In watch-making as in art it is of paramount importance to master the rules in order to be able subsequently to surpass them. This maxim is especially meaningful to me. I have always tried to go beyond the usual rules and practices of the world of watch-making. I personally have never been able to imagine creating watches without seeking a deeper meaning in the products of my craft. I have always preserved a desire to innovate and, I have to admit, to surpass the successes of my predecessors.

My first encounter with watches occurred in Naples when I was only 14 years old. At that stage I began with repairs—work my circumstances imposed on me, but at the same time an opportunity that was going to lead to a lifetime career. From the very start I was fascinated by these devices, with the unrelenting, rhythmical ticking of their movements, that give us a measure of time as well as of our presence on this earth. That is when I understood, deep down inside, that from then on watches always would be a big part of my life.

For me the movement is the heart of the device, but I could never leave it there. In my eyes watches have a dimension that goes well beyond the movement itself and ventures into philosophical and existential spheres. My view of the world of watch-making won me a nickname among my colleagues, one which amuses me but which I’ve also accepted with great affection, that of “the philosophical engineer”. In every one of my creations I am seeking to produce much more than a new movement. My ambition is to transcend the physical material at hand in order to produce models which, while trying to impress in terms of ingenuity, also seek to communicate a message and express certain values, rather than limiting themselves to mere mechanical complexity. One of my early creations, the Golden Bridge, made a great mark on the world of watch-making. It became an icon and remains one of the best-known movements in the world.