An interview with Eneuri Acosta, a talented executive who created a professional career from two of his passions, cars and watches

An interview with Eneuri Acosta

Thanks to an invitation from my friend Steve Posner, I had the pleasure of attending a recent casual car event at The Cultivated Collector showroom in New Canaan, Connecticut. The event aimed to inspire a younger generation to appreciate vintage cars. Steve introduced me to Eneuri Acosta during the event, who turned out to be an enthusiast of both cars and watches. His enthusiasm was infectious and I knew straightaway that I had to interview him about his two passions.

Eneuri’s journey began in the Dominican Republic, where he had dreams of making it big in the U.S., despite a modest upbringing. His mother worked as a binder at a book factory, and his father was a janitor at a Holiday Inn. Eneuri’s entrepreneurial spirit began early, working at his family's small grocery store throughout high school.

With perseverance and luck, Eneuri turned his passions into a career. For instance, he worked for over a decade at General Motors in various roles, including one as the Marketing Communications Manager for Cadillac. He joined Hodinkee, the leading name in watch journalism, in 2017 as Chief Operating Officer and eventually transitioned to Chief Brand Officer in 2021, a role he maintained until the end of last year.

Eneuri Acosta's Showroom - Cadillac & Hodinkee logo

In our interview, Eneuri shared insights into his vision, inspiration, and the remarkable journey that has shaped his highly accomplished career.

Your professional background in both the car and watch industry is a rare one. Was this a deliberate choice or due to opportunities?

My road to building a career out of my personal passions was a combination of opportunity and being in the right place at the right time. There was no “stroke of genius” or master plan. Just hard work, calculated risks when the right opportunities presented, and a group of talented leaders who I observed and learned from to help build my own skillset that worked in both spaces.

At my core, I am a brand and strategy guy. I am a great listener and pay close attention to the little details. I know how to take an idea and make it something tangible and interesting. Those skills, paired with an appreciation for the culture of cars and watches have served me well professionally.

You have a passion for both cars and watches. How did those come about?

My curiosity for cars and watches began at an early age, and it really came from my father. He was a big fan of cars but not the exotic supercars. In fact, he loved Toyota! Toyota is very popular back in the Dominican Republic. In 1989, when I was seven years old, he bought a Toyota Cressida…the most luxurious car Toyota made. It was not the most well-known car, but it was his pride and joy, and he loved it. We talked about cars often after I took an interest in them, and we found a new thing to bond with.

1989 – 1992 Toyota Cressida [Fourth (4th) Generation]

He was also into watches, but it wasn’t until I was in high school that I really noticed it. Like cars, his choice of watches was understated and practical.

Did you decide to be in these two professional worlds because of your passion, or did your professional experience make you become an enthusiast of cars and watches?

I’ve been fascinated by both cars and watches since I was young, though it wasn’t my plan to turn either of these interests into an actual profession. That said, I think my personal interests made me much better at my work. I simply understood the subject matters a bit more intimately. I researched on my personal time. I developed a point of view that was unique from others. And I applied it all to my work. As Chief Brand Officer of Hodinkee, for example, I led the team that designed limited edition collaborations. We designed watches in partnership with some of the most prestigious watch brands in the world. My personal interest in the product, I think, made for better collaborations and designs.

How has collecting and loving cars and watches helped you in your professional life?

Collecting cars and watches has really given me a deep appreciation for the culture and sub-cultures of both spaces. For example, in watches, one could be into dress watches, sports watches, diving watches, military watches, chronographs, high complications, vintage, modern, or now “neo-vintage” watches. Then there are Swiss watches, Japanese watches, German watches, independents, and micro brands. So many different rabbit holes to explore and so many fascinating enthusiasts within each subculture. The same subcultures exist in the car world. It’s quite fascinating!

I’ve been fascinated by both cars and watches since I was young

I’ve used that understanding of what makes cars and watches unique, from an enthusiast’s point of view to my advantage.

What do you look for when you want to add a new timepiece or car to your collection?

There are some common threads that appeal to me in both cars and watches. Most importantly, at the top of the list is design. I appreciate balance in proportions, and I apply that to what I look for in a good watch or car. I also tend to gravitate toward originality if I am looking at a car or watch. I prefer an original car with patina versus an overly restored and perfect car.

Beyond design and originality, I have a soft spot for cars from the 60s and 70s. I think that was the golden era of automotive innovation which gave us cars like the Jaguar E-Type, Porsche 911, Aston Martin DB4, and Lamborghini Miura.

Lamborghini Miura

Do you have more of a passion for vintage, contemporary, or both?

I can appreciate both vintage and contemporary, but these days I have a preference for modern watches. A lot of the charm of vintage watches is tied to the origin or ownership lineage of a watch. I am finding more joy in my journey as a collector being the origin story and one day passing these objects on to my nieces and nephews.

On the other hand, I still lean toward vintage cars over new cars. I prefer the analog experience as, to me, it is more engaging. There’s nothing like rolling your own gears and catching a perfect rev match!

Some folks think that car lovers and watch enthusiasts are the same people. Do you agree?

To be honest, no! I thought there would be more crossover, but I typically find that most car collectors are not very deep into watch collecting and the other way around. They may have a few watches that they like, usually watches with a car connection, like a Heuer Monaco or Rolex Daytona.

Heuer Monaco - Rolex Daytona

Do you have guidelines when curating your collections?

I go through phases in car and watch collecting. I think I am too young to be set on any one style or object and want to experience what it is like to own and live with as many different cars and watches. So I am not afraid to move on from a watch or car if it no longer speaks to me. With watches, these days I prefer modern time-only watches from brands like Bulgari, Chopard, and Cartier. These brands are better known for their jewelry than watches, but there is a certain beauty to them that I am quite drawn to.

On the car front, I absolutely love Porches. I think the 911 is the best car ever made, period. I hope to always have a 911, but lately, I've been exploring what it is like to own Italian cars. Hopefully my next will be something Italian with 12 cylinders and six carburetors.

Could you share a few mistakes you may have made throughout your life of collecting?

I’ve made several mistakes along my collecting journey, though thankfully no catastrophic errors. On the car front, I was once so infatuated with a car that I bought it without a proper pre-purchase inspection (PPI). The car is a 1960 Maserati 3500 in Grigio Nembo with white leather interior. I still own this car and absolutely love it. Thankfully I bought the car from a reputable seller, and it was previously owned by a prominent Maserati collector, so I knew the car came from a good home.

Passion for cars

That said, a proper PPI would have revealed some differed maintenance that was well overdue. Again, nothing catastrophic, but it took me about a year to fully sort the car and get it to the best possible place, mechanically. Moral of the story…. don’t let your emotions make you lose perspective and skip over important due diligence…that goes for both cars and watches!

What would be your advice to a new collector?

You hear these two pieces of advice all the time but it really is true. One, buy what speaks to you, not what others have deemed worthy. There are great cars and watches in every flavor and price point. So long as you love it, buy it. And if you no longer love it, sell it.

The second piece of advice is “buy the seller.” Make sure you are buying from a reputable seller who is willing to guarantee and authenticate the car or watch, especially if you are buying vintage. These hobbies can be a bit of the Wild West and there are lots of ways to manipulate and misrepresent both cars and watches. Buying from trusted and reputable sellers will help you navigate, especially if you are new to either hobby.

Is it more difficult to collect cars or watches?

I have to say that cars are more difficult to collect. For one, the barrier to entry is higher and more expensive. And then there are several expenses to keep in mind like storage, insurance, maintenance, etc. And, especially with older cars, finding parts can be difficult and costly.

Is it more difficult to collect cars or watches?

With watches, on the other hand, you can find really amazing value with as little as a few hundred dollars. They are easy to store and transport and, with some newer watches, maintenance is as infrequent as once every five years. Watches win this one.

How do you see the future of collecting generally speaking?

Collecting and collectibles, I think, are more popular than ever and it's quite interesting to see what younger generations are into it. Interest in things like cars, watches or sports memorabilia has always had an audience. It was quite interesting a few years back when Sotheby’s offered one of the first-ever auctions for sneakers, and really brought sneaker collecting to the mainstream. Even with spirits, I see more interest in products like rum and scotch, whereas traditionally wine has been the accepted status quo for what is considered collectible.

I’m also beginning to see interest in technology hardware as a collectible, such as early Apple computers and iPhones. It will be interesting to see what is deemed collectible in the future, but I think the hobby is quite strong.

Most expensive sneakers - First Apple computer

What do you think of creativity and design in today’s world? Do you still believe that new objects can be as timeless as some cars or watches?

Judging creativity and design is such a subjective thing. I have a lot of respect for those that are brave enough to take an idea and attempt to create something tangible out of it and put it out for the world to judge.

In the world of watches, we’ve gone through a period where brands have looked back through their archives to inspire new ideas. The new Chopard L.U.C. 1860 is a watch that I own and think is a great example of drawing inspiration from the history of the brand.

On the other extreme, I really love the Hublot and Daniel Arsham Droplet collaboration. Do I aspire to own one? Probably not. But I love that it exists and is unlike anything else in the world of watches. Creating something completely new is not an easy feat in the watch world.

Eneuri is currently working on his own project, which likely involves one of the two passions we’ve discussed; however, he wants to keep it quiet for the moment. We will know more when the time is right.

Until next time...

Regards,

Laurent Martinez