ItalianoMy Awesome Watch：President of the Company behind the watch GACKT wore on Geinoujin Kakudzuke makes an appearance
There are probably many readers who were wondering what brand of sunglasses and watch was GACKT, who defended his legendary undefeated status on 「DownTown Geinoujin Kakudzuke Check!」, wearing when he appeared on the program.
We met with President Nakano Takeshi of VARTIX, Inc., where acts as GACKT’s design supervisor, and headed towards Grand Hyatt Tokyo’s Maduro Bar.
VARTIX, Inc. Managing Director and CEO Nakano Takeshi
「A watch, to me, is like a wife…… Without it I feel troubled but, it’s difficult to deal with, something like that (laughs)」
You’ve probably seen jewellery advertisement on billboards with the likes of GACKT, Kamenashi Kazuya, Nishino Kana, Koda Kumi and many other popular entertainers on them. He produces both the GemCEREY and Bijoude brands, manages ReBoot Inc. and VARTIX Inc., where GACKT is the design supervisor, and operates stores and online shops nationwide and overseas.
When mentioning presidents of jewellery companies, one would typically conjure an image of a person who smells of money but, the man who was at Grand Hyatt Tokyo’s Maduro Bar, was not what we expected.
30 years in the industry. 24 years since he became an entrepreneur. Recently, he just celebrated his 54th birthday.
He began his career as a mechanic for a major automobile manufacturer. However, shortly after that, he was involuntarily transferred to the sales team. Following that, he, who once said that business was probably fitting for his personality, went on to work in another company dealing in Kimono and jewellery, and got himself the position of Sales Director around the age of 24.
「Because I’m originally an engineer, I like to think about the processes used to manufacture cut gems, watch making and functionalities, and similar topics. I like the ticking sounds of the watch hands. Putting a clock in a silent room, and listening to the hands ticking second by second, I feel alive in that moment and feel that this is what I work so hard for」
Of all the watches bought so far, the biggest purchase is a Vacheron Constantin Malte Tourbillon. It is now being owned by a well-known singer at a value of around 17 million yen. So how did the VARTIX brand, where GACKT is the design supervisor, come about?
「Going back to the beginning, it started from the question of whether or not to enter the real estate business. As GACKT is exceptionally particular when it comes to home renovations, he said, shall we collaborate on an interior design business? From then, we’ve moved on to the watches’ leather straps.
I love watches, and eventually I decided to recruit Japan’s top watchmaker to create the finest watch ever to be “Made In Japan”. From there, after I gifted him with diamond-encrusted watch, we earnestly began to proceed forward」
Then, Nakano continued.
「GACKT’s flaw-finding is amazing. Even if he’s presented with something that has been improved on dozens of times, there are still changes that can be made. Eventually you’ll become more and more annoyed (laughs), it makes you feel like if he’s going to be that particular, we’ll never be able to complete any products for sale. However, when you look at the final product, you’ll be surprised by its degree of perfection」
When a group of men who seek to master perfection to the extreme, extraordinary creations are made. In this, we find those who are thoroughly particular, without allowing compromise.
「I’m older than him but, I’ve learnt a lot from him. It’s strange for me to say this too but, I think that his work isn’t complete. Similar to his lives, when you watch it the first time it appears to be already complete but, when you watch his 10th live, there’s more polish in it than in the first one」
After the program 「Geinoujin Kakudzuke Check」 ended, they were inundated with orders for DESIR’s VX Series (1,500,000 yen～（without tax)) from within the country and overseas as well, the 5 limited edition pieces of the GACKT LIMITED MODEL (8,640,000 yen (with tax)) were immediately sold out.
It would not be a stretch to say that the first Japanese-made tourbillon (※) is a crystallisation of man’s spirit of romance and their hard work, and it has gathered calls for such a timepiece from both within Japan and abroad. This summer, the long-awaited VARTIX brand chronograph will be released.
※A technology invented by French-Swiss watchmaker Abraham-Louis Breguet in the 1800s to overcome the weakness of mechanical watches where minute deflection occur under the influence of gravity. It is said that less than 10 watchmakers in the world can replicate this technology, and the Japanese-made tourbillon is created for the first time through a collaboration between VARTIX Inc. and MEMORIGIN Co., Ltd.
Then, we asked Nakano about thoughts on management. What we could see from there was
―――
「With the headquarters building being a hotel as well, we can survive just by collecting monthly rentals but, there’s a period of time when I drifted away from that kind of operations. It’s just that, only making profits from that one flow is not my style. It’s because I want to be continuously challenged. I’ve often been asked, what kind of opponent I would like to fight the least.
That would be someone who refuses to give up until the end. Regardless of what it is you’re pitting yourself against, whether or not you do well is not a matter of talent. No matter how little talent you have, as long as you continue at what you’re doing, you can always get somewhere. If there’s something I can teach the younger generation, is that even if you don’t have talent, just by continuing without being frustrated, you can definitely accomplish something」
Continuation becomes a strength. To continue something is far more difficult than starting something. Similar to GACKT, what he pursues is not the complete form.
「If I look at myself from my 24 year-old standpoint, I can’t even imagine myself in my current position, and I’d want to praise myself. When I was around 37 years old, I drew sales worth 10 billion yen, and had an ordinary income of 16 billion yen. But, from the standpoint of the me back then, my present self is no good.
Maybe it’s because I’ve grown older. Back then I chased after supremacy in the amount of sales but, now I’ve probably reached a point where the definition of good work is based on how outstanding a piece can I produce」
For the sake of realising that goal, health became his all of his capital, and he has continued training his body without fail for close to 10 years. At age 54, he can easily perform 30 chin-ups. In addition, with advice taken from GACKT, he strives to maintain a diet that includes mainly vegetables and protein.
「When one gets to this age, you’ll start to develop a variety of (health) problems, like getting diabetes, or gaining weight in your middle. But, I don’t want my own daughter to say that I look bad, and I want be able to become a cool guy in his 60s」
There are 6 more years until his 60th birthday. Looking back in his life as an entrepreneur, the sluggish financial performance that took place for a period of time, was also because there was arrogance in himself.
2 years ago, the company’s name was changed to 「ReBoot」, and until the celebration of his 60th birthday, he said enthusiastically that he will give his all carry things through.
「There is a saying by Picasso which goes 『Everything you can imagine is real』. I think that until now, the construction of our head office building, the nationwide expansion, is everything that I’ve envisioned becoming reality. However, becoming overconfident turns it useless. The most important thing is to do your work everyday, and continue on with humility.
With the company’s name change to 「ReBoot」, I turned over a new leaf, and there’s also a sense of inspiration in returning to the starting point in my 50s. You can probably say that the company itself is like my life. Because I consider the company as one of my creations, it’s useless to keep thinking about myself all the time. But, even if I retire, I think I will always want to be involved in watch making」
―You really do love watches. To Nakano-san, what is the charm of a watch?
When I asked that question, he touched the watch worn on his left wrist with his right hand, looked at the time for a while, then answered.
「Isn’t time, the only thing that is given equally to everyone, regardless of whether you’re born to a rich family, or like me born to a poor family. Everyone spends the same 24 hours in a day, and now, this moment has already become the past. Once that time has passed, we’ll all die someday.
The only ones who can measure this passing time with such accuracy are humans, and I think it’s a great invention. I think that the thing which connects that flow of each moment in time together with us, is the watch. I like that such ideas surround it」
After retirement, he wants to visit the countries that he’s never been to, and see a world that he’s never seen before with his own eyes. Whether he can completely retire his mind, he doesn’t know either. However, because he had devoted all his energy into his work all this time, he wants to see a world that is different from the one he lives in now… … because life is short, he said to me with a smile.
＜Interview collaboration＞
Maduro
Opening hours ： 19：00 – 01：00 (Fri/Sat -02：00)
Tel：03-4333-8783
Seating capacity：108 seats
A chic bar for adults where live music can be enjoyed. Aside from the usual champagne, wine, port, and cocktails, we also have a whisky room with a lineup of rare stocks. We welcome you with the flickering flame of a gas lamp.
Music cover charge ￥2,000 (After 20:00)
Source: zasshi.news.yahoo.co.jp
Translation: GACKT ITALIA Team
Translation © GACKT ITALIA