Timing Is Everything This heir to a watchmaking dynasty struck out on his own. Now he's the one to watch.

Why would anyone abandon an incredible job at great financialrisk to start a business? That's what critics and naysayersasked Carlo Crocco when he left his family's watchmakingdynasty to start Geneva, Switzerland-based MDM Geneve, manufacturerof the exclusive Hublot watch.

Crocco turned a deaf ear to the critics, convinced he could dowhat they thought impossible. The result is a company that producesone of the world's most distinctive watches. This year,Crocco's company will rack up sales of $22 million. But gettingto that point was a study in perseverance, conviction and enormousrisk-taking.

When Crocco decided to leave the family fold in 1976 at age 32,almost everyone who knew him was convinced he had a few screwsloose. As scion of Italy's premier watchmaking family, theMilan-based Binda company, Crocco had it made. In fact, until hedefied tradition, no family member had ever left the firm.