About

THE NEW STANDARD IN WATCH GRADING AND SERVICING

Welcome to Timepiece Grading Specialists, the world’s first third-party watch verification and condition grading service. We don’t buy watches. We don’t sell watches. And the fact that we aren’t involved in the transaction gives us the impartiality necessary to give you the best, most unbiased evaluation of your watch.

As watch collectors navigating the secondary market, we’ve become accustomed to the idea that when we’re buying a watch, we’re buying the seller. So, we do our research, we scrutinize the photographs, we negotiate the price, and we hope for the best. But no matter how diligent we are, we still can’t be sure exactly what we’ll be getting when we make a purchase: maybe a dial has been repainted, or a crown has been replaced; perhaps the movement has been swapped out, or its condition isn’t quite what we had expected.

This is exactly why we created TGS — to empower the collector and remove the guesswork from buying a watch. It is our mission to offer watch collectors what sports card, comic book, and coin collectors have relied on for decades: a seamless third-party verification and grading service that allows them to buy with confidence.

At TGS, we have over 40 master watchmakers working in our state of the art, secure facility who will treat your watch as if it is one of our own. Our goal is to democratize the watch knowledge that is currently out of reach for so many. Because everyone deserves an expert in their corner.

We are more than just craftspeople at TGS, we’re watch lovers ourselves. And we believe that watches are not only timepieces, but marvels of engineering, artistry, and ingenuity, each with its own unique story. Let’s tell the story together — watch by watch.

“Buying a Panerai on the secondary market is always a dicey proposition, but knowing this had been graded by TGS allowed me to confidently buy a watch I had always wanted.”

Abe S.

Collector

BOARD OF ADVISORS

TGS is proud to have a Board of Advisors composed of highly respected professionals who encompass all aspects of horology and who share our belief that every collector deserves an expert in their corner. Their guidance and mentorship will be invaluable as we continue to innovate and grow.

CARA BARRETT

Cara Barrett has spent the last decade as a leader in the watch industry, with a career that has touched virtually every aspect of the watch world. After three years as a Watch Specialist at Sotheby’s, Cara joined HODINKEE as one of the founding employees. During her six years at HODINKEE, she became the defining female voice in watches and her work has been featured in the New York Times, Town & Country, and Coveteur. Her story, “All Watches Should Be Unisex – And Here’s Why,” created a shift in the industry and changed how watches are marketed and manufactured. After HODINKEE, Cara launched Parchie in late summer 2021, a fun and educational children’s watch brand named after her childhood imaginary friend. Parchie was an immediate success and has been praised by the likes of Vogue, the New York Times, and Forbes. Cara was born in Zurich, raised in London and Charleston, SC, and currently lives in New York with her husband and two children. She has a Masters in Fine and Decorative Arts from the Sotheby's Institute in London, and a BA in Art History from Southern Methodist University.

MORGAN KING

Morgan King is one of the most beloved and well respected watch collectors in the United States. His approach to watches is one of true passion and, as a result, he has assembled one of the premier sports watch collections in the world. His expertise in all things watches has led him to become a go-to consultant for multiple international watch brands. More than just the watches themselves, Morgan is most engaged with supporting and growing the watch community and has made himself an indispensable resource for both the novice collector and the most seasoned scholar. Whether he’s delighting you with an impromptu magic trick, double wristing with a watch on each arm, attending the latest pop-rock nostalgia tour, or fearlessly taking a selfie with anyone, Morgan is a true original, and a gift to the horological community.

WEI KOH

Wei Koh is a world-renowned journalist, watch aficionado, sartorialist, and connoisseur of all things that make life worth living. He is also the founder of the pioneering watch magazine, Revolution. First launched in 2005, Revolution has become one of the most influential printed magazines in the world and Wei’s unvarnished approach to the watch world has garnered him an international following and a reputation as one of the most knowledgeable and respected voices in horology. On the heels of Revolution’s success, Wei launched his next magazine and what has since become the bible of classic men’s style, The Rake. His career track has taken him from service in the Singaporean military, to the cow pastures of Montana, through the glittering lights of Hollywood, and now to the pinnacle of style, fashion, and horology. Born in New York, Wei now lives in Singapore with his new wife.

Van Simmons

Van has been at the forefront of the authentication and grading space for over 40 years. A rare coin collector since he was 12 years old and a rare coin dealer since 1979, Van co-founded PCGS (Professional Coin Grading Service) in 1985 which very quickly became the largest rare coin grading service in the world. With over 38 million coins graded to date, PCGS revolutionized the rare coin market by giving collectors and investors a level playing field. Van is also a founder and former board member of Collector’s Universe, a consortium of companies providing authentication and grading services to collectors of trading cards, video games, autographs, and more. Among their companies is PSA, the largest and most respected third-party authentication and grading company in the world for trading cards and memorabilia. A lifelong collector, Van has also earned acclaim in rare firearms, English and American pottery, California Art, Western memorabilia, Indian Peace medals, collectible knives and many other collectibles. To learn more about Van, you can visit his website vansimmons.com

Rob Staky

Rob has collected wristwatches since 2012 and has developed a discerning eye for collectible vintage and neo-vintage references, allowing him to build a world class collection and earning him the title of Collector of the Year by GQ magazine in 2022. More often identified by his pseudonym, Bazamu, Rob writes about his collection on his website (www.bazamu.com) and has been featured in media outlets such as GQ, The Atlantic, Hodinkee, Fratello Watches, Worn & Wound, and Collector’s Gene Radio. An investor by trade, Rob lives in Colorado with his wife and two children.

EMILY STOLL

Over the past 15 years, Emily has worked in the family business where she has risen to Senior VP of Business Development at Stoll & Co, one of the leading watch servicing companies in the world known for both its technical precision and commitment to quality. Her time spent in Switzerland exposed her to the inner workings of renowned Swiss brands, sharpening her skills in both luxury timepieces and international business. In addition to her responsibilities with Stoll & Co., Emily oversaw Carl F. Bucherer North America where she built and grew the brand’s presence in the competitive North American market. Emily also oversees the eBay Authenticity Guaranteed program she helped build, which ensures the authenticity of luxury watches sold not just in the United States, but across the world. Emily balances these demanding professional roles with her personal life in Dayton, where she lives with her husband and two children.

ERIC TORTELLA

Ever since his father, Mr. Gabriel Tortella Sr. founded Antiquorum with Osvaldo Patrizzi in 1974, and the GPHG in 2001, Eric’s life has centered around the field of watches. For the past 45 years, Eric has built his professional career in the sector and has become a pre-eminent scholar in the field. Cataloguing over 300,000 pieces, Eric has written over 25 academic books and created the largest database, platform, and body of research on the subject of rare and vintage watches, especially Patek Philippe. Eric has and continues to advise international museums, brands, auction houses and some of the world’s most esteemed private collectors. His highly detail-oriented approach has led him to conduct studies on behalf of brands and major auction houses, collating their official archives and producing unparalleled in-depth research. Eric has had the honor of producing the research on many of the most important and unique pieces to have ever appeared at auction and those which still remain in private hands; conducting forensic like analysis of the most important pieces globally, including the Grave’s Ultra Complication which sold for approximately $25M in 2014.

GABRIEL TORTELLA

Gabriel, a certified master watchmaker with a specialty in vintage timepieces, utilizes his insights and investigational skill to bring a unique perspective to Tortella & Sons. Representing the third generation of his family in this field, Gabriel benefits from the vast scholarship of his predecessors and continues to build on this further, by leveraging his individual horological skill and knowledge. To this experience must be added the investments made in the most advanced observational equipment available and the ability to apply the latest in technology tools to his in depth study of timepieces.
Gabriel’s expertise has led him to be a trusted source of knowledge for both auction houses and some of the most discerning collectors in the world. From legendary pieces which have appeared publicly, to those which remain in private collections, Gabriel has personally inspected some of the very finest and most rare Patek Philippe, Rolex, and other luxury watches with his own hands from his base in the heart of Geneva, allowing for an unprecedented insight into some of the world’s most treasured pieces.

TONY TRAINA

Tony Traina is a watch scholar, editor, podcaster, and the founder of Unpolished, an independent newsletter for collectors and enthusiasts. A former editor at Hodinkee, Tony has also written for leading publications including GQ, Highsnobiety, A Collected Man, Sotheby’s, and Revolution. While practicing as a corporate attorney, Tony began writing about watches and created the blog Rescapement, which quickly became an indispensable source for scholarly and well-researched pieces on vintage watches, collecting, and the watch industry as a whole. Tony eventually left the law to pursue a career in watches. With Unpolished, Tony combines original reporting, historical research, market analysis, and candid commentary, with a particular passion for vintage and collectible watches. Based in Chicago, he is known for his independent perspective and thoughtful approach to the culture of watch collecting.

FRED SAVAGE, FOUNDER

Fred has worked in the entertainment industry as an actor, director, writer, and producer, for the past 40 years. His work has been honored by the Emmys, the Golden Globes, the Critic’s Choice Awards, the Director’s Guild of America, the American Film Institute, and he most recently won a Peabody Award for excellence in television. Fred’s life long passion for watches has enriched his life in a multitude of ways, taking him across the globe where he has spoken on collecting and the industry as a whole. A member of the prestigious Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève, as well as the Horological Society of New York, Fred and his collection have been profiled in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, GQ, and Hodinkee Magazine. Fred is a graduate of Stanford University and lives in Los Angeles with his wife, his three children, and his mini goldendoodles, Frida and Saffy

RON STOLL,
CHIEF WATCH OFFICER

In 1982, Ron founded Stoll & Co, which has since become synonymous with excellence in the watch servicing and repair business. With upwards of 60 watchmakers and timepiece experts, Stoll & Co is a leading provider of watch repair services to watch manufacturers, luxury brands, retail jewelers and consumers throughout the globe, servicing over 15,000 watches each month. Since 2020, Stoll & Co has been the exclusive watch authenticator for Ebay, evaluating every watch sold valued over $2000 for their Authenticity Guaranteed program. Ron Stoll's passion has always been fast moving, precision engineering and persistent drive for excellence. This brought him to creating a career in watchmaking and his hobby of racing formula race cars.