An open letter to the geneva seal gallery team

You asked. I am happy to oblige.

What is Luxury?

Is it scarcity? Is it a price? Is it an object? Is it an experience, or is it a service? After more than three decades in the business, this is my honest personal view.

What is “luxury” in watches?

Luxury in watches is being in the position of freedom—freedom to choose what truly resonates, to reject fleeting trends and market pressures, and instead embrace a timepiece that reflects your own enduring taste and identity, or satisfies a simple functional need. It’s not about the “symbols” of luxury; it’s about being in the position of luxury. Let’s be honest, we are not in a “need” business; we are in the “want” business—we are in the “this makes me feel good” business.

Luxury is not about extravagance; it is about intention. At its peak, it is in the art of radical customization, a defiance of the soulless, mass-produced, run-of-the-mill objects we encounter in our daily lives, in favor of something ruthlessly personal, something that demands attention, action, and thought. Unlike a phone or a wallet that you might set down, a watch is strapped to your wrist, quietly ticking through every instant. It sees your routines, your milestones, and even your most reflective personal moments. In a way, it’s a constant companion, marking and sharing time with you every step of the journey. Each timepiece is not merely a machine; it is a fierce, handcrafted triumph born from a master watchmaker’s unrelenting imagination, dedication, laser focus on quality, and a raw celebration of individuality. Did you know that, on average, a person looks at a watch between 20 and 30 times a day?

A watch is never just a status symbol. It is a bold declaration of personal success, or who you are, or what you feel at a moment in time. But it is also about people, about history, about stories that refuse to fade. It is a watchmaker’s obsession with perfection, an uncompromising drive to create, to collaborate, to shatter boundaries, and to push boldly from what’s been done to what can be done. It is history on the wrist, a relentless quest to redefine the possible, all in service of tracking the most unforgiving and precious resource of all: time.

In the world of watches, there are many kinds of buyers. Some are first-time buyers, and some are seasoned collectors. Some are status symbol seekers, some are investors who chase resale, some chase prestige, and some chase applause. The risk some take is not only monetary, but their satisfaction is a fleeting commodity, measured by the market’s caprice, the whim of the crowd, and social media opinions. They love the chase and the thrill of the watch “game.”

Then there are “the storytellers”. The fierce architects of taste, hunters of rare genius, guardians of mechanical poetry. For them, value is a weapon—a fusion of emotion, history, and intellectual ferocity. They would rather express their individuality than serve the taste of others. If money follows, it is a byproduct, a bonus. This is about domination of spirit, being different, standing out from the crowd, cutting through the noise, or simply marking a milestone, not just wealth. True luxury is freedom—freedom of being yourself, freedom to make choices.

The timepiece you choose sends a message. Some people notice the watch, some wonder who you are, some become curious about what you do. Because your timepiece is not just a watch; it is a defiant manifesto.

It doesn’t matter if you choose a watch that costs $500 or $500,000, whether it’s a fashion watch, a digital plastic watch, or a highly complicated, handcrafted mechanical marvel of noble metals. What matters is that you have the freedom and courage to choose on your terms, to define the moment for yourself, for your own reasons. It’s not about the brand; it’s about your own story, your milestones, and making a choice that truly suits you.

In the end, the value in luxury watches is not just a number; it is a battle standard, a reflection of one’s enthusiasm, an uncompromising emblem of passion, of obsession, of the unrelenting fire that drives a true lover and collector to be a part of a greater story, or simply living in the present moment. It is a battle cry that says, “I don’t just wear a watch; I conquer life with it.”

L.G

1003 N. Rush Street, Chicago (2002). 

The first Geneva Seal Boutique.