FREDERIC WATRELOT
The associate director of Christie’s Dubai and the auctioneers’ regional specialist for watches, Frederic Watrelot is a jeweller and gemologist with more than 15 years experience working with the world’s top retailers. Originally from France, he lives in
DINNER. Islands, TOMORROW, IF YOU south WHAT COULD of Corsica. ARE WHERE WAKE YOU YOU’RE EATING, WOULD UP ANYWHERE SITTING WHERE IT BE? DOWN On ELSE ARE a sailboat, TO YOU IN THE THE DINING in the PERFECT WORLD Lavezzi AND WHO
On IS the WITH menu, YOU? grilled With lobster my pasta loved with ones, a lemon in a garden and cream or on a sauce. warm WHAT beach and IS I’m YOUR the one FAVOURITE cooking.
HOTEL? Tough one! It’s probably the Amanwella in Tangalle, Sri Lanka. Or Las Tortugas, a surfers’ hotel
in Playa Grande, Costa Rica. Leatherback turtles crawl up at night to lay their eggs on the beach there. WHERE
IS THE BEST SERVICE YOU HAVE EVER EXPERIENCED? Taj Hotels in India. WHICH GROOMING
PRODUCT OR TREATMENT DO YOU SWEAR BY? I never use anything apart from the good old Aqua Velva
a ershave and three or four perfumes, which I’ve been using for as long as I can remember. My hairdresser is Carita in Al Qasr as
it belongs to the family, and I really enjoyed my last Thai massage at the Banyan Tree desert hotel in RAK. WHERE DO YOU LIKE
TO SHOP? Home is in the South of France, so I especially love shopping on Rue d’Antibes in Cannes. Otherwise, it’d be Paris, from Le
Marais to the antique stores in Rue Saint-Honoré and Quartier Saint Antoine. Also, for some reason, Switzerland is one place in the world that
really makes me want to spend money. DO YOU HAVE AN ESSENTIAL GADGET? I’m a fan of BlackBerries. WHAT ARE YOU CURRENTLY
READING? Life by Keith Richards. WHAT IS THE MOST-PLAYED MUSIC ON YOUR IPOD RIGHT NOW? Boa Sorte by Vanessa da Mata
and Ben Harper. ARE YOU A COLLECTOR? Yes, somehow. I’m starting to have enough watches to be considered a collector. I’ve also been
collecting boarding passes for as long as I can remember. IF MONEY WERE NO OBJECT, WHAT WOULD YOU INVEST IN?
Original art deco furniture. WHAT IS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL EXAMPLE OF WATCH MAKING YOU HAVE HELD? A
tourbillon 24 seconds from Greubel Forsey. It was worth about Dh1.4 million. IN TERMS OF QUALITY OR LONGEVITY
OF USE, WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR WISEST PURCHASE? A second-hand 1997 Jeep Wrangler that I’ve
been enjoying in the desert for the last six years. And I love my noise-cancelling Bose headphones, which make
such a difference when I’m travelling. WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST LUXURY PURCHASE? A Rolex
Submariner – I worked for free to pay for it at my first job in the watch trade. WHAT IS YOUR MOST
TREASURED POSSESSION? Free time. WHAT, IN YOUR OPINION, IS THE MOST
OVERRATED LUXURY? Cars. WHY DO WATCHES HAVE SUCH AN ENDURING
APPEAL? The amount of passion, expertise and patience involved in their manufacture
is incredible and, for me, it’s the only jewellery I get to wear.