Jimmy Chin co-directed (with his wife Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi) one of the great films about mountain climbing, the documentary Free Solo, which won a bunch of gongs (Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, a BAFTA and seven Primetime Emmy’s). But as well as making films about adventurous exploits (including The Rescue, the story of how a junior football team was saved after being stranded in an underwater cave in Thailand), Chin is himself a professional mountain athlete, who in 2006 was part of a team that made the first successful American descent of Everest, from the summit, on skis. He is also a New York Times Best Selling author and National Geographic photographer. And now, a watch designer, as he explains.
I’ve just designed a watch for Bremont, collaborating with their designer and CEO Davide Cerrato, who brought his depth of knowledge and expertise in watchmaking, and his instincts, to the project. It’s called The Terra Nova Jimmy Chin Chronograph, Bi-colour, a chronograph in steel and rose gold. And I love it.
The interesting thing is that when we first started talking about this project, Davide was asking all about what I needed for my expeditions – the functions, the toughness, the performance. And I said that’s fine, but it’s only one part of my character. Sure I’m an athlete and explorer and I live in Jackson Wyoming with a view of the Teton mountains from my house, but I also live some of the time in New York City where I have to go to red carpet events and galas and wear a tux. What I wanted was to create a watch that could work in both environments, and that’s exactly what we did.
So yes, it’s a chronograph tool and is as tough as Bremont watches are famous for being, and on the back it has a see-through crystal so you can see the mechanics, which is laser engraved with a view of the Grand Teton mountain, the highest in the Teton Range, that I love. But then there is the rose gold – the accents on the chronograph pushers and crown and bezel – that gives it real elegance.
I mention this because the watch symbolises the two sides of my life. And my tip for Secret Trips reflects the same duality.
First off I’d recommend a place in Hong Kong. The Upper House, which is an amazing hotel. The bar upstairs at the Upper House is very, very nice. The view is unbelievable, and the seating is very intimate. It’s like a discovery when you go in there. And it definitely speaks to my metropolitan side.
But then at the other end of the scale is Dornans bar in Jackson, Wyoming. That’s where we go after we climb in the Tetons. And when you’re sitting at the bar, you’re looking at the entire mountain range through the windows. It’s just slightly off the road, so it’s perfect. It’s like a jewel in Jackson, where I live; it opened in 1922 and I’ve been going there forever, because when you finish climbing in the Tetons it’s the perfect place, because you get to sit down and look up at the mountains you’ve just climbed. There’s also a deck upstairs for when it’s warm enough to sit outside. In the summertime it’s unbelievable, you’re just sitting outside looking at the spectacular view. But in winter it’s too cold to sit out there, obviously.
I’ve been living in Jackson for over 25 years, and I climb the Tetons regularly, all summer, and in the winter I ski. They are literally in my backyard – my house is probably five minutes from the south entry of Grand Teton National Park. It’s beautiful, and you can go off trail there. And then come back and visit Dornan’s.
Terra Nova Jimmy Chin Chronograph, Bi-colour, 42.5mm in 904L steel and 18ct rose gold, limited to an edition of 100, £6,750; Rose Gold version, limited to 15 pieces, £26,950
