Kristian Haagen

Listen to scholars, read books on watches, attend auctions (previews not the least), follow websites—and then make up your own mind. Don't follow trends. Buy watches you fall in love with, watches that make you forget time. After all, watches are all about emotions.

Auctions have become an important driver in the collecting world, especially Phillips. I spent ten years in the auction business and watches were considered niche when I started out. Today, watches are more important than ever at auctions.

For several years — since 2001 — I was a diehard Panerist. I lived and breathed everything Panerai and travelled the world for collectors meetings. The Paneristi community was about building global friendships – all this because of an Italian watch brand. Honestly, I kind of miss this community feeling.

I have a Laurent Ferrier Sport Auto that I absolutely love. I suspect many of my other watches are jealous. It's almost like me introducing the Sport Auto to the rest of the collection and reassuring them they have nothing to worry about.

I also own a Gerald Charles Masterlink, which gets a lot of wrist time. It's funny how I went from Rolex, IWC and Panerai to becoming increasingly interested in independent watch brands.

Covid really accelerated the demand for indie brands. Before the pandemic, we were used to walking into multi-brand retailers to buy watches. But while brick-and-mortar stores were closed during Covid, the indie brands kept communicating directly with their clients on WhatsApp, keeping them engaged, happy, and hungry. The big brands missed that train.

There's an obvious case of 'big brand fatigue' these days, and the indie brands are thriving because of it. Honestly, I think it's a healthy trend. Question is though; how many micro-brands will still be around in ten years?

My most recent purchase is a wonderful Cartier Santos-Dumont Skeleton. I actually traded in my Santos-Dumont Black Lacquer to acquire the Skeleton version. It is such a spectacular and poetic timepiece — not least because of the little airplane-shaped rotor, which serves as a wonderful reminder of the adventurous Brazilian pilot Alberto Santos-Dumont, who inspired Louis Cartier to design the Santos in 1904.

I am a sucker for the Greubel Forsey Double Balancier Convexe, I lust after a beat up Richard Mille RM005 or RM010, I'd love to own Jack Swigert's Rolex GMT-Master that he wore onboard Apollo 13 (I mean, what a cool provenance), a platinum Cartier Cintrée makes my mouth drool.

Talk to enthusiasts and collectors. Listen to their ideas. They speak with love, experience, and passion about the said brand. I think the Escapement event in Abu Dhabi later this year will be a great source of inspiration, as it is a show for collectors, by collectors.

I have always been a fan of Octavio Garcia, former Creative Director of Audemars Piguet and now creative director of Gerald Charles.

I am also an admirer of Emmanuel "Manu" Gueit, who designed the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore in 1989. He is also the pen behind Rolex Cellini Moonphase from 2017 and most recently one of the brains behind Dennison. What a guy!

Admittedly, I always have a good time when hanging with A. Lange & Söhne CEO, Wilhelm Schmid. He knows his cars, but we always have great conversations about everything else that matters in life: love, children, wine, friends… great guy!

I have Red Wing Shoes boots that are more than 27 years old, oilskin jackets that have followed me through most of my life, and watches older than myself. I suppose I dress very much the same way I did in high school: comfortable and timeless, in a sense.

Speaking of people who influence the way I dress, I must mention Auro Montanari, aka John Goldberger. He influenced me to wear a denim shirt with a formal jacket and also inspired me to wear smaller watches — such as my Cartier Tonneau from the 1990s.

That said, I think Cameron Barr wears a leather jacket like a true rock star. In my dreams, I'd look that good too — but I don't think I could ever pull it off as effortlessly as Cam does.

Always the watch first. I feel naked without a watch on my wrist. But I don't dress to match my watch — and vice versa.

Watches are emotionally driven. I tend to fall in love with a watch. That being said, I'm also a sucker for great provenance. I own watches with fascinating histories: a Rolex once owned by a former Cuban spy, another Rolex that belonged to a famous war correspondent and author, and a couple of other Rolexes that quite literally went to war.

As a child of the 1970s, I grew up reading National Geographic magazines. From the watch advertisements in the opening pages, as well as from the stories themselves, I realised that watches were worn by mountaineers, divers, and explorers — and therefore became part of a hero's uniform. I suppose that's one of the reasons I collect watches today.

Every watch tells a story — especially vintage watches. My modern watches, however, don't exactly encounter much danger in my life… haha!

Sincere passion for watches and the stories that come with them.

My books are very personal. They are filled with my experiences within the watch industry over the past 20–30 years. The books also reflect my love of photography and the watches that sit in front of my lenses. Also, they are all long sold out and I don't know if or when I will publish another.