Every time we travel, we end up meeting new watch collectors that decide to open the doors of their homes to us and share their world and passion for watches and other indulgences. Some of them are OK with us documenting these visits and sharing them with our readers, and others are way too private to even allow us take any pictures of what they are sharing with us.
In our #watchlife we’ve seen some very impressive watch collections, car collections, and scale car collections, but never before, we’ve witnessed so much love for Formula One Racing to the point of having Michael Schumacher’s Scuderia Ferrari Formula One in the back of a car garage/man cave. Along with all sorts of signed F1 memorabilia that includes helmets, gloves, a steering wheel, posters, photos, all sorts of memorabilia for our favorite driver Ayrton Senna and everything in between, seven spectacular cars compose the car collection of this very unique watch collector.
But before we dive into the watches, let’s talk a little bit about the cars in the garage. Exquisitely finished and fully carpeted, this six-car garage serves as the sanctuary for a lime green Porshce GT3, a rosso corsa Ferrari 488 Spyder, a black Lamborghini Huracan Coupé, a convertible Monaco yellow Bentley Continental GT, a black Bentley Mulsanne, and a white Rolls-Royce Ghost. Not pictured but also part of the stable is a beryllium grey BMW Alpina B7. When you have this fine taste in cars, most likely you have great taste when it comes to watches, and that was for sure the case.
Now, moving on to the watches. Of course after meeting this watch collector and spotting the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Extra-Thin ‘Jumbo’ in 18K rose gold ref. 15202OR on his wrist, we knew instantly he had to be an AP lover and someone with a very nice assortment of timepieces.
With a collection mainly focused on precious metals, this collection is quite heavy—no pun intended— on the AP and Rolex sides. While most of the watches were in mint condition to NOS condition, it was pleasurable to see how well worn his first generation Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chronograph a.k.a ‘Kasparov’ in 18K yellow gold ref. 25960BA.OO.1185BA.01 was because it is the watch that he wears the most.
Most notable and noteworthy timepieces in this collection include:
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Extra-Thin ‘Jumbo’ in 18K rose gold ref. 15202OR.OO.1240OR.01.
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chronograph a.k.a ‘Kasparov’ in 18K yellow gold ref. 25960BA.OO.1185BA.01.
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chrono ‘City of Sails’ in 18K rose gold ref. 25979OR.O.0002CA.01 limited edition of 200 pieces created in 2003 for the America’s Cup Team Alinghi.
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak in stainless steel and 18K yellow gold ref. 14800SA.O.0009.02.
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Day-Date Moon Phase ref. 25594SA.OO0789SA.01.
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Rodeo Drive Limited Edition ref. 26060ST.OO.D017CR.01 50-piece limited edition.
Audemars Piguet Ladies Royal Oak Offshore ‘La Boutique’ Limited Edition in stainless steel ref. 26036SK.ZZ. D002CA.01.
Rolex Cosmograph Daytona in 18K White Gold and Pink Mother-of-Pearl Dial with pink lizard strap ref. 116519.
Rolex Yacht-Master 40 Everose Oysterflex Diamond-Paved Dial ref. 126655.
Rolex Day-Date Everose Chocolate Dial ref. 228235.
Rolex GMT-Master II Everose ‘Rootbeer’ ref. 126715CHNR.
Rolex Cosmograph Daytona Oysterflex 18K White Gold with Mother-of-Pear Diamond Dial ref. 116519LN-045.
Rolex Cosmograph Daytona Oysterflex Everose with Mother-of-Pear Diamond Dial ref. 116518LN-045.
Cartier Panthère de Cartier Heart Dial Limited Edition of 200 pieces in 18K yellow gold.\
Cartier Clé de Cartier 18K White Gold Full Pavé case, dial and bracelet.
And just as the night evolved so did the surprises. As we sipped a glass of Dom Pérignon Vintage 2009 —cooling inside a very exclusive Porsche bottle cooler with an original ribbed cylinder from the early air-cooled 911 models—, our ears were delightfully pleased by the sound coming from a Porsche Design 911 GT3 soundbar black edition. Then, this watch collector who happens to be a formidable host decided to pull out his Ferrari Carbon Fiber backgammon set and challenged us to a few games. Had the watches been part of the bet, we probably would’ve played much better.
And just as everything in this life is always full of surprises, what was intended to be just a regular visit to see an interesting watch collection, ended up being much more than that and a day we will never forget. When watches and the good life intertwine, one rarely knows what's in store for us.
But one thing we do know, is that you can never judge a book by its cover and this collection of watches and cars simply left us in awe. From the garage to the man cave and everything in between this was an evening very well spent. All we have to say to this collector is thank you so much. Thank you for being so welcoming and allowing us to document this very special day we will always remember for years to come.
And before we go, we leave you with this watch collector’s motto: “Life’s a game. Play your cards right”.
Until next time!
