This week, we bring to you an interview with a very special lady. Barely in her 20s, Maria Giovanna was born into the business. The daughter of a well known dealer, Maria Giovanna and her father Elvio have a beautiful shop in Padova Italy, called Tempvs. Majoring in business economics at university, Maria Giovanna realized early on that her heart was really in the family business, and as such started working with her father. An active player on the international watch scene, its always a pleasure to run into her, wether at the auctions in Geneva, an IWJG show in the USA, or at the Parma Fair. Read her thoughts about vintage Rolex in this week's Horological Minute.

What was your first watch?

My first watch was an old Datejust Lady in steel an gold with a white dial. It was a present from my mother for my 14th birthday. I was young and completely inattentive, and so during a trip I lost it. I was sad but actually not so much because for me it was just a 'thing' and I have never been materialistic. When I told my mother that I lost the watch she started crying, as it was a present of her deceased father to her. My heart broke and from that moment I started to understand that behind a watch, most of the times, there is a story, that is much more important than the object on itself. From that moment I started to love watches through my desperate research of a similar watch to the one that I had lost. I never found it back, each time there was something different, the year of production, the dial, the bracelet,... Probably it was me that wasn't able to admit it, but the value of the watch I had lost was simply priceless.

What was the last watch you bought?

A DayDate 1804 in white gold with a light blue stella dial with diamond index. It's a very bright watch, both feminine and masculine, and after the DayDate auction of May 2015 they've become a must have in every watch collector's collection.

Do you prefer vintage or modern?

Without a doubt, vintage.

Can you remember your last great meal? Where was it and what did you eat?

My last great meal was at the Aria Steakhouse restaurant in Forte dei Marmi (LU), Italy. I was there with some friends and we started with an amazing plate of Jamon Iberico Reserva, PataNegra my favourite appetizer in the world, it had a smooth texture and rich, savory taste, one of the best i've tried in Italy. But the best is yet to come, as the main dish we ordered..... Kangaroo steak! I never tried it, the taste is a little bit sweet, but the meat is low in fat. I actually prefer a more fat cut of meat but come on, where you can find Kangaroo meat so far from Australia? I'm a curious person and I always look for something new and trust me it's not easy to find! The whole dinner was accompained by a Sassicaia 2006.

Do you remember what watch you were wearing?

The watch I was wearing was a Submariner 5513 with Gilt stardust dial. A very nice watch.

What do you love about vintage Rolex?

The history of a watch. I'm an hopeless romantic, and I'm totally fascinated by the romance, Rolex more than the others brands hold the most interesting story that vary from the previous owner history, to the timeline laps in which they where produced. Wearing a piece of history is something, for me that's priceless.

Strap or bracelet?

Actually I have a problem.... My wrist is so small that most of the time I have to wear strap because bracelet will be totally unbalanced on my wrist, Rolex fit on my wrist with only 8 links but you must have at least 9 links to close a Oyster bracelet. Patek and Audemars are harder than ever for me to be worn. That's why I will answer strap, always.

GMT/EXPLORER/SUB/DAYTONA or........?

I'm in love with the Submariner, because they present a clean dial without claim to fill up an empty space. I personally get crazy for chocolate/tropical dials, and a gilt 5513 for me is simply the best.

What do you want to see come out from Rolex at the next Basel Fair?

I hope to finally see the new steel Daytona with ceramic bezel. Rolex, in these years, has refreshed all its sport models from the Submariner to the GMT, through the Yacht-Master and the Milgauss, they produced all these models from a new innovative point of view, all except for the Daytona that since the 2000s looks always the same. I expect an innovative design for the dial, but something that will not go far from the clean and tidy one of the 60s model.

Can you tell us about the most interesting watch you’ve ever found/owned?

The most interesting watch i've ever found was a 1665 DRSD that I was able to buy from the original owner. The patina and case were really unbelievable!

What's on your wrist today?

A Rolex 6239 Daytona retailed by Tiffany & Co.