WatchBox X The 1916 Company Around The World: A Grand Tour
WatchBox X The 1916 Company is represented not just online, but around the world and every showroom represents the identity of the companies, but also the character of a huge range of collector communities – which share some similarities but also benefit from the rich local watch and wider cultures found around the globe. In this inaugural installment of Grand Tour, we talk to our collectors, client advisers, and WatchBox X 1916 senior executives to find out what makes watch collecting a unique experience, from New York to Dubai to Shanghai, and beyond.
For our first installment, we've got horological highlights from the City That Never Sleeps. Our New York Team Leader and Senior Client Adviser Hans Singer takes you through some of the best that New York has to offer the visiting watch enthusiast and collector.
What's the first place I should go when I visit?
Anywhere but Times Square – just kidding, 1916 New York, of course!
What's special about the location of the 1916 Company in your city?
The design and inventory, both are highly curated for collectors with the highest taste level. Our showroom was designed by Andre Mellone, a world-famous architect who's created spaces for Thom Browne, The Row, and Jason Wu and it's a great combination of mid-century and modern design cues and style. We think it's a wonderful place to relax and see our collection in a space that really captures the best of New York design style.
What's the most exciting watch or time related thing in your city that's not a watch boutique (i.e. the Patek Museum in Geneva, HSNY exhibitions in NY, etc)
WatchTime tends to be a pretty good one if you can schedule around it (especially the after parties!) or any of the events hosted by the Horological Society Of New York. WatchTime Magazine's annual fair takes place in the fall, so you'll need to plan ahead, but it brings together an amazing variety of brands. The Windup Watch Fair takes place about the same time and is smaller in scale, but it's a great showcase for independents. HSNY has a regular slate of lectures and events, and some of the industry's most prominent watchmakers, experts and collectors (F. P. Journe's been a guest lecturer, for example).
The Metropolitan Museum Of Art has an impressive collection of European clocks and watches, the majority of which were a bequest from J. P. Morgan. They're exhibited under the umbrella of the European Decorative Arts department but definitely worth seeking out. And of course, just about every major brand has a showroom in Manhattan, right in the vicinity of The 1916 showroom – just stroll down 57th Street and up Madison Avenue!
What's the best way to connect with fellow collectors?
Watch events, social media, and good old fashioned dinners and lunches are all great ways to spend quality time with other collectors. And check in with The 1916 Company before your visit – our showroom's not just a great place to see watches, it's also the site of frequent, often themed, collector gatherings, where you can meet fellow enthusiasts and watchmakers as well. I'd also recommend checking out RedBar's calendar of meetings – their get-togethers are a wonderful place to get your feet wet meeting New York based collectors but they tend to have a full house, so check in early.
What's the best thing about collecting watches in your city?
The community. It is extensive, and there is a collector for absolutely every facet of the watch world who is more passionate about their little niche than you would think be possible.There are collectors here who have been collecting for just a few months, and those who have been collecting for many decades or even generations and the great thing about the New York collector community is that everyone is happy to share knowledge – the New York collector community's a real meritocracy.
What makes collecting in your city different from collecting anywhere else?
The incredible collector community, but there is also pretty unprecedented access to watches from all of the best authorized retailers, secondary market dealers, the madness and magic of 47th Street, and transactions between friends and collectors directly.
What would be a grail watch for you, and what watch or watches would be grail watches for your collectors?
A. Lange & Söhne 101.001 or a 101.002, I go back and forth on the two but I am partial to the hands on the .002. There are too many grails for my city’s collectors to name! Even my list is too long to put in one place. That's one of the great things about New York – the sheer variety of collector interests. I think one of the great things about the New York collector community is how everyone's got a slightly different take on what it means to be a watch enthusiast and it's no exaggeration to say that everyone's grail watch is different.
Written and Interviewed by Jack Forster