Editor's Picks
They Wear It Well: Creatives
Chris Modoo
Creative Director of Chester Barrie
I’ve always cared about clothing, fashion and how I want to look, and a watch is very much a part of that. In the 1980s, I was very much into designer sportswear – Lacoste, Fila, that sort of thing. At that time, I wore a Swatch because it fitted that sports casual look of the era. I went on to work for Thomas Pink – I was in my 20s and it was an exciting brand with the taste I was then looking for.
While at Pink, my style went a bit ‘fogey’. Alongside the tailoring, at this point I started wearing a pocket watch on a chain, either in my waistcoat or my jacket’s top pocket. My career then took me to Ede & Ravenscroft on Savile Row and I thought I should get something a little better so rewarded myself with a vintage, hexagonal-shaped Omega De Ville. It was beautiful.
I have also become a fan of vintage mechanical Seikos. In the pub one night, a friend showed me one he’d bought. I did a bit of research and was hooked. I went through a period of scouring shops and the internet, buying up old automatic Seikos from the 1960s and 1970s. Next on my wish list, though, are an early-1990s Rolex Air King, an old Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso in rose gold and – as I have a real affinity with the brand – a Seiko “Pogue”.
My time at Ede & Ravenscroft was great but, outside of Savile Row, it was pretty low profile. I wanted a bit more exposure and creative freedom to express what I’ve learnt over the years, so I came to Chester Barrie about six years ago. I’m now responsible for the design and quality of all the products here – it’s a fine line between respecting the tradition of tailoring and embracing modern innovations in manufacturing and fabrics.
Nadya Abela
Model and Entrepreneur
While studying at university in Moscow, I came to London to attend a language school and improve my English. I was approached by a model scout who spotted me walking down Oxford Street. I wanted to finish my education before pursuing anything else, so, I completed my degree in child psychology and then followed up on modelling in earnest.
I’ve been lucky enough to work with a wide range of brands from Gucci to Yohji Yamamoto, Calvin Klein and TAG Heuer, and magazines including Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue. I’ve taken a step back from modelling now, choosing to concentrate on charity work, supporting my husband and being a mum to our children.
I’ve been participating in charity work for some time, but I now have my own charity. Called Nadezda – which is actually my full name and means “hope” in Russian – I started it in 2015 and it is based in Russia. Being so fortunate in my life, I wanted to give back to the country and society that raised me.
One of my most prized watches is a Cartier Tank Anglaise given to me by my mother-in-law, it was very unexpected and a lovely gift – I nearly fell off the chair when she gave it to me. It’s beautiful and elegant and I find it goes with almost everything. I have a few other pieces – a fun white ceramic Chanel watch, a Royal Oak Offshore and a Baume & Mercier. Along with the Cartier, my Chopard is another real favourite. It was the first gift I received from my husband and is also a limited edition for Elton John’s charity. Sentimental value aside, I think the light-blue colour and mother-of-pearl dial are beautiful. I wear it a lot.
Nimesh Thakrar
Co-founder and CEO of Banneya London
After graduating from Imperial College, I embarked on a career in cars and motorsport, working for an automotive consultancy firm called Mira, before moving on to Honda’s F1 team. I worked in vehicle dynamics, characterising the performance of a car with simulation software to improve performance – essentially, helping to make the car go faster.
After a brief stint working for Amazon, Misa and I decided to realise our shared vision for a luxury goods company that took full advantage of selling online and we teamed up to start Banneya. Net-a-Porter and Farfetch have really blazed the trail in terms of luxury tech platforms and I hope Banneya is seen as following in their footsteps. We want to establish a platform in fine jewellery but with no more than around 150 really great designers. We do plan to open showrooms to complement our online platform in the future – one attached to our head office in London and others in places like Dubai and the Far East as well.
I find my Breitling to be very versatile, fitting in well with almost everything I wear. I don’t tend to wear suits that often, preferring a blazer when I need to dress up – I’m definitely much more comfortable in a smart-casual outfit. You’ll find a lot of navy and blue in my wardrobe and pieces from brands like The Kooples and, as with Misa, I also wear a fair amount of Cos. Honestly, I’ve never had much of a fixation on clothes or shoes, I gravitate far more towards watches. I’m tempted by an IWC at the moment and, for obvious reasons, the Pilot’s Watch collection really appeals to me.”
Misa Zahar
Co-founder and Creative Director of Banneya London
In another life, I was a lawyer working as a consultant in the City. But I was looking to change jobs and really wanted to work in luxury. A friend of mine introduced me to Mark Dunhill – the great-grandson of Alfred – at an event and he happened to have a job going. I joined Dunhill in 2003 as UK Sales Support Manager, going on to run the merchandising department by the end of my time there.
In terms of watches, I wear my stainless steel and white dial Rolex Daytona a lot. It was a gift from my mum when I finished my MBA. When I was working for Dunhill, I could only wear Richemont watches. Upon leaving I naturally wanted something different and the Daytona was perfect. I do still have some nice watches from my time at Richemont – a simple Panerai Luminor, a Cartier Tank Francaise and of course a few Dunhills. I currently have my eye on the new Audemars Piguet collaboration with Carolina Bucci, the Royal Oak Frosted Gold – it’s spectacular.