My Top 10 watches by Justin Hast

“I think this has been one of the hardest tasks that I’ve been given for a long time because I want to honour and respect the past, but I am also fascinated with watchmakers striving to create something brand new,” says watch collector Justin Hast when asked by WatchPro to list his current top ten watches.

“The collection I have put together is not for investment opportunities, or made of things that I particularly want to sit on for years. I would wear each of them every single day, if I could.

“I also think that this is my ideal collection for now but I tend to change my mind a lot on what perfection is.

“I’m a bit of a minimalist and about a year ago, I bought myself a watch box with 10 slots in it, so my goal has always been to have a maximum of 10 watches at any one time.

“However, one of the choices in my Top 10 won’t fit in the watch box, so I still have an extra slot to fill,” he teases.

The Justin Hast top 10

Rexhep Rexhepi Chronomètre Contemporain

Without a doubt, Rexhep is the hottest watchmaker in the world right now. Meeting him a couple of years ago had a huge impact on me.

He’s a really nice guy, which helps, and he’s looking at the industry differently. He’s not promoting himself, he’s just doing his own thing, which I like.

To me, the Chronomètre Contemporain looks like nothing else – the simplicity, the typography, the dial layout.

The case is by Jean-Pierre Hagmann who is one of the ‘Golden Era’ casemakers. I’d love to own a Hagmann case of any kind, but this one is really special.

The movement is so perfectly balanced in a way that emanates from the bottom up and the finishing of the bridges and the barrel is exquisite.

It’s just absolutely stunning.

For anyone lucky enough to own one, it is a piece of art that they have invested in. So few of them have ever come to market.

For me, Rexhep is up there with Philippe Dufour. He is as good as it gets.

I struggled to decide between Dufour’s Simplicity and the Chronomètre Contemporain, but I thought I should only take up one slot for classic time-only and the Chronomètre Contemporain is just a better size and fit for me, so it took the spot.

The first Chronomètre Contemporain to be sold at auction crossed the block at Phillips Hong Kong in May this year.

It sold for HKD 7,239,000, around $925,000.

Laurent Ferrier Sport Auto 40

Funnily enough, it was WatchPro’s editor Tracey that helped me to connect with Laurent Ferrier.

Back when we both worked at Revolution, she lent me her LF watch to wear for the day. It was the most beautiful, elegant thing I had seen.

The man is second to none. He is every inch a watchmaker and every inch a designer. And that case by itself, makes me weak at the knees.

I’ve ordered a Classic Origin Blue piece and will collect it when I’ve finished paying for it next year.

I absolutely love it, but for this article I had to choose the Sport Auto, which I got to wear the other day.

This is a big statement, but I believe he’s bettered the Royal Oak and Nautilus with this integrated-bracelet.

This one is titanium, not steel, but I believe that people will look at these new watches – the Moser Streamliner, Czapek Antarctique, the Parmigiani Tonda PS and so on – in years to come and prize them on a level that they truly deserve.

With the new Sport Auto 40, I love the green dial and accents to the hands and lume.

The colours, the case shape and the matte finished bracelet just work.

This is a future classic. For people who don’t want to follow the pack, you can’t go wrong with Laurent Ferrier.

Retail price, should you have friends in high places, is $57,000.

Andersen Genève Tempus Terrae

I’ve always had a soft spot for a world timer, and I wanted to include one in my Top 10.

It was between a Patek Philippe model and this one, but I thought the Andersen Genève was a little more interesting.

I met Svend at Salon QP (in London).

He had a Worldtime watch with an officer case and I remember the GM, Alex, flipping the caseback and showing me the movement inside. I was blown away.

Svend is the Godfather of the independent scene and, to me, he is the king of the world timer.

From the beautiful case design to the blue-gold finishing and sharp arrow-like hands, I just think it’s sexy as hell.

Expect to pay around $70,000.

A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1 ref. 101.027X

This is a watch that I didn’t even know existed until recently.

It is a secret addition that was meant to be launched to honor a bridge that was planned in Dresden by the UNESCO World Heritage Organization.

The bridge was never built, but 200 of these watches were made with white-gold cases, silvered dials, blued hands and printed markers.

The pieces were quietly sold to collectors and they sometimes pop up for resale and are very sought after.

I think it is a more relaxed take on a classic and that’s why it is the one for me.

Lange still has them on sale for $60,000.

F.P. Journe Élégante

This brilliant watch was designed for women and it took six years to develop the quartz calibre.

I love this piece and I think it represents where I am in my watch journey. Just because you expect things to be a certain way, does not mean that they have to be.

The battery life of the Élégante is 8-10 years if used daily, and up to 18 years in stand-by mode.

A dial-side sensor can detect motion and communicates this to the movement.

After 35 minutes of inactivity, the watch shuts down the hands while the microprocessor continues to track the time.

When the watch wakes up, the hands move to their correct position.

Finished to the highest level, it has a gold movement and a titanium case.

I might go so far as to say this is the perfect watch because I can wear it to meetings and to the gym, to play tennis or golf. I don’t have to worry about it jarring.

I’m not looking to compete with anyone, so I don’t feel like I need to apologize for it not being mechanical.

I think you can have fun, and I had to have one quartz watch in my Top 10.

This one feels so thought-out and is the ultimate sort of power-play.

Expect to pay around $50,000 for a good example.

Vacheron Constantin American 1921

As a teenager, a mentor of mine told me this was the most elegant watch he had seen.

I eventually tried one on after seeing Josh Brolin wearing one in Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, and the way that watch sits on the wrist is unlike anything else.

It’s a cushion case, very flat on top, but curved around the sides.

I was desperate to get one but couldn’t afford it. Then, just before I got married in 2021, I went online typed in ‘yellow-gold 1921’ and the first thing that came up was Watches of Switzerland advertising it had one in stock.

I sauntered over and, as I stood in my t-shirt and flip-flops drooling over it on display in the window, a lady asked if she could help me and went on to say that the piece had a 20% discount.

It seemed like fate so I paid a £2,000 deposit and have been paying the rest off monthly since then.

I was on cloud nine but was brought back down to earth when my now wife clocked it as she came down the aisle! She quite likes it now, though.

I think it’s a travesty that they don’t make it in yellow gold anymore, because that is what gives it that old-school glamor, that Jay Gatsby feel.

Secondary market price is currently around $35,000.

IWC Pilot’s Watch Double Chronograph Top Gun Ceratanium

This one is a sentimental pick – IWC was my first love and, when I think of aviation watches, IWC rules.

I wanted something that represents the brand in its current state and this 44mm Top Gun won out, largely because of Richard Habring’s connection to the creation of the double chrono.

And I had to choose black ceramic because of IWC’s history with the material.

It feels more compact than its 44mm and I adore the stealthy dial.

I would feel comfortable wearing this watch every day. Nobody does black Pilot’s watches like IWC, but more than anything, the brand is close to my heart.

They are selling for around their retail price of $16,000.

Tudor Submariner 7016

Any Top 10, has to have at least one dive watch – and I’ve chosen two, one traditional and one very modern.

For traditional, I’ve gone for the ‘Snowflake’ Submariner.

The 7016 was the very first time that Tudor used an ETA calibre and the first time that we saw Snowflake hands.

The Submariner transcends watches. It’s a design icon.

I have never wanted a Rolex Sub, the Tudor is so much more interesting to me.

It is vintage and it captures that part of me that loves the aged, beaten-up aesthetic.

The watch was made with Rolex parts – crown, caseback, and so on – and it looks great on a fabric strap.

I just find Tudor to be really sexy and they honour their heritage in a very thoughtful way.

I am fascinated by Tudor’s connection to the French navy and, when I put this on, I feel like a weathered, French guy sitting on the beach in Marseille having once served in the Special Forces – it just makes me dream a little.

And from a design perspective, I’m blown away.

Prices vary, but haggle hard to get one for around $5,000.

Ressence Type 5

This is my modern diver and again, the brand is very close to my heart.

When I was at Revolution, Tracey [Llewellyn] sent me out to interview the company founder Benoît Mintiens and it was probably the one meeting that really stuck with me because of Benoît’s passion for building something, for overcoming adversity, and his determination to do something different.

I’ve always loved the design because it sits in the middle of everything – it’s not luxury, it’s not fine watchmaking, it’s not sporty watchmaking at scale.

It is its own entity and the design stands out because of the creativity.

The minimalistic element resonates with me. You can see the time at every angle that you look at it and that’s pretty damn cool.

When I saw the Type 5, the color accents on the dial, the fluid-filled case that holds a reworked, 3D axis ETA, the way that the bezel rotates and clicks – it’s honestly phenomenal and made me ask: ‘Who are you? What the hell are you doing?’.

And I love that it’s a complete story by itself.

Currently trading for around $40,000.

Jaeger-LeCoultre Atmos Hermès

The Atmos clock is an amazing technical innovation – getting the energy it needs to run from temperature and atmospheric pressure changes in the environment.

If you go to the manufacture, you’ll see a wall full of Atmos clocks but none of them appeals to me quite like this one, because it’s in the shape of a golf ball, which speaks to my heart. I love golf deeply, and this clock is just so odd and so weird.

Traditional Atmos clocks are wood and gilt and would be at home sitting on your grandparents’ fireplace.

But this version is so modern and a super-chic version of a classic.

I’d be happy to clear out my office and just have that one object to gaze at.

Chrono24 has one listed for just over $60,000.