What was the last watch you bought?
The last watch I bought was a Lange 1. I managed to find one with the old movement and that’s specifically why I bought it. I already have the new movement, but I had somehow missed the old one, and the Lange 1 is so important to us that I wanted both.
Do you collect anything outside of watches?
Yes, unfortunately. I don’t think the collector gene works in just one field. I wouldn’t say I’m a hoarder, but I love vintage cars. I have two Porsches, though they are different from the others in the collection. I like the oddballs, the cars that only collectors would know, so they need to be a bit different from the average car. I think only people who are English and familiar with vintage cars would know what a Frazer Nash is. The Frazer Nash Mille Miglia that I have is the most gorgeous-looking car I own, but the one that nobody knows.
What’s at the top of your wish list?
Very easy. My family, and time with my family. I am very fortunate because we just came back from South Africa and the whole family joined, so we had a few good weeks at our house there together. I’m very happy with that.
What is a recent find or discovery?
Funnily enough, the Frazer Nash is quite a complicated car, and I recently realised that something wasn’t right. It’s a bit technical, but it has an aluminium body and to keep it in place there is a steel tube chassis underneath it, and there was rust in it. I had to find somebody in Germany to sort that out, and I did, a little restoration workshop called René Große located in Brandenburg, just outside of Berlin. I cannot remember ever seeing a workshop that handles even the carpets, the coachwork, all metalwork, all mechanical work including paintwork, all in one house. I spent two hours there and I could have stayed for another week; it was fantastic. I like craftsmanship, and to have all of that under one roof is very rare today. It’s almost like A. Lange & Söhne, you know, where you have everything in one house that you need to produce a watch. To find that today in the car world is very difficult.
What inspires you?
People. Very easy, people. I love sparring partners, you know. If somebody has a great idea and you can work with it and discuss it. I wouldn’t be able to do the job I’m doing without having great people around me.
What is a book, podcast, or album that changed or influenced the way you think?
There is a book called The Drama of Leadership. It’s a bit old, but it classifies every company, and the people within it, into three different categories, and it helps me to navigate through my own company and avoid falling into traps I might not otherwise see. Despite it being old, it remains relevant, because basically it’s about craftsmen, visionaries and technocrats, and you need all three. But be careful if the technocrats become too heavy, because they can kill everything.
Who is a celebrity or person of note that you admire?
I don’t admire anybody. I am a happy person, so why would I admire somebody? I can look at people with admiration, but does it leave a lasting mark on me? Probably not.
What would we always find in your fridge?
You will always find milk, cheese, and a bottle of wine. Particularly white wine. I like Chardonnay, Sémillon and I’m more and more liking Chenin Blanc.
What is a rule or mantra that you live by?
When I reflect on my life, I realise I’m only good at something that I really love. I become average if I don’t love it. I’m a product person and I say that as someone who worked in the oil industry, though I certainly didn’t know everything there is to know about oil. But I wouldn’t be able to sell insurance, for example, because I can’t touch it.
What does the year ahead look like for you?
I think we all learn to live with uncertainty. Agility is the trump card that we all need to work with for the future, because why make a three- or five-year plan if the world is changing basically every week. At the same time, if you look at our school, we invite young people to join us and we train them to become watchmakers, and then after another two years of working, we have to ensure they can make a living from watchmaking for the rest of their careers. I feel comfortable and confident because I know the company is small enough, resilient enough and agile enough to protect and preserve the way we want to do our watches, but we are happy to change anything else if necessary.
And personally, I’m looking forward to another good year. I’m happy that the sun is starting to appear, I am not a winter person. I’m looking forward to Watches and Wonders like I do every year. The events begin and I love what I do, so may it continue. Every year is a good year.
What’s something interesting about you that not many people know?
I think that’s a question you should ask people that know me. I see myself as a very average, normal person. I don’t know what people don’t know about me and what people know about me. Unless it’s my wife, don’t ask her.
What is your ideal long weekend?
Family, South Africa and the beach. We have a house in Plettenberg Bay. I like to play golf with my family and go hiking. I think I have two souls; one is very German: structured and disciplined, all the things you would naturally associate with a typical German. But then there is South Africa; untouched, rough, beautiful. People there don’t live in the future, they live right now, in the present. I always say that I change the moment I touch South African soil. You won’t find me in long trousers there, I’m always in shorts and flip flops.
Simply a normal guy, with a house in SA, three expensive fun cars and the need for a second Lange 1 where most of the real normal people don’t even have one. Sorry but this guy plays a role and even his old leadership almanach didn’t tell him how to be self-reflective.