The Lounge Looks Back: Collectors Collect

A term we often hear in the world of watches is the “collecting gene.” This term refers to the idea that if you are a collector of one thing, then you are most likely a collector of more than one other thing; however, usually, only one type of collector’s item will reign supreme.

For instance, let’s say you collect watches and records. But then tragedy strikes: Your home is on fire, and there is only enough time to rescue one collection. People with the “collecting gene” would have a comparatively easy time making that decision because they will instinctually choose the collection with the type of item (in this case, watches or records) they care more about.

With that in mind, Watchonista created the Collectors Collect video series to explore the “something else,” whether it be movie cars, pens, era-specific design, rare bourbon, or pinball machines.

Now, with the publication of our fourth installment only a few weeks away, we wanted to take a look back at the amazing collectors we have already met.

In the first video of the series, we met Matthew Ivanhoe.
 

The proprietor of The Cultivated Collector, Matthew is a very knowledgeable watch collector with many enviable pieces in his collection, but his first love is cars. A love that seemingly blossomed at birth, Matthew’s passion for cars so consumed him. So much so, in fact, that he eschewed the world of finance to enter the classic car industry, but what better excuse to pursue one’s passions than by calling it “work.”

Team Watchonista visited Matthew at his offices and showroom in New Canaan, Connecticut, to discuss what appeals to him in cars and watches, his collecting story, and some of the favorite pieces in his collection (both the 4-wheeled and wrist-worn variety).
 

Next, we met vintage watch collector Patrick Parrish whose love for mid-century and mid-century-inspired design helped set him on his path to opening his first boutique in Chelsea during the early days of the new century and, eventually, the #secretwatchshop.

Now, Parrish is now at his third location in Manhattan: The Patrick Parrish Gallery at 50 Lispenard Street in the fashionable TriBeCa neighborhood.
 

The high-ceiling upstairs area of the gallery hosts six to eight art shows a year, and Parrish prides himself on offering first-time Manhattan exposure to up-and-coming artists.

Meanwhile, the downstairs is a dynamic, changing space that is part mid-century showroom, part exhibition and object storage that shows off Parrish’s eye in terms of decor.
 

Finally, in our most recent installment, we met Jon Carter, an attorney, watch collector, and curator of one of the finest rare bourbon collections on this side of the Appalachian Mountains.

Born in northern Louisiana, Jon came from humble beginnings. The only child of a divorced couple, his mother moved Jon to Atlanta when he was two years old to be close to his grandparents so that she could return to school.
 

After graduating as valedictorian of his high school class, Jon attended North Carolina’s prestigious Duke University, where he studied biomedical and electrical engineering, before moving in 2005 to pursue a law degree at New York University.

But it was only after Jon began law school that he got his first nice watch, kicking off his career as a collector in earnest. But how does one get to the point of collecting anything? That was the question we sought to answer during our visit to Jon’s home in 2023.