Marc Markovic, a construction contractor in Geneva, is the perfect character for Paul Morand‘s novel, “The Man in a Hurry“. The protagonist, Pierre, has created a whole universe for himself to waste as little time as possible. Portrait of a reality that exceeds fiction.
Albert J. de Buttes-LaCôte, JSH Magazine & Swiss-Watch-Passport.ch’s journalist
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At 5:30 a.m., Marc Marcovic takes a quick look at his Bulova before starting his car. This construction contractor mechanically turns on the radio…
It’s a strange song that comes on every day at the same time. He repeats the refrain from My Year is a Day: “The thoughts are racing through my head. Oh my God, will they change?” This watch enthusiast hasn’t seen the year go by. Running from site to site, Marc got lost in the corridors of time. Back to reality, the phone rings to remind him of his first appointment at 6:15. On the phone, a voice worried: “Marco, our meeting starts in twenty minutes, where are you?” – Five minutes from downtown Geneva. In reality, his car was stuck in traffic his car more than twenty miles from his appointment.. Marc is a man in a hurry, his minutes are seconds and his weeks are hours.
Marc is a man in a hurry, his minutes are seconds and his weeks are hours
Slow motion
However, at one point in his life, this violinist had the impression that time was passing too slowly. It was at the time of the disappearance of his grandfather, who had raised him until he was fifteen. But in 2013, this military engineer really had that feeling that the big and little hand were no longer trotting. Exhaustion, creativity at half-mast and a toxic work environment. The minutes at work were endless. His clock started ticking again with the creation of his own company. He decides to put himself at the service of architects to find solutions. He transforms a village house from the 1800’s with obsolete standards into a mezzanine without partition. Glass walls allow light to enter.
His typical day: wake up at 4 a.m., check the employees’ schedule, answer emails, study offers. Her dream? A 72-hour day with the luxury of ten hours of sleep.
Old Darwil
His collection consists of twenty watches including Tissot and Breitling. He also admits to having a weakness for Lipp watches. He owns four of them. “This old watchmaker from Besançon cultivated a know-how unequalled in the whole Jura region. I like the simplicity and precision of the automatic movements of this brand. Within the reach of all pockets, these models were revolutionary compared to those with manual winding,” he says. An old Darwil from the 40’s was bequeathed to him by his grandfather. Marc continues: “When I wear it, I go back in time. I remember playing the violin in Postojna, Slovenia under the watchful eye of my grandfather who consulted his Darwill and made sure I practiced every day for at least two hours.“
Unable to touch the winner
He remembers as if it were yesterday when he bought his first watch. Memories: “When I was thirteen years old, I got up at four in the morning for two seasons to collect mushrooms, 150 kg in all. With the money from the sale, I bought a Russian Raketa watch with 17 jewels that served as bearings. It had a modern design with a square dial and fluorescent lines to tell the time.”
Without love, the frantic race after time is meaningless
A final confidence before wishing each other a good day: “Without love, the frantic race after time is meaningless. It’s like a race where you know the outcome but can’t touch the winner. It’s like the chances we didn’t take and the moments of happiness we let slip away. Dring Dring, his phone brings him back to had work.“
