High-end watch collectors, brand presidents and journalists gathered to talk about watches for three days. Hong KongThe conversations naturally led in the following direction: Asian watchmaking and collects. This emphasis was not the stated goal of the conference, but it seemed inevitable given the location and intensity of the conference. Asiabased participants.

The latter featured Ming Thein, among others. Ming HoursWei Koh from Revolution and Rake magazines, Mark Cho from the Armory, Ali Nael from Future GrailAustin Chu of Wrist Control, Carson Chan of WatchProfessorAcademy.com, Jiaxian Su of SJX Watches, Jill Chen Christie’s Hong Kongand Jonathan Chan of the Horology Club. Including many well-known collectors based in Hong Kong Lung Lung Thunthey dart in and out of conferences, some taking breaks from their workdays to watch a panel at Christie’s in the avant-garde Henderson building.

The European and American presence at the conference was smaller but still influential. independent watchmaker Fiona Kruger, Bertrand Meylan Moser and Benoit Mintiens related to Resence He flew in from Europe with a number of American and British watch journalists who attended and hosted panels.

Conversations on stage and around the coffee tables constantly touched on the differences between European, American, and Asian collecting habits; This topic seemed to fascinate those gathered. Perhaps the most interesting comment on this subject came from on-stage exchanges with the New York-based watch dealer. Zoe Abelson and noted collector Mark Cho, who divides his time between America and Asia. Both note that Americans are fast and furious collectors, regularly buying and flipping watches online, especially with buyers in Hong Kong (and Chinese more generally) they want to see the watch in person and tend to trade with patience and clear intentions.

The number of semi-public horological lounges in Hong Kong alone suggests that this view is correct. 1916 Company‘s ostentatious bar-showroom was filled with rare watches. FP Journey And De BethunePhilipps Perpetual, the auction preview area in The Armory’s Pedder Arcade, meanwhile, casually displayed watches worth tens of millions next to a bar, a casual seating area and a cigar lounge. At each location, you can enjoy a cocktail, coffee and light meal while holding some of the world’s most coveted watches. Foot traffic was impressive and in pretty good shape.

conversation over there Horology Forum He turned to Asian watchmaking, both on an industrial scale and on a craft level. It was clear that attitudes were shifting around this potentially divisive topic, with Asian makers of all stripes gaining the respect of serious collectors and enthusiasts alike.

Speaking from my perspective as an American collector, something like Eurocentrism has long dominated American attitudes toward high-end watchmaking. The French and British have long been known to Americans as the greatest clockmakers and are famous for providing our Founding Fathers with extraordinary timepieces (Jefferson, for example, knew and admired Louis Moinet). American watchmaking, meanwhile, was unimpressive until industrialization and thus never achieved high watchmaking status. Switzerland became the watchmaking center of the world after World War II for various reasons. The resurrection of A. Lange & Sohne In 1994, he gave the Germans renewed cachet as top watchmakers. Asian watchmaking—despite long being a formidable industrial power—was (and still is) thought of as low-quality.

But while high-end watchmaking has globalized at an accelerating pace over the past 35 years, Americans are still slow to acknowledge Asia’s watchmaking prowess. The compromise that emerged most easily during the Horology Forum was, predictably, Grand Seiko. The brand’s revival over the past five years has convinced many American collectors to accept Japanese watchmaking as an art form. Japan industrialized much earlier and faster than China after World War II; thus expertise and name recognition developed; So much so that Americans accepted Japanese goods, from hi-fi to cars to tailoring, as luxury goods.

But attitudes towards products made in China remain disdainful. This negative attitude came up repeatedly at the Hong Kong Horology Forum, and there were signs that this attitude was slowly becoming more positive.

A few top Asian watchmakers, such as China’s Qin Gan, were mentioned during the panel discussions, but these were comments from the watch brand’s Robin Tallendier. Workshop Wen This cast the conversation about Chinese watchmaking into a brighter light. Atelier Wen was given the hybrid brand name to highlight the connection between France and China, which support watch production. Trying on a one-off watch from the brand, with a case and bracelet crafted entirely from ruthenium (a member of the platinum family used by high-end watchmakers), left little doubt about the quality on offer.

When asked about attitudes towards Chinese watchmaking more broadly, Tallendier stated that there is no logical reason why the geographical location of a watchmaker or watchmaking facility should affect the quality of the work done. “People are people,” he said, shrugging his shoulders to emphasize the clarity of his answer.

Hearing executives from watch brands openly discuss Chinese manufacturing was refreshing and felt like a small but significant shift towards the new narratives brands will be telling their customers in the near future. It remains to be seen whether the Horology Forum will significantly influence the broader discussion on international cooperation in watchmaking, but there is no doubt that those of us present left our eyes clearer on the subject.