Signs of the times: The renaissance of horology in Asia

I returned from Hong Kong after attending the first Watches & Wonders convention, an event that I can only describe as similar to Art Basel, Fashion Week or Comic-Con, but a little more sober, depending on how much Perrier-Jouët you swigged. “This entire convention is a testament to the economy of Asia,” Executive Class host and Vault magazine editor in chief David Celdran whispered to me as we walked toward the media registration booths. “Instead of us going to them, they’re coming to us.” If you identify yourself as a horologist, you would know that the top two watch conventions in the world are BaselWorld and Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (a.k.a. SIHH), both of which are held in Switzerland, the land of pristine drinking water, fine chocolates and high-end watchmaking. However, in response to the “spectacular growth” of Asian markets (hello, Crazy Rich Asians), with Asia taking its place as the number-one market for Swiss watches, the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie decided to hold the very first convention for luxury timepieces in Hong Kong.

With the exception of Richard Mille and Van Cleef and Arpels, nearly all of the Richemont Group’s brands that were exhibited at Watches & Wonders are available in Manila, namely A. Lange & Söhne, Audemars Piguet, Baume & Mercier, Cartier, IWC Schaffhausen, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Montblanc, Officine Panerai, Piaget, Roger Dubuis and Vacheron Constantin.

In the same way that looking close enough will allow you to appreciate the intricate complications of a timepiece, there were many interesting stories you could uncover at the convention if you listened hard enough. Vacheron Constantin installed their Sound of Time exhibition, which featured the brand’s historical and contemporary minute-repeaters — mechanical watches that allow you to hear what time it is through a series of chimes (different tones that denote hours, quarter hours and minutes), which was useful during the pre-glow-in-the-dark numerals of the 1800s. As the world’s oldest watch manufacturer with a history of over 250 years, Vacheron Constantin exhibited the different chimes of its earliest pocket watches, such as a quarter-repeater from 1812, to its latest, the thinnest minute-repeater in the market today, the Patrimony Contemporaine Ultra-Thin Calibre 1731. To experience this antiquated, yet novel method of timekeeping, you can download The Sound of Time app by Vacheron Constantin, which available to iOS and Android users.

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ver at the Cartier booth, its story rang loud and clear: even after 165 years, it still held court as the “jeweller to kings and king of jewellers.” On the second night of the convention, Cartier screened the world premiere of Never Stop Tank, a 90-second film featuring Hong Kong star Andy Lau running through the streets of Tsim Tsa Tsui wearing Cartier’s latest crown jewel: the Tank MC. The original Cartier Tank premiered 90 years ago and was the first watch conceived without curves, sporting a face that was in the shape of a perfect square. As Andy Lau, who made an appearance at Watches & Wonders, described it, “If Cartier Tank had not come to life, we might still be thinking that a watch has to be circular.” Though a vintage design, today’s Tank, available only in steel and rose gold, features a 1904 MC self-winding mechanical movement, a 48-hour power reserve and an oscillating weight that is visible through a sapphire case back.

It would have been a treat if Audemars Piguet had flown in brand ambassador LeBron James to Watches & Wonders for the debut of his very own namesake Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph. Instead, the two-time NBA champ decided to launch the timepiece closer to home, in Miami Beach, Florida. Currently approaching its 40th anniversary, The Royal Oak, according to the World Watch Report, “continues its reign as the most sought-after Haute Horlogerie watch model, increasing its online interest by five-percent over the last year.” Enthused at being approached to design his own timepiece, James trekked to the brand’s headquarters in Le Brassus, Switzerland to be hands-on with the design process. “My first visit to Audemars Piguet — seeing what it takes to create a watch and bringing everything together — was incredible,” he told HauteTime.com. The watch features 18K pink gold casing, diamond-set push pieces, hand-stitched gray crocodile straps and James’ signature in blue on the sapphire crystal case back.

Though you wouldn’t necessarily call him a “celebrity,” there is little doubt that Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s fabled protagonist in Le Petit Prince is a celebrated figure in literature and film. In celebration of the novella’s 70th birthday, IWC Schaffhausen presented the Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar Edition “Le Petit Prince,” which features the IWC-manufactured 51613 calibre with Pellaton automatic winding, seven-day power reserve and perpetual calendar that will not require intervention until 2100, and the Pilot’s Watch Mark XVII Edition “Le Petit Prince,” which is powered by an automatic 30110-calibre movement, has a 42-hour power reserve and a front glass secured against sudden drops in pressure. With these special movements and complications crafted especially for these editions, the Little Prince would agree: “What is essential is invisible to the eye.” Part of the proceeds from sales of the timepieces will go to the Antoine de Saint-Exupéry Youth Foundation to support its worldwide commitment against illiteracy.

At Baume & Mercier, the stars were the watches themselves, particularly the selection of rare timepieces from its Swiss museum collection, which were exhibited for the first time in Asia. As the seventh oldest watch manufacturer in the world, their timeless designs continure to inspire their current collections. However, their adoption of new production procedures enabled Baume & Mercier to standardize their watch movements and guarantee the interchangebility of components, allowing it to offer finely crafted watches at prices within reach of a wider public. The highlight of their exhibition was the Clifton 1892 Flying Tourbillon watch, which was inspired by the keyless-winding watch invented by Alcide Baume that won the Kew-Teddington chronometry contest in 1982 and remained the world’s most accurate watch for the next decade. Featuring a manually wound mechanical caliber (P591) controlled by a flying tourbillon, it is available in 15K red gold and has a power reserve of 50 hours.

To paraphrase what Fabienne Lupo, the chairwoman and managing director of the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie, said during the ribbon cutting ceremony, the world of horology evokes a sense of wonder, which can mean two things: a feeling of awe and astonishment, as well as an overwhelming curiosity and desire for deeper knowledge. At Watches & Wonders, there was enough to satisfy both connosseiurs of haute horology, along with those who were discovering these fine timepieces for the first time.