Adventure on the Edge of Time: Richmond's Hayden Mater on Building Watches for Real Life #022

By Billy Briefman · November 14, 2025 · 1:26:49 read

Category: Arts & Culture

Show: Unscripted RVA

Got thoughts? Send us a text here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/2513071/open_sms Shop now at Mater Made: https://matermade.com Follow Mater Made: https://www.instagram.com/mater_made https://www.youtube.com/@UCfBXUSQ6M5LqDOkRSsM_biw https://www.instagram.com/haydenmater/ Richm

Got thoughts? Send us a text here:

https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/2513071/open_sms

Shop now at Mater Made:

https://matermade.com

Follow Mater Made:

https://www.instagram.com/mater_made

https://www.youtube.com/@UCfBXUSQ6M5LqDOkRSsM_biw

https://www.instagram.com/haydenmater/

Richmond entrepreneur Hayden Mater sits down with us to unpack the ethos behind Mater Made — a watch brand built for real life, not glass cases. Hayden Mater is a serial entrepreneur, father and husband, and an explorer making timepieces that inspire curiosity, endurance, and a life well-lived.

In this episode of Vera House we trace Hayden's arc from commodity trading and early door-to-door hustles to field-testing prototypes in harsh environments.

Hayden treats business like a sport: train the mind and body, test in the field, compete daily. We trace his path from early door-to-door hustles to field-testing prototypes in harsh environments—desert, open water, racetrack—to prove a simple idea: time only matters when you’re truly living it. He breaks down why he chooses spec over status (movement choices that matter, materials where they count, pricing that over-delivers), what he learned from a launch that didn’t sell out, and why documenting the adventure is part of the product. If you care about design that earns its keep—rugged × refined—this one’s for you.

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This podcast is produced by ⁠Vera House⁠ — a creative club and media studio based in Richmond, Virginia. Our studio exists to champion creative expression, elevate culture, and produce high-impact content for founders, makers, and modern brands in Richmond.

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