WT_2005_01: CONNOISSEURS: DAVID D'ADDARIO

CONNOISSEURSAll photos by Michael KatchenAngle Shots34 WatchTime February 2005

He might call himself "asocial deviant," eager to get"a rise out of people," butDavid D'Addario knows howto charm and finesse hismoneyed associates. He alsoknows how to score big inpaintings, vintage cars andcomplicated timepieces.BY ED KIERSHDavid D’Addario has diversified the constructionempire that he inherited in 1986.David D'Addario oversees a growing conglomerate of casinos, radiotransmission towers, asphalt plants, oil tank facilities, and shoppingmalls from a 14th floor bank building office. As dramatizedby his rare art treasures, one-off cars and fine watches, the heir to the"Hi-Ho" throne clearly has a knack for sealing the deal."My entrepreneurial father always told me to come at people from adifferent angle, that familiarity breeds contempt, and this sort of radicalism,being on the edge, is young, fun, and definitely a key to my success,"insists D'Addario, 43, a Yale graduate bent on taking a huge Dracula-likebite out of life's sweetest fruits. "Having an Andy Warhol vampirein my office is a kick, my way of being the instigator, and very similarto raising a little hell with my custom-designed, 140 horsepower EddieTrotta chopper (bike), appreciating an extreme Alain Silberstein, orsporty Panerai, and driving around in a 1931 V-16 Cadillac. As I've sadlydiscovered, life offers no guarantees, no contracts with God. So my lifehas always been about laughter."That was hardly the case in 1986. Recently graduating from Yale afterstudying economics, and just beginning to handle $50-$60 million constructionprojects for his father's D'Addario Industries, he was suddenlyblindsided by personal tragedy.While on a business trip to Illinois, David's beloveddad, F. Francis "Hi-Ho" D'Addario, died in a planecrash. It was a shocking blow that forced the 24-year-old to quickly adjust to a gaping emotional void."My dad was my best friend, everything to me,yet I had to somehow survive, keep going," recallsD'Addario, standing near an office photo of his father,and remembering that "Hi-Ho" gave him moreMy entrepreneurial fatheralways told me to comeat people from a differentangle, that familiaritybreeds contempt.than a keen business sense. "Dad was great around machinery. And becauseof him I got to know mechanical things by being around people inhis (construction) shop. He was an incredibly talented driver who ownedthese big black Cadillacs that had a wonderful smell inside of them. I gota lot of my love for cars from him."Also profoundly influenced by his brother Larry, who owned numerousHemi-Chargers and other muscle cars, D'Addario spent much of hisformative teenage days driving around in a GMC Jimmy with specialrims, a Mercury Monarch, and eventually a Ferrari Spyder. He used torun errands for his father's many operations, and was never treated asthe "privileged" boss' son. "I wasn't floating around Europe, going tomuseums and sitting in cafes. I was sweeping floors, and removinggarbage," insists D'Addario. "I worked hard for everything I had, and aftermy dad died, I felt I needed to treat myself well. To really show that Icould take on life, that I was becoming my own man."At this seminal, cathartic juncture in his life, D'Addario looked to histightly knit Italian family, and high school sweetheart - his future wife -for support. It was still a challenging time, and only after closing a fewdeals did he again display his unfettered admiration for mechanicalartistry. To emphasize his new independence, and unshakeable resolve,he made a forceful six-figure statement by buying awhite Lamborghini Countach while simultaneouslydiving into another high-octane world: He bought arectangular, yellow gold Tiffany & Company watch."I had gotten the crap kicked out of me fromevery direction for a year, so I wanted to move beyondthe two watches my father left me (a goldChopard and a square-faced Corum with goldFebruary 2005 WatchTime 35

CONNOISSEURSDouble D’s 1931 V-16 Cadillac Victoria weighs in at7,000 pounds and has a hand-tooled dashboard and aJaeger clock.bracelet) by buying something beautiful," says D'Addario, as he admireshis Tiffany with gold indices. "It was time to reward myself (a year afterhis father's death). I had survived."Stressing this point in a compelling, yet non-boastful tone, he fondlesthe Tiffany piece, and reads the inscription on its gold back. "The OnlyOnes Who Never Fail Are Those Who Never Try. DFD 1987."Up until this time D'Addario had never spent a great deal of moneyon a watch. He was content with a Ferrari watch; a triangular-shapedHarley Davidson inspired quartz piece, Tissots, and several "cheapies,"or $5 street corner throwaways. Yet that Tiffany served as an eye-openingrevelation, an impetus to learn more about watches, and to discovertheir mechanical genius.Wearing a black-dialed Panerai Luminor Marina, and playing with itsdistinctive security-encased crown, he marvels,"This chunky, very big watch makes a very dramaticstatement. I really like things that are different andprovocative. I like timepieces that show some imagination."But to relive that Golden Era when captains of industryhopped into open roadsters, and braved theI don't care about rubies anddiamonds…I like mechanicalor stylistic marvels andcomplications.elements in bulky riding gear, D'Addario dons another over-sized blackdialedwatch, a Chronoswiss Timemaster. Taking this 44-mm, manuallywound,stainless steel chronograph (with a huge onion-shaped crownand a hand-wound Unitas movement) out of a box, the now watch savvyD'Addario says, "Once I started to buy watches I realized early on I didn'twant any with gold bracelets. I don't want jewelry. I want real watcheslike this one. I don't care about rubies and diamonds…I like mechanicalor stylistic marvels and complications. You can wear the Timemasterwatch over a jacket, and drive with the top down, feel the wind in yourface.…"Continually interrupted by phone calls from corporate leaders whowant to know if he's "in or out" on various deals, this engaging, particularlydynamic figure never finished his reverie about convertibles. Moneymust be made, plus his wife Polly must besoothed when she calls to talk about a planned outingwith their two daughters (ages 7 and 10), andher worries about ominous weather forecasts.After quizzically shaking his head, as if to say,"What can I do about the weather?" D'Addario decidesit's time to head for Mecca. "Putting on a long36 WatchTime February 2005

CONNOISSEURSblack cashmere coat and rakish fedora, he leaves his office-cum-artgallery, where the walls are lined with works by Salvador Dali, RobertMotherwell, Roy Lichtenstein, and Warhol's famed "Dollar Sign," anddrives to Manny Dragone's car showroom, a Bridgeport, Connecticuthaven for car talk.Rolling art, otherwise known as the world's most exotic, one-of-akindvehicles are a Dragone specialty. Here car aficionados find suchwonders as $400,000 Bugattis, a "chopped and channeled" 1941 Fordhot rod, a 1915 Simplex limousine valued at $175,000, a 1935 RileyKestral sports saloon, and a rare, Springfield, Massachusetts built Rolls-Royce Phantom Brewster Ascot.Amid the Silver Wraiths with their "Spirit of Ecstasy" flying ladiesabove the front grill, immortal French classics, and numerous woodenframedtreasures that are being restored, there's D'Addario's paean tothe Michelangelo of Italian car design, Giovanni Michelotti's 1955Moretti. Mirroring the lightweight, wind-cheating designs this masterfulstylist provided to Maserati, Ferrari (the GTO and Testarossa) and Lancia,the gleaming black prototype in Dragone's salon is an aerodynamic twoseatracer with silver air vents, top-of-the-line Borrani wheels, and sidepipes.The daring-do epitome of high performance, this"low waistline" gem was the main attraction at the1955 Paris Auto Show, and a Michelotti favorite thatprompts Manny D. to say, "I just love this car. It looksbetter than a Ferrari, much racier. This is a Holy Grailcar, and David has one of the two that still exist. Thisvery significant hand-built car shows David is a veryThe Only Ones Who Never Fail Are Those Who NeverTry. DFD 1987.He's very selective, pursuingonly those handful of prizecars that are either one-offs orincredibly significant.serious collector. He's particular; not someone who just accumulates 75cars. He's very selective, pursuing only those handful of prizes that are eitherone-offs, or incredibly significant."One of these other tour de force Holy Grails is D'Addario's seven-figure"new joy," a one-off, 1947 Lancia Astura that Dragone's skilled artisanswill soon restore to its original, Bertolucci movie styled grandeur.Graced with four fender skirts, a 200-hp V-8, a Lucite steering wheel,and flowing lines, this awe-inspiring machine is such a unique work ofart, it's spurring the D & D Boys to fantasize about winning the "KentuckyDerby," Best in Show at Pebble Beach's Concours d'Elegance."After I bought the Lamborghini, I moved up to a ($330,000) BugattiAtalante, but the Lancia is on a far higher plateau," says D'Addario,walking around this convertible at Dragone's, and admiring it. "We'llput new chrome on it, rims, redo the interior and suspension, take thebody off, and get it ready for the show circuit (which also includes theMeadowbrook and Amelia Island exhibitions). While winning a prizewould be icing on the cake, I'm not into collecting to win trophies. I'mjust having fun, enjoying the beauty of this very historical and significantartwork."D'Addario's lineage, or Italian DNA, partially explains his passionatelove of mechanics (as George Dragone says, "style isan Italian thing. Women, watches, cars, we lovebeautiful things"). Equally influential, he also spentmost of his childhood around tough-talking craftsmenwho tended to their machines, both at workand in garages. It's quite understandable that he'sstill attracted to precision-oriented craftsmen, andto such Old World artisans like the Dragones."I always wanted to know how things work, andwhy they work," admits D'Addario, while driving to his country estate inPennsylvania a few days after visiting the Dragones. "With a car you're incontrol of the mechanics. With a watch, which is the ultimate in miniaturizedmachinery, it's totally different. You can't control time. Yet youcan at least look at the back of a watch, like my skeletonized ChronoswissOpus, and appreciate all the unbelievably crafted moving parts."Before D'Addario walks into his stone and cypress framed house tocollect his many watches, he shows off his own talent for design. Collaboratingwith a professional landscaper, he's styled an inviting, electrifiedplay house for his daughters, a cozy sitting area under a pergola,and a bocce court that doubles as a social gathering point.His rambling lawn is freckled with modern abstract sculpture, while inthe garage, alongside that devilishly "cool" Trotta chopper, D'Addariotakes another delightful journey into the past.Harking back to the Elvis, pre-Revolutionary days of the EisenhowerEra, a mint looking, aqua green and white Chevy Bel-Air convertibledominates one side of the garage. This 1955 prize with power brakesand power top has been meticulously restored to echo the spirit of BobbySoxers, James Dean, and the social/cultural lightening that would inevitablythunder across the American heartland."My wife says I'm obsessive/compulsive, but here I wanted every detailto be perfect, I'm just very fastidious," says D'Addario, referring tothe Bel-Air's restoration. "This car is very unique, particularly how it was38 WatchTime February 2005

CONNOISSEURSObsessive compulsive or simply fastidious? D’Addarioprides himself on getting the details perfect.redone. I wanted the 50's to come alive again." A reverence for eras isalso underscored by his $500,000 Fortress on Wheels. Reflecting the luxuriouslifestyle of the Great Gatsby class who escaped the Depression,D'Addario's 18-foot long, 1931 V-16 Cadillac Victoria overshadows allof his other automobiles. It doesn't have the sleek, fluid lines of theMoretti, or Lancia. Yet exhibited in a European museum for 26 years,this 16-cylinder Goliath, the only extant right-hand drive, two-door Victoriacrafted by the fabled Lancefield coach buildingfirm, exudes pure strength, the undeniable powerof the privileged.D'Addario has taken special pains to glorify this7,000 pound behemoth, and now that every detailfrom the hand-tooled dashboard, sumptuousbrown leather seats, dual silver horns, Jaeger clock,and "V-16" hood badge strikes the same precisionThere's still more that I can dofor my family and community,especially a few towns thatneed to be transformed economically.as a fine timepiece, he's ecstatic. "This classic is sheer perfection. Youjust have to look under the hood to know there's nothing like it in theworld."Leaving the garage, he lays a huge box onto a billiard table. Anotherenthralling show is about to begin. "This gold, rectangular-shaped Chopardwas given to my dad by Del. E. Webb (the real estate baron), "Dadwas always calling him in the middle of the night, so Webb gave him thistwo time zone watch to help him out," notes D'Addario proudly.Chuckling, D'Addario next displays one of his "real favorites," a1930's gray dialed, stainless steel Omega with a sub-seconds indicator.Admiring its understated simplicity, he delicately places it on the pooltable, then mischievously leaps into another time period. "Complementingmy Andy Warhols, and always getting a rise out of people, myAlain Silberstein is very very cool," demands D'Addario, holding his automaticRondo Smileday and explaining the symbols that give this geometricallyshaped watch its dramatic uniqueness. "This is real architecturefor your arm, a break with tradition. I love offbeat stuff. I always likeliving on the edge."This incorrigible "radical" has several playful watches, including astainless steel Hamilton Electric Ventura, a Cartier Roadster with red andwhite numerals and a Pasha. Relishing each of them, he recalls seeing animpeccably dressed Italian gentleman in a small Tuscany hill town on arecent vacation, and says, "Here he was, in a cashmere sweater and tie,wearing the perfect accessory, a beautiful watch. Italians love greatstyling. They feel at home with it. Style is instilled in our chromosomes.So are watches. We love beauty, craftsmanship, architecture, anythingwith a mechanical edge."D'Addario's fleet of exotic machines certainly underscores this ardorfor hand tooled wizardry. But these compelling cars aren't his onlyMichelangelos.Dramatically keeping his most heralded timepieces in his treasurechest until the last possible moment, he finally unveils a watch world'sversion of the Sistine Chapel: A Patek Philippe 5015 with a moon phase,power reserve and a half hunter case plus three other Pateks."I'm not frivolous, I'm not going to spend my money on nonsense, Iwant the best,' says D'Addario, who recently gave his wife a Patek PhilippeAquanaut studded with diamonds. "My dad wore gold watches,and while I got away from that, this (yellow) gold 5015 (with Breguethands) is wonderfully designed. There's so much going on with it, allthese complications, yet it also has terrific simplicity. It's just a beautifulpiece."D'Addario is equally bewitched by his Patek Philippe 5035 AnnualCalendar. A piece that he often wears to important business meetings,not to show off, but to signal where he's headed."I've worked hard, but there's still more I can dofor my family and community, especially a few townsthat need to be transformed economically," promisesD'Addario. "My father might think I've been a littlecrazy, buying all these cars and watches…but I'vestill lived by his words. He always told me to do theright thing, to have the highest standards, and I'vetried to do that in business, and in the things I enjoy."40 WatchTime February 2005