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Vincent Brasesco - Vice President & Watch Specialist @ Sotheby's
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Today on Collectors Gene Radio, I welcome Vincent Brasesco, a true connoisseur whose passion for mechanical artistry has taken him from curious teenage collector to Vice President and Watch Specialist at Sotheby’s. Vincent’s journey has traversed the vibrant subcultures of Wall Street wristwear, the pioneering spirit of Analog Shift, the retail sophistication of Watches of Switzerland, and the digital influence of Watchonista—all culminating in his current role within the world of international auctions.
We explore not only the watches themselves, but the psychology of pursuit: the irresistible pull of the next bid, the truth behind phone bidding, and the nuanced dance between personal passion and professional responsibility.
We’ll also step inside the inner sanctum of RollieFest, the invitation-only gathering of the world’s most devoted vintage Rolex collectors, where trust, passion, and an unwavering commitment to excellence converge in a spectacle few are privileged to witness.
So please enjoy, this is Vincent Brasesco, for Collectors Gene Radio.
Vincent's Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/vbrasesco?igsh=dTBvYTN0cGN6anV4
Sotheby's Watches - https://www.sothebys.com/en/departments/watches
Cameron Steiner - https://www.instagram.com/cameronrosssteiner
Collectors Gene - https://www.collectorsgene.com
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction to Collecting and Personal Connections
00:00:00
Speaker
How does a watch become more than a watch? The Walkers, Brad, Brian, Olivia, they've all become fabulous friends of mine over the years.
00:00:11
Speaker
Did business with them at Analog Shift, do business with them now. And they even, they set my wife's engagement ring. They made our wedding bands.
00:00:23
Speaker
Brad was at my wedding. All because I walked in one day and and you know decided to buy a watch and now have these fabulous friendships and memories that come from it. What's going on, everybody? And welcome to Collector's Gene Radio.
00:00:37
Speaker
This is all about diving into the nuances of collecting and ultimately finding out whether or not our guests have what we like to call the collector's gene. If you have the time, please subscribe and leave a review.
00:00:49
Speaker
It truly helps. Thanks a bunch for listening, and please enjoy today's guest on Collector's Gene Radio.
Meet Vincent Procesco: From Teen Collector to Sotheby's Specialist
00:00:57
Speaker
Today on Collector's Gene Radio, I welcome Vincent Procesco, a true connoisseur whose passion for mechanical artistry has taken him from curious teenage collector to vice president and watch specialist at Sotheby's.
00:01:09
Speaker
Vincent's journey has traversed the vibrant subcultures of Wall Street wristwear, the pioneering spirit of analog shift, The retail sophistication of watches of Switzerland and the digital influence Watchinista, all culminating in his current role within the world of international auctions.
00:01:24
Speaker
We explore not only the watches themselves, but the psychology of pursuit, the irresistible pull of the next bid. the truth behind phone bidding, and the nuanced dance between personal passion and professional responsibility.
00:01:38
Speaker
We'll also step inside the inner sanctum of Rooly Fest, the invitation-only gathering of the world's most devoted vintage Rolex collectors where trust, passion, and an unwavering commitment to excellence converge in a spectacle few are privileged to witness.
00:01:51
Speaker
So please enjoy. it This is Vincent Procesco for Collectors Gym Radio.
00:01:57
Speaker
Vincent, such an honor and a pleasure to have you on Collectors Gym Radio today. Now, the pleasure is all mine. I really appreciate you having me on, Cam. Anytime. and And we've known each other for quite some time now. I mean, we've been talking watches with each other and cars for for quite a few years at this point. But for those that are just tuning in and and getting to know you for the first time, collecting and being interested in watches really started at age like 15 for you. And I'd love to know the watch or the moment or the brand that you just saw and it just took you on this path.
The Omega Speedmaster and Vincent's Passion for Watches
00:02:32
Speaker
The brand was always Omega for me. That was the brand that everything sort of started with, probably because like so many people, wish I had a great story, my grandfather wore an Omega watch.
00:02:43
Speaker
And the one that really captivated my mind and fascination at a young age, which I also think a lot of people can relate to. You're a young kid.
00:02:54
Speaker
What do you want to be when you grow up? An astronaut was the Omega Speedmaster. Just this this incredible story of you know, this watch saving people's lives who are going to the moon.
00:03:06
Speaker
ah Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, Ed White, all of these incredible characters ah from the sort of greatest hits of 20th century history. and And that was really where it all began, working at a summer camp way back with a friend of mine, Greg, who ironically also works in watches now.
00:03:26
Speaker
And just that was it. That was the bug for watches. What I find interesting is that you had this foresight that we all wish we had at age 15. And watches were a lot cheaper back then.
00:03:39
Speaker
How did the collecting evolve for you through high school and then college?
Vintage vs. Modern: Vincent's Collecting Philosophy
00:03:43
Speaker
And then you know you get your first job on Wall Street. What was really interesting to you throughout those years? And what were you buying? you know I always tell people that it's It's an accident that I started with vintage and stuck with vintage. Certainly, it resonates more with me than most modern watches. I have bought less than seven modern watches in my entire life, sort of brand new. I'm the first owner.
00:04:08
Speaker
But... It really was, they were so much cheaper when I was 15 years old. You know, you could go buy you know, a couple hundred dollars, a great vintage watch, whereas a brand new one ah would be thousands. I remember even buying my first Rolex Submariner.
00:04:27
Speaker
For $2,000. if That was the cost. So I'd love to say that I had some great foresight, but really it was, I was a young kid, i was working, I didn't have $7,000, $8,000, $9,000 to go buy a brand new watch, but for $1,000 or $2,000 that you could easily save up over the course of of working, you could go buy a great vintage watch at the time.
00:04:53
Speaker
I'd love to talk about brands like Hoyer, you know, and the Carrera specifically, and and the Monacos and all those watches that when you and I were 15 were super accessible and and they've really skyrocketed in terms of pricing and and popularity.
00:05:08
Speaker
Do you remember some of these prices back then of of what some of these like Hoyers and stuff were? So I bought my first universal Genev pole router, which is of course now back on the map.
00:05:21
Speaker
Breitling bought UG. And the pole router is, of course, ah Gerald Genta's first watch. Beautiful tuxedo dial. I bought my first one for $900. And my first vintage Hoyer Carrera, I bought in a Club Monaco in Flatiron because my girlfriend, now wife, was going to get her hair done. And I saw it sitting in the window, and I think it was like $3,000.
00:05:48
Speaker
Wow. Wow. wow I mean, they were really much more accessible back then. So few retailers these days still continue to sell vintage items. I think of, you know, ALD and I think of Todd Snyder, you know, they sell vintage watches and and vintage, you know, jewelry and goods and stuff like that. But so few brands do it these days.
00:06:12
Speaker
And I'm always curious as to why brands don't, right? It's such a a fun way for them to not only accessorize their store, but accessorize with things that are for sale, right? I think that you know you and I, and this is right where the collector separates from the business of it.
00:06:28
Speaker
I think you and I as collectors think of it that way, like, oh, would be great to just have a couple of these in the store, put them in the window. It's going to look cool. People will love it. But then from the business side of things, it is so hard to make sure that you're buying the right product.
00:06:46
Speaker
it's authentic. You're getting it from the right sources. And if you're not plugged into some of these niche communities and you really know your stuff, maybe you're selling something completely unintentionally, of course, that isn't quite right.
00:07:02
Speaker
And that's not a good look for the retailer. And I think a lot of retailers today, given the rise of of some of these authenticity issues, they would just rather leave that to other places in the market, right? Leave it to the secondary market dealers, leave it to the auction houses where, you know, we're sort of giving that risk to somebody else so that some guy doesn't walk into Todd Snyder, for instance,
00:07:33
Speaker
six months later and say, hey, wait a second, this isn't right. Right. Yeah. I mean, it makes sense. You know, I just, I think so many brands miss out on using watches and jewelry, especially as like accessories that they can use. Like you see ALD using them in their shoots.
00:07:51
Speaker
And then what you want to do when you see, you know, these look books that they put through, you want to go and buy all the things that someone's wearing. And a lot of times people want to know, hey, what's that watch or what's that piece of jewelry? And you can't buy it, but with them, you can. i just, I find it to be such a miss for a lot of brands and they could really do it right. You know, they could partner with someone that that is trustworthy if if they don't feel that they could do it themselves.
00:08:12
Speaker
It's funny you say that. At Analog Shift, we were actually, way back in the day, we were one of the first to kind of go into the market and do that and and private label the brand and go into retailers like,
00:08:25
Speaker
Marshall Pierce and Shreve Crumpen-Lowe and Longs and and Watches of Switzerland and and be their in-house authenticator, curate the selection.
00:08:37
Speaker
But that does take a lot of time, right? And the the retailer does have to be willing to, in more ways than one, make that sort of investment in carrying the product and and sticking with it. And i again, I i think...
00:08:52
Speaker
it is a missed opportunity, but some retailers would just rather stay in their lane of making clothing, making what it is that they do make.
00:09:03
Speaker
and And let's also not forget, they have the ability of hitting a restock button. um Somebody walks in off the street saying, I want to buy Breguet 3330. And you sell that, you're like,
00:09:17
Speaker
and and you sell that like There's no restock button for one of those. You can't just make another one appear. So after college, you know you you continue collecting watches, and then you go and you work on
Watch Culture on Wall Street and Personal Choices
00:09:30
Speaker
Wall Street. and That's your first big boy job out of out of college.
00:09:33
Speaker
Yes, it was. And that's such an interesting place to watch spot. I mean, what were the watches that you were seeing around the office and on Wall Street during that time? ah You know, with a couple of notable exceptions in the office, it was more or less what you would expect.
00:09:50
Speaker
A lot of Rolexes, the Royal Oaks, everyone has seemingly had a steel Daytona. But we did have, at my old firm, three or four guys who were actually into sort of interesting vintage watches. I'll never forget this one guy, John, who was one of our traders on on the sell side.
00:10:12
Speaker
He would always, because he knew I liked watches, right? The watch people always find each other in an office. He'd sniff them out. He would come running. He was like, oh, look, I got this Hoyer Dato 12, which is the triple calendar chronograph Carrera in a Panda configuration.
00:10:28
Speaker
You know, promise he was the only one in the office with one of those. you know and he Then he would come in and he had Zodiacs. And of course, he had all the ah the other watches that you would expect. But there were a couple of guys in the office who were really into it the way I was.
00:10:45
Speaker
And with my first Wall Street bonus check, I did what any sensible young adult would do. And I went and I spent the entire thing on a watch, which was a watch I still have, a brand new watch, a JLC Master Ultra Thin Moon Phase, 39 millimeter in steel.
00:11:03
Speaker
Great watch. Love that watch. um Every time I put it on, I say I don't wear it enough. But I bought that from Shreve Crumpenlow in Boston on Newberry Street.
00:11:14
Speaker
And just, you know, how ah how a how does a watch become more than a watch? The Walkers, Brad, Brian, Olivia, they've all become fabulous friends of mine over the years.
00:11:28
Speaker
Did business with them at Analog Shift, do business with them now. And they even, they set my wife's engagement ring. They made our wedding bands.
00:11:40
Speaker
Brad was at my wedding, all because I walked in one day and and, you know, decided to buy a watch and now have these fabulous friendships and memories that come from it. The amount of people that I actually became friends with from just buying that one watch, it's it's almost comical.
00:11:58
Speaker
I mean, that's what it's all about, you know, and I think any collector, in any realm, in any market, right, not just watches, will tell you that it's so much about the relationships and maybe less so in places like, you know, maybe art and wine where it's a little bit more like, you know, you stay in your own lane, but where there's real communities and there's real events and and these sorts of things taking place, that's when the relationships are really fortified.
00:12:23
Speaker
Oh, the the relationships and and the friendships that come from it are really everything. They're almost more rewarding in a way than than owning the item itself.
00:12:33
Speaker
And I've been really lucky and fortunate enough to have met so many incredible people and and have had those friendships bring me all over the world at this point to various meetings with collectors and friends um all over the place. it's It's really a special community of people, mostly because we're all we're all diseased in the same way.
00:12:57
Speaker
<unk>s It's like the inmates are running the asylum. I love it. I'd love to talk again, you know, about your time on, on wall street and less specifically about wall street itself, but more so, you know, the culture in the office. And I find that anytime I show someone who's like, Hey, look at this Rolex I got, or look at this new watch I bought. And I'm like, that's really cool. I love that. But let me show you something vintage. I'd love to get your opinion. You know what, how you feel about that.
00:13:24
Speaker
And I find that it's so much easier to convert a modern watch guy to something vintage because like it's just undeniable versus, you know, the other side of the coin. Were there guys in the office that were looking at, you know, your your vintage watches that you were wearing that were like your Daytona Embroider guys and be like, what is that? That is so cool.
00:13:43
Speaker
You know, I think there were there were some people who were definitely interested because there there are watch people, right? You've got modern watch people, you've got vintage watch people, and there's some crossover. But I think some of the watches that I was really buying and wearing and collecting at the time were just a little too small. Remember, this is now like 2013, 14, 15, 16.
00:14:01
Speaker
this is peak big watch era, Flavor Flav. Yeah.
00:14:06
Speaker
so this is this is peak big watch era right right flabo flav
00:14:14
Speaker
Yeah, big Panerais. and The Royal Oak offshores are king. So I think, you know, me showing up to work with, as cool as it may have been, 36 millimeter watch, you know, what are you doing wearing such a small watch? And I'm not a small person. i don't think they look ridiculous on me. I think 36 to 39 is usually the sweet spot for for a watch.
00:14:40
Speaker
But I just think that while you could sell somebody on the story and the romance of it, I just think that at the time, the the zeitgeist of the moment was for very big watches.
00:14:51
Speaker
And it was hard to sort of battle that, if you will. Right. We're in a very different place now, obviously. where We're smaller. Coming back into vogue. You Langa just released a 34 millimeter watch, which is is wild. and Never thought I'd see that happen.
00:15:07
Speaker
It's great, though. I love that. You know, I mean, I think it shows a lot of guts from some of these retailers and and watch brands that are, you know, willing to, one, sell a product like that, but to really willing to make a product like that.
00:15:22
Speaker
We don't see it that often. And that's a real bet on the real collector market saying, hey, we think that people are going to be excited about something that's 34 millimeters. And that's not something any brand has really done in the last X amount of years.
00:15:37
Speaker
100% agree. And I think for a brand like, in in this case, Longa, It makes sense because that is really a brand that appeals to collectors. You don't accidentally happen upon Lange watches, right?
00:15:53
Speaker
it's It's not, oh, I stumbled into the store by accident. ah I found my way here to the counter. you know It's a very intentional brand. You know, i I often joke that, you know, the most controversial statement in watches is that the best watch in the world is is made in Germany, not in Switzerland.
00:16:11
Speaker
um I think their watches are that good. Yeah, I
Career in the Watch Industry: Lessons and Philosophies
00:16:15
Speaker
agree. So you move on from Wall Street and you kind of have this happenstance encounter that ends up landing you at, you know, analog shift where you are running part of the company as CFO and COO.
00:16:27
Speaker
And then you lead that acquisition to watches of Switzerland, which is amazing. Then you move on to watch Anista. And now you're at Sotheby's. And it's such a great trajectory because you usually don't see that kind of trajectory from people in the watch market. They kind of stay in their lane.
00:16:42
Speaker
And that's fine too. But you're you're on this upward rise and I love it. how would How would you say that each chapter has shaped your philosophy on collecting and the value of watches? Or has your philosophy and and what you love really remained in the same?
00:16:57
Speaker
I wish I could say that I had this great epiphany. But I've always, when it comes to the things that I collect personally, beaten to the rhythm of my own drum a little bit.
00:17:09
Speaker
And i think that the watches that I personally collect have changed slightly, but they all still rhyme. there's There's very much a thread through everything that I own.
00:17:25
Speaker
and And that for me is very much historical importance, story, and beauty. right It's got to be beautiful. um I went to school for history. That was my background. I was supposed to be a history teacher.
00:17:41
Speaker
In a way, you are. ah Yes. And in a way, in a way I am, I just get to tell way more interesting stories um yeah that ah people really get a lot more into, which is a lot of fun for me.
00:17:53
Speaker
i yeah if if you're ever unlucky enough to be stuck with me as your tour guide at Sotheby's, you'll, you'll get quite the animated, animated tour. But what I really learned through all of my different facets of the industry. And there's really only three things you can do in watches.
00:18:13
Speaker
You can be in retail of watches, either on the primary or the secondary, work for an auction house. You can be in media, journalism, you know, working at a Hodinkee or a Watchanista or a blog to watch um or Worn and Wound.
00:18:32
Speaker
Or you can work for a brand. Everything in watches really falls into one of those three categories. But each facet of those three things really has its own sort of distinct flavor.
00:18:49
Speaker
And what I really loved most about interacting on two of those three, because obviously I've not I've not worked for a brand, is you get to meet the most fascinating and different people on each side.
00:19:05
Speaker
When you're working in retail, for me, whether it was at Analog Shift, Watches of Switzerland, or now at Sotheby's, you get to meet the most incredible and interesting collectors from all over the world and talk to them about what they like and what they don't like and what they're interested in.
00:19:22
Speaker
When you're working with media, you get to spend a lot of time with the brands. A lot of times you're dealing with their brand presidents, the chief marketing officers, the PR agencies, and you're really learning a whole other side of the business.
00:19:40
Speaker
And what I think I have really taken away from that, because not many people do jump around from from lane to lane, if you will, is i can i have a ah broader picture of what the watch market is.
00:19:57
Speaker
And I think that helps me when I speak to people and they'll look at something like, oh, I don't understand why this brand did this. Well, let me explain to you why the brand did this, because I've heard it from the other side. I understand the actual business of watches, how you make something, how you market it.
00:20:17
Speaker
I was asked at Watches and Wonders, do you think the brands are paying attention to auction results and that the releases this year are a direct result of what we've seen at auction?
00:20:28
Speaker
And I said to them, I would love to think that's the case. But remember, watches are not created in a vacuum. Everything you're seeing at Watches and Wonders today, the production cycle of that started years ago.
00:20:42
Speaker
you You don't simply just make a watch and it appears. There's actually a long production cycle. There's concepting, there's R&D. Do we have to create a new movement for it?
00:20:54
Speaker
If we're not a fully vertically integrated manufacturer, who are we going to to make all of these parts? And I think that having had experience on both sides of that is something that's maybe a little bit more unique and and definitely gives me some great perspective when I'm speaking to clients or just speaking with someone like you when we when we chat.
00:21:19
Speaker
Yeah, and I think the, you know, let's take Cartier, for example, just because they're a ah big topic of discussion over the last X amount of years. When you think about how far in advance they have to start concepting and coming up with their plans for Watches of Wonder this year and the next year and the next year, right, they really have to, like you said, be pretty well thought out in advance.
00:21:39
Speaker
But what I find really interesting is timing of the market. I mean, when they released the Pebble, like there was so much content going on in the watch world about the Pebble.
00:21:51
Speaker
You know, Tenka Giche just came out. There's been so much stuff on jump hour watches in the last X amount of months before that was released, you know? And I just find those moments of timing so interesting.
00:22:02
Speaker
And so, yeah, it makes you wonder, like, they are probably really paying attention to the market. They have to be. But it does take time. You mentioned Cartier. So this year was the Tanker Guichet.
00:22:16
Speaker
Last year was the Tortue. If you look at the Tortue chronograph, which has basically been out of production since the CPCP version that had that THC movement, which was the FP Journe, the FP Journe, Dennis Flagellet, and Vianney Halter movement in it.
00:22:38
Speaker
That's how long it's been since they made that that watch with a monopusher chronograph movement. The new movement is shaped to the case. It's not a standard shape ah watch.
00:22:49
Speaker
How long did it take them to make that? That's not, you know, that is not something that you can just pull out of thin air. It's not an easy feat. No, these things do take time.
00:23:01
Speaker
I think with Cartier is a little maybe different because they're really just going back into their archives. it's It's been a long time since they've actually come out with a radically new design.
00:23:13
Speaker
I'm also curious to know, I mean, you work for a major auction house and you're a collector first. That's where you start. That's where your passion really lies is collecting. Do you feel you need to be reserved in your personal acquisitions or does Sotheby's encourage collecting with their employees? right I know a lot of people, like they get their first job. you know for For this conversation, you get your first job on Wall Street and you're low man on the totem pole, for lack of a better term, but you want to go buy something special. like Sometimes people are like, no, this shows that like this is what I'm into and
00:23:45
Speaker
You know, I can maybe relate to my colleagues or sometimes people feel like they have to not buy that stuff or drive a nice car because they don't want to give the wrong impression. Where where does your collecting lie when it comes to working somewhere like Sotheby's?
00:23:58
Speaker
Oh, I think everybody at Sotheby's is incredibly passionate. about their areas of expertise. That's why they're called specialists.
00:24:09
Speaker
So I think that it's probably easier to collect in some categories than others. For instance, we have a science and a natural history department. They sell dinosaurs.
00:24:22
Speaker
I don't know how many people in that department have the space have a dinosaur. Right. Collecting teeth. Right. Yeah. You know, that it it does vary from department, but I think that everybody at Sotheby's is incredibly passionate and and deeply curious about what their specific the field is.
00:24:45
Speaker
i just think that, you know, um obviously there's rules around bidding, right? We were not permitted. ah That would be manipulation. um But where I think everybody is, is deeply passionate about what field that they are in.
00:25:01
Speaker
And certainly I've seen some incredible pieces, out of, you know, some of my colleagues collections, uh, across various departments, because again, we we all have that bug.
00:25:14
Speaker
There's a reason we do what we do and not everybody went on to be a lawyer or or you know a dentist or a doctor or insert vocation here Yeah.
00:25:26
Speaker
How has that dynamic changed for you though? Because, you know, again, you're a collector first, so you've always hunted besides, you know, analog shift and all that stuff, but you've always hunted for yourself, the best of whatever the best is that you can buy for your money and the watch that you
Auction Dynamics and Personal Strategies
00:25:40
Speaker
want.
00:25:40
Speaker
But now, you know, a lot of those amazing watches come to auction and those don't, you don't get the option to buy those, right? Those go, those go straight to the catalog. What's that push and pull for you?
00:25:52
Speaker
I wish I could say that it did have some impact on me, but you know, the watches that come to auction through Sotheby's that I would really want for myself,
00:26:04
Speaker
Regrettably, they're typically in another price bracket. For instance, we we sold two years ago um Jack Swigert, the module captain of Apollo 13, his gold Omega Speedmaster.
00:26:17
Speaker
That is absolutely a watch that I would have loved to have in my personal collection. But you know that's a hundred, i think we sold it for 156,000 US dollars.
00:26:31
Speaker
right There is no danger of me purchasing that. awesome So um I think i but ah I bought a new watch this week for myself. Could you share? Sure. I bought a Breguet 3050, a very early one um that was made while Daniel Roth was still at the company.
00:26:52
Speaker
So that is, I guess I should back that up a second. The Breguet 3050 is Daniel Roth's perpetual calendar, which he made and designed for Breguet based off of a pocket watch that he had actually created when he first started working for the brand when it was still owned by Chaumet.
00:27:19
Speaker
And it is one of the most incredibly beautiful things you've ever seen. 36 millimeters, coinage case, officer lugs. Incredibly thin. Incredibly thin.
00:27:30
Speaker
Automatic. automatic perpetual calendar movement that came out before the paddock 3940. According to some people at the company, they were only making between two and three of these a year because of the complexity of of producing them.
00:27:48
Speaker
So it's an incredibly beautiful, special watch. I had wanted a perpetual calendar. Who doesn't? Original smartwatch, right?
00:27:59
Speaker
And so I worked with a dealer and purchased the watch. Incredibly happy. So I wouldn't say that just because I work at Sotheby's, I've stopped collecting at all. That couldn't be further from the truth.
00:28:13
Speaker
Right. Now, is something like that watch, though, Would Sotheby's be excited for you? I think people would love to just hear this, right? Is Sotheby's excited for you that you bought that watch? Or that or are they like, hey, this is this is like auction worthy. Like this should be in our auction, not on your wrist.
00:28:30
Speaker
Were they like generally happy that you bought it? um We do have one in our auction. What I would say to you is I don't think that they particularly have an opinion.
00:28:42
Speaker
I think that's fair to say. Purchasing from a dealer, that's like saying, I work for Ralph Lauren, but I went and I bought a shirt at J.Crew.
00:28:53
Speaker
Sure, makes sense. Right. You know, it's I it was for sale from another dealer in the industry, called him up, negotiated the price, purchased the watch.
00:29:04
Speaker
um It was not sort of something that was coming through the door. I think that's a very important distinction. Right. Right. So you also have this front row seat to the high stakes world of auctions. And I'd love to know, you know, there's so much psychology that goes behind bidding.
00:29:22
Speaker
And in your experience, what makes a collector give one more bid when they're in the room? Oh, there's so many different reasons. Usually it's because they've already formed some form of bond to it.
00:29:39
Speaker
Now, why have might they have formed that bond? If you are, because we've already established, right, the kinds of things that come to auction, it's been missing from your collection, you've hunted for years, here it is right in front of you, it may take another 10 years for for you to find another example, that's worth one more bid.
00:29:59
Speaker
Or this is a fresh-to-market example of something it's never been seen before. It's spent 60 years with the original family.
00:30:10
Speaker
It's just so much better than everything that a collector's been looking at previously. That's worth one more bid. maybe it is a celebratory moment.
00:30:23
Speaker
They're celebrating a milestone or a event in their life, either familial or or career oriented, and that's worth one more bid.
00:30:34
Speaker
There's so many reasons as to why somebody will go one more bid. What I will say is that typically when we're working with you know very seasoned auction buyers, they generally have a number in their head where they want to be.
00:30:54
Speaker
And you know they'll have the discipline to sort of stick to that number. Yeah, makes sense. And I think the other interesting thing is, you know as an auction house, your job is to, you know from an umbrella standpoint, find really exceptional lots and promote each lot in hopes to get the largest result that you can for the consignor.
00:31:14
Speaker
And there's obviously so much more that goes into it and so much so many more important things that you do. But I think as a general statement, that's kind of what the auction house does. And some of the biggest budget bidders are brands themselves, buying things back for their archives, museums, perhaps personally.
00:31:32
Speaker
And it arguably wipes out a lot of the competition in the room because their budgets are just that much bigger. And i would assume from a professional standpoint, you know, that doesn't necessarily matter as much to you because that's not what your job is and not what you're supposed to care about.
00:31:47
Speaker
But on the contrary, as a collector, how do you feel about that? You know, I've never really thought about it, if I'm being honest with you. I think that when a brand does decide to buy something for their archives, I think that's, um I'm going to say a great thing.
00:32:05
Speaker
You know, it's great in almost every way. It's great because one, it shows everybody that they care. They care about their heritage.
00:32:16
Speaker
Two, it usually means that we're going to see that watch appear again in the future, ah whether it's at a traveling exhibition or museum show.
00:32:28
Speaker
or a reissue. a reissue. These are all great positive things, whereas... you know, a great watch or a great work of art or a great car or any item comes up for sale, once it leaves our galleries, you never know where it's going to end up. You may never see it again. You may not see it again for 40 years.
00:32:53
Speaker
Who knows how long someone's going to keep something in their collection. So I don't see the downside in in brands participating in auction. I think it's a great thing all around. And it also has a halo effect.
00:33:05
Speaker
It has a halo effect for the brand, which I think also, of course, helps the industry and and the community at at large. Because when you see these headlines in in media and in the news about, oh, this amazing watch sold,
00:33:24
Speaker
for X number of dollars, it gets people talking. It brings people to the table. And whatever brings people to the table is great for everyone because we do want to see as many people get interested in these beautiful, mechanical, obsolete pieces of technology because ultimately that's what's going to save them, right?
00:33:47
Speaker
And that's what saved them in the 70s and that's what's going to keep them being relevant. How do we keep it in the conversation? And I think all of that, it's it's all interconnected.
00:33:59
Speaker
Something I always find interesting is when you're watching an auction and something gets up into the six or seven figure range, right? And it's and it's a battle between two people, right? You can clearly see that there's two people bidding against each other.
00:34:11
Speaker
And then it's like the increments are going by, you know, maybe 10, 20, 30, 40, 50,000, whatever it is But the bidder who just bid a million dollars, for example, then it goes up to 1.1 and the other bidder backs out.
00:34:24
Speaker
And I'm always so interested to know someone who was willing to spend a million dollars on it, right? it's It's kind of funny money at that point when you're spending six to seven figures on something. But I'm always so interested to know why they backed out when it just made a small increment based on what they were bidding before. You know, are they just over it? are they just like, and I don't care at this point, I'm done?
00:34:46
Speaker
Well, yeah it's it's hard to know, right? And again, there's so many factors that go into it. I think at that point, it's what I said before, right? You're dealing with experienced people. They know where they want to be. They have a number in their head and that's the line in the sand, right?
00:35:03
Speaker
But remember, it's it's also, you're doing the math in your head in the moment. what Okay, the hammer price is X plus the buyer's premium. Plus, where am I shipping it? So, okay, you know I live in New York. That's 8.875% sales tax.
00:35:19
Speaker
So you're doing all of this math. And maybe when you add it all up, you know that extra hundred, so to speak, really turns into an extra 200.
00:35:30
Speaker
Or what if you're bidding overseas and you have to do currency conversion and the dollar is weaker in some places than it is in other places? These are all factors that that go into it.
00:35:41
Speaker
And I certainly would not be the person to ever trivialize a bit of a million versus 1.1 million. But I think these are all things that, that go through the psychology of bidding, right?
00:35:55
Speaker
Certainly. Another thing I'm so interested in are the phone bidders, right? Because you obviously can't hear the conversations for obvious reasons, but you see the phone bidding, you know, associates talking to the phone bidders and they have their mouth over there. And it's just like, I'm like, what are the conversations that are had?
00:36:14
Speaker
that are being had you know can you and Obviously, without divulging too much, but what are the typical conversations going through between the collector and and and the phone personnel? no No great state secrets, I promise you.
00:36:29
Speaker
it's It's really um because, again, you know the lots, they they usually go by so quickly. Yeah. so it's really usually as simple as once you get somebody on the phone, you'll call them a few lots before, right? If you want a bid on lot number 10, usually call you at lot number eight.
00:36:50
Speaker
Of course, always the pleasantries, but when you're, when you're phone bidding, there's really no time for, for small talk. It's, it's really as, as simple and straightforward ah when you're dealing with people on the phone as,
00:37:04
Speaker
The bid is $100. hundred dollars The next bid is $110. Do you want to bid $110? Maybe you're you're saying to them, ah the bid is not with you.
00:37:17
Speaker
the The bid is with a gentleman in the room or or something of that. But there's really no time for small talk, right? you don't You don't want to miss. You've seen how fast an auction moves. You you have to be very to the point, clear, communicative,
00:37:33
Speaker
When you're on the phone with somebody. How about some of these higher stake lots though? When, when it's clearly between two people in the room, like we were talking about before, you know, the, the the auctioneer seems to kind of take a pause and let things go a little bit slower when it gets up there and in price and it's two people going back and forth. You know, there's, there's longer conversations that are being had as,
00:37:54
Speaker
Is the phone bidder trying to be coached through you know the next bid? Or are they asking questions like, is this really worth it for me? What what are those conversations like? Because it's less of it's less of a time thing at that point. It's like, hey, you know we're we're taking our time here. We're in we're in the $3 million range.
00:38:10
Speaker
Again, I think it's really as as simple as you know the auctioneer begins to move slower at that pace. Just because if the next increment is $50,000 $100,000 increment,
00:38:23
Speaker
it's It's as simple. as Sometimes the person on the other end of the phone really just needs to sit there and and do the math out. Certainly makes sense. Do you see that, you know, obviously you guys have data that you track on on bidders and all that stuff, or are the people that are bidding in the watch auctions also actively bidding in other categories like cars and art and design and rare furniture?
00:38:47
Speaker
I think without sort of getting too into the weeds on it, people do collect cross-category. it's It's absolutely something that we see across the board. i don't think it's unique to us at Sotheby's.
00:39:02
Speaker
Even just think about normal people like both of us, right? We collect across different categories. We buy different things. So we absolutely do have plenty of clients who buy jewelry, but also buy watches. They maybe bid on cars.
00:39:21
Speaker
What I think is is an amazing statistic, because you want to speak about data, is how almost a third of the watch bidders are under the age of 40. Very interesting.
00:39:34
Speaker
Which, again, goes back to my comment about how We want as many people at that table as possible because what's good for one is good for all. um And having all of these younger people coming into watches, I think is an amazing thing.
00:39:50
Speaker
and And also sort of indicative of the fact that after that big run up in watches during the pandemic where prices really got out of hand, and I think a lot of people were kind of saying,
00:40:03
Speaker
oh, you know, everything's so expensive, there is this sense of of fun is back. People want to come back into the fold. There are things to be had at, you know, more reasonable prices again. Not everything is $100,000. So I think that is a ah really amazing statistic um to talk about.
00:40:25
Speaker
You know, I think something in the watch world that is what most people call a big no-no is buying something at retail and then selling it.
The Emotional Side of Auctioning: Stallone's Grandmaster Chime
00:40:34
Speaker
Something that you have waited on the list for, that other people are on the list for, that's really hard to get, whatever it may be. And you know it's ah it's a hit or miss conversation with how people feel about it. And as an an auction house, it's not really your job to care about it at all.
00:40:49
Speaker
But you obviously sold and helped sell a really, really well-known and popular Grandmaster Chime, Patek Philippe. And it's you know came from a very well-known person and um that it's out there online if anyone wants to read about it.
00:41:05
Speaker
What was going through his mind when he was doing this? Does Patek even care that he sold it? like Does that ruin the relationship? Does he not care? so obviously you're talking about Sylvester Stallone.
00:41:17
Speaker
And I think that we did an incredible video um with Sly where he really spoke about, and by the way, genuinely recommend watching it. It's of my favorite. I did. It's great. I love it. I've watched it like 17 times.
00:41:35
Speaker
Oh my God, he's fantastic. It was also just one of the most heartfelt interviews, for lack of a better. It was one of the most heartfelt interviews I've ever seen. you know, he really speaks about his love of watches, his collecting of watches, how he got into it, you know, the Altman brothers and and the whole thing from from soup to nuts.
00:41:55
Speaker
But I think in that case, it was really, he was very clear about you know why it was time for him to sell that watch. He wanted to own what he thought was, his words, not mine, ah the finest watch in the world.
00:42:12
Speaker
And he owned it for several years. And obviously, he never really wore it. It was just sort of sitting there. He liked to take it out, to admire it, to look at it.
00:42:24
Speaker
and then put it back in its box. And I think, you know, he was he was very clear about, i've I've wanted to own it. i summited Everest, if you will.
00:42:35
Speaker
i got to own it and enjoy it for several years. And now it's time for me to pass that on to someone else. And he actually told a really great story as to, ah which was about, was from Flip Wilson, i think was the comedian's name.
00:42:53
Speaker
where he talks about how he was admiring a necklace that Flip Wilson was wearing. And Flip took it off his neck and gave it to Sly and basically said, like i've I've enjoyed this. i've I've had my time with it.
00:43:10
Speaker
Now it's time for you to go have some enjoyment with it. And that was really the thought process that Sly had. I wanted the best. I got to have the best. I enjoyed owning it Now it's time for somebody else.
00:43:24
Speaker
I love it. And I think it's a great thing, you know, when when you see collections kind of come and go and ebb and flow in people's, you know, ah you know what they're into. And sometimes one or two go out to bring one in We've all been there.
00:43:38
Speaker
Very few watches, i think, are forever. Correct. And that's what I was curious to know. I mean, do you view yourself as more of a temporary steward of the watches that you buy? Or do you feel more like a permanent owner of the pieces in your collection and until they they get passed on?
00:43:54
Speaker
I think it depends on the watch. Typically, if I'm going and buying something new, I'm making a conscious effort that I'm going to keep that watch forever. You know, that, that JLC still have that watch, that master ultra thin.
00:44:09
Speaker
I have a a modern ceramic Pepsi, a GMT on Jubilee, that watch I bought new. I'm going to keep that forever. That one actually has a really great engraving. ah So it's a very personal watch to me.
00:44:24
Speaker
i think that, The other watches that I own really love owning them and I enjoy them. But every now and then, yes, they do leave the collection.
00:44:37
Speaker
You know, I got married, bought a house. Unfortunately, that costs some watches, right? um You know, we have that with that line in cars, right?
00:44:49
Speaker
um You sleep car, you can't drive a house. um Unfortunately, we don't have something that witty for watches. So um time to buy a house. Okay. Some of some of the watches have to go away.
00:45:04
Speaker
But I think if I'm buying a watch new, if I'm making that conscious effort, it's like opening up the first blank page of a book.
00:45:15
Speaker
And I am deciding that I am going to intentionally start writing a a new story. Whereas with other watches, certainly some of my more um historical pieces, I really am just the steward.
00:45:32
Speaker
I'm hanging on to it. i'm I'm protecting it and preserving it until such time as someone comes along who will appreciate it as much as I will, um or or an event happens, and you know unfortunately, maybe a watch needs to to go away.
00:45:50
Speaker
We're not saving lives here, right? Right, exactly. Yeah. I love it. Let's talk about the tangential part of your job and arguably one of the most fun parts of your job, which has not much to do with Sotheby's, but everything to do with watches.
Community and Exclusivity at Rolly Fest
00:46:04
Speaker
And that's Rolly Fest. And you've helped your colleague at Sotheby's, Jeff Hess, who started Rolly Fest with this event over the last few years. And it's really become almost mythic in in the vintage Rolex world.
00:46:16
Speaker
How would you describe the atmosphere of that event to someone who has never attended? I would say it's really just like one big family reunion. if if that, that might sound a ah little corny, but it's, it's really the truth.
00:46:32
Speaker
It's a great group of people from all over the world. Almost everybody in the room knows each other. And it's a great excuse to get all of those people together, all these great collectors, um you know, in one place so that we can share our love of of watches with each other. But it's it's really about the community.
00:46:55
Speaker
And this, I know this keeps coming up, right? It's the relationships, the friendships, But that's really what it's all about, bringing all of these incredible collectors and friends from all over the world um together in one place.
00:47:13
Speaker
Because we may speak to these people all the time in WhatsApp groups or Instagram chats um or group texts or email, but how often do you really get to see them in person and actually play with watches, right?
00:47:26
Speaker
Certainly. and And I think that's what it is. It feels like a big family reunion. I love it. It's such a great event. Everybody's excited for the next one that that's going to be fortunate enough to attend and can't wait to see the plans for that. I mean, we see...
00:47:41
Speaker
less exclusive but similar events in other collector markets, right? Like Lufticult and all that sort of stuff. But it's not as exclusive, right? Like someone just buys a ticket and they go. Do you think something like Rolly Fest could be replicated in other collector markets on this exclusive of a level? Or do you think that camaraderie just doesn't exist as much?
00:48:02
Speaker
I think it does exist in other collecting communities. And I think those events do happen out there. I think that watches is a little different because there is, ah of course, a security concern with watches.
00:48:19
Speaker
Nobody at Luftgekult, it would be very hard for you to sneak off with someone's 930 Turbo or someone tried to drive away, you know, in in McQueen's 917.
00:48:29
Speaker
You would be noticed. Yeah, just don't... Gone in 60 Seconds isn't going to give you the answer on how to do that. Exactly. nobody Nobody watched that movie. But... but I think those events do happen out there. I'm lucky enough to to be a part of of several great car collecting communities.
00:48:50
Speaker
We get together, you know maybe groups of 30 to 50 of us, every, let's call it, a couple of weeks, go for a great drive, have a nice lunch somewhere. um Again, just sort of sharing the the love that business shared experience, that that bonding moment um through the ups and downs of of owning these sort of temperamental things.
00:49:19
Speaker
I think art does have these events, right? You know, they have Frieze and they have Art Basel and all of these incredible things around the world that are just for art collectors.
00:49:30
Speaker
um I think in a way, watches was kind of the last one to the party. Right. Right. You know, think about you've got Pebble Beach Concord d'Elegance has been going on since and late 30s, early 40s.
00:49:44
Speaker
is that me Is that right? um But I think the thing with those sorts of events like, you know, Pebble Beach and and, you know, Art Basel and stuff is that a lot of the events that happen within that, you know, big week,
00:49:58
Speaker
people can buy tickets to. Anyone off the street can go and and attend some sort of event. Rolly Fest is really exclusive. and And not that it's trying to not let people in for any sort of reason, but it is really exclusive. And I think because there's millions and millions of dollars of watches that just sit on the tables throughout the day and the weekend, and it has to be that way.
00:50:17
Speaker
And that's why i just don't know if it could really be replicated with that sort of enthusiasm, maybe with cars, of course, but like in other markets like are and wine where it's just like people are gushing over, you know, what's sitting on the table and trying stuff on and and deals are happening and it's fun. And, you know, it's just such an interesting weekend for sure.
00:50:38
Speaker
I think, and i'm I'm going to stick with this one, I think watches is laid to the table. I think those things do exist. We maybe just don't know about them. We're just not getting invited, do you mean?
00:50:49
Speaker
mean, I hate to say it, but yes, you know we're probably just not getting invited. I mean, there's certainly so tons of secret societies for wine all over the world. Sure. By the way, not so easy to just go get a ticket to the quail, right?
00:51:03
Speaker
course. Yeah. And some of the best car events in the world are really exclusive. try you know Getting a car into the Millimilia, not so easy. Getting a car into ah the Colorado Grand, you know there's tight parameters for what qualifies for these events.
00:51:21
Speaker
I think that, again, it's it's just that maybe they're already out there and we just don't know about them. Which, honestly, it's not a bad thing.
00:51:33
Speaker
yeah There should be some discovery still left there in the world. I completely agree. All right, before we wrap it up with the collector's gym rundown, I'd love to know if you weren't working in the watches department at Sotheby's, and cars are excluded because that's going to be a conversation for you and I for another day.
Future Goals: Rare Watches and Classic Cars
00:51:52
Speaker
Where would you want to be at within Sotheby's? What department? Oh, God, we've got a department for everything. And there's so many great departments. I'm going to say our our science and pop culture team.
00:52:04
Speaker
They do some amazing stuff. They get to do the movie sales and they get to do the dinosaurs. um And everyone secretly wants to be Indiana Jones, right?
00:52:14
Speaker
Yes. So I love it. i'm I'm going to go science and pop culture, Alex, for 5,000. That's great. All right. You know the drill here. You can answer these questions based on any of the things that you collect, whether it's watches, cars, anything that comes to mind.
00:52:31
Speaker
Have fun with it. The question number one is what's the one that got away? I think if I'm being honest, I'm genuinely happy with my collection and the things that I've had an opportunity to own at some point over, you know, let's call it my collecting arc.
00:52:49
Speaker
I think anything that got away from me was really just, It's one of those things where you're looking at it and you're like, oh, if only I had a spare million dollars, right? Right.
00:53:00
Speaker
yeah Totally makes sense. The next one is, is what's the on deck circle. So what's next for you in collecting, maybe something that you're hunting after something you want to put into the ether so that it comes your way. Well, I did just get that perpetual calendar, the 3050. So can't that that one's now off the table.
00:53:19
Speaker
I think that in watches, what I would really love to own and has sort of been my white whale that's alluded to me is, is a great two nine one five speed master first generation speedy, ah could be a dash one, could be a dash two really want one of those.
00:53:41
Speaker
And for cars, you know, the, the thing that I was actually speaking with a good friend of mine, Matt Ivanhoe about not that long ago,
00:53:54
Speaker
was something 50s, something fifty s racy, mostly in a bid to get on the Colorado Grand, if I'm being honest. So there you have it. Look at that. and There's my, if I would like to do the Colorado Grand, which I think probably everyone has ever done. It says one of the greatest car events in the world.
00:54:14
Speaker
Those are the things that are on my my loose horizon, right? right I would love a 2915 Speedmaster, arguably the most important chronograph ever made. And then something 50s racy in the car world, that's Colorado Grand eligible, bonus points if it's Millimilia eligible.
00:54:33
Speaker
How about the unobtainable? So this is something that's just too expensive in a museum, private collection, just complete unobtainium. I think for me, the big one, and it's in Omega's archives, um Wally Shira's 2998.
00:54:47
Speaker
two nine nine eight which was the first Speedmaster that was worn into outer space. Likely the reason, a little hard to prove, but likely the reason that the Speedmaster was ultimately selected form NASA flight qualification.
00:55:05
Speaker
i think that is probably watch that I would love to own. um, money, no object. Of course, it's probably never coming up for sale. I don't think Omega is ever going to let go of it. And I don't blame them. They shouldn't.
00:55:20
Speaker
No, they shouldn't. Not unless it's going to like save the company or something one day, but they shouldn't. It's a real treasure in 1962. And is it Mercury? was the Mercury eight, Mercury Atlas eight first speed master worn into outer space.
00:55:35
Speaker
Also Wally Shira, incredibly important guy. um yeah went on to news anchoring with Walter Cronkite. um So that would be sort of in a museum, not going to get my hands on it, but wow, what a, what a thing, what a trophy.
Beyond Watches: A Diverse Collecting Interest
00:55:54
Speaker
And the page one rewrite. So if money was no object and you could collect anything besides cars and watches, what would it be? So the problem, I collect too many weird things. Yeah.
00:56:05
Speaker
I really love decorative arts, which is going to be your furniture, sort of the the everyday objects that we live with, right? I love all of that stuff. I also love weird little artifacts that very much represent their moment in time, but maybe things that have absolutely no use for now.
00:56:24
Speaker
Something like when you see the sheet, the bed warmers. right? With the copper pots on the long stick. What an incredibly cool thing. um Walking around today, I saw an old harpoon gun.
00:56:36
Speaker
I'm like, amazing. Oh my God, I never knew I wanted a harpoon gun before. um But, you know, I love all of these artifacts that represent these incredible moments in time that have come and gone. so you know, decorative arts for me is that category, all encompassing that really celebrates human achievement in a way, right? How far man has come.
00:57:03
Speaker
Certainly. I couldn't agree more. It's such a, such an interesting place to collect. And it's, and it's so, it lends itself to be so forgiving because there's so much. And a lot of it really works together. I mean, you know, ah Asian antiques works great with French art deco and, and, you know, you can really go so many different directions and and create something really special.
00:57:23
Speaker
No, French Art Deco is the best. Yeah, no. friend French Art Deco is, that's the problem with Art Deco. ah I love Art Deco. I feel like kind of like mid-century modern, you have to really commit to it.
00:57:36
Speaker
you have to You have to do the whole room in that one style. You have to do the house in that style. Nobody walks into a British manor house. And, oh, all of a sudden, there's a mid-century modern room. It doesn't work.
00:57:50
Speaker
Right. But I think where it gets really interesting is that, you know, like – some of the French mid-century pieces or the Danish and and Swedish mid-century pieces work so well equally with French Italian antiques, right? So like there are really special period pieces that were made by great designers who understood how to make sure that what they were creating was going to work with a lot of different things. Whereas mid-century modern is like, that's really tough to get into any other style home.
00:58:23
Speaker
Have you made it to the TWA hotel yet? um i have I have been to it, but I have not stayed there. But I've i've walked through photos, all that. It's crazy. Okay, I was going to say that that that feels like something you should see. Did you go in the airplane?
00:58:37
Speaker
I did not. Ah, see, you're missing out. That's special. You have to go back just to go get a drink in the airplane. I kind of want to do the pool on the tarmac.
00:58:50
Speaker
I wonder if people can see the people in the pool as they're flying by. That would be interesting. But that, I mean, that's just a space that it just works in.
00:59:01
Speaker
Yeah, and it was and it was meant for that. So it makes sense. How about the goat for you? Who do you look up to in the collecting world or who do you think is a great collector? Oh, there's so many.
00:59:12
Speaker
I'm going to pick a car guy, but what I'm about to say about him really... applies to everything and and also gives you an idea as the types of people that I admire.
00:59:26
Speaker
um And it's Jay Leno. I love Jay Leno as a collector, not because of how valuable his collection is, although of course it's plenty valuable, but because he he just sort of collects with abandon.
00:59:43
Speaker
He's got steam-powered cars next to you know modern hybrid hypercars next to vintage Lamborghinis and Bugatti Type thirty five I mean, I can attest to this. I was actually at his garage maybe a month or so ago, and the breadth of cars in there and the the way that they all tell the story, it's it's just wild. I mean, I've truly never seen anything like it.
01:00:11
Speaker
and And for me, i again, i i feel like I've sounded like such a corny person over the course of this, but I always say to people, I'm a terrible collector because I really just buy what I love.
01:00:23
Speaker
And so many times I find... that I am buying things that maybe aren't the most valuable or there's perfection in the imperfections. You know, I have probably one of the rarest Omegas ever made.
01:00:37
Speaker
Um, and I promise you, nobody cares about it. It is a 1950s Omega Seamaster with a golf ball dial. And I love that watch. I'll tell you very quick anecdote about the story of how I came by this watch.
01:00:53
Speaker
There's, maybe six of them. Don't know if they were ever actually produced. All the dials are seemingly different. um It's possible that they were prototypes.
01:01:06
Speaker
ah Certainly, I know Omega has one in their museums, and they've confirmed that it is, in fact, real and legitimate. But it's one of the most beautiful watches you've ever seen and in your life. And a good friend of mine um who I have been sort of helping since he was actually...
01:01:25
Speaker
16 years old with his business and and just being, like I guess, ah a friend and ah a mentor to him. He had asked me many years ago when he was at my apartment ah before the pandemic, what is you know your watch? What's the great watch that you could never get? And I said, I was telling him about this Omega Seamaster with the golf ball dial. I pulled out my books because of course we all have a million books, showed pictures of it, was telling him the story of how these dials came to be.
01:01:54
Speaker
and how different and unique they are. And, and I said, you know, it's not incredibly valuable. and Maybe one is worth $5,000 and I'm not trivializing $5,000, but I think both of us can attest that in the world of watches, a $5,000 watch, you're, you're not making it on the spectrum um of, oh my goodness, that's, that's crazy.
01:02:16
Speaker
But I could never find one. They're impossible. They just don't exist. And for my wedding when, when I was getting married, he pulled me to the side and he said to me, you know, I thought really hard about what I was going to get you. And before he could even say anything, I looked at him dead in the eye and I'm like, Holy crap, you found the watch, didn't you?
01:02:42
Speaker
And there's so few of them. I knew exactly as soon as I saw the dial, who he bought it from, because I knew the watch. And i absolutely lost it. It's one of the most incredible. But but again, you know this is this is an example of like, I love that watch. It's one of my favorite watches. I'm never going to sell it. It's incredible. Everything about it is amazing.
01:03:04
Speaker
But you know if I showed that to someone else, they may not have that same emotional attachment. Now, granted, I love Omega. It's a very special brand to me for a myriad of different reasons.
01:03:17
Speaker
I guess what it comes down to is, There's this great expression, all valuable things are rare, but not all rare things are valuable. And because I buy what I love, I look up to someone like Jay Leno, the man just buys what he loves. and it's just been he's been lucky that so much of his collection has turned out to be valuable.
01:03:37
Speaker
But when you go through it, you know a lot of them are not you know crazy valuable, but he bought them anyway because he loved them. And that is why I think he is valuable.
01:03:47
Speaker
you know, a collector I look up to because that's, that's what I aspire to be. I want to buy what I love and I want to be happy with it. And every time I look down at my wrist, I just want to smile.
01:03:59
Speaker
You know, even the fact that I bought ah black 63 Corvette convertible, I promise you, i am one of I'm definitely the youngest person with one of those in, in where, where we live.
01:04:12
Speaker
But everybody, when I told them in our town that that was one of the cars I was going to go buy, they all looked at me funny and they're like, what? But it's it's beautiful. It's incredible. it's Everything about it's amazing.
01:04:25
Speaker
And you love it. I love it. I buy what I love. That maybe doesn't make me a great collector, but those are the types of collectors I look up to. And I think Jay Leno is like the shining example, the North Star of just buy what you love.
01:04:38
Speaker
The hunt or the ownership, which one do you enjoy more?
The Thrill of the Hunt vs. the Joy of Ownership
01:04:42
Speaker
I would like to invoke my Fifth Amendment right. i think both, right? Yep. Sometimes it's the journey which makes ownership more special um because now here I am sitting here telling you these stories of how I got that Omega Seamaster with the golf ball dial or that master ultra thin or, um you know, my, my GMT has this great engraving on the case back with the, this globe and all of the cities that that watch has been to, you know, that's very special to me. So it's sometimes it's 50, 50, the journey is really special and important, but the ownership experience is also,
01:05:23
Speaker
And I think that comes from buying what you love. Jeff Hess actually has this great expression that he says ah with decent regularity to people, you want to own the watch, the watch shouldn't own you. And I think that is when you're not enjoying the ownership experience, it's usually because the watch owns you, not the other way around.
01:05:50
Speaker
I love that. Great saying. And most importantly, do you feel that you were born with collectors, Gene? hundred percent 100%. I had no doubt either. we're deeply We're deeply sick individuals. We all need help.
01:06:04
Speaker
um Fortunately, we all have understanding spouses. I look forward to everyone, hopefully. my The highest praise I can get is that one day after I'm gone, it's going to be a great garage sale or something, right?
01:06:19
Speaker
And people are going to look through this stuff and say, wow, this guy had taste. No, I think i think you're it's definitely something you're born with. you can You can develop it later, but I think a lot of us, it's sort of stuck on you from day one.
01:06:37
Speaker
100%. Vincent, thanks so much for coming on Collector's Gene Radio. I greatly appreciate it And we're going to do this again for sure because, you know, we have a lot of things to talk about besides watches. I feel like we barely scratched the surface. we You know, it's been an hour and 14 minutes already. It has, and we have a lot more to say. So there's there's definitely room to do this again. And can't wait to catch up with you next time I'm in New York.
01:06:58
Speaker
All right. I'm looking forward to it. and I'll hold you to it. You got it buddy. Take care. Bye.
01:07:05
Speaker
All right, that does it for this episode. Thank you all for listening to Collector's Gene Radio.