Timepieces are of the essence

For lovers of prestigious and ultra-luxe watches, Vintage Grail is the place to go. Co-founded by a trio of fine men whose friendship started out as young schoolmates in International School — Paolo Martel, Jesse Maxwell and Francis Varona — the company has grown steadily with an ever-expanding group of watch lovers and connoisseurs as it celebrates its fifth anniversary.

Since I was curious about the company, Paolo explained, “My love for watches started when I saw my father collect watches. I saw the excitement it brought him, and we shared this passion. I co- founded a watch magazine 20 years ago and got involved in organizing watch auctions in the Philippines. This led to Vintage Grail where we have rare, brand-new and vintage watches.

Regarding vintage watches we take it a step further. We ensure that each vintage piece is in proper working order and do a lot of due diligence to ensure the watch is authentic.”

Welcoming patrons and clientele to celebrate a significant milestone at Blackbird Restaurant, we were mesmerized by the fine timepieces on display that included vintage Rolex Daytonas, first-series Patek Philippe Nautilus models, highly coveted double-signed Tiffany & Co. timepieces, as well as rare and limited-edition gems from Richard Mille and Jacob & Co.

The evening’s highlight was Vintage Grail’s fifth-anniversary coffee-table book titled Watches: A Journey Through Time & Style, which was presented to First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos and given to the lucky guests present.

The book chronicles the captivating journey of featured collectors from here and abroad — Aurel Bacs, John Reardon, Paul Boutros, Maurizio de Simone, Austen Chu, Zoe Abelson, Alice Eduardo, Archie Gonzalez, Bryan Villanueva, Chris Lichauco, Duday Tuason, Edwin Lim, Hayden Kho, JV Cobankiat, and Luivi Panlilio — as they share their passion and inspiration on the uniqueness of their selected timepieces.

Looking ahead, Paolo, Jesse and Francis remain committed to bringing timeless and exceptional watches to discerning collectors worldwide.

“We cater to our patrons’ every need to help them find their personal grails,” Paolo enthuses. “We like building long-lasting relationships with our clientele. You can buy, sell, consign, or trade your watch with us. We firmly believe that a customer’s needs must be met to make every business transaction great.”