The Life of a Watch Enthusiast K. Kaoru: "Hublot and Audemars Piguet are at opposite ends of the spectrum, so it's interesting."

The term "marketer" is an unfamiliar occupation that has become increasingly common recently. It is not simply a job that involves marketing, but rather creating the very system for selling products and services. Among such marketers, K. Kaoru, whom we will introduce today, is one who stands out. He is probably the only young marketer who not only has major clients but also runs his own professional sports team. On K.'s wrist, all he wears are glittering watches. However, it was only recently that he was able to afford a luxury watch. How did this high school student who dreamed of owning a Breitling enrich his life with watches?

"Selling a watch means selling your career. I've worked hard to get to where I am today. I don't want to throw that away."

　Mr. K, who appeared in stylish attire, is an up-and-coming marketer who appears in various media outlets. Indeed, listening to his fluent manner of speaking, it is easy to see why his clients are all top-notch. Given that his job requires him to be in front of people, it is only natural that he would wear nice clothes and a nice watch. However, it seems that Mr. K has always been a watch lover, not just someone who has become interested in watches since his income increased. I have met many watch enthusiasts over the past decade or so, but there are very few who can confidently say, "I have no desire for material things other than watches."

"When I was in my second year of high school, I went to a local watch shop to change the battery in my G-SHOCK. To my surprise, the shop was staffed by Breitling Masters, and they taught me all about Breitling. That was how I got to know about watches."

　After graduating from university, he joined a major internet advertising agency and immediately purchased an Omega Speedmaster for 26 yen.

"I paid a down payment of 20,000 yen and then planned to pay it back with a loan. I thought I'd be able to maintain it because I'd get incentives if I did sales." K says that there were many people at his company who were known as "watch lovers." "My senior wore a Panerai, and my training supervisor wore a Navitimer. They all looked cool." Having admired Breitling in high school, K finally got his hands on a Breitling Navitimer World in his second year at the company, while living in Fukuoka due to a job transfer. However, K's watch life up to this point was by no means extraordinary, and the same was true of his work. "When I was at the advertising agency, I didn't achieve any results and I had no confidence at all," K reflects on his past.

　However, at the age of 21, he had vaguely set the goal of becoming a company president, and at the age of 27, he decided to take the plunge and go independent. It just so happened that he chose the field of marketing, which he had become familiar with during his time at an internet advertising agency. "It's true that I did go independent and start a company, but at the time, I just thought it would be enough if I could earn enough to live on. I was happy to be independent and earn 40 to 50 yen. It was just by chance that I chose marketing as my profession."

　The first thing he bought after starting his company was, as expected, a wristwatch. He chose Seiko's radio-controlled solar watch, the Astron.

"I was influenced by Yoshimasa Hoshiba (editor-in-chief of FORZA STYLE) and I thought the Seiko Astron, which was a sponsor of his radio show, was a good choice."

　However, he found marketing work interesting and helped the company's performance to grow exponentially. He was drawn to Hublot, which was rapidly rising to prominence under Jean-Claude Biver. Mr. K, who says he wants to be involved with people's will, has a very stoic way of choosing watches.

"As a marketer, I'm not interested in the brand, but in the intentions and corporate philosophy. That's why I started to like Hublot after the Big Bang. I bought the Big Bang, the ceramic, and the gold-cased rubber model. I wasn't sure about paying 300 million yen for a watch, but when someone told me it looked good on me, I decided to take the plunge and buy it."

　Mr. K, who declares that he buys another watch each year when his financial statements come out, is clearly a blessed collector. However, it seems that he can't afford to buy more just because he has a high income. "Money doesn't just come to you if you sit back and do nothing. You have to make a reason somewhere." However, what motivates him is not money, but personal growth. He seems to be talking about money, but in fact he is talking about something else.

"I don't remember ever buying any brand-name items, not just clothes. I usually have the same things, and for the past five years I've only bought clothes from the staff of the same select shops. But ever since I wanted one in my second year of junior high school, I've only ever driven a Range Rover." The reason he chose the British-made four-wheel drive car was because many NBA players drove one. "There are a lot of good cars in the world, but I'll drive a Range Rover for the rest of my life."

　When listening to him talk, the topic of basketball often comes up.

"I used to want to be a professional basketball player, but I'm the kind of person who gave up on becoming a basketball player, which is what I love the most."

　Mr. K. admires NBA star Kobe Bryant. "Kobe has turned what he loves into a job and is able to earn money from it. What's more, he looks even cooler after his injury. As you get older, your physical strength may decline, but he makes up for it with skill. He's maximizing his current value."

　Even when he speaks with love, it's typical of Mr. K to bring in a marketer's perspective.

　Mr. K gave up the world of basketball and started working as a marketer, and he used his strengths to actually start a professional basketball team.

"Three-person basketball isn't well known yet, so I wanted to support it."

　However, perhaps Mr. K loves whiskey even more than basketball. At his favorite bar, Le Theatre, he showed us his astonishing collection of labels from fine liquors.

"When I was a student, I would spend all my earnings on alcohol. I started collecting whiskey labels at the age of 29. One time, when business was going a little bad, I asked the bar owner if I could keep Suntory's Kaku bottle. The bar owner, knowing my spirit, replied, 'I can't serve you a regular Kakubin,' and gave me an expensive 50-year-old Kaku bottle at a low price. That's when I realized that both whiskey and watches only improve with the passage of time."

　Mr. K has been doing well and has expanded his watch collection in recent years. His current focus is Audemars Piguet.

"Hublot and Audemars Piguet are interesting because they're at opposite ends of the spectrum. Hublot didn't sell well in the past, but it made a comeback with the success of the Big Bang. Personally, I want to support them because they're new. Audemars Piguet, on the other hand, is a historic brand and the quality of their watches is excellent." However, Mr. K seems to have some regrets. "I wanted to be able to buy a Breitling when I grew up. And then, when my income increased, I wanted to be able to buy a Hublot. But now, I can get just about anything. When I had money, I felt like I should just buy something, and I think I was buying things out of habit. So now I want to find a reason to buy." In such cases, some collectors might give up their old watches and buy new ones. But he emphasizes that he will never sell his watches.

"In my opinion, selling a watch is proof that you are not living within your means. And selling a watch means selling your career. I am where I am today because I worked hard. I don't want to throw that away. Selling them would be rude to myself. I can make money if I work hard, so I won't sell them." In fact, he still keeps all of his watches except for two that he gave up for certain reasons.

"I don't play games, I don't have any other hobbies to spend a lot of money on, and if I run out of money, I'll just drink regular Suntory Kaku," says Mr. K. But what would you do if you really did run out of money?

"I would wear a watch even if I didn't have money. Ultimately, I don't think it's a problem if I can't buy a watch in the future. I'm happy enough with the watch I have now." However, he also said, "When you're working and your sales go down, it's the same as your self-worth going down. Even if I could buy a watch, I want to do it only after being aware of how much my self-worth has increased. I'm not satisfied, and I want to become more and more like that."

　Now, he continues to "preach" about watches to his juniors. "The Apple Watch is certainly convenient, but I don't think there's anyone who dislikes watches, even young people. Recently, a young staff member at a yakitori restaurant I often visit was attracted to a second-hand Breitling that was on sale. I told him he should buy it. I also recommended the Maurice Lacroix Aicon to my juniors. Come to think of it, I've been getting young people to buy quite a variety of watches."

　Mr. K, who admired Breitling during his high school days, has not only achieved his dream, but now owns a variety of watches and recommends them to young people who admire him.

　He says, "A watch is nothing more than a device that tells time. But it has value beyond that. I enjoy looking at my watch periodically and reassessing my life. So I want everyone to be confident in the watch they own."