Hong Kong Watch & Clock Fair and Salon de TE commence

Certain to attract watch enthusiasts and industry players from around the world, the 42nd HKTDC Hong Kong Watch & Clock Fair and 11th Salon de TE commence in early September at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC). Organisers are bringing new elements and themes to this year’s gathering.

The parallel events are jointly organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), Hong Kong Watch Manufacturers Association Ltd. and The Federation of Hong Kong Watch Trades and Industries Ltd. More than 700 global exhibitors from 17 countries and regions are anticipated.

Under the EXHIBITION+ hybrid mode, the physical fair will run from 5 to 9 September at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC). Salon de TE will open its doors to both industry buyers and the public on the final two days (8 and 9 September). From 29 August to 16 September, exhibitors and buyers from across the world can engage in online and offline meetings through the AI-powered Click2Match smart business-matching platform.

Globally significant fair

According to Sophia Chong, HKTDC Deputy Executive Director, the globally renowned Hong Kong Watch & Clock Fair has consistently served as an effective platform for the industry to secure orders and establish business connections. This is especially the case given the fact that Hong Kong remains the world’s largest wristwatch import market and the second-largest wristwatch export market, following Switzerland, she highlighted.

Chong also pointed out that the Hong Kong Watch & Clock Fair exhibits are more diversified this year to serve changing industry needs. “This year also welcomes a first-time exhibitor from Greece and Dubai, and will feature Guangdong, Guangzhou and Taiwan pavilions, hoping to create business opportunities for the industry,” she said.

The Hong Kong Watch & Clock Fair includes several key zones. The Pageant of Eternity zone showcases OEM and ODM high-end complete watches. Other product zones cover clocks, machinery and equipment, parts and components, packaging, and trade services.

Five themes at Salon de TE

Salon de TE, dedicated to showcasing internationally renowned watch brands, will feature five thematic zones: World Brand Piazza, Chic & Trendy, Craft Treasure, Renaissance Moment, and Wearable Tech. These zones will present more than 130 prominent watch brands and designer collections from France, Switzerland, Italy, the United States and more.

The debut Guo Chao theme welcomes several remarkable mainland independent watchmakers and watch designs. They will showcase timepieces that intricately blend Chinese cultural elements. Ma XuShu, an independent watchmaker from Mainland China, will present his masterpiece Starry Night wristwatch. Another watchmaker Wei Guang Wen will showcase Guangzhou clocks, a timepiece of historical, cultural and artistic value.

Swiss Independent Watchmaking Pavilion (SIWP) and Francéclat are returning this year, together with a debut by the International Luxury Group, presenting a range of Swiss and international watch brands.

Sponsored by Prince Jewellery & Watch for the 13th consecutive year, the World Brand Piazza zone remains a fair highlight. This year it will feature a lineup of 10 international watch brands and will showcase an exclusive selection of luxurious and rare timepieces.

The Wearable tech zone this year has tripled its exhibiting area compared to 2019, displaying a series of smartwatches and the latest technology brands, including Microwear, DTNO.1, DO and MYZI etc.

Other international timepiece brands will present wristwatches of different styles and personalities. This includes a limited-edition Mermaid Tourbillon by Hong Kong brand Memorigin, with just 100 pieces worldwide. First-time exhibitor King-Wear from Mainland China will feature one-touch Bluetooth pairing for calls, built-in music and video playback, body identification sensors and more than 100 sports modes. Young watchmaker Ricky (see below), cultivated by Hong Kong brand ANPASSA, has made his own tourbillon, a creative work described as a 15-year-old dream.

Networking opportunities

In addition to EXHIBITION+, the fair will also launch the Scan2Match function, which brings communication from offline to online. Buyers can use the HKTDC Marketplace app to scan exhibitors’ QR codes during the exhibition period, bookmark their favourite exhibitors, browse product information and the e-Floor plan, and continue to chat with exhibitors online during or after the exhibition period, extending their sourcing journey.

Seminars

Forums, seminars, watch parades and networking events will provide first-hand market information. At the Hong Kong International Watch Forum on 5 September will discuss the global trade situation and industry trends.

Global market research agency Euromonitor International will discuss sustainable watch design development around this year’s theme “Shaping the Future Watch: The Next Design Trends” at the Asian Watch Conference on 6 September.

On the same day, Noel Wong, a watch collector, and William Bai, a watch culture expert and founder of Watch Traveler, will discuss affordable luxury watch prospects, a hot topic among celebrities.

To cultivate a new generation of watch designers and technical talents and promote the innovation and development of watch design, the HKTDC, Hong Kong Watch Manufacturers Association Ltd and Federation of Hong Kong Watch Trades & Industries Ltd have jointly organised the 40th Hong Kong Watch & Clock Design Competition.

The competition has two categories – The Beauty of Perspective for the Open Group and Game Code for the Student Group. Artist Jessica Hsuan was invited as a guest judge this year. Award-winning works and finalists will be exhibited during the Watch & Clock Fair, and the award ceremony will be held on 9 September at the Infinite Galaxy in Hall 3FG of the fairground.

Events, lucky draws, shopping discounts

Activities at Salon de TE (open to the public aged 12 and above) will include watch parades, watch and painting demonstrations, embroidery watch crafts, product launches and more. Visitors can participate in lucky draws, with prizes including luxury watches, fashion accessories, dining vouchers and more. They can also join Smart Bidding to bid on their desired watches starting at as much as 90% off the retail price. Some exhibits will be available for on-the-spot sale.

In addition, Asia’s premier fashion event CENTRESTAGE will be held from 6 to 9 September at the HKCEC, assembling designer brands from around the world to create synergies. Visitors can view the latest products of more than 350 watch and fashion brands at the same time.

Click here for more details.

Wrist Pilot: High-fliers can reach for the skies with the latest heritage-inspired aviator watches

The concept of the aviation watches has a long and rich history, stretching back to the onset of the wristwatch just after the turn of the last century. A reliable pilot’s watch was considered a vital and necessary part of the navigational armoury for aviators in the early days of flight.

Louis Cartier is said to have created the first pilot’s watch – Santos de Cartier – in 1904 and in so doing gave famous aviator Alberto Santos-Dumont something he had longed for: the ability to tell the time whilst flying. Crucially, this allowed him to carry on manning the controls of his plane without having to look at his pocket watch – a revolutionary concept which meant that the rollout of the aviation watch and the wristwatch could be said to have gone hand in hand.

Cartier Santos-Dumont Skeleton

The modern Cartier Santos-Dumont timepiece continues to imitate its heritage and engineering detail. The latest iteration features a skeleton movement which includes a miniaturised functional oscillating weight in the shape of an aircraft that soars over the globe. The wingspan reminds of a Demoiselle, the plane designed by Santos-Dumont himself. Also evoking the elegant early 1904 model are a gold or steel case, visible screws, a beaded crown and a blue cabochon. The Santos-Dumont Skeleton comes in three metals headlined by the yellow gold and navy lacquer version in a prized limited edition.

pilot timepiece
Breitling Classic AVI Chronograph 42

Another luxury brand with a rich history in aviation watches, Breitling nods to the original 1953 Ref. 765 AVI Co-Pilot in its latest offerings. The Classic AVI collection uses a 42mm format moulded from the design codes established by the 46mm Super AVI, which itself was inspired by the pioneering Ref. 765 AVI. With the inclusion of a Breitling Calibre 23 chronograph movement, the Classic AVI Chronograph 42 is a lighter version of the Super model in response to customer requests and comes without the brawny GMT complications. It comes in colour schemes which pay homage to four legendary aircraft – the Mustang, the naval Corsair, the Warhawk and the Mosquito.

pilot timepiece
Patek Philippe Calatrava Pilot Travel Time Chronograph Ref: 5924G

Patek Philippe also dips back in time – though only eight years to the model’s origins in this case – for the Calatrava Pilot Travel Time Chronograph Ref. 5924G. The new Calatrava pilot’s watch comes with either a sunburst blue-grey or lacquered khaki green dial highlighted by white-gold applied numerals that are recessed and filled with luminescent coating. The skeletonised hand displays the home time while the solid hand indicates local time. Chronograph pushers are positioned at two and four o’clock, with enlarged correction push-pieces for local time at eight and 10 o’clock. Its white-gold case is water resistant to 30 metres and features a sapphire crystal case back, and the calfskin strap matches the dial – either grained navy blue or vintage-finish olive green with contrasting cream stitching.

aviation watches
IWC 388106 Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Top Gun

IWC has a long presence in the aviation sector, soaring back to the 1930s and 1940s, and is proud of its cockpit-instrument look. Essential characteristics of its modern aviator timepieces have remained loyal to the dial design and visual vibe of pre-Second World War models. The Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 features a green dial with luminescent qualities and 10-bar water-resistant properties (100 metres to non-divers). It has a matching green rubber strap and an 18-carat gold case with a diameter of 41 mm, making it suitable for slender wrists.

aviation watches
Zenith Pilot Big Date Flyback

Zenith stated its early intention to be involved in the world of aviation when founder Georges Favre-Jacot saw the dawn of the aviation age and wanted his company to be part of it. It now offers a range of pilot’s watches including the Pilot Big Date Flyback, which boasts a black corrugated dial aid with large luminescent Arabic numerals, and the distinctive Pilot Type 20 Extra Special, distinguished by oversized Arabic numerals and powered by the EI Elite automatic manufacture movement. The Pilot Automatic is considered the template for Zenith’s new generation of pilot watches.

Also Read: Zenith Expands its Pilot and Defy Line with the Release of Seven New Watches at the Watches and Wonders 2023

aviation watches
Tag Heuer Autavia COSC GMT

Though a far cry from the precision ‘Time of Trip’ chronographs designed by Heuer and installed on airplane dashboards during the early years of aviation, the contemporary Tag Heuer Autavia still retains a classic feel. The Autavia COSC GMT pilot’s watch comes in steel with a blue sunray brushed dial and luminescent Super-Luminova hands and indexes.

aviation watches
Bremont ALT1-P2

Perhaps most notable within the Bremont collection of aviation models is the Bremont MB range, designed after ejection-seat manufacturer Martin-Baker requested they create a pilot’s watch. The timepiece had to withstand rigorous testing comparable to the ejection seats. The limited-edition MBI is reserved for flyers who have successfully ejected from an aircraft using one of the company’s seats – other versions (MBII and MBIII) are available to all enthusiasts.

Blancpain unveils dazzling Ladybird watch collection

Blancpain has released The Ladybird collection of feminine watches to add another fine range to its long history of ladies’ watches stretching back to 1930.

The Ladybird Colors – lilac, peacock green, forest green, turquoise and midnight blue – feature on Roman numerals as part of the textured mother-of-pearl dial which is set with 70 diamonds. With two new small seconds and moon phase complications, by playing with colour combinations Blancpain has added a vibrancy to its collection, and variations of these colours are picked up on the straps of red or white gold models.

The ultra-elegant and colourful nature of these timepieces comes with jewellery designed to bring out mechanical watchmaking at its finest. Their individuality is underlined by the offset Roman numerals which are underscored by an inner ring adorned with delicately tapering gemsetting that is also on the small seconds and moon-phase indicators. At a diameter of 34.9 mm, the case of the new Ladybird Colors models contains diamonds amounting to more than two carats. This is high-end gemsetting in which each parameter is hand-adjusted.

These watches tick gently to the beat of Calibre 1163 for the small seconds version and Calibre 1163L for the moon-phase iteration. Endowed with a four-day power reserve and a silicon balance spring, they are designed to keep track of daily life with a blend of accuracy, comfort and style.

Unique And Intriguing Timepieces That Watch Enthusiasts Will Love

Conventionally, when people think of watches, they associate them with time and the traditional dial styles – analogue and digital but when you are looking to win the wrist game, it is always best to opt for something that will have people starring and definitely pondering about the watch you are sporting. That is why we have put together some attention-grasping unique watches that approach the concept of time in unique ways that will leave anyone intrigued.

unique watches

Starting with the Ambush timeless bracelet, this watch needs no further explanation than its name itself. It subtracts the concept of time from itself, thus resulting in its plain-yet-bold-looking dial style which is elevated with its oyster bracelet strap. Made with Japanese stainless steel, this watch from the Tokyo-based brand comes in two colours – gold and silver tone.

unique watches

Another timepiece that diminishes the notion of time is the Hautlence Pinball which encourages everyone to live in the moment and relish every second rather than keeping count of it. Accordingly, this horological invention has the pinball game on its dial thus automatically tingling one’s playfulness and childhood memories. Back in 2017, Christie’s auctioned a Hautlence Pinball Ball-E which was ultimately bought for about HK$300 thousand.

Also Read: Highly-valued Craftsmanships – The Latest Top Bids in the Auction World

unique watches

Next is the Anicorn The Redundant which was designed as a clock for a class project by Ji Lee. Anicorn decided to reimagine the attention-grasping dial style – which got so much attention when Lee posted a sketch on his portfolio – into a watch. Sticking to the theme of redundancy, this watch tells the time twice with both the still time hands on the circumference and the moving hands on the centre telling the time.

unique watches

This particular watch – Projects Breakfast – takes great motivation from the first meal of the day with its designer Claire Desjardins coming up with a layout that resembles your typical breakfast consisting of an egg omelette, a pancake and more on a plate. Instead of your typical clock hands, Projects Breakfast opts for something quirky and has a fork to tell the hour, a knife to tell the minutes and a spoon for the seconds.

unique watches

Yet another eccentric horology creation is the Watchismo Click Keypad which is completely unique as it employs keyboard-style buttons which will have lights blinking on them in the order in which the time should be read. Simply put, the lights will flash in the following order – 0, 9, 4 and 5 – when the time is 9:45 AM (and 9:45 PM if it is the 12-hour-clock iteration). Clicking on the hash key will reveal the calendar day.

unique watches

For people who prefer something less playful and more classy, there is the Qlocktwo W35 which has the most unique way of revealing the time. It is shown in words so instead of the usual digital or analogue pattern, the time appears in wordings like ‘it is half past nine.’ Available in various languages, this water-resistant watch can also be used to check the day, seconds and battery level.

unique watches

The Devon Tread 2, on the other hand, has a more mechanical look to it as it uses an interwoven two-belt pattern to tell the time. Boasting a one-of-a-kind and avant-garde design, the horizontal motion belt tells the hours and the vertical one shows the minutes.

Take Your Time to Rediscover the City – A Sensory Journey by the Oriental Watch Company

The Oriental Watch Company launched an advertisement campaign that encourages people to admire Hong Kong around them with four of their senses – sight, aroma, sound, and taste.

Naming the campaign Take Your Time to Rediscover the City, the bespoke horology brand has collaborated with Omelette Digital Agency to release four different videos each targeting a particular sensory organ.

One video titled Take Your Time to Listen has veteran tram driver Captain Luk Wenwei taking the viewers on a tram ride while he asks everyone to set aside their phones and pay close attention to the different sounds that the vehicle makes.

He adds that ding ding which is an onomatopoeia that is commonly associated with transport is not the only thing you can hear. There are other sounds like the coins shaking around in the money box and the tram moving on its tracks.

Another video called Take Your Time to See features Wu Chi-Kai who has been crafting neon lights since he was 18.

While pointing to the radiating beauty of these neon lights, he also reminds people that these lights are not very common as they used to be. Hence, he asks people to observe the city around them and snap a photo whenever they see a neon light as it is definitely something special.

For the tasting video, which is called Take Your Time to Taste, the Oriental Watch Company invited the Tsui brothers of the Milktealogy project who discuss Hong Kong’s buzzing tea culture which is locally referred to as the Cha chaan teng culture.

Then, for aroma, audiences see Jonathan, who co-owns an aromatherapy brand, in the Take Your Time to Smell video.

In this clip, he mentions the different smells people come across in just a single street in the city. He advises everyone to concentrate on the different scents as they can be pretty therapeutic.

This new campaign, which is an extension of the brand’s previous one Take Your Time, strives to bring out the charms of Hong Kong where the watch company gets its roots from.

Click here to learn more.

Second Prizes: Worthy winning timepieces from this year’s Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Geneve

Every year, pretty much anyone with a senior enough role in keeping the global watchmaking sector ticking over descends upon Geneva for the ever-illustrious Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Geneve (GPHG) awards. Founded in 2001 and now one of team timepiece’s preeminent tournaments, it sees the world’s leading haute horology houses all keenly competing to be crowned as creators of the most finely-crafted, most ambitious and most high-tech bit of haute horology of the year.

For the 2019 event, a bumper crop of 84 high-end chronograms went before a 30-strong jury of the wisest of watchmen, who were then tasked with winkling out the winners in each of the 18 keenly-contested categories. Of the timepieces triumphant, six stood out as particularly meriting top horological honours…

Aiguille D’Or Grand Prix

The preeminent performer at this year’s event was undoubtedly Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak Selfwinding Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin. The world’s thinnest perpetual calendar watch, its movement has a depth of just 2.89mm, a cunning bit of compression brought to be by merging the three traditional layers of the perpetual calendar mechanism into just one component. This marvel of precision engineering even required the devisement of two new bits of tech – both subsequently patented – an end-of-the-month cam integrated into the date wheel and a combination month wheel / cam.  Indeed, it would be hard to think of a worthier winner of the Aiguille d’Or Grand Prix, the competition’s highest honour,

Innovation Prize

Another award-winner – and another to feature a perpetual calendar complication – was Swiss marque Vacheron Constantin, with its Traditionelle Twin Beat Perpetual Calendar rightfully winning GPHG’s Innovation Prize. Blending formidable aesthetic appeal with remarkable functionality, its flexibility is its greatest asset. In active use, its Calibre 3610 QP movement oscillates at a singularly high frequency, driving the hour, minute, date, month and leap year cycle indicators with outstanding precision. Off-wrist, it powers down, extending its power reserve to at least 65 days.

Ladies’ Complication Watch Prize

Avant-garde maison MB&F’s first-ever ladies’ watch – the Legacy Machine FlyingT – soared straight to the top this year, clinching the Ladies’ Complication Watch Prize on its maiden outing. Its accentuated crystal dome and dazzlingly diamond-studded fascia have been cunningly designed to ensure its movement and its centrally-mounted flying tourbillon are ably highlighted. Its subsidiary dial, meanwhile, nestles against this array at an unusual 50-degree angle, ensuring the ensemble remains quirky yet undeniably chic. Overall, it’s a design classic and a true statement timepiece for any avid collector of femininely-fashioned timepieces,

Men’s Complication Watch Prize

Audemars Piguet returned to the fray and secured a second accolade with its Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet Minute Repeater Supersonnerie winning hands down in the Men’s Complication Watch Prize category. Despite its stunning blue-on-white gold motif, it still remains remarkably minimalist in style. Underneath its smoked-blue enamel dial, however, its manual-winding movement is the height of mechanical sophistication, partly on account of its subtle incorporation of cutting-edge minute repeater supersonnerie technology – an innovation that notably amplifies its signature chime. In addition, its outer caseback has even been tactically perforated in order to admirably enhance its acoustics.

Men’s Watch Prize

In the case of the Finnish watchmaker Kari Voutilainen, its 28ti timepiece certainly had the wow factor as far as the GPHG jury were concerned. Attention-grabbing pretty much to the max, the ‘ti’ in its epithet stands for ‘titanium inverse’, a reference to both its premium case material and the fact that its handmade movement has been inversely fitted to allow direct viewing through its transparent caseback. Beautifully skeletonised, its front fascia has also been expertly optimised, with showcasing the watch’s elegant inner workings clearly a priority. Crafted wholly in-house, its elegance and technological prowess made it popular winner of the Men’s Watch Prize.

Mechanical Exception Watch Prize

The first production chronogram from Swiss marque Genus – the GNS1.2, winner of the Mechanical Exception Watch Prize at this year’s GPHG – proved a true revelation in the art of contemporary watchmaking, one that highlighted the intrinsic relationship between form and function – albeit with a decidedly outré twist. With its traditional hour markers set on a rotating ring, with an hour indicator fitted at 9 O’clock, it also features two minute rings, artfully connected by a serpentine chain that embraces them in that ever-lucky figure-of-eight pattern. Limited to a release of – unsurprisingly – eight pieces, the GNS1.2 ably blends traditional watchmaking conventions with a wholly contemporary appeal, making it – as with the other rightfully-celebrated timepieces – a truly worthy winner.

Text: Tenzing Thondup