My passion for watches began when I was very young, long before Bergvento existed.

I grew up in a small town in Italy where, every September, a local fair brought the entire community together. Amusement rides arrived, competitions were organized, and the streets filled with people from our town and the surrounding villages. The fair traditionally ended with a bicycle race on a circuit that crossed the town.

I remember standing on the balcony of my childhood home, watching the cyclists race along the straight road below. On one of those occasions, I used a chronograph to time the leading cyclist and see whether he could improve his performance.

That was the first time I truly became fascinated by a watch.

It was elegant and refined, with a clean design and a dial that looked almost like an instrument panel. At the time, I did not fully understand how to read all its functions, but I wanted to learn. I was captivated by the idea that such a small object could combine beauty, precision and practical information.

From that moment, I began paying attention to every watch I encountered. I learned to appreciate everything from the simplest models, created only to display the time, to sophisticated timepieces capable of measuring and communicating much more.

A Watch Passed Through Generations

I later discovered that the chronograph I had admired belonged to my family.

It had originally been my grandfather’s watch before passing to my father, who wore it as an elegant and practical timepiece for everyday life. When my father noticed that my interest in watches was becoming a genuine passion, he decided to pass it on to me.

It was his way of encouraging me to follow my curiosity and pursue the things that truly interested me.

I was fourteen years old when I received it.

Since then, that chronograph has travelled with me through three different countries: from Italy to England and, finally, to Austria, where I live today. Over the years, I also discovered the rest of my father’s watch collection, including the different models I remembered seeing on his wrist throughout my childhood.

However, that chronograph always remained special.

It was not simply an object inherited from my family. It became a symbol of continuity, curiosity and personal growth. Its design later became one of the starting points for Bergvento. Our watches are not intended to copy it, but to preserve something of its character: its balance, elegance, clarity and sense of purpose.