Having had a life-long fascination with engineering, Albert Ganjei studied civil engineering and architecture in Tehran, Iran, before heading to the US to study computer science at The University of Rhode Island.
His love for watches started as a hobby, but it wasn’t long until his passion saw him make a career U-turn and he founded the European Watch Company in 1993.
His children have grown up around the business, with his eldest son Joshua Ganjei now the chief executive, managing all aspects of sales and also curating the business’s world-renowned collection.
Joshua has definitely inherited his father’s enthusiasm. “I enjoy the hunt for the next watch, and I enjoy sharing the passion with my dad,” he says.
“I focus specifically on the rarest, finest and most historically important watches.”
This past year, the father-and-son duo set themselves the challenge to break into the next tier of high-value watches, going from $250,000 to $3 million in sales.
Together, they were able to achieve this by sourcing the pieces that the market demanded at the right prices, which helped them to attract new clients and enthusiasts to the company.
The European Watch Company has also moved to a new, larger location this year, which Albert had a lot of involvement with.
“Our new office and boutique was designed by me and I also oversaw the build-out, which took a full year,” he says.
“It was challenging, but incredibly rewarding, and was done right.”
When we ask Albert what he thinks the biggest challenge is for the American watch industry, he answers: “Prices, prices, prices.”
He continues: “I think the era of high-margin, authorized dealers is over. Watches are valued by what the market is willing to pay, either new, pre-owned, or vintage.”
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