När vi möter upp Kalle på gården Kärret utanför Sorunda, som han och hans fru Brita Zackari köpte för några år sedan, välkomnar han oss med två verktyg i handen. ”Jag går bara och bär på dem här utan anledning”, säger han skämtsamt och slänger in dem i verkstaden. Vi får veta att han är fasligt intresserad av kläderna vi ska fota honom i, och att hans stora intresse för kläder, framförallt med rötter i USA och Japan, väcktes till liv för cirka tio år sedan. ”Det kändes som att jag hittade en stil som jag inte riktigt hade...” hinner han säga, innan en kakafoni av ankor, får och hundskall avbryter honom. Genom gården har Kalle och hans familj, i teorin, nästan blivit helt självförsörjande. Hade det inte varit för de resterande familjemedlemmarnas ovilja till att äta kött och potatis varje dag så hade de kunnat klara sig, säger Kalle och öppnar dörren in till boningshuset, där en varm kakelugn, kaffe och familjens jakthund Kerstin väntar på oss. Vi slår oss ned intill ett uppstoppat vildsvinshuvud i soffan där samtalet fortsätter.  

Vad gjorde du innan du syntes på tv?

– Jag jobbade med reklam, eller närmare bestämt som copywriter, på en reklambyrå som hette Great Works. Jag jobbade bland annat med David Sundin och Kristoffer Triumf, som ju båda två jobbar med något helt annat idag. Innan dess arbetade jag med att regissera radioreklam tillsammans med min syster på produktionsbolaget Delorean. Jag har gjort en massa annat, men det var först när jag började skriva bloggen Stark som en björn, snabb som en örn som min tv-karriär tog fart. Det var någon som tyckte att bloggen hade varit kul att göra tv av, vilket SVT också tyckte. Det resulterade i Svett och Etikett som sändes första gången 2014, och sedan dess håller jag bara på med det här. Vad det nu än är.

Än så länge har det blivit sju tv-program genom åren. Är det fortfarande lika kul att göra tv?

– Ja! Det visade sig att det var det jag skulle göra. Ingenting alls jag planerat. Jag har tur för sedan Svett och Etikett har jag fått göra en massa saker jag drömt om. Vi är snart klara med inspelningen av säsong tre av Hjälp, vi har köpt en bondgård!, och sedan vet jag inte riktigt. Eller, vi förhandlar fram någonting nytt nu. Det känns oproffsigt att prata om något som inte är spikat än, men jag fick nys om ett projekt i Moçambique där de försöker rädda noshörningar från tjuvskyttar. Jag är sugen på att göra någonting kring det.

Hur var det att flytta från stan till landet, och till en bondgård?

– Jag är ju uppväxt ganska nära vår gård, bara en mil ifrån lite drygt. När jag var liten ville jag ju bara åka in till stan hela tiden, för där fanns i alla fall asfalt. Mina föräldrar är ju akademiker och kommer från Stockholm, men de är gamla gröna vågare så därför bodde vi här. När jag gick gymnasiet åkte jag in till stan hela tiden, fick jobb, flyttade dit, festade och allt sådant man är intresserad av då. När jag var 25 år fick jag barn och då kom jag på att jag inte riktigt ville bo i Stockholm längre. Då var jag ju dock fast, med jobb och allt. Jag tror inte att människan är gjord för att få allting serverat, utan jag tror att man mår bra av att få slita lite för saker. Som till exempel maten. Har man odlat den själv känns det ju mycket roligare att äta den. Man kommer liksom närmare livet när man bor som vi gör.

"Man kommer liksom
närmare livet
när man bor som vi gör"

Var Brita lika taggad på att flytta ut hit som du?

– Brita är ju också från landet från början, men hon har en lite starkare dragningskraft till stan än vad jag har. Hon är lite mer extrovert och får energi av möten och sociala kontakter. Jag blir lite mer dränerad av det, så jag kommer nog lägga mig och sova efter att ni varit här. Med det sagt så vill hon ju också bo här såklart, men kanske inte riktigt lika starkt som jag. Jag tänkte på det häromdagen, om man inte bara skulle skita i allt och flytta in till stan igen, men jag hade blivit så jävla uttråkad. Vad gör man då, liksom?

Det kanske kan bli ett nytt tv-program om det i så fall?

– Haha, ja precis. ”Isolerad” eller ”Fånge i mitt eget hem” hade det kunnat heta. Det är väl då man börjar lyssna på vinyl och köpa svindyra högtalare, eller bli djupt alkoliserad och skriva hat på internet, typ.

Från ett ämne till ett annat. Hur skulle du beskriva din relation till kläder?

– När jag var liten tyckte jag det var kul att hålla på med kläder. När jag var utbytesstudent i USA till exempel så hade jag kjol över byxa första dagen i high school, som ett litet statement. Konstigt nog landade det helt okej hos de övriga eleverna. När jag fick barn så började jag intressera mig för andra saker och då lades kläder lite på hyllan om man säger så. Jag tror att det var runt 2010 som jag out of the blue blev klädintresserad igen. Det kändes som jag hittade ett mode då som var för sådana som mig, vilket jag inte riktigt hade gjort innan. Ett mode för skäggiga, muskulösa män som gillar att tänka att de är hjältar, typ. Ett slags amerikanskt pappamode liksom. Jag gillar tanken av kläder som ser ut som de alltid gjort. Någon har ju en gång för länge sedan kommit på den perfekta jackan, och jag gillar idén av att den fortfarande ser ut som den alltid gjort. Jag konsumerar ju även mycket amerikansk kultur, typ musik och böcker om amerikanska män som kämpar. Kläder som intresserar mig är en slags förlängning av det. Sedan är jag ju en man som kämpar, i alla fall nu här på gården, så jag tycker hela min stil passar mig ganska bra.

"Jag gillar tanken av
kläder som ser ut
som de alltid gjort"

Jag läste någonstans att din pappa eldade upp en av dina tröjor när du var liten, bara för att det stod USA på den. Har din barndom påverkat ditt sätt att klä dig?

– Jag har ju blivit väldigt amerikatillvänd i mitt klädintresse, så det kanske är därför haha. Nej, jag tror det är alldeles för far fetched. Jag tror att mitt klädintresse handlar mer om att jag läser Cormac McCarthy och lyssnar på Bruce Springsteen faktiskt.

Har du något plagg som ligger dig extra varmt om hjärtat?

– Det tydligaste exemplet måste vara mina Carhartt-brallor. B01 heter de. Jag får ju frågor på Instagram om dessa säkert fyra-fem gånger i veckan. Ett par har jag nyss slängt som jag köpte för 20 år sedan, men annars har jag flera stycken som är i olika stadier av förfall. Det finaste är ju när kläderna är lite slitna, men det tar ju jävligt lång tid att slita in plaggen. Man ska ju heller inte tänka att ”nu ska jag slita in dem här”. Jag tycker istället man ska äga och bära plaggen under lång tid. Jag köpte en motorcykeljacka från Eastman Leather, och min idé om den jackan är ju att den ska hålla så länge så att mina barn får ärva den, att slitningarna och patineringen är från mig. Lite samma sak tänkte jag när vi köpte den här gården, att den ska fungera som en samlingsplats för familjens kommande generationer. Så är det ju med släktgårdar, och även med jeans också till exempel. Det är ju alltid någon som köper jeansen från början och bär dem till perfektion.

Köper du hellre nytt än vintage för att slita in plaggen själv?

– Givetvis! Det händer ju såklart att jag även köper vintage, men det känns så fuskigt på något sätt. Jag tycker till exempel det är galet att köpa ett par färdigslitna jeans. De kommer ju hålla längre om de är nya och hela från början.

Har din stil förändrats när ni flyttade från Stockholm?

– Ja, den har blivit lite mindre utstuderad kanske. Lite mer funktion som gummistövlar istället för japanska boots. Lite mer pannlampa istället för andra världskriget-keps.

Du och Brita är ju aktuella med ert egna livsstilsvarumärke. Berätta mer!

– Ja, exakt! Kärret, precis som gården, heter varumärket. Allt började egentligen med att vi får så mycket frågor på vad vi konsumerar hela tiden. Då kändes det kul att få göra någonting eget att visa upp. Både jag och Brita har ju en ganska uttänkt stil och klär oss i sådant som funkar här och passar vår livsstil. Vi kommer bland annat att släppa träskor och även en glesbygdskavaj. Tänk typ älgjakt i Norrland på 1970-talet. Kavajen har sjukt stora fickor och är väldigt praktisk. Man kan typ stoppa ned hundvalpar, potatis, ägg och till och med barn. Allt rymmer i fickorna.

Förutom tv-program och nya varumärket, vad händer annars?

– Vi har precis lanserat en prepping-låda. Jag gör ju en podcast som heter I väntan på katastrofen som handlar om beredskap. Människor är ju idag ganska frånkopplade från var mat och värme kommer ifrån till exempel. Det gör ju allting väldigt sårbart i en krissituation. Det blev ganska tydligt i början av pandemin när alla hetsköpte toapapper, att man handlar för dagen och inte har mat eller andra förnödenheter hemma. Med den här lådan och poden vill vi försöka beväpna folk med en slags kan själv-kunskap, att man faktiskt kan fixa mycket grejer själv. Jag kopplade till exempel ur ett element här hemma för att rörmokaren inte kunde förrän nästa vecka. Så svårt är det inte, och det självförtroendet man får när man lyckats med någonting är ju fantastiskt. Det vill jag försöka förmedla till människor, att man kan själv. Sedan bör ju alla också ha mat för en vecka hemma, men det är ytterst få som har det. Det spelar liksom ingen roll hur mycket pasta jag har hemma, för händer det något så skiter det sig ändå om inte alla andra också kan käka. Så därför tog vi fram den här lådan med mat för en vecka.

Och slutligen. Om du fick rekommendera vad som helst till våra läsare, vad skulle det vara?

– Då skulle jag rekommendera att träna hårt, odla något och meditera.

Mediterar du mycket eller?

– Nej, men jag önskar att jag gjorde det!

For those who don’t know our good friend Virgil, you’re in for a treat! We met him in his showroom in the city centre of Copenhagen on a sunny early-spring morning, met by a comforting smell of insense when climbing the few steps down into the loafer-filled space. Despite his young age of 29, Virgil has a decade of work in the fashion and lifestyle industry on his resumé, working as a fashion consultant for brands such as NN07, GANT and Tommy Hilfiger. Last year he immersed himself in one of his own creative ideas and started the shoe brand Vinny’s, also known as Vinny’s The Vibe.


“I’ve always had a lot of ideas and I like to challenge them, so when I see a concept or a product my mind automatically starts questioning how I can take it to the next level. I reached a point in my life when I wanted to start working on my own ideas and concepts, and that’s when Vinny’s came to be.”

Virgil’s life is highly dynamic and intensely social. He’s constantly on the move between showrooms and meetings, and whilst also being a father to a two-year-old, he tells us that his view on good design directly correlates to how well the object fits into his busy life. Virgil often turns to Japanese design when looking for products that encompass these qualities, and OrSlow has been a long-time favourite, go-to brand in his wardrobe. He likes the way his pieces from the brand age and how they thrive, the more they are used.


“Design to me is all about durability and longevity. I like things that last and that can endure being used, so when I purchase things, I always ask myself “Will this fit and endure my lifestyle?”. Obviously, there’s also an aesthetic side to it, and if I can find things that are equally beautiful and practical, then I’m a happy guy.”

Virgil continues telling us about his style, and that it’s been inspired by many different eras and people in his life, mostly by his parents’ background and hiphop culture. His parents brought him and his brothers to Paris every summer, where they bought clothes for the boys. The clothes were inspired by their own upbringings in Congo, where their school days were spent in uniforms. So classic pieces, like oxford shirts, chinos and penny loafers have since day one influenced Virgils view on how one can dress and how versatile the wardrobe can be.


“That’s why the penny loafer was the starting point for Vinny’s. It’s such a versatile element that works with every wardrobe, it’s not just a shoe – it’s part of a lifestyle. The second you put on a penny loafer it elevates your whole demeanor.”

More often than not, you can find Virgil with his warm smile and infectious laugh at The Union Kitchen, a beloved local hotspot known for its weekend brunch. He calls it a second home, where he can spend hours upon hours sitting, enjoying a glass of wine while friends and family drop by.

“I’m driven by people and interaction. It’s those sudden conversations that just happen, in everyday life, that thrill me. I have amazing people around me that have achieved great things by working hard, so I often look to them to find inspiration in my own work.”

For those who don’t know our good friend Virgil, you’re in for a treat! We met him in his showroom in the city centre of Copenhagen on a sunny early-spring morning, met by a comforting smell of insense when climbing the few steps down into the loafer-filled space. Despite his young age of 29, Virgil has a decade of work in the fashion and lifestyle industry on his resumé, working as a fashion consultant for brands such as NN07, GANT and Tommy Hilfiger. Last year he immersed himself in one of his own creative ideas and started the shoe brand Vinny’s, also known as Vinny’s The Vibe.


“I’ve always had a lot of ideas and I like to challenge them, so when I see a concept or a product my mind automatically starts questioning how I can take it to the next level. I reached a point in my life when I wanted to start working on my own ideas and concepts, and that’s when Vinny’s came to be.”

Virgil’s life is highly dynamic and intensely social. He’s constantly on the move between showrooms and meetings, and whilst also being a father to a two-year-old, he tells us that his view on good design directly correlates to how well the object fits into his busy life. Virgil often turns to Japanese design when looking for products that encompass these qualities, and OrSlow has been a long-time favourite, go-to brand in his wardrobe. He likes the way his pieces from the brand age and how they thrive, the more they are used.


“Design to me is all about durability and longevity. I like things that last and that can endure being used, so when I purchase things, I always ask myself “Will this fit and endure my lifestyle?”. Obviously, there’s also an aesthetic side to it, and if I can find things that are equally beautiful and practical, then I’m a happy guy.”

Virgil continues telling us about his style, and that it’s been inspired by many different eras and people in his life, mostly by his parents’ background and hiphop culture. His parents brought him and his brothers to Paris every summer, where they bought clothes for the boys. The clothes were inspired by their own upbringings in Congo, where their school days were spent in uniforms. So classic pieces, like oxford shirts, chinos and penny loafers have since day one influenced Virgils view on how one can dress and how versatile the wardrobe can be.


“That’s why the penny loafer was the starting point for Vinny’s. It’s such a versatile element that works with every wardrobe, it’s not just a shoe – it’s part of a lifestyle. The second you put on a penny loafer it elevates your whole demeanor.”

More often than not, you can find Virgil with his warm smile and infectious laugh at The Union Kitchen, a beloved local hotspot known for its weekend brunch. He calls it a second home, where he can spend hours upon hours sitting, enjoying a glass of wine while friends and family drop by.

“I’m driven by people and interaction. It’s those sudden conversations that just happen, in everyday life, that thrill me. I have amazing people around me that have achieved great things by working hard, so I often look to them to find inspiration in my own work.”

When we arrive at the meatpacking district of Västerås, Sweden, the expectations are high. Anders Holmberg and his crew at Anders Holmberg Arkitekter recently moved their office to an old slaughterhouse. A creative space where the ceilings are high and the daylight is bright. And one more thing: the new office can also, literally, fit a car. This was one of the reasons why they moved in the first place, since Anders dreamed of an office where he could park his Porsche 911 SC from 1983 inside.

The office

”This oppurtunity to move here was too damn good to refuse. I mean, the ceilings are high, the light is fantastic and the space is big enough to fit my team, my car and at the same time there is plenty of room over for nice furniture, and clear open spaces.”


The first thing your eyes register when you enter the office is the car parked next to a lounge area. Anders tells us that this is highly appreciated by the team and also the clients. In some way, Anders explains, vintage cars and architecture are interrelated.

”Timeless design objects tend to work great with each other, wheter it's a car, a house, a watch or a chair. This car is representing what we are standing for, which is timelessness and long-term design. The fact that I wanted to become a car designer when I was a child has also something to do with it of course”, Anders says.

When we ask Anders what he thinks is timeless architecture, the answer is simple: build bigger than you think. Every house hasn’t got to be big, but if you are building for the future, Anders tells us, you should build quite a few square meters more than you first planned.


”You never know how your life will evolve, but somehow, you will always need more space. That is important to think of at the beginning, because you can’t invent the design of your house twice.”

The home

”When we saw the house, we immediately fell in love with it. It is a souterrain house, so when you stand in front of it, it just looks like a single storey house. But when you come inside, it is spectacular. And that is also great architecture according to me, when you don’t reveal everything at first sight. When it gives you the chance to discover, and it takes time, to appreciate.”


The house is built around a large living room, which is on the second floor (in this case the floor underneath us). The high ceiling has large windows for natural day light, and the house also has its own indoor swimming pool à la 1960s Mad Men style.

”When we first moved in, we wanted to renovate some parts of the house, but we really wanted to do the house justice. The kitchen for example, which I designed, has Oregon Pine in it that works perfectly well with all the original interior.”


There are books and design furniture in the house which gives us clues about his sources of inspiration. Famous names like Le Corbusier, Mies van der Rohe and Pierre Koenig to name a few. Anders continues to talk about how you, as a house owner, can minimize the risk of not feeling pleased with your home, and how to save money.

”Some people say that it takes three houses in your life to find the perfect home, but that is bullshit according to me. If you had hired an architect in the first place, you would have your dream home at the beginning for less than you paid while searching. People always ask me if it’s expensive to hire an architect, and my answer is: no, but it is however expensive to make mistakes.”

For those who don’t know, Fredrik started his career, as many others do these days, on Instagram. Social media has been a useful tool for him to start working with his passion: to helping people and businesses with interior design. His interest in design started when he was about 20 years of age. Back then, it was all about Danish design pieces, Fredrik explains.

“When I started collecting furniture, about ten years ago, I was all into Danish design, and especially pieces from Paul Kjærholm. I still have a lot of love for the PK-31 armchairs, that were my first real vintage pieces, but I ended up trading some of my Kjærholm furnitures for the “Utö” table by Axel Einar Hjort. I wanted my home to feel warmer, and this wooden table from 1932 is certainly adding some warmth and is itself a strong character."

Fredrik’s Instagram-account has increased in popularity the last couple of years. He has, at the time of writing this, 70.000 plus design-interested followers, mostly located in New York and Paris, that appropriately enough are two of his favorite cities to gather inspiration from, Fredrik continues.

“About three years ago, when I obtained the “Utö” table, I really started to get interested in historically important wooden furniture. I quickly found out about the well-known architect Le Corbusier and later on his cousin, Pierre Jeanneret. They were both born in Switzerland, but they have made so much for the French design history so many people consider them as French designers these days.”

His Instagram-account has also helped him get in touch with clients. Last year, he helped Mr. Virgil Abloh and Off-White with the decoration of their flagship store in Milan, and recently he worked with brands like Fritz Hansen and Hästens.

“It is really a dream come true working with such well-known brands. I couldn’t imagine this when I first started and it is a true pleasure to be able to work with your passion”, Fredrik says.

When we ask Fredrik about his favorite piece in his collection, he tells us that he loves all his pieces almost equally, but one thing that has a special place in his heart is the original, Indian made Pierre Jeanneret desk from 1957.

“When I was on the hunt for a new apartment after selling my old one back in 2017, I really wanted the new one to fit this Pierre Jeanneret desk that I recently discovered. To be honest, I bought an apartment that could fit something that I didn’t really own at that time. However, as soon as I moved in, I was lucky enough to find this sought-after desk that was in great condition, and that was suited perfectly for my new apartment.”

As many of his followers know, Fredrik isn’t just passionate about vintage furniture and art. He is also a big fan of watches, and he has a few unique pieces in his collection. He’s favorite watch is his Rolex Daytona 6263 from 1975, also commonly known as “Big Red”. He also shows us his Tudor “Snowflake” from 1968 with “Ghost bezel”, and a Rolex Submariner 1680 with a rare “Tiffany Dial”. This may mean nothing to a watch novice, but for those who know how rare these watches are, it is probably a massive jaw-dropper. Fredrik continues explaining his love for rarity, patina and history.

“I have always liked rare things that doesn't say very much when you first take a look at it. Things you need to look a little bit closer at to really understand. I’m probably more into watches than I am into anything else, even though I love furniture and art as well. For me it's all about the aesthetics and history behind each piece, no matter if it’s a watch, a painting, furniture, or something else. Even the Levis denim jacket I am wearing has a history behind it.”

Fredrik continues explaining the next step in his collecting. The hunt for something, Fredrik says, is the most exciting part, and now he is searching for new things to add to his collection.

“I am lucky enough to own some original pieces by Pierre Jeanneret, Charlotte Perriand and Jean Prouvé in my collection and they are all beautiful and mean a lot to me. Two things I'd love to add into my collection would be a original 1950s “Standard Chair” by Jean Prouvé and, how crazy it might sound, the “Cube” by Le Corbusier, which basically is a wooden box with handles on each sides that was made for students to sit on back in the days. It is something about the simplicity and history behind that box that really gets me. I will probably have to look my entire life for that box, but collecting never stops. It is a lifetime quest.”

When we meet Mr. Kidston in his office in Geneva, he is only in Switzerland for a short period. He spends most of his days at international business meetings and car shows around the world. In between flights, Kidston spends his short remaining time at the office. We had the opportunity to meet him at such an occasion, to talk about his passion for vintage cars and the hunt for his father’s long lost 1955 Mercedes 300 SL “Gullwing”.

The Kidston office is located on the fifth floor of a fantastic art nouveau building at Avenue Pictet-de-Rochemont 7. The building, built in 1902, stands out from the neighbouring buildings, and we imagine so does the office. It is exactly how one of a vintage car dealing company is expected to be, with great looking interiors, nice employees and brilliant Italian coffee. After a meeting with a client, Mr. Kidston welcomes us to his private corner office, and it is stunning. It really looks like the office of James Bond himself.


Simon tells us that he grew up with cars, and there were always new cars parked in the garage at the family residence on the English countryside. His father, Lieutenant-Commander Home Kidston, was a car enthusiast himself and he was constantly looking for the newest and fastest car model. Simon explains.

”When I grew up, there were always new cars in the garage. My father was always interested in the newest and fastest car on the market, and for years I thought this was just boring stuff. As I got older, I became more interested in my father’s passion and the cars he owned. My father was 57 when I was born, so I think this passion was a great start for me to get to know my father a little bit better."



The office is filled with photos, small car models and prizes from historical car races. On one of the tables there's a diorama, which Simon explains is an exact copy of one of the pictures hanging on the wall. The image that the diorama is based on is a picture of Simon's uncle driving in a racecar competition in 1925. Simon goes on to talk about one of his favourite cars.

”I wouldn’t call myself a collector, I just got a few cars that I love and they mean a lot to me. A car that took me a long time to track down was my father’s 1955 Mercedes “Gullwing”. It took me twenty years to find it, and another ten years to persuade the owner to sell it to me.”


The “Gullwing” was an iconic car of the 1950's. It was the fastest car in the world when it first came out in 1954. 1400 were produced, Simon tells us, and a large number of them in silver, and so was Simons father’s.

“Trying to find a silver “Gullwing” was just like finding a needle in a haystack.”, Simon says.

He goes on to talk about the search for the car. In the 1980's, rumours said the car was sold to a collector in Canada, but he didn’t know this for sure.

“It could have ended up in various different places. With the internet, it’s easier to find something these days. Earlier I had to make phonecalls and fax every contact I had. I flew all over the world trying to find this car."


His father sold the car in the beginning of the 1960’s to purchase a newer and much faster Maserati. Simon remembers his father often talking about the “Gullwing” with fondness and nostalgia.

“I knew that car meant a lot to him, so I really wanted to find it. About ten years ago, I heard that the car might be in Switzerland. I don’t know why, but I really started to believe that was the case.”

Simon continues and tells us that his assistant at the time, had a business contact who worked for the Swiss car registration authority. He knew that it was not a conventional thing to ask if they could look up the chassis number in their register, but he had to try.

“I asked my then assistant if she would mind to call her contact, to see if the person at the car registration authority could just tell us if it was in Switzerland. I was so happy to find out that it was.”

The car was not only in Switzerland. It was registered to a man who lived very close to Simon’s old boarding school in Gstaad. He continues.

“I must have drove past that house a thousand times without knowing that the car was there. When I got the news, I immediately called my contact, who runs a famous hotel in Gstaad, to see if he knew the owner. He did, and he was happy to introduce me to him.”

At that time, Simon was on a business trip in America. It was during the volcano crisis in Iceland, resulting in not many available flights to Europe. Simon managed to find one flight to Rome, and he immediately jumped on the plane.



“When I finally got to Rome, there were no availble flights. I ended up hiring a chauffeur to drive me all the way to Geneva, about a 800 kilometers drive. When I arrived, I jumped into my car and drove as quickly as possible to Gstaad to meet this man.”

When Simon arrives, the owner welcomes him outside the garage. For the first time in his life, Simon is now going to see his father's beloved “Gullwing” that was sold fifty years earlier.

“The owner opens up the garage door, and there it was. He handed me the keys and told me to take it for a ride. It was truly an emotional time for me.”

When Simon got back, he asked if the owner would consider selling the car to him. The answer was no, but Simon was persistent – he kept on asking over the years. One day, the “Gullwing” owner changed his mind. He was now willing to trade for a car in better condition since the car that Simon’s dad previously owned was in need of restoration.

“I started to look for a restored, Swiss registered “Gullwing” to make the trade and found one. They say that a salesman is his own worst enemy, because I ended up finally making a deal with him and traded my fully restored “Gullwing” to his that was in great need of restoration. He obviously is a much better businessman than me, but I finally brought my father’s Mercedes 300 SL “Gullwing” back home."

Thinking back to his childhood memories, Kristian remembers clearly when he first ever fell in love. And no, we’re not talking about a girl here. When Kristian was six years old, flipping through his family’s large collection of National Geographic magazines (dating back to a 1917 issue), he first saw it. In the initial pages of a 1976 edition, he saw the Patek Philippe Nautilus 3700 watch ad. This particular watch, which is now in his possession, was the start of a lifelong love story between him and everything that has to do with horology.


Patek Philippe Nautilus, ref. 3700 from 1976

Kristian is one of the best known watch specialists in Scandinavia, and probably in the world. His eighth book about the subject will be published in September 2019, and he has a large amount of followers on his social media platforms. Speaking of social media, his two last books, Hashtags and Watches I and II, are an homage to his love of both printed media and Instagram. “As a former art director, I wanted to do something that included watches and print, but that also incorporated social media somehow. So I thought, why not publish my Instagram account?” Said and done. The books were a success and sold out in a flash.



When I asked Kristian which one of his timepieces that matters the most, he rapidly went up from the kitchen table, where we shared a cup of coffee together alongside his Patek’s, AP’s and Rolexes, to grab a book from his bookshelf. He briefly browsed the book and showed me a portrait of the Danish war correspondent and journalist Jan Stage. My attention was drawn to the watch Mr. Stage was wearing, a Rolex GMT Master ‘Pepsi’. I suddenly realized why it caught my eye. This watch was laying there in front of me on the kitchen table. “In addition to the Patek I talked about before, this is my most precious watch. It belonged to one of my childhood heroes, Jan Stage. He was actually kidnaped in El Salvador wearing this watch” Kristian said. The watch itself, a 1968 Rolex GMT Master 1675, isn’t a rare watch at all, but with the story behind it, this one becomes invaluable.


Rolex GMT-Master II, ref. 126710 from 2018

Nowadays, when Kristian ponders between which watch he should wear, the choice usually end up on the Rolex GMT Master II ’Pepsi’, with jubilee bracelet and red and blue ceramic insert. It was released in Baselworld 2018, and since then it has become one of the most sought-after watches by collectors worldwide. Some people, who was lucky enough to get their hands on one, bought it just with the intention to sell it for twice (or more) of the listing price. This is not the case for Kristian. He wears it almost every day, alongside with his well-worn Barbour jacket, cargo pants and 21 year old Red Wing leather boots.