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Ares501 introduces HSTE as the 'Purist of the Month' for May, offering the community a deeper look into a seasoned collector's world. HSTE, a self-proclaimed 'vintage guy,' shares his journey into watch collecting, his discovery of WatchProSite, and the philosophy behind his disciplined collection. This feature provides valuable insights into the mindset of a dedicated vintage watch enthusiast.
1. Please introduce yourself!
I am a vintage guy from the 60ies of the last
century. As are most of my watches.
My current home base is in Switzerland, and
I say “current” because I’ve spent many
years in various places abroad and enjoy the interaction across countries, cultures and languages.
“HSTE” was for
many years the internal abbreviation of my name in one of the companies I used
to work for.
It still has a special meaning to me as back at that time in that company I got to know “HABS” who later became my wife.
2. How did you discover WatchProSite and what does it mean for you to be one of PuristS?
Quite often, when I did my “deep-dive”
investigation about a particular watch, I ended up on WatchProSite to find the
information.
This confirmed to me two things which are essential to this blog:
1) discussions across brands and 2) a large number of highly knowledgeable
experts.
When I posted my first piece about Karl Lagerfeld and his black AP Royal Oak 5402 (close to 10’500 views to this date)
I realized by the amount of feed-back that I could add value to this community which I am very happy to do.
3. What watch are you wearing today and how you choose watch the “of the day”?
Today I wear a Breitling AVI ref. 765
“co-pilot” with a digital minute counter from ca. 1953.
When I had sent it to
Breitling for a movement overhaul, I actually received a letter from the museum
asking
if I would consider selling my watch to them. I friendly declined and had it serviced. I consider it to be one of the most beautiful watches I own.
I usually chose my watch of the week rather
than the watch of the day as I have all my watches in the bank safety deposit.
The choice is the result of my actual mood, the weather & season, my schedule
of the week ahead and, quite often, inspired by the post of other PuristS.
4. What is your favorite watch/brand/complication?
I do not have a single favorite brand. Given
however the fact that I am a “vintage watch guy”,
I have established a clear
preference for brands who are respectful with vintage watch collectors
and
their watches when it comes to repairing and servicing them. Unfortunately the
number of those
brands lacking such respect is increasing rapidly. In terms of a watch model/reference, vintage Speedmasters
are watches which are very high up on my favorite list. But then there are so many other nice watches that
I
can not have THE favorite one. In terms of complication, I actually started my
collection with mechanical
wrist alarms (JLC Memovox, Oris Alarm, GP Alarm, Poljot Alarm, Omega Memovox to name a few) but my favorite complication is the chronograph.
5. When and how you discover horology?
I grew up in Schaffhausen/Switzerland, the home town of IWC.
At young age I remember spending hours browsing through the then
famous white booklets
which were the yearly catalogs of IWC. My fascination was particularly drawn to their tool watches: the Ingenieur (ref. 1832),
the Titan Chrono (ref. 3700), the Ocean 2000 (ref. 3500) and the compass watch (ref. 3510).
The price guide of the catalogs however kept bringing a brutal end to my dreams.
During the mid-80ies I realized that the Swatch, launched in 1983, started to become a “hype”
with limited editions, art
editions, collectors gatherings and first dedicated Swatch auctions.
I was able to find many interesting models, built a fairly large collection and sold everything
through auctions and at collectors meetings at the peak in 1991/1992. With the proceeds
I paid my taxes and I purchased my first “real” watch, a Zenith Chronograph from 1966 with
the 146D movement in 18k gold. It went on from there very slowly and picked up at a faster pace in recent years.
6. What element of the watch is for you make it or break it factor?
Ideally, a watch combines the following aspects: good design, high quality movement,
rarity, technical/military importance, mint condition, full set. There are quite a few vintage
watches
ticking the first four criteria such as the AP Royal Oak 5402, the IWC
Ingenieur 1832,
the PP Nautilus 3700, the Breguet Type XX, the LeCoultre
Polaris E859 and many more.
I must be able to wear the watch, hence no “NOS with sticker on the back” and the likes.
7. If you could design your own watch what would it be and what it would look like?
It would be looking exactly like the Speedmaster 2915. And the next day like the Royal Oak 5402.
And the next day
like the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms. And the Speedmaster 2998. And the LeCoultre
DSA.
And the Zenith Cairelli. And……
8. What is the watch that will last leave your collection and why?
Probably my black AP Royal Oak 5402 A-Series “Karl Lagerfeld”.
Top design, top movement, very early, very rare (find a black 5402!!), very wearable.
In addition, this watch does clearly not tick the “Mint condition” box, it is in what I call “rocked condition” which I particularly like in this case.
9. What do you love and hate about the watch industry today?
I have a skeptical view on the modern watch
industry, certainly on the luxury segment.
I would not want to spend a fortune
for a modern luxury watch which probably is powered
by an off-the-shelf
standard but slightly modified movement, knowing that at least one third
of the price I pay goes into the rent of flagship stores, the advertisements in glossy magazines,
into the contracts with brand ambassadors. This is why most of my
modern watches are from Sinn in Frankfurt.
These are top quality tool watches at very modest prices like the Sinn U2C which was produced only 50 times.
But then – guess what – the Zenith PuristS15 is one of the few top notch exceptions which I love!
I am very grateful to have the privilege to own one. And I will get the Speedy-Fratello.
And the 60 years trilogy set. And in addition a separate non-trilogy 60 years Speedmaster.
Nevertheless, I am not a good customer for the
modern watch industry.
But I guess I am a good “brand ambassador” for those
brands who treat collectors of their heritage fairly and respectfully.
Omega
and Longines are two positive examples in this field.
10. What was the evolution of your collection and how do you see it in next decade?
Luckily I accelerated my speed of building the
vintage collection across brands still early enough to find
some very interesting, rare, good condition watches. It is not only that the prices have sky rocketed but
I guess even more importantly, the “supply” has just totally dried up. My “anchor brands” are Omega, Heuer and IWC.
But then you will see when browsing through my posts here, that I have watches across many brands, covering most letters from A-Z.
More recently, I have started to build “families” around some topics: the first four generations of IWC Ingenieur,
all black dial and steel bracelet; the four main variations of the Heuer Bund; the Genta/Hysek “Jumbos” to give a few examples.
How do I see it in the next decade: I have no idea. And I am certainly not in the “next decade” game as I rarely plan anything in life further ahead than for the next 6-12 months.
11. What other hobbies do you have?
Well, it is nice if there is somebody out there
who builds a nice car around a watch.
So I like what has been built around the
Breitling dash clock. But this is not really a hobby but rather fun.
12. Your life motto and life philosophy is…
I have to disappoint on this front as I have neither a life motto nor a life philosophy.
The Royal Oak reference 5402 is recognized as the original iteration of the model, introduced in 1972. This reference established the design language that would define the Royal Oak collection, characterized by its integrated bracelet and octagonal bezel secured by visible screws. It was initially presented as a luxury sport watch, distinguishing itself through its material and finishing in a period dominated by more traditional dress watch aesthetics. The 5402 was produced in various series, with the A-series being the earliest and most sought after by collectors.
The watch features a 39mm stainless steel case, often referred to as the "Jumbo" size, which was considered substantial for its era. It houses the self-winding Caliber 2121, a thin movement derived from Jaeger-LeCoultre's Caliber 920, known for its full-rotor design. The movement provides a power reserve of approximately 40 hours. The crystal protecting the dial is acrylic, and the watch offers a water resistance of 50 meters, suitable for general wear.
For collectors, the reference 5402 holds significance as the foundational model of a major watch series. Its various production series (A, B, C, D) present nuances in dial text and case back engravings that are closely examined. The integrated steel bracelet is an integral part of its design, contributing to its distinct profile. The blue dial, often with a "tapisserie" pattern, is a hallmark of this early reference, though other dial variations exist.
Always nice finding out stuff about our fellow Purists
know more about you. I hope one day the watch of your design will be a reality.
... And I like your classification of the companies into those who respect their vintage heritage (and vintage owners) vs those who do not. I could not agree more, bravo! Ps. That 5402 is super cool too
wonderful introduction and very thoughtful input. You do have some stunning vintage watches across the board and it is always a true pleasure when you share them with us. I love the look of the black 5402 worn on top of the shirt, but I'm afraid you have to be K.L. to get away with that CC
....with like-minded personalities. Cheers, HSTE
....through the modern world of the Richemonds and LVMH's of this world. And even authorized watchmakers are being cut off from getting replacement parts from them. But luckily the still are a few positive exceptions out there. Cheers, HSTE
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