Meet the most famous watch dealer on the planet! Nico Leonard He's best known for roasting celeb watches, selling multi-million dollar timepieces, and being the most subscribed watch expert ever. But it wasn't always this way today. I Want to understand what makes Nico Tech This means diving into his background, his businesses, and his deepest insecurities. This is a story you don't want to miss a second of as you've never seen him open up like this before.

This is this is something I haven't um in many years if you know what I mean. so so let's wind his racks the richest story back to the beginning Now as I understand it, you were brought up in Amsterdam and you moved to Ireland So what initiated that big move? a change in life and either the change in life, desperately being unhappy, being lost, just a change of scenery, change of friends I wasn't rolling in the red circles and I wanted to achieve something in my life I just wanted to be happy and and I wasn't So what was the dream? I had the opportunity to prove myself in Northern Ireland Playing football I moved to Northern Ireland packed everything I had but unfortunately I broke my ankle in literally my first month so your dreams came shattering down there. So how did that feel mentally I mean that's uh, that puts a big void in your life I was devastated achieving becoming a footballer. That was my main goal.

It was all I knew I wasn't doing well at school I don't have any diplomas. That's all I wanted to do and that's all I did when I was younger I didn't achieve it I let my parents down and and I've lived with that for many years after my parents gave up everything for me to to to make the to clear the road. So I can I can play football and I I can maybe even make it a job I Remember my first surgery and my left knee. it was just a simple surgery you called a meniscus surgery drill three holes to do a camera and fix whatever they fix and over with we all thought that was it.

but all of a sudden listen to First surgery. We found the problem and we couldn't fix it and it's like okay, talk to me, how do we fix it It's like we'll have to reconstruct your entire knee and this and that and it's like but like, what does that mean what does that mean it meant like that I had like like five or ten percent chance to play football again. That's the first time I've ever seen my father cry that was rough. That was rough at that time I have never experienced pain in my life like it, right? If you're ever in a moment of absolute desperation, ask yourself this question God if you exist, show yourself because now I need you the most.

Don't put that off camera please. but I you. But the thing is, it's 17. You're You're not equipped to be able to deal with these emotions.

Are you no trouble? This is. this is something I haven't um in many years if you know what I mean. So wow I don't know if I told myself this I don't know if I fell asleep I don't know whatever it is because I always try to look at things very rational black and white. but damn right.

I had a period where I had no pain. how to break me in that way like me, you see the ball or what. Thank you Brian opinion in the watch business as it is today is the first time I actually succeed in life after everything I've done I didn't do well at school in anything I've ever done every job I've ever had I I got fired. Do you have a problem with authority? Yes significantly.

Yeah. yeah. and I'm always late as well. Yeah I mean I have a similar problem with being bossed around at work and I think we resigned in a similar way.

I mean I literally had enough and I went. That's it I'm going. there's my notice I'm off and I think you had a similar situation I remember me driving into the office and you need to go into the basement and that's the parking your Park up and I remember opening the door and I stepped out of the car and I knew when I looked around that this was going to be the last time I'm going to be here. it's really weird and I resigned there and then within 15 minutes I jumped back in the car.

Here guys, look at it. It's a safe job. Wow! So what you see here is basically everything from about a thousand pounds upwards to a half a mil to even further than that, from extremely rare vintage to really really cool quirky watches. Everything you see is watches that I really, really love.

and that's what I want to display watches that I love. That's the watches I want to sell. That's why I don't sell certain brands I refuse to sell certain brands because I just don't like them. It's passion above profit.

That's how I approach it so you didn't have a job, you didn't have any plans. what was your first move? Funnily enough in any of my companies that I have I've never written a business plan I just knew I just wanted to go into the watch world I Always I'm obsessed with watches and and I fixed and repaired watches as a side hustle making a few quid. but how do you make money with watches and that's literally literally where I looked at I can either go go ahead with repairing and fixing watches, but I'm not making really good money. not good enough to maintain myself.

Let's try sell it then. So what was the first watch you bought and sold? Tutor Palagos Breitling Navidimer and a Rolex datejust reference number one, One, six, two, three, four black dial. so stray in straight in. no kissing, no plan B If you give yourself the slightest possibility did you have a safety net or there's an exit and you'll never ever push yourself to the Limit Never.

Well, selling one or two watches is one thing, but scale in that. How did you bridge the gap I got a lot of help, a lot of incredible people. Um, I was a I'm a foreigner in a country that isn't mine selling watches with a bit of my car I Mean that's mad, isn't it? That's mad I Don't get why people actually trusted me at the time I wouldn't have like a guy that no one knows who are you I could have easily swapped it for a fake one. that's not me in my small way.

I Wanted to make a small impact on the watch watch industry. so how does it feel to have this? Vault here with this massive collection of watches, It is a really really special feeling. I'm not very often in the shop anymore, but to give you an idea, when I started my business and when I got the shop fitted and it cost me about 26 or 25 000 pounds to fit the store up and that was the last money I had at the time I didn't really have any watches because I had to sell everything to build the shop I said here on that chair for two and a half years. every single day at eight o'clock sharp till six o'clock every single day including a Sunday So just try to sell some watches and the funny videos I didn't even have a cart machine I've sat on that chair for two and a half years every day.

no daylight, nothing just to build the business to where it is now. It's unbelievable. like it's great in it. So what's the most expensive watch you've ever sold Because that's got to put you on such a high as well.

The most expensive what's up my team and myself I've ever sold was seven million US Dollars Seven million dollars. So was that one lump sum. Here's a watch. Here's seven million dollars.

No, it was different. it was. Here's the money here. you have the watch in.

Reverse So you always mention your team and you're very respectful of those. Yeah, why couldn't you have made it on your own? You're only as good as the people you have around you, right? And I have incredible people around me, right? And and genuinely to to scale a business you can. No one can ever skill a business alone. It's impossible.

You can have an idea you can have Visionary you're not a superhuman, right? I am not very good at organizing things I am most probably the most chaotic person on the planet, but if I commit to something I do it and I will finish that job. Why? I Wouldn't be able to do it with my team is because everyone has his qualities well. I Think the mark of a good businessman is to recognize someone that can do something better than yourself. And as soon as you get to that stage, you keep recognizing parts of your business that can be done better by someone else.

Yeah, Exactly. Hello. Oh yeah. All right Stephanie Leave Mark.

Ashley Did you say yeah? All right. So this is where the magic happens. Admin offers my personal life and all sorts of things are being arranged here. I Mean that's a job I Like the mural on the wall so this is the Amsterdam Arena This is a surprise.

This was Stephen's surprise. Uh, whenever we moved in a bit of home it's a bit of home and a pitch I was supposed to play more magic James is all those photos did you see on Instagram these beautiful photos? That's James exactly. So everything was going well, so was it plain sailing from there on? not really. No.

tell me about it. Covered head, covert changed my life. The coronavirus is the biggest threat this country has faced for decades. Clothes, all shops.

You must stay at home. Our business stopped me. No one was buying nothing I didn't know what to do I was panicking I took off my stock and sold as a big big losses I gave up on my company on the first week of lockdown I gave up I just gave up. it was done I failed I failed the game I'm disa I'm a disappointment again I slept with you for a long time.

This disappointment thing. Yes yeah, not being good enough, not being good enough. No, that's my entire life I Always had the feeling I had to fight and I always had the feeling I had to prove myself after a week of feeling sorry for myself I just mind up and the first thing I did is I called Stephen the manager at Goldsmith Stephen I know we've talked about this from for a very long time and I always joked about but I'm dead serious. Are you joining my business and I don't know if I can afford you but are you joining my business because we? because I can't do this alone I Can't save this ship alone I Can't save this ship.

the sailing ship that is that is now floating somewhere without any direction I Can't save this myself I need your help. There's a quarter of a million here on this bank account. With all the I've sold right, it's going to be a risk and I'm not going to promise anything. but it's gonna.

It's basically do or die. From that moment we started thinking, how can we? How can we? How can we? do this? We need to fix the website. We need to fix this. So what started the YouTube Journey The fact that we needed an alternative way of marketing.

We needed a different way of marketing. We needed to save the business because that bank account that quarter of a mill was going down very, very fast and starting YouTube for an older chap isn't the easiest thing in the world to do. Is it I know, Are you calling the experience? Are you calling me older? Well, I'll call myself a young 55 so that's about 45. I'll call you an older 35 so that made you 45.

So I reckon we're on a level here. All right, Fair enough. Fair enough, but it's quite a daunting thing. Isn't it starting a YouTube channel? It saved my life.

It saved the business and it gave everyone a job today. Oh my. God This is so official. Nothing against China Oh we got 100 Caffeine is good for me.

Film as much as you want. It's my baby. I Will get a tattoo a very good morning from California Subscribe You found a niche where you roast celebrities about their watches and watch collections. Have you ever had any Kickback from that recently I Did for the first time.

Yes. Funny enough. I Got my first lawsuit. Wow.

Brilliant did you enjoy opening that I'm actually laughing my balls I Was just gonna say did you laugh at it or did you cry because it's one or the other normally. No. I laugh I laugh at it for the simple reason that the person that sues me it's not even in the title of the video or it's not even about this person that that just that just was really funny. But you know what, whenever you you have a bit of success in life, people will try and grab it.

three people, other people will try and get some of that success from you. The only thing is this guy is gonna get absolutely nothing. The more money you have the more people are trying to grab a bit of it. Yeah yeah, this is me being an absolute amateur, right? You forgot the keys No I lost the remote to that garage that door and I can't find it for the life of me.

Yeah, absolute legendary car. You know this car has seen some tarmac. I Drove this to the south of Spain from Belfast I drove this to Monaco from Belfast This car has been through most of Europe This is a true Grand Tour and a true Grand Tour and a true Ferrari as it should be a V12 it's a lovely machine. You also got a G wagon is what I understand aye the G-Wagon G63 Unbelievable card.

A piece just like noise. So you're currently the most famous watch expert on the planet. What's life like? Now you know what? Fame is the biggest drug in the world by a mile now I have no experience with cocaine I was going to ask that I have no experience with cocaine I have explained this is natural you All right? that's not. This is natural to me, but it is the biggest drug that I know of.

It's given me so much confidence confidence I've lagged 99 99 of my life. It given me a purpose, it given me, It's given me a voice something I always felt I never had. so that's how it feels. It feels incredible and uh, yes, I'm incredibly grateful for that.

So I guess the follow-up question is where'd you spend your money I had a period where when when I first started making some real good money I had a period where I was bought all sorts of designer clothes and private jets and all sorts of things I I was really living that lifestyle but you know what? I had to do that to get it out your system to get it out of my system right? and my my and this is how important your surroundings are. My surroundings literally pulled me out of it. Uh, the people that I have around me and and and Johnny and Steven and and Mrs everyone so wise up Nico right? Spending 20 grand to go to the Netherlands on a private jet when you can get an EasyJet wise up now I'm spending money on wiser things such as: Stephen really got me back involved in football right? Stephen had this idea the sponsor of football club a northern Irish Premiership football club called Lauren FC life goes in mysterious ways. well I Always think you can't leave a passion in the past because when you've been so passionate about something, it's going to crop up later on.

Yeah, which it has with you. that fear that I always have in me was slowly going away. All of a sudden I started to meet the players as a sponsor and I felt the dressing room again. something I missed for so many years.

like being in a dressing room with your boys even if you play Sunday League all the painter that is. oh that's just special. just felt like I was part of something. They're pretty cool isn't it? It's unreal I Want to have fun and and and and bring passion.

bring my passion into football and and make try to make a small impact and and add value add value to the community and value to. Northern Ireland Northern Ireland is a country Northern Ireland There's a league and value is the key where all the sacrifices you made along the way worth it. Every bit of misery, every tier, every sacrifice, every pain, everything has brought me to where I am Now this is maybe a really stupid question, but have you ever stood in front of a mirror, butt naked and looked at yourself like you're a piece of that moment When you when you stand in that mirror, when you feel so unhappy, there is not a moment in life where someone feels worse than that 100 because the only person that you should love is yourself. First, if you don't even love yourself, how can you expect to love someone else? Well You certainly made an impact, right? I I Uh yeah.

I Think so Yeah yeah. I Just wanted to sell watches in In Belfast Just out of the small first out of my card and out of a small shop. Never in my life did I think that I would even be remotely close to where I am today. I Think that there's not a single person in the watch world that doesn't know my name.

It's a bit, uh, a bit humbling. It's special. I'm living further than my dream has ever reached. It's crazy.