Nest CEO Loves Mechanical Watches
One would expect the CEO of a company that creates innovative smarthome products to wear the latest in wearable devices but Tony Fadell of Nest Labs prefers traditional mechanical watches and has an impressive collection worth seven figures. Nest spoke to Bloomberg about his admiration for craftsmanship—and aversion to bling.
Fadell explained why he appreciates mechanical watches. “For me, it’s the amount of engineering and design it takes to make these very delicate things work in all kinds of crazy conditions. Whether that’s underwater, withstanding shocks or magnetism, and making sure that an automatic watch keeps running as your wrist moves. The amount of time, testing, and care it takes to pull you off, for something on the inside, it’s just astonishing.
“There’s also the innovation in the mechanisms themselves. Whether that’s a silicon escapement or different types of metals that are anti-magnetic or low friction. For all of this to work uninterrupted for years is really astounding.”
What does not impress Fadell is the glitz and flash of some new luxury timepieces.
“Especially new modern men’s watches, they’re much more about ego and jewelry than they are about the watch functions. You should just go get a fancy bracelet if you want a fancy bracelet. Guys are trying to justify getting a more ostentatious piece of jewelry by saying it’s a watch. But you look at it and say, ‘I can’t even read it! I don’t know what time it is!’
“To me, when I look at a lot of these watches, I think of guys running around with their hoods torn off the fronts of their cars or neon underneath their cars. It has nothing to do with the car at all, it has to do with an ‘Everyone, hey, look at me’ attitude. I am highly turned off by that stuff.”
Fadell sounds like a man with excellent taste in fine watches. And the money to satisfy his cravings!
