It is the outstanding author, photographer and collector Auro Montanari, commonly known as John Goldberger. John has the watch you’ve always wanted—plus dozens of other things you don’t even know to write down in your dream diary. Nothing is off limits for John who wears sample, casino, Classic Omega, Patek Philippeand Bulgari grade optical illusion with equal enjoyment. He’s a legend, and he knows he’s a legend. What I like most about John is when I sit next to him at Rolliefest 2019, he used a pencil drawing of himself as both the lock screen and the home screen on his iPad. He would have been the most popular bettor for WCOTY had we made the market (next year!), but was knocked out by just a few votes.
Our 2022 Watch Collector of the Year is….
While Rob’s feed is littered with bankroll hacks from Lange and Patek, he mostly uses it to show off the surprising, unannounced watches you want right away. His Tudor Oysterdate stands out in blue, Universal Geneve Tri-Compaxand Movado’s hand scribbled each will immediately become the most interesting and unique in many people’s collection. Rob has had passionate supporters on his way to the top this year, from the likes of Adam Golden of Menta Watches. “Rob buys with all his heart and his eclectic collection really shows that,” says Golden. “He doesn’t buy trends, he buys what he personally likes. And let’s be honest, he brought sex back to the world of vintage watches.” Indeed, our winners are determined not by their ability to amass the most hyped pieces in the world, but by their willingness to pursue their own interests in any unconventional direction. does that mean. I spoke to Rob about his extraordinary victory.
How would you define your collection philosophy?
I firmly believe in the idea that you need to own watches from many different brands and eras before you can define your taste or philosophy. Deciding if you like a watch based on pictures or reviews is one thing, but spending time researching, finding examples, and living with it is quite another. After many years of “learning from experience”, I realized that two things are most important to me: I have very high standards for quality and my collection needs to be balanced between brands, styles, and styles. ways and times.
