Eric Wind, went from Biofuel specialist to Vintage Watch specialist, writing for Hodinkee and later VP Vintage watch specialist for Christie’s Auction house, today he dedicates his time to his own company specialising in Vintage watches.

1. Describe briefly your childhood.

I grew up in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, a small Midwestern town on Lake Michigan, and had a wonderful childhood. My mom is a retired professional photographer so I would often help her with her work taking portraits for high school seniors or other professionals. I also loved to play golf and worked at a local golf course. Other than that, I loved to read and learn, so I dedicated my childhood to learning as much as I could!

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

In grade school I actually wanted to become a sports reporter for ESPN and later I wanted to run for office and have a life of public service, but it is interesting that starting around 5th Grade I became a huge fan of Antiques Roadshow and first was exposed to vintage and antique watches through that. For a while, I also wanted to become a professional drummer and even join the Blue Man Group, but I am glad I still drum today. Regardless of what I wanted to do, I am glad I was curious about so many different things starting at a young age, and that curiosity still drives me to learn as much as I can about everything today.

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

I remember dedicating my life to Jesus Christ and a life of loving others when I was five years old like it was yesterday. It was a profound moment in my life and I still strive to have Jesus at the center of my life.

4. Have you ever had another profession?

For someone in my 30s, I feel fortunate to have had a wide range of professional experiences. I had internships while I was at Georgetown University with think tanks, Congress, and the US Government. I then worked for a small boutique consulting firm representing some celebrities and successful entrepreneurs. After my MBA at the University of Oxford I got a job with a biofuel venture. None of these positions led directly to watches, but each of these jobs taught me a lot about the world and have shaped who I am today.

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

I never anticipated working as a vintage-watch dealer. I came across a little blog called HODINKEE back in 2008 a short time after Ben Clymer started it, and I got seriously interested in watches after that. By 2010 I became a contributor to the site and over the course of five years developed a following for my articles about the best watches available for sale from dealers, at auction, and even on eBay. In 2015, John Reardon offered me a position with Christie’s to become Vice President, Senior Specialist of Watches. The biofuel market was (and still is) looking particularly bleak due to low oil prices and I was excited at the opportunity to pursue my passion as a career, although slightly apprehensive that I would get sick of watches if it was no longer just a hobby. Fortunately, that has not been the case at all, and I have a far deeper love and appreciation for watches now than I did when I did not know quite as much five years ago.

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

Fortunately, I don’t have any particular job that I have hated, but I was not a huge fan of trying to knock down or destroy wasp nests when I worked at a golf course in high school!

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

My mom was diagnosed with breast cancer a short time after college while I was in Washington, D.C., and my parents were in Wisconsin. It was tough to not be able to be in physical proximity to my parents, and it was a tough course of chemotherapy and surgery for my mom. We were praying a lot and are extremely thankful to God she had a full recovery and is still cancer-free about a decade later.

8. Who has had the strongest influence on you?

I am blessed to have had so many positive influences in my life: my parents, my sister, my teachers from Pre-School to 12th grade, my professors at Georgetown, my professors at Oxford, pastors and priests, my friends, my wonderful wife, and my sweet young kids. I am thankful to have had the examples to follow of the saints and so many courageous people throughout history, but most especially God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit.

9. What are you most proud of?

My wife and I are extremely proud of our kids, Charlie is 6 years old and Lina is 2 years old. We love who they are and are proud to be instilling in them the desire to work hard and always try their best.

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

I would recommend that they learn as much as they can about what they are doing and work extremely hard. If a person is curious and a hard worker, this person could be very successful in their life. In addition, be a person of your word and be a good person, a person of honor and truth, in all you do.

11. Name three things on your bucket list.

I feel pretty satisfied in my life at this point, but I would love to see my kids graduate from college and perhaps have kids of their own one day. Other than that, there are certainly some watches I would love to own one day!

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

On the modern/new watches side over the next decade, I believe we are going to see more direct-to-consumer sales channels from the watch companies and a lot fewer brick-and-mortar retailers. Regarding vintage watches, I believe the market will continue to grow and the value difference between exceptional and average will continue to expand. I would not be surprised if 10 years from now every mint Rolex “Paul Newman” Daytona is over $500,000 USD and every nice Philippe Dufour Simplicity is over $1 million USD. I believe there is still ample room for quality vintage watches to appreciate and I expect the number of serious watch collectors will continue to grow. Just as a data point, back in 2017 we had 400-500 clients (both collectors and dealers) registered for our Geneva auctions at Christie’s and this summer there were over 2,000 clients registered for the main Geneva auctions. That kind of growth in 3 years is amazing.

To learn more about Eric Wind