The Best-Dressed People and Their Watches

Cameron Barr, Founder, Craft & Tailored

You’re wearing a very sharp double-breasted suit today. Who made it?

This I think came from The Armoury. The polo shirt—I don’t know, I think this is probably a Suitsupply special. The shoes are Carmina. I love Carmina.

What watch are you wearing, and what do you love about it?

Some people call it the pebble or the cushion. It’s 1970s Breguet. It’s in white gold, guilloche Roman numeral dial with Breguet hands. You don’t see a lot of these. It’s from a time in which Breguet was producing very small numbers of watches. It’s got to be 34 mm, 35 mm. I love how sleek and slim it is. It just kind of slips underneath the cuff of the shirt or the jacket quite nicely. I think this is a perfect example of how a watch can be small but wear larger than its actual tangible dimensions

If you could buy one watch that you’ve seen so far, what would it be?

The Zenith Defy, actually. That was really surprising for me. Perfect modern execution but definitely leveraged in homage to the past. What else have I seen that I’ve really liked? The Cartier Monopussoir Tortue. Very cool. That’s a watch that I’ve chased heavily on the vintage side because they’re so unique and rare. But to see that in a modern interpretation? Very, very cool.

Alex Albornoz, Collector

What are you doing at Watches & Wonders?

So my boyfriend and I come here every year. So it’s a spectacular gathering of aficionados, collectors, retailers, wholesalers. And this is the mecca global reunion of everybody that has to do with timekeeping, right?

Tell me about your outfit. 

The dress is Chanel. I have my Birkin. Vhernier jewelry. And of course, my Reverso.

What do you love about your Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso?

So this is a limited edition with 27 diamonds, which is my lucky number. This was released in 2019. Also the color, the wine color. And I also love it just because it keeps the time correctly. I mean, Jaeger-LeCoultre, after all is a precision maker.

What’s harder to collect? Birkins or watches?

Oh my gosh. Both, equally! It’s a very difficult question. Well, I have an admiration for craftsmanship. Luxury items take a while to be made and I appreciate that. Even when it comes to timepieces or handcrafted leather pieces such as purses and shoes or jewelry. So anything that involves artisans working on their craft, I admire.

Mike Nouveau, Dealer and Collector

Tell us about your outfit.

I think this might be the exact same outfit I wore last year when we met. This is like just basically my I don’t care outfit. It’s Japanese raw denim which, I’m all about patina, so you wear the jeans until you get a natural patina. You wear the leather jacket till it develops a patina.

What watch are you wearing, and what do you love about it?

I’m wearing a Patek Philippe Calatrava Ref. 96 in steel with Breguet numerals on a Gay Freres bracelet. I’ve only had it about a week. I just traded something for it. I did a huge amount of research about it. It’s the first Calatrava ever from Patek Phillipe, right after the Sterns purchased the company. This is one of the first serially produced references they made. It’s 31 mm which I think is amazing. I love the size. This reference was in production for 40 years, a really long time. It’s steel which is rare, Breguet numerals, which is rare. The dial is stunning. I just love it. 

If you could buy just one of the watches what would it be?

The world’s most complicated watch made by Vacheron Constantin. It’s one of a kind, it will and can never be made again. It’s a special order from an important client. It’s like a piece of horological history.

Brynn Wallner, Founder, Dimepiece

What are you doing here at the fair?

I’m at Watches & Wonders because I’m the founder of Dimepiece. It’s a platform dedicated to women and watches. I’m also a journalist. So I’m just here taking it all in. I’m being a sponge. Spongebob Squarepants.

Tell us about your outfit?

It’s really hard to sustain really good outfits all week. I just want to start by saying that somebody just asked me if I’m a trust fund baby. And I’m not, but I can look chic because I shopped pre-owned and consignment. Like that’s all I wear. So everything I own has been these shoes have been worn by somebody else. So I’ve got the Chanel flats. I’ve got some Burberry trousers with a nice pleat. I have this little Chanel belt that I just bought an Oscar de la Renta kind of random cardigan thing with a little bow.

And what’s the watch that you’re wearing? Why do you love it?

So it’s the Cartier Tank Francaise. This is my first watch that I’ve ever bought. And I bought it in 2021, a year into starting Dimepiece, because when I started it, everybody was like, show us your collection. And I literally didn’t own a watch. I was like, should I lie and just say I have this amazing collection that I’m too shy to talk about? So I got this in 2021 to kind of celebrate the success that I’d had. It’s also a great travel watch. Like, nobody’s gonna rob me. It’s just a steal. It’s not very expensive, but it gets the job done. Chic.

Alexander Friedman, Collector and Consultant

Tell us about your outfit today.

Today I’m wearing a Driani double-breasted suit made in Naples, obviously, all by hand.

And what about the watch? What is it, and what do you love about it?

I’m wearing a watch that I particularly love, which is a Speake Marin openwork Piccadilly tourbillion. And I love this watch because it’s a tourbillon in a 38 mm case, which is rare. So it has a modern look, but at the same time, very classic, small dimensions, very light and titanium, open work so you can see a lot of the movement. It’s discreet, and it’s extremely comfortable.

Do you have any favorite new watches yet?

I haven’t seen everything, but I have a top two. The Parmigiani Toric. Beautiful watchmaking, beautiful color combination. The finishings are astonishing. And second I will go for something more high tech, very thin, I would say ultra-thin, which is the Bulgari Octo Finissimo, which I love. 

Kristian Haagen, Author and Collector

Tell us about your outfit. I love your jacket.

Thank you very much. It’s a velvet jacket from Oscar Jacobsen. I think it’s a Swedish company. The shirt is Levi’s. The pants are Arket, the shoes are Nike, and the glasses are Jacques Marie Mage.

Tell us about the watches you’re wearing.

I’m wearing a beautiful five-digit Daytona with a Patrizzi dial. And a Cartier Tank Must with a black dial. I thought it was good to double-wrist today. I’m having a Tom Ford moment. You know if you have a hangover, dress better. So I’m overdressing with watches right now.

What do you love about them both?

I like vintage Rolex. I’m not so much into the new. I think that Rolex has a very rich history. That pedigree is super cool. And I like the somewhat smaller rings around the chronograph registers that are really nice. The new six-digit actually has that as well. So I think it’s inspired by this generation. The funny bit about these Daytonas is that this is when the hype started. Before this, there weren’t any waiting lists until this [version] was introduced in around 1988. This one is from 1999.

Louis Marie de Castelbajac, Designer and Entrepreneur

What are you doing at the fair this year?

My father, Jean Charles de Castelbajac, has a beautiful and very creative concept with MB&F launching here, which is all around a French word, ludique. It’s a French word for saying, you know, “a playful take on.” It brings poetry and technology together in a beautiful manner.

Tell us about your outfit.

I went for a rather classic look. I have some Ralph Lauren boots. And then I have an old Wrangler cowboy cut jeans so that we can go more American, my mother being American and my father French. And this is an old Lafont workwear jacket. I always like to mix French and American style together.

And you made a bold choice wearing an Apple Watch to a horological tradeshow.

Being that there are so many wonderful watches here, I don’t want to downplay any of them. I have Toy Story on the backdrop, so it was kind of to play with the fun of it.

Trang Trinh, Founder, Girls O’Clock

How would you describe Girls O’Clock to people who may not have heard of it?

Girls O’clock is a social media platform for women’s watches but with a fashion lens. I was working in fashion, and I realized I knew enough about watches. I loved them. But I wanted to know what was what else was on the market for other women. And I wanted to share my learnings along the way. So it’s kind of a social media discovery platform.

What watch are you wearing today, and what do you love about it?

I mean, it’s a watch watch, right? But at the same time, I love jewelry watches. The bracelet is so incredibly beautiful. And I like to say my favorite color is gold.

What’s your most controversial Watches & Wonders opinion?

Hublot, I think, has some of the best releases. They released their classic fusion in 29 mm, and it’s so elegant and it’s really, really versatile. I think it’s incredible.

Oren Hartov, Robb Report Contributor

What are you doing here?

I am covering this fair for Robb Report, meeting with brands, and hanging out with my friends. That’s the best part of it.

Talk to us about your outfit.

This is from Brooklyn Tailors, which is an awesome tailor in Brooklyn. And this is an off-the-rack thing. It’s not something made to measure bespoke. But I just love it. And they’re a great tailor founded by a couple and they have one employee. They’re awesome.

What watch are you wearing, and what do you love about it?

This is a series one AnOrdain, made in Glasgow, Scotland, which is owned by a friend Louis Heath. And it’s on a leather strap from Analog Shift. It wasn’t what came with the watch. And it is a gorgeous enamel dial watch for a couple thousand euros and now there’s a really long waitlist. Enamel dials are really difficult to make. For this one, they took the typography from British Ordnance Survey maps, and combined that with these just really beautiful colors, put it into steel case with an automatic movement. And I’d never seen that before.

Stephen Pulvirent, Founder, Rime & Reason

Stephen, what are you doing here?

I’m the founder and principal of Rime & Reason. We’re a creative and marketing agency. I work with lots of clients in the watch industry. And I’m here to see what’s going on.

Tell us about your outfit.

The jacket is Todd Snyder. This is a knit t-shirt from Buck Mason. The trousers are from Stoffa and shoes are New Balance 550s.

What watch are you wearing and what do you love about it?

I’m wearing a Cartier Tank Americane. This is the model from a few years ago. It’s the medium size, and it gives me that kind of like, vintage watch feel. But it’s a modern watch. I don’t have to fuss with it. And I think it’s one of the best designs of all time.

What is your hottest Watches & Wonders take?

I think my big takeaway from the show this year is there’s been a lot of like, doom and gloom around economies, around the industry, are things OK? Are we in a downturn? And the vibe here is great. I was really expecting a little bit of, you know, tightening our belts, hesitancy, or like, you know, kind of a down mood. And everybody seems jazzed to be here. There’s lots of great product. And honestly, I think it looks like it’s going to be a pretty good year for watches.

Lily Chong, Retailer From Watatime in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

How many times have you been to Watches & Wonders?

This is my first time!

And tell me about your outfit. You look great.

This was styled by my stylist. She’s from Malaysia. She used to style actors and actresses for red carpets.

What is your watch, and what do you love about it?

So I’m wearing Raymond Weil’s Toccata collection. It’s a perfect match, right? It’s just very elegant. I love that it brings me a beautiful elegance. And I just love this color. It looks sexy.