Do you have a favourite watch in your collection?
That’s a difficult question. Perhaps my Jaquet Droz Grande Seconde.
Which watch do you wear the most?
At the moment, I am wearing my IWC 7 days a lot, but I change watch almost every day.
What is the craziest watch acquisition you have ever made?
It is perhaps the Jaquet Droz. I think this is my most beautiful watch. It's a limited edition of seven pieces in white gold. It's a beautiful watch.
What do you look for in a watch?
Are there any complications that you are particularly fond of? I like classic watches. I like complications too. I have a lot of chronographs and some perpetual calendars. I have several alarm clocks, so I can safely say that I like complications. I hardly have any two- or three-handed watches.
For how long have you been collecting watches?
I really started four or five years ago. I used to buy watches before, but I didn’t have time to dedicate to my collection. But now I have the time to do it, so it is quite recent, actually.
Where do you find your watches, at auction, on the second hand market, or in watch boutiques?
All three. The second-hand market, the auctions too, but the auctions can be expensive because you have to add the buyer’s commission, which is often 25%. So, you have the impression that the watches aren’t expensive, but when you add the commission, it ends up being pricey. It’s almost better to buy new, especially since retailers often give discounts. You don’t have to insist much to get a discount on watches, even in Switzerland.
What are you thinking for your next watch purchase? Do you have any ideas?
There are watches that I know I want to buy, watches that make me dream, and there are watches that I know I will buy one day. But for the next purchase, I don’t know yet, but when I have decided, I will look until I find it!
What advice would you give to a new collector, starting out on their journey into watchmaking and watch collecting?
That’s a difficult one. It’s a problem of means actually. If you have the means, I think it is better to avoid low-end and mid-range watches. I think it is better to buy less and stick with the high-end pieces. First of all, because it’s a better investment, and from the point of view of the work you put in, it is more interesting. But above all, if you are also looking to build a collection, it also represents a certain value, it is an investment. The mid-range watches lose value, so I would avoid them, and if you really want to get into the mid-range, I would say that you should concentrate on one theme, for example, alarm clocks, worldtimers, or GMTs. It is important to concentrate on something because there is so much out there. So that’s the advice I would give, but of course, everyone does it their way.
Is the investment side of collecting watches the most important to you, or do you prefer to buy something because you like it and want to wear it?
It is a little bit of both, but it is the love for the watch that wins. For me, this is the most important because I wear my watches.
