Memoirs of a Watch Salesman
Subtitle: a New York Real Estate Story
By: Edited by Lisa Keys
Publisher: Joseph Aquino
Published: 2025
Place of publication: New York City
Language: eng
Number of pages: 242
ISBN-13: 9798986810713
Copyright date: 2021
Subjects: Biography; Business
Description: Memoirs of a Watch Salesman: A New York Real Estate Story is the remarkable journey of Joseph Aquino, who went from hustling housewares and watches on the streets of Brooklyn to becoming one of New York’s most respected dealmakers in luxury real estate.

With candor, humor, and an insider’s eye, Aquino takes readers behind the velvet ropes of Manhattan’s most iconic properties and into the boardrooms where billion-dollar decisions are made. He recounts the relentless hustle of his early days, the lessons learned managing health clubs, and the four decades spent brokering deals for global luxury brands, financial institutions, and property owners. Along the way, he shares vivid stories of negotiating with Cartier for its Fifth Avenue mansion, shaping Times Square’s 42nd Street Development Project, and building a 26-year partnership with the legendary Faith Hope Consolo.

Aquino also writes about attending Financial Times Luxury Summits around the world—London, Rome, Vienna, Marrakech, Singapore, and more—where conversations with CEOs, designers, and financiers turned into real-world transactions.

At once a street-smart sales manual and a love letter to New York City, Memoirs of a Watch Salesman is a fast-paced story of resilience, relationships, and the art of closing deals.
Notes: TXU 2-279-046
Table of contents: title: 1; title: T  ABLE  OF  C  ONTENTS; title: What’s inside; title: ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS; title: I. The Peddling Years; title: II. The Health Club Years; title: III. The Vertical Club; title: IV. Starting My Real Estate Career; title: V. Returning To The Health Clubs; title: VI. Returning To Real Estate; title: VII. The Times Square/42nd Street Project; title: VIII. Traveling With Faith Consolo; title: IX. Back In Times Square; title: Chapter X. Cartier/Fifth Avenue; title: XI. Branding; title: XII. Las Vegas/Los Angeles; title: XIII. Trump Tower/Trump/Ivanka; title: XIV: Reuniting With Harry Schwartz; title: XV. Back In Times Square/Toys “R” Us; title: XVI. The One That Got Away; title: XVII. Madison Avenue; title: XVIII. Julia Speratore; title: XIX. Carlos Slim; title: XX. The World Trade Center; title: XXI. My Friend Brian/Buenos Aires; title: 2; title: XXII. The Douglas Elliman Years; title: XXIII: Investing In Broadway Shows; title: XXIV. Buying That Convertible; Sir Alex Ferguson; title: XXV. The Travel Years; title: XXVI. The Guarrasi Family; title: Chapter XXVII Buccellati; title: XXVIII. Who Was Faith Hope Consolo?; title: XXIX. My Relationship With Howard; title: XXX. Deciding To Sue; title: XXXI. My Stents; title: XXXII. Trying To Reunite With Faith; title: XXXIII. The Interviews; title: XXXIV: Mental Health; title: XXXV. Finding Myself; title: XXXVI. Tragic News And The Truth; title: XXXVII. After Faith’s Death; title: XXXVIII. My Press And Writings; title: XXXIX. Venice And The New Office; title: XL: Doner Kebab; London; The American Dream; title: XLI. Summing Up; title: ABOUT THE AUTHOR