Nico Leonard van der Horst better known as Nico Leonard (born August 21, 1987) is a Dutch YouTuber and entrepreneur credited with a genre of YouTube videos that centers on high-end watches, being the biggest watch-related YouTube channel and largest cross-platform creator regarding horology. Amongst other businesses, Leonard founded and owns luxury watch boutique Pride and Pinion, headquartered in Belfast, the capital and biggest city of Northern Ireland (UK).[5][6]

Nico Leonard
Personal information
Born
Nico Leonard van der Horst

(1987-08-21) August 21, 1987 (age 37)[1]
Amsterdam, Netherlands
NationalityDutch[2]
Occupations
Children2
YouTube information
Channel
Years active2020–present
Genres
Subscribers1.77 million[4]
Total views624 million[4]
Associated actsPride and Pinion[a][3]
100,000 subscribers2021
1,000,000 subscribers2023

Last updated: 2 Sept, 2024

Early life

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Van der Horst was born on August 21, 1987 in Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands. He was mainly raised in a middle-class household. He moved to Northern Ireland in 2013[7] to start working in a watch company. Leonard founded "Pride and Pinion" in 2019 and has been the director since.[8] Leonard also founded, owns and directs clothing company GodTier, The Vault Competitions[9] and The Watch Repair Centre[10]

YouTube career

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Channel (2019–present)

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Leonard's channel started as Pride and Pinion as an extension of his watch boutique in 2019 and later rebranded to Nico Leonard to depict his personal life in vlogs in a less formal manner. The channel surpassed 1 million subscribers in early 2023.[11][12]

Outspokenness

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Leonard became known for his informal tone, something that earned him a big following yet some distance within members of the watch community. Leonard has been a vocal and avid critic of Swiss brand Hublot[13] and also criticized at times the operational form of management of company Hodinkee.[14]

Personal life

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Leonard is in a long-term relationship and had a son in 2022.[15]

Explanatory notes

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  1. ^ Stylized Pride & Pinion

References

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  1. ^ "Companies owned by Nico Leonard van der Horst; UK Gov". August 27, 2023.
  2. ^ "Expert Reveals Cost of YouTuber Watches". August 27, 2023.
  3. ^ "Pride and Pinion". August 27, 2023.
  4. ^ a b "About Nico Leonard". YouTube.
  5. ^ "GQ Magazine: Nico Leonard on Choosing Your First Watch". August 27, 2023.
  6. ^ "Oracle of Time: Interview with Nico Leonard". August 27, 2023.
  7. ^ "Techie Gamers: Interview with Nico Leonard". August 27, 2023.
  8. ^ "Pride and Pinion". August 27, 2023.
  9. ^ "Companies owned by Nico Leonard van der Horst; UK Gov". August 27, 2023.
  10. ^ "Companies owned by Nico Leonard van der Horst; UK Gov". August 27, 2023.
  11. ^ https://oracleoftime.com/nico-leonard-interview/
  12. ^ https://www.watchfinder.co.uk/articles/feature-top-25-channels-watch-enthusiasts-should-follow
  13. ^ https://www.voguebusiness.com/fashion/how-rude-youtube-reviews-are-driving-watch-sales
  14. ^ https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/an-earnest-exploration-of-hublot-the-worlds-most-polarizing-watch-brand
  15. ^ https://www.independent.ie/life/the-most-expensive-watch-i-ever-sold-cost-7-million-i-cant-tell-you-who-bought-it-but-i-can-tell-you-how-to-spot-a-fake/42231569.html