If you’re looking to start or grow your collection, I always recommend a unique piece that’s true to your style, personality, and interests. One-of-a-kind pieces or something hard to get is a great ticket to entry since your early pieces are all about you. I tend to shop based on nostalgia and any references to my childhood make me love a watch even more. 

If you don’t know where to start, take a bird’s-eye view of yourself, your identity, and what makes you most happy, and then start your research. What’s your favorite color? What’s a special memory? Is there a common design language throughout your life? This will all guide you to finding the perfect watch through a very vast vintage market. 

These are my top picks, which should come to you as NO surprise if you’ve been here for a while.

For the Fashion School Dropout: Margiela x Hermes

Margiela’s work for Hermès showed that a fashion house’s take on horology didn’t need to be loud or trendy to be desirable. He emphasized timelessness—creating pieces that could be worn for decades without feeling dated. His “de-branding” approach meant that the pieces were less about being instantly recognizable and more about being appreciated for their craftsmanship and design. This de-emphasizing of branding set a precedent for other luxury watchmakers to consider that true luxury could lie in quality and design rather than heavy branding. 

You’ll notice subtle touches like leather straps that are a hallmark of Hermès’ craftsmanship but with Margiela’s minimalist design language. The dials were often uncluttered, with simple indexes and clean typography, making the watches feel fresh and modern without shouting for attention. It’s this quiet luxury that really sets these pieces apart from what Hermès had done before.

For The Class Act: Cartier Tank

The tank may not seem groundbreaking, but it is.  Inspired by the shape of military tanks of World War I, the Tank has become a symbol of the wearer. And this is why I love it. First of all, there are 8 types of Tanks – my favorite being the original Tank Francaise and Tank Asymétrique. Each Tank has its own personality and design nuances, but all of them share the DNA  that makes the Tank one of the most recognizable watches in the world. To me, that’s groundbreaking. 

Not to mention that when Louis Cartier designed the Tank in 1917, its rectangular, geometric form broke away from the round, pocket-watch-inspired timepieces that dominated the market. The Tank was inspired by the shape of Renault tanks from World War I, making it a bold, unconventional, and radical departure from the ornate and decorative designs of the early 20th century. This is why it was also one of the first luxury watches to have universal appeal. Its androgyny made it equally fitting on both men’s and women’s wrists, also groundbreaking in a time when many products were rigidly gendered, 

For The Athletic But Leisurely: Chopard St. Moritz

In the 80s, Scheufele introduced athleisure to Swiss watchmaking when he designed his very first watch, the St. Moritz. An ode to the ski resort town where Chopard’s flagship boutique was originally based, this was his take on Gerald Genta’s Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak, IWC’s Ingenieur, and Patek Philippe’s Nautilus. Truly a sport/luxury watch, the St. Moritz is rugged enough for an active lifestyle but retains Chopard’s characteristic elegance. As the demand for sports watches rose, the St. Moritz emblemized the now popular Sporty & Rich (as coined by Ms. Oberg herself) lifestyle. It evolved into the now-popular Chopard Alpine Eagle, but no watch amalgamates these two concepts as beautifully as the St. Moritz.