Power List: The Power Collectors

NYC Watch Guy is an NYC-based entrepreneur turned venture capitalist who bought his first watch 10 years ago (a Zenith El Primero chronograph) and has never looked back since. He has a penchant for niche independent watches. If he’s not at a local watch collectors’ meetup, you can usually find NYC Watch Guy at a pickup basketball game in the city.

Of his collecting ethos, he says, “I think my collecting style is ever evolving and where I am today is definitely not where I was five years ago, and very likely won’t be where I will be 10 years from now. No matter how ‘hot’ a watch may be, if it doesn’t move me, I am not going to buy it. Also, I only like to buy things I will wear, and so no matter how important or rare a watch may be, if it isn’t something that vibes with my style, I won’t buy it.”

The watch he could never part with is his Urwerk UR-220 Grove XXIII. He reveals, “It was an edition of 23 watches made for Michael Jordan and his golf buddies. This is the watch I have worked the hardest to track down in my collecting journey. As the biggest basketball fan in the world and someone who worshipped MJ growing up, finally being able to own this watch felt like I had actually achieved the unachievable — the endgame grail watch. Of course, I’ve continued buying things even after that, but without a doubt, this is the one watch that I could never part with!”