interview
Capital Watch Awards
Celebrity chef Tim Raue: “I dreamed of my black Rolex for ten years”
The entrepreneur and star chef Tim Raue is one of the most famous restaurateurs in Germany
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Celebrity chef Tim Raue is one of the jurors for the sixth Capital Watch Awards, a ranking for the best watches of the year. In the interview he talks about his relationship with mechanical watches – and reveals which watch he wears on the stove.
Mr. Raue, how would you describe your taste in watches?
Sporty and adventurous, I would say. I’m generally enthusiastic about Watches with a second time zone like the Rolex GMT Master II. Since I have had to travel an average of over 180 days on four continents in the last few years, the time difference (and jet lag) are now an integral part of my life.
How many different watches do you wear over the course of a week?
At work I wear an Omega MoonSwatch made of Bioceramic because the scratches that come with working in the kitchen would be too brutal for other models. In my private life, the occasion is crucial, so I probably change my watch up to twice.
What three criteria do you use to choose a (new) watch?
I’m a pretty impulsive person. If a model catches my eye and I like it, these three reasons are enough: I want it, I want it, I want it.
Can you still remember your first “real” watch?
Yes, that was a TAG Heuer Formula 1.
Your best tip for saving time in everyday life or at work?
Just don’t get distracted! Just stay focused on what you need to do urgently.
Your most successful strategy against procrastination?
For me, as a Prussian, procrastination is incompatible with the virtues that my grandfather instilled in me. Which sometimes makes those around me a bit stressful…
Why has the wristwatch survived the digital transformation so far?
Because their mechanical precision, beauty and sovereignty remain unmatched. My smartphone, on the other hand, takes over the additional functions that a digital watch offers.
If you could travel back in time, which year would you travel to and why?
I don’t waste my time dreaming about what once was or what could have been. I live in the here and now and look mindfully into the future.
Which watch is particularly dear to you or which timepiece do you associate with a special experience/anecdote/person?
For my 40th birthday, I gave myself a black Rolex Explorer, personalized by a German company with my initials and two Michelin stars. I had dreamed of this watch for ten years, ever since I saw it in the display of a jeweler on Bahnhofstrasse in Zurich.
Note: With the Capital Watch Award, Capital chooses the best watches of the year.
This post first appeared on Capital.de.