Here's something you don't expect to see every day: The star of NBC's top-rated show looking mighty dapper as he wanders through a tony boutique at Scottsdale Fashion Square, with an impressive timepiece on his left wrist. 

But yes, that was Sterling K. Brown, known to TV fans as Randall on "This Is Us,"  moving through the IWC Schaffhausen boutique on Thursday, April 25. The star was there to shake hands and talk up the Swiss company's latest collection, Spitfire, making its North American debut in a celebratory event sponsored by the watchmaker. 

The Scottsdale Fashion boutique, which opened in December, is only the firm's eighth store in North America, and the party served as both an introduction to the new collection and a kind of belated grand opening. 

Brown, down-to-earth and friendly, made time to speak with members of the press. Also in attendance was "Bachelor" star and race car driver Arie Luyendyk Jr., who was there as a guest and didn't speak with media.


Q: So what was your first model you wore?

A: This is it. (points at watch he's currently wearing) A chronograph portugeuiser. It's clean and black. Sets the outfit off. I can wear it dressed up I can wear it dressed down. It's versatile. So this is it, this is my "one." I'm telling you, I'm a baby but I'm looking to grow.

Q: That's cool that you're looking to grow more.

A: The other thing is I have two sons. And I was never into time pieces before. But then when you get down to the idea of like "what I can pass along to my kids that they would consider pretty cool?" So I thought I can see my son years and years from now saying "that was dad's watch, and now I get the chance to wear it now."

Q: They don't have any watches now, do they?

A: They're 7 and 3. So they may have a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle watch or something from Toys R Us. No, I wouldn't dare. You can't cast your pearls before swine. They'll get to a certain age where their appreciation grows naturally.

Q: Yeah, they can lose it in the playground.

A: That would be heartbreaking.

Q: So what are your impressions of the new collection?

A: Gorgeous, man. It's funny because you see those old movies of the old pilots and you recognize that they've got the leather hats and the time pieces that inspired the spitfire collection ... and it takes you back to that moment in history. I dig it. They also have this "Top Gun" collection that's launched with them and anybody who was a kid in the '80s, like yours truly, kind of grows up on that. So you see the watches and you see exactly how they fit in the machine with those watches. Something on the pull of the nostalgia. It's cool that they'll be having two pilots flying across the globe to launch it, too. 

Q: Is a watch is your favorite accessory or is there something else you can't leave the house without?

A: I have my necklace. It's got "namaste" on it. It reminds me of who I want to be in the world and the way I want to treat people. So I rarely take that off. And the time pieces. When I'm dressing up it's definitely there. Sometimes when I'm casual sometimes I go without it. But when you want to add a little something to give it a little je ne sais quoi put on the time piece and it ties it together.

Q: In a digital world, what do you think when people might say a watch is outdated?

A: It depends on your point of focus. A lot of us in this country are just concerned about survival and you don't have time to think about these kinds of things. And granted for them they're just trying to figure out how to live their next day.

You reach a certain level of success ... and you're like "What are some of the things that draw my attention?" I always was saying "If and when I had the money I would love to have a nice watch." And not thinking that it would actually come to fruition. I mean, I spent many a year as a quote unquote "struggling actor" where I was just happy to pay the bills ... I'm actually in a place where I can spend a little. It's taken me a long time to spend a little. As an actor you're used to feast or famine. You may have a good year or you may have a bad year. So you're always stacking your chips, waiting for a rainy day, hoping that this will last until the next job comes along. I think I'm in a place (knocks on wall) where the rainy days are fewer and farther between so I can spend on something that makes me happy. That's kind of what a watch is for me. It's a marker that "Brown, it's OK to have nice things for yourself."

Q: Speaking of that, is there an item you've splurged on in the past?

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A: So not a watch, I guess it wasn't for me so it kind of counts and kind of doesn't. For the amount of income I had at the time, when I bought my wife's engagement ring it was a big one. But it was the happiest I'd been to spend that kind of money because I knew when I bought it that she would love it. If I was to propose, it would have to be an emerald cut ... She knew exactly what she wanted. I wouldn't be opposed to a yellow diamond. When I found what I knew she would want and I spent the money I was actually relieved because I knew she would love it. 

Emerald cut yellow diamond with two trillionths white diamond on the side a very simple platinum band. It's very clean and elegant. It's not huge it's two carats for the center diamond and each trillionth is a half a carat. And that was 13 years ago. 

'This Is Us' and loving Beth and Randall

Q: Just to pivot the conversation, I wanted to talk about "This Is Us." How do you feel about the next season?

A: I'm excited. I love this show. I love Randall. I love his relationship with his wife. His relationship with his brother and sister. The way he interacts with his family. I love his earnestness. How hard he tries. Even when he stumbles he always tries to do the right thing. Next year he's going to find our family in particular living in Philadelphia with him being a councilman. So new challenges work wise ... How does that affect his children? How does that affect his wife? 

I'm excited to see Kate with her baby. Her and Toby dealing with that. What happens to Kevin now that he's stopped dating Zoe? There's so much, man ... But it's going to be a great season. 

Q: Why do you think people connect so deeply to Randall and Beth's relationship?

A: You know I would ask you the same question because I think for both Sue and I, we consider ourselves ancillary to Jack and Rebecca. But when people saw our sense of trouble happening in our unit they were like, "No! No. That is not going to happen! I don't want to see these two break up." And we didn't want to see them break up either.

As a matter of fact in the beginning of the season we said this would be a couple that would never break up. So we relish the opportunity to show marriage in all of its intricacies because it's never perfect. It's never just sunshine and roses. You appreciate the good times all the more because you know you have to work in order to endure the rough times.

I've been married for 13 years and happily married. And even still there are times in which I want to shake my wife, and she wants to shake me. So I thought it was real, and I'm happy that we get into the messy side of it because now you get the chance just to appreciate what a couple is willing to do to make this union work. 

What's next for the actor?

Q: Are there any future projects you're excited about?

A: Got "Angry Birds 2" coming out. It's funny, it's fun and my children have a chance to finally watch something that I do. So that's exciting.

I'm doing this movie called "The Rhythm Section" with Blake Lively and Jude Law, which I'm really excited about. Directed by Reed Morano, who's dope.

"Waves" is another movie I'm doing with A24, an independent. Trey Edward Shults is the director's name. It's a real gritty family drama that I'm really excited about. It's completely different than Randall. And I'm always looking to do something completely different than Randall. You gotta keep people being like, "What? I thought you do – what?"

Other than that, I'm really busy with my production company called Indian Meadows, which is named after my neighborhood in St. Louis. Just really interested in helping other people get their stories out there. Intelligent diversity being the main part of the production whether it's drama, whether it's a half hour.

It's a really lovely thing when you get a chance to help other people of color, other disenfranchised voices have an opportunity to share their stories because its through being seen that you feel appreciated. Because if no one tells your story for such a long time you feel as if your story has no value. But that's not true. Everyone's story has value.

About IWC Schaffhausen

IWC Schaffhausen was founded by American watchmaker Florentine Ariosto Jones in 1868.

"The first (Mark 11) was made in 1948," says Darin Rabb, brand president for North America. "That watch has influenced every (Pilot's watch) ever since. Its design and authentic story has carried through to watches of today, including the Spitfire collection."


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