AMAN&HIS

WATCHICONICWATCHES&STORIESFROMTHEMENWHO

WORETHEM

MATTHRANEKPHOTOGRAPHSBYSTEPHENLEWIS

ARTISAN|NEWYORK

Formyfather

CONTENTSPREFACEMATTHRANEK’SROLEXOYSTERPERPETUALDATEJUST&PAULNEWMAN’SMODEL6263BIGREDROLEXDAYTONAERICRIPERTVACHERONCONSTANTINHISTORIQUESAMERICAN1921

FROMTHEROLEXARCHIVESFRANCISCHICHESTER’SROLEXOYSTERPERPETUA

MARIOANDRETTI1967GOLDHEUERCARRERAPILOTREFERENCE1158CH,ORFINAPORSCHEDESIGN,FISCHERANCRE15RUBIS&HEUERAUTAVIABENJAMINCLYMEROMEGASPEEDMASTERMARK40

FROMTHECARTIERARCHIVESCONSTANTINEI’SCARTIERTONNEAUCARTIERSANTOS-DUMONTALAINDELON’SCARTIERFREDASTAIRE’SCARTIER

DIMITRIDIMITROVTIMEXINDIGLO

KIKUOIBECASIOG-SHOCK

JAMESLAMDIN1967DOXASUB300PROFESSIONAL“BLACKLUNG”

PAULBOUTROSROLEX“KEWA”OBSERVATORYCHRONOMETER

NASPATEKPHILIPPENAUTILUSREFERENCE5712R

ELVISPRESLEY’SCORUMBUCKINGHAMREFERENCE5971

DR.JACKCARLSON

1914Walthamtrenchwatch

AARONSIGMONDELGIN

MAXWASTLERTIMEXIRONMAN

FROMTHETAGHEUERARCHIVESSTEVEMCQUEEN’SHEUERMONACOFROMTHEFILMLEMANSJOSIFFERT’SHEUERAUTAVIA

MATTHRANEKSEARSWINNIETHEPOOHWATCH

ATOMMOORENEWYORKCITYSWATCHES

FRANKCASTRONOVOIWCMARKXV

SIREDMUNDHILLARY’SROLEXOYSTERPERPETUAL

ENGTAYPANERAIREFERENCE3646

GEORGEBAMFORDBWDXDRX—ARMYVSNAVY—“POPEYE”YACHT-MASTERMARKCHOGRANDSEIKO61GSVERYFINEADJUSTED

HOLGERTHOSSBREITLINGCHRONO-MATICGMT

LONGINESLINDBERGHHOURANGLEWATCH

ERICKUJAEGER-LECOULTREDEEPSEAALARM

JAMESH.RAGANOMEGASPEEDMASTERMOONWATCHES

FROMTHEOMEGAARCHIVESWALLYSCHIRRA’SOMEGASPEEDMASTERREFERENCECK2998PRESIDENTJOHNF.KENNEDY’SINAUGURATIONOMEGA

ALESSANDROSQUARZI

1958RolexSubmarinerreference5508

1958RolexSubmarinerreference5508GABRIELVACHETTEUNIVERSALGENÈVECOMPAX

KENTAWATANABEINDIGO-DYEDCASIOG-SHOCK

HAMILTONPOWELLABERCROMBIE&FITCHSEAFARER

JOSHCONDONMOVADOMOONPHASE

TORNEK-RAYVILLETR-900

GEOFFREYHESSROLEXEAGLEBEAKTROPICALSUBMARINERREFERENCE5512

MICHAELFRIEDMAN

1938AudemarsPiguetTOMSACHS“NEWBEDFORD”(CUSTOMIZEDCASIOG-SHOCKDW-5600)BREPETTISBULOVAACCUTRONSPACEVIEW&ORIGAMIWATCHDOMINO’SROLEXAIR-KING

STEPHENLEWISPAPERCUTOUTOFAHEWLETT-PACKARDCALCULATORWATCHDAVIDCOGGINSJAEGER-LECOULTREREVERSO

FROMTHEHERMÈSARCHIVESJAEGERREVERSOFORHERMÈSONANOSTRICHSTRAPHERMÈSPROTOTYPECIRCA1930HERMÈSBELTWATCHCIRCA1930

BRADLEYPRICEAUTODROMOMONOPOSTO

GOLDROLEXQUARTZREFERENCE5100

ADAMCRANIOTES1980CASIOF-7&2012IWCBIGPILOT’SWATCHPERPETUALCALENDARTOPGUNREFERENCE5029

PRESIDENTFRANKLINDELANOROOSEVELT’STIFFANY&CO.YALTACONFERENCEWATCH

GRAHAMEFOWLERROLEXSUBMARINERREFERENCE5513,ROLEXMILITARYSUBMARINERREFERENCE5517&OMEGASEAMASTER300

TUDOROYSTERPRINCEBNGE

TUDOROYSTERRINCESUBMARINERREFERENCE7016

HENRYLEUTWYLERROLEXCOSMOGRAPHREFERENCE6241&ROLEXOYSTERBUBBLEBACKSYLVESTERSTALLONETIFFANY&CO.GOLDROLEXSUBMARINERREFERENCE1680/8

TUDOROYSTERPRINCESUBMARINER

FROMTHEZENITHARCHIVESZENITHELPRIMEROMECHANICALCHRONOGRAPHMOVEMENTZENITHELPRIMEROCHRONOGRAPHCIRCA1969LOUISBLÉRIOT’SZENITH

RALPHLAURENCARTIERTANKCINTRÉE

ANDYWARHOL’SPATEKPHILIPPEREFERENCE2503

JOHNCRISCITIELLOBREITLINGCHRONOMAT

JAMESBOND’S“BUZZSAW”ROLEXSUBMARINERREFERENCE5513

NATEBERKUSPATEKPHILIPPENAUTILUSREFERENCE3800/A

CONTRIBUTORSACKNOWLEDGMENTSINDEX

PREFACE

Ihavemyfather’swatch.It’saRolexOysterPerpetualDatejust,stainlesssteelwithablackdial.Irememberthedaymyfathercamehomewithitonhiswrist.Hewas soproud, and Iwas sohappy for him, because Iknewthewatchwasmorethanjustanewtimepiece;thatRolexmarkedhisfirstsuccessfulyearinbusinessforhimself.

When I was a kid, my father was always pointing out to me well-designedandwell-craftedthings:cars,motorcycles,architecture,and,ofcourse,watches.When he died suddenly—Iwas only eighteen—Iwasgivenhiswatch.OrmaybeIjusttookit.

AllIknewwasthatIneededtohavethatwatch.Ineededhimwithme—andthatwatchkeptmeconnectedtohim.ItstilldoeseverytimeIwearit,everytimeIlookdownatit.Inowownother,morevaluablewatches,onesthataremoreimpressivetocollectors,butnothingcanreplacethatDatejust. It remains such a powerful representation of my father. Icouldn’tbearnothavingitinmylife.

For manymen, watches seem to have a deeper meaning than justkeeping time.Watchesmarkspecialoccasions, they tell theworldabitabout who you are, and they can, if you’re lucky, connect you to thepeopleinyourlifewhomattermost.

Iwasalwaysa“watchguy,”butitwasn’tuntilmyrecentrolecoveringthewatchmarket as amagazine editor that I started unearthing theseamazing stories—historical anecdotes from themajor watch brands, ormorepersonalonesfromfriends,colleagues,andcollectorswithwhomIbegan to cross paths in the watch world. There’s a powerful threaduniting these stories and these men—whether they’re alive or dead,wealthy and famous or clock-punching everyday guys. Watches areobjectsthatstartconversationsamongmenwhonoticethem.IbegantorealizethatthewatcheswornonthewristsofthemenIknewoftenhadgreatemotionalsignificance,orrepresentedsomedeepconnection—thewatchhadbeengiventothembyarelative,itmarkedamajorlifeevent,or maybe it allowed them to be the version of themselves they mostwantedtobe.Thisbooktellssomeofthosestories.

The book had to start with photographing one of the most iconictimepieces ever, the Rolex Daytona that Paul Newman owned. Thismodel, for many, is the watch—an absurdly expensive collector’s itemthatgrownmenliterallyspendyearshuntingfor. It is thegrailwatchformanywatchlovers.

TheRolexwasagiftfromJoanneWoodward,Newman’swife.Itwasareplacement for the firstDaytona thatWoodwardgavehim,a reference6239, which Newman had given away to their oldest daughter Nell’sboyfriendin1984.

When I finally held this watch in my hands—Paul Newman’s actualwatch—the feelingwas (and I know this soundscrazy)electrifying.Butwhat struck me most was the inscription on the back: “Drive slowly—Joanne.”Readingthatgavemechills.Thinkingaboutitstilldoes.

PaulNewmanwasa legend—handsome, talented,stylish,generous;a LeMans–winning race car driver and aHollywood icon. But hewasalso justaguy,ahusbandanda father,whoworeawatchtokeepthetime.Justliketherestofus.HisyoungestdaughterClea,whowaskindenough to allow us to photograph it, wears it daily; that most famoustimepiece,whichcouldfetchmillionsatauction,isonherwristwhilesherideshorsesandgardens.Attheendoftheday,awatchisjustawatch—it’sthestorybehinditthatcanmakeitexceptional.

With that inmind, Istarted this journey.Themore I talkedabout thebook,andmyapproachtodescribingtheemotionalconnectionsthatwe,asmen,havewithwatches,themoreincrediblestoriesIfound.I’vespentcountlessmonthscompilingthosestories,fromallaroundtheglobe,andtheonethingI’velearnedisthatI’vebarelyscratchedthesurface.

“Watchestelltheworldabitaboutwhoyouare,andtheycan,ifyou’relucky,connectyoutothepeopleinyourlifewhomattermost.”

—MATTHRANEK

PAULNEWMAN’SMODEL6263BIGREDROLEXDAYTONA

ERICRIPERTCHEF&CO-OWNER,LEBERNARDIN

VACHERONCONSTANTINHISTORIQUESAMERICAN1921

WhenyoulookdownatthetimeonthisVacheron,yourealizethatitisn’tyour average watch. It was originally designed as a driver’s watch; in1921,whencarshad thosebigsteeringwheels, itwashard tosee thetimestraight-onwhenyouweredriving,sothenumberswereoffsettotheright.Ilikethatanomaly.

Forme,watchessignifyspecialoccasions.I’llbuyoneformyselfasagift,maybefortheholidays—ormaybebefore,ifIcan’twait!Thiswatch,though,Ididn’tbuy.

Oneday,MaguyLeCoze,mybusinesspartneratLeBernardin,says,“I need to meet with you tonight—let’s have dinner outside therestaurant.” I’manticipatingsomethingserious,butat dinner she’s veryjovial, very happy. And at the end of the dinner she says, “Nowwe’regoingtotalk.”Ithink:“Ah,finally!”Sheputsaboxonthetable,andintheboxwas the sameVacheronConstantin American ’21 that I had beenplanning to buy formyself! Thatwas in 2011,whichwasmy twentiethanniversaryatLeBernardin.

Maguy says, “You’re the driver—you drive the kitchen, you’re ourleader.Youdeservethiswatch.”

So two things come to mind when I wear it: I remember the day IwalkedintoLeBernardin,tense,notreallyknowingwhatwouldhappen;and Ialso thinkofmydear friendandbusinesspartner recognizing theworkIhavedone.

Vacheron is a beautiful brand. In the collectors’ world you have theclassics, like Rolex and Cartier. But when you talk about complexwatches, brands like Vacheron, Patek Philippe, and Breguet are veryspecial.It’saboutthecraftsmanshipand,inasense,theartistry.

Cooking, too, is craftsmanship. Take making a sauce: you can’tmeasureanounceofflavor—itdoesn’texistthatway.It’sintangible;youcan’t dissect it. Like time. So it’s the same with watches: it’scraftsmanship until you reach a certain level of complexity. Then it’sartistry.Watchmakersarecraftsmenthinking,“HowcanIgettoasolution

with a system different from the other guy’s?” I mean, the guy whoinventedthetourbillonhadtobeprettytwisted!Thinkingabouthowwhenyoucrosstheequatorandthencomeback,thepressureisdifferent,andcreating a solution for that—can you imagine? Most people don’tconsiderthissortofthing,butcollectorsdo.Theyunderstandtheamountofworkthatwentintothatsolution.

Some people get mad at me when they see me banging up anexpensivewatchwhileworking in the kitchen.But I canalways send itbacktobefixedandrepolished.Ihavethewatchtousethewatch!

“Forme,watchessignifyspecialoccasions.I’llbuyoneformyselfasagift,maybefortheholidays—ormaybebefore,ifIcan’twait!”

—ERICRIPERT

FROMTHEROLEXARCHIVESI had seen a magazine piece that Rolex produced about FrancisChichester,afamoustwentieth-centuryadventurer,sailor,andnavigator,and this incredible Rolex Oyster Perpetual that he wore on hiscircumnavigationof theglobe.WhenChichester leftPlymouth,England,inhisyawlGipsyMothIVonAugust27,1966,theRolexwasstrappedtohis wrist. And when he returned on May 28, 1967, after 226 days ofsailingwith justasinglestopinSydney,Australia,theverysamewatchwaswith him, functioningperfectly, a concrete testament to theuniqueskill of theRolex artists and craftsmen inGeneva, Switzerland. I knewthis watch was in their archives, but Rolex is notoriously guarded andprivateaboutgivingpeopleaccess,soitcameasnosurprisethatIwasinitiallydeniedentry.ButIpersistedandsaid,“Youknow,aphotographofthewatchhasalreadybeenpublished,sowhynotgivemepermissionto include it in the book?” Itwas a veryAmerican thing to do, to keeppokingandpoking,buteventually,theyagreed.Gettingintothearchivesrequired about the level of security I assume you need to get into theinnersanctumsoftheWhiteHouse.ButonceIwasin,itwasapowerful,unforgettableexperience.Andalsoabitnerve-racking—butthearchivistswere themost generous, helpful, and genuinely kind people you couldhopetomeet,andtheymademefeelmorethanwelcome.

FRANCISCHICHESTER’SROLEXOYSTERPERPETUA

1967goldHeuerCarreraPilotreference1158ch

1158ch

MARIOANDRETTIRACINGLEGEND

1967GOLDHEUERCARRERAPILOTREFERENCE1158CH,ORFINAPORSCHEDESIGN,FISCHERANCRE15RUBIS&HEUERAUTAVIA

I’vealwaysbeenawatchguy,tosomedegree.Myfirstwatchwasgiventomebymyunclewhenwewerestill livinginarefugeecampinItaly.Iwantedawatchsobad!Hegavemeandmytwinbrother,Aldo,eachaFischerwatchforourthirteenthbirthday.

WhenIwasontheracingcircuit,Ialwaystookabriefcasewithfourorfive watches—I’d change them like belts! It was stupid; I had watchesstolen from me twice in Italy, another three or four from a hotel inMontreal,includingagorgeousone-of-a-kindGéraldGenta.AFormula1representativegavemeaPorscheDesignwatchinRio,andtheveryfirsttimeIwore it, I fellasleeponthebeachafterpracticeanditwasstolenrightoffmywrist!ItoldthestorytomySwissandGermanfriendsinthepress,andPorschereplaceditwithanotherone,whichIworeracing,too—thatwasin1978,myFormula1WorldChampionshipyear.

Actually, almost every watch I have was given to me. In racing,watchescanstandinfortrophies;IreceivedaHeuerAutaviafromMotorAge magazine, which was the sponsor for the qualifying event of the1967Indianapolis500.Intheseventies,ClayRegazzoni,anotherFerrariFormula1driver,hadaHeuer,and Iwasalwaysnudginghimabout it.JackHeuerwasverygoodfriendswithClay,soHeuergavemethesamewatch.IhavewatchesfromFranckMulleratLeMans,in1995,aHeuerfromwhenIwasinductedintotheMotorsportsHallofFameinLondon,aRolexfromthe24HoursofDaytona.I’vejustkindofkepttheminabox;this interviewgavemea goodexcuse to go through themall and say,“Hey,Irememberthatone!Andthatone!”

ORFINAPORSCHEDESIGN

FISCHERANCRE15RUBIS

HEUERAUTAVIA

BENJAMINCLYMERFOUNDER&EXECUTIVEEDITOR,HODINKEE

OMEGASPEEDMASTERMARK40

My obsession with watches, with mechanical things in general, iscompletelyorganic.Myfatherwasaphotographerandhadadarkroominour basement, and he gave me a light meter when I was six. I didn’treallyunderstandwhatitwas;Ijustlikedthissmallhandheldthingwithagaugeonit,andIstartedcollectinglightmeters,buyingthematgaragesalesandplaces like that.Then, inBoyScouts, Ibecame interested incompasses.Thenaturalprogression ledme to thewristwatch—anothercool,smallhandheldthingwithgaugesanddialsonit.

WhenIwasgrowingup,mygrandfatherwasmyidol,myhero.Hewasjust this great guy whom I really looked up to. He had built up a fewbusinesses and made a name for himself with a cigarette lightercompanyinthelatesixties,andIadmiredsomuchabouthim.Hefeltthesameconnectionwithme;wewerekindredspirits.

Mygrandfatherwasn’tacollector,buthewasintowatches.Heknewenough to get theAntiquorum catalog.One day,when Iwas fifteen orsixteen,hesaidtome,unprovoked,“Youknow,Iwantyoutohavethis.”Thenhe took thisOmegaoff hiswrist and handed it tome. Iwas justblownaway.

It’sanOmegaSpeedmasterMark40,anearly-ninetieswatchwithaValjoux-based movement—not, ultimately, a very high-end movement,butbackthentoseeachronographwithatriplecalendar,withadate,inthatsize,wasuncommon.Andtheuseofbrightcolorintheninetieswasalso rare. It’s probably what attracted my grandfather to it, and it’scertainlywhatkeepsme interested in it today,evennow that I’veseenthepinnaclesofhorology.

Ibecameinstantlymoreinterestedinwatchesafterthat.Butitwasn’tadirectpathtowhereIamnow;otherthansellingwatches,whichIdidn’twant to do, I didn’t know there was a business to this, thatentrepreneurship or themedia spacewasanoption.Where I grewup,youbecamealawyerorabankeroraconsultant,soIwentthetraditionalroute, into strategy consulting at a big Swiss bank. In 2008, as the

financialworldwasgoingstraightdownhill,Iwassittinginasuitandtieina cubicle inWeehawken,NewJersey,writingaTumblr blogabout thiswatchmygrandfatherhadgivenmeandaRolexSubmarinerandotherwatchesIliked.Atthetime,nobodywascoveringthisstuff;Imean,thiswasn’tGQ,itwasn’tEsquire,itwasjustmereadingtheChristie’scatalogandAntiquorumandtalkingaboutthingsIdiscovered,saying,“Hey,thiswatchbelongedtoSteveMcQueen!”

Butwithin the first sixmonths,aneditor fromamajormen’s fashionsitereachedoutandsaidhe’dbeenfollowingtheTumblr.“You’rethefirstguyundertheageoffiftytobewritingabouttheseoldwatches,”hesaid,“particularlywithsomethingtosayaboutthem.CanIinterviewyou?”Weendedupdoingastory:fivewatchestolookfor ifyou’reayoungerguyinterestedingettingintovintagewatches.Andoffitwentfromthere.

I started Hodinkee in 2008, shortly before my grandfather passedaway.Buthegottoseethefirstsixmonthsof,well,whateveritwasbackthen—which, really, wasn’tmuch. But that’swhatmakes thiswatch soimportant:beyondthefactthatitwashis,ithasgivenmethislifeIliterallycouldnothaveimaginedandthatIlovesomuch.Itrulyenjoymycareer,andwithoutthiswatch,noneofthiswouldhavebeenpossible.

“Oneday,whenIwasfifteenorsixteen,mygrandfathersaidtome,unprovoked,‘Youknow,Iwantyoutohavethis.’ThenhetookthisOmegaoffhiswristandhandedittome.Iwasjustblownaway.”

—BENJAMINCLYMER

FROMTHECARTIERARCHIVESI reached out to Cartier about visiting their archives first, because theCartierSantos-Dumontwasveryimportanttothestoryofthewristwatch,andalso to thisbook.When Iwas inGeneva, theyarranged forme tovisit—buttheyneverwouldtellmetheaddress.Instead,theysaid,“Acarwillcomeforyouatthisspecifictimeanddropyouoffatthelocation.”Itwas a very polite version of being hooded in the back of a van andwhiskedaway toasecret location!And thebuilding itself,whichwasaformerprivatebankingfacility,playedintothatcloak-and-daggersecrecyandsecurity,withretinalscansandair-lockvaults.Iwaswithfriendswhowork forCartier and had never been inside.But once you’re in, you’reworkingwith thesweetest,mostgentleandamazingpeople—archivistswhowouldrunaroundandtrackdownoldCartieradsIremembered,orpullouttraysofwatchesthatoncebelongedtoworld-famouscelebritieslikeFredAstaireandAlainDelon.Theirenthusiasmwasinfectious.Ileftwith such an appreciation for the brand’s craftsmanship and sense ofmaterial—asimple, flawlesselegance in theirdialsandmetalsand fontchoices—thatIimmediatelywentoutandboughtmyfirstCartierpiece.

CONSTANTINEI’SCARTIERTONNEAUThisyellow-andpink-goldCartierTonneauwatchfrom1915,withcalibré-cutdiamondsandacabochonsapphire,belongedtoKingConstantineIofGreece.

CARTIERSANTOS-DUMONTWhatyouseeherecouldbeconsideredthebeginningtoeverystoryinthisbook.Thisisnotjustthefirstpilot’swatch(thoughitcouldbeconsideredthat)but,infact,isalsotheearliestwristwatchtocapturetheimaginationofmenacrosstheworld.

ThedashingBrazilianAlbertoSantos-Dumontwasapioneerofearlyaviation,becomingthefirstperson,onOctober23,1906,tosuccessfullypilotafixed-wheel,heavier-than-airaircraftthatcouldtakeoffandlandunderitsownpower.Twoyearsearlier,hisfriendthewatchmakerLouis

couldtakeoffandlandunderitsownpower.Twoyearsearlier,hisfriendthewatchmakerLouisCartierhadcreatedawatchspecificallyforSantos-Dumont,tohelphimtelltimewhileflying.Whilepocketwatcheswerethestyleofthedayformen,Santos-Dumontcouldnotkeephishandsonthewheelofhisflyingmachineandcheckhispocketwatchatthesametime;Cartierinventedasmalltimepiecethatattachedtothewristwithaleatherstrap,andgiftedthenew“CartierSantos-Dumont”wristwatchtohisfamousaviatorfriend,whoneverflewwithoutit.Whenhis1906featconfirmedSantos-Dumontasacelebritysensation,hispictureappearedinnewspapersacrossEurope—andhejustasquicklygarneredattentionforthewrist-wornwatch.

WhilePatekPhilippeiscreditedwithinventingthewristwatch,thestylewaslargelythoughtofasatimepieceforwomen.ItwasnotuntiltheCartierSantos-Dumontthatmenbeganequatingthewristwatchwithexploitsofdaringandcourage,andimbuingthemwithallmannerofromanceandnostalgia—afeelinganytruewatchloverknowsalltoowell.

Ifyou’veeverwonderedwherethiscrazypassionforwristwatchesallbegan,oddsareitstartedwiththisverytimepiece.

ALAINDELON’SCARTIERFrenchfilmstarAlainDelonworethissmall,reversibleCartierdresswatchwiththedialontheinsideofhisrightwrist;thegoldcasewasengravedonthebackwithhisinitials.

FREDASTAIRE’SCARTIERThisplayfulyellow-andpink-gold1929CartierTankCintréewasagiftfromFredAstairetohisracehorsetrainer,FelixLeachJr.Onthebackisengraved“FelixfromFred’29.”

racehorsetrainer,FelixLeachJr.Onthebackisengraved“FelixfromFred’29.”

DIMITRIDIMITROVMAÎTRED’,THETOWERBARATTHESUNSETTOWERHOTEL

TIMEXINDIGLO

Onenightacoupleofyearsago,therestaurantwasjam-packed,andBillMurraywalks inwith someotherpeople—he’salways impromptu—so Iscramble to find themaplace tosit.Wehead towardoneof thecoveswhereit’sdark,andheasks,“Whattimeisit?”SoIlookatmywatchandtellhimit’s8:40orso.Thenhesays,“Letmeseeyourwatch.”

IhadonanoldBaume&Mercier,aclassic.It’salwayssemidarkintherestaurant, though, so it can be difficult to see the hands. Bill says,“That’sgarbage—it’snogood!”And I reply, “Bill, it showsme the time,right?”Hesays, “Sure, it shows the time, but it’s nogood in thedark.”Then he removes the Timex from his wrist and says, “Take this!Because,yousee...”Hetouchesthebutton,anditglows.“Takeit.Youneedthis!”

IthankedhimforhisgenerositybuttoldhimIcouldn’tacceptit,andhereplied,“Don’tworryaboutthat—thisisyours;it’sagiftfromme.”

Just a couple of nights ago, he called me from his room and said,“Dimitri,whattimeisit?”Itoldhimthetimeandhejustlaughed,becauseheknewIwaslookingathiswatch,hisgift,inthedark.

It’sasimplewatch,functional,noproblems.Butyouknow,mosteverywatch in theworld,even thereallyoldones,keepsverygood time—sowhat’s thedifferencebetweenall thosewatches? It’s thestoriesbehindthem. And I have this amazing story that I’ve told a thousand times.When anyone asks, “Why do youwear that watch?” I reply, “Well,myfriendBillMurraygavethistome,so...”

KIKUOIBECREATOR,CASIOG-SHOCK

CASIOG-SHOCK

When I joined Casio, the company had just started making digitalwatches, so I was keen to develop that business, which I felt was thefuture.

I reallywanted to create a newwatchdevice—a toughwatchandadigitalwatch. The ideas came fromexisting products and things: a cartire,acaterpillar’sbody.Iaskedmyselfwhatkindofdesignwasneeded,and what kind of basic function it should have. These were earlyconsiderations,butthestartingpointwastomakeatoughwatch.

TheG-Shock launched inApril 1983and came to theUnitedStatesthenextyear.TheonlymarketitwassuccessfulinatfirstwasAmerica;oneofthebiggestreasonsit’snowacceptedintheglobalmarketwasitssuccess in the U.S. market. I was actually surprised it took off—thirtyyearsago,thewatchtrendwasforverysmallandslimwatches.Thiswastheoppositeofthat.

But no one gets tired of this design. It’s still fantastic; it still lookscurrent.WhenI’maskedif Iwouldhavedoneanythingdifferentlytotheoriginaldesign, I think,“No,notas longasI’mnotboredwith it in thirtyyears.”

PROTOTYPEOFMODULEThisearly,softball-likeprototypefortheoriginalG-Shockcasewasmeanttoisolatethetimekeepingmechanismfromconcussion.CasioengineerandG-ShockdeveloperKikuoIbegottheideatohousethemovementinsidearesilientstructureafterseeingagirlonaplaygroundbouncingarubberball.Ibetestedatleasttwohundredprototypesforimpactresistancebytossingthemoutofthethird-storymen’sbathroomwindowatCasio’sresearchanddevelopmentcenterinTokyo.

CASEPROTOTYPEThiseventuallybecametheall-metalCasioG-ShockMRG-G100,soldin1996.

JAMESLAMDINFOUNDER,ANALOG/SHIFT

1967DOXASUB300PROFESSIONAL“BLACKLUNG”

Even as a child I knew that somewhere, someday, I was going toappreciate timepieces. Itstartedwithmygrandfather—not fromasinglewatch that was passed down, but more of an overall appreciation. Hewasn’tawealthyman,buttheobjectsinhislifewereexclusivelyofhighquality, whether it was clothing and artwork or booze and music. Irememberwalking intohishouseasakidandsaying,“What’s thisnewpieceofartabout?”andhe’dsay,“Iboughtitin1973inthislittleshopinNewZealand—we’djusthadthesebeautifulroastbeefsandwiches,andtheshopowner’sdaughterwasreallycute,andtheyhadadog.”Icameto associate his possessions with storytelling, and while I didn’t inheritanyspectacularwatchesfromhim,theintereststartedthereinearnest.

Iwasmore rugged inmy youth, andwore a lot of digitalwatches—TimexIronmansandLuminoxNavySEALs—becauseIfanciedmyselfasurvivalistandoutdoorsman.ThefirsttimeIeverencounteredthename“Doxa”wasonthepagesofaCliveCussleradventurenovelthatIreadinelementaryschool.Cusslerbecamemyfavoritewriterofescapistfiction;hismaincharacter,DirkPitt,isthequintessentialcrossbetweenIndianaJones,JamesBond,andJacquesCousteau.Andhewearsanorange-facedDoxadivingwatch.

Aftermygrandfatherpassed,Iwasdeterminedtofind“my”watch.Andalightwentoff:IknewabouttheDoxa,eventhoughIhadnoideawhatitlookedlike.Andat thetime,theInternetwasn’tasrobustas it is today;thereweren’tonlinecommunitiesofwatchenthusiasts,andeBaywasinits infancy.So Ihada lotofwork todo,andmostly itwas researchingwith older collectors—people who knew the brand and even CliveCussler’spersonalanecdotes.(HeactuallygotaDoxawatchfromadiveshophewasworking inwhenwritinghis firstnovel,TheMediterraneanCaper,andhesimplywroteitintothebook.)

As a collector, I’ve always beendriven by authentic stories and realhistory. I appreciate aesthetics and fashionwatches to a degree, but Ireallyenjoywatchesthatweredesignedforapurpose.Doxahasarich

historywith tool watches. They’re a Swiss company, older thanRolex.Theyhadsomeearlysuccesswithpocketwatches thatwereextremelyaccurate, and went on to introduce an eight-day power-reservedashboardclockforearlycars—ifyouownedthefirstMercedes-BenzorFordandyouwantedaclockinit,mostlikelythatwouldbeaDoxa.Thecompanyhasahistoryofsupplyingthemilitary,aswell,butbythefiftiesandsixties,thecompanywasn’tasrelevant.

But sport watches were becoming a thing then, and the director ofDoxa at the time was keen on the new sport of scuba diving, so hedevelopedanall-newwatchthatwasfunctionalandpracticalfordivers—looksbedamned!WhiletheDoxaSub300wasn’ttheworld’sfirstdivingwatch, it’sarguably the firstpurpose-builtdivingwatch forbothamateurandprofessionaldivers.Things likebright,high-visibilitydials inorangeandyellow,theunidirectionalrotatingbezel,thediver’sextensionclasps—Doxapioneeredthose.

The road to findingmy firstDoxa tookseveral years.Ultimately, thiswatch foundme. A guy in California had been given a Doxa Sub 300“black lung” by his father, who was an underwater cameraman on theJamesBond filmThunderball, amongothers.His fatherhadpurchasedthewatchin1968atadiveshopinFlorida.Eventuallyhegaveit tohisson,whoworeitforashortwhilebeforeputtingit inadeskdrawerandforgettingabout it for thirtyyears.Whenhewaspackingup tomove toArizona,hecameacrossitagain.Hewantedtofindoutmoreaboutthewatch and its origins, so he did some research. He came across mynamebecauseIhadbeenquotedseveraltimesonthesubjectofDoxa,andhereachedouttome.Thefewblurryphotoshesentmeofthewatchgotme really excited; I encouragedhim to send it tome inNewYork,whichhedid. I authenticated it, thenspoke tohimon thephoneaboutwhat itwasworth.And then Iwaited forhim toask thatnextquestion:“Doyouwanttobuyit?”

ThishappenedjustasIwasstartingmycompany,andwhileitwasn’tamind-blowingexpenditure,keepingawatchformyselfatthatstagewasa luxury. And a vintage watch is the ultimate luxury—it’s owningsomethingthatnooneelsehas,butit’salsobeingthekeeperofitsstory.It’sabook; therearechapters.And thenyouhave thatobjectandyouwriteyourownchapters into it.Doxasaren’t impossiblyrarewatchestofind, but they’re certainly not everywhere. I’venever been theguywho

buysawatchtostartafreshbook,tostartsomethingnew.I’dratherwritemychapterintosomethingthat’songoing.Perhapsforever.

I’mcrazyabouttheseDoxas,andIwearmineallthetime.IguessI’vebecomesomewhatknownforDoxas.Idon’twanttoownthemall;I justreallylovethemandwantthemtobesaved.

PAULBOUTROSHEADOFAMERICAS&SENIORVICEPRESIDENT,PHILLIPS

ROLEX“KEWA”OBSERVATORYCHRONOMETER

I discovered watches at age ten, walking down Fifth Avenue with myfatherafteracoinshow.WepassbyWempe—thiswasbackwhenitwason the other side of Fifth—and I’m peering into the windows, seeingthese beautiful timepieces under the lights, looking magnificent. And Icouldn’t believe the extraordinary prices: a watch for $50,000, for$100,000. A saleslady notices us and invites us into the beautifulboutique,andsheseesthesparkle inmyeyes.Shesays,“Whatwouldyou like to see, youngman?” I point to an IWCPortofinoMoonPhasepocketwatch,$23,000,andsheopensthecaseback.Underthehalogenlights I see the movement shining in all its glory—rubies, gold-platedbridges,thetickinglargebalancewheelofapocketwatch.Itwasloveatfirstsight,andfromthenon,Ihadtoknowmore.I’dgettheWallStreetJournal,callthenumbersontheadvertisements,andsendawayforthewatchcatalogsfromPatekPhilippe,AudemarsPiguet,Breguet.

MydadsawthisexcitementthatIhadandhecaughton.We’dgotoauctionstogether,tofleamarketsandretailers.Westartedourcollection,me doing the research and him doing the buying, and it overtookeverythingelse—nomorecoins,just100percentwatches.

MydadcamefromEgypt, fromaveryconservativeChristianculture.AndIwasbornwhenhewasolder—forty-two—sonotonlywasthereaculturalgap,therewasagenerationalgap.Wefoughtabouteverything.Butwhen it came towatches, therewere no fights.Watcheswere thesourceofallmyhappychildhoodmemorieswithhim.

Whenhepassedawayin2002andIopenedthesafe-depositboxthatheldallofourwatches,Iwasovercomewithemotion.Thiscollectionwashim,itwasme,itwasourbestmemories.

I hadagood career asanelectrical engineerwith LockheedMartin,developing missile defense systems—I was an actual rocket scientist,believeitornot.Butaftermydaddied,andseeingthecollectionwehadbuilt,mypassionwasreignited inabigway. Istartedwritingaboutandphotographing watches for fun in my spare time. I got really into the

watchworldagain,moderatingacoupleofforumsonTimeZone.Thiswatchcametomeayearaftermyfatherpassedaway.It’soneof

the rarest of all Rolex references, and one of the most precisemechanical watches ever sold to the public by any brand. It washandmadeandhand-finishedbyRolex’stopwatchmaker,oneinabatchof144meanttopassthemoststringentship’schronometertestingintheworldat the time,at theKewObservatory inEngland.Looking into thisrarewatchthatIhad—thereareonlyfiveknownexamplesintheworld—Irealized that it incorporated what’s called a Guillaume balance, a verycomplicatedcomponent.Atthetime,theworlddidn’tknowthatRolexhadused this,andmydiscoverykindofputmeon themap in thecollectorworld.

Doors started opening. People began to contact me to write andconsult. There were many conversations with Christie’s and otherhouses,andeventually Icameonboardwith thePhillipsauctionhousewhen they were opening their own watch department. This was rightbeforeIwasabouttogetabigpromotionatLockheedandberelocated.NowI’mlivingmydream.

NASMUSICIAN&ENTREPRENEUR

PATEKPHILIPPENAUTILUSREFERENCE5712R

WhenIwasaroundseventeenyearsold,livinginQueens,IknewaguywhohadagoldRolexPresidential.Evenbefore Isaw it, Iheard lotsofpeople talking about it. I had never seen something like that up closebefore.Hewasmyfirstfriendwhohadanall-goldRolex,andsomethingabout the seriousness of it made himmore of aman, you know? I’venoticed through the years thatmany importantmenwore a goldRolexjust like it—Sammy Davis Jr. and Martin Luther King Jr., to name acouple.

My father never wore watches the way I wear them. No one inmyfamilyworethetypeofwatchesIlike.Itjustcametome;Ihavemyowntaste,awayofstylingthingsthatappealstome.

Iliketowearthingsthatpeopledon’tknowabout.Whenyounoticeamanwithawatchthatyou’veonlyseen inamagazine,orheardabout,there’ssomethinguniqueabouttheguywearingit.Ifyouseeaguywitha lot of diamonds on his watch, the way I see it—the way I’veexperienced itwith other people, and evenmyself—you know that guylikestohavealotoffun.He’slookingtohaveagoodtime.

MycurrentfavoriteisaPatekPhilippeNautilus.Ilikethename,andIlike that it’s not a watch that everyone is wearing. I don’t have largewrists,andtheproportionsandtheshapefit.It’scomfortable.Thereareno diamonds, it’s rose gold, there’s a leather band—it goes witheverything.ItworksifIjustwanttositwithmyeverydaylook,butifIgosomewherethatrequiresasuit,it’llstandstrong,too.

It doesn’tmatterwhat’shappening in thedigitalworld; you likewhatyou like. The picture quality of old movies isn’t great, but they’re stillclassics,andIwon’tstopwatchingthemjustbecausemoviestodayarehigh-definition. The first Jordan sneakers didn’t haveankle support likethe sneakers that came after them, but I bought them when they firstcameout,andIbuythemtoday.Certainthingsarewithmeforever.

Theysay time isan illusion,butevenso,youneed it.Agoodwatchrepresents someonewho’s punctual, responsible,who has a lot on his

plate. Someone who knows how to manage his time and takes lifeseriously, because life doesn’t wait for anybody. Before you know it,you’rerunningoutoftime.

“Ifyouseeaguywithalotofdiamondsonhiswatch,youknowthatguylikestohavealotoffun.He’slookingtohaveagoodtime.”

—NAS

ELVISPRESLEY’SCORUMBUCKINGHAMREFERENCE5971Thissquare-facedyellow-goldCorumBuckinghamwastheKing’sown,untilonedayhehandedittohislongtimevalet,bodyguard,andmoviestandin,RichardDavis,complainingthattherewassomethingwrongwiththewatch.WhenDavisturneditovertoinspectit,hesawtheinscription,“ToRichardfromE.P.”PerhapsElvisPresleymeantittobeDavis’s“GoodLuckCharm.”

DR.JACKCARLSONARCHAEOLOGIST&AUTHOR

1914Walthamtrenchwatch

MyPhD is inRomanandChinesearchaeology—stuff that’s a lot olderthanmytrenchwatchfrom1914.ButIlovetheideaofartifact,theideaofunderstandinghistorythroughobjects.

I grew up about five minutes from the Waltham watch factory inWaltham,Massachusetts.EverytimeI’dwalkaroundtown,orgetabitetoeatoracupofcoffee,I’dnoticethateverythingwasnamedafter thewatch industry—Watch City Brewing or something like that—or hadwatchesaslogos.ItwasareminderofthisgreatAmericanmanufacturingand craftsmanship heritage, right where I lived. And a lot of thesewatches, historically, were being made for American soldiers in WorldWarI.

Thisonehasashrapnelguard,whichtellsitsownkindofstoryaboutthe utility of the watch, and about its history. In a way, the idea ismorbidly humorous—you’ll get blown up, but the crystal won’t getcracked—butit’salsoveryserious.There’sasenseofgravitytoit.

There’s a term we use in archaeology, “material biography,” whichrefers to the life story of an object. So just aswe can talk aboutwhathappenedtothepersonwhoworethiswatch,wecanalsoimaginewhathappened to thewatch itself—wherewas itmanufactured,wherehas itbeeninitslife,whathasitseen?

Ididn’tinheritthiswatch;Idon’thaveapersonalconnectionwithitinthatway.Butwhen I’mexcavating in Italyand findacoinorapieceofpottery, Idon’tnecessarilyhaveapersonalconnectionwith thatobject,either. Part of the joy for me is imagining the stories behind theseartifacts.

AARONSIGMONDCOLUMNIST&AUTHOR

ELGIN

Like most twentieth-century Eastern European immigrants, mygrandfathercametoAmericabetweenWorldWarIandWorldWarII,inthelatetwenties,andwentthroughEllisIsland.ButinsteadofsettlinginBrooklynorontheLowerEastSide,asmanyRussianandPolishJewsdid, he continued straight on to Chicago. His father and two of hisbrotherswerealreadythere,andtheyallwentintobusinesstogetherwithacardealership.OneoftheveryfirstpurchaseshemadeintheUnitedStateswasthisElginwatch.

IthinktheElginbrandsymbolizedtwothingstohim:itrepresentedlifein America—a new life in a new land—and it represented Chicago,becauseElginwasbasedthere.

Mygrandfatherwore thiswatch for specialoccasions:weddingsandbarmitzvahsandhighholidays.Thenback inthedrawer itwent.Atmybarmitzvah,mygrandparentsgavemeallthetraditionalstuff—abible,apen,andsomemoney—butItoldmygrandfatherthatwhatIreally,reallywantedwasthatwatch.

Whenmygrandfatherdied,mygrandmotherperformedthesadritualofdolingouthispersonaleffects:asignetring,astarsapphirering,andacouple of really nice watches. By that time, the Elgin had seen betterdays; itdidn’thaveastrap,andsomeof thenumbershadfallenoff thedial.Nobodyelsereallywantedthewatch. I thought theywereallcrazybecause,tome,itwastheembodimentofthisman’sentirelife!Ittoldhisstory.

In termsofmonetaryvalue, this is the leastvaluablewatch Ihave inmycollection.Butit’sthedearesttome.AndIwearitlikemygrandfatherdid,onlyonspecialoccasions.

MAXWASTLERFOUNDER,ALLPLAIDOUTBLOG

TIMEXIRONMAN

Igotthiswatchfrommycampcounselor,Matt,whenIwastenyearsold.Ijustthoughthewassocool.Ilookeduptohimineveryway.Heplayedcollege baseball in Texas, and he shared some of his insider tipswithme.Healso gotmegeekedout on things likePatagoniaSnap-Ts andbaggieshorts,andthiskillerIronmanwatchwithaVelcrostrap.Hewouldtimeme in swimming on that watch, and I would always tell him howincredibleitwas.Forfoursummers,Ithoughtaboutthewatchandtalkedtohimaboutthewatch.Attheendofourlastsummertogether,hegaveittome.

Campwaswhere I first learnedorienteering,where I learnedhow todive,howtocamp,howtosetupatentandmakeafire.AllofthethingsthatplayintoeveryadventureInowhaveoutinthewildernesstiebacktothatwatch;it’sanimmediatereminderofeverygreatoutdoorexperienceI’veeverhad.

Funnilyenough,whatIwasreallyattractedtoasakidwastheVelcrostrap.WhenVelcrofirstcameout,itwasahugething.Itfeltlike,here’sathingthat’sexistedforonlyashorttime,somethingthatmaninventedinourlifetime.It’sstillprettyremarkable.Andit’spartoftheutilitarianismofthewatch, thebasequalityof it—it’s justasimple,clean,classicdigitalwatch. It has a great shape, a great colorway; it doesn’t overdo anyaspect.Andcompared to theCasioWR Iwaswearingbefore Igot theIronman, ithadtheaddedfunctionalitiesof thebrighter Indiglo light, thestart-stop,andanalarm.Iusedthatasmyalarmclockforsolong.

Evennow,itfeelslikeoneofthoseslapbraceletsfromthenineties—you slap it on and it fits around the wrist so perfectly. I love thechunkinessofit,howitstaysputallday.Wearingithelpsmeremembertheadventurerinsideofme,eveninthemiddleofacity.

FROMTHETAGHEUERARCHIVESTheHeuer visit, forme,was about the famousSteveMcQueenHeuerMonacowatchfromthe1971filmLeMans.Thearchiveshadoneofthethree thatwereused in themovie,andwhenyouhold it inyourhands,it’s just amazing—it’s oneof themost iconicand instantly recognizablewatchesintheworld.

Heuerisallaboutmotorsports.TheyhadFormula1driverJoSiffert’swatch, another iconic piece; an example of the gold Heuers that weregifted to winning Ferrari drivers; dash-mounted timers; obscurestopwatches;andallthesecrazywatchesthatBrazilianF1legendAyrtonSennadesignedhimself.

The Heuer collection is just incredible. And unlike a lot of otherarchives,it isanactualmuseumandexhibitionspace,althoughit’sonlyopen once a year for the locals of La Chaux-de-Fonds, where themuseumislocated.Weweregratefultohaveexclusiveaccesstotheseextraordinarywatches.

STEVEMCQUEEN’SHEUERMONACOFROMTHEFILMLEMANS

JOSIFFERT’SHEUERAUTAVIAIt’sbecauseofJoSiffertandthiswatchthatSteveMcQueenchosetowearthefamedblueHeuerMonacointhemovieLeMans.Inadditiontobeingadriver,Siffertownedasports-carrentalcompany.ThepropertymasterofLeMansaskedhimtosupplyPorschesforthemovie,andthat’swhenhewasintroducedtoMcQueen.McQueenwantedtowearthesameracinguniformasJo,whichhadaprominentHeuerChronographpatchontherightshoulder.Tomatchthegear,heworeaHeuerChronograph,hencetheblueMonaco,catapultingittocultstatus.

MATTHRANEKEDITOR,AUTHOR&PHOTOGRAPHER

SEARSWINNIETHEPOOHWATCH

Asakid,Iwasn’taMickeyMousekindofguy—IwasallaboutWinniethePooh.TosayIwasobsessedwouldbeanunderstatement; IhadPooheverything:sheets,toys,pajamas...ifithadWinnieonit,Iownedit.

My paternal grandmother, Anna, gave thiswatch tomewhen I wasfive or six years old. At least, that’s according to my mom. Mygrandmother bought absolutely everything out of theSears catalog, soit’snotsurprisingthatthislittlemanualwatchcameoutofthere,too.

Mymom saved thiswatch for years in her jewelry box. She gave itback to me recently. When it comes to my lifelong obsession withtimepieces,it’sfairtosaythatthisisthewatchthatstarteditall.

PASSAGETOBROOKLYN

ATOMMOOREPHOTOGRAPHER&ARTDIRECTOR,ANALOG/SHIFT

NEWYORKCITYSWATCHES

When Iwasgrowingup, Iwasn’tparticularly interested inwatches.ButSwatches were colorful and cool, and I wanted one. I grew up inMassachusetts and studied photography at a small state school there.When I came to New York City for my internship program in 2005, Ineededajob,soIgotoneattheSwatchstoreinTimesSquare.

Immediately upon working there, I realized that they had a bible ofevery Swatch evermade. I spentmy lunch breaks studying it. The artonesalwayscaughtmyeye—theyweremygrailwatcheswhenitcametoSwatch. I especially coveted theKeithHaringwatches, even thoughtheycameoutbeforemytimethere.Theyhadoriginallyretailedfor$40or$50,butwerethensellingforabout$800each.Assomeonewhowasjust out of school, I couldn’t afford to collect them. So I kind of forgotabout them for a few years. Then three or four years ago I wasphotographingwatches foranauctionhouse,and thenext thingon theblockformetoshootweretheKeithHaringSwatches.Ilookeddownandjuststaredatthem.

By that time I was a huge watch person. My wife and I were bothcollectingthebigbrands.Whenthesewererevealedtome,Istoppedinmytracks.Thatnight, I talkedtomywifeabout theexperienceandshesaid, “Well,wehave toget these,obviously.”Webidon the lowendoftheauctionestimate,andwewon.

Thewatchescameintheconditionyouseetoday,whichisnotperfect,butiftheywerepristine,mintinthepackage,Iwouldhavebeenhesitanttotakethemoutandwearthem.

I’m buying Swatches all the time, because they’re inexpensive andthey’refun,sowhynotownthem?They’relikelittlepiecesofartthatyoucanputonyourwrist.

KEITHHARINGSWATCHES

FRANKCASTRONOVOCHEF&CO-OWNER,FRANKIESSPUNTINOGROUP

IWCMARKXV

Mygrandfatherwasanamazingguy,aworking-classkidmadegood.Hegrew up in Brooklyn during the Depression. It was a tough life. Hehustled,droppedoutofhighschool,andenlistedinthearmy.Hefoughtin thewar, got a lot of commendations,andcameouta lieutenant.Hestayed in the reserves and rose all the way up to colonel. A naturalleader.

And he was a collector—cars, watches, guns from the Civil andRevolutionarywars.Hebelievedthatthosethingsstayedwithyou.Theyretainedvalue;theywerecollectibles.

Mydaughterwasbornin2000whileIwaslivinginGermany,andmygrandfathercametoseeus.Thetripwastwofold:hewantedtovisitourfamily,ofcourse,buthealsowantedtoseethecountry.Hehadfoughtagainst the Japanese inWorldWar II but hadn’t been toGermany.Hewas a commissioner’s assistant for the New York City Department ofSanitation, and hewas always impressed byGermany’s efficiency andcleanliness.Hewasalsocuriousaboutthepeopleandtheculture.

It was a tradition for my grandfather to gift jewelry and watches,especiallyonbigoccasions,sowhenhearrived,asexpected,heasked,“Whatdoyouwant?” Ihadalreadybeen toacoupleofwatchstores inGermany and told him I’d heard a lot about these watches made inSchaffhausen,Switzerland.Atthetime,IWCwasn’tabig,popularbrand.ButIlikedthattheymadealltheirownmovements,producedeverythingin-house,anditwasahigh-qualitywatchthatwasstillaffordable.

Welookedonthemap:fromFreiburg,whereIwasliving,thedrivetoIWC would take about an hour and forty-five minutes by car. So wedrove. It was such a beautiful trip, justmy grandpa andme on a longdrive through the Black Forest to the IWC boutique. That’s where weboughtthisMarkXV,straightfromthesource.

I like its simplicity.Thebignumbers, theblack faceon the stainlesssteel.It’ssocomfortable,Idon’tevenfeelitatall.Andit’saclassic—youcanwearitcasually,butyoucanalsodressitup.Itgoeswitheverything.

ItwasthefirstwatchinmylifethatI’deverpickedoutjustforme—onethat wasn’t handed down. It’s my everyday watch, but it’s also anheirloom; it’s something you pass on to your children and yourgrandchildren.Heirloomsmake you think about the people in your life.Like my grandfather. He had impeccable taste, beautiful clothes. HesmokedCuban cigars until the day he died at eighty-six years old.Hewaslikeanotherfathertome.Ilookatthiswatcheveryday,andsoeverydayIthinkofLouDileo.

“Thisismyeverydaywatch,butit’salsoanheirloom;it’ssomethingyoupassontoyourchildrenandyourgrandchildren.Heirloomsmakeyouthinkaboutthepeopleinyourlife.”

—FRANKCASTRONOVO

SIREDMUNDHILLARY’SROLEXOYSTERPERPETUALTherearefewachievementsthatresonateaslastinglyinthepopularimaginationasSirEdmund

TherearefewachievementsthatresonateaslastinglyinthepopularimaginationasSirEdmundHillaryandTenzingNorgay’sfirstsummitofMountEverest,at29,029feet,in1953.OnHillary’swristwasthisunassumingRolexOysterPerpetualOfficiallyCertifiedChronometerfrom1950.Withitswhiteface,daggerhands,andtriangularindexes,itbearslittleresemblancetotheRolexExplorerforwhichitistheforebear.Thewatchwasneverproducedcommercially,andwasprovidedtoHillaryfortestingpurposes(Rolexwasasponsorofthe1953expedition).Afterreturningfromthesummit,HillarydutifullymailedthetimepiecebacktoRolex,inSwitzerland,fromhisnativeNewZealand.ThetimethatiscurrentlyonthewatchistheexacttimeHillaryreachedthesummit.ThebrandpresumablytestedthewatchextensivelybeforeeventuallygiftingthisuniquepieceofhistorytotheBeyerClockandWatchMuseuminZurich,whereitstillresidestoday.

ENGTAY

ARTIST

PANERAIREFERENCE3646

I’vealwayslovedoldcars,watches,anythingvintage—that’sme.I’mnotmuchintothemechanicalside.Ijustlovebeautifulthings—that’swhyI’manartist!MyyoungerbrothertoldmeaboutPaneraiyearsago,andwhenIwouldgotoAsiaforworkaboutonceayear,toHongKongorMalaysiaorSingapore, I’d always gowindow-shopping to look at thewatches. Iloveshoppingforwatches,but Ididn’tbuymyfirstPaneraiuntil2005. IhadtheopportunitytobuythisPaneraifromafriend,andIcouldn’tpassit up. Not just because of its design but also because of its history—itoriginallybelongedtoaNavyofficer. Itwasan importantadditiontomyvintagewatchcollection.ButnothingquitecomparestothestoryofhowIacquiredmyPaneraiPAM21.

A friendhad justgottenback fromanauctionandhadwrittenaboutthe PAM21, and I had been reading a lot about the watch. I go toSingaporeformyyearlytrip,andassoonasIgetbacktoNewYork,overtwentyhoursonaplane,IturnonmycomputerandseethisguysellingaPAM21,brand-newinthebox.InSingapore.

I call him up and he wants crazy money, at least 5 percent aboveauctionprices.ButIknowthiskindofwatchdoesn’tcomeupforauctionall thatoften,and I tellhim Iwant tobuy it.Hedoesn’tknowmeand Idon’tknowhim,soIbuyaticketandflybacktoSingapore.Wegotoabank,Igivehimthecash,andthenItakethewatchandheadbacktotheairport.

SoimmediatelyafterreturninghomefromSingapore,Igotonaplane,flewall thewayback toSingapore foroneday topickupawatch,andthencamerightback.That’spassion.

GEORGEBAMFORDFOUNDER,BAMFORDWATCHDEPARTMENT

BWDXDRX—ARMYVSNAVY—“POPEYE”YACHT-MASTER

Everything youbuyhasa soul to it.You remember thedetails: exactlywhenyoubought it,howmuchyoupaidfor it.Youwant to thinkof thatitemasexclusivelyyours—uniquetoyou.It’sthedetails,thelittlethingsthatmakeyousay,“Thisisspecial;thisismine.”Mywatch-customizationbusinessisaboutthattoanevengreaterextent.

For me, during my childhood, there was a holy trinity of cartoons:Popeye, Snoopy, andMickeyMouse. I always liked Popeye the SailorMan.I lovedthewholeideaofthespinach-eatingmuscleman—hewassocool,yethewasjustadude,youknow?

Sobackin2003Istartedtalkingtomyfriendandcollaborator,DarrenRomanelli, thinking, “Could I put Popeye on a watch? Howwould thatwork?”Iwasn’tlookingatitfromthesalessideofthings;IjustwantedaRolexYacht-MasterwithPopeyeon it. Ididn’t thinkotherpeoplewouldbeobsessedwithPopeyelikeIam,buttheyare!Welaunchedthewatchanditsoldoutwithinaweekandahalf.We’reinthethirdeditionofthePopeyewatch,andit’samassivecollector’spiece.WeevenworkedwithHearst,whichownstherightstoPopeye,andtheycreatedacartoonofPopeyecomingtoBamfordWatchDepartmentandmegivingthewatchtohim.Ihaveitinmyoffice—it’ssuchacoolthing.

I always say, when I’m referencing something like an old cartoonseries,thebigbrandshavealreadydoneit—justthinkabouttheMickeyMouseRolex.Sowhat I’mdoing is really just paying homage to thoseoriginals.ButI’mdoingitwithmyowntwist.

MARKCHOCOFOUNDER,THEARMOURY&CO-OWNER,DRAKE’S

GRANDSEIKO61GSVERYFINEADJUSTED

PartofmybusinessisworkingwithJapanesebrands,andI’minterestedintheperiodwhenJapanesemanufacturingcameintoitsown—thefiftiesandespeciallythesixties.IlovetheJapaneseattitude,thededicationtotrying to be the absolute best you can be, to really push the envelopeevengivenyourownconstraints.

IgotthiswatchwhenIwasinTokyoforwork,aboutathree-weektrip.WheneverIhaddowntime,Iwouldgotosomeofthevintagestores,andIfoundthiswatchatoneofthoseshops.Itwasabout¥800,000,soabout$8,000,andIwasshocked.IhadneverseenaSeikoforeightgrand,andIthoughtitwasjustcrazy.

My watch choices are quite instinctive. If there’s something I findspecial about the look of a watch, I’ll do some research first, and if itchecks out, I’ll go for it. Most of the watches in my collection are notnecessarily iconicpieces,butoddlyenough, some that I bought fiveortenyearsagohavebecomealotmoreimportant.

SoIwenthomeandstartedtoresearchtheSeiko,andIrealizedhowsignificantthewatchwas.Ilovedthelookofit,andIloveditshistory,soIdecidedtotakeapuntonit.Aweekafterbuyingthewatch,Iwasreallygettingintothebrand,soIwenttotheSeikomuseuminnortheastTokyo.Andtheyhadthesamewatchinthemuseum!Itwasactuallyoneofthekey pieces in Seiko’s history, and it made me think, “Okay, I made areasonablechoice.”

TheGrandSeikoFirstSeries,orthe3180,whichpredatesthisone,isreally thepointwhen the Japanesehad createdawatchasgoodasaSwiss watch. There used to be a chronometer competition in theNeuchâtel Observatory, in Switzerland, and Seiko started entering thecompetition from the mid-sixties on, submitting various calibers anddesigns.Ibelievethatthefirstyeartheyplaced192nd,butoverthenextfiveyears,developingtheirskillsanddesigningbetterandbettercalibers,theyactuallytook4thplace.TheSwissstoppedthecompetitionthenextyear, but if you look at the watches from that year and compare the

performances,Seikowouldhavetakenthetopspot.Actually,theywouldhave takensevenof the top tenspots,withmore traditionalbrands likeOmegaandRolexfillingouttherest.

Seiko’sdesign language isstill inuse today:big flanked lugs, lotsofplanes,quiteangular. I findthedesigndistinctive,andI thinkonedayitwillbeiconic—maybenottoday,buttenortwentyyearsfromnow,whenSeiko’s reputation is recognized, it could be a big deal. It’s a subtlewatch, not really recognizable for what it is, but I like that. It’s a luckywatchforme.

Another collector sawmywatch andwas like, “Holymoly, that’s anincredible piece!” So I told him the story and he gave me a formalintroductiontotheSeikopeople.TheJapanesewayofdoingbusinessisverymuchabout relationships, similar to Italian culture. I don’t like thiscurrenttrendtoward“Wecansolvethatwithanapp!”Iliketoestablishapersonal relationship.So now theArmoury is the only authorized non–watch retailerGrandSeiko dealer in theUnitedStates,maybe even intheworld.

“It’sasubtlewatch,notreallyrecognizableforwhatitis,butIlikethat.It’saluckywatchforme.”

—MARKCHO

HOLGERTHOSS

PHOTOGRAPHER

BREITLINGCHRONO-MATICGMT

Thiswasmydad’swatch.Heboughtit inthelateseventiesandworeituntilabouttenyearsago,whenhegaveittomeandsaid,“Iwantyoutohaveit.You’regoingtoenjoyitmore.”

Eventhoughwedon’talwayshavethesametaste, I lovethiswatch.And I love thathewanted togivemesomethingspecial. Ineverwouldhaveaskedforit.I’msomeonewhothinks“stuff,”toacertaindegree,isnot important. Ihave twoboys,ages tenand thirteen,and I’m trying toteach them that.Like theBuddhist traditionof creatingsandmandalas:you spend all this time and emotional energy to make these verybeautifulsanddrawings,butyouknowtheyareonly temporaryandwillsoonbegone.Ithinkthere’sarealbeautytothatconcept,andIthinkofmypossessionsinthatway.

It’s also important to cherish the things you have and—this mightseemweirdtosay—tohavearelationshipwiththem.Youhavetohonoreachobjectand,atthesametime,bereadytoletitgo.

Ultimately, in thecaseofmy father, itwashisactofgiving thatwasmeaningfultome,moresothanthewatchitself.

LONGINESLINDBERGHHOURANGLEWATCHIn1927,explorerCharlesLindberghbecamethefirstpersontocompleteasolotransatlanticflight—a33½-hourjourneyfromNewYorktoParis.ThoughLindberghreliedondeadreckoningandpilotageforhissuccessfulflight,helaterlearnedtheartofcelestialnavigationfromNavylieutenantcommanderPhilipVanHorn(P.V.H.)Weems.Theresultofthetwomen’scollaborationisthiswatch:theLonginesLindberghHourAngleWatch,producedbyLongines-WittnauerandsoldintheUnitedStatesin1930and1931.Lindberghdesignedit,andLongines

WittnauerandsoldintheUnitedStatesin1930and1931.Lindberghdesignedit,andLonginescreateditbecausetheyhadtimedLindbergh’shistorictrip.

Themassive47.5mmwatchhelpsnavigatorseliminateoneofthekeycalculationsofairnavigationbyreadingoffthehourangleofacelestialobjectatGreenwichMeanTime.Inanerawhentheabilitytomakesuchcalculationsquicklyandaccuratelycouldmeanthedifferencebetweenlifeanddeath,simplifyingtheprocessbyanentirestepwasrevolutionary.Thisamazingartifact—whichispartoftheprestigiousTimeandNavigationcollectionattheSmithsonianInstitutioninWashington,D.C.—isareminderthatforearlyexplorers,toolwatchesweresomeofthemostimportantgaugesinthecockpitoratthehelm.

ERICKU

VINTAGEWATCHDEALER

JAEGER-LECOULTREDEEPSEAALARM

I was always intomechanical things.My dad had a couple ofRolexeswhenIwasgrowingup,andIwasconstantlylookingatthemandplayingwith them.Everymonth,wewouldgetareallynice, full-colorcatalog inthe mail from a local jeweler. It was 99 percent jewelry that I had nointerest in, but the last two pages would have what at the time werecalled“pre-owned”watches,alwayswithsomevintagepiecesincluded.Icouldn’twaitforthecatalogtocomesoIcouldseethosewatches.

Early inmycollectingcareer,whenIwasstill tryingto learnasmuchas I could about the business, I was offered a Jaeger-LeCoultre DeepSeaAlarm,withboxandpaperandeverything,atawatchshow.Theguywhowassellingitsaidhethoughtitwasaveryspecialwatchbecausehecouldn’tfindanyinformationonit,butitwassimilartoaPolaris,ithadanalarm,andhe really thought Ishouldbuy it.Myknowledgeat that timewas limited, and the watch was $4,000 or $5,000, a lot of money. Iremember thinking that it was very cool, but I had no idea about thebrand,soIpassedonit.Twoyearslater,IwasaskingaroundaboutthewatchonaEuropeanwebsite,andIfoundoutthatthepricewasaround$15,000.IrealizedthatIhadreallyscrewedthepooch.

SotimegoesbyandIkeep learningmoreabout thewatch. Ialwaysliked its aesthetic—the “DeepSeaAlarm” script on thedial—thewholething just oozes fifties. Then, two years ago, it shows up on a vintagewatches forum on Facebook with the caption, “Hey, I just found thiswatch at Goodwill for $5.99. I think it’s really rare—what do you guysthinkaboutthis?”

EverybodywaspostingthatitwassomesortofBSorAprilFool’sDayjoke,but ImessagedtheguyandtoldhimIwas interested inbuying it.We ended up striking a deal; I flew him out from Arizona to SanFrancisco,wespentthedaytogetherandIputhimupinahotel,andhesoldmethewatch.For$35,000.

In retrospect, I feel like I paid . . . let’s say, maximum, maximumcollector price. But as far as I’m concerned, this is a unique watchbecausethehistoryissofascinating.TheguyboughtitataGoodwill inPhoenix, I bought it fromhim, itwaswrittenuponHodinkee,and from

there thestory justblewup. Itwas front-pagenewsonCNN’swebsite,then picked up by local and national news channels and a randommorningshow.Itwasunbelievable.

Watchesareverypersonal things—expressionsofwhoyouare.Andwhat you’re willing to pay all comes down to perception of value. TheDeepSeaAlarmwasprobably$100inthefiftiesorsixties,whichwasatidy sum of money but not completely outrageous, and the fact thatsomethinglikethatcouldbeworthfiftyorahundredtimesmoretodayiskindofcrazy.Butthiswatchsumsthatupcompletely.Somebodylovedit,then it got lost in the shuffle. As soon as I saw it I just knew it was awatch I had to buy, even if I paid a premium for it, which I did. Soregardingtheperceptionofvalue:somebodyliterallyperceivedthevalueofthiswatchtobe$5.99.

“Watchesareverypersonalthings—expressionsofwhoyouare.”

—ERICKU

OMEGASPEEDMASTERALASKAPROJECTPROTOTYPE

JAMESH.RAGANFORMERAEROSPACEENGINEER,NASA

OMEGASPEEDMASTERMOONWATCHES

Ididn’tgettoNASAuntilthestartoftheGeminidays,andwatcheswerejustoneofmany,manypiecesItestedandprocuredaspartoftheflightequipment.Itwascrucialforeachastronauttohaveaflightwatchtotimeaneventorexperiment.Missioncontroldidthecriticaltiming,butiftheylostcommunicationwiththeastronauts—likewhentheywereoutonthelunarsurface—theastronautsneededwatchesasabackup.Otherwise,theywouldn’tknowhowmuchtimewasleftontheirsuitsbeforetheyranoutofoxygen.

As a government entity, you can’t just go out and buy pieces ofhardwareand lookat them—youhave to doa competitive governmentprocurement,unlessthereisjustificationtouseasolesource.

Wehadfourcompaniessendusproposals.Oneofthemwasrejectedoutrightbecausewehadspecifiedwrist-wornanditwasn’t—itwasmorelike anOlympic timer. So from each of the other three companies, weboughtthreewatches.Ineededonesettogivetotheastronauts,onesetfortesting,andonesetincasewescrewedupsomewhereanddamagedthewatch.

WhenIwasthroughwithall thetesting,theonlywatchthatsuccess‐fullypassedallthetestswastheOmega.Now,Ididn’tknowatthetimethatapairofthewatchesthatflewintheearlierMercurydayshadbeenOmegaChronographs,but thosehadbeenboughtpersonallyby twoofthe astronauts, Wally Schirra and Gordo Cooper. It was sheer co‐incidencethatitwasthesamebrand.

NASA kept using Speedmasters all through every moon landing,throughSkylabdaysandApollo-Soyuz.Exactlythesamewatch,exceptfor some enhancements—including an asymmetrical case and, mostimportant,protectionforthecrownandpushersotheywouldn’tbendandthereforeneed tobe replacedeach time.These fewadjustmentsmadewhat we know today as the Speedmaster Professional Moonwatches.Thosepushersneverbentagain.

ThebestexampleofwhentheOmegaSpeedmasterProfessionalpaidoffforNASAwasduringtheApollo13mission,whenallpowerwaslostontheCommandModule.TheonlythingstheastronautshadtotimethecriticalburnstobringtheApollo13safelybacktoearthweretheirOmegaSpeedmasters.Mostcriticalwasthelastburn,whichhadtobeaprecise14seconds.Thecommander’schronographwasusedtotimetheburn.

Thewatchwasexact,andtherestishistory.I purchased a total of ninety-six Omegas from the day we started

buyingthemtotheendofApollo.SomeofthemburnedupinthefireatCapeCanaveral, we lost some in airplane crashes, somewere stolen,oneortwoendedupintheBananaRiverbecausetheguyswerewater-skiingwiththem.Butattheend,Itookeveryonethathadanyhistorytoitatallandpulledthemofftotheside.ThebestIrecallitwasaboutforty-four items in all. I said, “Okay, these need to go to theSmithsonian, iftheywantthem.”

Andatfirsttheydidn’twantthem!Isaid,“Youguysarecrazy—I’vegotall the watches that went around the moon. I’ve got some from theGeminidays.”Isentthemalistandtheyreconsideredmyoffer.I’mgladImade the effort, because I don’t think they would have taken themotherwise.

OMEGASPEEDMASTERALASKAPROJECTPROTOTYPE(BACK)JamesRaganwasalsothemindbehindthisfuturisticwatch,anattempttocreatetheperfecttimepieceforouterspace,whichwascode-named“Alaska”tothrowoffanyattemptatindustrialespionage.Thewatchaimedfortripleprotectionagainstspace’sharshconditions,utilizingpolishedtitanium,whichisresistanttoextremetemperatures;aspeciallyreworkedmovementthatfeaturedpioneeringmetalalloysandlubricationtogiveitamuchstrongerresistancetothe

featuredpioneeringmetalalloysandlubricationtogiveitamuchstrongerresistancetotheextremetemperaturesencounteredonthelunarsurface;asilver-whitedialsoastoabsorbnoheatfromthesun’sunfilteredrays;andthedistinctiveredanodizedaluminumoutercase,whichrenderedtheMoonwatchAlaskaespecially“spaceproof.”

TheAlaskawatchexistsasahistoricaloddity,thoughasignificantone,sincetheApollomissionsforwhichitwasplannedwerecanceledintheseventies,andthewatchnevergotthechancetoproveitselfintheenvironmentforwhichitwascreated.

FROMTHEOMEGAARCHIVESOmega was the one archive that actually came to me—no secretlocationsorsecuritychecksorretinalscansneeded.MyfriendPetrosatOmegasimplyphonedandaskedmewhatIwantedtosee,andthenexttimebusinessbroughthimthroughNewYork,hearrivedwithanuntoldfortuneofpricelessvintageOmegasonhisperson.Whenyouhavetheincredible history of being the official watch of NASA’s early spaceprograms,itmakessensethatyou’dwanttotellthatstoryfarandwide.

We got the unbelievable chance to photograph a second-generationOmega Speedmaster reference CK2998: the personal watch ofWalter“Wally” Schirra—one of the “Original Seven” astronauts of theMercuryprogram—whichheworeduringtheMercury-Atlas8(Sigma7)mission,makingitthefirstwatchinspace.ThiswasbeforeNASAhadanofficialworking relationship with any watchmaker; both Schirra and LeroyGordon “Gordo” Cooper personally bought Speedies as their flightwatches.

Wealso hada uniqueopportunity to photograph JohnF.Kennedy’sinauguralwatch,whichOmegabroughtoutofitsarchivestobeincludedinthisbook.

WALLYSCHIRRA’SOMEGASPEEDMASTERREFERENCECK2998

PRESIDENTJOHNF.KENNEDY’SINAUGURATIONOMEGATheinscriptiononthisultrathinyellow-goldOmega—“PresidentoftheUnitedStatesJohnF.KennedyFromHisFriendGrant”—seemsunassuming,untilyourealizethatKennedy’sfriendandsupporterGrantStockdalehadgiftedthehand-woundtankwatchtoKennedyin1960,whenhewasstillasenatorfromMassachusetts.Thefollowingyear,whenKennedywassworninasthethirty-fifthpresidentoftheUnitedStates,hewaswearingthisverytimepiece.KennedyappointedStockdaleasambassadortoIreland,writingtohimin1962,“Irelandmustbelovelyatthistimeofyear,”andfinishingwith,“IthoughtyoumightliketoknowthatIamnowwearingtheStockdalewatch.Again.”

ALESSANDROSQUARZIFASHIONENTREPRENEUR

1958RolexSubmarinerreference5508

MyfathergavemethiswatchwhenIwaseighteen.Igotonewatch;myolder brother got another. I’m a collector of vintage Rolex, the sportmodels inparticular,andthiswasthefirstoneIowned.Iremembermyfather wearing it when I was a boy, but it still looks so modern—theSubmariner isoneof themostsuccessfulmodelsofall time. Iwouldn’tsellitforanyamountofmoney;it’spriceless.

GABRIELVACHETTEFOUNDER,LESRHABILLEURS

UNIVERSALGENÈVECOMPAX

Thiswatch belonged tomy grandfather Josef. He gave it tomy fatherabout twenty years ago. My father loves collecting things—art andsculptureespecially.Whateverhegets into,hestartscollecting.Buthedidn’tknowanythingaboutwatchesatthetime.

Thewatch was brokenwhen he received it, so he brought it to thelocalwatchmakertoberepaired,andtheguysaid,“Thisisgoingtocostyoualotofmoney—likeathousandfrancs.”Myfatherwastakenabackandaskedhimwhyitwassopricey.Themansaid,“Doyouknowwhatyourfathergaveyou?”

He opened the back case of this very tiny watch to reveal itscomplicatedchronographmovement;it’squiteamazing.Atthatmoment,myfatherfellinlovewithwatches,atfiftyyearsold.

Iwasmaybe fifteenyearsoldat the timeandsawmy fathergettinginto the hobby, building up a collection. I knew a bit about watches—IwantedanOmegaSeamasterbecauseofJamesBond—butIreallyfellinlove with watches through the stories my father told me about thewatcheshewasbuying.WhenIwas twenty-fiveandworking inParis, Idecidedtocreatemyownwatchblog,onethatismorelifestyle-focusedthanaboutwatchmaking.Andthat’showLesRhabilleursstarted.

Iwasalwaysclosewithmyfather,butnoweverytimehecallsme,it’saboutawatch.Like,“Hi,howareyou, I foundthisamazingwatch,blahblahblah,okay,bye!”

Whatmyfatherlovesbestisthebuyingandselling,butwe’llnevergetridofthiswatch.Itwillstayinthefamilyforever.

KENTAWATANABECOFOUNDER,BUAISOUINDIGOSTUDIO

INDIGO-DYEDCASIOG-SHOCK

I’man indigodyerand farmer.Myhandsandarmsare immersed inanindigodyeeveryday.ThisG-Shockwaswhiteoriginally.MyfriendwhowasdoingaCasiopromotiongaveittomeandwascurioustoseewhatwould happen if it was repeatedly submerged in the dye. It’s a strongwatch,andwaterproof.Aftertwoyears,ithadturnedthisamazingindigocolor.Muchbetterthantheoriginal!

SeveralG-Shockownersnoticedmywatchandsentmetheirwatchestobedyed,sowemadeafewcustomerexamples,too.

AsIexplainedtothem, ifyouwashthewatchinenoughclearwater,thedyewillcomeoutoftheplasticanditwillbewhiteagain.

HAMILTONPOWELLFOUNDER&CEO,CROWN&CALIBER

ABERCROMBIE&FITCHSEAFARER

This Seafarer is unlike most any other in existence, in that it has arunning second hand. No other Seafarer I’ve ever seen has that. It’sdebatablewhyit’sthere.Oneopinionisthatapastownercommissioneda watchmaker to add that feature so he could see if the watch wasactuallywound,becauseotherwiseyoucouldn’tknow immediately.Theotherthoughtisthatperhapsitwasaprototypeofsomekind.

TheseweremadebyHeuerforAbercrombie&Fitch,acompanythat,beforeitbecameknownasashirtlessmalemodelfashionbrand,wasareally cool adventure outfitter. If you were going to climb Everest, orspend amonth in theRockies, you’d go to Abercrombie & Fitch to beoutfitted.Itwaslegit.

ButthethingIlikemostaboutthiswatchisthatittellsthestoryoftwodifferent kinds of guys. It was originallymade to be an outdoorsman’swatch—itmeasures the tides for boating or fishing; all the original adsfeatured a guy fly-fishing or doing some other outdoor activity. But it’salsoforaguywhowantstowearabeautifulwatch,whowantstocomeinside,takehiswadersoff,andputonatux.Itwasmeanttobewornthatway,too—ithasabeautifulcase,itlooksgreat,itfitsnicelyunderacuff.

Myfirstjoboutofcollegewasasahuntingguide.NowI’mtheCEOofa company that’s in the luxurywatch space. I play both of those rolesreallywell,butIdon’tlikebeingineitherworldtoolongbecauseIstarttoyearnfortheother.Iperformthisbalancingact,andtome,thiswatchisperfectforthat.

Ialsolikethat it’samanual-windingwatch.Ibelievewe’realiveforabriefperiodoftime;whetherit’sfiftyyearsorahundred,intheschemeofthings,that’sashortblip.Andit’suptoustousethattimeintentionally.Runningacompany isa fast-paced life,andbeingathome,with threekids,isanevenfasterone.SotakingamomenttowindmywatchmeansgivingmyselftwentysecondsofthedaytocreateasenseofpurposeastohowI’mgoingtousemytime—toaskmyself,AmIgoingtolivetodaywith intention? It forces you to reflect, becauseduring that tinywindow

youareliterallygivingyourselfthetime.

“TakingamomenttowindmywatchmeansgivingmyselftwentysecondsofthedaytocreateasenseofpurposeastohowI’mgoingtousemytime—toaskmyself,AmIgoingtolivetodaywithintention?”

—HAMILTONPOWELL

JOSHCONDONWRITER,EDITOR&AUTHOR

MOVADOMOONPHASE

Watchesaren’treallyabigdealinmyfamily,buttheideaofheirloomsis.Over the years, I’ve been handed downa number of interesting thingsfrom grandparents and great-grandparents and relatives from variousbranchesof the family tree—mygrandfather’sGivenchy tuxedo, an oldMontblancfountainpen, theoddpairofcuff links,abeautifulnavywoolpeacoatthatmustweightenpoundsandsupposedlydatesbacktoWorldWarI.Mydadlovespassingthingsontohiskids,evenifit’sjustashirtofhisthatyouoncesaidyouliked.There’sneveranyceremony,andnotmuch of a story; one day he’ll simply hand you something like an oldcribbage board and say something like, “Isn’t this cool? Thiswas yourgrandfather’s.Youshouldhaveit.”

Mydadhasafewwatches,someofthemexpensive,buthe’snotanenthusiast.AfewyearsbackwhenIwasvisitinghiminMassachusetts,whereIgrewup,hekeptgoingonaboutthisdelicatelittleMovadohe’dboughtoneBay.It’satinylittlething,maybe29mm—I’mprettysureit’sawoman’s watch, actually—with subdials for the day and date, andanotherforthesecondhand,whichalsoincorporatesamoonphase.It’sgold-platedandquartz-powered,andacollectorwouldn’tlookatittwice,butmydadjustfellinlovewithit.

I’d startedwriting aboutwatches formagazines andhadbeen reallyreading up on the subject, and as happens to a lot of buddingenthusiasts,knowinga littlemademeabitsnobbish. Ialways liked theway that Movado looked, but because it didn’t mean anything in thecollectorworld,Ididn’tthinkithadanyvalue.Buttwoyearsago,onmythirty-sixthbirthday,mydadgavemehiswatch—nottheoneoffhiswrist,but the exact samemodel, which he had been searching for since heboughthisown.Hespenttwoyearstrackingdownthreemore,oneeachformeandmytwoyoungerbrothers,havingthemcleanedandservicedand replacing the bands. He gifted them to each of us on specialoccasions—abirthday,startinganewjob,buyingahouse.Soallthemeninmyfamilynowwearthesamewatch.

MyfamilyalllivesinMassachusetts,andI’velivedapartfromthem,inCalifornia andMichigan and New York, for over half my life now. AndrightatthetimewhenIwastryingtofigureoutwhatbrandandmodelofwatch would define me, my dad made the choice for me—a non‐mechanicaltimepiecefromwhatwasatthetimeamiddlingbrand,worthacouplehundredbucksoneBay.Ibasicallyhaven’ttakenitoffsince.Itremindsmeofmyfamilyevery timeI lookat it,andthere’snotanotherwatchintheworldatanypricethatcanpulloffthattrick.

“ThewatchremindsmeofmyfamilyeverytimeIlookatit,andthere’snotanotherwatchintheworldatanypricethatcanpulloffthattrick.”

—JOSHCONDON

TORNEK-RAYVILLETR-900Thisdivewatchisanexcellentexampleofthetypeofmilitary-specificationwatchesmanycollectorsgonutsfor—andisitselfoneofthemostrareandsought-afterspecimens.

TheoriginaldesignisaBlancpainFiftyFathomsfromtheearly1960s,amodeloriginallycreatedforFrenchnavycombatdiversintheearly1950sandconsideredtheoriginaldivewatch,predatingeventheRolexSubmariner.Duetoatightlyenforced“buyAmerican”policyatthetime,theAmericangovernmentcouldn’tpurchasethesetechnologicallyadvancedtimepiecesdirectlyfromtheSwisscompanyBlancpain.AmericanbusinessmanAllenV.Tornekinsteadimported,rebranded,andresoldtheFiftyFathomsthroughhisU.S.-basedcompany,Rayville.

AroundathousandTornek-Rayvillemodelswereproduced,andnearlyallofthemwerelaterdestroyedbytheU.S.Navyduetorulesaboutatomicwastedisposal(thewatches’dialsusedradiumpaintforluminosity),makingthesemodelsexceedinglyrare.ThisparticularwatchwasissuedbytheU.S.MarineCorpsin1966toSergeantMauriceJacques,whoworeitthroughsixyearsofcombatinVietnamwithForceReconandthroughtohisretirementassergeantmajorofthe5thMarineRegiment.SergeantJacquesservedhiscountryforthirtyyearsandwasawardedtwoBronzeStarsandaPurpleHeart.

GEOFFREYHESSCEO,ANALOG/SHIFT

ROLEXEAGLEBEAKTROPICALSUBMARINERREFERENCE5512

I don’t have a family history of being handed down watches of anysignificance;I’mjustaregularguywholikedtoplaywiththisspecifickindof toy.But forme,withoutquestion, it’s thepeoplebehind thewatchesthat fuel this fire; Idon’t think there’samajorcityonearth thatdoesn’thaveabed forme tosleep inbecauseof thepeople I’vemetover theyearsthroughthishobby.Ievenmetmywifebecauseofit.

Mygreat love isvintageRolex,andacoupleof timesayear Igo toEuropetoattendgatheringsofcollectorsfromallovertheworld.There’ssomething very meaningful to me about being the guy who gets on aplanewithalittlemessengerbag,carryinghisentirelife’spassion—and,tosomedegree,identity—allthewaytoEuropetomeetwiththisspecialgroup of guys. We embrace almost like brothers. And then, two dayslater,Igetbackontheplaneandcomehome.

It’sararehobbythatkeepsamanupuntildawnporingoverthemostminutedetails. I’ll trytoexplain itwiththisRolexSubmariner.Onethingwehearoverandoveragaininthevintagewatchworldistheexpression“itticksalltheboxes.”Whatmakesthiswatchspecialisaconfluenceoffactors. The first box that’s ticked is the dial: it’s “tropical,” and peoplelove the idea that,over time,adialcango frombeingblack incolor tothis beautiful bronze, caramel, creamybrown tropical hue.Boxnumbertwo is the notion that everything matches; you can see that theluminescenceonthedialandthehandsandthepearlonthebezelmatchperfectly, so you know this was all born together. Box number three,perhaps the most interesting, has to do with the shape of the crownguards,knownasan“eaglebeak”becausewhenyoulookatonehead-on,itlooksliketheopenmouthofaneagle.Thiswasatransitionalformofcase,andthesecrownguardsonlyappearedin1959,so,boxfour—it’srare.

People make fun of the vintage Rolex world to a degree, becausethose of us who love these watches will study every detail. But we’recelebratingsomething, lookingback toanolderera; ifweweren’t,we’d

all buy modern watches because they tell time better, they’re moredurableand technologicallyproficient.But tosomedegree, theworldofvintageRolexisascience;wecollectorsalwayshavealoupe,andwe’reexaminingthecolors,theserifsonthefonts,thewaytheRolexcoronetisprinted.It’sagrown-manscience.I’mforty-sevenyearsold,andInevertrulyunderstoodwhatthewordpassionmeantuntilIdiscoveredmylovefortimepieces.

“It’sararehobbythatkeepsamanupuntildawnporingoverthemostminutedetails.”

—GEOFFREYHESS

MICHAELFRIEDMANHISTORIAN,AUDEMARSPIGUET

1938AudemarsPiguet

In2003,whenIwasthedepartmentheadofChristie’sWatches inNewYorkCity,thiswatchwasincludedinwhatwouldbemylastauction.Onecollector/dealerIspokewithsaidhehadaninterestingAudemarsPiguethewasthinkingofputtingintothesale,andwhenIsawit,Ithought,“Thisis great.” I was in touch with the Audemars museum director, MartinWehrli, who researched the piece in the archives and learned that thewatchhadbeenexhibitedat the1939World’sFair inNewYork,a factthatIincludedinthecatalognotes.

Mydadreadthecatalogandsawthatnote.ANewYorkerandababyboomer who was interested in the crossover between culture andscience, he had always loved the World’s Fair—that cross section oftechnologyandfuturismandallthesethingsinoneplaceatatimebeforeComicCon,beforetechnologyfestivalsandindustrytradeshows.Soheasked, “Is this somethingwe should consider for our collection?”And Ireplied,“Absolutelyitis.”

Myintroductiontothisfieldwasn’tthroughmechanicalhorology;itwasthroughculturalstudies—howtimeitselfcouldbebrokendowndifferentlydepending on the time period, on the particular culture, on theastronomicaleventsthathavebeenoccurringforbillionsofyearsandwillcontinue tooccur forbillionsofyears.Theentirehistoryofscienceandtechnology,ofhumandevelopment,isanchoredtotimemeasurement.

Thisunderstandingcameinpartfrommydad.Hehadascientificmind—hewasascience teacherwhowent into finance tobetterprovide forhisfamily,eventhoughhealwaysfeltlikeanoutsiderinthatworld,eventhough his passion was always science and teaching and sharing. Irememberhekeptbinocularsaroundthehouse,andhe’dencouragemybrothers and me to just look up into the trees, to explore and thinkoutsideof the immediacyof our own sphere.Evenwatching television,he’dsitthereandtellushowaTVoperates,whatmakesitwork.Andhe

wascommittedtomakingsurewedamnwelldidwhatwewantedtodoinlife—thatwehad theopportunities to followourownpassions,becausehehadn’tbeenabletofollowhis.

This watch is emotional for me in that regard—its being in my lastauction,duringapivotalshiftinmycareer,andamomentsharedwithmyfatherthatI’lltreasureforever.Thispieceepitomizesourmutualloveforthatcrossoverbetweenculture,technology,anddesign.

“Thispieceepitomizesmyfather’sandmymutualloveforthecrossoverbetweenculture,technology,anddesign.”

—MICHAELFRIEDMAN

TOMSACHSSCULPTOR

“NEWBEDFORD”(CUSTOMIZEDCASIOG-SHOCKDW-5600)

AsakidIalwayswantedaG-Shock,buttheyweretooexpensive.Inthedigitalwatchrealm,theG-Shockwastheultimatestatussymbol.SoIgotacheaperdigitalwatchandmademyownversionbyhot-gluingametalcagearoundit.

There’s something incredibly well-crafted about the G-Shock, and Ithink it’s no coincidence that the Japanese produced it. In Japan,watches aren’t traditionally status symbols; gifting someone a watch isconsideredtobeabad-luckgesture—youdon’tgivesomeoneanobjectthat tells them how much time they have left to live. So what theJapanese did with the G-Shock, and with Casios in general, was toeliminatetheconceptofstatusandcreateacovetablewatchatamuchlowerpricepoint.

The story behind theNewBedford is that Iwanted tomake a blue-collar version of a double-wrapwatch like theHermèsCapeCod. Thename of the watch comes from the idea that the people who work onCapeCodactuallyliveinNewBedford,Massachusetts.Isoldashortrunofthese—maybeadozen.

Peoplewearwatchesfortheirassociatedvalue.YouwearanOmegaSpeedmaster and you’re Neil Armstrong. Or youwear whatever watchJamesBondwears, or Sir EdmundHillarywore, and you become thatperson—evenifyouworkinanoffice,atleastyourwatchisthesameasthathero’s.Thatalwaysseemedphonytome,becauseI’dratherbeanastronautoraspyoramountainclimber,withalltherisksthatgoalongwiththerewardsofthosecareers.Havingdonealotofextremethings,Ineededawatchforthosesituations,especiallysothatIwouldhavethetimewithoutgettingsuckedintotheblackholeofmyiPhone.Anarmoreddigitalwatchworksbetterineverypossiblescenariowiththeexceptionofnuclear detonation, when themagnetic pulse wouldmake all electricalthingsstop.ButIthinkifthathappens,you’vegotbiggerproblems.

There’sasenseofpridethatI’vebeenwearingthesamewatchforthepast twenty years. I’ve gone through four of them, but it’s always the

Casio G-Shock DW-5600, and I have a habit of personally engravingeachonethedayIgetit.TherehavebeenmanyversionsoftheG-Shockinthepasttwentyyears,butthisisthebest.It’sgotanalarm,andit’sstillthebestshape.

MydadhasafancySwisswatchthathesayshe’skeepingtopassonas an heirloom. He quotes themanufacturer’s ad: “You never actuallyownaPatekPhilippe.Youmerelytakecareofitforthenextgeneration.”Welaughabouthowtheclichéadvertisingmottohascometrue.I’msurethatwatchmightholdsomemeaning,butIliketheideaofsomethingthatcosts$40 that youown, versussomething that costs$4,000 thatownsyou.

“There’sasenseofpridethatI’vebeenwearingthesamewatchforthepasttwentyyears.”

—TOMSACHS

BULOVAACCUTRONSPACEVIEW

BREPETTISFOUNDER,BRE&CO.

BULOVAACCUTRONSPACEVIEW&ORIGAMIWATCH

MyfavoriteactivitygrowingupwasmakingstonecircleslikeStonehenge,basically trying to replicate these superaccurate megalithic timepiecesthat date back five thousand years and still work. They have all theseastrological andastronomical alignments, soon certaindayswhenyoustandinaparticularplaceandthesunrisesoveroneparticularstone,it’spoetic, and it makes you realize that we only get so many of thesemomentsinalifetime.

What’sinterestingwhenyouconsiderstonecirclesandwatchesisthatstonecirclesareaboutconnecting time toaspecific location;when thesunisat itshighestrighthere,atStonehenge,it’snoon—butahundredmiles away, the time would be slightly different. Watches, however,representaworldwidecontractwith time—if it’s11:38a.m. inanygivenplace, then everywhere else in the world it’s thirty-eight minutes pastsomehour, dependingon this time zone constructwe’veall agreed to.It’skindofcrazy,whenyouthinkaboutit,likeaminormiracle.

My firstwatchwas thisBulovaAccutronSpaceview.My grandfathergave it tomy father, andmydadgave it tomewhen Igraduated fromhigh school. The watch was a transition point between mechanicalmovementsandthequartzrevolution,andit’satotallydifferentapproach—a300Hztuningforkpushesatinygear,smaller thanaquarterofaninch, with three hundred notches in it. That one gear required a newdesign ofmachine just to produce it; Bulovawas the first to figure outhowtomakeatuningforkworkasagear-drivingmechanisminawatch.Thewatchhasacutting-edgetransistor,andacapacitor,andaresistor,andthat’sit.It’sabsurdlyaccurate,totwosecondsaday,andallofthiswas built in 1960, without computers, before integrated circuits. TheyusedthetechnologyontheApollomission.

WhenIdecidedtocreatemyownwatch,theOrigamiWatch,mygoalwasforittobeasinnovativeastheAccutronwasin1960incomingupwithawaytotracktime.ButtheOrigamiWatchisaboutmorethanthat:Iwanted to create something that would make people feel as if they’re

winninganOlympicmedalwhentheyreceiveit.Youcan’tbuythiswatchforyourself—partofthebuyingprocessisthatyouhavetodedicateittosomebody and say why you think they’re great and what values theyhavethatyouadmire,andthere’saspotto inscribesomethingtothem.There’sstealthvaluetoit,too:aquarter-ounceAmericanEaglegoldcoinintegratedintothebackworthsevenoreighthundredbucks,dependingonthevalueofgold,thattouchestheskin.Inanemergency,youcanturnthewatchoverandpopoutthecoin.

Mygoalinlifeistoencouragedeeperfriendshipsintheworld.Ididalotof research trying to figureoutwhatpeoplecouldgive toencouragethosefriendships,andwatcheshavethebeststories.Ialsoliketomakestuff. This obsessive watchmaking has become the amalgamation ofthosetwothings.

ORIGAMIWATCH(BACK)

DOMINO’SROLEXAIR-KINGAmongcollectors,thisiswhat’sfamouslyknownasthe“Domino’sRolex”—forobviousreasons.ThestoryisthatDomino’s,backintheseventiesoreighties,startedgivingthesecobrandedAir-Kingsouttofranchiseownersforhittingsalesnumbers.Thisoneisfromthe1990s,thelastyearstheyhadthecolorDomino’slogoontheface.Forawhile,afterRolexbecamestricteraboutcobrandingwatches,theystartedsolderingthepizzaboxontothebracelet;nowit’sjustanengravedDomino’slogoontheback.Butthosearen’tasfunasthisone,theultimatehigh-lowmash-upofacollegedormfavoriteandoneofthemostrecognizableluxurybrandsontheplanet.

mash-upofacollegedormfavoriteandoneofthemostrecognizableluxurybrandsontheplanet.

STEPHENLEWISPHOTOGRAPHER

PAPERCUTOUTOFAHEWLETT-PACKARDCALCULATORWATCH

Infifthgrade,InoticedsomeflashygoldRolexeswornbytheparentsofagirl that I liked, and I got thewatchbug; Iwas intrigued.Myparentswere intellectualsand frownedonanykindofostentatiousdisplay,so Ikeptmyinteresttomyself.Iusedtocutoutmyfavoritewatchesfromthepagesofmagazines, tape themaroundmywrist,andwear them in theprivacy of my room.With some imagination, I could have any watch Iwanted—aslongasIcouldfindapictureofit.

Fast-forward to the 1970s, watching Live and Let Die in the theaterwithmyfriendEric.RogerMoore’sJamesBondchecks the timeonhisPulsardigitalwatch,andIrememberthinkingitwasjustthecoolestthingIhadeverseen.Ericleanedoverandwhispered,“They’rereallygoingtomake those!”and the ideawasastounding tome. Itwasabsolutely thefuture.

After the digital watch obsession, including lusting after a Hewlett-PackardwatchIsawinPlayboymagazine(longstory),Istartedmovingontochronographs,thatsortofthing.ButinmymindtherewasalwaysagapbetweenwhatIaspiredtoandwhatIbelievedIcouldactuallyown.Ijustthought,“Thisisnevergoingtohappen.”

IhadcompletelyforgottenaboutmyJamesBondRolexfantasiesuntilIstartedworkingonthisbookwithMatt.HearingalltheseguystelltheirstorieswhileIphotographedtheirwatches,italljuststartedcomingbacktome.

These days I wear a Rolex Submariner thatmywife gaveme as abirthday gift. I can have my watch without needing to cut it out of amagazine—butIstillappreciateallthetimesI’vebeenabletodigmyselfoutofaholewithjustalittleimagination.

DAVIDCOGGINSWRITER

JAEGER-LECOULTREREVERSO

I’m not a watch obsessive. I don’t know the intricate details; I’m notimpressedbyhowmuchtheycostorhowraretheyare.ButIdorespondto a certain type of watch. I want something that’s well-made anddesignedwithpurpose—justlikeasuit,forthatmatter.AndIliketowearawatcheveryday—Ihaveone that Iwearwhen it’s lightout,andonethatIwearatnightoronmoreformaloccasions.Thenicewatcheshavealwaysbeengifts.

In that tradition,myReversowasa gift frommyparents. Thebrandwasoriginallydevelopedforpoloplayers;I’mcertainlynopoloplayer,butI love the idea that you would wear this watch to the hotel in BuenosAires,andthenwhenyouwenttoplaypolo,you’djustflipthewatchcaseovertoprotectthecrystal.Andthere’shefttoit—youfeelitwhenyouflipitoveranditclicks.There’sapurposetothewayitmoves.

Ithinkyoucantellalotaboutamanfromhiswatch,andIpreferonethat errs on the side of discretion. Also, though I generally don’t likemonograms,Ilikethatmyinitialsareonit,butthey’rehidden—soitfeelslikeasecret.AndIlikethatit’sfrommyparents,andthatIuseit.Atfirstitseemed likeaneventwhen Iwore it, so Iwas reluctant.Now Iwear itmoreoften,anditfeelslikesomethingspecialinmyeverydaylife.

Another thing I love about this watch is the beautiful Art Deconumerals,whichareabitwhimsical—theyremindmeofanerainEuropethatwaslesstechnical.Thewatchspeakstoacertaintypeofdress—acoatand tie,not jeansorchinos.This isn’tawatch Ibring toMontana,butit’sonethatworksverywellinParisandItaly,orfortheoperainNewYork. I like thosedistinctions. Iweardarkclothes,a lotofbrown,and Ilike how the black face stands out against the brown. I’m sure that’sbreakingsomerule,butIdon’tmind.

“Ithinkyoucantellalotaboutamanfromhiswatch,andIpreferonethaterrsonthesideofdiscretion.”

—DAVIDCOGGINS

FROMTHEHERMÈSARCHIVESUnlike all of the other archives I visited, Hermès’s are in Paris, notSwitzerland. Hermès as a brand had its roots in the equestrian world,withitssaddlesandbeautifulleathergoods.Whenwristwatchesbecamemorepopularthanpocketwatches,therewasaneedforawatchstrap.SinceHermèsmadesuchstylishandwell-crafted leathergoods, itwasonly natural that watchmakers would pair up with them and maketimepieces for them. Hermès wasn’t a watch manufacturer, so thecompany had a type of freedom conducive to experimentation andwhimsythataren’toftenassociatedwithSwisstimepieces—areversiblewatch, for example, reminiscent of the Reverso that they were alsoproducing,wasintegratedintoabeltmeantforgolfers.Asrevealedinthecompany’s archives, the designers at Hermès had an amazing way oflooking at watches through a celebration of leathercraft, style, andfashion.Inotherwords,veryHermès.

JAEGERREVERSOFORHERMÈSONANOSTRICHSTRAP

HERMÈSPROTOTYPECIRCA1930

HERMÈSBELTWATCHCIRCA1930Thiswatch,targetedtowardgolfersinparticular,hasamechanicaltimepiecehiddeninaniellosilverbeltbuckle.

BRADLEYPRICEFOUNDER&PRODUCTDESIGNER,AUTODROMO

AUTODROMOMONOPOSTO

Forabout tenyears Iwasaproductdesigner forall typesofconsumerelectronics,appliances,furniture,andbrandingprojects.ButevenbeforeIwasinthestudioenvironment,fromtheverybeginningofmycareer,Iwantedtogooutanddomyownthing.

Sincechildhood, I’vebeentotallyobsessedwithvintagecars. Ididn’tgrow up in a watch family—I grew up in a car family.My dad had anAustin-Healeywhenwewere little, thenaJaguarXK140,andaJaguarE-Typethatwasaroundbriefly,thenaJensen-Healey.Ispentmywholechildhoodlearningaboutvintagecarsandthehistoryofracing.

Oneday, I’mdrivingthroughthewoods inmyAlfaRomeoGTV6,anearly-eightiessportscar.I’mlookingatthegauges,noticingthetypefacesonthem,andthinking,“Youknow,thiswouldmakesuchacoolwatch—somethinginspiredbythegauges.”

I had never seen that, like what Bell & Ross does with aviationgauges,butforanautomotive-inspiredwatch.Ithought,“Icoulddothat.”

From the beginning, the idea was to do an Italian-themed brand,becauseI’msopassionateaboutItaliancars.Theoriginalcollectionwasthequartzcollection,usingRondaquartzmovements.TherewereseriescalledtheBrescia,theVallelunga,andtheVeloce.

Thequartzcollectionwasgreattogetthecompanyofftheground,tomakeanameforourselves,butIkepthearingfromcustomersthattheyloved the design sensibility and the ideas but really wanted somethingwith an automatic movement. Quartz just doesn’t have the sameromancetoit.Iwasstillconcernedabouttheriskofinvestment,however,sowhenIdecidedtouptheantewithanall-newmechanicalwatchcalledtheMonoposto,Imadeitalimited-editionrunofjustfivehundredpieces.

The idea for the watch came from the gauges on fifties Grand Prixcars.Thesegaugeswere justenormous, thesizeofdessertplates, forvisibility.Butdesignwise, theywerealsominimal,and theyoftenhadared linepaintedor tapedon theglass.Themechanicswoulddo that totellthedriver,“Shifthere,”sohedidn’tblowtheengine.

I lovedtheadhocnatureofpaintingthatlinerightonthegauge,soItranslatedthatbypaintingthelinedirectlyonthecrystal,floatingovertheface insteadof as a dial design. It’s also a slightly oversizedwatch, at43mm,asanodtothosehugegauges.

Monopostoissignificantbecauseitwasthefirstwatchthatmadealotof people who might have dismissed the Autodromo brand look againand say, “This company is into making something special—not justsomething tosell.” Itbecameabitofaculthitandproved therewasamarket for us to make something more expensive, more lavishlyproduced, of higher quality, and with a certain integrity. It was anaffirmation thatwewereon the rightpath, thatwehadanaudience forwhat we were trying to do, and that we had a growing respect as acompany.

I think Autodromo resonates with people because we’re still a tinycompany;basically,oneguydesigningstuff.Butifyoulookbackateventhewell-knownSwisswatchbrands,theyweremuchsmallercompaniesback in the fiftiesandsixties—theydidn’thave the levelofbureaucracyandlayersofmarketingpeopletheyhavenow;therewasn’tadisconnectbetweenpeople’semotional,intuitive,visceralideasandtheproduct.Inaway, I’m creatingmore in linewith howwatches from those eraswereproduced,whenmanufacturersweresaying,“ThesearethethingsIwanttomake.”

The Autodromo legacy is still being written.We’re a new company,obviously.But that’s thepoint:we’reanewcompany,doingnew thingsthat are changing all the time. I don’t care about trying to createsomething that lasts for the ages; I’m trying to create something thatexcitespeoplenow,somethingthattheywanttobuyandown.It’suptohistorytojudgewhetherthosethingsaregoodorcollectibleorvaluable.

“Idon’tcareabouttryingtocreatesomethingthatlastsfortheages;I’mtryingtocreatesomethingthatexcitespeoplenow,somethingthattheywanttobuyandown.”

—BRADLEYPRICE

GOLDROLEXQUARTZREFERENCE5100Thiswatch,alsoknownas“Beta21,”waslaunchedin1970asoneofonethousandexamplesreleasedbythewatchmaker.ItwasnotonlyRolex’sfirstquartz-poweredwatch,butthefirstofthebrand’smodelstobefittedwithasapphirecrystalandquicksetdate.WhileRolexproducedonlyalimitednumberofexamplesafterthatinitialrun,it’sinterestingtonotethattheentirethousand-

limitednumberofexamplesafterthatinitialrun,it’sinterestingtonotethattheentirethousand-unitfirstbatchwassoldoutbeforethewatchhitthemarket.

1980casiof-7

1980casiof-7

ADAMCRANIOTESWRITER&COFOUNDER,REDBARGROUP

1980CASIOF-7&2012IWCBIGPILOT’SWATCHPERPETUALCALENDARTOPGUNREFERENCE5029

Growingup, Ispentmysummerswithmygrandparents inupstateNewYork. In theOakdaleMall therewasa store calledBradleeswheremygrandmotherlikedtoshop.Mygrandfathermusthavenoticedthateverytimewewere there, Iwas justglued to thewatchcase.Sooneday—Iwasseven,goingoneight—hecomesupbehindmeandsays, “Adam,whichonedoyouwant?”

My grandfather was a blue-collar guy through and through, not intowatches.AndthewayIwasraised,yougotpresentsforChristmasandyour birthday; in between, nothing, unless you saved a bunch of nunsfromaburningbusorsomething.Soyoucanimaginemysurprise.Iwaslike, “What’syourgame,Grandpa?”But the thingaboutmygrandfatherwas,hesupportedpassion—whether itwasmywriting,or sports Iwasinto,ormusicthatmysisterandIlistenedto.

I didn’t choose the calculator watch, the watch I wanted, because Iknew that my grandparents didn’t have a lot of money—and I wasn’tsupposedtobegettingpresentsfornoreason.SoIsettledontheCasioF-7, which had one button that activated a light—and I mean a littlelightbulb, not someelectroluminescentpanel. It told time.Noalarm,nocalculator,nofrills.Butitwasawatch,somethingIreallywantedandhadneverhadbefore.

When my mom came to pick me up at the end of the summer, Ithought she was going to make me give the watch back. I remembersittingonmygrandfather’slapacrossthebreakfasttablefromher,tryingto hidemy wrist. But she never said anything, never acknowledged it.Andyears later,whenthewatchfacewassoscratchedupyoucouldn’treadthetime,shesentitouttobeserviced.

Fast-forwardtothisIWC.IwasalwaysanIWCfan,evenbecomingthemoderatorfortheIWCforumonTimeZone.Iwantedapilot’swatch,andthat’ssomethingIWCisknownfor.Thisparticularcasestylewasbroughtbackaround2003,andIWCenteredintoapartnershipwiththeTopGun

flight school to license the name for the Big Pilot Top Gun line ofwatches.Theseparticularwatcheshavecasesmadeofblackceramic,amaterial that IWCpioneered in thewatchworld, though theyhadneveruseditonaBigPilot.Andithasadoublechronographrattrapanteandaperpetual calendar movement designed by Kurt Klaus, a living legendwhodefines IWCasa technicalwatchmaker.Sowhen theyannouncedthis watch in 2012, it was like they had made my watch: Big Pilot,ceramiccase,withaperpetualcalendar.Butthepricewasprohibitive;I’dnever bought anything this expensivebeforeand itwaswayout ofmycomfort zone. Even after selling a couple of other watches, I was stillshort.

Mymomcougheduptherest,andyouhavetounderstand,she’snotawomangiventoostentationorflash.She’ssomodestthatwhenshewasdrivingmy dad’sMercedes to get her doctorate atRutgers, she’d parkthethingbehindadumpster.She’snotsomeonewho’sgoingtosay,“Oh,my son should havea $40,000watch,” but she, again, recognized thispassion. And this is the watch that, in the collector business, in thishobby,I’mprobablybestknownfor.

Soforme,thesewatchesareakindofalphaandomega;whenIlookattheCasio,Ithinkofmygrandfather,howhekickedoffthishobby,howthe switch was flipped and there was no turning back. And the IWCrepresentswhereI’matnow,andthefactthatmymother,hisdaughter,alsorecognizesthispassionandwantstoencourageit.

Both of these watches always put a smile onmy face when I wearthem.And,aswithanyhobby,ifyoucan’thavethatmoment,youneedtopickanotherhobby.

2012IWCBIGPILOT’SWATCHPERPETUALCALENDARTOPGUNREFERENCE5029

PRESIDENTFRANKLINDELANOROOSEVELT’STIFFANY&CO.YALTACONFERENCEWATCHTHISSIMPLE,ELEGANTGOLDTIFFANYDRESSWATCH—ABIRTHDAYGIFTTOPRESIDENTFRANKLINDELANOROOSEVELTIN1945—WASBROUGHTOUTOFTHE

COMPANYARCHIVESFORTHISPHOTOGRAPH.FDRWORETHISVERYTIMEPIECE,WITHITSUNIQUENINEO’CLOCKDATEWINDOWANDACASEBACKINSCRIPTIONTOTHEHISTORICYALTACONFERENCE,WHEREHEFAMOUSLYMETWITHBRITISHPRIME

MINISTERWINSTONCHURCHILLANDRUSSIANPREMIERJOSEPHSTALIN.

ROLEXSUBMARINERREFERENCE5513

GRAHAMEFOWLERFOUNDER,GRAHAMEFOWLERORIGINAL

ROLEXSUBMARINERREFERENCE5513,ROLEXMILITARYSUBMARINERREFERENCE5517&OMEGASEAMASTER300

I first became interested in military watches as a child growing up inAfrica.Mydadwas in theEnglishRoyalCorpsofSignals,andhewasbasedallovertheMiddleEastandnorthernAfrica.IwastakentoschoolinaLandRover,andallthemenworeuniformsandhadmilitarywatchesandguns.

It was a dreamupbringing for the subconscious, really. It’s odd, theway a lot of what you see as a child or experience with your parentssubliminally becomes part of your adult lifestyle. Like, I’ve only everownedLandRovers.Andthen,asIgotintocollectingandsellingvintageclothes and cars and bikes and scooters, the watch thing just camenaturally.

This is a Rolex Submariner reference 5513. It’s from somewherebetween1972and1978. Itwas foundonabeach inDorset,where theEnglishnavy’sSpecialBoatServicetrained.Ithinkitmusthavebelongedtooneof theSBSguys.Maybe it felloffhiswrist fromtherubberhigh-speeddinghywhen theywerecoming into land,and itendedupunderthesandfor twenty-oddyears.Somechapwithametaldetectoronthebeach trolling for lost coins cameacross it and sold it to a localwatchdealer.ThenafriendofminepurchaseditandtookittoRolextohaveitrepaired,andIeventuallyboughtitfromhim.

Alotofpeoplesayit’swrecked.Actually,it’sdestroyed,butformeit’saworkofart.It’slikeapieceofsculpture.Thedial’sbeencorrodedandfaded from years of being washed about and water getting in anddegrading it.But insteadof justputting inasteriledial, I think it’s reallyinterestingtohaveitsealedinthismomentoftime.Anditactuallykeepsfantastictime—youjustcan’ttellwhattimeitis.

“Ibecameinterestedinmilitarywatchesasachild.MydadwasintheEnglishRoyalCorpsofSignals,andallthemenhadmilitarywatchesandguns.”

—GRAHAMEFOWLER

ROLEXMILITARYSUBMARINERREFERENCE5517

OMEGASEAMASTER300AnextremelyrareBritishmilitary-issued1967OmegaSM300fortheSpecialAirService(theabsenceofa“T”onthedialdenotesthatit’saveryearlyexample),thiswatchwasusedonspecialoperationsinNorthernIrelandbytwodifferentformerSASsoldiers.

TUDOROYSTERPRINCEBNGEThewatchyouseehereistheonlyknownsurvivingtimepiecefromoneofthemostfamousexpeditionsinhorologicalhistory.This1952TudorOysterPrince,anexampleofthebrand’sfirstOysterPrinces,wasoneoftwenty-sixmodelssenttoGreenlandonthewristsofscientistsandmilitaryandmedicalpersonneltaskedwithconductingseismologicalandgravitationalresearchthere.

EndorsedbyWinstonChurchillandQueenElizabethII,theBritishNavalGreenlandExpedition(BNGE)lastedfortwogruelingyears.ThejourneyandresearchalsofeaturedprominentlyintheTudoradvertisingoftheera,capturingbuyers’imaginationsandprovingtherobustnessofthebrand.Indeed,thesewerenotornamentaltimepieces;intheexpeditionlogbookyoucanseedetailednotesonthewatch’sperformanceanddurabilityunderincrediblyharshconditions.

InFebruary1954,towardtheendofthetrip,anorderwentoutthatallTudorOysterPrincewatchesweretobecollected,pendingdisposal,onreturntotheUnitedKingdom.Theselegendaryandbrand-makingtimepieceswerethoughtlostforever.Until2014,exactlysixtyyearsaftertheendoftheGreenlandExpedition,whenninety-three-year-oldMajorDesmond“Roy”Homard,anoriginalBNGEteammember,discoveredhislong-lostTudor—inthebackofakitchendrawer.MajorHomardgraciouslydonatedthetimepiecetotheTudorarchives,fromwhichitwasgenerouslylenttousforthisphotograph.

TUDOROYSTERRINCESUBMARINERREFERENCE7016ThiswaspresentedtoChristianTurin,amemberofthepremierLigueNationaleAGenevawaterpoloteamintheseventies.Attheendofthesixtiesandthroughtheearlyseventies,theGenevateamwasamajorforceintheSwissfirstleagueofwaterpolo,winningthechampionshipsin1967,’68,’69,and’74;thiswatchwasgivenasarewardtotheentireteamforthe1974Swisschampionship.Thesameengravingwasoneachcaseback,thoughChristianTurinaddedhisnameinadifferentfont.Mr.TurindonatedthiswatchtotheTudorarchivesin2014,returning

nameinadifferentfont.Mr.TurindonatedthiswatchtotheTudorarchivesin2014,returninghomeexactlyfortyyearsafterithadbeenawarded.

ROLEXCOSMOGRAPHREFERENCE6241

HENRYLEUTWYLER

PHOTOGRAPHER

ROLEXCOSMOGRAPHREFERENCE6241&ROLEXOYSTERBUBBLEBACKIAMANONLYCHILD,ANDIWASTWENTY-FIVEWHENMYFATHERDIEDFROMAHEART

ATTACKATAGEFIFTY-SEVEN.MYMOTHERLOVEDHIMSOMUCH,ANDAFEWYEARSAFTERHEPASSED,IKNEWTHATSHECOULDN’TSTAYINTHEHOUSETHEY’DSHARED,

SEEINGGHOSTSOFMYFATHERINEVERYROOM.SOWESOLDTHEHOUSEANDMOVEDHERINTOANAPARTMENT.ANDWESOLDMYBED,MYFURNITURE,LOTSOFTHINGS.MYFATHERTAUGHTMEEARLYONTOACQUIRETHINGSNOTBASEDON

MONETARYVALUE,BUTBECAUSEYOULOVETHEM.YOULIVEWITHTHEMANDENJOYTHEM—ANDTHENYOULETTHEMGO.SOITOOKABITOFTHEMONEYANDBOUGHTTHISROLEXCOSMOGRAPHWATCHSECONDHANDTOCOMMEMORATETHETIME

WHENIWASAKID,WHENMYFATHERWASALIVE.

It’s amagnificentwatch. I wasn’t really awatch-head; I didn’t buy itbecauseIthoughtitwouldbeworthsomething.IboughtitbecauseIlikedit.It’sanicesouvenirofhappydayswithbothmyparentsinourhouse.

I also have the Rolex Bubbleback that belonged to my uncle, mymother’sbrother.Iinheriteditwhenhedied.I’mSwiss-Italian—Italianonmymother’sside—andIthinkoftheCosmographasmySwisssideandtheBubblebackasmyItalianside.

Idon’tgamble; Idon’tbelieve instocksandbonds.Ibelieve inwork,bricks,earth—andI likewatchesandnicecars.Don’tevergetattachedtomoney,becauseyoucan’ttakeitwithyousixfeetunder.Itcomesandgoes.Myfatherlostalotofmoneyonce,andhemadeitback;Ialsolosta lotofmoneyatonepoint—thereweredaysIhadtoaskmyassistantfortwentydollarsbecauseIwascompletelybroke—andImadeitback,too.Evenif Iweretoloseitallagain,Iwouldneversell thesewatches,whetherthey’reworthadollaroramilliondollars.Iwilleatless,getthin,workhard,startover.

“Iwouldneversellthesewatches,whetherthey’reworthadollaroramilliondollars.Iwilleatless,getthin,workhard,startover.”

—HENRYLEUTWYLER

ROLEXOYSTERBUBBLEBACK

SYLVESTERSTALLONEACTOR,DIRECTOR&SCREENWRITER

TIFFANY&CO.GOLDROLEXSUBMARINERREFERENCE1680/8

This,byfar,isthewatchI’mmostemotionallyconnectedto.ThefirsttimeIsawit,itwasonthewristoftherockstarGreggAllman,leadsingerofthelegendaryAllmanBrothersband.Itwasin1976,wewereonaplane,andGreggwassleeping;IlookedoverandsawthemostbeautifulwatchIhadeverseen.Assoonaswelanded,Itrackedonedown,andit’sbeenmyprideandjoyeversince.ItwasthefirstvaluablethingIcouldaffordtobuy,and Istill love itdearly.Thestrength, thesimplicity, themasculineshape—itwasperfect.Itstillis!It’slikeRockysaystoAdrianinRockyII:“Doyoulikehavingagoodtime?Thenyouneedagoodwatch!”Thisisoneofthefewthingsthatconnectsmetothe“goodolddays.”

TUDOROYSTERPRINCESUBMARINERWHENJACEKKOZUBEK,AWATCHDEALERATH.Q.MILTON,INSANFRANCISCO,BOUGHTTHISVINTAGETUDOR,ITCAMEWITHA

HANDWRITTENNOTEFROMTHESELLER,UNSOLICITED,TELLINGTHESTORYOFTHE

WATCHANDTHEMANWHOHADOWNEDIT:HERFATHER,WHOHADBEENAMARINE,ASUBMARINER,ANDMECHANICABOARDTHEUSSBARBEL,STATIONEDINPAPA

HOTEL—ALSOKNOWNASPEARLHARBOR.THESELLERWROTE,“THOUGHITISHARDFORMETOPARTWITHMYFATHER’SWATCH...MYHOPEISTHATSOMEONEWILL

APPRECIATEITASMUCHASMYFATHERDID!”

FROMTHEZENITHARCHIVESI knew all the stories about how the pivot to quartzmovements in the1970s almost devastated the market for Swiss-made mechanicalwatches. Suddenly, mechanical movements weren’t sexy or modernanymore,andthefuturebelongedtoquartz.Theshiftwassosudden,soviolent and seemingly all-consuming, that in 1975, Zenith RadioCorporation,theAmericancompanythatownedtheZenithManufacture,whose El Primero had helped pioneer the wrist-worn chronograph in1969,sentwordtothefactoryinLeLocle,Switzerland:ceaseproductionofmechanicalwatchesanddestroyallthemachinesandtoolsforscrap.HeadwatchmakerCharles “Charly”Vermotprotesteddirectly;whenhisobjectionsfellondeafears,hetookanothertackbycarefullylabelingandhiding away the cutting tools, cams, and heavy swage pressingequipment in a false wall behind a bookcase in an attic on the Zenithgrounds.

Fast-forwardadecade,andthequartzmovementhadfailedtofullykillthefascinationwithcraftsmanshipandmechanicalthings.Butwhiletherewas renewed interest in mechanical movements, the institutionalknowledgeofhowtomakethem,andeventhenecessarymaterials,hadall but disappeared in the lightning-fast purgesof thequartz revolution.ButthankstoCharlyVermot,whohadsavedthediesandtheequipment,Zenithwasabletoreturntoproducingbeautifulmechanicalmovements.Not only did this help resurrectZenith, but it alsohelpedother brands;thosesameearlymovements found theirway intoearlyRolexDaytonamodelsaswell.Andtheyarebeautifulmovements—delicateandintricateandcomplexallatonce.Beinginthearchiveandseeingallthewatchesfrombothbeforethatperiod—liketheincrediblepilot’swatchthatFrenchaviatorLouisBlériotworewhenhebecamethefirstmantoflyacrosstheEnglishChannelin1909—andafterwasawonderfulreminderthatifweletfadsdevaluethattypeofknowledgeandskillandknow-how,theycandisappearbeforewerealizehowtrulymagical,andvaluable,theyare.

ZENITHELPRIMEROMECHANICALCHRONOGRAPHMOVEMENT

ZENITHELPRIMEROCHRONOGRAPHCIRCA1969

LOUISBLÉRIOT’SZENITHThiswatch,createdforthefamousFrenchaviator,eventuallybecametheZenithType20.

RALPHLAURENCHAIRMAN&CCO,RALPHLAURENCORPORATION

CARTIERTANKCINTRÉE

IwenttoanauctionofAndyWarhol’swatches,andIlovedthisgreatgoldcuff on one piece. The watch it was attached to was nothing, but Ipurchased it and had the gold cuff sized to my wrist and put on thisCartierTankCintrée.Itisoneofmyfavoritewatches.Thecombinationisunique, and such a personal expression of a one-of-a-kind heirloomtimepiece.

Myearliestmemoryofawatch thatmadean impressiononmewasmy father’s. It was a big, round watch with a stopwatch function. Myfatherwasarealgentleman;healmostalwaysworeatie,andhiswatchwaspartofhislook.Inmyteensandtwenties,IbegantobeinspiredbythedebonairstyleofmenlikeFredAstaireandCaryGrant,andInoticedthattheirwatcheswereanimportantdetailoftheirlook.Ithinkamanandhiswatchhaveaspecialbond.It’sprobablyhismostsignaturepersonalpiece—somethingheputsoneveryday.It’sfunctionaljewelry.

I believe in wearing different watches to match the mood of whatyou’rewearing,whereyou’regoing.IseewatchesasIseeclothes:partofaworldwe live in thatchangesfromdaytoday.EverythingIdoandlove is connected to a personal kind of emotion, and the watches I’vecollectedovertheyearswereneverabouttheirfinancialvaluebutaboutthe way they looked, the way they worked, how they made me feel.Certainwatchescanevokeaneleganceandglamourofbygoneeras—forbusinessmen,oramandressedinblacktieforanelegantevening—whereasothers,liketheutilitytimepiecesmadeforpilotsorsoldiers,canevoke theexperienceof flyinganaircraft, or steeringa jeepacrossanopen field. Creating my watch collections is about building somethingemotionalforpeoplewhoappreciatedesignandbeauty.

I’ve always loved the beauty of things that were made to be used.That’s why I love beautiful vintage vehicles—amazing racingmachineslike my Ferrari 250 GTO, rugged utility vehicles, or even a weatheredtruck.Eachonewascreatedforaspecificpurpose,andthereinlieseachone’speculiarbeauty.I’vealwaysthoughtofmycarsasmovingart.Ifeel

thesamewayaboutwatches.It’smovingart,wornonyourwrist.Idon’tthinkthereisanythinglikeitintheworld.

“Ithinkamanandhiswatchhaveaspecialbond.”

—RALPHLAUREN

ANDYWARHOL’SPATEKPHILIPPEREFERENCE2503TherehasbeenperhapsnoartistasobsessedwiththeintersectionofimageandcommodityasAndyWarhol.AndwhilemostofhispersonalstylewassteepedinstandardAmericanalikeBrooksBrothersoxford-clothshirtsandLevi’s501jeans,hiswatchcollectiondemonstratesaninterestingandadmirabletastefortheiconicluxuryhorologists.

“Idon’twearaTankwatchtotellthetime,”WarholoncesaidofhissignatureCartiertimepiece.“ActuallyIneverevenwindit.IwearaTankbecauseitisthewatchtowear!”AndwhilethegodfatherofpopartwasprobablybestknownforsportingCartier’ssleekdresswatch,healsocollectedarangeofSwisstimepieces,includingarose-goldRolexOysterPerpetualfromtheforties;PatekPhilippe’sfirstautomaticwristwatch;andarectangularVacheronConstantinwithplayfultwistedlugs.Bysomeapocryphalaccounts,Warholownedasmanyasthreehundredhigh-endwatches,andkepthisfavoritesgroupedinthecenterofthecanopyabovehisbed.

Amongthatnumber,healsoownedthispiece,theexquisite1952PatekPhilippereference2503withelegantteardroplugsandleaf-shapedhands.Theyellow-goldcasesportsadomedcrystal,whichaddsextradepthtotheappliednumeralsandmarkers.LikemuchofWarhol’swardrobe,it’sademuresubversionoftheclassics;likehisart,theplayfulnesspullstheexcellenttrickofheighteningtheimpactwithoutdetractingfromthesignificance.

JOHNCRISCITIELLO

WATCHDEALER

BREITLINGCHRONOMAT

I’vebeenactivelybuyingandsellingwatchessince1983.Oneyear,I’mat a NAWCC—National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors—show. I have a booth there, and I’m walking around, and I see thisinterestingBreitlingChronomatfromthelatethirtiesorearlyforties.Theparticular case design is very rare: it has this special waterproofingsystemwherethecaseisn’tscrewedonwithanormalscrew;ithasfourlittlemachinescrewsundereach lug;andwhenyou turn thescrews, itcreatesawater-sealingdevice.SoInegotiatealittlebitandpurchasethewatch.

I’m walking away from the guy’s counter with every intention ofresellingthewatchwhenhesays,“Hey,bytheway,doyouwanttohearthestorythatcomeswiththewatch?”Ipauseforamoment,turnaround,walkback,andsay,“Okay,what’sthestory?”

Heproceedsto tellmethathehadboughtoutall therepairwatchesfroma jewelry store inGeorgia, ormaybeAlabama, one of those two.Andthiswatchistheoldestrepair intheshop—itwasleft inJune1941byaGIwhonevercamebackforit.Istartedgettinggoosebumps,andwhenIleft,Ithought,“Ican’tsellsomethinglikethis.I’macaretaker.”ItwasclosetotwentyyearsagothatIboughtthiswatch,andit’sstillinmypossession.I’llneversellit.

JAMESBOND’S“BUZZSAW”ROLEXSUBMARINERREFERENCE5513This1972RolexSubmarinerhassomeveryinterestingmodifications—mostnotablytheelongated,sawlikebezelnotches.Youmightrememberthewatchinaction(used,yes,likeasaw)onthewristofRogerMooreas007inthe1973JamesBondfilmLiveandLetDie.ProductiondesignerSydCaincreatedthispieceofaction-moviemagicusingcompressedairblownacrossspecialvanesthatraisedthebezel“blade”andcausedittospin.In2011,thewatchsoldat

auctionatChristie’sGenevaforawhopping$242,655—allforatimepiecethatcan’ttelltime,sincethewatch’smovementwasremovedtocreatetheeffect.

NATEBERKUSINTERIORDESIGNER&AUTHOR

PATEKPHILIPPENAUTILUSREFERENCE3800/A

Froma youngage, I liked things of quality.Not necessarily expensive,butwell-made.Thisappliedtoeverything—myclothes,ordecoratingmyroom.

My parents always wore good watches, so I was around qualitytimepiecesfromaprettyearlyage.WhenIwastwelve,mymother,who’salsoadesigner,wasworkingforajeweleranddecidedshewasgoingtogetawatchformystepfather.WhenIheardthis,Ipipeduplikealunatic,begging for a steel Rolex. I even remember themodel: the R100, theentry-levelmodelrightabovetheAir-King.SoIgotmyfirstwatchwhenIwastwelve—Ihadtocleanthehouseandwashthecarsandbabysitmysistertopaybackmymother.Iwasobsessedwithit.

There are two stories behind my Patek Philippe watch. My fatherownedthesamemodel,andhewoundupsellingit,orlosingit,beforehepassedaway. I remembered thatwatch fromwhen Iwasakid—itwassteel, and nobody knewmuch about it—so when I startedmakingmyown money and becoming more successful, that was one of the firstwatchesIbought.Iwantedonefrommybirthyear,soIfoundandboughtausedone(Ialwaysbuysecondhandwatches)from1971.

Iwaswearing thatwatchwhenmypartner,Fernando,and IwentonvacationtoThailand,SriLanka,andCambodia.Thatwas2004,whenthetsunamihit.Isurvived;Fernandodidn’t.Itwasn’tuntilmonthslaterthatIrealized the watch had been on the trip, and that I didn’t have it anylonger. And I thought about it. I thought aboutwhether or not I shouldreplaceit...and,forsomereason,Iwasdrawntoreplacingit.Icouldn’tfind one from 1971—I actually don’t know the year that this one wasmade,butit’sclose.IfounditfromadealerinChicago.IrememberthedayIputiton.Lookingdownatitonmywrist,Irealizeditmeantthatthatexperiencehadn’twon.Ithadn’ttakenmeout.

I think we have two choices in life when somebody we love dearlydies.Youeitherclose thecurtainsand take thepills in thebedroom,oryou throw the curtainsopen.Youplant flowers.You light candles.And

youtrytomoveon.It’saverygradualprocess,andareallypainfulone,butthere’sawilltocelebratetheperson—andawilltocelebrateyourselfforhavingsurvived. I don’t thinkof the tsunamievery time I lookdownandseethiswatch.Ithinkofthecourseofmylife—thememoriesIhaveofmydad,thememoriesIhaveofFernando.AndalsoIthinkalotaboutthe future. The fact that it was one event, tragic and drastic, but oneeventinalongchainofeventsbothhappyandsadinmylife.

“Idon’tthinkofthetsunamieverytimeIlookdownandseethiswatch.Ithinkofthecourseofmylife—thememoriesIhaveofmydad,thememoriesIhaveofFernando.”

—NATEBERKUS

CONTRIBUTORS

MARIOANDRETTIisconsideredbymanytobethegreatestracecardriverinthehistoryofthesport.Hisachievementsarelegendary.HeistheonlydrivertohavewontheDaytona500,theIndianapolis500,andtheFormula1WorldDriver’sChampionship.Andrettitookthecheckeredflag111timesduringhisfifty-yearcareer.Sinceretiringfromfull-timecompetitionin1994,hestaysactiveasabusinessmanandconsultantandstilldoeswhatheloves,drivingthetwo-seateratmanyIndyCarracesandgivingridestojournalists,VIPs,andcelebrities.

GEORGEBAMFORDisthefounderofBamfordWatchDepartment,apersonalizationhousethatcustomizesluxurytimepieces,leatheraccessories,men’sgroomingproducts,andcars.HelivesinLondon.

NATEBERKUSestablishedhisaward-winninginteriordesignfirmattheageoftwenty-four.SinceBerkus’sfirstappearanceonTheOprahWinfreyShowin2002,hehasbecomeoneoftheworld’smostrecognizableinteriordesigners.HisworkhasbeenfeaturedinleadingpublicationssuchasArchitecturalDigest;HouseBeautiful;Vogue;InStyle;O,TheOprahMagazine;People;andElleDécor.BerkusistheauthoroftwoNewYorkTimesbestsellingbooks,HomeRulesandTheThingsThatMatter,andheservedasanexecutiveproduceroftheOscar-winningfilmTheHelp.HistelevisionshowsincludeTheNateBerkusShow,AmericanDreamBuilders,andNate&JeremiahByDesign.HelivesinLosAngeles.

PAULBOUTROSisapassionatewatchcollectorandtheHeadofAmericasandSeniorVicePresidentforPhillipsinassociationwithBacs&Russo,thewatchdepartmentofthePhillipsauctionhouse.Boutroshelpedlaunchthedepartmentin2014.HeisaspecialistintheauthenticationandvaluationofcollectiblewristwatchesandfrequentlysharestipsonwatchcollectingontelevisionandasthewatchcolumnistforBarron’sPENTA.HelivesinNewYorkCity.

JACKCARLSONisanarchaeologist.HeholdsadoctorateinRomanandChinesearchaeologyfromtheUniversityofOxfordandistheauthorofRowingBlazers.HewasalsoamemberoftheU.S.nationalrowingteamandwonabronzemedalatthe2015WorldRowingChampionships.CarlsonlivesinNewYorkCity.

FRANKCASTRONOVOisthechefandco-ownerofFrankies570SpuntinoindowntownManhattanandFrankies457Spuntino,PrimeMeats,andCafePedlarinBrooklyn.HeisacostaroftheViceMediashowBeingFrank,acontributingeditortoCondéNastTraveler,andacoauthorofTheFrankiesSpuntinoKitchenCompanion&CookingManual.HelivesinNewYorkCity.

MARKCHOisacofounderoftheArmoury,aretailerofclassicmenswearinHongKongandNewYork,andaco-ownerofDrake’s,aBritishmenswearbrandwithstoresinLondon,NewYork,andTokyo.HelivesinNewYorkCity.

BENJAMINCLYMERisawatchcollectorandthefounderofHodinkee,theworld’smostpopularonlinewatchmagazineandretailer.Dubbedthe“HighPriestofHorology”bytheNewYorkTimes,hehasbeencreditedwithrevivinginterestinmechanicalwatchesamongmembersofthedigitalgeneration.Hehasconsultedforseveralluxurybrands,includingRolex,VacheronConstantin,andApple.HelivesinNewYorkCity.

DAVIDCOGGINSistheauthorofMenandStyle.HisworkhasappearedinEsquire,CondéNastTraveler,andtheFinancialTimes,amongotherpublications.HelivesinNewYorkCity.

JOSHCONDONisamagazinewriterandeditorwhoseassignmentshavetakenhimfromliftingweightswiththecountry’stopcollegiatefootballprospectstobarhoppingwithacrewofkilt-wearingScotchwhiskymasterdistillers.HeisalsotheauthorofTheArtofFlying.Hespendsmuchofhisworklifeflyingaroundtheworldtodrivefastcars.HelivesinBrooklyn.

ADAMCRANIOTESisawatchenthusiastandwriter.HeisacofounderofRedBarGroup,theworld’slargestwatchcollectors’society,operatinginoverthirtycitiesacrossfourcontinents.Hishorologicalobsessioncamefromhisgrandfather,whoboughthimhisfirstwatchwhenhewassevenyearsold.HelivesinNewYorkCity.

JOHNCRISCITIELLOfoundedAlltiquesin1983.Ithassincebecomeoneofthemostexclusivevintagewatchdealershipsintheworld.HelivesinNewYorkCity.

DIMITRIDIMITROVisthelegendarymaîtred’oftheTowerBarattheSunsetTowerHotelinLosAngeles.StarslikeJenniferAnistonhavecreditedhimwithcreatinga“haven”forguestsbyofferingaloyalandunmatchedlevelofserviceanddiscretion.Dimitrov,originallyfromMacedonia,hasdecades-longexperienceintheserviceindustry,andheisakeyorchestratoroftheclassiceleganceattheTowerBar,whichheruns“withanironfistinavelvetglove.”HelivesinLosAngeles.

GRAHAMEFOWLERwasborninPlymouth,England,andgrewupinKenya.Hedevelopedaninterestinwatchesatayoungage,whenhewouldadmirethewatchesthatbelongedtohisfather,amilitaryman,andallofhisfather’sarmyfriends.In1999,afterseveralmovesaroundtheworld,FowlerrelocatedtoNewYorkCity,whereheopenedGrahameFowlerOriginal,amenswearboutique.

MICHAELFRIEDMANisahorologicalexpertandthehistorianforAudemarsPiguet.PreviouslyhewasacuratorattheNationalWatchandClockMuseuminColumbia,Pennsylvania,aswellasVicePresidentandDepartmentHeadofWatchesatChristie’s.HelivesinNewYorkCity,whereheisalsoactiveinfilmproductionandsongwritingasmuchastimepermits.

GEOFFREYHESSistheCEOofAnalog/ShiftLLC,anonlinevintagewatchretailer,andpreviouslywasthepresidentandCEOofIvankaTrumpFineJewelry.HeisafoundingmemberandpartnerofGiulianiPartnersLLC,themanagementconsultingfirmformedbyformerNewYorkCitymayorRudolphGiuliani,andwassenioradvisortothemayorduringtheGiulianiadministration.Hehasbeenawatchcollectorformostofhislife.HesslivesinNewYorkCity.

KIKUOIBEisthechiefengineeratCasioandtheinventoroftheCasioG-Shock.HealsodevelopedCasio’sOceanuswatchline,thecompany’sfirsteverradio-controlledandsolar-poweredwatcheswithasophisticatedaesthetic.HelivesinNiigataPrefecture,Japan.

ERICKUisanexpertwatchdealerandscholar,specializinginvintageRolextimepieces.Hisloveaffairwithwatchesstartedwhenhewasveryyoungandwouldpeekintohisfather’swatchdrawertoadmirehistreasures.Ku’sVintageRolexForumisthemostvisitedwebsitededicatedtothestudyofvintageRolexwatches.Healsoowns10PastTen,ahighlypraisedvirtualvintagewatchdealership.HelivesinSanFrancisco.

JAMESLAMDINisthefounderofAnalog/Shift,aNewYorkCity–basedvintagewatchretailer.Heisacontributortoanumberofleadingprintandonlinepublicationsintheautomotiveandhorologicalfields.HelivesinNewYorkCity.

RALPHLAURENisafashiondesignerandculturaliconwhosenameissynonymouswithAmericanstyle,timelessdesign,andimpeccablequality.Hehasbuilthisfashionempire,RalphLaurenCorporation,intooneofthemostsuccessfulcompaniesintheworld.Hisstyleofluxuryisrecognizedandcovetedbymenandwomeneverywhere.HelivesinNewYorkCity.

HENRYLEUTWYLERisaneditorialphotographerrenownedforhiscelebrityportraits.In1985,hemovedfromhisnativeSwitzerlandtoParis,wherehelaunchedhiscareer;adecadelater,herelocatedtoNewYork.HeistheauthorofNeverlandLost,Ballet,andDocument,andhasheldsoloexhibitionsinLosAngeles,Madrid,Moscow,NewYork,Paris,Tokyo,andZurich,amongothercities.HelivesinNewYorkCitywithhiswifeandtheirtwochildren.

STEPHENLEWISisthephotographerforAManandHisWatch.LewisgrewupinWashington,D.C.,andstudiedphotographyatSyracuseUniversity.In1985,herelocatedtoNewYorkCity,wherehedidsomeframingandgalleryinstallations,andthenworkedasaphotographer’sassistantforfouryearsbeforestrikingoutonhisownin1990.HiseditorialshavebeenfeaturedinLui,T,CondéNastTraveler,Vogue,W,andBonAppétit,andhehasphotographedadvertisingcampaignsforBulgari,Hermès,SalvatoreFerragamo,DavidYurman,andRalphLauren,amongmanyothers.HelivesinBrooklynwithhiswife,theirtwosons,andadachshund.

ATOMMOOREisawatchphotographerandtheartdirectoratAnalog/Shift,anonlinevintagewatchretailer.HelivesinNewYorkCity.

NASISaGrammy-nominatedmusicianandanentrepreneur.Hehasreleasedtwelvestudioalbums,eightofwhichwentplatinumandmultiplatinum,andhassoldmillionsofrecordsworldwide.HelivesinLosAngeles.“SomuchtowriteandsayYo,Idon’tknowwheretostartSoI’llbeginwiththebasicsandflowfromtheheart.”—Nas,“Loco-Motive”

BREPETTISisacofounderofMakerBot,Thingiverse,andNYCResistor.Awatchfanatic,in2016helaunchedBre&Co.,amanufacturerofwatches,pens,pocketknives,jewelry,andceramics.HelivesinNewYorkCity

HAMILTONPOWELListhefounderandCEOofCrown&Caliber,anonlinemarketplaceforbuyersandsellersofcertifiedpre-ownedwatches.PriortofoundingCrown&Caliber,hewasthemanagingpartnerofPowellGrowthCapital,aprivateequityfirm.HelivesinAtlantawithhiswifeandtheirthreedaughters.

BRADLEYPRICEisaproductdesignerandcertifiablecarnut.HehasworkedwithclientssuchasPepsiCo,SCJohnson,Hearst,Panasonic,andLG,amongothers.In2011,helaunchedAutodromo,acar-inspiredluxurybrandofmen’saccessories,whichmeldshislifelongpassionforvintagecarswithhiswealthofexperienceinproductdesign.HelivesinBrooklynandracesa1959AlfaRomeoGiuliettaVeloceSpider.

JAMESH.RAGANisaphysicist,retiredNASAaerospaceengineer,andspacepioneer.Hewasresponsibleforthetestingandpreparationoftheastronauts’flighthardwareduringtheApollomissionsandplayedakeyroleinthetestingofOmegaSpeedmastersforallNASAmannedmissions.SinceretiringfromNASA,hehasworkedasaconsultantforOmegaandothercompanies.HehasalsocoachedsoccerandwasaFIFA-andUIL-certifiedsoccerreferee.HelivesinSpring,Texas.

ERICRIPERTisthechefandco-ownerofNewYork’sMichelin-starredLeBernardin,whichcurrentlyranks17thontheWorld’s50BestRestaurantslist.ItwasalsoZagat’stoprestaurantinNewYorkCityin2017.In2014,RipertopenedAldoSohmWineBarandLeBernardinPrivé,bothofwhicharestepsawayfromLeBernardin.HewasthehostofhisownEmmyAward–winningTVseries,AvecEric,andistheauthorofamemoir,32Yolks,andfivecookbooks:AvecEric,OntheLine,AReturntoCooking,LeBernardinCookbook,and,mostrecently,MyBest:EricRipert.RipertisaChevalieroftheFrenchLegionofHonor.HelivesinNewYorkCity.

TOMSACHSisasculptorwhoseworkisinthecollectionsoftheMuseumofModernArt,theMetropolitanMuseumofArt,andtheSolomonR.GuggenheimMuseuminNewYorkCity;theJ.PaulGettyMuseuminLosAngeles;andtheCentreGeorgesPompidouinParis,amongmanyothers.Hehasheldsoloexhibitionsatprominentartspacesworldwide.HelivesinNewYorkCity.

AARONSIGMONDisanaward-winningmediaexecutive,awriter,andtheauthorofsixbooks,includingDriveTime:WatchesInspiredbyAutomobiles,Motorcycles,andRacing,whohaswrittenfortheHollywoodReporter,Time,Inc.,ThrillistMediaGroup,RobbReportMedia,Playboy,PrivateAir,EliteTraveler,andAmericanPhoto.HeiscurrentlyacolumnistforJingDaily.SigmonddivideshistimebetweenNewYorkCityandCharleston.

ALESSANDROSQUARZIisafashionentrepreneur,atalentscout,andaninternationalstyleiconwithoneofthelargestvintagewatchcollectionsinItaly.HelivesinMilan.

SYLVESTERSTALLONEisathree-timeOscar-nominatedactor,filmmaker,andscreenwriter.HeisbestknownforhisroleasRockyBalboainRockyanditsseveralsequels.HelivesinBeverlyHills.

ENGTAYisanartistwhohasexhibitedthroughouttheUnitedStatesandAsia.Tayisapassionatecollectorofvintageandcontemporarywatches.HelivesinNewYorkCity.

HOLGERTHOSSwasborninGermanyandnowliveswithhiswifeandtwoboysinBrooklyn,whereheexploresthemysteriesoffamilylifeandphotography.Heandhisfamilyshareapassionfortheoutdoorsandenjoytakinglongroadtrips.

GABRIELVACHETTEisthefounderofLesRhabilleurs,anonlinelifestylemagazinededicatedtowatchmakingandintegratingwatchesintoeverydaylife.HelivesinParis.

MAXWASTLERisabrandstrategist,writer,photographer,andclothingdesigner.Hisdayhasn’tstarteduntilhe’sheardtheripofhisVelcrowatchstrap.HelivesinLosAngeles.

KENTAWATANABEisanindigofarmeranddyer.HecofoundedBuaisouin2012,inTokushima,Japan,wherehelives.Thecompanyisrenownedforitsindigoleaffarming,andforitstraditionofcompostingtheindigoleavesintosukumo.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Iwould liketo thankGabrielaAnastasio,RussellKelly,andSvenOlsenat Tudor; theBeyer ZurichClock andWatchMuseum;SandyBlanc atHermès; Dana Brown; Mary Randolph Carter at Ralph Lauren;Christophe Chevalier at Tudor; Fabiana Chiacchio at Zenith; DerekConrad at Tiffany & Co.; Hugues de Pins at Cartier; Liana Engel atCartier;CatherineEberlé-DevauxatTAGHeuer;StephanieFosnaughforher retouching talents;BrandonFrazinatChristie’s;PilarGuzmán; JeffKlein; Jacek Kozubek; Pascale Lepeu at Cartier; Paul Lerner; BeckyLewis;MaterialGood;AldoMagada;MouniaMechbalandCarlaStampUzel at Rolex; Chris Mitchell; Clea Newman; Dewey Nicks; PhilippePeverelli; Petros Protopapas at Omega; Stephen Pulvirent; Kiyo Taga-WitkinatCartier;YukikoToyoshimaatLongines; InezvanLamsweerdeandVinoodhMatadin;EricWindatChristie’s;mymom,Carmie;andmydaughter,Clara.ThanksalsotoJoshCondonforallhishelp,enthusiasm,andhardworkwiththewordsinthisbook.

Thankyou to the teamatArtisanBooks:TheresaCollier,RenataDiBiase, Mura Dominko, Michelle Ishay-Cohen, Sibylle Kazeroid, AllisonMcGeehon, Nancy Murray, and of course my thoughtful, enthusiastic,and ever accommodating publisher, LiaRonnen, and editor, ShoshanaGutmajer.

Likemany things inmy life, thisbookwouldnothavebeenpossiblewithout thesupport,encouragement,care,andpatienceofmywifeandbestfriend,YolandaEdwards.

INDEX

Abercrombie&FitchSeafarerAllman,GreggAnalog/Shift

Andretti,AldoAndretti,Mario

ApolloprogramAstaire,Fred

AudemarsPiguetAutodromoMonopostoBamford,George

BamfordWatchDepartmentBWDxDRx—ArmyvsNavy—“Popeye”Yacht-MasterBerkus,NateBlancpainFiftyFathomsBlériot,Louis

Boutros,PaulBreguet

Breitling:Chronomat

Chrono-MaticGMTBritishNavalGreenlandExpedition(BNGE)BulovaAccutronSpaceviewCain,Syd

Carlson,JackCartier

Santos-DumontTankCintrée

TonneauCartier,Louis

CasioF-7

OceanusCasioG-Shock

indigo-dyed“NewBedford,”

Castronovo,FrankChichester,Francis,Cho,MarkChurchill,WinstonClymer,BenjaminCoggins,David

Condon,JoshConstantineI,KingofGreeceCooper,LeroyGordon“Gordo,”

CorumBuckinghamCraniotes,AdamCriscitiello,JohnCussler,Clive

Davis,RichardDavis,Sammy,Jr.

Delon,Alain

Delon,AlainDileo,Lou

Dimitrov,DimitriDomino’sPizzaDoxaSub300Professional“BlackLung,”

Elgin

ElizabethII,QueenFischerAncre15RubisFowler,GrahameFriedman,MichaelGiuliani,RudolphGreenlandexpeditionHaring,Keith

Hermèsbeltwatch

Hess,GeoffreyHeuer

AutaviaHeuer(cont.)

CarreraPilotMonaco

Heuer,JackHewlett-PackardCalculatorWatch,papercutoutofHillary,Edmund

HodinkeeHomard,Desmond“Roy,”

Hranek,Matt

Ibe,Kikuo

IWCBigPilot’sWatchPerpetualCalendarTopGunMarkXVPortofinoMoonPhaseJacques,MauriceJaeger-LeCoultre:DeepSeaAlarm

Reverso

Kennedy,JohnF.KewObservatory

King,MartinLuther,Jr.Klaus,Kurt

Kozubek,JacekKu,Eric

Lamdin,James

Lauren,RalphLeach,Felix,Jr.

LeBernardinLeCoze,Maguy

LeCoze,Maguy

LeMansLeutwyler,HenryLewis,Stephen

LigueNationaleAGenevaLindbergh,CharlesLiveandLetDieLockheedMartinLonginesLindberghHourAngleWatchMcQueen,Steve

MercuryprogramMoore,Atom

MotorAgeMountEverest

MovadoMoonPhaseMuller,FranckMurray,Bill

Nas

NASA“NewBedford”(CustomizedCasioG-ShockDW-5600)Newman,CleaNewman,Paul

NewYorkCitySwatchesNorgay,Tenzing

OmegaSeamaster

OmegaSpeedmasterAlaskaProjectPrototypeMarkMoonwatches

OrfinaPorscheDesignOrigamiWatch

PaneraiPatekPhilippe

NautilusPearlHarbor

Pettis,BrePhillips

Powell,HamiltonPresley,ElvisPrice,Bradley

Ragan,JamesH.

RedBarGroupRegazzoni,Clay

RhabilleursRipert,Eric

RockyII

RockyIIRolex

Air-KingBWDxDRx—ArmyvsNavy—“Popeye”Yacht-MasterCosmograph

DaytonaExplorer

“KewA”ObservatoryChronometerOysterBubblebackQuartz(Beta21)Tiffany&Co.

RolexOysterPerpetualDatejustOfficiallyCertifiedChronometerRolexSubmarinerEagleBeakTropicalJamesBond“BuzzSaw,”

MilitaryRomanelli,DarrenRoosevelt,FranklinDelanoSachs,Tom

Santos-Dumont,AlbertoSchirra,Walter“Wally,”SearsWinniethePoohwatchSeiko

GrandSeiko61GSVeryFineAdjustedSenna,AyrtonSiffert,Jo

Sigmond,AaronSquarzi,AlessandroStalin,Joseph

Stallone,SylvesterStockdale,GrantSwatch

Tay,EngThoss,Holger

Tiffany&Co.RolexSubmariner

Timex:Indiglo

IronmanTornek,AllenV.

Tornek-RayvilleTR-900TudorOysterPrinceSubmariner

BNGESubmariner

Turin,ChristianUniversalGenèveCompaxVacheronConstantinHistoriquesAmericanVachette,GabrielVermot,Charles“Charly,”

WalthamTrenchWatchWarhol,Andy

Wastler,MaxWatanabe,Kenta

Weems,PhilipVanHorn(P.V.H.)Wehrli,Martin

Woodward,JoanneYaltaConferenceZenithElPrimero

MATTHRANEKisaphotographer,director,andmen’sstyleeditoratCondéNastTraveler.Heisreasonablyobsessedwithwatchesandisoftencaughtglancingatthewristsofstrangersonthesubway,inbars,andinairports.He’salsoafanofthesartorialarts,vintagesportscars,redmeat,cheapbeer,andold-schoolEuropeanhotels.HraneklivesinBrooklyn,whereheiscurrentlyhavingadeeploveaffairwiththeNegroni.

Copyright©2017byMattHranekPhotographscopyright©2017byStephenLewisContributorportraitsonpages203–209and216copyright©2017byUliKnoerzerAllrightsreserved.Noportionofthisbookmaybereproduced—mechanically,

electronically,orbyanyothermeans,includingphotocopying—withoutwrittenpermissionofthepublisher.

LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationDataNames:Hranek,Matt,author.

Title:Amanandhiswatch/MattHranek.

Description:NewYork:ArtisanBooks,2017.|Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.

Identifiers:LCCN2017004928|eISBN9781579658199

Subjects:LCSH:Men’swristwatches—Anecdotes.Classification:LCCNK7484.H732017|DDC681.1/14—dc23LCrecordavailableat

https://lccn.loc.gov/2017004928CoverandslipcasephotographsbyStephenLewisDesignbyRenataDiBiase

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