João Saraiva is the mentor of Importempo, a company dedicated to the representation and distribution of watch brands of undisputed reputation in Portuguese territory. To mark the project’s silver anniversary, the man in charge welcomed us into his home and took us on an incredible journey through time. He also told us about the passion he has always felt for tennis.

How it all started…

“Looking back, it was 25 years full of challenges, challenges, changes, learning, goals achieved and much joy. During this long journey of 25 years, is very gratifying to see that, in the profound changes that have marked the world, our focus and the purpose with which we introduced ourselves to the market in 1995 has remained constant and true to its principles: import, representation and distribution of innovative, selective, and prestigious brands, aimed at the best jewellers in the country and a demanding and knowledgeable public”. This is how João Saraiva begins his look back of the last quarter century. And when questioned about how all this began, he told us that it was a coincidence. “After working in the Navy, I enrolled in the Economic Faculty of Coimbra. This coincided with the opening of a family company linked to watchmaking, where, to the best of my ability, I started to do some part-time and accompany day to day the company in the area of marketing and image, subjects that fascinated me. Before any of this, I had had no experience with watches… Time passed and I was grasping more and more the art of watchmaking, with awareness of having my own ideas that one day I would like to put into practice in a project of my own. After seven years the opportunity arose.

Read more in the first edition of JoiaPro LUXURY.