Antoni Porowski on His Love of Watches, and Upcoming Nat Geo Series

Jeremy Freed December 10, 2024

Whether it’s a dish, a piece of furniture, or a watch, Antoni Porowski’s favourite things all share one common element: nostalgia. Born in Montreal and based in New York City, Antoni (as he’s most often called) is best known as the food and wine expert on Queer Eye, where he uses his signature blend of infectious energy and impeccable taste to help the show’s subjects step up their game in the kitchen.

Since joining Queer Eye in 2018, Porowski’s resumé has diversified, with a bestselling cookbook, a popular line of dog treats he co-founded with Queer Eye co-host Jonathan Van Ness, and the forthcoming No Taste Like Home, a food and travel show premiering on Nat Geo in 2025. Porowski is also an ambassador for Swiss watchmaker Omega, a partnership that has allowed him to take his long-standing obsession with watches to new heights. We caught up with Porowski to talk about his growing Speedmaster collection, meeting Daniel Craig, and the power of nostalgia.

What’s on your wrist today?

Actually, nothing! I just went to the gym and I’m going to be doing a lot of cooking today, so I typically leave the watch off for that, but lately, I’ve been wearing my James Bond Seamaster with the titanium bracelet. I’ll typically take one model out of the safe and then just wear it for a few weeks. It’s kind of like a pair of jeans for me. I like to wear it until I’m ready for something fresh.

Are you a big James Bond fan?

Growing up, I basically wanted to be an international spy, which didn’t exactly work out for me, but I’ve always been drawn to James Bond. I played the video game when I was a kid, and my sisters would make me watch the old movies with Sean Connery. I loved that element of travel where he was always in a different country […] there’s something kind of exciting about always being on the move. I don’t get star-struck too often, but when I met Daniel Craig, I was definitely intimidated. I think I probably went a little dry-mouthed, and I just said hello, and then turned around and walked away.

“There’s always got to be an emotional component, because I like things that have staying power. With a quality watch, it’s something you get to keep and enjoy for your whole life.”

Antoni Porowski

What do you love about watches?

I’m a nostalgic person at heart. Even as a kid, I remember when my parents would go on trips to Poland and they would bring me back old pocket watches from flea markets. They never worked, but I just always thought they were so cool. I’m a white t-shirt and jeans guy 95 percent of the time, so I think a watch is the perfect way to put something on that’s a little nicer.

How did your love of Omega start?

I had a bit of an obsession with the Omega logo from seeing it on the stop clocks at the pool in my swimming days, and then I remember seeing Don Draper wearing an Omega on Mad Men. I remember Googling it at the time and it just kind of like stuck in my brain. I tend to get a little obsessive. If I see something I like, or if I see a guy with a personal style that I aspire to, then I tend to lock in on that.

I wasn’t in a position where I could afford a new watch, but I received a 1950s Omega Constellation with a black dial as a Christmas gift. To this day, even with my growing collection, it’s still my number one. I remember exactly where I was at in my life and where I was living, and how I was feeling at the time that I got it. All the other models are extremely special, and a lot of them signify a certain milestone in my life, but that one continues to be very close to my heart.

What else is in the collection these days?

One that I love is the Speedy Apollo 11 35th Anniversary with the black-and-white dial. There’s a slight shine to the white and I just love that high contrast. I have a nice little nylon strap on it that feels a little more athletic, and I’ve been wearing that a lot lately. I also recently got a gold Speedy with a dial in the most beautiful dark hunter green that I wear typically for special occasions, or if I go to a gala. And I still love my “Joe Biden” Seamaster, which is more for summer vacation.

“I get to travel the world and taste incredible things. It was the experience of a lifetime, and I hope that people respond to it really well.”

Antoni Porowski on “No Taste Like Home”

What’s next on your wish list?

I always keep going back to the Speedies and the Seamasters. I tell myself, “Ant, you have enough watches,” but then I see one, and sometimes I think about it for months, and then finally I’m like, “Okay, bite the bullet. Just get the watch.” Other times it’s just an impulse buy, like when Biden was elected, I picked up the blue Seamaster. There’s always got to be an emotional component, because I like things that have staying power. With a quality watch, it’s something you get to keep and enjoy for your whole life, and then hopefully pass it on to someone.

You recently finished filming your new travel show No Taste Like Home. What was that experience like?

I love to travel, and I’m fascinated by the conversations that happen when we’re cooking, whether they’re about food or completely unrelated to food. For every episode, I asked someone to think of a dish that shaped them, and then we go to the country of origin, and we explore the history of the dish, but also, we uncover some key figures in their lives. It’s a very Indiana Jones-y journey, minus the giant rolling boulders, where I get to travel the world and taste incredible things. It was the experience of a lifetime, and I hope that people respond to it really well.

So, kind of like being an international spy, minus the danger?

Right — I get to just bop around from one place to the next and just fight off jet lag wherever I go.