Friends

A chat with Kristian Haagen

"It's true what they say, when you buy real quality, you only cry once."

Seduced by quality

We met up with the world-renowned watch specialist, Kristian Haagen, for his take on high-end products. To us Kristian is a unique character from whom we can learn a lot about being passionate and qaulity focused.

A lifelong passion

Growing up, Kristian started collecting watches at the age of nine, and the first ones were actually digital, because as he describes it; "Digital watches were the iPads and iPhones of my youth".

In 1989, when Kristian started as marketing intern in London, he decided to quit the replicas and buy his first authentic quality watch: A Rolex Oyster Precision Reference 6694 for £120.

Since then Kristian has collected severeal iconic timepieces such as the IWC Big Pilot reference 5002. And as he smilingly states; "It's true what they say, when you buy real quality, you only cry once".

The way to create a perfect product

With a lifelong passion for wristwatches, Kristian knows a great deal about quality. He travels the world to visit manufacturers, interview designers and consults some of the most important brands in the watch industry.

"Craftmanship makes a good watch. That's obvious. For instance, it's hard to look at the big Swiss watch brands and not be seduced by the movement, wheels and the overall mechanisms. If you mix craftsmanship with passion and top it up with a beautiful design, you're close to having a perfect watch".