Thomas Mao, a doctor of psychology - organisational behaviour, management and leadership - is a leading watch collector who became so involved with his hobby that he started an independent website, ThePuristS.com, in 1997. Now it hosts a large and growing community of watch enthusiasts. It is highly respected by collectors and leading figures in the watch industry.
On his website, Dr Mao is known as ThomasM. He is of Chinese descent, was raised in the west and lives in the United States. He spends a great deal of time travelling in connection with his hobby and his website, meeting directors of leading watch companies and gaining insights into new models before they are launched.
He has been interested in watches for more than 30 years and has been collecting them for nearly as long.
'I have long believed that one must experience a passion, and not just read about it and imagine it in one's mind. In order to do this, one must not only have the interest, but the ability and commitment to realise this,' he said.
The idea of setting up his own website came about in response to frequent contact with other collectors. He found that some spoke authoritatively, but their knowledge was based on nothing but abstraction and reading a few magazines. Others, he said, 'donned the cloak of enthusiasm for ulterior motives, often commercial - manufacturers who claimed passion and the goal to produce the best, but for whom these were only empty marketing words. In reality, they delivered commercial mediocrity at best.'
This he found greatly frustrating, and one of his early consulting endeavours was to advise purists who were truly interested and who had the means and commitment to find companies, products and experiences that really delivered 'excellence in design and execution'.