Premium view of rolling hills | Tuscany
Any watch collector knows that the key to a good collection is diversity. A dive watch for days by the water, a GMT for international travel and a field watch for adventuring. Of course, with all the specialist watches out there, you also need a daily beater for day-to-day use. In some regards, watch collecting is a lot like home owning – you have your regular house where you spend most of your time and, every once in a while, you get away to a holiday home. The issue with this analogy is that while it’s pretty easy to make a great watch collection for a few thousand pounds, buying four or five holiday homes is unrealistic… or is it? With August you can own five holiday homes for less than you might think.
That might sound too good to be true but the way the Collection operates is very smart. Instead of spending €680,000 on a single property, you pay the same amount to be the co-owner of five properties spread across the span of Europe. Each property is unique, ranging from a Tuscan farmhouse to a chalet in the French Alps, giving you access to a diverse range of holidays, flexibility and, most importantly, zero hassle.
Premium Collection | Tuscany
Let’s break down the five houses in the Premium Collection and, because I can’t resist, let’s also recommend a watch to accessorise each house. As mentioned, there’s the Tuscan farmhouse near the regions of Pisa and Lucca. With local Sunday markets and authentic family-owned restaurants, it’s the ultimate Italian getaway. Except that it’s not getting away so much as going to your other home. It’s a five-bed property with capacity for sleeping 10. For your matching watch collection, we’re talking classy and Italian so it has to be the Panerai Radiomir.
Next up is a villa in the South of France. Enjoy local rosé by the pool, terrace dinner parties and trips to the Côte d’Azur. It has five beds too and sleeps 10 for those large parties. It’s worth pointing out that, much like a family home, you can also hand over the keys for your family and friends to stay – so if your children want to take some of their friends and give you a week of peace, that’s totally fine. Watch-wise it’s got to be a gold dress watch à la the Cartier Tank Normale.
Premium Collection | South of France
A little closer to home is the Cotswolds cottage, a quintessential English countryside home with four bedrooms. Hikes through the surrounding area, pub lunches and sunsets over rolling hills are an invitation to kick back and relax. Out in the country you’ll want a robust watch that can keep up with you so how about the Christopher Ward C65.
Fourth, and heading out to the Mediterranean, is the five-bed Mallorca townhouse. It’s all about embracing the gorgeous weather with dips in the plunge pool and trips to the beach. Obviously, when it comes to booking holidays in your homes, certain times of year are busier than others, which is why August uses a booking system to encourage you to spread your holidays throughout the year and also marries groups of homeowners with different habits and likes to ensure a harmonious blend of uses in each of your homes. With all the swimming that’s possible here, it’s time to break out the dive watch and you can’t go wrong with the Omega Seamaster.
Premium Collection | French Alps
Rounding up the Premium Collection is the chalet in the French Alps. We’re talking charming ski locales with beautiful vistas and equally memorable food. You simply have to go for a watch that’s suitable for skiing so why not the Zenith Defy Classic Ski edition.
For €680,000 you part own all five properties which, buying individually, could cost you over €12,500,000 – each with the character and exclusivity of a luxury timepiece.
More details at August Collection.
Oracle Time