Ask watch collectors to tell you about their favourite watches, and you’ll be met with panic as they try in vain to pick just one. But we went there; we asked a host of well-known watch collectors to be ruthless and not only single out their most prized timepiece but also tell us exactly why — after all, the best watches come with a story.
What started as an impossible task for most, soon turned into a lovely watch therapy session from those involved. While Rolex unsurprisingly dominates the conversation, as you'll see there's a really mix of grails – each with their own weird and wonderful reason for getting into watch collecting.
Favourite watch: 1980s Rolex Datejust with blue dial
“My favourite watch is the one I wear the least – it's the 36mm two tone Rolex Datejust that my ultra stylish grandma, Sally, picked for my dad as a law school graduation gift in the '80s (it’s engraved with his initials and the year, 1986). My dad wore it a lot in the 80s/90s, but growing up, I remember him wearing more technical sports watches like his Suunto. This watch had been sitting safely in a box for years and he gave it to me to celebrate my success with Dimepiece, which is so cool, because had I not entered the watch industry, it probably would have gone to my brother. It’s an honour taking care of this watch, with its scratched crystal and all, feeling so close to my dad and my family. When I got it, I finally understood the special "heirloom watch" feeling that so many others shared with me in their interviews.”
Favourite watch: Casio G-Shock GCW-B5000UN-6ER Carbon edition in Cosmic Purple
“It’s the ultimate carbon intergalatic super G-Shock, isn’t it? It has carbon back plates and the bracelet is super light. Plus it’s purple, which I’m not a fan of ironically, but I love it, I love the galaxy swirly look to it. It’s just a normal G square, but one of those IYKYK watches. It feels like a toy watch, almost, because it’s so ridiculously light. It’s also a 40th anniversary one, super limited and super sold out. It’s definitely my most special G, and G-Shock’s only carbon square.”
Favourite watch: Rolex Day-Date ref.18238 36mm
“I’ve always been a fan of the 1980s & 90s aesthetic when it comes to watches. Back then brands really experimented with the weird and wonderful and some stunning pieces like this Lapis Lazuli and Sapphire Crystal dial Day-Date from 1991 are a result of that. It’s currently the most interesting watch in my collection, not only because of the striking blue dial, but also it’s super rare because of the fantastic condition it’s in.”
Favourite watch: Cartier Santos Dumont “TimePeace”
“My latest acquistion and perhaps one of my most interesting watches in my collection. The watch signifies a coming together of people from different backgrounds, through a common passion away from conflict and negativity. The watch is a NSO Cartier Santos Dumont in Yellow Gold with a Malachite dial (a first for Cartier using a stone dial in a Santos Dumont) and the watch features a mix of Arabic, Hebrew, Roman, Hindi, Ancient Greek, Rune and Mandarin Numerals, made in a series of 25 individually numbered pieces.”
Favourite watch: 1978 Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date ref.1500
“When you’re passionate about watches, and collect them, whether new or vintage, you’re inevitably led to consider what is none other than the world’s greatest watch brand: Rolex. I wouldn’t trade in my 1978 Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date ref.1500 for anything in the world. It has everything I love and it’s the very essence of Rolex. A perfect 34mm diameter, a black lacquered dial, applied indexes and a cyclops glass at 3 o’clock for the date, of course. The automatic calibre 1570 has not aged a bit, and the dial has acquired a delightful patina over time. Simply put, vintage is life.”
Favourite watch: A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1
“This Lange 1 is so special for me because I never saved money harder than for this watch. I never searched longer than for this watch. I never felt more of an outsider with my taste for a yellow gold, solid caseback, Wellendorff bracelet, silver dial, blued hands Lange 1 than for this watch. I always felt absolutely sure about one of the most influential, best finished, highest quality German made watches available that raised the level of perfection for the whole industry.”
Favourite watch: Ferdinand Berthoud FB 2RE.1
“On the face of it this piece is a time only watch, but it tells the time in the most magnificent way. It features brilliant complications, a remontoir d’égalité and a fusée-and-chain transmission. The enamel dial is a most exquisite white, featuring a two-tiered dial where all the lettering has been created in enamel. And who doesn’t love a deadbeat seconds, one of the most romantic complications in existence. This sophisticated timepiece gives me immense joy every time I strap it on.”
Favourite watch: F.P. Journe Chronomètre Bleu
“I'm quite fond of the Chronomètre Bleu for several reasons. One of these is the captivating, uncluttered chrome blue dial, as well as the use of tantalum for the case, which is exceptionally challenging to cut and machine – in fact, it takes around five times longer to produce compared to a platinum case. Another distinguishing feature of the Chronomètre Bleu compared to the Chronomètre Souverain is the distinctive engine-turned decoration on the baseplate of the Calibre 1304 movement, which many may overlook as a subtle detail.”
Favourite watch: 1980 Omega De Ville
“This very simple Omega De Ville from 1980 is my favourite watch for four reasons: it was gifted to me by a special person, its horizontal oval shape is charmingly unusual; its 30mm x 24mm in height is perfect for my 15cm wrist, and I love the yellow gold that has acquired a beautiful patina over the years. It is not my daily beater, and I do wear larger, rectangular and round models, but this, my first “real” timepiece, manually wound, led me to be curious and open towards all watch shapes, sizes and movements.”
Favourite watch: Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Ref. 6009ST
“My Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Ref. 6009ST stands as a paragon of quiet elegance and individuality. This rare timepiece, produced between 1980 and 1985, reinterprets the iconic Royal Oak with a refined rectangular silhouette, smoothly morphing the classic octagon into a bezel with rounded angles and bevelled edges. I am particularly fond of the way the RO bracelet embraces my wrist, sitting snug and seamlessly as a second skin. Its most captivating secret? The small tapisserie anthracite dial is now gracefully transitioning into a tropical hue.”
Favourite watch: 1980s Jaeger-LeCoultre
“My 1980s JLC is an understated treasure that holds a very special place in my collection. There's more that meets the eye, when you take a closer look. The small 18k gold case houses a unique stone dial with a subtle patina, creating a harmonious blend of black and brown hues, adding depth and character to the timepiece. I found it on my first trip to Asia and it was love at first sight. The unusual pairing of the gold case with a lizard green strap gives the watch a distinctive and unexpected charm. It’s a little piece of my travels on my wrist.”
Favourite watch: Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Selfwinding Ref. 15550BA.OO.1356BA.01
“The best mix of nature's fluctuations and Audemars Piguet's precise watchmaking. Turquoise blue and yellow gold might sound like a mismatch, but they actually look awesome together!"
Favourite watch: Rolex Thunderbird featuring a Cartier stamp
“I picked it up at a dealer in Lugano Switzerland years ago before double signatures were a big deal and long before any “true” collector liked two-tone; but that’s just the thing – I always loved two tone and I found the Cartier stamp so intriguing as I had only ever seen that stamp once before in John Mayer’s Talking Watches [on Hodinkee]. This watch is so special to me because it’s the first watch I bought that my dad actually borrowed – it’s usually the other way around – and to me my entire raison d’être for collecting was him so the fact that I had acquired something he loved meant the world.”
