Beat Gretener: “Ultimately it's about beauty, pure aesthetics”

Light floods the house. The spacious windows open to a view of the Rhine River and vine trees. Naturally, two photos decorate the wall IWC da Vinci watches. It was hand-painted by Hanno Bortscher, former chief designer at IWC. Beat Gretener – with a slight build, distinctive glasses and a casual look – opens a maroon leather case and reveals the watches inside. “My IWC watches are part of my daily life,” he says. “They always bring me happiness time and time again.”

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Joy in beauty

Joy: The word runs like a red thread through our conversation. “If you already have everything else, you buy something beautiful,” he says, for example. “Something that really gives you joy, and you watch it over and over again and enjoy it.” It can be a beautiful flower, but it is also a beautiful IWC watch: “They both give me happiness time and time again. “That's why we always have flowers in our house, and I've spent my working life selling things that make life more beautiful.”

He pulls his first one out of the case IWC watch Which he bought himself – IWC Porsche Design Ultra Sportivo Reference 3330 Titanium. His enthusiasm for the model continues: “Look at this watch. Pure aesthetics. You can wear it today just as you did in 1986.” When asked, it was this timelessness that impressed him at the time, but also the fact that this watch resonated with the zeitgeist: “At the time, this sale was very popular, and I love it again today. When it comes to decor, and when it comes to flowers, I prefer the luxurious.”