Davy Sardou and Otalia Gossart.
I’ve always been surrounded by watches, my father had a lot of them, he gave me my first watch, a Speedmaster from 1980, when I was 27.
For my 30th birthday, I decided to buy myself a watch, I really wanted to have a nice one. I started to be interested in the watch market, looking at different models without knowing anything about it at the time, and I came across an IWC, the Aquatimer Chronograph.
Davy wearing his IWC Aquatimer.
I like brands that draw on their heritage and pay tribute to their past – like Omega or Tudor – as well as neo-vintage brands, like the revival of the Nivada brand for instance, and for which you wrote a book, or Baltic.
For me, a watch has to be worn, you have to put it on your wrist, without worrying about damaging it, and do whatever you want with it.
I’d like to collect the “vintage watches of tomorrow”, and imagine that the watch I buy new today will be considered by my daughter as “a watch from daddy’s collection” in 25 or 30 years.
Watches are markers of life’s moments. For a friend’s 30th birthday, we chose an affordable vintage watch as a gift. This watch will be his companion for a while and will certainly make him want to buy other watches. Actually you can find nice watches at any price.
When I meet someone, I can’t help but look at his watch and get an idea of the person. I’m convinced that a watch is the reflection of someone’s personality.
Davy with his first Omega Speedmaster.
I’m wearing this Tudor a lot at the moment, which means I’m in a really good mood! Choosing the watch I’m going to wear is a real introspection, and I realise that I change regularly, depending on my moods and desires…
I love divers models, like the Rolex Submariner, the Diver 65 from Oris, or the Seamaster 300 from Omega. I’m also thinking of my Panerai, an amazing PAM 360 from the 10th Anniversary of the Paneristi Club.
But I love other types of watches too; For instance, I like my Speedmaster 60th Anniversary or my Tag Heuer Monaco, models that pay tribute to the past with modern technology.
Davy wearing his Tudor Black Bay 54.
I’m looking forward to the Watches & Wonders fair, wondering whether they’re going to bring out a re-edition of the Tudor Monte-Carlo, or maybe the Pelagos 139 with a blue dial as a tribute to the Snowflake of the 70s, a magnificent watch with square hour-markers. I’m also very curious about the new Zenith A3817, the re-edition of a famous model from the 60s.
I truly like Tudor: reliability, solid case, good robust movement and cutting-edge technology.
Regardless of budget, at the moment I would choose the Vacheron Constantin 222 in steel, for me it ticks all the boxes. You can wear it discreetly on your wrist and really enjoy it.
It’s a gift from my father, an Omega Speedmaster from the 80s. A watch conveys emotion, it reminds you of people and moments in your life.
By the way, every serious collector should have a Speedmaster: this watch has a unique history, a perfect caliber and a magnificent design. It’s the one I’d keep, without hesitation.
This watch is my only vintage watch. I know a lot about watches, but I’ve never taken the plunge into the vintage market because I don’t feel expert enough to check the conformity of an old watch, and that’s where you come in!
To comfort me, I tell myself that I may own some of the vintage watches of tomorrow…
It’s not really the object that is important, it is its history. That’s why I miss a lot of the watches I used to own and sold, because they represented a period in my life.
Davy with his father’s Speedmaster.
These appraisal books reassure me if I want to buy a vintage watch, because they explain the conformity of each parts of the watch, which is essential. I haven’t seen this type of book accompanying a watch anywhere else.
They remind me of Patek’s famous advert, which made a lasting impression and which is very accurate: “you don’t own a watch, you are its guardian for future generations”. Vintage is about passing on a unique object with a history, so you might as well be sure it’s conform before passing it on to the next generation!
An example of appraisal books by Watchfid.
I sincerely believe that a watch is a reflection of what you want to show about yourself.
On stage, I wear a watch that’s suited to the character I’m playing. I remember playing Saint Exupéry (Le Mystère de l’Aviateur) with a Stowa on my wrist. For Jean Anouilh’s Le nombril, it was with a 1930s-style Jaeger LeCoultre Reverso that I felt good on stage. .
From 17 April I’m playing in Bernard Marcos’s Amis pour la vie, with Alysson Paradis, Marie-Ange Casta and Julien Personnaz at the Théâtre de l’Œuvre.
My character is a very successful guy, so I think a Rolex GMT 2 watch would suit him perfectly!
Then I’m off on tour in September with Félicien Marceau’s L’ami du Président. I haven’t yet decided which watch I’ll be wearing, but that’s a good question! It’s a world in Terry Gillam’s Brazil where I’ll be playing the role of a man who is a fan of protocol, attending all the official ceremonies, and then becoming an important political person.
I’ve used the word Amis (friends) twice in the titles of my plays… that’s a good sign for this year!
On the poster for his next play, Davy is wearing his Tudor Black Bay 54.
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