H. Moser & Cie Endeavor Tourbillon Tiger’s Eye with blue “Falcon’s Eye” stone dial, h-moser.com
Westime President Greg Simonian on future classics and building the perfect collection.
The keys to building a successful watch collection are staying true to yourself and working with a trusted retailer. With decades of experience, Westime (westime.com) President Greg Simonian represents the third generation in a family business renowned for setting trends in the watch industry. If you’re looking for the cutting edge of watchmaking, look no further—Westime’s knack for spotting what’s next is a hallmark of the institution, helping its legion of collectors stay ahead of the game. Westime caters to a discerning clientele across multiple locations, offering beloved masterpieces and, often, even surprises.
Richard Mille RM 65-01 Automatic Split Seconds Chronograph, richardmille.com
Starting a collection can be intimidating in a world where there is always something new to learn. Westime can help with that.
Westime President Greg Simonian
“Westime is an excellent place to visit, especially at the beginning, because we have so much variety. You can consider a wealth of different styles in one visit while learning a lot from conversations with our experienced salespeople,” Simonian says. “We physically have the watches available for customers to try on and take home the same day, a distinct advantage to shopping online only. Luxury watches are a significant investment, and my advice is to always buy from an authorized retailer.”
The URWERK UR-105 T-Rex, urwerk.com
Classic watches can provide a safe bet for collectors, offering low risk and oftentimes high rewards. But looking beyond dollars and cents, today’s watchmaking outliers offer a world of style and self-expression that Westime famously champions. As for seeking out tomorrow’s greatest hits, Simonian provides some sage advice.
“There are so many ways to approach a collection, and that is what makes it so fun. I would argue there isn’t a perfect formula. But if there was, and every watchmaker followed it, we wouldn’t have all of the unique and unexpected watches that we are so lucky to have instore today,” he says.
The MB&F LM101 in stainless steel, mbandf.com. A selection of genuinely special watches, all currently on Greg Simonian’s radar, are available at Westime.
“Whether a client is considering a watch made by an independent watchmaker or a long-established manufacturer, I start with the same advice: Go with what you love,” says Simonian. “If it’s the watch your eye keeps returning to, that you don’t want to take off when trying it on for size, that unexpectedly makes you smile, these are all signs that you’ve found a genuinely special watch.”