HH Magazine

Oscar Wilde wrote that "good resolutions are simply cheques that men draw on a bank where they have no account."

One of my resolutions for the new year is to have fun !

An apt quotation for two reasons. The regrettably critical situation of many banks, where too many financial whiz kids have issued too many orders without a thought for the risks or how covered they are. And the all too common belief that when midnight strikes we will be out with the old, in with the new; that the new year will automatically bring radical change. We forget that any good resolution that isn't followed through with action is just another lost opportunity.

One of my resolutions for the new year is to have fun. Which, as you can see from the photo, I already am. Let no one say I'm incapable of practicing what I preach. I've always had the good fortune to enjoy my work. This doesn't mean it has been one long picnic, but that I have always derived pleasure and satisfaction from my involvement with watches, and with established and prestigious brands which, occasionally, need to be loved and cherished like children. And turning to the very young for whom countless possibilities lie ahead, the most precious wish we "old timers" can offer them is not a word of advice but words of comfort. A pledge that brighter days will come, that hope will return, and technical and creative innovation will bring greater satisfaction. Honestly? Why not? The clown, who is both ridiculous and wise, sets us laughing and thinking at the same time with a play on words or an everyday action transformed by a simple gesture or goofy expression. By behaving in a way that keeps pessimism at bay but doesn't exclude life with its challenges and opportunities to have fun.

My wish is that your passion in life and your work should bring you joy for another year.  ■

Happy New Year!
Franco Cologni

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