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.

You don’t have to dig long to realize that Stephen Pulvirent really is a big name in the industry of wristwatches. We were curious about him, and wanted to hear his opinion on style and how traditional menswear introduced him to the ticking world that he’s currently involved in.

Tell us about yourself.

I’m a writer, photographer, and editor living in New York City. I’m currently the managing editor and director of operations at HODINKEE, where I was the first employee way back in 2012. I’ve also served as associate editor at Bloomberg Pursuits and as executive digital editor at Surface Media, but after both of those positions I returned to HODINKEE in the summer of 2016. I’m a journalist because I love searching out the most interesting stories I can uncover and then challenging myself to tell them in compelling ways. Today we have more story telling tools at our disposal than ever before and it’s an extremely exciting time to be a journalist.

What's a normal day like?

It sounds like a bit of a cliché, but every day in my job is different – and that’s one of my favorite things about it. I could be sitting at my desk with a pile of books on either side of my keyboard, researching and writing a 3,000 word story, I could be somewhere in Europe shooting photographs of watches or cars or architecture, or I could be running around New York City meeting with watch collectors and dealers. Because HODINNKEE touches every facet of the watch collecting lifestyle and we try to cover that world from many angles, I get to do a wide variety of things.


Stephen's personal vintage Rolex Explorer 1016.

What drew you towards watches?

I first got into watches through the worlds of menswear and design. I began my writing career as a hobby while I was studying at the university. I had a blog and would use writing about clothing as a way to disconnect from my academic work – at the time I thought I would go on to get a PhD in English literature, so this was a way to enjoy something outside of that. Slowly I started to learn more about watches and I enjoyed the way they blended style, design, craftsmanship and technical knowledge. A watch is such a small object, but it contains so much passion and such a wealth of stories. I immediately found them enchanting and tried to start writing about them more as a way to learn through experience.

Since you’ve been writing about menswear before, what was it about traditional menswear that got you hooked in the first place?

I’ve always been interested in clothing, way back to when I was a child. I went through many phases over the years, but clothing was always important to me as a way to express myself. When I was studying in London for a term at university, I was exposed to Savile Row and the history of British tailoring. The fact that everything was still done in a very traditional manner, by hand, and everything was focused on expressing the customer’s desires sucked me in immediately. I had great teachers, both in London and the United States, and a number of very well known tailors (Huntsman, Anderson & Sheppard, etc.) really went out of their way to let me see what they were doing. As a 20 year old American kid in London, I would never have expected them to be so welcoming, but they invited me in and let me learn by seeing everything up close. It was magical and it’s something I still remember very fondly.


Stephen's personal Nomos Glashütte Tangente with a HODINKEE leather strap.

What is style according to you?

To me, style is having an idea about how you want to be seen in the world and then striving to embody that idea. I don’t just mean physically either – style is a lot about how you behave and how you carry yourself. I know some guys who are incredible at dressing, but they have no personality; I also know people who dress in a very average way but I would still describe them as having “style.” I try not to follow fashion or trends too much, but at the same time I think it’s important to remember that dressing is just dressing – it’s nothing too serious – and you should feel ok trying something new or experimenting a bit. Not everything you do has to be timeless or perfect.

"A good watch doesn’t have to cost a ton of money"

How would you describe your personal style?

I would describe my style as being a modern take on classic, semi-casual dressing. I rarely wear suits, but I like mixing sportcoats, suede jackets, and shirt jackets with casual trousers, white shirts, and sleek sneakers. I particularly enjoy wearing clothing that, while more casual in appearance, is made with the same level of quality and attention to detail as traditional tailoring. A leather jacket made of incredible material with hand-stitched seams can be just as luxurious as a bespoke suit.

I also tend to gravitate towards more muted colors – navy, grey, white, taupe – and softer silhouettes. I travel a lot and need my clothing to be easy to live in without looking sloppy.


Stephen's personal Leica M240.

Besides watches and menswear, what other interests do you have?

Outside of watches and menswear, I am an avid Leica photographer, a lover of architecture and design, and a passionate traveler. To me, flying across the world to take a picture of an important building is about as good as it gets, haha. As far as architecture and design go, my tastes skew toward Modernism, thought that encompasses some pretty diverse styles such as International Style, Prairie Style, Mid-Century Modernism and more. I find these buildings to be the connecting link between the past and our current era.

I’m also a big music nerd and like nearly every style of music. If I’m not having a conversation with someone, I probably have music playing. This can be everything from old jazz records to more contemporary singer-songwriters to the latest rap hits. It’s rare to find me without a pair of headphones within arm’s reach.


The Lautner Harpel House, designed by the architect John Lautner and fully restored to its original state of 1956 by Mark Haddawy.

How do you spend your weekends?

My weekends can be pretty diverse, but because things are so busy during the week I try to make the weekends about family and friends. This usually includes listening to podcasts over a lazy breakfast with my wife and our dog, taking walks around New York City, hopping between art museums, and getting dinner with friends. A restful weekend in the country is always a good thing too.

Stephen’s choice

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I dress in a pretty formulaic way, building outfits from subtle contrasts and pieces that look better the more you understand about them. Hard-wearing cotton trousers with a refined cut, understated suede sneakers, and the combination of a white shirt and a grey sweater is a tough foundation to beat. Layering a luxurious blue suede blouson over that adds a bit extra without going overboard.

As far as accessories go, you had to know I’d pick a watch. A good watch doesn’t have to cost a ton of money, and Mondaine’s Swiss Railway watches are as classic as it gets. I’ve had one since I was 18 – a high school graduation gift from my grandmother – and I still love it today. I’ve also been a fan of Mismo’s bags for years and carry one more days than not. The way they make something so minimal feel so indulgent is incredible.