MONDANI MAGAZINE
Looking for a Watch?
www.mondaniweb.com 2018
Editor’s Note: a Letter from Giorgia Goldberger (author of various books on watches, great expert on vintage watches and collectible watch market insider), Anthony Marquié and Grégoire Rossier (authors of the book Moonwatch Only, the best guide on Omega Speedmaster wristwatches), Fabrice Guéroux (author of the book Real VS Fake), Geoffroy Ader (one of the most experienced specialists in the world of auctions), Oliver Hoffmann (author of various publications on luxury goods management, innovation and watch industry dynamic).
When my husband Daniele suggested to launch the first “Mondani Magazine”, I would have liked to choke him! Er… yes, because on the one hand I realized how difficult it would be to accomplish this project, but on the other hand it was a really brilliant idea: a wonderful adventure… very complex and full of challenges and I could not resist… So here I am, right in the middle of this adventure, which gives me great satisfaction but it is, as I expected it to be, not the easiest thing to do! I wouldn’t be here where I am today if it wasn’t for the support and help of those who have published many times and from whom there is only to learn: my parents Franca and Guido created this magazine with Daniele and me, making a major contribution based on 30 years’ experience and this is what is leading us to the finish line. Let’s say it is at least an eight-handed publication, even though there are many more hands involved… Let me explain: when I “visualized” the Mondani Magazine for the first time, I saw something completely different from what I have read so far. This is not the usual magazine, full of press releases, pieces of information already seen on the web or contents of paying customers, but a choice of unique articles, which only great personalities with success in this field are capable of writing. I am talking about big names who write important articles in the world of horology. Where else would you find – all together in one magazine – articles by Osvaldo Patrizzi (one of the 20 most important persons in the world of watchmaking), Guido Mondani (the most famous editor of books on watches worldwide and one of the biggest experts and collectors of Rolex wristwatches), John
An enormous THANK YOU to all the professionals in this sector, who have dedicated time and energy to this project: Ed Estlow, Ross Povey, Roman Sharf, Edward Coffrini Dell’Orto, Rocco Forte Hotels, David Lee, Watchprint, Alessandro Soave, the organizers of Baselworld and the friends of the restaurant “Lucciola” in New York. The work on the Mondani Magazine has also given me the chance to study and learn more about some brands, which today are trying to establish their position in this difficult world of luxury watches. For an aficionado there is nothing more interesting than learning all about “instruments of time”, new stories, new techniques. But for me the Mondani Magazine is much more: it is the perfect result of our two activities – the experience of Mondani Editore combined with the freshness and modernity of the Mondani Web. It is the union of knowledge, experience and reputation with innovation, “nolimits” and commodity. The publishing business coupled with the power of the virtual world: what could be better? This publication is also the result of something in which I firmly believe: teamwork. In fact, the Mondani Magazine wouldn’t have turned out like this, if it hadn’t been for the team on the Mondani Web: a big thank you to Carla and Federica, who have actively participated in creating every single page. It was great fun to accomplish this new project and I hope that all of you, who are leafing through these pages, will have a beautiful journey made of emotions, news, information and new opinions. Giorgia Mondani
1
Publishers
Franca Mondani Giorgia Mondani Guido Mondani Daniele Di Murro
INTERNI.indd 2
05/02/18 11:59
Contents
Giorgia' s interviews
what the expert says
luxury travels
8 12 26 46 78 86 16 34 43 61 64 76 84 90 96 104 108 112 30 33 54 100
watch brands
22 40
the WORLD of AUCTIONS
15 50 72
mondani collection
114
Interview with Daryn Schnipper Interview with Mikael Wallhagen Interview with Guido Mondani Interview with Marie Sanna-Legrand Interview with David Lee Interview with John Goldberger “The Omega Speedmaster Rising Success” by A. Marquié and G. Rossier “The James Bond Watches” by Edward Coffrini Dell’Orto “Innovation and watches” by Prof. Dr. Oliver Hoffmann “The Art of Live Auctions in a Digital World” by Geoffroy Ader “The Birth of a Passion” by Osvaldo Patrizzi “Buying Luxury Watches in Liechtenstein” by Timeless Watches & Jewellery “How to Choose the Perfect Wedding Watch” by Giorgia Mondani “Fake Industry in 2018 - Facts” by Fabrice Guéroux “Tudor’s Charismatic Chronographs” by Ross Povey “How Social Media Have Influenced the Watch Market” by Giorgia Mondani “The Recognizability of Rolex” by Ed Estlow “Mondani Web” by Giorgia Mondani Verdura Resort Hotel De Russie The Magic of Liguria Lucciola New York Dwiss Monta Watch Sotheby’s Artcurial Pawn & Auction House Vaduz Rolex Submariner, Sea-Dweller & Deepsea
3 INTERNI.indd 3
05/02/18 11:59
Contributors
ADER, GEOFFROY Entrepreneur and watch consultant for French auctioneers
ESTLOW, ED
COFFRINI DELL’ORTO, EDWARD
Freelance and tech writer
Italian Bondologist and author of eight essays on 007
GUÉROUX, FABRICE Expert of counterfeiting in the watch industry and author of three books
HOFFMANN, OLIVER Managing Partner at Valued.ch
4 INTERNI.indd 4
05/02/18 11:59
Contributors
MONDANI, GIORGIA Founder of Mondani Web and author of Mondani books on watches
MARQUIÉ, ANTHONY
PATRIZZI, OSVALDO
Author of the “Moonwatch Only” book
One of the 20 most important men in the watchmaking world
POVEY, ROSS Known as ‘Mr Tudor’, he is regarded as a leading expert in the vintage watch world
ROSSIER, GRÉGOIRE Author of the “Moonwatch Only” book
5 INTERNI.indd 5
05/02/18 11:59
With Us MONDANI MAGAZINE Mondani Web S.r.l. Corso Torino, 9/1 Genova, Italy FOUNDER Mondani Family PUBLISHER Mondani Web S.r.l. GRAPHIC DESIGNER Carla Macauda
EDITOR IN CHIEF Giorgia Mondani CONTRIBUTORS Geoffroy Ader, Edward Coffrini Dell’Orto, Ed Estlow, Fabrice Guéroux, Oliver Hoffmann, Anthony Marquié, Giorgia Mondani, Osvaldo Patrizzi, Ross Povey, Grégoire Rossier ART DIRECTORS Franca and Guido Mondani CREATIVE DIRECTOR Daniele Di Murro LANGUAGE CONSULTANT Simona Pisani PHOTOGRAPHER Fotografi Boccadasse COVER’S GRAPHIC DESIGNER Carlo Alberto Liga PRINTED BY Microart - Recco (Ge) - Italy
COPY EDITOR Federica Morciano
FOR GENERAL & EDITORIAL ENQUIRES info@mondaniweb.com FOR ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES magazine@mondaniweb.com SOCIAL MEDIA Instagram @mondaniweb Facebook @mondaniweb Twitter @mondaniweb © 2018 MONDANI WEB S.R.L. All rights reserved.
6 INTERNI.indd 6
05/02/18 11:59
INTERNI.indd 7
05/02/18 11:59
INTERNI.indd 8
05/02/18 11:59
Giorgia' s interviews
Interview with Daryn Schnipper Senior Vice President, Chairman at the International Watch Division at Sotheby’s
“
Face to face with one of the strongest women in the world of watches.
We have worked to strategically build our team of specialists. We have welcomed Sam Hines as the new Global Head of Watches. our European team has been strengthened and includes Mikael Wallhagen, head of the Geneva watch department and Tony Frank.
“
@daryn.schnipper
WHEN DID YOU START SELLING WATCHES AT SOTHEBY’S? I started in Sotheby’s watch department as the watch cataloguer right after graduation from College. It was 1980 and at that time collecting wristwatches was in its early days. Watch Collecting, at this time, was nearly all pocket watches. We covered pocket watches from the Renaissance to the 20th century. This collecting category encompassed technical watches, complicated watches and decorative watches such as enamel watches made for the Chinese market. The Swiss Watch crisis was looming large in the background at this time. The thought was that the Quartz watch would soon replace mechanical watches. The crisis indeed gave birth to the wristwatch as a collectible timepiece. When I first started there were no books dedicated to wristwatches. The first significant book devoted to the wristwatch was published in 1983. The Patek book devoted to wristwatches was published five years later in 1988. These books were critical and, I have always felt, a key catalyst for shaping wristwatches as a collecting category. The wristwatch market soon exploded and our sales of wristwatches far outpaced the sale of pocket watches, the rest is history.
9
YOU AND I SHARE NOT ONLY THE PASSION FOR COLLECTIBLE TIMEPIECES, BUT ALSO THE FACT OF BEING A WOMAN IN THIS MEN’S WORLD: HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT IT? The answer to this like a Reverso watch; on the one side there were great challenges such as overcoming the prejudices of those who felt that women and watches don’t mix. I’m happy to say that today there are many women in the watch business and don’t feel that today they are met with the same prejudices. Alternatively, I have always had the full support of Sotheby’s – and our watch departments in New York, London and Hong Kong are also all headed up by women. Personally for me, that support has resulted in handling sales of the world’s most important timepieces and unparalleled access to the world’s greatest collections. “Father Time” indeed has been very kind to me. WHICH WAS THE RAREST AND MOST IMPORTANT WATCH YOU HAVE EVER LAID HANDS ON? There have been so many. Unquestionably, it would have to be Patek Philippe’s Henry Graves Supercomplication which holds the World Record for the most expensive timepiece ever sold. I had the great honor to sell this Horological Tour de Force twice. The first time in 1999 for $11M and the second time in 2014 for $24M. The Graves was very special to me given my long connection to this watch and the Graves family. I first physically examined the watch in the mid 1980’s, when then owner Seth Atwood was considering its sale. I recall at lunch his marvelous story of its acquisition from Henry Graves grandson. Not long after I met Henry Graves grandson, Pete Fullerton, who had inherited the watch from his grandfather, Henry Graves Jr. Mr Fullerton sold the Graves in the 1960’s to Seth Atwood, having met him it was equally wonderful to hear Mr Fullerton’s side of the story of the watch’s sale to Seth Atwood. In 2012 Mr. Fullerton passed away and we sold his collection which included several pieces he had kept that had belonged to his famous grandfather as well as pieces that he had added to the collection over the years. Along with the watch collection we were given Mr. Fullerton’s papers that were relevant to the collection. The paper proved to be invaluable two years later when we were charged with handling the second historic sale of the Graves in 2014. I have always felt that the supporting documents allowed us to reframe the production of Patek Philippe’s most legendary timepiece and played a supporting role in its historic record-breaking sale.
10 INTERNI.indd 10
HOW DID SOCIAL MEDIA CHANGE THE WORLD OF COLLECTORS? Social media has changed the playing field in many ways and has provided a tremendous avenue for the collector to know, the latest market trends to watching the video Post of an important auction. Of course, probably the greatest thrill social media provides is the excitement one can derives from sharing a new treasured horological acquisition. HOW WOULD YOU IMAGINE WATCHES IN FIVE YEARS’ TIME?
SOTHEBY’S
We have worked to strategically build our team of specialists and I look forward to working with our new colleagues. We have welcomed Sam Hines as the new Global Head of Watches, who will play a valuable role to achieve our global goals. Additionally, our European team has been strengthened and includes Mikael Wallhagen, head of the Geneva watch department and Tony Frank who we have added to our European businessgetting watch team. These additions are further complimented by our American team, London and Hong Kong watch teams already in place.
EN GE LO SO
05/02/18 11:59 Sothebys_Gen
PATEK PHILIPPE A white gold automatic astronomical wristwatch with sky chart phases and position of the moon and time of meridian passage of sirius and the moon Ref 5102G Sold in Geneva for 156,250 CHF
Upcoming Watches Auctions 2018
Fine Timepieces Online 16 – 30 March Important Watches Hong Kong 2 April Fine Timepieces Online 18 – 30 April Fine Timepieces London 17 April Important Watches Geneva 13 May Important Watches New York 24 May Fine Timepieces Online 2 – 16 July
ENQUIRIES GENEVA MIKAEL WALLHAGEN +41 22 908 48 19 LONDON JOANNE LEWIS +44 (0)20 7293 5327 SOTHEBYS.COM/WATCHES
INTERNI.indd 11 Sothebys_Geneva_Important_Watches_Calendar Ad.indd 1
DOWNLOAD SOTHEBY’S APP FOLLOW US @SOTHEBYS #SOTHEBYSWATCHES
05/02/18 11:59 12/01/2018 17:22
INTERNI.indd 12
05/02/18 11:59
Giorgia' s interviews
Interview with Mikael Wallhagen Senior Specialist and head of the watches department at Sotheby’s
“
Mikael, we met here in Geneva ten years ago and now here we are again ten years later…
We always show a great and wide collection of watches curated and exhibited by our watch specialists. we often can offer watches that are fresh to the market since we consign from private collectors.
“
@wallhagen
WHAT HAS CHANGED FOR YOU IN THIS PERIOD OF TIME? At that time I had just left my life in retail where I worked first as a watchmaker and Sales manager at Rob. Engström which actually is the oldest watch store in Sweden. To join the auction business back in 2004 and help my colleague Tony Frank to develop the Scandinavian auction market at Kaplans auctioneer was a dream come true, since my interest for vintage pieces was growing during my years in retail. After you and I met in 2007 I was also asked by the Swedish national television to join as one of the Watch Specialists on the Swedish Antique Roadshow. That experience, along with bringing two auction houses to a leading position in Scandinavia and establishing international contacts with brands, museums, watch dealers and collectors was a fantastic experience that led me to Sotheby’s. HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT BEING A WATCH SPECIALIST IN AN INTERNATIONAL (WORLDWIDE KNOWN) AUCTION HOUSE? First of all I’m honored to be a part of Sotheby’s legacy which goes back all the way to 1744 and then I’m glad to be a part of the new global team for Sotheby’s watches. With Sam Hines joining Sotheby’s as the Global Head of Watches I am
13
really looking forward to working closely him and Sotheby’s legendary Chairman of the Watches division, Daryn Schnipper in New York. Together we can add knowledge and experience to our teams and representatives around the world. WHICH WAS THE RAREST AND MOST IMPORTANT WATCH YOU HAVE EVER LAID HANDS ON? This is not the most expensive watch but back in Sweden I was in a small city for a regular valuation day. There were a lot of pocket watches and a few Omegas and Breitlings. Suddenly I had an elegant lady in front of me and she showed me a few watches that she bought for herself in a watch sale back in the 1950s. One of the watches was an amazing 1940s, Audemars Piguet wristwatch in stainless steel with tear drop lugs, big case like 36 mm and world time indicator, the watch was powered by the famous Valjoux VZAS and is extremely rare. The feeling when you explore and see something you have never seen before and that you probably never will see again is amazing. The watch brought a lot of interest and in the end it sold very well and we had a happy seller and a happy buyer. WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES OF BUYING FROM AN AUCTION HOUSE? We always show a great and wide collection of watches curated and exhibited by our watch specialists. To have the possibility to meet us or any of our representatives anywhere in the world makes it easy to buy from us with confidence. We also offer a very safe procedure regarding payments and shipment. Another important thing is that we often can offer watches that are fresh to the market since we consign from private collectors. WHICH IS YOUR FAVORITE WATCH? It normally varies between the independent watchmakers and the vintage watch models but if I had to choose two watches I would say: the Rolex Milgauss 1019 and the F.P. Journe Ruthenium-Jour/ Nuit. WHICH IS THE BRAND YOU CONSIDER YOURSELF MOST EXPERT ON? As I watchmaker educated at Rolex I would say that I’m very strong in Rolex and over the years I have studied a lot about Patek Philippe and Omega.
INTERNI.indd 14
05/02/18 11:59
HOW DID SOCIAL MEDIA CHANGE THE WORLD OF COLLECTORS?
HOW WOULD YOU IMAGINE WATCHES IN FIVE YEARS’ TIME?
SOTHEBY’S
The market has changed completely with internet and today it’s so easy to follow auction houses, different watch shops, forums, bloggers and different people on social media. You can find information with a click but you need to be careful since you don’t know how skilled or educated the person behind the information is. To follow watch connoisseurs from different continents and then met the person behind the account is fantastic. I try to follow as many as possible and I’m impressed by all this big accounts like yours. Sotheby’s has a very strong presence on social media and it’s a great platform for us to find new ways to connect with collectors from all walks of life. My personal Instagram is also growing and please welcome to follow me @wallhagen.
With a strong person like Sam Hines joining the existing team as the Global Head and considering the numerous new developments for the Watches division at Sotheby’s, I’m very confident that we look forward to a bright future. We will curate the live auctions to present the most important and sought-after watches and expand our online platform to offer more modern watches and a broad range of more accessible watches. I think we will have more pop-up events... and there are more plans that we can’t reveal right now!
the WORLD of AUCTIONS
About Sotheby’s Sotheby’s holds auctions of watches throughout the year in New York, Hong Kong, Geneva and London, as well as a number of online-only sales. The auction house’s Watch Division holds the world record price for any timepiece at auction: the Patek Philippe Henry Graves Jr. Supercomplication, which sold at Sotheby’s in Geneva for $24 million in 2014. Auction highlights from the past year include the Space Travellers’ Watch – an iconic masterpiece by George Daniels that set a new world record for a British-made watch – and a magnificent gem-set “Flamingo and Lotus” automaton clock by Cartier. Led by Chairman Daryn Schnipper, Sotheby’s International Watch Division has recently been strengthened with the nomination of renowned specialist Sam Hines, a leading authority in the field who joined as Worldwide Head of the Division, based in Hong Kong. Also enriching the team is the auction house’s newly-
appointed Global Managing Director for Jewellery and Watches, Laurence Nicolas, who brings with her 25 years of luxury experience and international brand management. In Geneva, Mikael Wallhagen now heads up the Watch Department, working closely with colleagues in New York, London and Hong Kong and advising clients across Europe and further afield.
Omega Speedmaster ref. CK 2915
16 INTERNI.indd 16
05/02/18 11:59
what the expert says
The Reasons of the Omega Speedmaster Rising Success
by Anthony Marquié and Grégoire Rossier Authors of “Moonwatch Only” the Omega Speedmaster reference book
The OMEGA Speedmaster is recognized as one of the most iconic watches ever made. Who has never heard of the “Moonwatch”? First available to the public in 1957, the OMEGA Speedmaster was designed alongside the Seamaster 300 and the Railmaster to meet the increasing needs of professionals. The OMEGA designers and engineers were briefed to create a high-precision, waterproof and easy-to-read chronograph. The result was the Speedmaster, with a three-counter black dial, broad arrow hands (later replaced with more contrasted white baton hands) and, for the first time, a speed scale (tachymeter) placed on the bezel instead of the dial for optimal legibility. The Speedmaster arouses an authentic affection among fans and collectors. What could better illustrate mankind’s dreams than the Speedmaster, selected as NASA’s watch for astronauts in 1965 and the first watch worn on the Moon? No other watch can boast such a pedigree. In addition to this incredible destiny, collectors love it for its classical ageless design, its numerous versions and its mechanical reliability. Owning one classical Speedmaster may be sufficient to satisfy a moderate fan, but, for a more ambitious collector, the continuous variations of the classical Speedmaster over 60 years, as well as the numerous limited or special editions, are an ideal playground. One of the reasons we wrote “MOONWATCH ONLY “ The Ultimate OMEGA Speedmaster Guide is to help collectors avoid mistakes when purchasing vintage Speedmasters. Three years after its publication, knowledge has grown, collectors are more demanding and sellers have to be more careful in their description. Furthermore, the world of collectors has figured out that pristine and coherent models are rare, especially those with the 321 calibre. As a consequence, prices took off, especially for the earliest references. By nature, the most desirable pieces are those we are still hunting for, but more generally these are defined by the following specific features: first, their age and rarity; second, their condition; and finally, special
@moonwatchonly @moonwatchonly
17
Omega Speedmaster Alaska Project Prototype
18 INTERNI.indd 18
05/02/18 11:59
criteria like an aesthetic peculiarity (tropical dials are a good example) or a famous previous owner. The combination of these ingredients makes every vintage Speedmaster unique, and that’s what collectors are mostly interested in. The most desirable are certainly the first two references: the CK 2915 from 1957-59 and the early CK 2998 versions from 1959-1961. Very few examples in good condition are available for sale and prices are continuously increasing. Among special Speedmasters, the grail for most collectors would probably be models worn by astronauts, or the Alaska Project prototypes. Speedmasters from the 1960s with special dials like the A.C.P. (Automovil Club Peruano), the Meister or the Tiffany & Co. are also highly sought after. Finally, we recently discovered information about Racing Speedmasters of the 1960s
that definitely demonstrates its legitimacy as an original configuration and not as a reassembly and it could well be one the rarest of all Speedmasters. At the other end of the scale, classical Speedmaster Professionals from the 1970s/1980s, or those with a sapphire caseback from the 1990s are still low-priced and undervalued. The question many collectors ask us is: “Prices are getting high; how far can they evolve in the future?” Our opinion is that the market for Speedmasters is globally healthy, led by true collectors and not speculators. Moreover, the particular affection of collectors for their Speedmasters means that very few exceptional pieces are available on the market. For these reasons, we believe that current prices are justified and should continue to rise, especially since there is still a gap compared to similar models from some other brands like Rolex. The e-MOONWATCH ONLY Electronic Guide The MOONWATCH ONLY book is an exhaustive source of information about Speedmasters. However with more than 560 pages long and around 7 lbs., it is more a coffee table book than a mobile transportable item. To meet the expectations of Speedmaster collectors, who want to have permanent access to our information, we have imagined a complementary tool: “e-MOONWATCH ONLY”. This electronic guide does not contain all the details or historical information gathered into the original book: its specific focus is towards model identification, which is a key factor during a watch acquisition process.
The e-MOONWATCH ONLY Electronic Guide Omega Speedmaster Racing
19
The “ONLY” Methodology For “MOONWATCH ONLY”, we have developed an innovative and systematic methodology, which has been a key factor in the book’s success. This methodology consists in assembling and combining heterogeneous pieces of information to present a picture as exhaustive and accurate as possible of a particular model. The central piece is a unique database of thousands of entries referencing all our observations as well as the market trends for the most important versions of the Speedmaster and other OMEGA models. This database supports the scientific approach that has guided our work. The second piece is a trusted contact with the OMEGA Museum to (un)validate our information. Last but not least, all models pictured in our book have been examined by us (property: OMEGA Museum, private collectors or our collection). Consequently, all the watches are perfectly known and traceable, have been photographed specifically for the book and all the pictures published for the very first time. This unique methodology represents a new way of writing watch books. It requires time, rigor, organisation and financial investment, but is likely the best approach to create reference guides. We consider this approach as our trademark for our current and future “ONLY” books, since we have decided to extend our work to other OMEGA iconic watches. “FLIGHTMASTER ONLY” Our second opus is dedicated to one of the most interesting watches ever produced by OMEGA as the fourth “master” line, the Flightmaster. It has been commercialized in 1969 for less than 10 years, and is known as a pure pilot’s watch. But it was much more than this: actually it was designed to be the absolute professional tool-watch of the 70s. And super-professionals used it, like Russian cosmonauts and some famous aviators of that period. Using the same “ONLY” methodology, we have analysed the whole production of Flightmasters and unveiled a lot of unknown details, as well as a history never revealed. We are convinced that this book, presented for the first time during Baselworld 2018, will allow watch fans to discover an iconic watch yet almost forgotten.
INTERNI.indd 20
05/02/18 11:59
INTERNI.indd 21
05/02/18 12:00
watch brands
DWISS Dwiss (Design Watch Independent Switzerland) is a multi-design-awarded Swiss brand of authentic and unique Swiss made timepieces. It innovates how time is displayed, pioneers the use of new materials, and revolutionizes sales channels. Its watches deviate from tradition by showcasing the time in formats never explored before, making each watch instantly memorable and iconic. They are all limited edition luxury watches with the highest-grade Swiss mechanical movements and craftsmanship. This young and contemporary start-up has developed the first ever watch made out of Niobium (Nb1Zr - 99% Niobium 1% Zirconium), with the model CLASSIQUE, created exclusively for the Brazilian mining company CBMM. This watch was awarded with the IDA - International Design Award.
DWISS was created by Rafael Simoes Miranda, a Brazilian born naturalized Italian designer, who has been designing watches for over a decade, with a portfolio of more than 300 watches designed for different brands and personalities, including a limited-edition watch for Sir Richard Branson. Awarded with important international design awards, like the Red Dot Design Award, Rafael also taught watch design in Milan-Italy, before founding the company in 2011. Address: Corso Elvezia 16, Lugano, 6901, Switzerland | Email: rafael@dwiss.com www.dwiss.com | www.instagram.com/dwisswatch | www.facebook.com/dwiss.sa | www.twitter.com/dwisswatch
DWISS implemented a new way of selling luxury watches, cutting distributors and retailers’ margins, making prices affordable. The pioneerism that characterizes DWISS made it also one of the first watch companies to accept cryptocurrency as a payment method and to make their watches available in augmented reality. The watch collection M2 launched in 2016 was twotime design award winner, with DWISS’s signature display system, in which hour hand was removed and hours are displayed through a disc that runs under the multi-layered dial and fulfils the hours’ windows with a colourful continuous rotation disc. The company was granted the IDA for the second time and the EPDA (European Product Design Award) for the first time, prized in a ceremony held in the European Parliament in Brussels. In 2017, the company launched a new collection - DWISS R1, which comes in two variations that represent time differently: RS1 presents concentric time-reading and RC1 presents a centralized hour disc at the 12 o’clock mark. DWISS R1 models come encased in bodies that comprise both luxury and sporty. This project brought the greatest watch ever presented to crowdfunding with the Tourbillon versions. Tourbillons are among the most challenging and difficult mechanisms ever created in the watchmaking history.
22
@dwisswatch @dwiss.sa
23 INTERNI.indd 23
05/02/18 12:00
MONDANI
The Best B to Collect and Invest i
mondanibooks.com
I can resist anything e
NI BOOKS
est Books est in Luxury Watches
mondani@mondanibooks.com
ing except temptation
Oscar Wilde
INTERNI.indd 26
05/02/18 12:00
Giorgia' s interviews
Interview with Guido Mondani Publisher, watch expert and one of the most important Rolex collector in the world
“
This time it’s not the usual interview with the world famous publisher and collector, Guido Mondani. For the first time the daughter will conduct an exclusive interview with her father.
The world of collector’s watches can really be ruthless sometimes and I am happy to give useful information to clients in need of assistance.
LET’S BEGIN WITH AN ANECDOTE THAT REMAINS UNFORGETTABLE FOR YOU, EVEN AFTER 30 YEARS IN THE WORLD OF WATCHMAKING. One of the most significant moments for me, without any doubt, was the auctioning of my collection by Antiquorum in 2006. The whole collection, which included 309 watches, was sold at CHF 11,037,278, which was a record price back then. Apart from the enthusiasm of the collectors and dealers in the room, it made me very happy to see how much interest my choices had raised – considering the incredible results. I will never forget that day. IS THERE A WATCH YOU STILL DREAM OF POSSESSING? The Patek Philippe perpetual calendar chronograph, ref. 1518 in stainless steel.
“
IF YOU SOLD ALL YOUR WATCHES, WHICH ONE WOULD YOU KEEP?
@guidomondani
@mondanibooks
Without any doubt my favorite: the Rolex Splitseconds chronograph, ref. 4113, from a limited edition of only 12 pieces, produced in 1942. I am ever so lucky to own a new unworn piece. Of course, if it were the only watch I owned, I would have to wear it, but until today I have resisted the enormous temptation to put it on my wrist.
27
IF YOU WANTED TO BUY A WATCH TODAY, WHERE WOULD YOU LOOK FOR IT? AND WHAT FEATURES MUST A WATCH HAVE FOR YOU TO BUY IT? That’s an easy question! I would consult www. MondaniWeb.com, our new website, which is the result of many years of experience in the world of luxury watches. I would only buy from dealers listed on our website, because we know them personally and we can trust them blindly. Every “trusted dealer” has been selected by us personally. In addition, the quality of the watches is excellent. Indeed, I am only looking for watches in perfect condition. I discard reprinted and service replacement dials. Furthermore, I prefer watches that come with a guarantee. WHAT BUSINESS PROJECT HAS GIVEN YOU THE BIGGEST SATISFACTION AND WHAT WAS YOUR GREATEST SUCCESS? My last edition on Rolex Submariner, Sea-Dweller and Deepsea. A prestigious publication consisting of two volumes with an extremely specific content. All references are illustrated in every single detail. These books are the result of many years of work and research. To my greatest satisfaction, we published many watches from my collection, all of them in excellent condition and accompanied by their box and guarantee. Some of them are even new and in unworn condition. IF YOU HADN’T BECOME AN EDITOR, WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE LIKED TO DO?
Ref. 4113
Since I used to play soccer at a significant level for many years and I am still really enthusiastic about this sport, I would have liked to become coach of a top league. Being an AC Milan fan, I have one piece in my collection, I am really proud of: a Rolex Air-King customized with the Milan logo. It was manufactured to commemorate the victory of the fifth Champions Cup and the 14th championship in the 1993/1994 season. WHAT ROLE DID FRANCA PLAY AND STILL PLAYS IN YOUR CAREER? She has always played a key role in my life. Everything I create must above all please her, otherwise I derive
28 INTERNI.indd 28
05/02/18 12:00
no satisfaction from it.
YOU DESCRIBE THEM?
YOUR NAME IS A LEGEND IN THE WORLD OF WATCHES; WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR YOU?
Nobody has ever asked me that question before! My wife Franca would definitely be a Perpetual, because the more she moves the more she winds up. My daughter Giorgia would be the World Time by Patek Philippe, because she has always been a traveler: as a girl she travelled the world to participate in professional tennis tournaments, then she travelled to learn languages, and now she travels for work. My son-in-law Daniele would be a Moonphase, because - nicely said - he has a moody character.
I like to talk about watches with all my clients, I am always ready to give tips and advices. The world of collector’s watches can really be ruthless sometimes and I am happy to give useful information to clients in need of assistance. IN YOUR OPINION, HOW HAS THE COLLECTOR’S WORLD CHANGED WITH THE SOCIAL MEDIA? Social media have changed the world and the life of most people, and of course they have also influenced the universe of collecting luxury watches. The invasion of social media has been positive in some respects: all you have to do is log in to Instagram and there are no more boundaries nor distances. But on the other hand, it has also created great confusion among collectors. In fact, nowadays it is very easy to find questionable, incomplete, and rather unreliable information. And then there are these so-called “influencers”… how can we trust them only because they have a lot of followers? My daughter Giorgia, for example, is an influencer with many followers, but she has the necessary knowledge, which allows her to publish and publicize only quality products. But not everyone is an expert in this field. That is why we always recommend to rely on safe sources like our books. IF YOU HAD TO MATCH THE MEMBERS OF YOUR FAMILY WITH A WATCH MODEL, HOW WOULD
BESIDES WATCHES, WHICH ARE YOUR THREE BIGGEST PASSIONS? First of all there is definitely my family with who I love to spend every free minute. Then there is my sailing boat, which I have had for many years. Just last year I decided to enjoy life on the ocean with a new catamaran, of which you might have already seen a photograph on our social media. My third passion is soccer: I regularly follow the Italian championship as well as the international cups. DO YOU HAVE A DREAM WHICH HASN’T COME TRUE YET? Unfortunately, I have never managed to go on a real vacation without thinking about work. I am dreaming about spending two months on our boat, without ever touching dry land. But maybe Franca wouldn’t be too happy about it…
“The whole collection, which included 309 watches, was sold at CHF 11,037,278, which was a record price back then.” 29 INTERNI.indd 29
05/02/18 12:00
VERDURA RESORT A stylish Sicilian escape
Set on 230 hectares of stunning landscape overlooking the Mediterranean with 1.8km of private coastline, the five-star Verdura Resort is a place with a true sense of space. It’s a place where your room will seem woven subtly into the landscape, with uninterrupted views of the sea from your private balcony or terrace. Located on the south-west coast of Sicily, next to the seaside town of Sciacca, the resort is perfectly positioned for exploring the island. The capital, Palermo, is just over an hour’s drive and the Valley of the Temples in Agrigento and the Temple of Selinunte are both just a 40-minute drive away. Space, luxury and privacy are the hallmarks of the Verdura Resort. The Resort offers an unparalleled style and sophistication for well-travelled clientele seeking a quiet or active getaway, romance or spending time with family. The resort offers 203 luxurious and stylish rooms and suites, all with private terraces, stunning sea views and beautiful interiors that combine modern luxury with authentic Sicilian motifs. From 2017, Verdura Resort proposes also three new Villas, and three more will be launched this year; the luxurious new suite option with multiple bedrooms, perfect for family stays in the Sicilian resort. The three Villas differ slightly in size, each with their own unique individuality. All offer large sitting rooms and dining areas with kitchens or kitchenettes and an exclusive private pool for a perfect relax. Villas guests will receive an introduction to Sicily and exclusive assistance during the stay by U Canuscituri: the resort’s local insider, who will be able to unveil all the secrets of local life. A great location even for an exclusive wedding or an important event, between the top Companies choosing Verdura Resort for their main events, Rolex Italia has often organized the final stage of its golf circuit at the Sicilian Rocco Forte property, registering every year a great result in terms of success and satisfaction for the Resort’s uniqueness; from the high level of the championship courses to the breathtaking landscape and the outstanding level of service and facilities.
GOLF & SPORTS European Tour Destination since 2017, Verdura Resort will host the Rocco Forte Open 2018 in May, after the great success of the Rocco Forte Open 2017 and Sicilian Open 2012. The Resort provides golf on a grand scale, with the personal service and attention to detail more usually associated with a private club. Golf courses are built of the finest grasses and are maintained to the highest level. The two 18-hole championship courses and a 9-hole par-3 course (913m), designed by the renowned Kyle Phillips, meander across terrain that undulates from mountain foothills down to the Mediterranean sea. Verdura Resort’s other sports facilities include six tennis courts; a 60m two-tiered infinity pool; numerous watersports, one football pitch; a 170sqm fully-equipped gym and a collection of running trails through olive and lemon groves. SPA Verdura offers also a world-class spa; one of the unforgettable experiences at the resort, to live fully. Set amid olive groves, oranges and lemon trees, Verdura Spa is one of Europe’s most advanced luxury wellbeing centres, with a distinctive Sicilian flair. Housed in pavilions grouped around an open-air courtyard, the 4.000 square metre spa has 11 extensive treatment rooms including double treatment suites, a 20-metre indoor swimming pool, a double-height steam room, Finnish and infrared saunas, a 170 square metre state-of-the-art gym, a fitness studio, spacious relaxation areas and a hair and beauty salon. Furthermore, four outdoor thalassotherapy pools, heated at different temperatures, each with varying salt densities, minerals and organisms. Forte Organics is the Verdura Resort bio-cosmetic line, created exclusively for Rocco Forte Spas. These products are rich in organic, natural, as well as active, Sicilian ingredients. Many have been hand-picked from the resort.
30 INTERNI.indd 30
05/02/18 12:00
luxury travels GASTRONOMY
KIDS’S CLUB
Dining is also an unforgettable experience at Verdura Resort that offers four elegant restaurants and five bars, each with a difference ambience and experience, with menus inspired by celebrity chef Fulvio Pierangelini.
Verdura has been carefully designed as a familyfriendly resort, thanks to the special Families R Forte programme and its services. Children aged four to 12 can enjoy Verdùland, a club named after our hedgehog mascot Verdù. Over 450m2 with indoor and outdoor playground and a dedicated heated swimming pool. The service, available daily, includes educational programme and leisure activities, offering youngest guests to learn cooking, creating and playing, with our specialised and multilingual Team.
The cuisine of the resort’s restaurants is strongly connected to the authenticity of the island. The recipes highlight the flavours of the Mediterranean diet using simple and traditional Sicilian produces, which most of them come from Verdura Resort vegetable garden. Since June 2017, Verdura Resort has extended its gastronomy offer through a unique partnership with Pietro Leemann, an internationally well-known Michelin-starred chef with his own natural and vegetarian haute cuisine proposal. Chef Leemann puts his signature only for Verdura on a vegan menu of crudités available in the Spa Bar. Furthermore, a selection of dishes into the other five restaurants’ menus: Amare, Zagara, Liolà, Granita Bar, and Pool Bar.
@verduraresortsicily @VerduraResortSicily roccofortehotels.com/verdura-resort
31
32 INTERNI.indd 32
05/02/18 12:00
luxury travels
HOTEL DE RUSSIE A tranquil five-star oasis
Located between Piazza del Popolo and the Spanish Steps, Hotel de Russie in Rome, with its iconic structure, tiered terraces and sprawling Secret Garden, was once deemed paradise on Earth by Jean Cocteau. Roman sculptures and prints, dashes of colour and Italianate mosaics gild a light, elegant and understated space, today it’s better as home to Rome’s liveliest aperitivo hour. Hotel de Russie is a fascinating mix of old and new, with modern design that respects the classical architecture of the building. The hotel’s 88 rooms are individually decorated with artworks and fabrics that create a tranquil and luxurious atmosphere. Thirty-three elegant suites have been designed in a contemporary Italian style and boast views over the city, the hotel’s Secret Garden or the famous Rome rooftops. After the full refurbishment of two of its top suites, the “Popolo” and “Picasso” Suites, decorated with cheerful colours and Italian furniture and fabrics, the hotel completed further renovations throughout all rooms including its Presidential suite, the Nijinsky Suite. The project — led by Olga Polizzi, Deputy Chairman and Director of Design of Rocco Forte Hotels —combines contemporary design and modern pieces with traditional elements inspired by Roman history, punctuated with vibrant cushions and complemented by luxurious and timeless furniture. Inside its “Secret Garden”, an oasis of tranquillity in the heart of the Eternal City, is the bar and restaurant, perfect spots for an unrivalled lavish Roman experience. The enchanting Le Jardin de Russie Restaurant offers classic Italian cuisine created by celebrity Chef Fulvio Pierangelini, Director of Food at Rocco Forte Hotels. His dishes are simple: “I prefer preparing food through a series of easily identifiable operations, that express themselves in all their transparency. This doesn’t mean making food without research, but having made simplicity the primary purpose of that research.” During the warmer months, guests can dine al fresco soaking up the atmosphere of the garden beneath palm and orange trees as well as scented of white roses. The Stravinskij Bar is one of the city’s best for an Italian Aperitivo, enjoy the Bar’s signature “Stravinskij Spritz”, or other original creations, such as the “Roman G & T” where ingredients are inspired from the city’s own traditions. Thanks to their wealth of experience in the field, the Barmen also created a dedicated “MARTINI Regulars” menu, along with the timeless
“MARTINI Hall of Fame” menu where you can find “Il Dottore”, “L’Artista”, “Sig.ra Katrina”, some examples of the Bar’s Martini recipes inspired by the many regular guests who have become habituès of the bar over the years. The five-star property also boasts the on-site De Russie Spa, the ultimate urban retreat in the heart of Rome. The perfect place to escape the pace of city life indulging in a range of treatments to restore your body’s physical, emotional and energetic equilibrium. Enhance your experience with the new signature Spa treatments, Rocco Forte Rituals, using the Forte Organics biocosmetic line, created in Italy exclusively for Rocco Forte Spas. Sports lovers can also be tempted by a new stateof-the-art gym by Technogym and a unique jogging experience through the Eternal City. Upon request, De Russie’s Personal Trainer, Danilo Palmucci, a triathlon legend, will whip guests into shape whilst showing them some of Rome’s secret sites. To complete your experience, Suite guests will also benefit from the indulgent Rocco Forte Suite Experience and “Avenue of Style”, a new program of exclusive experiences created in collaboration with eleven renowned Italian fashion brands, taking guests inside the heart of fashion creativity.
@hotelderussie @hotelderussie roccofortehotels.com/hotel-de-russie
33
The James Bond Watches by Edward Coffrini Dell’Orto
Owner of one of the largest James Bond memorabilia collections worldwide, which is exhibited as a private collection in the Admiral Hotel in Milan. He is the author of eight essays on the actor, often works in radio and television and many insiders consider him to be the Italian Bondologist. He even organizes themed charity events and gives advices to the sponsors of 007
@edward.admiralhotel Edward Coffrini Dell’Orto
what the expert says James Bond originator, Ian Fleming, owned and used a Rolex Oyster Perpetual chronometer with an expanding bracelet, which he also put on his alter ego on his missions. In 1963, in the romance On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, Bond decides to use it as a “knuckle duster”. In fact, clutching the Rolex in the palm of his hand with the watchcase atop his knuckles, he gets rid of his enemy in no time.
We do not know whether it was a loan or, far more likely, a gift, since he had been wearing it for years. The director died years ago and as it seems, he took his secret to the grave. Daniela Bianchi, the attractive Bond Girl in From Russia with Love only remembers that it was a “very beautiful watch” and the person in question preferred not to answer during an interview… maybe he did not remember either.
With the movie version of the novel, the cult object has also become a collector’s item. In the movie Dr. No Connery wears what was then supposed to become a legend for all watch collectors: the Rolex Submariner, ref. 6538. Far away from any sponsorship or product placement, it is rather difficult to explain the origin of this watch. It seems to have been the watch of Terence Young, the movie director, who was responsible for the elegance of James Bond. The director not only took Connery to his tailor and to his London shirt-maker, but also influenced the choice of the watch.
During his first missions, Connery sports two different bracelets: one with a brown crocodile strap and the other one with a military nylon strap with green and dark blue (or black) stripes, interrupted by thin red lines. During the shooting of the movie Dr. No in Jamaica, Connery constantly used the watch in the salted Caribbean sea water with the result that he completely ruined the crocodile bracelet. In the movie From Russia with Love it was then substituted with the three-colored NATO strap.
35 INTERNI.indd 35
05/02/18 12:00
In the beginning of the movie Goldfinger, after Connery had removed his wetsuit and attaches a red carnation to his pristine white smoking jacket, Guy Hamilton (the movie director) has him surreptitiously check the dial before announcing the explosion of a weapons deposit. The Pussy Galore, named after the lesbian pilot of Mr. Goldfinger, also appears in this movie: it is a GMT-MASTER, ref. 6542, with a plastic crystal and a red and blue Bakelite bezel.
007 had always used standard watch models, but in Thunderball, Q (the well-known inventor working for the secret services) transforms a normal Breitling Top Time (auctioned for GBP 100,000 in 2013) into a wrist Geiger counter, perfect for a nighttime underwater search of the Disco Volante (Flying Saucer), the extremely fast vessel of the evil Emilio Largo (magnificently interpreted by our Adolfo Celi). In this movie Sean Connery, in the company of Domino, continues to use the Rolex ref. 6538 with a NATO strap. The ref. 6538 appears for the fifth and last time in the headquarters of Osato Chemical in You Only Live Twice, 1967. In the movie On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969), George Lazenby remains faithful to Rolex, but changes the Submariner model and chooses the ref. 5513. So when 007 arrives at Piz Gloria in the Swiss Alps for his first mission on skis, he is wearing a Rolex, ref. 6238, with bracelet and silver dial. On his first mission Live and Let Die Roger Moore appears in public wearing a Pulsar Astronaut P2. He immediately substitutes it with the same Rolex that George Lazenby wore: the ref. 5513, modified for the movie. By pulling out the crown of his Submariner he activates a very powerful magnet with the ability to deflect bullets, while the bezel becomes a powerful mini spinning saw. This example (obviously non-functional) was auctioned at Christie’s in 1998 for over 70 million Italian Lira.
36 INTERNI.indd 36
05/02/18 12:00
In The Man with the Golden Gun 007 still wears the ref. 5513, even when he finds himself in front of Fleming’s cousin Christopher Lee. The fashion of the 1970’s and above all the sponsorships have had a great influence on the choice of the future watches of Roger Moore. United Artists stipulated a contract with the Japanese watch company SEIKO for four movies. The Japanese Maison had its debut in the movie The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) with a Seiko “Labelmarker” Atlantis 0674 LC. The movie also shows the change of the company car. Instead of the Aston Martin, they chose the mini rockets of Colin Chapman. In this particular case it was a Lotus Esprit S1, designed by Giugiaro and equipped, for the first time, with Dell’Orto DHLA carburetors.
For A View to a Kill, 1985, the contract with the Japanese Maison was renewed for a packet of pounds. On his last mission, Sir Roger Moore wears a Seiko Chronograph 7A28-7020 in the pretitle sequence, which obviously bears his personal number: 007. In the castle of Chantilly Bond wears a bicolor Seiko SPD094 in gold and stainless steel.
In the 1979 movie Moonraker, the Q branch transforms a normal Seiko Quartz M354 MemoryBank Calendar into a powerful destructive weapon. On the inside of a specially created secret compartment it was possible to hide an explosive device together with wire and detonator. Pushing a button on the watch would have set off an explosion. In the 1981 movie For your Eyes Only Bond’s Seiko Duo Time H 357 5040 is able to receive messages, which appear on the liquid crystal display. The watch functions as transceiver everywhere in the world. A short sketch in the closing scene will remain in the annals: Margaret Thatcher talks to Max (the parrot of Melina) over the phone, who she thinks is 007, until the watch ends up at the bottom of the Greek sea near Corfu. On his sea missions James Bond uses the Seiko model s60583 7549-7009 diver’s 600 m featuring a black rubber strap over a yellow wetsuit. Octopussy (1983) is the last mission on which he wears a watch of the Japanese Maison. The ingenious old man of the Q branch, Desmond Llewelyn, equips 007’s wristwatch with a tracking device, which can be placed on the enemy. After this rather difficult operation, the Seiko G757 5020 sport 100 allows to locate 007 through a radio compass with a liquid crystal display and with the help of a MontBlanc (obviously modified for the movie), it is possible to follow the conversations. On the same mission Bond uses the futuristic wristwatch Seiko TV T001-5019 to follow Q’s field operations on board of a hot air balloon.
At the end of the 1980’s appeared this funny little episode related to the world of Bond and to publicity. In an advertisement for the Tagliatelle “Emiliane” by Barilla, Alberto Tomba, the most successful slalom racer of all times, performs a perfect run accompanied by Bond music. Along the lines of Goldfinger he enters a cabin, takes off his ski outfit and sports an impeccable smoking. In this case, the perfect Bond wears an Audemars Piguet, of which he was brand ambassador. In 1989 the Rolex Submariner, ref. 16610, appears for the last time on the wrist of 007 in License to Kill. Definitely one of the best Bond scenes! You get a good look at the hand of Timothy Dalton’s stuntman, while he water-skis barefoot attached to a seaplane by the rope of a harpoon gun. With the arrival of Pierce Brosnan, Omega became heavily involved in the world of Bond. Mr. Q, who by now is old, but still vivacious, decides that the Omega Seamaster 2541.80 is the best watch on the market for his protégé.
37 INTERNI.indd 37
05/02/18 12:00
A bijou in stainless steel with a blue dial that combines elegance, functionality and easy use. This gadget undergoes continuous improvements during the progress of the missions. In the 1995 movie Goldeneye the watch is equipped with a powerful laser, which is very useful to cut steel-plate floors of railway wagons. For Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) he chose a ref. 2531.80, which will be equipped with a remote detonator. In 1999 The World is not Enough, like the gadgets of the Bond’s Seamaster watches are never enough. In fact, this one is equipped with a grappling steel hook to hold on to in case of need and a strong flashlight, which he uses under an avalanche. Sophie Marceau, the beautiful Electra King, is definitely grateful to the Swiss Maison and the first airbag in history, when she gets trapped under an avalanche near Chamonix. Once again Bond was ahead of his time with this airbag. In the 2002 movie Die Another Day the Omega Seamaster 2531.80 appears again with a laser, which Bond uses to cut through the ice and save the life of the beautiful Oscar price winner Halle Berry. In Casino Royale (2006) Daniel Craig takes Brosnan’s place – much to the displeasure of many still today – and wears an Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean big size 2900.50.91 with a rubber strap and a Seamaster 2220.80.
It is noteworthy that Edward Coffrini Dell’Orto, owner of the Admiral Hotel and the 007 club in Milan, appears in this movie on the Lake Como inside the Villa del Balbianello in the role of the doctor. A magnificent limited edition of this timepiece was manufactured with the writing 007 in orange on the seconds hand and the words Casino Royale on the case back. An Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean 2201.50 with a stainless steel bracelet appears in the movie A Quantum of Solace (2008). In the 2012 movie Skyfall, which is considered to be one of the most beautiful 007 movies ever, and definitely Craig’s best movie, Eve Moneypenny (finally we discover her first name) wears an Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra Automatic, while Daniel Craig alternates between two Omega models: the Seamaster Aqua Terra mid size Chronometer and the Planet Ocean with bracelet and black dial. In the 2015 movie Spectre Craig uses two watches for sponsorship purposes: a stainless steel Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra 150 m with blue dial and a Seamaster 300 Spectre limited edition. For the first time in the history of Omega, James Bond sports a limited edition during a shooting. The end… James Bond will return – obviously with a new watch. Edward Coffrini Dell’Orto
38 INTERNI.indd 38
05/02/18 12:00
INTERNI.indd 39
05/02/18 12:01
watch brands
MONTA WATCH Established in 2015, MONTA WATCH is an American-based company manufacturing affordable luxury timepieces in Switzerland. They introduced the world to their first model, the Oceanking, at Baselworld in 2017.
This year at Baselworld MONTA is excited to announce their third model, a GMT called the Skyquest. In addition, MONTA has re-designed the Oceanking with a slimmer case and luminescent bezel. You can see their entire lineup and meet the owners in Hall 1.1, booth W15.
They have since sold out of the black dial Oceanking as well as a limited edition blue dial. In November of 2017 they began delivering their second model, a field watch called the Triumph. MONTA offered a customized approach to finding the perfect timepiece by allowing Triumph owners to choose between four dial colors (matte black and sunburst blue, green, and silver) and 7 strap/ bracelet options. The inspiration behind MONTA WATCH comes from the classic design of tool watches from the 1950’s and 1960’s. Taking cues from the timeless style of a dive watch, they have carried several aspects throughout their line: alternating polished and brushed case finishing, chamfers on the inner and outer lugs, applied markers and date window, and fully articulating bracelet links. Not content to have only a beautiful watch, the designers behind MONTA go above and beyond to ensure every step of the watchmaking process is scrutinized for quality control, from the initial drawings to the final delivery of the watch to the customer. When it comes to precision and refinement of modern technology, MONTA only works with the best. For example, the MONTA hands are diamond-cut and beveled out of rhodium. This expertise is only available from a select few Swiss manufacturers. The team behind MONTA is also responsible for the very popular Everest Bands. Their Swiss made rubber and leather straps are found worldwide in over 200 retail locations and on the wrists of watch aficionados everywhere. MONTA owners benefit from the expert technology of the Everest curved-end straps that fit perfectly to the case of the watch providing a flawless fit. The passion for watches amongst the owners of both brands has been taken to new heights over the last decade.
40
@montawatch @montawatch
TR 5 3 31 S
M O N TA REC AS TIN G T H E T I M E L I N E O F H I S TO RY
TRIUMPH 500 ft - 150 m 38.5 mm case 316L stainless steel SWISS MADE INTERNI.indd 41
MONTAWATCH.COM 05/02/18 12:01
what the expert says
Innovation and Watches What is Meant by Innovation within the Watch Industry?
A short introduction by Prof. Dr. Oliver Hoffmann Managing Partner at Valued.ch - a luxury goods consulting and investment company based in Switzerland
@ohotrav
He works as a consultant at Christie’s and is author to many publications in the field of luxury good management, innovation and watch industry dynamics. Watch industry has always been a special industry by all means. From an economic perspective, watch manufactures sell anachronistic products for a premium price. So it is worth to take a closer look into the mechanisms behind this phenomenon. The basis of any innovation is at all times a creativeinventive idea, which evolves within the innovation into a concrete and potentially valuable form – like a wristwatch. Thereafter and through a technology- and designer component the invention is transformed into a marketable product (or service), usually within a generally iterative process of development. The product becomes an innovation if accepted by the market. It is crucial that the innovation - if successfully marketed - can be denoted as such ever since its genesis as an invention: it is situationally and historically constituted as such in retrospective thanks to a market success. The diffusion of any kind of idea is first of all a completely natural, automatically happening process, which corresponds intensely with the human need for personal development and social, interactive learning, but also with the playful instinct and, last but not least, with transcendency. Albert Einstein famously once said about the relation of human play instinct and invention: “The source of all technical acquisitions is the divine curiosity and the play instinct of the experiment and pondering researcher and no less the constructive fantasy of the technical inventor.” Ancient history gives many examples of how initially technologies and later on also innovations spread regionally (technologies need in contrast to innovations a functioning market, whereas innovations are constituted by the latter). This happened commonly simultaneously to the development of trade routes - a phenomenon that is likewise evident in its modern equivalent of the linkage of innovations and watchmaking. Furthermore, generally a diffusion takes place in a geographical context, what suggests a usage of trade routes – the development of the Swiss watch industry over the past 400 years is a good example for this. Nevertheless, the diffusion of technologies and innovations is not perceivable sufficiently without a comprehensive view on the essence of innovation itself. This is, because technology-diffusion (which is much easier to describe and encountered in a more
43
44 INTERNI.indd 44
05/02/18 12:01
direct way) can only be successful in the long run, if the innovation is disseminated parallelly, which then establishes economic success of a technology. Based on the situational history-centered constitution of innovations and their diffusion or the lack thereof it is crucial to display the very often limited conception of innovation on a broader basis. Investigations have shown that aspects beyond scientifically anchored technicality play an important role particularly for long-term processes of diffusion and persistent adoption. Thus, a model was established that relies more strongly on the meta-dimensions of innovation: the holistic model of innovation. This model in made to explain innovation especially in an advanced stadium of an elaborated industry like the (luxury) watch industry is. As recent research on innovation often captures, individually and collectively perceived esthetics play a central role: esthetics are a prerequisite for successful innovations. The concept of esthetics is divided in - on the one hand - aspects of individual emotionality linked to a product or service and in social meaning or interaction of a product/service in a societal context on the other. In the first case, its design as its primary medium transmits, beyond technical and functional characteristics, a sort of sense and sensuousness while signaling beauty, elegance, creativity or quality to its owner or proprietor in that it is specially designed. Particularly the investigated cases in the clock-industry and their processes of innovation and of technology transfer show that an explanation is mostly only possible when the dimension of esthetics is considered. It comprises both of the most important dimensions for the social construction of innovation: the individual product dimension and the collective dimension of positioning and paradigm-innovations. The notion of technicity, on the contrary, represents the traditionally used approach, which namely focuses inherently on the technological dimension of innovation and which is concentrated on the individual product-dimension and on the collective process-dimension. It thus defines the essence of innovation for a product or service differently. In summary, it is essential to emphasize that processes of the diffusion of innovations can only be perceived properly if they are investigated not only with regard to their technological aspects - mostly easily to describe -, but also concerning their “soft“ factors of esthetics. This distinction bears especially for a sector like the watch industry, for which this differentiation was well elaborated, great potential
and correspondingly also willingness for diffusion processes of all kind. The understanding of this mechanism is essential for the ongoing and future success of any luxury good industry; when you take a close look, you will understand by this model watch successful manufactures do right and the others don’t.
The Patek Philippe Nautilus ref. 5711 is today one of the most desirable watches and its value is constantly increasing
45 INTERNI.indd 45
05/02/18 12:01
Marie Sanna-Legrand © Stéphane de Bourgies
INTERNI.indd 46
05/02/18 12:01
Giorgia' s interviews
Interview with Marie Sanna-Legrand Head of Watch Department at Artcurial Auction House
“
Being one of the few women in the world of watches, it is always a pleasure for me to work and collaborate with other women and Marie is for sure an inspiration of seriousness, strength and knowledge.
For each watch selected in our auction, we always seek examples coming from private hands. This is a key element to achieve high sell through rates for each auction.
“
@artcurial_watches
Artcurial Watches
It is such a honor for me to talk and interview one of my favorite people in the horological field! BEING A WOMAN IN THIS MALE WORLD: WHAT IS YOUR FEELING ABOUT THIS? My feeling is that it is an asset because today’s watch world is much more than it seems. Although male collectors started to collect in the early years, we can notice today a trend towards collecting from women. I feel comfortable in this world as a woman, if you look at the Swiss watch industry today there is also more and more CEO which are women, as an example from Chabi Nouri with Piaget. TELL US ABOUT YOUR TYPICAL DAY AT AUCTION? There is never a routine at Artcurial which is what makes this position so exciting and thrilling every day of the year. Along with the team, we plan all year long valuation days in different capitals of Europe, mostly concentrating our efforts with the European network of representative offices from Artcurial. On a regular basis, we receive enquiries from clients who wish to know the value of their watches, it happens often that we make great discoveries and we put all our energy to best optimize the potential at auction.
47
HOW MANY AUCTIONS DO YOU ORGANIZE PER YEAR?
HOW DO YOU SEE THE WATCH DEPARTMENT AT ARTCURIAL IN 5 YEARS TIME?
Every year we have two prestigious sessions in Monaco: a winter session in January at the Yacht Club and a summer session in July at the Hermitage Hotel; in between we have middle auctions in Paris at our headquarters Marcel Dassault Hotel, which is for the first entry value watches. Our strategy is perfectly adapted to each market locations to reaffirm our leadership in France. Our vision is global to attract buyers but our mission is to act locally with collectors, France and Europe is mostly our playground to find sellers.
The watch department will continue to strengthen as the watch market is still growing fast. Over the last two years we have achieved the best results ever with the strongest amount of watches ever sold above 100’000 €, which had never happened before my taking over the watch department in 2014. Our goal in the watch department will continue to be: quality, rarity, variety and provenance.
WHAT IS THE MOST DIFFICULT PART OF YOUR WORK? The most difficult part of our work is like any other auction houses to win consignments over our nearest competitors. Today the world of watch collecting is becoming more and more exclusive, therefore our strategy is clearly towards this market trend “less is more”. For each watch selected in our auction, we always seek examples coming from private hands. This is a key element to achieve high sell through rates for each auction. WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS FOR 2018? For 2018 our goals are very clear which to continue to strengthen our position on the market in France and Monaco. With the recent acquisition by Artcurial of the real estate agent John Taylor, we will use it to our advantage to attract new buyers and sellers. With the support of my team, we will continue to search treasures all over Europe while also be present in some key regions of the watch collecting world.
HOW DID SOCIAL MEDIA CHANGE THE WORLD OF COLLECTORS? Social medias transformed the way people are looking at the watch collecting world over the last few years and we have taken well notice of this new collecting trend towards Instagram particularly. Our vision is that we need to be present which is the case with our very active account Artcurial Watches where we post every day some news about watches that we are about to present at auctions. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE WATCH? Rather than saying my favorite watch, I would like to point out my favorite brand, Piaget which today is probably one the fastest growing brand in the world of women’s watches. Which is why we decided to focus our attention on this area of the market in Monaco with the world premiere thematic sale Le Temps est Féminin in January 2018.
“There is never a routine at Artcurial which is what makes this position so exciting and thrilling every day of the year.”
48 INTERNI.indd 48
05/02/18 12:01
RTCURIAL PATEK PHILIPPE Nautilus "Jumbo", ref. 3700/1A Sold 87 100 € in Monaco, January 2018
Invitation to consign
IMPORTANT WATCHES AUCTIONS IN MONTE-CARLO For free and confidential valuation please contact us to book an appointment Next auctions : July 2018 in Monte-Carlo
INTERNI.indd 49
Important Watches Marie Sanna-Legrand +33 (0)1 42 99 16 53 msanna@artcurial.com Monaco Director Louise Gréther +377 97 77 51 99 lgrether@artcurial.com
Artcurial SAM Résidence des Acanthes 6 avenue des Citroniers 98000 Monaco monaco@artcurial.com www.artcurial.com
05/02/18 12:01
ARTCURIAL: MORE THAN 7M€ - 8,5M$ FOR THE WINTER
“
AUCTIONS IN MONACO,
With more than 7 M € of lots sold, Artcurial increases its turnover by over 30% compared to the edition of January 2017.
Results of the auctions from 17th to 19th January 2018, in Monaco
Monaco confirms its major place as an international capital of luxury and of the market.
This third session of winter auctions in the Principality of Monaco ended after three days of auctions, with a turnover in progression by over 30 % in comparison with the 2017 edition. This increase is especially led by the Jewellery (+25%) and the Collector Watches (+40%). Under the gavel of François Tajan, the auction house totalized at the Monaco Yacht Club 7,007,846 € - 8,549,572 $. This edition was marked by the success of an unprecedented proposition. For the first time in the world, an auction exclusively dedicated to feminine horology was organised: “Time is Feminine”. Lots of collectors bade, especially for the pieces made by Piaget. These bangle watches, between high jewellery and high horology, overlooked the auction well above the regular leaders of “Collector Watches” auctions (Cartier, Patek Philippe, Rolex...). They were the subject of a conference that the patrimony director of the Swiss house did in last December in Paris. The next auctions of Jewellery, Collector Watches and Hermès Vintage organised by Artcurial in Monte-Carlo will take place in July 2018 at the Hermitage Hotel.
Each item of our auctions reaches the best price thanks to a great organisation and to local and international customers, loyal and even more abundant.
“
+ 30% COMPARED TO 2017
François Tajan Deputy Chairman, Artcurial
50 INTERNI.indd 50
05/02/18 12:01
the WORLD of AUCTIONS
“Collector Watches” including “Time is Feminine”
Lot 179: pendant watch by Patek Philippe sold twice the estimate at 57,200 € - 69,784 $
With two auctions on January 17th and 18th, the “Collector Watches” totalized 1,768,091 € - 2,157, 071 $, with 76 % of lots sold. A result in progression by over 40% compared to 2017. The speciality was particularly highlighted this year with in addition to the traditionnal auction, a world premiere: “Time is Feminine”. This auction exclusively dedicated to women watches explored the link between women and watches, thanks to 93 lots including some iconic bangle watches by Piaget. By itself, the auction achieved 463,615 € - 565,610 $, led by a pendant watch by Patek Philippe Manufacture in gold and sapphire (lot 179) sold twice the estimate, 57,200 € - 69,784 $. The other eight Piaget pieces, fusion between high horology and high jewellerey, were all sold as this bangle watch in gold and malachite (lot 195) sold for 31,200 € - 36,951 $, three times its estimate.
51 INTERNI.indd 51
05/02/18 12:01
Patek Philippe, Breguet and Rolex were the stars of the traditional “Collector Watches” auction. In front of a full house, collectors fought for several lots: 75 % of the lots changed hands during the evening. A vintage Nautilus “Jumbo” signed by Patek Philippe (lot 79) coming from a German private collection was sold for 87,100 € - 106,262 $, almost three times its estimate. Two creations of F. P. Journe (lots 115 and 116), one of the rare independent watchmaker, also have to be mentioned. The first one, a Tourbillon Souverain doubles its estimate at 59,800 € - 72,956 $, and the second one, an Octa Calendrier, was sold for 41,600 € - 50 752 $ (estimate: 15,000 – 20,000 $).
Lot 195: PIAGET, 18k yellow gold and malachite manual winding lady’s bangle twatch, yellow gold and malachite set bracelet, with premium 31,200 € - 36,915 $
“
With 76% of lots sold, this session confirms our strategy. International collectors are looking for rare pieces like those from independent watchmaker like F.P. Journe. They also like watches coming from private collections as this Nautilus Jumbo coming from a german collection. The success of the acution Time is feminine, the first of its kind in the world, pushed the established order in the horology auctions in the masculine domain. Far above Rolex, Cartier or Patek Philippe, Piaget dominates for the feminine creations.
“
Marie Sanna-Legrand Director Collector Watches, Artcurial
Vintage Nautilus “Jumbo” signed by Patek Philippe (lot 79) sold for 87,100 € - 106,262 $
52 INTERNI.indd 52
05/02/18 12:01
About Artcurial Founded in 2002, Artcurial, a multidisciplinary auction house based in Paris, reinforcing its leading position in the market of the international art in 2016. With main auction venues in Paris and Monte-Carlo, the House totals 210.1 million euros in sales volume in 2016, doubling its turnover in 5 years (+10% compared to 2015). It covers the whole spectrum of major specialties: Beaux-Arts to decorative arts, collector automobiles, jewellery, collector timepieces, fine wines and spirits‌Resolutely turned toward the international market, Artcurial asserts its network abroad with representation offices in Brussels, Milan, Monaco,
Munich and Vienna as well as a presence in Beijing and Tel Aviv, and biannual exhibitions in New York. In October 2015, Artcurial organised its first sale in Hong Kong and in Morocco.
@artcurial_watches
Artcurial Watches www.artcurial.com
53
The Magic of Liguria
We are happy to share with you the place where we live: Liguria. Liguria is a land where the mountains rise directly up from the sea and between the most famous locations we find Portofino, Genova and Le Cinque Terre. We’ll let the images speak for themselves...
luxury travels
Gulf of Portofino
Portovenere
55 INTERNI.indd 55
05/02/18 12:01
Genoa, Boccadasse
Camogli
56 INTERNI.indd 56
05/02/18 12:01
Portofino
Gulf of Portofino
57 INTERNI.indd 57
05/02/18 12:02
Port of Genoa
Harbour of Camogli
Lighthouse of Genoa
58 INTERNI.indd 58
05/02/18 12:02
INTERNI.indd 59
05/02/18 12:02
JOIN THE REVOLUTION
W W W. D I S C O V E R . WAT C H
INTERNI.indd 60
05/02/18 12:02
what the expert says
The Art of Live Auctions in a Digital World by Geoffroy Ader
Watch consultant for French auctioneers including the market leader Artcurial and advisor with his online platform aderwatches.com
When Giorgia asked me to contribute to her new magazine, I was honored and immediately answered yes to her new project. In an innovative and more digitalized world we are living in, the publication of a paper magazine brings us back to the roots of collecting which is based entirely on human feelings and passion for watches which is the essence of live auctions. Looking back to the history of watch auctions, nothing would have happened without the vision of collectors, those who created the watch market, started collecting before all and made it possible for others to understand the love and passion for watch collecting. It is why this new magazine on paper brought me this idea of exploring the human side of auctions. If today most of the young generation of watch collectors plays with virtual social networks in a fully digital world, one should never forget that wristwatch collecting started almost thirty years ago with many other Italian collectors such as Guido Mondani who started first to share his passion for watches through books entirely dedicated to Rolex watches. This is the essence of live auctions, nothing could have become possible without the constant efforts of the Mondani family putting many different models and references in scholar books, that all of us know about and use as a reference to indicate that this one is rarer than the other. It establishes the collecting world of watches and reaffirms the scholarship behind the auction scene. The name Mondani has also given to the auction world under the hammer of Osvaldo Patrizzi in 2006 at Antiquorum one of the biggest moments of watch history with a catalogue solely dedicated to Rolex. The market owes a lot to his vision before many others, that is why I would like to point out how important the human is so important the success of auction in a digital world.
@aderwatches
@aderwatches
61
Recently, the record-breaking Rolex Paul Newman from Paul Newman at Phillips New York perfectly illustrated the art of live auctions in a digital world. If only a happy few were present in the room, the entire community and passionate world of watch lovers, including myself, at the eyes on the screen of their computer, Iphone, Ipad to watch the auctioneer on the rostrum and experience full excitement watching his performance. The live auction world needs terribly and drastically to have performers to do the show, it is the best auctioneer that usually drives all our emotions. Live is all about rhythm, taking the bids with a fast and slow pace, making sure the public enjoys the show, making it a game where collectors love it and so many good memories come to my mind, just like when at the last minute a new bidder comes in, out of nowhere and finally wins the lot.
If digital means spread out the news at every second, one should never forget that collectors need to gather around the auction season in Geneva twice a year, in the spring and fall season. Year after year, we all meet with great excitement, auction highlights are there for us to begin any discussions, argue, explain, find conclusions but always the same comes back over and over, our passion for watches. A collector needs physical interaction, live auction is there for us to remember these sacred moments where we can have endless discussions, enjoy drinks and long lasting diners, sharing our passion with many collectors as possible makes the essence of the auction world. Geneva is not only the center of watchmaking but also definitely the place to experience these true and unique interactions. This is the joy of the auction world, collectors are to be remembered while records are to be beaten, this seems more and more the moto of live auctions where records are beaten season after season but collectors with a singular passion for watches are more than just a happening, it is the market itself. It is why auctions need to thank so much to all the ones that have the live event so magic for all these years.
How to describe the feelings of an auctioneer? How does he prepare the auction? Where does all this energy come from under his gavel? All these questions remain truly personal but it is an evidence that the star watch auctioneer at Philipps, Aurel Bacs, has the talent to make the room enjoy the perfect music of lots sold at millions like a great conductor. This is why the live auction is all about humanity, feelings, passion, just like a live music concert. Such gatherings with the auctioneer on the rostrum are pure excitement for the public, but it is even stronger when the auction is entirely dedicated to a collector, usually called “the single owner sale” which makes it pure magic for historical moments. These are moments that will never vanish, it is like if time was suspended for ever, looking back to the future and having the best memories for the collector himself or his descendants, looking over every single watch in the catalogue as great moments of his life. The list would be too long to recall all these private collections sold at auction, but moments are to be remembered and related with emotions just like the George Daniels auction at Sotheby’s in 2012. As far as I recall, being present at the time, the moment was of an incredible warmth and intensity, in the temple of auction at Sotheby’s headquarters in London on New Bond Street, the heart of the art auction market since 1744.
62 INTERNI.indd 62
05/02/18 12:02
The room was packed with so many collectors, all wanting to either buy or simply attend the auction and be part of the game, it was a magical moment when the first lots started and all it did was to set all these watches on stage as future icons of the watch auction world, especially the George Daniels unique complicated timepieces. If collectors or even geniuses make the difference, it turns out to be based only on their power to attract one’s attention by being different and some of them unique. One should always remember that prices are never the cause but the consequence of efforts to lead other people’s vision towards yours, in that sense we can say that the Mondani family has achieved with great success its passion for Rolex watches, they have lead people to follow their instinct or passion. Over the years, they have in a sense largely contributed to the auction scene internationally by spreading out on the word about Rolex collecting. So many stories about Rolex can be said but one thing remains, passion and endless efforts from collectors, which makes at the end the biggest and most surprising excitement for live auction bidders. Among all, I have this anecdote which comes to my mind as an example to confirm all the efforts on scholarship by collectors that have benefitted the auction world: Rolex Ref. 16528 in yellow gold with a unique variant on the dial 13 instead of 15, which I had the chance to discover at Sotheby’s when it was sold at auction in Geneva on 15 May 2011.
This needs to remain the same for the younger generations of Instagrammers, hopefully the digital world supporting the live auction will bring more people to the auction room. Auctioneers be ready to do the best to welcome them to the real world of watch collectors. The Iphone generation needs to come more and more to the living auction world and finally use this device in a different way by raising it at the end of the auction battle, once the gavel is up before the final knock down: sold! Geoffroy Ader With more than 22 years of experience on the auction market, both as a senior specialist and auctioneer working for many different auction houses, including Sotheby’s where he acted as European head of watches. Geoffroy Ader has decided today to become an entrepreneur by acting as a watch consultant for French auctioneers including the market leader Artcurial and as an advisor with his online platform aderwatches.com giving information on the auction market. Based in Paris, he keeps on travelling around the world giving lectures on how best to know about the history and complexity of watches while understanding the essence of auctions.
The original owner was one of the first ones to buy the watch directly from the store back in the 90’s, he was really happy to wear his watch for a few days when he suddenly realized it had an error on the dial and decided to return it to Rolex headquarters in Geneva. The new owner wrote a letter to the CEO at the time, Mr Heinegger, who then replied officially he was sorry and could replace the dial as a commercial gesture. Finally, not willing to change and enjoying to wear the watch, the owner then kept it with all its accessories and precious letter from Rolex confirming the dial error “13”. As time passed away the client decided to part with it, finally coming up for live auction it was the beginning of a new story, not only the price it made which was at the time a record for that reference, but most of all the excitement it gave to all collectors. This is the essence of live auction, it is all about humanity, we need to be thankful to all of them.
63
64 INTERNI.indd 64
05/02/18 12:02
what the expert says
The Birth of a Passion by Osvaldo Patrizzi
Nominated as one of the 20 most important men in the watchmaking world, Osvaldo Patrizzi was born in 1945 and has been very keen on watches since he was young When you talk about collecting wristwatches nowadays, it almost seems a palissien. This hobby has transformed rapidly in passion and investment and is now rooted deeply in our culture and lifestyle. It all began not just with one individual, but was also particularly due to an extraordinary change of society, which soon would have upset our way of life: the fast communication. This was a necessary evolution for auction houses to remain competitive. The collecting of wristwatches began in Geneva in 1979. From what I hear, many claim to be father of this child, but in the end the mother that generated everything was one of my ideas. The process of growing this logical and necessary idea, which I was developing in that period, was boosted by the European financial and economic crisis. As a manager for a monothematic auction house like mine, which is specialized in one sector, even though it includes antique horology, pendulum clocks, boites à musique (music boxes) and scientific instruments, I had to come up with an idea. It was my responsibility to provide the house with a chance of survival in case of a sudden big crisis and the subsequent lack of interest. I have always loved watchmaking.
It has always interested me as a primary art, even though it is an industrial art for many. I can see the spark of human genius in these animated objects: the creativity to develop and the ability to manufacture them. A savoir faire that makes us distinguish an industrial product from a piece of art. I am more and more convinced that the Number 1 of each series is an artwork. I also had to resolve the problem of how to give a collector the possibility to really enjoy his passion. The use of a pocket watch was, of course, rather limited and one of the problems was, how to wear it. Carrying a montre ognion in the pocket was definitely not the most practical way to read the time, provided that the clock worked! I had examined various possibilities at the time and I fancied the idea of wristwatches! There was a heritage in its DNA that fascinated and intrigued me. Historically and technically watchmaking has evolved: from the public tower clock to the in-house clock, from the pendulum to the pocket watch. I was absolutely convinced that the next step would have been the wristwatch. I told myself that living ones passion by wearing the beloved timepiece on the wrist would have been the key factor to success, and I believe I was right. In April 1981, in Grand Rue no. 20 in Geneva and after numerous discussions with my partner of that time, who did not believe in this idea, I held my first auction that was partially dedicated to wristwatches. I should outline that the wristwatch and its fast evolution have pushed – if not forced – me to find more dynamic ways to communicate with the client. But this will probably be the topic of a different article. I can tell you a lot of interesting anecdotes, which recall that exciting time. Here are the two nicest stories: The first sale of wristwatches worldwide had been organized. A part from the regular collectors, there were a lot of new faces in the auction room. People I had never seen before and, interestingly, mostly Germans. Today we believe that the Italians were the first to take an interest in wristwatches, but it wasn’t what I saw. The first and most courageous were the Germans. The first anecdote, which I am going to tell you, refers
65 INTERNI.indd 65
05/02/18 12:02
Antiquorum Genève Catalogue “Vente Aux Enchères XXX” October 4, 1981
66 INTERNI.indd 66
05/02/18 12:02
to how one of the most important timepieces in the history of wristwatches – of all brands – ended up in sale on October 4th, 1981. It was a Patek Philippe, reference 541, similar to the Calatrava of 1939 in platinum, with minute repeater, perpetual calendar with apertures and moonphases. The watch is illustrated in my book “Patek Philippe Wristwatches” and in the second volume of “Collecting Patek Philippe”, page 83, image 353, edited by Mondani. Back at that time I attended almost all watch conventions of the American association NAWCC (National Association of American Watch & Clock Collectors). As usual it was organized at the end of spring and that year it took place in a little town lost in the depths of America (they changed the state every year). All leading dealers from all over the world and many American collectors were present. Rumors about a wristwatch auction had spread all over the world and many people started to offer me what they owned. At the time, 99% of the watches sold at the conventions were pocket and pendulum clocks. The famous owner of a German auction house, which now has closed down, came towards me and asked me what I thought about wristwatches and their future. I replied that I believed in their future and if he had any watch to offer me, I would be interested. He looked at me with curiosity and after a few minutes he told me that a friend of his in Chicago owned an interesting Patek Philippe in platinum with complications. Obviously I said yes and that I would have auctioned it gladly. But he told me that if I wanted to have it, I had to buy it. The price was $ 200,000 in cash. Back then this was a large sum, especially for a wristwatch, but I just had to do it. I had the cash with me and I would have paid for the watch upon delivery. He left me for a few minutes in order to make a telephone call. He was smiling when he returned: his client was interested in selling it. We made an appointment for the next day and I returned to the convention, whereas he took a plane to Chicago. I was a little hesitant, it was a large amount of money and never before a wristwatch had been sold for more than CHF 20,000 at that time. The PP 2499 were auctioned for CHF 12-15,000 and the 3450 for CHF 8-12,000. I can’t remember how I spent the night; at that time there was no reference work to guide or comfort me, and it had definitely been a rough night. The day after he arrived at the agreed time, punctual as a German. From the inside pocket of his jacket he pulled an old leather PP case and put it in my hands. While I was opening the case, I thought that
Patek Philippe, ref. 3450, 18K yellow gold
the weight was just right and the first touch felt good. Once the case was open, my jaw dropped and seemed to weigh a ton and my knees trembled. I was absolutely amazed, it was beautiful and had a diameter of 31 mm. At the time, watches were considered to be a discreet piece of jewelry and they didn’t have these horrible measurements they have today. Its dial was in platinum and featured applied convergent Arabic numerals, three windows – at 3 and at 9 o’clock, and the moonphases (in the second subdial) at 6 o’clock. Leaf-shaped hands in platinum and the minute repeater on the side close to 9 o’clock.
67 INTERNI.indd 67
05/02/18 12:02
It wasn’t easy to explain to my partner, why I had paid such an enormous amount of money for a wristwatch, but in the end after some heated arguments as only Italians know how, we made peace. A few months later the watch was sold for $ 220,000 to a German. It wasn’t a big profit, but as Armstrong said, when he made his first step on the moon: “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” For the first time a wristwatch obtained such a high price – the first in a long series. In April 1996 the same watch was sold for $ 1,715,000 and now it is a fantastic exhibit in the Patek Philippe Museum. I would like to tell you another anecdote, which I remember very well. It happened during the April auction in 1982. For the occasion I had prepared a second catalogue of only wristwatches, which filled me with great satisfaction. The sale included a lot of interesting items, among which were some complicated Patek Philippe, some Vacheron Constantin Art Deco with extravagant designs and many Movado watches. Back then the Movado was the watch par excellence for new collectors. It was a very successful sale with constantly increasing prices and an audience overflowing with clients in a room full of activity. The Patek Philippe perpetual calendar watches, refs. 3448 and 3450 exceeded the price of CHF 18,000 + commission and the refs. 2499/100 were sold for over CHF 40,000. It was a big surprise for everyone. At the end of the sale my partner and I congratulated ourselves on our success and this more than satisfying financial result. We closed the office and went home. The next day would have been very stressful what with the preparation of the invoices and the delivery of the sold lots. Patek Philippe, ref. 3448, 18K white gold
The movement seemed to be in excellent condition. The nice weight, which I mentioned before was due to the original bracelet in platinum, which came as an unexpected surprise. I paid for the watch and when he took the money he started to laugh his head off. It was almost insulting, as if I were the most stupid person in the world. He had probably paid only a few thousand dollars for the watch. I was also laughing up my sleeves, because I thought the same thing of him.
I have always preferred to organize auctions on Sundays, that gives customers one or two days at the most to enjoy their passion. Monday morning at around 11 o’clock I received a call from Philippe Stern, the owner and chairman of Patek Philippe. “Osvaldo” , he said all excited, “what is happening? I have the shop full of people, who all want to buy a complicated Patek!” He was totally surprised, because during the previous 5 years he had only sold very few examples and now everybody wanted to have one. He asked me, how the auction had been. I replied that the sale had been a great success and that the interest for and the sales of Patek Philippe watches had surpassed
68 INTERNI.indd 68
05/02/18 12:02
all other brands. I informed him about all prices the Patek Philippe watches had obtained and the euphoria these timepieces created. He remained silent for a few moments. He seemed flattered and with decisive voice he told me that he would have called back after a few minutes. He called me almost right away and informed me that he had ordered his staff to suspend sales of the complicated watches with immediate effect until further notice. He could not understand, how some of the references still in production had obtained higher
prices in auction than the same watches on sale just 300 m from here, in their boutique. Honestly, at the time I didn’t know whether to be content or only surprised. But the lesson I learned was precious for my future activity: never underestimate the reaction that an object of desire generates in its enthusiasts. To collect means to love and the price for those who love is only a temporary material quotation – not a limit, but the transition to a higher level of appreciation. Osvaldo Patrizzi
Patek Philippe, ref. 2499,
18K yellow gold
69 INTERNI.indd 69
05/02/18 12:02
WHAT TREASURES AWAIT...
Discover. Uncover. Explore. SAVE TH E DATES
F E B R U A R Y 9 -12 , 2 018 MIA MI FA IR E X P O CE N T E R
US E P ROMO C O D E “MO N DA N I ” FOR A FREE TICKET Visit OriginalMiamiBeachAntiqueShow.com for more information.
Pawn & Auction House Vaduz
Pawn Loans + Auctions + Purchases & Sales
FL Pfand- & Auktionshaus is the first auction house in the Principality of Liechtenstein and is headquartered in Vaduz. The concept is very unique as they combine the pawn loan business with the auction house and their goal is to transact with international watch dealers. In fact, thanks to many years of experience in the watch business, their team is familiar with the situation of most watches and jewelry dealers: a big stock of products and a low liquidity.
Often there is not enough money available when the best opportunities to catch bargains are given, so what the company offers is a quick pawn-loan for watches and jewelry as well as precious metals. Attractive pawn loan conditions: only 1% interest rate plus 1% fee per month for watch dealers and a high quote of pawn value (40 - 70% of the estimate price). On request the pawn objects can be shown and advertised on the main watch platforms to generate a sale during the pawn loan period to help the watch dealers growing their business very fast. They can also pay a pawn loan for auction items for the time before the auction takes places with very special conditions. The process is very easy because the watches can also be shipped by package and the pawn can be wired by bank-wire. Furthermore, the pawn loans can always be extended. As mentioned, their team has a big experience in the world of collectible timepieces and jewels and that is why they were able to combine the pawn business with the auction house. Contact their team for further information about watch pawn. FL Pfand- & Auktionshaus is specialized in auctioning fine vintage watches, jewelry, gemstones, automobiles, antiques and art objects. Live auctions physically take place in Vaduz and can be attended in person by potential bidders, but every sale is simultaneously connected in real time to establish online auction platforms and allow clients to bid via their website. The enthusiasm of their team for the auctioning of rare objects is clearly perceptible. They are passionate about what they do.
@flauction @PfandhausLiechtenstein
72
FL Pfand experts are always available for personal consultation and offer free valuations of your pieces; through their website you can send photos and information of your watches and jewels to get an estimate for the upcoming sales.
the WORLD of AUCTIONS HOW TO TAKE PART AT AN AUCTION To bid at one of their auctions either online or physically in the auction hall, you have to register first and become a qualified bidder. The registration can be made online, in their shop or at an auction and applicants are welcome from all around the world – bidders do not have to be from Liechtenstein or Switzerland. An official ID is required for the registration. POST AUCTION SALE When an object remains unsold, FL Pfand offers a post aucion sale at their website, where you will still have the chance to get the item you want.
Panerai PAM703
BEST SELLERS Even being only two years old, in the past auctions, FL Pfand sold very special watches, such as: a very rare Panerai PAM703, produced in a very limited series. Sold for CHF 192.000. A beautiful and highly collectible Patek Philippe Nautilus Jumbo for Gübelin. Sold for CHF 95’000. A very desirable Patek Philippe Nautilus Ref 3700/1 sold for CHF 41’000.
Panerai PAM703
Patek Philippe Nautilus Jumbo ref. 3700J/1 for Gübelin
Patek Philippe Nautilus ref. 3700/1
73 INTERNI.indd 73
05/02/18 12:02
MEET THE TEAM Patrick Lindner and Daniel Furman are the CEOs of the company and watch experts; don’t hesitate to contact them:
Patrick Lindner
Phone: +423 231 4244 E-Mail: info@auktionen.li www.auktionen.li
Daniel Furman
International Watch Pawn Low interest rates High estimation value Always expandable www.watch-pawn.com
First Auction House in Liechtenstein Specialized for:
Watches Jewellery Art Consign your objects now!
LIVE AUCTIONS www.auktionen.li
FL Pfand- & Auktionshaus Anstalt Lettstrasse 5, 9490 Vaduz, Liechtenstein
We speak:
00423 231 4244 info@auktionen.li
www.auktionen.li
what the expert says
Timeless Watches & Jewellery Buying luxury watches in the heart of Liechtenstein The Principality of Liechtenstein is bordered by Switzerland to the west and south and Austria to the east and north, it has an area of just over 160 square kilometres (62 square miles) and its capital is the beautiful city of Vaduz, with around 5’000 residents. Despite being one of the very few capital cities in Europe without an airport, Vaduz has an important tourist industry and its most prominent landmark is the historic Vaduz Castle. Right in the heart of the city you can find the store “Timeless Watches & Jewellery”, specialized in buying, selling and trading modern and vintage luxury watches. In the store you will find a team of horology experts who will help and assist you. Furthermore, at the website www.timeless.li you will find the entire selection of their timepieces for sale, you will benefit of a quick worldwide shipment and the team will be at your disposal if you send enquiry requests.
They are specialized in Panerai, Omega, Rolex and vintage watches. Furthermore they have a big network for all kinds of jewels, especially for diamonds. In addition, at “Timeless Watches & Jewellery” you will find watch makers with over 30 years of experience who will ensure customers the best restorations, excellent repairs and a top quality service. “Timeless Watches & Jewellery” is a trusted dealer in the main online platforms, offer exceptional conditions to other watch dealers and also accept Bitcoin as method of payment. If you go to Vaduz don’t miss this beautiful store located in: Lettstraße 5, 9490 Vaduz Liechtenstein Phone +423 231 4242 Email info@timeless.li
@timelesswatchesvaduz @timelessliechtenstein timeless.li
www.timeless.li
Your trusted Watch Dealer in Liechtenstein We buy and sell modern and vintage watches Watchmaker with over 30 years of experience Worldwide shipping
We speak:
Timeless Watches & Jewellery AG Lettstrasse 5, 9490 Vaduz, Liechtenstein
00423 231 4242 info@timeless.li
www.timeless.li
INTERNI.indd 78
05/02/18 12:02
Giorgia' s interviews
Interview with David Lee Businessman, chairman and CEO of Hing Wa Lee Jewelers. Famous Ferrari collector
“
Watches are my business, but also my passion as well. It’s something I’ve been doing for over thirty years and I do love it. The watches that I’m going to buy in the near future probably are something more special, more complicated.
“
@ferraricollector_davidlee
I had the good fortune of meeting David Lee in California in August 2017, when I was invited to visit his magnificent garage. I was so impressed by what I saw that I asked David to share his passion, his experiences and his rise with our readers. David Lee is a businessman, who was born in Hong Kong. He is chairman and CEO of a family owned business in California: a chain of jewelry stores named after his father, Hing Wa, who was the founder. Today David is one of the most important independent retailers of watches, jewelry and accessories. David Lee is not only a successful businessman, but he is also one of the most important collectors of luxury cars in the world… Let’s ask David himself to tell us about his collection: HOW MANY CARS DO YOU HAVE IN YOUR GARAGE TODAY? I have about thirty cars, the reason I only have thirty cars is because in my strategy each car is a very special car… I don’t collect cars just, you know, to have 120 cars. I think the value of the thirty cars that I have equals to other collections that have 300 cars so, my strategy is to have really special cars and plus I drive them, so if I’d too many cars I wouldn’t be able to drive them all, I like driving the cars as well. So it is, that I drive every car, so within thirty cars, I mean, that would be one car a day.
79
IS THERE ANY CAR FROM YOUR COLLECTION YOU COULD NEVER BRING YOURSELF TO SELL? I really like my Ferrari big 5 red racers supercar collection - a 2003 Enzo, a 1995 F50, a 1990 F40, a 1985 280 GTO and a rare 1987 288 GTO Evoluzione, a prototype for Class B rally race car, of which only five were built. This is the collection that I will never think of myself selling. WHICH FERRARI IS YOUR FAVORITE AND WHY? This is perhaps one of my most asked questions. Every Ferrari in my collection has special meaning to me. They all hold great significance to me and they all carry an important position in my car buying strategy, which is why I collect them. I collect near classic and modern Ferrari from 1950s to 2000s and enjoy driving different Ferrari to various places. If I need to attend a classic car rally, I will drive a classic Ferrari. If I need to bring a car to a classic car race, I will bring my Lusso Competizione; if I am going to the beach, I will drive my F50 as it is convertible; if I need to go on track where I really need a highperformance car, I will bring my LaFerrari; and if I just want to cruise along the coast, I will drive my GTC4 Lusso. So, depending on what and where I am doing and going, I will change the Ferrari I drive. That said, if I am asked which one of my Ferrari has more sentimental value to me, the answer is my 288 GTO. The 288 GTO was my beloved dream car when I was in high school. When I finally obtained one, it was like a dream come true to me. It makes me feel great about myself and because of this, you can say that it is my favorite car.
“A LOT OF MY CLIENTS HAVE BECOME KEEN COLLECTORS AFTER HAVING BOUGHT THEIR FIRST WATCH.” DID THE SAME THING HAPPEN TO YOU WITH CARS? The same thing happens to me now and as it did five years ago. I have always loved cars. I had a desire to own the best of each of the famous sports cars, which led me to buy a Ferrari GT and a Lamborghini Diablo, which was the last Diablo of the mass-produced model in the series. But it all changed a few years ago when my friend invited me to his house for a Christmas party and said: “I have something really special to show you”. He took me to his garage and showed me a special classic car - a Jaguar E Type convertible, which needed some work. I’d never owned a classic car before at that point in time but I remembered admiring the car and by the end of it I had already made up my mind, I said to him: “Ok, I’m going to have a classic car, but that’s gonna be Ferrari”. The turning point for me was when I really started my research on classic Ferrari, their cost, their heritage and their outstanding value. I was able to peek into the fantastic world of Ferrari and that made me realize the investment potential and appreciation value of Ferrari... as a businessman and entrepreneur, the benefits of collecting Ferrari quickly came to my mind. Not only was it is a good investment, but it also was art that I could both enjoy appreciating and engaging myself in the experience of driving these supercars. There is nothing better than this. So I ended up getting my first classic Ferrari - a 1965 275 GTS. The car cost me over a million to get but as the value of the car appreciated, I started to collect more cars. In the process of researching the 275 GTS, I was offered many other cars: 330 GTS, 365 Daytona Spider, 275 GTB, 6 carbs, 250 Lusso and many more.
80 INTERNI.indd 80
05/02/18 12:02
WHAT DOES IT FEEL LIKE TO GET BEHIND THE WHEEL? WHICH ENGINE GIVES YOU THE BIGGEST THRILL? Each car gives me a different kind of thrill. I took two of my Ferrari to the Laguna Seca Raceway in Monterey, California and put them on track. With the 250 Lusso Competizione, which is one of four were built, the drive was exceptional. This famous race track is 2.238 miles long, with a 180 feet elevation change. Its eleven turns are highlighted by the circuit’s signature turn, the downhill-plunging “Corkscrew” turn. I drove my 250 Lusso Competizione on this track and went through this famous corkscrew. This car was built with the V12 front engine that was considered quite an old technology now as it was built back in 1964. Nevertheless, the drive was still very thrilling. I could immerse myself in driving the car - the manual shifting, the heal and toe double-clutching, were all so fun and challenging. The other car I took to this raceway was my F12tdf DSKL, a special edition car that Ferrari enthusiasts teamed up with Ferrari to create for me - a tribute spec to my 1964 Ferrari 250 Lusso Competizione. This yellow F12 was named after me by putting my initials DSKL. This car, of course, is a high performance incredibly fast racing car. It is the perfect car to drive on this famous track. Each turn is thrilling and it is almost like you are in ultimate control especially when I drove it through the world-renowned “Corkscrew” turn - I braked uphill before entering the curve, dropped 59 feet (6 stories) from corner entry to exit. The high speed banked turns, different level of elevation changes, fast straights and challenging technical corners altogether provided me an exceptional and unforgettable thrill. As you see, each of my cars is very special to me and gives me a different thrill. WHICH PILOT BEST REPRESENTS THE IMAGE OF FERRARI? The F1 driver who represented Ferrari in the past would have been Niki Lauda. The F1 driver who represents Ferrari now would be Michael Schumacher. DO YOU DEDICATE A LOT OF TIME TO YOUR PASSION, DESPITE YOUR BUSY WORK SCHEDULE? I’ve been working in this watch and jewelry industry for over 30 years and I have always enjoyed my work. While work takes up a great deal of my time, I have created a balanced lifestyle between work and
my passion as I enjoy them both. Aside from work, I devote my time into my cars – buying, sometimes selling, taking them to concourses for judging, joining rallies, doing car shows and events or just cruising and enjoying the breeze. Sometimes, I might need to make time to do all these things but I am happy to do it. So yes, I dedicate a lot of my time to my cars. CAN YOU TELL US HOW DID YOU RISE TO BE A SUCCESSFUL BUSINESSMAN IN AMERICA? Well, this is quite a story… my late father escaped from China when he was 13 years old. He swam from Macau to Hong Kong, despite the dangers of being captured by communist guards, shark attacks and death by exhaustion. After he arrived, he had to find work. He managed to become an apprentice to learn the art of gemstone craving. At 18 years old, my late father started his own company and started trading and selling gemstones and later became a manufacturer of gemstones. With my late father talents and hard work, he became one of the four greatest gemstone masters in Hong Kong. I was born in Hong Kong. We all moved to the United States when my father was invited to help the Smithsonian Institute repair an art piece. We landed in Washington D.C. and opened our first office on the east coast. In 1980, we moved to the west coast and started our business in Los Angeles. Our office was on Hill Street, where the Jewelry district was. We changed our business model – we expanded our line into fine jewelry too. During the 1980s, it was a very successful model. I remembered I would need to help my father whenever I could after school. However, I did not officially join the family business until 1990 and when I did, I further changed the business model from wholesale to retail. Once we had a retail store, I started bringing in watches and grew the business from there. At that time, my late father was consulting me from behind and I was the one working on building the “Hing Wa Lee Jewelers” brand while he was focusing on his real estate business, which he was very successful also. My father would invest the money I produced from the retail jewelry business and together we built this business to what it is today; the business is now 52 years old. My father passed away six years ago, and I became the chairman of our estate family group which is known as the “Hing Wa Lee Group” which includes the core business, “Hing Wa Lee Jewelers”, and the real estate investment division, car investment division, beverage and hightech investment division.
81 INTERNI.indd 81
05/02/18 12:02
ARE WATCHES JUST A BUSINESS FOR YOU OR ALSO A PASSION? WHICH WATCH DO YOU USUALLY WEAR?
WHAT KIND OF WATCH ARE YOU GOING TO BUY IN THE NEAR FUTURE AND WHY? AND YOUR NEXT CAR?
Watches are my business, but also my passion. It’s something I have been doing for over thirty years and I love it. The watch that I usually wear is the Richard Mille RM 022 Tourbillon Aerodyne Dual Time Zone as it looks very sporty. I also sometimes wear my Cartier Grand Complication or my rose gold Grand Complication Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar 14 days power reserve from Vacheron Constantin. I also have a few Rolex watches that I wear including the platinum Pearlmaster with diamond bezel and black mother-of-pearl dial or the 18K gold Datejust that my father gave me as a gift before we obtained the Rolex dealership. I also inherited my father’s 18K yellow gold Day-date that he bought almost 30 years ago. This is the watch collection in my wardrobe.
The watches that I’m going to buy in the near future will probably be something more special, more complex with newer functions from various brands because I like complicated features in watches. This has always been what I have been looking for when collecting watches for my collection and I appreciate the complexity of the watches in my collection. I like complicated things because it shows the wonders of human minds and the determination and capability to exceed limitations. So, likewise, for cars, I like cars with new innovations, such as the 812 Superfast coming out soon, which I have placed an order for. There are more cars I am interested - the new Pagani Huayra Roadster, Koenigsegg Agera RS, Project 1 from AMG and Valkyrie from Aston Martin. They are very interesting cars with new innovations and improved performances and therefore, I am very interested in them… also yeah, not to forget the McLaren B323 and P15, those are very special cars too. HOW HAS YOUR RENOWN CHANGED WITH THE ARRIVAL OF SOCIAL MEDIA? I did not really get into social media seriously until two years ago, back when everyone said: “oh you should do it, just do it as it will help your business”. So, following their advice, I created an Instagram page for my business @hingwaleejewelers, and another for myself under @ferraricollector_davidlee. The one created under my name is for me to test out and understand how the social media works. It turned out that people are very interested in what I am doing and therefore, I have gained a lot of followers, and as of today I have 730K followers on my @ferraricollector_ davidlee. During this process, I really came to understand a lot about social media and I guess Instagram got me a lot of press out there, and make me instafamous. I am recognized everywhere and wherever I go, someone will recognize me. The good thing is this recognition is international and it’s really unbelievable. These people understand me, my works and my beliefs. This makes me a trustworthy person to do business with and to buy from my stores. So now, as I know I have so much influence in the world with 730K followers, I try to create more positive impacts on people, try to teach them my three pillars of doing business, try to inspire and encourage people to succeed. I want to use my influence now to create all these positive things in the world for my followers.
82 INTERNI.indd 82
05/02/18 12:02
INTERNI.indd 83
05/02/18 12:02
How to Choose the Perfect Wedding Watch by Giorgia Mondani
After my wedding in 2015 I wrote this article about the ideal wedding watch and it achieved a big success on line and on social media. I have decided to republish it in my first magazine. Enjoy!
INTERNI.indd 84
05/02/18 12:02
what the expert says While the ring is, and always will be, the most important jewelry piece during a wedding ceremony, the wristwatch is becoming an important part in the planning of a couple’s big day. For decades, the wristwatch has been the gift fiancées have been making to their future husbands to celebrate a new engagement. However, the growing demographic of female watch enthusiasts means that more and more brides are getting married with a watch. More on that a little later. I recently celebrated my wedding on June 7th, 2015 in the beautiful Bay of Paraggi, next to Portofino, in Italy. It was a very special day for Daniele and I and everything went better than we had planned for or even imagined. Some weeks before our wedding day, I gave my then fiancé a Rolex Daytona Ref. 16520 as well as cufflinks personalized with the logo of our wedding. Daniele already had several Rolex watches, but I knew that this watch was a big dream of his, and I wanted him to wear it during the
wedding. Remember, the right choice is always one that comes from the heart. This particular Rolex has a very rare characteristic: the counters of its black dial have turned brown over the years. Although you would think a ‘fading’ dial would damage the value of the watch, the Daytona actually becomes more valuable as its color scheme becomes unique. Produced in 1994 and price around € 3,000 at the time, the watch Daniele wore on our wedding day is currently valued between € 40,000 and € 50,000. Wearing a Daytona is an important achievement for a man. While it certainly looks quite handsome with a suit, it’s much more than a fashionable item. It imparts status. And women want the same thing. I was very lucky to receive a magnificent pair of diamond earrings to wear on our wedding day. But of course, a Mondani can’t go anywhere without a nice Rolex on his or her wrist, and Daniele proved he knew which family he was joining when he surprised me during our reception by giving me a… green… box. A Rolex! I opened it to find my own dream watch: a Rolex Day-Date Ref. 118238 in yellow gold that I had seen a few months ago in Parma, and had fallen in love with. I could not believe it! The Day-Date model is one of my favorite Rolex typologies because I find it very comfortable and useful: it is a precious watch that tells you the time, the day of the month and the day of the week. Everything I need to know is on my wrist now. This watch has become my daily watch and together with my wedding rings, it stays with me every day all day long.
85
86 INTERNI.indd 86
05/02/18 12:03
Giorgia' s interviews
Ref. 6062
Interview with John Goldberger Vintage watch expert and books author Since I was little, I remember John Goldberger at international auctions and major events in the world of watchmaking; today I finally have the opportunity to chat with him and to share the insights and opinions of one of the greatest experts on vintage watches worldwide.
Ref. 3525
YOU ARE THE AUTHOR OF THE BOOK “100 SUPERLATIVE ROLEX” SO MY FIRST QUESTION IS: WOULD YOU BE ABLE TO PICK YOUR THREE FAVORITE WATCHES FROM THE 100? My preferred watch is an incredible Oyster Moon phase, ref. 6062 with a unique black lacquered diamond dial from the late Vietnamese emperor, Bao Dai. This watch is a perfect example of beauty, rarity and provenance combined together in one timepiece. A rare watch with great history and provenance gives you an “aura” that you just cannot describe. The second one is an Oyster Chronograph, ref. 3525 with a unique black lacquered dial with pulsation scale and luminous numerals. This watch came from the Mondani collection. The third one is a very rare military Submariner, ref. A6538, there are only three known examples on the market with the original configuration.
Ref. A6538
@goldberger johngoldbergerwatches.com
87
FROM YOUR POINT OF VIEW, WHAT HAPPENED ON THE ROLEX MARKET DURING THE LAST TEN YEARS? I would argue that in many ways the brand is stronger now because there are more Rolex collectors and more vintage Rolex watches for sale around the world. Vintage Rolex watches have the advantage of appearing modern and contemporary even today (which is not true for many other brands). In that respect vintage Rolex is like modern and contemporary art. It looks timeless today. From that perspective Rolex is stronger today than ever before! Rolex has moved from being passion driven by a few adventurous treasure hunters a few years ago and has become a serious business with collectors affecting the market in ways that are more subtle and far-reaching than just the price increases of certain rare models.
must define with great decision (even ruthlessly) the limits of his collection and should never exaggerate. One can build a beautiful and rewarding watch collection, commensurate with one’s budget, if one takes the time to acquire the knowledge necessary to make an educated decision.
WHICH ROLEX WATCHES REPRESENT A GOOD INVESTMENT TODAY? The Sports Watches and Chronographs before the 1960s, in their original configuration and in good condition, are undervalued compared to the insane prices of the Cosmograph models. DO YOU REMEMBER YOUR VERY FIRST WATCH AND WHY DID YOU START COLLECTING WATCHES? In 1978 I bought my first Rolex in an antiques shop, a reference 3835 in 18k gold for only $ 800! My passion for watches was born when I was a teenager, perhaps too soon. My choices have always been guided by a taste for the beautiful, strict originality and depth of expertise. It is not easy to put together these key features. Then I add passion and emotion, which are very important to me. Collecting watches is a labor of love, a passion that is exhilarating and it paves the way for a lifetime of pleasure and fulfillment. My approach to collecting has grown into collecting in sets, types and themes. I love the feel, look and intricacies of watches, what they can do and stand for and the joy I get from holding and studying them. I usually file them away, index and put together a collection that tells a story in its entirety - the fact that they can be worn is actually not that important at all. Most of what I own, I have never worn and probably will never wear. Collecting watches should be, above all else, fun. Buy what you love (and can afford). A true collector
WHEN DO YOU WEAR A ROLEX AND WHEN DO YOU WEAR A PATEK PHILIPPE? None of the two brands! I prefer to wear a simple “time only” Cartier wristwatch. It is a very simple, elegant and unpretentious timepiece.
Ref. 570
88 INTERNI.indd 88
05/02/18 12:03
TALKING ABOUT PATEK PHILIPPE, YOU ARE THE AUTHOR OF THE LIMITED EDITION BOOK “PATEK PHILIPPE STEEL WATCHES”: WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PATEK PHILIPPE IN STAINLESS STEEL? My preferred wristwatch is the oversize Calatrava, ref. 570, with a three tone dial and large applied steel Breguet numerals, manufactured in 1943. WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE NAUTILUS: REAL INVESTMENT OR JUST FASHION? The Patek Philippe Nautilus is an iconic luxury sports watch, it was born forty years ago in 1976 and the original retail price was $ 3000. In comparison the steel Rolex Daytona retailed for just $ 900. Nowadays a N.O.S. example with its original cork box and papers is worth around $ 100.000, in the end it was an excellent investment! IF YOU HAD TO BUY A WATCH, WHERE WOULD YOU BUY IT? I bought and traded vintage watches and pocket watches more through good dealers around the world rather than at auctions. HOW DO YOU SEE THE EVOLUTION OF THE HOROLOGICAL MARKET? No one can predict the future of watch collecting with 100% certainty of course, but a smartly built collection of watches will at least do better than the current interest rates of your savings accounts. Vintage watches have proven to be a reliable investment, even during the last recession. The introduction of Internet, particularly the emergence of Ebay in the mid-1990s and lately of Instagram, profoundly changed the world of watch collecting. The democracy of the web created a new generation of collectors but also collectors who are a bunch of “frantically informed idiots”! Within the last 20 years the community of watch collectors and dealers became even closer and more interwoven with huge amounts of information exchanged and now readily available in large part due to the Internet. The Internet has enabled a significant percentage of the world’s population to access relatively arcane and esoteric information like for example on watches and horology. Due to the discussion forums, then blogs, and now social media, there is a now a large global online audience ready and hungry for any
information pertaining to vintage watches. Today connoisseurs worldwide pay a premium for watches with untouched dials, unpolished cases, no service and original documentation and provenance. There could be a big price gap between a standard model and the same in N.O.S. condition: twice or three times the value. WHAT IS YOUR ADVICE TO THE NEW GENERATION OF COLLECTORS? My five golden rules of collecting are: - Try to collect what you like, do not follow the common trend. - No compromises, you need to have dedication and discipline, buy only watches with correct configurations and in perfect condition. - Buy the seller, not the watch! - Be humble, lower your ego, don’t be in competition with other collectors. - Read books, look on the Internet, browse auction catalogues, visit museums, have a good relation with the entire watch community (dealers, auction houses and other collectors). DO YOU HAVE ANY NEW PUBLISHING PROJECTS? WE LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR NEXT BOOK… I am preparing a new book “Longines Legendary Watches”; it is a 600 page volume with 270 different watches from the St. Imier’s company, which will be published in March 2018. In September I will launch a book in a limited edition of only 500 copies on a private collection of very rare Rolex diving watches, “A Journey into the Deep”. At the end of 2018, ten years after the first 100 Superlative Rolex Watches, the new book Part II will be ready, with one hundred different very rare Rolex watches.
89 INTERNI.indd 89
05/02/18 12:03
90 INTERNI.indd 90
05/02/18 12:03
what the expert says
FAKE INDUSTRY IN 2018 - FACTS by Fabrice Guéroux
Expert of counterfeiting in the watch industry, he is author of three books. Today he collaborates with the main authorities to fight the market of fake watches
as well as parts subcontractors, follow a specific demand as far as quality is concerned. These rules apply the same way within the fake industry. A Chinese case manufacturer producing cases in millions for hundreds of global clients will take any order, since the technical specifications are clear concerning the expected quality and the invoice is dully paid. The manufacturer can produce any quantity, any quality and this applies to any part of the watch. And let me underline the fact that the Chinese industry competence and ability to produce high end products is now widely recognized. If a company orders quality products, it will have quality products. If one orders cheap quality products, he will have cheap quality products. As simple as that. And this applies to the fake market as well as genuine products market.
@fabricegueroux_ Guéroux Fabrice
Many questions are asked today concerning fake watches. Some believe that there are places where the fake watches are produced from A to Z, maybe after having read some articles in the newspapers and magazines, alleging that it is so and presenting China as a country full of counterfeiters. But the truth is far away from such a narrow view. Swiss watch manufacturers produce good quality components with, for some specific parts, high quality finishing, thus following accurate specifications from the brand. All those parts, having been subcontracted or directly built at the brand’s premises, will be assembled in Switzerland, thus benefiting from the “Swiss Made” label. What will make the difference will only be the final sale price of the watch. If a watch was to be sold thousands of euros, then the movement, the case, the dial and any other part shall be manufactured consequently. If a watch is to be sold less than 2.000 euros, then the quality of the parts manufactured shall be inferior. We can conclude that manufactures,
Fake Rolex Ref. 116610 LV
91
Fake Audemars Piguet Ref. 15400
Let’s have a look at the production chain of a fake watch. The genuine one is provided with a high quality steel case, then the fake one will be built the same way. The counterfeiter will order exactly the same case. It will be the same for the dial, hands, glass, bracelet… Let’s say now that the genuine watch’s movement is an ETA base movement. The same base will be produced and provided to the client. At this point, we cannot talk about a “criminal” activity. That is only when all these parts, before the final watch assembly, will have been built that the counterfeiter will be able to start his illegal activity. That is the first step of the counterfeit watch production. Now the counterfeiter needs to assemble the final product and create watches as close as possible of the genuine watch, including all the brand’s markings. From this point on, the process is totally illegal and falls into the criminal activity, a pure theft. The parts shall then be gathered by the counterfeiter and the illegal process will start. The parts are now ready to be disseminated in illegal workshops (USA – Europe – Middle-East…) for final production (fake markings on the dial, serial numbers engraving…) and then distribution.
WHAT ARE THE MOST COUNTERFEITED BRANDS? In 2001, not less than 30 million of watches have been produced for a final gross income of 10 billion Swiss Francs. This amount will roughly remain the same with a decrease in 2003 and a peak of 11 billion in 2004. In 2005 there will be a billion more and the demand for luxury watches will rise again in 2006 and in 2007, with a 2.2 billion progress! Note that the 2012 financial year ended at 21.4 billion. Now let’s consider the fake industry as far as production and distribution is concerned. Counterfeiters can now benefit from the communication tools offered today by Internet. They ceased this opportunity to change their strategy. Before internet, you could find cheap counterfeited watches in the flea markets or during your holidays in Asia, Italy, Egypt… Now you can find high end fake products all over the web. And the demand from customers raised to an unexpected level. The fake market statistics followed the trend and if we consider that counterfeited product production is at least 50% superior to the genuine product production, we can easily imagine the consequences and evaluate the disaster.
92 INTERNI.indd 92
05/02/18 12:03
We can thus consider the matter with this viewpoint. Where 10 years ago we could find fake Rolex in an average of 80% vs. other brands, we can find today product that we would never have imagined before. What are the counterfeited brands today? All!
Fake Rolex Daytona Ref. 6263
Counterfeited parts ready for fake markings
93
DISTRIBUTION As underlined above, it is not that important to have the precise amount of fake watches produced and distributed worldwide. But it is vital to have a real understanding of the fake market and its implication in the watch second hand market. It is obvious for anyone that counterfeiters will never invest money in huge (or even little) marketing campaigns such as those handled by luxury brands but it is important to note that nowadays another marketing tool is available for all. Internet has now become a massive counterfeited product distribution platform and, since 10 years, hundreds of thousands products found their owners and many of them have changed hands… Though these websites are prosecuted by authorities, the only thing that can be done, usually, is close the website. What more easy for any counterfeiter to create another one, not to say 50 more… And today websites proposing fake watches cannot even be evaluated. Then consider the opportunities proposed by social networks and, yes, we are all overwhelmed. If this market was not under the control of organized crime, thousands of people exploited on distribution,
production, assembly, Internet websites creation… that would be different. But reality is above consideration and as well as drug trafficking is a very hard to fight business, this rule applies to counterfeit industry. Millions of pieces are now in the market and the amount of consumers is just amazing. Unfortunately, these “watches” are in the market and it is not rare to see such products given by grey market victims to the brands’ after sales departments. If these fake watches are vowed to immediate destruction, some can escape watchmakers’ control, not yet aware of the quality provided today by counterfeiters. Then the product is even more “dangerous” for it has a watchmaker paper. If at the beginning the fake watch was sold as such by an Asian website, there are more and more fake watches sold within the grey market by persons who do not even know what they are selling. There are some rules to follow when you buy a watch. The two main ones are: buying it directly from the brand and if you want to save some money or buy a collectible one, buy it from experts who know what they are talking about or reliable shops.
Though these websites are prosecuted by authorities, the only thing that can be done, usually, is close the website. What more easy for any counterfeiter to create another one, not to say 50 more… And today websites proposing fake watches can’t even be evaluated.
94 INTERNI.indd 94
05/02/18 12:03
INTERNI.indd 95
05/02/18 12:03
Colorful Chronos: Tudor’s Charismatic Chronographs by Ross Povey
Regarded as a leading expert in the vintage watch world. Specialized in Tudor and Rolex, he advises a broad clientele spanning the world’s leading auction houses, magazines and private buyers. As a writer, Ross has been commissioned to work for some of the most influential international horological publications, both online and in print. Ross has sourced and placed numerous vintage watches in some of the world’s most important collections
@tudorcollector
96
The Tudor story is one of both innovation and iconic design. Founded in 1926 by Hans WIlsdorf, the man who set up Tudor’s big brother Rolex, the brand was conceived as a way for more people to enjoy the benefits of a Rolex watch at a more accessible price point. But to dismiss Tudor as a cheap Rolex would be to underestimate the interesting role Tudor played in the development of sports watches. The chronographs were as forward thinking as the Tudor Submariners; maybe more so. First introduced in 1970, they were the first Wilsdorf Group chronographs to be fitted with crown guards, a full eighteen years ahead of the Rolex Daytona reference 16520. Tudor also unveiled the automatic chronograph in 1976 (the Big Block), twelve years ahead of Rolex’s first automatic chrono; the aforementioned Zenith-powered Daytona 16520. And have you ever seen the date on a Rolex sports chrono? No – but they have always been on a Tudor!
what the expert says Since I became interested in watches many years ago, there has always been a Tudor watch that has been highly collectible and sought after by collectors – the ‘Home Plate’. In 1970 Tudor gave the Oysterdate chronograph its maiden voyage in two references, the 7031 and 7032. The watch was large for the time, measuring 40mm (the Rolex Daytona was significantly smaller at 36mm). The case, as I mentioned above, had crown guards on either side of the 7mm winding crown and waterproof screw down pushers. This would indicate that Tudor thought of them as a real sports watches – able to withstand serious use both above and below water. The wrist-mounted chronograph was able to time underwater diving excursions as well as timing automotive racing. Interestingly, there is a nickname for these watches that is used from time to time - the ‘Porsche Chrono’. This name exists due to an advertisement for the Japanese market, where a 7032 Chronograph advert featured a Porsche 911. Certainly, the most striking aspect of this first Tudor chrono is the dial; a design that was eyecatching in its use of colour and exotic in its design. The base colour of the dial was a mid-grey, almost military in its hue, which was offset by a black outer track that had numerals in an almost fluorescent bright orange. The running seconds counter and 45-minute counter were black with the latter featuring a bright orange accent in the first portion of time. Continuing with the orange theme, the triangular shaped stopwatch hand was also bright orange. However, the most notable feature of the 7031 and 7032 watches was the shape of the hour markers, which were like the home base on a baseball field.
97
This led to collectors giving the watch its most wellknown nickname the ‘Home Plate’. Like the Rolex Daytona, 7031 and 7032 were differentiated by the bezel type. The 7031 featured a black plastic tachymeter bezel that was very similar to the bezel on the 6263 Daytona. The 7032 featured an all stainless steel tachymeter as per a 6265. As we see on all vintage watches, it isn’t that unusual to see these watches with switched bezels i.e. a 7031 with a steel tachymeter bezel installed. I have always assumed that retailers were allowed to offer good clients a choice of which bezel they would prefer. Also, the plastic bezels were much more easily damaged and the steel ones have survived a lot better. In 2010, as part of the marketing for the Heritage Chronograph, Tudor confirmed that they made a prototype 7033 ‘Home Plate’ chronograph. This was identical to the 7031 and 7032, but featured the rotating graduated 12-hour bezel made from a black aluminium insert in a steel bi-directional bezel ring. The prototype appeared in the print campaign for the Heritage Chrono, which was the relaunch of Tudor after the brand had been very quiet for a number of years. Very faithful to the watch on which it was based, it was the most talked about watch from Baselworld that year and signaled Tudor’s repositioning in the modern watch market. The 1960s and 70s were a time of rapid change and market testing and so just one year later, in 1971, Tudor unveiled their next installment of the chronograph story. The bright coloured ‘Home Plate’ was the beginning of a long run of exotic dialed chronos and in fact it came something of a trademark for Tudor. The ‘Home Plate’s’ colour scheme of grey/orange/ black was taken a step further with the introduction of blue (an important colour for Tudor when you consider the Snowflake Submariners). These series two watches featured bright orange elements on both chronograph registers as well as on the outer seconds markers. It was these chronographs that are now known as the Monte Carlo watches, in the main due to the fascinating dial design that are very much like the roulette tables of the legendary casinos of Monte Carlo. These dials featured painted hour markers in the same vein as the ‘Home Plates’, but with a more conventional hour marker shape – an oblong instead of the home base shape.
98 INTERNI.indd 98
05/02/18 12:03
The watches shared some other features that were born on the ‘Home Plate’ watches including the elongated triangular orange stopwatch second hand, two register dial layout and date window at six o’clock. Due to the placement of the date at the bottom of the dial, a unique crystal was needed with the Cyclops bubble applied horizontally (a shift of ninety degrees compared to regular Cyclops crystals). This crystal remains unique to the early Tudor chronos. The cases remained largely unchanged across both series of two-register chronos, but the movements in the Monte Carlos were upgraded from the earlier watches. The ‘Home Plate’ watches were equipped with the Valjoux calibre 7734 which was a manual wind movement of good repute and had some modifications by Tudor. The Monte Carlos housed the Valjoux calibre 234, which was a high-frequency movement with improved accuracy and also had upgrades to the column wheel and clutch. The Monte Carlo was also fitted with a third bezel option, the one that had been first created for the prototype 7033. The 12-hour bi-directional rotating bezel was used to measure elapsed time and was a bezel unique to Tudor chronographs, unlike the acrylic and steel tachymeters that could also be seen on Rolex watches. The Monte Carlos were available in three versions: 7149 (acrylic tachymeter bezel), 7159 (steel tachymeter bezel) and the 7169 (12-hour graduated bezel). The introduction of the blue element on some watches meant that a matching blue plastic tachymeter bezel was used on the some of the references. The Monte Carlos remained in production until approximately 1977 until the ‘Big Block’ chronographs replaced it. The ‘Big Blocks’ were a big departure both visually and technically and the production run was over twenty years. Collectors have a particular interest in the two register chronographs which were produced for a total period of 7 years. The Tudor Monte Carlos were available for 6 of these years and so logically are less rare then the ‘Home Plate’ watches and therefore generally are a little less valuable on the collectors’ market. Recent auction results for ‘Home Plates’ are certainly hot on the heels of vintage manual wind Rolex. However, Monte Carlos are still a collector favourite due to their unique appearance and gradually are more frequently appearing in watch auctions at major auction houses.
As I mentioned earlier, in 2010 Tudor launched, to critical acclaim, their Heritage range of watches modern timepieces that take significant styling cues from key pieces from their rich archive. The inspiration for the first release was the prototype reference 7033 prototype chronograph, with the then unique rotating bi-directional 12-hour bezel. Interestingly, the watch was available with both grey and black based dials. This was seen at the time as ‘proof’ that the ultra rare vintage black ‘Home Plate’ was authentic. Over the years a small number of 7031 and 7032 have appeared on the market with black versions of the iconic ‘Home Plate’ dial. Whatever the story of these black dials, the Heritage version in black was a very cool watch! Tudor revisited their two register chronographs again in 2013 with a second Heritage Chronograph. Known as the ‘Heritage Chrono Blue’ the watch was very heavily influenced by the 7169 Monte Carlo. Again, housed in the 42mm case with sapphire crystal, the watch was essentially the same the original Heritage Chrono but with a new bezel insert and dial. These watches have been some of the most successful watches of recent years and have huge appeal to buyers of modern watches as well as vintage fans who love the original pieces but either want a more affordable version or simply a more modern interpretation for everyday wear.
99 INTERNI.indd 99
05/02/18 12:03
Lucciola opened its doors in New York on November 29th, 2017 LUCCIOLA is the exciting new Italian restaurant in Manhattan’s UWS neighborhood launched by Michele Casadei Massari, Alberto Ghezzi and Gianluca Capozzi, with co-founders Erica Monti and Luca Filicori
Address: 621 Amsterdam Ave New York, NY 10024 @lucciolanyc @lucciolanyc
luxury travels
101 INTERNI.indd 101
05/02/18 12:03
INTERNI.indd 102
05/02/18 12:03
LUCCIOLA is an homage to the owners’ hometown Bologna – its cuisine, its cinematic history, a city of dreams brought to life here in New York City. The dishes, the atmosphere, and the overall concept of LUCCIOLA specifically takes inspiration from the film “Festa di Laurea,” directed by Pupi Avati. The restaurant reflects the nostalgic and romantic mood of Bologna that Avati depicted, especially his famous courtyard scene where the simple illumination was reminiscent of fireflies. LUCCIOLA is located down the street from Central Park, where the most fireflies can be found in the city. LUCCIOLA is dedicated to the actor in Avati’s film, Nik Novecento, who embodied the values of Bologna, from his passion, soul, courageousness and kindness. Novecento died at a young age and to commemorate his memory they have created a place in New York where he could have come and spent time.
LUCCIOLA also provides a new space for Italian artists to express themselves: Marco Gallotta is the creator and designer of the wallpaper and artworks; Marina Vanni and Cristina Guidoni from StudioEmporioHome (based in Savigno, Bologna) designed “Madre Lucciola” lamp inspired and in memory of Nik Novecento. The LUCCIOLA menu features a front page replica of Il Corriere della Sera from February 1st, 1975, in which legendary film director Pier Paolo Pasolini published one of his last pieces just months before he was murdered. Pasolini utilized lucciole as a symbol and metaphor of part of our society.
103 INTERNI.indd 103
05/02/18 12:03
How Social Media Have Influenced the Watch Market by Giorgia Mondani
Founder of Mondani Web and author of 7 Mondani books on watches
Having now earned the title “influencer” in the luxury watch sector, I am happy to share my ideas with you on how social medias influence the watch market today. Considering the topic of this article, I wanted to be more “social”: I therefore have involved some retailers and collectors in my research, who use Instagram and Facebook on a daily basis for their business. Let’s find out about their opinions. More than other networks, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter have completely changed our way of life, our search for information, our use of time and also our way of advertising. Consequently the world of advertising and marketing has started to focus more and more on social media, creating new working methods, new roles and new ways to present a brand to the world. Even the world of luxury watches has been overrun by this social wave. Instagram has given big and small brands the opportunity to be seen and known by everyone: the big ones could try out new ways of showing their products and the small ones became part of the world of the big brands. Speaking about the second wrist market, Instagram nowadays is one of the main places to boost sales: more and more collectors search for watches on this social network and the contact with a seller is made
what the expert says fast and easily. It also facilitates to gather information on the seller, because on Instagram, where opinions, experiences and ideas are exchanged, real friendships can be made. Nowadays social media are one of the most valuable assets for dealers. Let’s be clear: today everybody has a site on the Internet and Google has become a “battle field.” Everyone publishes watches on trading platforms and everyone has their own contacts and faithful customers. But what is more powerful than social media to gain real visibility? How can we personally reach those people worldwide, who did not know anything about us until yesterday? Today Instagram and social media are the present and the future in which many people invest. We are well aware of this, because our communication company receives daily requests for subscriptions to appear on our channels and obviously we are extremely happy that experts and brands see us as real “influencers.” Let’s turn our attention to this new figure, which came up over the last years: the influencer. How do you become an influencer? An influencer, by definition, is a person who can influence the customers’ choices and people’s decisions by presenting a product or a service. An influencer can be: - A famous person (like an athlete, an actor, etc.), who uses his image to make us desire the same things he wears and uses; - Someone who has a lot of followers on social media and can therefore create an enormous request for the products he represents; - An expert in a field, in which his reputation and knowledge are a guarantee for the products he sponsors. Decide for yourself in which category you would put me. After posting a photo on Instagram, I feel great satisfaction when I receive a nice number of comments from my followers asking me for information and prices on products, which I had published. It is great fun to read their comments, jokes, criticism or compliments. The world of social media has made a big world small. It is now possible to meet other collectors, watch lovers and experts from all over the world.
@giorgiamondani
Products can be offered without boundaries or limits. While in the past we were used to advertise in local daily newspapers, now social networks open the world for us. Today an image is worth more than 1,000 words and a collector, who sees an interesting watch, can immediately send a message to the seller. It doesn’t matter where it was posted – London, Dubai, New York or Hong Kong – the world has no more limits. Today Instagram and social media provide easy access to all information and we can learn a lot about our favorite subjects. Real trends have evolved, like for example, wearing and posting immediately a watch matching a belt or shoes, or a watch matching a luxury car, or putting together as many trademarks as possible in one photograph. All things most people love. But not all that glitters is gold, in fact there are some downsides to it, for example: Even if an influencer had millions of followers, can I really believe everything he says? If I had to buy a luxury item, is it enough to see its picture on Instagram? Is it safe to publish my valuables and show them to the whole world? Who can I really trust nowadays, when everything is displayed on our computer screen or smart phone? These are all reasonable questions and the answers are obvious. This is another reason why we always try to direct our followers to the sellers, we really know. We never forget the value of human relationships and the people on the other side of the screen are the priority. One must never forget, which are the really reliable sources: those who, in fact, have the experience and reputation in this difficult world of watchmaking. Generally speaking, we can say that in spite of the massive launch and market entry of the digital watch, which still frightens the watchmaking trademarks, the market of luxury products in general and the watch market in particular benefit from the social media, because what was limited to a few is now visible and
@giorgiamondaniofficial
105
desirable by many… Now let’s hear the opinion of established experts, who regularly flip out on social media: a couple of questions to Roman Sharf - founder and CEO of LuxuryBazaar.com (on instagram @romansharf) Have social media influenced the way of collecting, purchasing and selling watches in some ways? Let’s talk about selling and collecting first, and let’s take a look at the social media account of an influencer. An influencer is usually someone who is either famous in his own right, like a sport or a movie star, or someone in the industry like a famous watch blogger. The influence usually occurs in two ways: - directly, where such person will push the product by simply posting a nice photo of a watch (usually a stock photo) describing its functionalities and features; - or indirectly, where you get a lifestyle picture of the influencer wearing a piece, which is usually paired up with other desirable articles like clothing or accessories, sometimes even with a fancy car. The photograph is usually shot at an exotic location. Either way works: the direct approach is based on the number of followers and the exposure an item gets, and it’s simple math from there, because the amount of exposure is directly related to the sales. The indirect approach is probably a bit more effective. You still need a great number of followers, but here the consumer is struck by a sudden thought: “Hey - I want to be like this guy, if this is the watch he wears, I want it too. This is the lifestyle I want to have!” One would think that social media may not have much to do with selling, yet the opposite is the case. Anyone who is on social media and in the watch world is familiar with the guy on watch accounts that makes fun of certain models and brands by making funny memes or reposting bloggers that go over the top. This in fact can influence watch collectors to sell a particular timepiece they own, without any special reason. Apart from that, one can easily catch the “watch bug” and social media do a great job in fueling that bug with a constant flow of information, and in making people constantly want to get something different. Since these “toys” cost a significant amount of money, people end up trading in what they bought, just to get the next best thing. Clients with their own social media presence have the tendency, in some extreme cases, to change
watches often, just to keep the content on their page fresh! Which social network mainly influences the market? Well this is a difficult one to answer. It is a moving target and depends on the competition between the social media platforms. For my company and for me personally it has been Instagram for watches and Facebook for jewelry. Instagram is fast and allows your potential customer to see exactly what you have in stock. It gives you the possibility to create a persona with lifestyle shots, hence making a potential customer want to wear what the persona wears. With Facebook and its algorithms it is difficult to get your product to show up on your followers feed, unless you are spending add money, but they have a store where you can display your products. Pinterest has been growing rapidly and it is a good tool to drive traffic to your website. I find that Twitter is an “also post to” media platform, so when I post on a platform, I just post on Twitter as well. Last but not least, YouTube is something I am actually working on now, because a personalized video is the best way to get something across. I opened up my channel (Roman Sharf) just recently and we will see where that takes us. Don’t forget, YouTube is the second most used search engine after Google. In recap, the best platform is the one you can get most followers on, really. It is difficult to do that across all platforms, but once you grow the rest will follow. You just have to choose the platform that works best for you from a logistical perspective. A question to Philippe Burnier - private collector (on instagram @swisswatchonist) How did instagram influence your way of collecting? Social media have been for me, as a watch collector, like a jar of honey for a bee! I found so many beautiful watches and so I was able to built not only a collection but also a network of very very good Friends. A question to @ovettowatches - private collector How social media influenced the way of purchasing and selling watches in some ways? Social media have been instrumental in making the “watch world” a smaller place. As IG, Facebook, Snapchat and others have grown worldwide, watch collectors have gravitated in extraordinary numbers
106 INTERNI.indd 106
05/02/18 12:03
to these sites to see, purchase and learn about collectible watches from every square inch of the globe. Now horology fanatics can scour these sites and reach out to like-minded individuals for information on every kind of watch imaginable. The spread of information has expanded like a “Black hole” in space sucking in every imaginable watch photo, collector, and piece of information around the world. Of course this is a double edged sword and disinformation is as ubiquitous as is dogma. Collectors are benefiting from being exposed to wonderfully diverse images of almost every type of watch and this is very good for us all. We are now able to reach out to the entire world of watch nuts and make social acquaintances, business and academic contacts in order to add to, subtract from and maintain our collections. Social media is the most important tool through which this wonderful world of watch enthusiasts is able to grow, perpetuate and flourish. A question to Cameron Barr - CEO Craft And Tailored (on instagram: @craftandtailored) How Instagram changed your way to do business in the world of collecting watches? It’s no secret that Instagram and the other social media threads have had a huge impact on the collecting and also acquisition of timepieces over the past few years. As a dealer of vintage watches it has put us in touch with opportunities to connect with customers and other dealers, who share the same specific interest in what we do as a company. It allows us to connect with the consumers and peers within our industry on a very targeted and granular level. There are many times when we post a specific example of a watch, which we have in our curated collection, and it sells via Instagram before we even market the piece through our more traditional methods. In addition, we have sourced pieces for our collection via Instagram as well.
107 INTERNI.indd 107
05/02/18 12:03
The Recognizability of Rolex by Ed Estlow
Freelance and tech writer living in Minnesota with his wife and two dogs. When he’s not writing about watches, he’s fly-fishing for trout
@edestlow @edestlow
what the expert says I caught the eye of the guy standing about 40 feet away, across the crowded lobby of a downtown office building. I nodded, held my left forearm across my chest, and pointed to my wrist. He looked, then smiled and nodded back. At that moment, we both knew we were members of an informal club – the club of Rolex owners, even Rolex fans. And how, you ask, did I know he was “one of us?” Simple. I’d spotted his watch as he checked the time a few seconds earlier. Even at 40 feet, a Rolex has certain characteristics that are instantly recognizable. As does the wearer. More on that later. Now, what feature, more than any other, tells you a watch is a Rolex? What makes it nearly unmistakable, even at a distance? Why, the cyclops date magnifier on the crystal of course! All but a few Rolex models sport this characteristic, making them easy to spot. Historically it’s been there on every Rolex with a date function since 1954, magnifying the date numerals precisely 2.5 times so the wearer can quickly and easily read the date. The notable exception has been the Sea-Dweller, but even that changed last year at Baselworld with the release of the latest version of that famous deep-diving piece. In the early days of plastic crystals, the cyclops was molded in place along with the rest of the crystal. This made the whole affair one piece. Now, with the advent of sapphire crystals, Rolex applies the cyclops, now also made of sapphire, to the flat surface of the crystal. The patent has long since expired on this most “Rolex” of features, and other brands have come up with their own versions of the cyclops. However, only blatant copies have the same exact look. Next, take a look at the bezel of a Rolex watch. The fluted bezel isn’t exclusive – and it’s not present on all Rolex watches, but viewed in tandem with the cyclops, it’s usually a dead giveaway. Once upon a time, earlier versions of the fluting were functional, as was the bezel itself. The bezel was part of the Oyster case design, clamping the crystal to further water resistance. And to achieve this, the bezel was actually screwed into place. A special tool – or one’s fingers – engaged the fluting, much like the tools now used to remove the case backs of the watches. The bezel was installed and removed this way.
Now, the fluting has evolved, and is merely decorative. But it had become such a visual trademark of the brand that it was retained when other, better methods of sealing the watch case were devised. And now we come to the size of the watch. Rolex has been reluctant to hop on the big watch bandwagon. These days they do have the Sea-Dweller, the Deep-Sea, the Sky-Dweller, and the Yacht-Master II, all spreading the calipers between 42mm and 44mm. Much of the rest of the lineup comes in under 40mm. The Day-Date and Datejust are 36, although both are also available in larger sizes. But the modest size, along with the fluted bezel and the cyclops, helps one discern the watches at a distance. Bracelets? Rolex features three bracelets that, like the fluted bezel, contribute to a “trademark” look. The President bracelet with its half-cylinder threepiece links separates the Day-Date and the manu of the Lady Datejusts from the pack. The Oyster with its smooth, curved and elongated three-piece links is a classic sports watch bracelet which numerous other brands have adopted as their own. And of course, the Jubilee bracelet – so-named because it first appeared on the then-brand-new Jubilee Datejust for Rolex’s 40th anniversary in 1945. This one’s a classic too. The links are five-piece, with two larger outside components and three virtual “beads of rice” in the center. These days it’s been somewhat overtaken by the Oyster in Rolex’s lineup, but those who wear the Jubilee claim it’s the most comfortable watch bracelet in the business. But what about up close? By the time you get close to a Rolex, you’ve already identified it, but there are treats in store for those with an eye for detail. The crown logo, evident on the dial under the 12:00 position, and the seemingly magic words, “ROLEX OYSTER PERPETUAL” printed just below. You’ll also see the logo on the winding crown and clasp. Finally, the tell-tale fit and finish witnessed on all Rolex watches is second to none. They’re as close to perfect as a mechanical object assembled from hundreds of components can be. Ok. So much for why and how you recognize a Rolex for what it is when you see one “in the wild”. What else does one recognize when seeing a Datejust, Submariner, or other Rolex timepieces on someone’s wrist? Well, as recognizable as the
109 INTERNI.indd 109
05/02/18 12:03
watch itself is, the one wearing it is often just as recognizable. Starting in 1956 and running into the early 1960s, Rolex ran a series of ads with a banner that read, “Men who Guide the Destinies of the World Wear Rolex Watches.” Of course, today we’d say “Those who…” or “People who…,” but you get the idea. What those ads were saying was that people who play important roles, whether in government or industry, typically choose the best. The best in clothes, in automobiles, in products and services of all sorts. And they choose the best in watches too. Rolex has long been a symbol of quality because their watches are watches of quality. Those ads from 60 years ago
110
implied men of political power. But men and women at the pinnacle of any worthy endeavor, be it in business, entrepreneurship, exploration, or sport, also wear the crown on their wrists, as it were. There was a time not too long ago when the French marine engineering company COMEX would not allow their divers in the water without a Rolex Submariner or Sea-Dweller on their wrist. The diver’s well-being – indeed, his very life – depended on the watch he was wearing. And in COMEX’s opinion, a Rolex was simply the best watch for the job. So it isn’t just seeing the visible features and characteristics of a timepiece on the wrist, but also the realization of quality driven by need that makes a Rolex watch – and the person wearing it – so recognizable.
We not only carry the most sought after and largest selection of luxury watches for men and women, but we are the most reliable source for pre-owned & certified luxury watches. Watch Trading Co. can be contacted at: watchtcw.com Email: info@watchtradingco.com 215 309-3399
Watch Trading Company Warehouse is an online business of Watch Trading Co. dedicated to offering luxury brand watches at unbeatable prices. As opposed to offering dealers the discounts available on these beautiful timepieces, Watch Trading Company Warehouse passes those savings directly to the consumer. watchtcw.com Email: info@watchtcw.com 844-699-2824 36 NE 1st Street #210 Miami FL 33132
Mondani Web: the Best Visibility in the World of Luxury Watches Social Media Marketing and Online Marketplace With over 1,5 million followers in the main social networks, Mondani Web is the only service that guarantees a non-stop advertisement in multiple channels, offering from 15 to 20 posts on more than 30 different profiles and sites.
112 INTERNI.indd 112
05/02/18 12:04
A unique and innovative service that ensures the top visibility on social medias in the world of luxury and watches. Mondani Web ad service is the easiest way to gain quality followers today, who will become your clients tomorrow. Our customers are our priority and we can customize every offer depending on their needs. For regular packages, we propose several possibilities, based on the number of times our clients would like to be published and the channels they prefer. Mondani Web also guarantees a personal and continuous assistance by whatsapp, email or telephone; the Mondani family and team are at your disposal for any help you might need. NOT ONLY SOCIAL If you are not interested in digital marketing and advertisement, you can try our marketplace for only â‚Ź 45 per month (our team will evaluate the quality of your products before accepting your subscription).
Becoming a Trusted Dealer of Mondani Web, you will be entitled to: - A free personal shop on our website: here you can publish an unlimited number of products, without commissions on sales. Moreover, potential buyers will have the possibility to contact you directly via e-mail or Whatsapp. - Newsletter: Mondani sends thousands of newsletters every week to a high quality mailing list of enthusiastic collectors, who have relied on us for years when making their choices. THE MONDANI GUARANTEE: WE ARE BEHIND THE SCREEN This is a Mondani service, which has been a synonymous with professionalism and reliability for over 30 years. #MONDANI currently has 500,000 photos on Instagram and is considered as one of the leading influences in the fields of luxury and watches. FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT OUR PACKAGES VISIT WWW.MONDANIWEB.COM
building YOUR REPUTATION ON social medias
MORE THAN 1.5 MILLION FOLLOWERS
MORE THAN 20 ADVERTISing posts PER WEEK
FREE & UNLIMITED number of products in our marketplace
WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
exclusive private groups on whatsapp & facebook
113
INTERNI.indd 114
05/02/18 12:04
MONDANI COLLECTION
REF. 1665 CASE 4049011 YEAR 1975 DOUBLE RED WRITING MARK IV
115 INTERNI.indd 115
05/02/18 12:04
MONDANI COLLECTION REF. 1665 CASE 4049011 YEAR 1975 DOUBLE RED WRITING MARK IV
116 INTERNI.indd 116
05/02/18 12:04
MONDANI COLLECTION
REF. 1665 CASE 4049011 YEAR 1975 DOUBLE RED WRITING MARK IV
117 INTERNI.indd 117
05/02/18 12:04
MONDANI COLLECTION REF. 1665 CASE 5736979 YEAR 1978 GREAT WHITE MARK II
118 INTERNI.indd 118
05/02/18 12:04
MONDANI COLLECTION
REF. 1665 CASE 5736979 YEAR 1978 GREAT WHITE MARK II
119
MONDANI COLLECTION REF. 16660 CASE 8098229 YEAR 1983 TRIPLE SIX MARK II “PALLETTONI DIAL”
120 INTERNI.indd 120
05/02/18 12:04
MONDANI COLLECTION
REF. 16660 CASE 8098229 YEAR 1983 TRIPLE SIX MARK II “PALLETTONI DIAL”
121
MONDANI COLLECTION REF. 16660 CASE 8414351 YEAR 1984 TRIPLE SIX MARK III “SPIDER DIAL”
122 INTERNI.indd 122
05/02/18 12:04
MONDANI COLLECTION
INTERNI.indd 123
05/02/18 12:04
MONDANI COLLECTION
124
MONDANI COLLECTION REF. 16660 CASE 9882795 YEAR 1986 TRIPLE SIX MARK IV “SPIDER DIAL”
125
MONDANI COLLECTION
REF. 16600 CASE A557627 YEAR 1999 MARK II “SOLO SWISS”
126 INTERNI.indd 126
05/02/18 12:05
MONDANI COLLECTION
REF. 16600 CASE A557627 YEAR 1999 MARK II “SOLO SWISS”
127 INTERNI.indd 127
05/02/18 12:05
MONDANI COLLECTION
REF. 16600 CASE N283772 YEAR 1992 COMEX N° 3277
128
MONDANI COLLECTION
REF. 16600 CASE N283772 YEAR 1992 COMEX N° 3277
129 INTERNI.indd 129
05/02/18 12:05
MONDANI COLLECTION
REF. 16600T CASE V314891 YEAR 2008 “POLIPETTO” POLIZIA DI STATO SOMMOZZATORI 1958-2008
130
MONDANI COLLECTION
131
MONDANI COLLECTION
132 INTERNI.indd 132
05/02/18 12:05
MONDANI COLLECTION
REF. 16600T CASE V318967 YEAR 2008 “POLIPETTO” POLIZIA DI STATO SOMMOZZATORI 1958-2008 BREV. SMZ N.111
133
MONDANI COLLECTION
REF. 116660 CASE 60T94346 YEAR 2014 D-BLUE MARK IV
134 INTERNI.indd 134
05/02/18 12:05
MONDANI COLLECTION
REF. 116660 CASE 60T94346 YEAR 2014 D-BLUE MARK IV
135 INTERNI.indd 135
05/02/18 12:06
MONDANI COLLECTION
136
MONDANI COLLECTION
REF. 5508 CASE 764484 YEAR 1962 “JAMES BOND”
137
MONDANI COLLECTION
REF. 5513 CASE 1482104 YEAR 1966 BART SIMPSON DIAL
138 INTERNI.indd 138
05/02/18 12:06
MONDANI COLLECTION
REF. 5513 CASE 1482104 YEAR 1966 BART SIMPSON DIAL
139
MONDANI COLLECTION
REF. 5513 CASE L639732 YEAR 1989 “BICCHIERINI” DIAL
140 INTERNI.indd 140
05/02/18 12:06
MONDANI COLLECTION
REF. 5513 CASE L639732 YEAR 1989 “BICCHIERINI” DIAL
141
MONDANI COLLECTION
142
MONDANI COLLECTION REF. 1680 CASE 3225662 YEAR 1973 RED MARK V
143 INTERNI.indd 143
05/02/18 12:07
MONDANI COLLECTION
REF. 1680 CASE 5862032 YEAR 1979 WHITE MARK II
144 INTERNI.indd 144
05/02/18 12:07
MONDANI COLLECTION REF. 1680 CASE 5862032 YEAR 1979 WHITE MARK II
145 INTERNI.indd 145
05/02/18 12:07
MONDANI COLLECTION
146
MONDANI COLLECTION
REF. 168000 CASE R381411 YEAR 1987 COMEX N° 6295
147
MONDANI COLLECTION REF. 16613 CASE X619312 YEAR 1993 “SULTAN DIAL”
148 INTERNI.indd 148
05/02/18 12:07
MONDANI COLLECTION REF. 16613 CASE X619312 YEAR 1993 “SULTAN DIAL”
149
MONDANI COLLECTION
REF. 16613 CASE S582768 YEAR 1994 “SULTAN DIAL”
150
MONDANI COLLECTION REF. 16613 CASE S582768 YEAR 1994 “SULTAN DIAL”
151 INTERNI.indd 151
05/02/18 12:07
MONDANI COLLECTION
REF. 116613 LN CASE 3180Y757 YEAR 2014 BLACK DIAMOND SET DIAL
152
MONDANI COLLECTION
153 INTERNI.indd 153
05/02/18 12:08
MONDANI COLLECTION
REF. 1680/8 CASE 2191126 YEAR 1969 METERS FIRST DIAL
154 INTERNI.indd 154
05/02/18 12:08
MONDANI COLLECTION
155 INTERNI.indd 155
05/02/18 12:08
MONDANI COLLECTION
REF. 16808 CASE R742919 YEAR 1988 “TIFFANY & Co. DIAL”
156 INTERNI.indd 156
05/02/18 12:08
MONDANI COLLECTION
157
MONDANI COLLECTION
158
MONDANI COLLECTION REF. 16618 CASE X651908 YEAR 1993 “LAPIS LAZULI DIAL”
159 INTERNI.indd 159
05/02/18 12:08
The entire Mondani Collection of vintage and modern Rolex Submariner, Sea-Dweller and Deepsea is published in the two book set “Rolex Submariner, Sea-Dweller, Deepsea� available at MondaniBooks.com The books include the whole production of these models: every watch is described in detail, showing every single part, characteristic, differences, marks and price.
160 INTERNI.indd 160
05/02/18 12:08
follow Mondani
#Mondani
MONDANI MAGAZINE
Looking for a Watch?
www.mondaniweb.com 2018