In this edition of Conversations with Creators, we are thrilled to introduce you to Andrea Casalegno, known on Instagram as @iamcasa. Andrea’s journey into the world of horology is a captivating tale of passion, discovery, and dedication. From a young age, his fascination with watches has driven him to become a prominent figure in the field, sharing his unique insights and experiences. We are honored to delve into his story and explore his perspective on the intricate world of watchmaking.
I am Andrea Casalegno, the mind and body behind IamCasa. Born and raised in Milan since 1998, I am technically an engineer but practically an aesthete who fell down the rabbit hole of watchmaking when I was 14. My journey into the adult world began quite early, around the age of 12. Back then, I was an old soul in a child’s body, dressing as if I were fifty, talking like I was forty, and enjoying what people three times my age did. I grew up quickly and started writing about art, fashion, opera, and much more on a blog called Milaneasy, which I founded when I was fourteen. Unfortunately, I never had the strength to continue it.
To go back to watches: when I was fourteen, I saw a Mercator by Vacheron Constantin on Instagram, and that was the moment I began to understand the beauty behind watches, why they were important, and why people sometimes go crazy over them. I found some vintage watches at home that resonated a lot with my style, and I wanted to wear them and learn their stories. All my friends had nice watches, but no one knew anything beyond their price tags, which annoyed me. So, I went to Omega to service one and get more information.
They were incredibly nice and nurtured my passion for Speedmasters, but the service price was too high for me. I asked my friends at school if anyone knew a reputable watchmaker to take care of my family heirloom (a vintage De Ville with a floral dial and Damascus-like pattern). Long story short, a great friend of mine turned out to be the grandson of the former importer of IWC in Italy. They took me everywhere, introduced me to a lot of people, and brought me to BaselWorld in 2015. I’ll always be grateful to Barbara (my friend’s mom) for this, as that was truly the start.
The content part is a pure coincidence, to be honest. I started by strolling around and talking to people (I talk a lot, with everyone, which is basically why I learned some languages—I need to communicate). I felt welcomed and noticed, and as a kind-of-introvert kid, that was honey for bees. I began doing more and more, gathering people, collecting, and selling watches. Social media has always been a tool for all that. One day, an ex-partner at my previous company shot a video and published it. It went very well, I felt good doing it, I was happy, and we continued until I quit the company. A few days later, a client invited me to lunch and told me I should continue making videos about watches, offering to finance my first year to kickstart me, and so I did.
Eclectic must be the word. I am a collector at heart; I need to buy watches like a gambling addict needs to bet. I am all about design and stories, which can include potentially everything. I like time-only watches because I feel the purity, the lines that bring them together, and a certain strength in this minimalist aesthetic. But at the same time, I like a bit of baroque sometimes. I am much more of a vintage guy, but I certainly appreciate creativity when I see it, as with the Louis Erard x Constantin Chaykin, which I bought straight away when I saw it on a wrist.
This eclecticism is visible online: I try to bring people anything high-end that reflects my taste, with a tiny bit of compromise sometimes due to my job, but I never share something I am not interested in or something that is completely outside my passion, and I am proud of that. For sure, there is much more than what I share, and I wish I could share everything, but I’m not sure it will ever be possible. In the end, life is to be lived, not necessarily to be shared fully.
The true challenge is to make it a profession and not only something to feed your ego. Being reputable, trusted, chosen, innovative, followed, and interesting—these are all challenges I have faced and will continue to face because every day is a new challenge in these terms, and you are never really sure about how tomorrow will be. That’s why “established” sounds like a dream to me.
Smartwatches play by their own rules; they are not competitors in my head. The main difference lies in the quality of a timepiece, with true value in craftsmanship, mechanical refinement, and overall finishing. Volumes and design tastes also play a key role in how watches are made today, and while I am not entirely happy with the status quo, I am not negative about it either.
For me, the most important aspect is the emotions I get from a watch. It could be because of the look, the story behind the watch, who sold it to me, or where I bought it. I am not a brand guy; I collect anonymous watches for this reason and for the mystery around them. I must admit I usually want to buy multiple pieces and often just go for the best value for money, even if it means saving up more for another watch that is more relevant. I am not “quantity over quality,” but I like to own as much quality as I can. Vintage watches often solve that problem for me.
My favorite watch doesn’t exist because I am the type of guy who never has enough. But if I had to choose, I would say a Patek Philippe 2499 second series would be a good compromise, as it has everything we need: poetry (the moonphase), relevance (Patek’s top-notch), complication, and purity. Or a Crash de Cartier for obvious design and esoteric reasons. In my collection, my favorite might be my Tank Louis from Cartier Paris 1960, followed by the Omega that started it all and the first Tissot I ever bought during my first trip to Marrakech, on which I wrote my high school thesis.
To collect watches, you need clarity, in my opinion. You need to understand what you like, what is important to you, and how you want to collect: do you want to buy many different things, focus on a single brand or model, be surprised, or delve deeper into a topic? You need knowledge for all that, but the thing is: you need different knowledge for each of these ways of collecting, and every niche has its own personalities, sources, authorities, and ways of gaining knowledge. If it’s just basic or generic knowledge you’re looking for, the internet offers the best solutions, especially when coordinated (or better, double-checked) with a lot of conversations with people you trust or who deserve to be included in the conversation. Social media is a solid way to get more input, more interesting topics, and to know more people, but the rest is on you and your active role in the research and community.
My biggest passion in life is humans: interacting with people, appreciating the result of their creativity, and so on. My biggest pastime is talking to people, whether they’re friends or strangers. I feel huge joy in being the social animal I am, but there is more than that. I have liked menswear since the beginning of my life: I like to research, stroll around for shopping, find artisans who can make things I want or imagine, and try to bring them to life, whether they are tailors, silversmiths, leather crafters, or whatever. I love to eat, I love fine dining, and from time to time I like cooking, but only for other people.
I get bored cooking for myself, and I much prefer a solo dinner at a simple restaurant or a solid pad-thai with that touch of lime at the end that sweetens the day. I love music; I have a lot of friends in that industry and I like to speak to them, get inspired, and listen to new music, whether on Spotify or on vinyl, classical or trap—the more, the better. And in the end, I like visiting new places: going for a nice car ride in Italy when I feel like it, but even more (and I never find time to do it) taking a plane and discovering something new. In the end, that’s the best part of life.
I prefer to do and then explain rather than the other way around, also because I think it’s bad luck to say something before you do it. But I can share some glimpses of my ideas. I don’t want to be an influencer. If you are one, you are one. If you have influence, there is no strategy or chasing people’s following, and that’s a key point. I want to get back to the roots, to what I truly like, done in the way I like it. I want to be myself a bit more, risking it for a good cause. And I want to build up a company the proper way: settle down, get an office, build a full-time team, scale it a bit, bring some fun with limited editions, and establish the company more than the influencer.
A company can be established; a face can be reputable, which is very different. And then, who knows… I have options in mind, but my planned life compared to my “go with the flow” life has always disappointed me, so I’ll just stay with my eyes, thoughts, and ears open for the next adventure!
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