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Hmm... I first discovered Thomas Mao through reading some books on watches..
..I was browsing through some of my coffee table watch books and if i am not mistaken, there was some Foreword not Thomas giving introduction to the book but the book giving introduction to who Thomas Mao is, a brief one, and there was a picture of his skeletonized AP, and that his profession as described in that little introduction was a renowned psychologist or something. Sounds weird to me at first and thinking ok, this guy must have deep love in watches as he actually psycho-analyze timepieces. When i first read, the name Thomas Mao, i associated him to the legendary Chairman Mao who was administering and governing the whole big country and economy called China. And then when i discovered Watchprosite, PPro, or PuristS, and read about Thomas Mao's iron fist and control over matters that matters and he will ensure he is clearly heard and his command to be followed and well executed, I told myself, maybe he is a bit like Chairman Mao. I adore Chairman Mao although my understanding of him personally is not in-depth but I only know who he was and in my residence, i have a statue of him made of brass proudly displayed on one my Chinese antique among many that i have in my home which my late grandpa, at my request, had purchased for me when he was visiting China. Chairman Mao, for who he was and what he had done for the greater China. Thomas Mao too for his conviction and passion to speak up and speak out for things that matters to him. Thank you.
Purist-of-the-Year: Dr Thomas Mao
Hi All, In this tenth anniversary year of PuristS, and just a few days away from the start of the IGOTT, it is fitting that we interview Thomas Mao, the founder and Chief Purist. While Thomas understandably wanted the focus to be on the ThePuristS and Pur...
Excellent!
Great job Andrew and Daos, and thank you Dr. M. This is just the thing to be reading on this anniversary. Congratulations and thank you! respo
Purist of all time!
Great interview, Andrew! Thomas has been, and continues to be, one of the most important mentors to me in the world of horology. He offered me encouragement in the infancy of my love affair with watches, and I continue to learn so much from him every day....
To Dr. Mao,
Nothing but my highest respect and appreciation. A very humble and down to earth human being, who is always willing to help you out in any way possible. Congratulations, Thomas on reaching this milestone! May the future bring many more riches and blessing...
Articulate and Informative
Thank you so much for all the contribution to this field of dream(er)s. The earliest I can recall talking with you was about this watch you posted for sale in June 2004 - and you were willing to ship it to me for inspection. I thought about the site - THI...
First things first....
Thank you, Andrew, for all of the foresight and effort you have brought to bear in order to give us this revealing glimpse of the good Dr Mao. Daos: thank you for correcting the spelling error. St Thomas of Mao: why did you stop there??? We could have rea...
AND I did it all without spell check!
LOL! Yeah, putting the "Hong" back in Hong Kong (I bet Andrew's ever-present iPad "helped" create the typo in the first place. He loves that thing. I am starting to worry that his iPad is sleeping in the bed with him.) is basically the extent of my contri...
Great interview,
Thank you very much Andrew and Daos for putting this interview together and of course a big thanks to Thomas for being there to provide the answers. 'A Purist is someone who cares about innate value, the fundamental essence of things. A Purist understands...
Wonderful piece!
Thanks to Andrew, Daos and Thomas for this great interview. Having been fortunate to get to know Thomas a little bit over the past several years, I find he represents himself and his PuristS ideals with absolute consistency. Reading this has centered me w...
The intellectual spiral...
TM refers to "life as a spiral, whereby you return to the same point but on a different plane. You start with a general innocence about things, and return to what you love, but with a more intellectual overlay." I am totally with you. It happens to me con...
TM is da'Man.
Big ups to Thomas. I've always had the utmost respect for that bloke. Thanks for the great interview, guys.
I will try to sum Thomas in two words.
Simplicity ( not pun, here ) and complexity. Friendly is also another way to describe him. A real pleasure to read our own Thomas through your post, Andrew. Best, Nicolas.
According to your description...
According to your description Amanico, Thomas is quite a paradox (simplicity and complexity, two seeming opposites). But that's all okay because he is friendly. By the way, thank you for all of your good work here on PuristSPro!
From what you read, he's a complex person ...
When you meet him, in the real, I mean, he's a simple man, Monsieur, and a friendly one. This paradox makes him very interesting to know, don't you think? Best, Nicolas.
Interesting indeed...
He is definitely very interesting. I would say that is a very accurate description of Thomas; complex here on the forums, and you can tell he's got even more in his mind than he can type on the computer without giving us a very long eulogy to read. But in...
I would add that most of us are complex in their own approach to the other.
But being / staying simple is a thougher " vertu " to get... Thomas does have it. Now, we'll make him blush... Best, Nicolas. PS: Are you going to Sin City? This message has been edited by amanico on 2011-05-26 13:58:15
It is indeed difficult to stay simple...
Being simple and being humble is indeed a difficult attribute. I hope Thomas isn't too embarrassed. I am indeed going to Sin City and I eagerly await to meet you and the other simple yet complex individuals who are there!
excellent interview Andrew and thankyou Thomas for giving an insight into your thoughts
this really should be 'Purist of the Decade' as it is the 10th anniversary. i understand that you like to live under the radar Thomas and its nice to have met you, if only for an evening meal. this interview has revealed a lot about your thoughts on Horol...
The thoughts of a true visionary emerges in an uncensored, blunt, and honest interview...
Would you believe this Andrew if I told you this was the best interview I've ever seen/read in my admittedly short and inexperienced life? I thank Andrew and Daos for asking hard questions and Dr. Mao for answering these difficult questions. It is evident...
Well said Patrick.
"Feeling so much more at home here,' really hit the nail on the head for me.
Excellent idea at the great timing.
Thank you for the interview, Andrew, Daos, and TM. Ken
Great post Andrew and Daos.
Finding thePuristS.com years ago has been my best find ever on the internet. Being a huge AP fan I had a need to learn more about the brand and thePuristS.com and PuristSPro.com has not only helped me learn but has also introduced me to a grou...
Interview of the year!
Thank you Andrew for such an interesting interview with our very own Dr Mao! What an insight! Thank you Daos and Andrew in coming up with those questions! There is a lot of intelligence in this interview and I have enjoyed reading it immensely! Finally th...
Hmm... I first discovered Thomas Mao through reading some books on watches..
..I was browsing through some of my coffee table watch books and if i am not mistaken, there was some Foreword not Thomas giving introduction to the book but the book giving introduction to who Thomas Mao is, a brief one, and there was a picture of his sk...
Hitting all the right notes.
Congratulations to Andrew and Daos for exceeding even your customary high journalistic standards and doing so with an impeccable sense of timing (in light of iGOTT). Congratulations and thanks to Thomas, for providing a very insightful and thought-provoki...
Allow me to retell a story . . .
. . . I've told a few times before about my second meeting with Thomas. We went to dinner with two other companions after an event almost seven years ago, and while he was wearing a vintage Vacheron, he brought along a few other watches, one of which was ...
Happy :)
This is a great interview. The questions, as good as the answers. Of course, you guys know what TM stands for... The Man
Great interview.........
from a great guy! An enormous amount of time and effort (plus traveling!!!) has gone into making and growing this site for all of us to enjoy. I've met so many nice people and learned so much about watches over the years from this site. For that Thomas, I...
A good read!
Sincerest of congratulations to Dr. Mao. Thank you for everything that you've done for this community and thanks AndrewD for this interview. Kamy
three cheers for . . . .
andrew d and thomas m! that was a wonderful interview. now - your title "purist-of-the-year" implies a different interview for next year? it would be most difficult to follow in dr. thomas mao's footsteps!!!
thanks for a fantastic interview Daos, Andrew and Thomas but
should't he be Purist-of-the-Century? both this one and the last one? thanks Thomas for all the complex and simple friendship and guidance over these many years. Hooray! cheers, hollywood
Thank You , for a wonderful look into the mind
of a most remarkable gentleman. When meeting Dr. Mao in Philadelphia, I found him delightful to listen to and also a most humble person. This interview is the core of being a Purist. Thank You Andrew and Daos.
Fantastic read and great insights...
from THE Purist himself. I met Thomas at the Purist's summer BBQ last year and while we had a brief and friendly chat, I wanted to get a chance to sit down, "grab a beer" and find what really makes this man tick and what lead to the PuristS and PuristSPro...
Great read, thanks!!
I had the great priviledge of meeting The Man (and DRMW) years ago when I was an anonymous trainee watchmaker at AP....(I would be very surprised if either of them remember it :-D ) Now I'm still mostly anonymous, but I look forward to chatting with him a...
Thomas, as you are busy with traveling ...
I will say it with one word, only: THANKS ! Oliver
Superb interview.
Thank you both Thomas and Andrew for bringing these wise comments. I really enjoyed reading them... and they explain a lot why we are here and where we will go. Fx
Re: Purist-of-the-year…
Andrew, thank you for a great interview! Thomas, a big and sincere thank you for our “second home”! A place to return to day after day… Meeting friends, discussing our favourite passion, learning more about these precious marvels called ...
I hate to heap on the glowing responses...
..because in a situation like this, they can always seem so contrived. From my limited experience with Thomas in person, I have found him every much the person he is in the interview. A super nice guy, too. Loved the interview.
Pure Wisdom!
Wisdom wisdom and some more WISdome Wise questions wise answers --- PPro as it best So much joy it brought in my heart this rainy morning Thank you Thomas for making all this reality in my spiral of life. Sincerely Damjan
What a gentleman you are sir. I love your philosophy and attitude to
life, luxury and collecting Long may the PuristS reign Thanks Andrew for a most entertaining interview Julian
Great Interview.Thank You Andrew and Daos
You managed to ask some brilliant questions to tease out the very insightful replies that TM shared with us Purists.Cheers,Dreamer
This comprehensive interview actually brings back good memories of old days.
I actually miss Thomas' long post asserting his views on certain aspects of horology even though we may not agree on all things. He has stopped doing that. May be there is no provocative post which is interesting enough to ignite his flame. To me, he is a...
Thank you, Andrew, everyone...
Your comments are appreciated. And of course, the community would not be what it is without the ever gracious, ever watchful moderators, as well as the community at large. Thank you. TM
Thank you, Thomas...
Seems like a longer time has passed since the beginning. I've been away from the forums for the past five or more years which I guess accounts for some of that feeling. In any case, it feels great to be back to express my admiration and respect for your w...