Depending on which side of the fence you sit, Jony Ive either saved or destroyed the Swiss watch industry when he designed the Apple Watch, but there's no denying he's a classic 'watch guy'.
Ive recently opened up about his past with mechanical watches, as well as one watch he still admires most.
- Read T3's Apple Watch review
- And check out the best watches for men
The designer's earliest memories revolves around a fascination of how they worked – he'd take an alarm clock apart to see the the miniature world inside.
This fascination continued in Ive's adult life, "I don’t look at watches for their relationship to popular culture, which I know is so much of the fun – but rather as somehow the distillation of craft, ingenuity, miniaturization, and of the art of making.”
Ive's first 'proper' watch was an Omega Speedmaster purchased on a trip to Kowloon.
He was seduced by its use in space exploration, saying it "epitomizes the optimism, ambition, and courage of invention".
Ive laments that he no longer wears many of the watches he's collected over the years due to the Apple Watch becoming such a big part of his life.
However, he still admires the Patek Philippe Nautilus, saying it's "a bizarre, bizarre object that I have huge affection for. The more you look at it, you struggle with comprehension of its geometry. I do not wear it as much anymore, but it’s a beautiful watch, I think."
Apple Founder Steve Jobs didn't share his interest in watches and very rarely wore one.
Ive also revealed the Apple Watch was the first product Steve Jobs didn't have an input in, "The first discussion took place in early 2012, a few months after Steve’s passing. It caused us to take time, pausing to think about where we wanted to go, what trajectory we were on as a company, and what motivated us. "
And, if you think the Apple Watch is seen as an iPhone accessory or a side project within Apple, Ive hinted it could be the future of the company...
"That the opportunity is phenomenal. Particularly when [you] don’t understand just where we are today in terms of technology and capability, but where we are headed."
You can read the full interview over at Hodinkee.
