welcome to the second panel of the final day of the Wind-Up Watch Fair in New York City. My name is Zach Kazan, director of editorial at Worn and Wound. It’s a pleasure to be here and to have you all here. This panel is presented by Bulova and Photoville. It’s called On My Watch: New York City in Pictures. We’ll be talking about photography and horology, and where those worlds intersect, with four great panelists. I’ll let each of them introduce themselves.
First, to my left, we have photographer Brian Alcazar, whose work is the subject of this panel. Brian, can you tell us a little about yourself and how you found yourself here?
Brian Alcazar
Hi, everyone. I’m Brian Alcazar—you might know me as @1st. I’m a photographer, and this project came about very randomly. TJ pulled up at one of my photo walks one day, and we connected while walking around taking photos. We thought it would be a good idea to bring a different lens to Bulova in a different style. That’s how I got here.
Zach Kazan
Thank you, Brian. To your left we have Sam Barzilay, cofounder of Photoville. Sam, thank you for being here. Tell us a little about Photoville for those who might not be familiar.
Sam Barzilay
I’m Sam, one of three cofounders of Photoville. We started 15 years ago as a photo festival—primarily a public art outdoor festival. Even though photography is everywhere and taken by everyone, people didn’t always feel like they belonged in the spaces where photography was shown. They didn’t feel it was for them—not the taking, but the showing and collecting. Photoville was a way to build community beyond the photo community, so everyone could appreciate photography no matter what they looked like, where they grew up, or what language they spoke. It’s about making people feel they belong, not just from the outside looking in.
Zach Kazan
Thank you, Sam. Next we have Jason Gong, CEO and founder of Complecto. Jason, welcome back—you’re a veteran of these panels. Tell folks a little about Complecto.
Jason Gong
Thank you for having me. It’s great to be back. Complecto is first and foremost a community, very inclusion-forward, about belonging. It’s about creating and curating spaces for anyone curious about or who loves watches to discover them on their own terms. We’re also a creative agency, partnering with brands on storytelling to deliver messages in ways that resonate culturally with the communities we represent. That’s the future of the industry.
Zach Kazan
Thank you, Jason. And last but not least, we have TJ Harris, director of brand communications at Bulova. TJ, tell us a little about what you do.
TJ Harris
Bulova is a watch brand that’s been around for 150 years this year. We’re very proud of our New York City heritage—the brand has been based here for all 150 years. Many people know the old building near the airport, but today we’re based in the Empire State Building. Windup in New York is always exciting because we get to dial into that heritage. That’s where I get to have fun, and it’s what brought us together for this panel.
Zach Kazan
Thanks, TJ, and thanks to all of you. Let’s jump in. My first question is for Brian. Your work captures a real sense of New York energy. What does On My Watch mean to you personally, both as a photographer and as a participant in the culture you’re documenting?
Brian Alcazar
On My Watch was a clever play on words tying photography and watches together. At its core, it means “on my terms, through my vision.” My focus was to capture my community—close friends who are creative entrepreneurs, hustlers. That’s the embodiment of New York. On My Watch symbolizes that.
Zach Kazan
Sam, Photoville is seen as a champion for photography and community building. How did this collaboration with Bulova and Brian come about, and what drew you to Brian’s work?
Sam Barzilay
I met TJ at our annual festival a few months ago. We talked about photography and watches. What I love about Brian’s work is that it speaks to the rhythm and grind of New York. Creativity is what makes New York tick, but creatives often get overlooked in a city known for finance and other industries. Brian’s work captured that spirit and hustle. That’s priceless.
Zach Kazan
TJ, Bulova has collaborated with musicians, artists, and now photographers. What do you look for in creative partnerships, and what makes them authentic?
TJ Harris
Authenticity. I met Brian at one of his photo walks, which I stumbled into by accident. I’d been buying sneakers at a store where he started, and thought it would be a good opportunity to bring things together at Windup, where authenticity matters. I’ve done work with Jason, bumped into Sam, and seen synergies across industries. Even my own entry into photography came through the watch industry—I bought a camera to immerse myself. That’s how I met Brian. Approaching collaborations authentically, and tying them to Bulova’s heritage, is what I aim for.
Zach Kazan
Jason, authenticity is central to Complecto. What parallels do you see between Brian’s photography and what you’re fostering in the watch space?
Jason Gong
Authenticity is about the human experience—represented honestly and sincerely. Through Complecto, I feel privileged to be immersed in this work. Platforms like ours, and TJ’s work with Bulova, scale that approach—creating more spaces and opportunities for people to be invited in, especially where they haven’t historically been included. Whether photography, watches, or other collectibles, those are just artifacts. What matters is the quality of the community and interactions. That’s the common thread.
Zach Kazan
Brian, where do you see watches and photography intersecting in your work?
Brian Alcazar
It comes down to community and authenticity. Both worlds welcome enthusiasts at every level—pros or novices. Whether you have a Timex or a Rolex, a point-and-shoot or an iPhone, you’re welcome. The thread is inclusivity and the need to create and share. Social media broadens that reach, letting us share with the world.
Zach Kazan
Sam, are you a watch guy? What’s your exposure to the watch world, and where do you see the communities intersect?
Sam Barzilay
I’ve owned the same watch since I was 18—my grandmother gave it to me when I graduated high school. She passed away soon after, so it stuck with me as a memento. I’ve bought other watches, but that one means the most. It’s not just about telling time—it reminds me of her.
The connection I see is with gear. In photography, you can take an amazing photo with a plastic camera or a Leica. But we obsess over the tools. Same with watches. It’s about craft—something carefully made, with layers and precision. My father wears his father’s Patek Philippe, and I’ve always been amazed it winds itself just by movement. That craftsmanship is incredible.
Jason Gong
Craft is one of the obvious parallels—cameras and watches both involve microengineering and design. But craft also shows in the outcome. You can see it in a photograph—the frame, subject, lighting. That artistry is craft, just like in a watch. It’s visible in both the mechanics and the result.
Zach Kazan
Another link is storytelling. TJ, as someone who tells watch stories for a living, how do you see watches as storytelling devices, and how does that connect to photography?
TJ Harris
Bulova has 150 years of heritage, so there’s no shortage of stories. Beyond that, as a generational brand, many people tell me their first watch was a Bulova. At Windup, people buy limited editions because they want the story behind them. I’m a sucker for a story—I argue with product teams that every watch should have one. When we have that opportunity, I make sure marketing relays it.
Zach Kazan
Brian, what’s your personal connection to watches?
Brian Alcazar
My dad had nice watches, and my brother gave me my first—also a Bulova. As a Queens kid, Bulova’s roots in Queens made it an easy connection. Their accessibility is great. We mark life moments with nice things—when I collaborated with the Knicks, I bought a Rolex to celebrate. But at their core, watches are bracelets that tell stories. That’s the connection for me.
Zach Kazan
You mentioned New York. Bulova is a proud New York brand, and you’re a New York artist. What does the city mean in your work?
Brian Alcazar
New York is a cheat code for street photography. It embodies the American dream—everyone trying to make their mark. You see it in the hustle, the diversity, the immigrants. Every block has a story. Street photography is about being in the right place at the right time. My journey started accidentally—taking photos on my way to work, posting them on Instagram. And I started just doing what I would normally do. Then I realized New York itself is just a movie. Everything you capture here feels cinematic. It’s the perfect backdrop for photography.
Zach Kazan
TJ, do you want to jump in and talk about what New York means to Bulova and the brand’s history here?
TJ Harris
Something we’re glossing over is style. Brian’s street photography has a specific style, and New York itself has a style you try to capture. You can’t capture it without authenticity. Looking at his exhibit and the people he’s photographed, that energy comes through. In watches and photography, it’s not always about price or how much you spent. At this level of interest, it’s about energy, passion, and style. When you capture that authentically, you end up with something special.
Zach Kazan
Sam and Jason, I want to ask about the relationship between Photoville and Complecto. There’s a shared purpose in how you deal with communities, access, and representation. How do you go about building spaces where artists, collectors, and enthusiasts feel seen? Sam, maybe start, then Jason.
Sam Barzilay
The birth of our festival was exactly that. I ran a gallery for nine years with big windows, and I noticed people would stop outside, look in, and walk away. Eventually I asked why. They said, “We don’t have money, we’re not collectors.” They literally didn’t feel they belonged inside. So when I started a festival, my first thought was: how do you eliminate that threshold? How do you communicate that this is for you? You have to make sure people see themselves in the photos—metaphorically and literally. Every community should feel like they belong. It’s not my festival; it’s theirs.
Jason Gong
So much of what you shared resonates. Everyone is at their best when they feel welcome, seen, heard, valued. That creates the conditions for people to show up as their truest selves—whether in a workplace or social sphere. For me, it’s never been about the watches, even though I love them. It’s about the quality of the people and the experience. When I launched Complecto, it wasn’t just about creating spaces—it was about capturing those moments so people could see themselves reflected in spaces they might have been curious about but intimidated to enter. At the same time, it shows brands that we’re here, passionate, and willing to spend. Bulova has been exceptional in that regard. TJ had the vision early on to see the authenticity of what we wanted to bring, and we’ve collaborated on two New York-centric watches over the last three years. Those values-driven, culturally resonant projects aren’t something every brand embraces.
Zach Kazan
Last question before we open it up to the audience. Building community and growing these spaces—what’s the next step? Jason, maybe start.
Jason Gong
The goal is for spaces and conversations like these to be the rule, not the exception. Inclusion and belonging should become less novel than they still are. Credit to Windup and Worn & Wound—you’ve created platforms that enable thousands of people to show up authentically, with their enthusiasm and passion. More is more. We have to keep pushing for that.
Brian Alcazar
I think Jason nailed it. We’re at a point where there’s an infinite amount of photos and watches. The only place to go is more community, more inclusivity, more discussions.
Sam Barzilay
I agree. Looking around the fair, I’m not a collector—I’d call myself a neophyte in the watch world—but I didn’t feel out of place. I had questions that might seem simplistic, but no one judged me. That idea of being able to enter at the ground level, without exclusion, is powerful. Reinforcing that everyone belongs in a community is the most important thing we can do.
We are honored to showcase all the images from the Bulova x Photoville exhibit featured at the Windup Watch Fair NYC 2025 below. Enjoy!
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