RECOMMENDED READING: What do collectors really look for?

Nick Kenyon

What do collectors really look for when they are already at the top of the watch game? Rarity? Provenance? Complexity? All are true for different collectors, with some placing value on the design of a timepiece, and others on condition. This variety is what keeps it interesting in the stratospheric peaks of the collecting world, where money is no object and the hunt is the source of the thrill. For collector Leon Botstein, president of Bard College and orchestra conductor, his interest lies in both pocket watches and wristwatches that were produced without the aid of computers.

He describes his collection of watches as “amazing works of art”, ranging from the 19th century to the 1960s, when technology began to unwelcomely intrude in the production process. For him, the beauty of a piece lies in the complexity of its functions, and the history of a watch that shows it was once a tool of practical day-to-day use. He also shares an uncommon sentiment, that the drop in pocket watch values is “scandalous”, which forced him to consider wristwatches, when his passion was clearly held in the hand. Quoted in an article by Barron’s, Leon Botstein also discusses the modern watches he has begun to acquire. These are well balanced against comments from a number of other renowned collectors on their own philosophies of collecting, including Shark Tank investor Kevin O’Leary and dealer Alfredo Paramico.