Latest news with #NickGould
AU Financial Review
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- AU Financial Review
Why celebrity watch spotting has become a flex for brands
Nick Gould has an unlikely superpower akin to a horological form of X-ray specs. From the merest glimpse of a watch dial or bezel peeping out from a shirt cuff, he can recognise the brand and model with bewildering accuracy. Interested in watches since childhood when he became entranced by the ticking sound of his mother's Rolex Datejust, the 36-year-old's fascination developed after university. 'I realised I could identify a timepiece and the particular model quite easily,' he says. It may sound more like a party trick than a legitimate skill. But Gould, who's based in Adelaide, has parlayed it into a paid gig as a watch writer and researcher, and become a sought-after authority in the specialist watch media. Revolution hails Gould as 'the king of the watchspotters', he's been interviewed by Collectability, and contributed to a range of watch sites.
BBC News
23-06-2025
- BBC News
Post Office scandal victim upset by £60k bill for legal fees
A former Surrey sub-postmistress who was wrongly jailed while pregnant during the Post Office's Horizon IT scandal says she has been caused "great upset" by a demand of £60,000 for legal Misra, who ran a post office in West Byfleet, was one of more than 900 sub-postmasters convicted of theft, fraud and false accounting based on faulty computer data between 1999 and Nick Gould worked on a pro bono basis to get her conviction overturned in 2021, and Ms Misra then agreed to pay for any further legal work. But she said she has received "no details" as to exactly what work he had done Gould has not responded to BBC Surrey's request for a response. Ms Misra was jailed for 15 months in 2010 after being accused of stealing £74,000 from her Post Office was sent to Bronzefield prison on the day of her eldest son's 10th birthday, and gave birth to her youngest child while still in April she was one of four leading campaigners to receive an OBE for their service to her conviction was quashed, Ms Misra has received an undisclosed amount of interim compensation, but has not yet received the final BBC understands that Ms Misra signed a retainer in 2021, after her conviction was quashed, for the provision of "commercial legal services" provided by Mr Gould moving was agreed Mr Gould would charge for his time at a fixed hourly rate. However, emails seen by the BBC show Mr Gould has since claimed that this agreement was changed to one where Ms Misra would pay the lesser of £60,000 or 5% of any compensation she received from the Post Office. Despite Ms Misra paying Mr Gould more than £20,000, she disputes this later agreement and says she has been given no details of what time Mr Gould in fact spent working on her the time, Mr Gould was working for Aria Grace Law, who said he was removed from professional duties at the firm in January, "following serious concerns regarding his conduct".A spokesperson for Aria Grace said: "Mr Gould does not and must not be taken to speak for Aria Grace." Why were hundreds of Post Office workers wrongly prosecuted?'The Post Office has ruined every happy moment of my life since 2005' They said the firm stood with the victims of the Post Office scandal, and honoured their resilience."We condemn any conduct that seeks to exploit their trust or harm their recovery," they Misra said she would "always be grateful" for the support Mr Gould gave on being asked to pay £60,000 for legal services provided by Mr Gould since her conviction was overturned, she said: "I felt uneasy but I trusted Nick that this must be correct if he, a solicitor, was telling me so."Despite paying in excess of £20,000, in May she received a legal letter on behalf of Mr Gould's current legal firm, Impact Lawyers, saying she would be sued if she did not pay what they said was Wallis, a former BBC journalist who continues to cover the Post Office's Horizon IT scandal, told BBC Radio Surrey that Ms Misra had contacted him "in some distress"."All Seema wanted to know was what work he had done to justify the bill," he added. Ms Misra said she wanted to avoid conflict with Mr Gould "after all his pro bono support for us and because my family and I have already been through quite enough".She added: "I asked for details of exactly what work he had done since my conviction was set aside to justify this, but have received no details."Last month I received a letter from lawyers representing Nick Gould's current legal firm, Impact Lawyers, telling me I would be sued if I did not pay what they said was outstanding."She said she would defend the case if his firm sued her."I don't think Nick has acted as a solicitor should and the whole thing has caused me and my family great upset," she added."I hope Nick Gould and Impact... will now do the right thing and drop the matter so that we don't have to carry on worrying about it and spending further time on it."A spokesperson for Impact Lawyers told the BBC they were unable to comment.
Phone Arena
11-05-2025
- Phone Arena
The first American Pope could be the first to embrace wireless tech as he sports an Apple Watch
Pope Leo XIV might have recently shown off a fondness for wearing high-tech devices, as many noticed that His Holiness was wearing an Apple Watch during his first official Holy Mass. On the other hand, considering that the new Pope is 69, it wouldn't be that radical to suggest that he is wearing the device to keep tabs on his heart rate. The timepiece can also send out an alert if the user sets off the fall detection sensor by taking a pretty rough tumble onto the floor. Additionally, many older men near 70 who otherwise don't own any modern high-tech devices, have been gifted an Apple Watch by concerned relatives worried about the elderly falling or having a cardiac issue. It is possible that the Pontiff has relatives concerned about his health, and they purchased an Apple Watch for him. On the other hand, if the Pope did buy the Apple Watch for himself, it would stand to reason that he also owns an iPhone. That's because an Apple Watch owner needs to connect to an iPhone for the initial setup of the timepiece, sync data, and pair the watch with a specific iPhone unit. Is that an Apple Watch under the Pope's left sleeve? | Image credit-Thread Another possibility is that Pope Leo XIV is a watch buff. Nick Gould, who calls himself "an expert Watch spotter," noticed that "During his first Holy Mass, Pope Leo XIV sported an Apple Watch, which he had worn previously before being elected a Cardinal." The Pope was also spotted wearing other watches as well. During his first public appearance as Pope, a bit of red came from the Pope's left sleeve leading some to believe it was a red bezel belonging to a Rolex GMT-Master II. Mystery watch with red bezel peeks out from the Pope's left sleeve. | Image credit-Esquire Others think the red bezel belongs to the Wenger Swiss Military 7223X now named the "Cardinal Red." When word got out that the 7223X could be the timepiece that the Pope has under his sleeve, the timepiece sold out. But the Apple Watch has been on the Pope's wrist for a long time, even predating his time as a Cardinal. Other watches worn by past Popes have been as low end as Pope Francis' black plastic Swatch valued at £50 ($66.52). Will Pope Leo XIV, the first American Pope, also be the first Pope to embrace tech? There are plenty of 69-year-olds who can easily navigate their way around a smartphone and smartwatch and it will be interesting to see how he incorporates wireless and wearable tech with his job.
