Every second counts for master chef Eric Ripert.

When he was nine years old, Eric Ripert received a Parisian fashion watch called Lip as a gift from his father. When he was 15, he received a Cartier Santos from his mother. Today the world-renowned chef is a bona fide collector—and a man to whom time is of the utmost importance.

Ripert’s legendary reputation for quality and perfection brought him to nearby New York City with famed Le Bernardin, then on to Philadelphia’s inner circles with 10 Arts Bistro & Lounge. “I love Philadelphia as a city. It’s accessible and fun,” says Ripert. “I even ended up buying an apartment here.” In the end, however, what is more critical than the city is the timing involved in all aspects of his business. “Accuracy is key, and that depends greatly on having the correct timing with everything— cooking, service,” he says. “With cooking and pastry, a few seconds too much or a few too little can ruin a dish. Cooking involves precision, and precision means time.”

In fact, for Ripert, time has been a direct contributor to his success as a chef. He admits that he was in the “right place at the right time” when he joined Le Bernardin, neither too old nor too young to take on the position—which he has since parlayed into a partnership and other opportunities such as 10 Arts. “When I first walked into Le Bernardin as an employee, I remember looking at my [Cartier Santos]. I knew it was a special moment, a turning point in my life. I will never forget that time—it was exactly 7:40 am, on June 11, 1991. I will remember that forever.” In his early days as a cook, seconds mattered most on a daily basis.
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Now, as an executive chef, Ripert is chiefly concerned with minutes and hours, an obsession that has led to his watch collection. “I actually love to collect watches,” says Ripert. “I have about a dozen watches; many of them are made by the Swiss label Vacheron Constantin. It’s hard for me to pick one favorite from my collection. I would say I have a watch for the moment, and today it is definitely the Vacheron Constantin American 1921 Boutique New York. I love the design and how it feels on my wrist. I also love the fact that I own number seven of only 64 watches created, since I believe seven to be a lucky number. Recently, when I received my American 21 as a gift from my partner at Le Bernardin, Maguy Le Coze, together with Vacheron Constantin, she conspired to have this exact time [I started there] and date inscribed on the watchcase. It was an incredible and touching gesture.”