The Coolest Watches I’ve Seen During My Time At Watchonista

This article is unlike many others, and hopefully, as you read these lines, you'll hear my voice, with my strange hard to define accent. After all, I have spent over 12 years in the watch industry, going from a renowned watch manufacture in Switzerland to a popular watch media (Watchonista). I can say I have seen a lot of unique watches but still have so much to learn and discover.

I don't usually like to brag or flaunt my experiences, but honestly, these were probably the best 12 years of my life. Not only have I learned my trade and how the watch world works, but I've had experiences that my ten-year-old self could only have dreamed about. After all, I have been lucky enough to rub shoulders with Brad Pitt at a Breitling Summit and got hugged by Thor (Chris Hemsworth, that is). Trust me; if you had told ten-year-old Vivi about these experiences, she would have laughed in your face.
 

The more I think about it, the harder it is to pinpoint my favorite experience with a brand or our retail partners. True, I fearlessly took the opportunity to fly in a helicopter above New York City with the door off while wearing high heels for the sake of a photoshoot. Yet, it still doesn't feel like the cherry on top of the cake.
 

If you know me, you know my passion for watches started early, and from all the experiences I've lived through, seeing and experiencing amazing timepieces has been my favorite. It's the hundreds of hours of work, the research, and the craftsmanship that goes into making them that makes my pulse quicken. Seeing the finished product, often before the entire world, makes me feel some kind of special. And there were many times I had to resist spending my hard-earned money on these beautiful wonders.

For this job, sometimes you have to be fearless. And that's what we were with Rudy Albers, President of WEMPE US, on a warm fall afternoon when we climbed aboard a FlyNYON helicopter to tour the skies over Manhattan. Why would we do this, you may ask? We wanted to celebrate WEMPE Fifth Avenue's 40th anniversary with a BANG! And what was on my wrist for this adventure? I was lucky enough to wear a piece I had written about earlier in the year, the newest Ulysse Nardin BLAST. 
 

The Ulysse Nardin BLAST is ready to endure the most challenging situations, and what better way to test drive such a timepiece than in a doors-off helicopter? While flying over the iconic Manhattan skyline, the intrepid WEMPE team and I put all our fears aside and dangled our feet out to get the best content we could. My favorite photo? The one of the Ulysse Nardin BLAST over the Brooklyn Bridge. And yes, the Ulysse Nardin BLAST was perfectly at ease in the skies with only a harness holding its wearer. 
 

It's no secret that I always keep Omega close to my heart. While the Omega Speedmaster is exceptional and full of history, we keep forgetting that Omega has created other incredible and ingenious pieces. Like, for instance, the Omega Planet Ocean Ultra Deep Professional, a watch that went to the deepest part of Earth’s oceans.
 

It also reminds us that Omega reaches for both the moon and the unknown depths of the ocean. Being my third ever article for Watchonista, I'm still in awe of this timepiece.

Let's face it, as a watch journalist and avid collector, I have seen countless timepieces, and I could list many brands that captivated my heart, such as MB&F, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Audemars Piguet, Patek Philippe, just to name a scant few. But while the majority of my work at Watchonista was watch-related, thanks to Watchonista Creative Studios, I was lucky enough to play with unique jewelry pieces from our retail partners like Reis-Nichols, A l’Emeraude, and MAYORS.
 

Though I bid farewell to Watchonista, I am excited about my future endeavors (hint, it's at a watch brand). More than that, I'm happy that I will be using my knowledge and experience to contribute to the brand's growth, something I have always wanted to do. And while no one can predict the future, I am sure you will still hear from me. I will miss the fantastic team at Watchonista – which has been like a second family for me – and I will miss writing articles and interacting with our wonderful readers.
 

But at the end of the day, I am a Portuguese-born, Swiss-raised woman living, working, and making her home in the United States, hoping to make her parents – who expected her to be a housewife – incredibly proud.

(Photography by Watchonista)