With lockdown offering fewer opportunities to see wrist candy in person, we asked six notable names to model their most prized watches and share the stories behind them.
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Mike Giannattasio, President of Leica North America
Image Credit: CHANDLER BONDURANT Breguet Classique Ref. 3910
“Many innovations in watchmaking date back to inventions from Breguet, including the guilloche dial and the tourbillon. Breguet, like Leica, shares an authentic and genuine history that is the envy of many companies. Both of these iconic brands share a tradition and history that are unrivaled in their respective fields. I fell in love with my Breguet because of its unmistakable style. The coin edge of its case, the blued hands and the guilloche dial—all hallmarks of a Breguet. Authentic watchmaking, truly iconic and instantly recognizable.”
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Massimo Frascella, Creative Director of Land Rover
Image Credit: CHANDLER BONDURANT Panerai Luminor 8 Days Titanium
“I’ve always enjoyed watches, but for me it all changed when my wife said to me back in 2014, ‘When you become a director, I want us to go to the original Panerai boutique, in Florence, and buy a watch to celebrate the occasion.’ We’ve always loved Panerai for what the brand represented—simplicity, functionality and its great Italian heritage. So we did just that. Every year we drive from our home in Warwickshire to my family home in Tuscany, which is not far from the Firenze San Giovanni Panerai boutique. It was a great experience and the start of my love affair with watches.”
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Lawrence Fairchild, Owner of Stones Wine
Image Credit: CHANDLER BONDURANT Franck Muller Crazy Hours
“I have a unique collection. I’m very into the arts and design. I’m always looking for something unusual that will pop. I have a couple of Franck Mullers, but my favorite one is the Crazy Hours. It was considered one of his most complicated watches when he built it. It’s a watch that jumps hours, with all of the numbers mixed up in different places. The original one was hard to find, but I finally found one from a person I purchase watches from down in Florida. It was used, but it was in perfect condition, like it had never been worn. Just from the sheer novelty of what it does, every time I put it on it’s just fun.”
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Tom Vice, Chairman, President and CEO of supersonic aircraft manufacturer Aerion
Image Credit: CHANDLER BONDURANT Breitling B-2 Stealth Chronograph
“This timepiece was built to celebrate the B-2 Spirit, the revolutionary stealth bomber Northrop designed for the United States Air Force. I was a flight control engineer on the program in the ‘80s and ‘90s. It is a wonderful watch that brings back happy memories of working on the B-2 and meeting one of the definitive voices on time, Stephen Hawking. I had read Stephen’s book, A Brief History of Time, and had the opportunity to meet him in 1996 in Palmdale, California. I gave him a tour of the B-2 Stealth Bomber, and he gave several of us that day a true gift—his perspectives on space and time.”
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Deshaun Watson, Quarterback for the Houston Texans
Image Credit: CHANDLER BONDURANT Audemars Piguet Royal Oak
“My main watch, which some people call the ‘bust-down AP,’ is the Audemars Piguet with diamonds. I bought the AP when I was just getting into the NFL. That was the first big-time watch that I bought. It was an opportunity for me to say that I accomplished something big—I walk out with that watch and it’s a statement piece. I’m a chill, laid-back guy, but I do like that it has that young, flashy appeal to it. I had accomplished my dream, and I wanted to do something special for myself.”
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Nikhil Kamath, Co-Founder of Zerodha and True Beacon
Image Credit: CHANDLER BONDURANT F. P. Journe Octa Lune
“I always liked F. P. Journe and the watchmaker’s story, as well as how they make all of their watches in-house. So I’m always on the lookout for great F. P. Journe watches, although I just have this one. I got my Octa Lune when I was traveling to Beirut on holiday a few years ago. I purchased it from a really popular collector named Claude Sfeir, who has sold some really important watches and has an F. P. Journe boutique there. I purchased it two years ago when an F. P. Journe was easier to come by, but now his popularity has soared. I wear it all the time.”
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Johannes Huebl, Model and Entrepreneur
Image Credit: CHANDLER BONDURANT Patek Philippe 5712G
“This was gifted to me by my wife for my 40th birthday. She knew that I had looked at it for a long time and that it wasn’t very easy to get on the watch market because a 5712G is so sought-after. It’s such a beautiful and unique timepiece. She was able to contact our good friend Ruediger Albers at Wempe to get it. I’ve had a longstanding relationship with Wempe, since I grew up in Germany—it’s the watch dealer that you first go to. The unwrapping of the watch at the boutique in New York was very special. Ruediger gave me a big hug and presented the watch to me. It’s my most precious possession and will be something one day that I’ll pass on to family.”
