Canadian Journalist Carol Besler has reported on the watch industry for over 30 years.

1. Describe briefly your childhood.

My father was in the military so I grew up mostly on Air Force bases all over. I lived in Germany from the age of 4 until 8, then in various locations in Canada. When my dad retired, we moved to a small town on the shores of Lake Huron in southwestern Ontario. The beaches were great, and it was beautiful. But I’ve lived in Toronto for 40 years now.

2. As a child did you have any driving ambition?

When I was a child the only thing I remember wanting to be was a dancer. I did ballet classes for many years, but I wasn’t even remotely good enough to be a pro. And it’s a painful life.

3. What is your first significant memory as a child?

I remember living in Germany and trying to figure out what the heck everyone around me was saying. LOL. My dad was fluent, but even now, I only have menu German.

4. Have you ever had another profession?

I went immediately to journalism school from high school. Back then, the good, best-paying jobs were in trade magazines. After working briefly as an assistant to the director of watches and jewelry at Sotheby’s Canada after college, I landed a gig as editor-in-chief of Canadian Jeweler in 1990 and ended up staying there for 16 years! My colleagues at the time were Joe Thompson at Modern Jeweler, Mike Thompson at JCK/Professional Jeweler/International Watch, Roberta Naas was the watch reporter at National Jeweler. There was Alice Weil from South African Jeweler, Timothy Treffrey from Australia, and the Maillards were (and still are) running Europa Star in Switzerland. There were very few of us watch journalists at the time, and we had a blast. Because we were in the trades, we covered the business side as well as the product side, so we lived through, and got to report on the transition from quartz back to mechanical and the coming-back-to-life of what are today the big brands. We lived through the transition of Basel from a relatively quiet trade-only show, to this huge, carnival-like party – like a cross between a Shriner’s convention and a royal wedding – and then back to bust. It’s been a wild ride. (I feel like there is a recovery in store for Baselworld; at least I hope so.)

5. What made you decide to go in the direction you are currently in?

I’ve been freelance now for more than 10 years, and it was brought about mainly by the demise of trade magazines. The industry went from mass distribution to very selective distribution and the brands no longer needed or supported trade magazines. But I have enjoyed working for many different outlets since then, and doing watch reviews and more product reporting, otherwise I wouldn’t have been doing it this long. I have written for everyone at one time or another (Watch Time, Revolution, The Hollywood Reporter, Haute Time, Financial Post, Journal Haute Horlogerie, Nuvo and so many others I forget) and now mostly Forbes, Robb Report, Bloomberg, Mr Porter Journal, and I’m editorial director of a company that does custom store magazines for retail jewelers in the US.

6. What’s the worst job you’ve had to do?

One summer during school I worked for a Conservation Authority cleaning campsites, mowing grass, chopping wood, cleaning bathrooms, painting buildings and whatever else needed doing. It was hard, dirty, physical work, and I did not enjoy it. I respect people who do physical labor. It’s hard.

7. What’s been the hardest moment in your life so far, and how did you overcome it?

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8. Who has had the strongest influence on you?

I’m going to give a What, rather than a Who. All the while I was working, I was going to school part-time at the University of Toronto, where I finished an Honors BA in English Lit (it took 27 years) and then did an MA. It was almost like a hobby, and it taught me all the things you learn in a good liberal arts program, from critical thinking to life in general. Also, I got to hang out with some really brilliant kids along the way, one of whom became a Rhodes scholar. And so many great professors; for a while, I thought I wanted to be one of them.

9. What are you most proud of?

Last week I tore out the carpet in the upstairs of my house and installed new wood flooring, which involved operating a bewildering assortment of power tools, some purchased and some borrowed. Every muscle in my body is aching, and I nearly chopped off a finger, but it looks great, and I’m kind of proud of it.

10. What advice would you give to a 20 something someone thinking of taking a similar path as you?

Trust your instincts. Understand that, knowledge-wise, you have a lot to learn, so your instincts are your biggest asset at the moment. If something seems good, it probably is; if it seems bad, walk away. Don’t abandon your intuition. Also, never work for a psychopath, no matter how much he (or she) is paying you. It will damage your soul.

11. Name three things on your bucket list.

1. Get my novel published.

2. Write another one.

3. Get more dogs (and a house with a bigger yard).

12. Where do you think the watch industry is going to be in 10 years time?

It’s hard to imagine the industry could be any more consolidated than it is, and in fact, it feels like it’s going in the other direction, with some new independent brands and smaller startups coming onstream. So in a way, it’s like the ’90s again, when the big brands were still in the process of becoming big, and finding their new identities after the quartz crisis. Journalism-wise, print seems to be coming back, but now it’s magazines attached to successful websites rather than the other way around, which is interesting to see. It actually seems more logical. Print is harder. The production process can be cumbersome and expensive, and it’s hard to be newsworthy in print in the age of digital.

To learn more about Carol Besler