Dion Ang

Crafted Archive

A Documentary and Society & Culture podcast

About the show

Stories of individuals at the top of their craft. Entrepreneur. Athletes. Artists. Builders. Every episode is a carefully researched deep dive into their life, the decisions, sacrifices, failures, and philosophies that shaped their mastery. If you’re drawn to excellence, obsession, and the pursuit of something timeless, this is for you.

Newest episodes

The violent pursuit of perfection | Steve Jobs

Jul 4, 2026 1 hr 44 min

From an adopted child in Silicon Valley to the co-founder of Apple, this episode follows Steve Jobs' extraordinary journey through innovation, failure, and redemption. We explore the rise of Apple, his dramatic firing at 30, the creation of NeXT and Pixar, his triumphant return to save Apple, and the relentless pursuit of craftsmanship that led to the iMac, iPod, iPhone, and iPad. A story of obsession, resilience, and the mindset that changed the world. Links: ⁠craftedarchive.com 00:00 Steve Jobs in One Minute 02:11 Adoption and Identity 09:07 Woz and the Blue Box 15:00 India and Inner Search 16:23 Apple Is Born 26:24 Xerox PARC to Macintosh 35:53 Bill Gates 39:02 Sculley 44:42 Ousted from Apple 49:08 NeXT Perfectionism 50:42 Pixar Takes Shape 55:30 Meeting Laurene Powell 57:33 Apple Near Collapse 58:21 Steve Back at Apple 01:02:41 Think Different Revival 01:03:24 Jony Ive and iMac 01:06:40 Digital Hub 01:14:50 iPhone Launch 01:16:49 Cancer and Mortality 01:18:33 Stanford Speech and iPad 01:20:15 Final Days and Death 01:22:58 Side Stories 01:34:20 Lessons

The World's Greatest Watchmaker | Philippe Dufour

Mar 8, 2026 42 min

Philippe Dufour is a contradiction in human form: a watchmaker who built some of the most complicated wristwatches ever made, yet became most famous for a watch that looks almost plain. This episode tells the story of how a boy who once said he “wasn’t good at school” became one of the symbols of traditional watchmaking’s survival. His career passed through the Quartz Crisis, when electronic watches nearly destroyed the Swiss mechanical watch industry and wiped out two-thirds of Swiss watch jobs. Working from a small workshop filled with hand tools and pipe smoke, Dufour chose a different path—working slower, making fewer watches, and refusing shortcuts. That philosophy produced three watches that reshaped the independent watch market: the Grande & Petite Sonnerie, the Duality and the Simplicity. Today they are worth millions and widely considered benchmarks for modern watchmaking. But this story is not only about watches. It is about patience, discipline, and what it takes to protect a craft in a world obsessed with speed and scale. Links: craftedarchive.com 00:00 Vallee de Joux Origins 01:02 Meet Philippe Dufour 01:14 Three Legendary Watches 02:59 Childhood in Le Sentier 04:06 Watchmaking School Awakening 05:50 Leaving the Valley JLC Abroad 06:28 Obsession With Detail 07:56 Quartz Crisis Shock 10:22 Becoming Independent Restorer 12:51 Rediscovering Classical Vallée Craft 14:30 Building the Grande Sonnerie Pocket Watch 18:42 AP Commission and Breaking Point 20:51 Dreaming the Sonnerie Wristwatch 22:27 Invisible at Basel 23:08 Partner Conflict Fallout 24:02 Singapore Breakthrough 25:42 Independence Philosophy 26:30 Eight Sonnerie Legacy 27:56 Hunting New Challenge 28:55 How Balance Wheels Work 30:24 Building the Duality 32:06 Awards and Japan Spark 33:08 Simplicity Explained 33:57 Finishing and Anglage 35:13 Mentor Loss Tribute 38:30 Legacy and Next Generation 40:50 Final Reflections Farewell