Dr. Nelson Herring in many ways is a 21st century Renaissance Man. He is a man of many talents and interests. He is what Americans call a Southern Gentleman. Nelson is always self-effacing and, as he says, “I'm uncomfortable being in the limelight. The last thing I would want would be to have anyone think I'm showy”.
But also Nelson is an IWC watch collector par excellence. And if he feels awkward talking about himself, it's all the more reason that we need to talk about him.
By profession, Nelson is a dentist. His interests surpass though his scientific prowess and extend to the aesthetic. He enjoys gardening and oil painting, as well as photography. But mostly he loves watches, and especially IWC.
His Father bought a Mark XII IWC watch in the mid-1990s. Until then, Nelson had some IWC catalogs but never had seen nor handled an actual IWC watch. But this was the start of a lifelong relationship collecting IWC watches.
What really excited Nelson was not just the Mark XII, but also the impending entrée into an entirely new world. Through the Collectors' Forum on IWC's website, Nelson learned about many IWC watches, IWC's history and he made countless friends. As he relays, the camaraderie of collectors is “what it's all about” and “the friendships are amazing”.
Nelson's IWC collecting then “just happened”. But what he purchased involved serious goals and well-honed aesthetic values. He loves the search for the highest quality and only the best examples. His favorite IWCs are his iconic Mark 11 and his Jubilee Portuguese watches. As he says, these watches have “perfect design and proportions”. He also admires the script signature International Watch Co. on the Jubilee's dial.
Nelson's interests extend to contemporary IWC watches as well. He is particularly eager to receive in early Fall 2014 his limited edition, personally numbered IWC Collector's Forum Pilot's Chronograph. It represents the IWC classic tradition in a modern watch, but also it stands for Nelson's long standing and close friendships with so many collectors.
In fact, Nelson's rose gold IWC minute repeater, now being shown in the IWC Museum, represents especially Nelson's friendships with collectors. Early on, Nelson owned a yellow gold IWC minute repeater, on the advice of another collector from Belgium who Nelson met through the IWC internet forum and who raved about this model. It was good advice, and the watch has been highly valued.
However, another close friend and IWC collector owned the rose gold Ref. 5240 Portuguese Minute Repeater number 48. This friend purchased it for his 48th birthday, and wanted to sell it. Nelson had to buy it because, as he says, “the watch was beautiful but collecting makes friends. This watch is a link to a friendship.”
The IWC Museum in Schaffhausen asked Nelson to share for a year his Portuguese Minute Repeater. By itself, this is indeed a special watch. First produced in 1995 in 250 examples in rose gold (plus 250 in yellow gold and 50 in platinum), its movement is based on IWC's pocket watch calibre 952. To that movement, IWC added a 34 piece system of cams, wheels, springs hammers, and snails for the repeater functions. The jewel count more than triples, to 54, and the movement's height increases from 3.2mm to 7.55mm. The end result, calibre 95290, far exceeds its watchmaking sophistication: hours, quarter hours and minutes are told via melodious sound.
Nelson believes that he was asked to share his watch publicly because the watch is far more than an iconic piece and more than a beautiful watch that also is an example of haute horologie at its finest. More than its harmonious time-telling, this watch –no. 48 of IWC Reference 5240 in rose gold-- tells a story.
Dr. Herring's IWC minute repeater represents collecting and, above all else, friendships. Its story is one of how Nelson wanted to have a watch from one of his closest friends, a friend who he met through a mutual love of watch collecting. It is a world filled with fine watches and equally great friendships.
Another good friend vouches for Nelson by saying, “he really extends himself, reaching out to keep in touch and letting others share his interest and enthusiasm”.
