“Rolex, in general, is all about practicality and wearability. No collection of watches can call itself complete without least one Daytona and Rahman’s is no exception. The aesthetics and proportions of the 5970 have always spoken to me in a way that other watches don’t.” The 5970 marries that with a perpetual calendar in a 40mm case size which, for me, is the sweet spot when it comes to case sizes. “A chronograph always makes a watch look very interesting.
“When I went into collecting, chronographs were something I focused on.” He feels that a chronograph gives what he calls “mechanical substance” to a watch while adding visual interest. The Ref 5970 is regarded by many, including Rahman, as the perfect 21st century Patek grand complication. But those scratches testify to the time it spends on his wrist and the affection he has for the most famous creation of legendary watch designer Gérald Genta. If Rahman has one criticism it is of the choice of polished platinum for the bezel - “a scratch magnet”. Its innovative movement architecture and the multifunctional nature of components means that all parts can be on one plane, rather than superposed, making it exceptionally slender. This ultra-thin perpetual calendar speaks to Rahman’s inner engineer. Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin “Along with the Cintree, the 3733 is my dinner jacket watch, a go-to timepiece on formal occasions.” Like almost all the watches in his collection, the watch is white metal, in this case white gold.ģ. Nevertheless, he appreciates the timeless modernity and dressy discretion of a recondite and underrated Patek Philippe. Dating from about 40 years ago, it crosses the line into vintage. “In The Thomas Crown Affair, Steve McQueen wears a watch which is very similar and that was the inspiration for my watch.”Īnother favourite dress watch is the Patek Ref 3733 with the lapis lazuli dial. “It’s one of the most elegant watches in the history of Cartier, especially from a masculine point of view, the curved, elongated shape of the case hugs the wrist.” There is also link to cinema. Its slender, straight-sided, curved case blends elegance with ergonomics and this example with a blue sunburst dial was a special order from Cartier. The third test is that it just looks very nice.”Ĭartier’s Tank Cintrée is one of the brand’s classics that has come to the fore again in recent years.
With time and experience, he has become a disciplined collector and, to enter his collection today, a watch has to satisfy at least one of three criteria: “Either the watch tells a story, or it is mechanically very interesting. In those days, you really had the thrill of the chase.”
“It was a lot more fun to try to look for things. He recalls with great fondness an Elysian period before the instant information age of the internet. It was while studying engineering at university that his interest in watch movements began. “I was influenced by Steve McQueen, in Le Mans.” “I don’t consider myself to be a vintage watch collector”, he says, explaining that this was another cinematically motivated purchase. His second ‘proper’ watch purchase was a vintage Heuer Monaco.
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