Watches come in many different shapes, colors and sizes, and composing the dream collection is certainly not an easy feat. A way to make this exercise (yes, this is hard work!), a little more interesting is to impose certain constraints. Typical examples include a budget, a dial color, a brand or even a complication. As I am in charge of the Millennium Watch Book, our beautiful coffee table book collection here in the WorldTempus ecosystem, I wanted to challenge myself by curating the perfect five-watch collection with watches that appear in our latest book, all about chronographs.
To build a five-watch collection, the categories must be chosen with great care to cover all occasions. The daily watch will be my office beater, the workhorse, so to speak. The next watch has to be the dress piece, reserved for dinners and special occasions. I also need a weekend watch, the timepiece I would use to unwind and give my wrist some rest from my daily piece. Something more out there, perhaps. To demonstrate the versatile nature of our Millennium Watch Book, I would need a vintage piece, as one chapter is dedicated to these watches. And finally, we have the grail piece, which would appear only very rarely on my wrist, but that would make a massive impact when it would.
The Daily Watch: TAG Heuer Carrera
What you will learn about me throughout my selection is that I am a massive car fanatic as well as loving watches, and my daily choice reflects this aspect of my personality. The new TAG Heuer Carrera Glassbox to me represents the perfect fusion between modern sportiness, combined with vintage elegance, especially in a beautiful 39mm case. I would absolutely go for the dark blue option, which, in my opinion, is the most versatile of the various models. With a white t-shirt or with a suit, this Carrera can accompany me throughout my daily life in an understated sense of style. And the best part is that its accessible price allows me to wear this watch on all occasions without being a crime magnet.
The Dress Watch: Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Chronograph
With its beautiful dual nature, this piece can go from being an inconspicuous classic JLC Reverso to a true connoisseur’s piece, fitted with an extremely well finished skeleton dial exposing the beautiful chronograph movement. This piece is especially appealing to me as, although it fits the bill as a classic dress piece, it still has that versatility which reflects values that I would always like to keep in any situation. I could truly stare at the open dial all day. The best part of this watch is that it really is two in one, and that multidimensional aspect, to me, is true luxury. Besides, actuating the rotating case reminds me of the famous lever on James Bond’s Aston Martin DB5 to activate the ejector seat… simply marvelous!
The Weekend Watch: Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept Laptimer
In my fantasy, the weekends would include going on beautiful drives, visiting local racetracks and taking my extensive imaginary car collection on many adventures. There is almost no watch that, to me, symbolizes the link between motorsports and watchmaking as much as the Audemars Piguet Laptimer, the watch built and designed for the seven-time world champion and legend, Michael Schumacher. This watch is no joke, featuring six years of R&D to make it the pinnacle of watchmaking innovation, being able to measure lap times all through the use of mechanical components. Aesthetically, the sleek dark colorway combined with the big bold case pulls at every string in my heart. My dream could not come true soon enough!
The Vintage Watch: Rolex Daytona “Big Red”
What would a chronograph collection be without a Daytona, the reference in precision and chronometry? Don’t get me wrong, modern-day Daytonas are beautiful, with my favorite being the Le Mans edition produced in 2023 for the 100th edition of the iconic race. But with its touch of red and sumptuous reverse panda dial (black dial with white sub-dials), the simple yet bold Daytona ‘Big Red’ is my dream vintage watch. Some watches just stand out as reigning supreme in their class and this Daytona certainly deserves its crown.
The Grail Watch: Patek Phillipe 1/10th of a Second Monopusher Chronograph
Patek Phillipe’s advanced research division produces some of the most highly complex and innovative movements the watchmaking world has ever seen and this true icon is absolutely no exception. In addition to the innovative use of silicon in the movement, the true tour de force of this watch is demonstrated by the two seconds hands that indicate different time intervals. The platinum case is beautifully finished and with just the right amount of thickness. This is due to the fact that - I can’t believe I haven’t mentioned yet - this watch has (in simple terms) two separate chronograph mechanisms on top of one another. The blue and red superman colorway make this watch, in my opinion, one of Patek Philippe's most beautiful timepieces. Not bad for a grail piece…
What do you think about my collection and what would you do differently? Please email me at mathieu.rotzer@gmtpublishing.com with your dream collection from the selection in the book. We will be choosing our favorites to share on our socials. And for those who would like to pick up a copy: what are you waiting for? Order it here and get reading!
