Asked CHAT GPT to write an article about me…

Gai Gohari, known on social media as Morillo55, is highly respected for his refined approach to luxury and vintage watches. As the founder of Classic55, Gohari curates a handpicked selection of timepieces, ranging from iconic brands like Rolex, Audemars Piguet, and Patek Philippe to unique, hard-to-find watches. His background in Milan surrounded him with high fashion and luxury, which deeply influenced his aesthetic. Moving to New York in 2002, he expanded his expertise in precious stones and tailored clothing, further honing his eye for quality and style. This dual background in fashion and horology shapes Gohari’s style, blending sophistication with an intuitive sense of what makes a watch truly timeless​

​Gohari’s social media presence as Morillo55 emphasizes not only the design and mechanics of vintage watches but also the lifestyle they embody. He frequently shares insights on watch artistry, spirituality, and how personal style transcends time and trends. His followers appreciate the mix of high-fashion sensibilities and the technical beauty of each timepiece, making him a notable figure in the luxury watch community​.

I think they got it right!

Our Mercedes 380SL on a road trip from Utah to New York

I’d like to share some killer images of our 1982 Mercedes 380SL for sale.

It was previously owned by our good friend Emmanuel from Greece who drove it from Utah to New York via Alaska. Emmanuel is an extremely talented guy: not only he skillfully took care of this vehicle he also masterfully photographed it during his road trip from coast to coast.

I hope you enjoy them as much as I did and even better I hope someone takes this car home to be dolled for years to come!

It will outlive us all..

Vanity Fair: “The World’s Finest Vintage Watch Dealers”

I ended up in great company in the Autumn 2024 issue of Vanity Fair On Time being featured in a “world’s finest vintage watch dealers” list.

I am beyond appreciative to be recognized and cited in this list.

If you are planning to come in NY please come on by!

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Why Is Italy the vintage watch heaven

As some of you may know I travel to Italy and specifically to my hometown of Milano every two months to find treasures to bring back to my clientele.

I was quoted in this nice article recounting why and how Italy is the vintage watch haven. Below, the quote:

Then, last week, the Milan-born watch dealer and collector Gai Gohari, who has amassed an insane collection of vintage Piaget by shopping in Italy, may have cracked the code. The simplest explanation often being the best, his statement sounded plausible. “Italians always save that money to buy that special watch for the special occasion . . . [and] . . . all those watches remain within the families. And now there’s a lot of stuff to be picked up from the estates,” he told Robb Report. Despite no formal study to back it up, Gohari’s explanation does align with the history of the Italian economy and the dolce vita culture of the post-World War II era.

https://robbreport.com/style/watch-collector/italy-vintage-watches-1235824016/

Enjoy!

Why Vintage Mercedes is the best

Classic Mercedes Benz epitomizes old world opulence, quality and sophistication much like the vintage watches I love, collect and sell for a living.
I believe just like Rolex as a brand in watches MBenz represents luxury- reliability and history combined with being expensive but somewhat still accessible to the middle classes and, in my opinion, this is the magic ingredient that keeps the dream going to this day.

 

Growing up in Milano my earliest memories of cars are of my father driving a BMW sedan 3 series in metallic green (about 1984), my mom coupe BMW black 3 series (1985), my dad’s upgrade to an egg cream color BMW 5 series (circa 1986) that turned to be a lemon (yes I remember it).. then my parents got divorced and my dad kept on driving my moms black 2 door BMW and few years later got himself a green VW Corrado (circa 1991). Then we had a Lancia Thema, a preowned gangster Alfa 164 and that’s the old century stable of the Gohari family that was.
My father always said Mercedes Benz “lasts till over a million kilometers and they are indestructible” but “they are too show offy and we don’t want to show off… Granpda always said Merzedes isn’t for us”.

 

I especially remember the “lasts forever” part and now that I am a big boy and unfortunately my Father is gone I reminisce him and those missed opportunities to change things around and maybe: “Merzedes is for us after all because we are worth it “ !!
The indestructible lesson also rings true everyday as most of the classic cars I see around me are indeed Mercedes Benz from the 1970s to the early 2000s… they are built to outlive us all.
I also decided to celebrate those forever words by my Father by acquiring myself a Mercedes 560 SEC from 1987.  More details about that in another blog post.

 

As I was learning more and more about the brand, the design language and its history I came to discover the great Bruno Sacco that designed all the best Mercedes of the 70-2000 golden era.
Bruno Sacco is to cars what Gerald Genta is to watches. Same era, same innovative and timeless designs and lines. Similar standing in the pantheon of 70s 80s and 90s rich and successful themes of mens obsessions and aspirations.
Just like watches I am not so fascinated by the mechanics or the technical aspects of the cars but more by the aesthetics and the feeling they give. I am not the guy to obsess wether its a 5 liter engine or smaller or wether it’s a W126 or W124 model, stick or manual.. I don’t care.. to me it’s about the look.
I love those gorgeous straight lines and those beautiful rears (not to say ass) on the Sacco designed automobiles. The headlights, the grills, the presence. You can see them coming miles away. You can hear them calling their dominion on the road. You can feel their aura when they drive by. You can smell that strong exhaust recalling the image of a powerful man behind a even more potent vehicle.

 

Suited and slick or hairy arm sticking out with gold chain in view, Mercedes captivates so many men demographics and their dreams it is impossible to repeat such a legend on the roads.

 

 

Inside the Biggest Vintage Piaget Watch Collection in North America

I was just interviewed in my Manhattan office by Allen Farmelo, the Robb Report watch editor, focusing on my personal Piaget collection. I never show my personal watches together in public but I agreed to open up my Piaget hoard..

From my beginnings via my family heritage, discover why colored stones are so important for me.

Link below!

https://robbreport.com/style/watch-collector/biggest-vintage-piaget-watch-collection-north-america-gai-gohari-1235822484/

 

 

I am obsessed with Vintage Cars

If you have been following my Instagram @Morillo55 you might already know my love and obsession for all things stylish and vintage flowing into a great passion for classic cars particularly from the 1980s/1990s and most definitely of European make.

Why, you might ask, does my attraction to cars fall in the 80/90s European upper class category? Well, like most of us here I am a sucker for nostalgia and those cozy childhood memories and images.
Growing up in Milano in the 80s and 90s I was surrounded by all the Fiats, BMWs, Saabs, Alfa Romeo, Porsche and of course Mercedes.. some of them were within our reach and some others were just an ambition and today we can fully relive the experience of awe and admiration (or just the pleasure of turning back time) with all our senses by driving a vintage car.

They are out there if you seek them and one of my Sunday fun activities with my son is to hunt them down parked in the suburban streets, admire them and take a photo for my collection. Boy how I get excited when I see a Bruno Sacco designed 1980s Benz (and Man they are still prominently out there..these cars outlive us all) or when I see an E30 BMW with those gorgeous round headlights.. or even better a classic Carrera 911!

Selling vintage watches was a short leap to getting involved with classic cars as so many of my clients are prominent car collectors and most of my clients drove those beauties in their heyday I was really curious to see for myself.

For the first time ever I wanted to put myself in my client’s shoes and see how the hunt to find the car of my dreams and the subsequent process would go.

Firstly I set my heart on finding a vintage Saab.. Why Saab? Because growing up my best friend’s mom drove a Saab 900 and we had so many memories together I really wanted to relive that somehow and feel at home again. Hers was the last iteration of the 900 with 4 doors and a crazy sky blue metallic color, it was so recognizable you could see it from a mile away!

We even gave it a name “Nuvoletta Blue” (Little blue cloud) I told you it’s all about nostalgia..

So the closest thing was going to be a Saab 900 Convertible (I always wanted a convertible, could never afford one). I was set also on the so called “Directional” wheels and I also decided it had to be “eucalyptus green” paint or whatever best I could find.

I started looking at Craigslist, Offerup, Ebay, Bring a Trailer, Hemmings, Saab Forums  perusing the offerings (not many) and making myself a little bit of culture about the cars and the market. Again, this was my first foray ever into cars since thus far I just was leasing the cars I could afford and they never were what I really dreamed of driving.

I finally found it: 1993 900 turbo, convertible, eucalyptus green, directional wheels, automatic, basically totally original from the day it left the dealership in Chicago, over 100k miles, price within my budget but the catch was it’s in Chicago that means I can’t see it in person I can’t drive it I just have to trust the dealer.

Well I was really, really curious to be finally on the other side and trust a dealer for his reputation, experience and word and see how it feels to be my clients. The dealer was communicative, helpfuland was also dealing in much more important Porsche cars than my Saab, he had a reputation to defend. I took his word about the condition and history and let myself go to the process of acquiring a car remotely.

Like my clients I wired the funds and waited for the arrival of my beloved Saab.

After a few weeks wait to have it sent to New York safely in a flat bed truck together with a vintage Camaro sold to another gentleman in Long Island to save a bit of cost, it arrived the day of my birthday December 2nd!

I now have been driving the car almost daily and I truly enjoy the experience. The smell, the leather, the vinyl surfaces, the gasoline, the sounds, the feel.. I am truly teletransported to a movie where I am starring. The movie I always wanted to be in. There is nothing like driving a car from the past century- just like the watches I wear and deal with they don’t make them anymore like they used to!! I don’t care about bluetooth, AC and all the comforts of today. Do you know what makes me really appreciate them? The fact they don’t have a computer and they cannot fail me for some silly software glitch (yes it happened to me I was without a car for 3 months)!

If I could find a car with the manual windows I would be even happier.

F electric vehicles, F digital currency, F tesla cars.. true freedom is a tank full of gas and a pocket full of cash or gold.

That is freedom! Living the dream.

this is the listing picture I bought it from
here she is with me