“It's not the watch that makes the person - it's the person that makes the watch!”

Alessandro Squarzi and his no-holds-barred vision of watches: “Guys, I’m telling you, don’t go around thinking that just because you’re wearing this or that watch around your wrist, it makes you cool. It’s not the watch that makes the person – it’s the person that makes the watch!”

Alessandro Squarzi is all smiles at his headquarters in Milano. Those of us at Watch Insanity dig him for at least three reasons, plus a fourth that’s all my own. 1. He’s one of very few influencers – with 262,000 followers on Instagram, where he is male icon of icons as per street style – with a huge offline career. He started out as a clerk in a clothing store and went on to become founder of the famed Dondup brand, and is today’s creative director of Fortela and Fay Archive, where he has forged star-studded partnerships, e.g., the self-named capsule for Jacques Marie Mage collector’s eyewear. 2. Ever since he was a kid, Alessandro has loved and collected watches, with choices based solely on his own personal taste. 3. He says what he thinks. 4. He’s my neighbor along Rimini’s North Shore, on Italy’s Adriatic coast.

Alessandro, let’s start with your new book “Time to Wear”, which you wrote with the legendary Auro Montanari, aka, John Goldberger. How did the book come about?

“As everyone knows, Auro is a master when it comes to photography, watches and books on those topics. We’re good friends. One evening at dinner he starts talking about his idea for a book. We mulled it over. We decided to bring in my vintage-style clothes and match them up with the places I love – Milano, Rimini, Forlì and St. Tropez, with a focus on a selection that I call the ugly ducklings. Which is to say, pieces that weren’t exactly bestsellers. But over time, those pieces became something like major clockwork.”

Ugly ducklings – as in outsiders? Isn’t that one of your recurrent themes?

“Definitely. As far as watches go, I am by definition the inventor of ugly ducklings. On social media, I have lots of younger followers, and I like to convey some basic common sense to them, both in terms of fashion and watches. Lots of times they ask me if I know a cheap loafer to recommend. I’m like, you buy a cheap loafer, it ain’t gonna last long. Invest in quality shoes – better look, longer lasting. That’s also more ecological, because it’s less wasteful. Not many people know about the crazy levels of waste in the clothing industry – an estimated 35% of production is thrown in the garbage before it can be sold! As far as watches go, I’m like, you don’t need to be wearing a Patek Philippe or a Rolex to be cool. I think it’s very educational to convey the concept that watches don’t have to be status symbols. Buy it only if you like it. Don’t let yourself be conditioned. Guys, I’m telling you, don’t go around thinking that just because you’re wearing this or that watch around your wrist, it makes you cool!”

In this sense, last September you posted a photo with a white gold Crono Ref. 5170, with black dial, and the comment, “Unfortunately, today you see Patek sports watches on people who up until yesterday had no idea about them. Which leads me back to wearing real Pateks.” Can you expand upon that?

“Michele, whenever something becomes fashionable, that’s the beginning of the end. It means taking away the intrinsic value that the object possesses. Today, for instance, nobody buys Nautilus because it broke through style barriers or because it was Gerald Genta’s maximum expression in terms of design. No. They buy Nautilus because it’s a status symbol. Up until a few years ago, no one knew about Nautilus, and everyone was into Rolex. You know why? Because at that time, for most people Rolex was the status symbol everyone was after.”

So, you think for most people it’s a question of status?

“Yeah. Now that Nautilus has gone big, I’ve stopped wearing one because I can’t stand being part of a mass phenomenon. That’s why I wear a women’s Nautilus – no guys do that, at least not for now. The same thing happens in other sectors. Cars, for example. Up until a few years ago, no one had any idea what a Mercedes Class G was. Now all the soccer players are driving one. When things become fashionable, for me they go out of style.”

Is that why you, like Auro Montanari, wear the new Baltic Microrotor (recent sold-out limited edition, that sold for €600)?

“I met the Baltic crew. I really appreciate their watchmaking. Very dignified, let’s say. Definitely, high-level, the way we like. And totally affordable. It’s not the watch that makes the person, but the person that makes the watch! The Baltic Microrotor is totally cool, great design. Today, big watches are the thing. People use them just to show off. Baltic, along with another emerging brand, is doing fine. It’s a pleasure to wear a Baltic, and you don’t run the risk of getting mugged when you do. Let me repeat: It looks good on your wrist. I changed the band, added a vintage bracelet to make it mine, all mine.”

What are you wearing right now?

“A 1950s Calatrava, with a 33-millimeter diameter. So, you get my drift when it comes to out-of-the-ordinary watches.”

What other 1,000-euro independent-brand watches do you like?

“I love Squale. Old stuff and contemporary – because the new stuff really pays tribute to the original models. Squale’s great. I’m also into Alsta – same target – famous for its Nautoscaph, worn by Richard Dreyfuss in ‘Jaws’. I get a kick out of wearing this kind of memorabilia. Over the years, I’ve bought all the watches I was a fan of as a kid, and later as an adult. Mostly vintage sports Rolex, Patek Philippe and Omega. I was caught up by a craze when I bought my Nautilus Ref. 3700 for 10,000 euros when no one else would have paid a dime for it. Good taste, an eye for beauty – that’s what my watch collection comes down to, and my entire being as well. In the 1980s and ’90s people bought new Rolexes. But back then, I was into old stuff, like GMT-Masters. Today I’m into Squale, Alsta and Baltic.”

The story of your first Rolex purchase is a classic. Can you fill us in?

“A million years ago I walk into Ricci’s, the Rolex dealer in Forlì, to buy a Submariner. Only, the price had gone up. I had 900 thousand lire on me. So, they proposed a Daytona 6263, which I still have and adore. From that day on, I knew that I was a lucky man.”

What’s your take on auctions? What do you think about the record-setting prices these days?

“I’m not a fan of auctions. Things have gotten out of control. Take the green-dial Nautilus 5711, for example. List price, 30,000 euros. It just auctioned for 430,000! How can you say that something’s not wrong there? You don’t need a soothsayer to figure certain things out. That’s one of the reasons I’m fed up. There’s all this speculation going on. Who knows? Could Patek itself be driving it? Even so, the folks at Patek are doing a good job. The whole world is talking about Patek. If you’re into status symbols, there you go.”

Have you ever bought a new watch for more than the list price?

“No way! That does not enter into my thought process. When I buy stuff, I buy it because I like it. No sacrifices, no ruses. Yet, people are into it – the status-symbol thing. In terms of economics, good for them that they can get these kinds of results. I own several watches that are now worth tons, if I were to sell them. Is all that buying and selling real, though? Seems like one big bubble to me. Which doesn’t mean that watch prices will necessarily drop – that’s not something that happens. The thing is, they may go out of fashion, especially with regard to the high-end market. I doubt they’ll maintain their current prices. An example? Aquanaut. High up, then ouch. Collectors like me are like, no thanks.”

What’s your take on inflation? Some prices have literally doubled in just a few years.

“Unfortunately, a lot of it has been due to hikes in prices of raw materials. Take Fortela, for example. We buy T-shirts in Japan. Last week they jacked up prices by 30% for an order of 3,000 T-shirts. True, I paid 15,000 euros for my Nautilus 5711 in 2007, and now it lists for double. Patek made no improvements – same watch.”

As regards quality – real and perceived – people chit-chat about features like dials and cases, comparing the Baltic Microrotor (600 euros) with a Calatrava (40,000 euros). What do you think? “Of course, Patek’s profits are way ahead of Baltic’s, but with comparisons like these, you run the risk of mixing things up. You can’t compare watches like these, no way. Shift to fashion, if you want to talk about comparisons. A white T-shirt is a white T-shirt. You pay 10 euro for one, and after six months of wear and washing, it’s a rag. Buy a Fortela T-shirt and the more you wear it, the prettier it gets – because it’s made with a Japanese fabric that costs 25 euros a yard, and is crafted with special machinery from the 1930s. As far as watchmaking goes, manufacturing is based on the same principle. Another example: the auto industry. You head to Milano from Rimini in either a Mercedes G-Class or a Fiat Panda – two different trips. The quality-price comparison between Baltic’s Micro-Rotor and Patek’s Calatrava just goes to show you – in watches as in life, it’s all in the details.”

and

“The Speedmaster is awesone – in both the Moonwatch version and the Calibre 321. Omega’s Speedmaster, unlike Rolex’s Daytona, retains the vintage flare, which is a major plus point. I also like the Octo Finissimo, a watch that goes beyond the esthetic and technical bounds set by Nautilus in the 1970s. I’m also in love with Overseas by Vacheron Constatin – high-level craftsmanship that competes with Patek and Audemars Piguet, and wins. These are the contemporary watches on my wish list.”

Speaking of wish lists, any more info?

“As a businessman, hats off to these guys. Creating expectation is great marketing leverage, something that always works, especially when you’re pushing a winning product. Then again, Hermès is also out for Birkin. That’s the way things go. It’s like, if everything was at your immediate disposal, the object of your desire would just slip away.”

In conclusion, Fortela. There are the watches. What else as far as inspiration goes?

“Fortela is the toughest row we’re hoeing. That’s because we’re putting out high-quality merchandise while not following any trends. We’re not focusing on status symbol-seeking clientele. Our market is niche-focused. We’re into people who are not into brands, but are looking for something different. Because the clothes we sell aren’t throw-away stuff. Three years down the road they’ll still be there for you, never out of style. No irreverent comparisons, please. The best of the best says: ‘A Patek Philippe can never be owned, completely. You’re just a keeper of it. Then you hand it down.” By Michele Mengoli