Collecting stuff we love is generally something we pick up from our Parents, this certainly was the case with me. My Dad was a great collector. Coins, Stamps, Roman (and Greek!) artefacts, Ephemera – autographs of famous celebrities (his collection included Marilyn Monroe, Lady Di, Mohammad Ali amongst many others), letters from legendary US Generals, Stonewall Jackson, Ulysses S. Grant, to name but two, during the American Civil War. Indeed my Dad built up such a great collection of ancient Roman coins, he ended up donating several examples to the British Museum that are still on display to this day!
In fact, throughout our childhood, he’d take us (me and my two brothers and sister) to archaeological digs and other fascinating places of interest. It really was such a great adventure each time we went to amazing sites, such as, the ancient Roman Bath’s in Bath, the Monument in London marking where the ‘Great Fire’ started in 1666, various other London landmarks, including some of the oldest parts of the City in the ‘Watchmaking’ district around Clerkenwell. We also visited many Castles, historical buildings, Museums and Art Galleries around the country.
It was always wonderful to see at first hand the incredible achievements of those early craftsmen and women who used great skills and techniques to create such beautiful and practical items. These skills would have been passed down from generation to generation. I guess this really captured my imagination and piqued my interest in horology as it brought together the ‘beautiful and practical’.
The new series ‘Collector’s World’ will bring you exclusive in-depth interviews with leading collectors of Watches. It will give you a fascinating insight into why they collect, what they collect and what they’d love to own.