From a life of travel to heading back home to the Philippines, Marco Lobregat’s lifestyle has changed since the pandemic. And he’s facing the new world with a new perspective: choosing what matters, picking the luxuries you can afford, and having his watch as a constant companion.
For Marco Lobregat, the world was never out of reach. Having lived in places like Japan, Switzerland, Finland, and Brazil as part of his work in media and advertising for the last two decades, everywhere was always just one plane ride away.
“My lifestyle was very much international, in the last three years, especially,” Marco says. “As I was living and working abroad, my main job was to produce country reports.”
This meant staying somewhere new for two to three months at a time, getting a feel of the place and making a home out of it for his stay. But early last year, the pandemic began to spread across the globe.
“Japan was one of the first countries that was being hit by the pandemic. I had to decide with my company what we would do. We pretty much sent everyone home.”
But home didn’t mean what it used to. With the whole world scrambling to deal with the outbreak, no one was traveling, and everyone was staying indoors. He first settled in Batangas, then moved to Zamboanga to be with family and stay in their resort.
While his globe-spanning life might be on hold for now, that doesn’t mean he’s stopped moving. Marco has been making the most of his time, exploring new cuisines, going on treks in the local parks and trails, developing ways for his family’s resort to be more sustainable.
Marco also reveals that he’s had a constant companion on his wrist: the iconic Frederique Constant Highlife Automatic COSC.
“Right here, not far, within your own country, within your own backyard there are experiences, and things you can do. You don’t have to be stuck”
With elegant, curving lines on the case and an overall clean presentation, the Highlife Automatic COSC offers a classic, versatile design that can be adapted to suit your lifestyle. A date window at the 3 o’clock position brings more functionality, and the globe design prominently etched into the dial reminds you that there is a world out there, still waiting to be explored.
The Highlife collection has a built-in mechanism that allows you to change straps without using any tools, adding to its versatility. With an integrated link on the case, you can switch between steel, leather, crococalf suede, or rubber straps. This lets you take the Highlife from the boardroom to the open road—or elsewhere.
The watch is built with a chronometer movement certified by the Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres (COSC). For a movement to earn this certification, it must first undergo a battery of tests for 15 days, in various temperatures and different positions, making sure that it keeps time to within -4/+6 seconds per day. This makes the resulting watch one of the most accurate by modern standards.
Still, the Frederique Constant Highlife Automatic COSC comes at a very attractive price, certainly much lower than other luxury watchmaking houses.
“I’m hoping to make wiser decisions. One of which is affording the right luxuries. And for me being able to be close to my family, being able to work with my hands and still do my work and have my creative ideas come to life are the luxuries I’m so happy to be able to afford right now,” Marco says. “And like the watch: it’s an affordable luxury. In terms of the calibre, it’s really bang for the buck.”
Making the right decisions means being mindful of what you do, where you go, and what to bring into your life. And during these changing times, where every single bit matters, choosing the right watch counts for a lot.
“Right here, not far, within your own country, within your own backyard there are experiences, and things you can do. You don’t have to be stuck,” Marco adds. “There are so many things I want to do in Zamboanga. I’ve picked up sailing, I want to try the experience of sailing a vinta here as well. This watch is going to be with me in everything I do.”
Marco still plans to travel. Somewhere close, in Mindanao, when things get better. But family, good food, a place to call home: that’s what matters now. That and a new perpective on your journey, wherever that might be or wherever you finally settle down.
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