TALKING TIME

A MILE A MINUTE

TRAVELLING AND TIMEPIECES ARE INTERTWINED FOR THIS FREQUENT FLIER.

SMOOTH OPERATORS:

“I first became aware of mechanical watches during my polytechnic days, when I noticed a guy on the train wearing a watch with a second hand that moved in a smooth, sweeping manner, unlike the ticking of a quartz watch. That got me interested in mechanical watches and I started reading up on them. Later, I even took apart the movement of a Seiko watch to learn about its inner workings. I managed to put it back together, but it wouldn’t start the first time. I tried a second time, and it started working.”

MAN ON THE MOVE:

“I started seriously collecting watches when I began travelling extensively for work. I do a lot of regional travel, which gives me the chance to visit watch shops after meeting clients in the day. Watches make great conversation starters. In China one time, I was wearing my Aquanaut [by Patek Philippe] and a client noticed it. I didn’t even know he liked watches – he wasn’t wearing one when we met. We started talking about watches, and he opened the safe in his office to show me some of his pieces – there were five Richard Mille watches inside.”

DIVE RIGHT IN:

“I like watches that are 40mm and below, and not too common, relatively speaking. The Rolex SeaDweller 4000 ref. 116600 was only produced for three years, after its launch in 2014. It’s 40mm and looks similar to the [Rolex Oyster Perpetual] Submariner, but there are differences: For example, the Sea-Dweller doesn’t have a Cyclops [magnifying glass] over the date. I regret not getting a second one when I had the chance, so I could wear one and keep one. I want to keep mine new, so I don’t wear it.”

INDEPENDENT’S DAY:

“When I first saw the F.P. Journe Chronometre Bleu Byblos limited edition, I didn’t think it looked nice. [Laughs] I had always liked the regular Chronometre Bleu, without the openwork dial, but I had my doubts about the brand – such as, what if its founder [Francois-Paul Journe] stopped making watches? I was actually trying to help a friend buy the Byblos edition at a preowned shop in Tokyo, but he found the price too high. While I was in Tokyo, Chanel announced that it had bought a stake in F.P. Journe. I felt that this investment would make the brand stronger. I ended up buying the watch. It has grown on me, as I find out more about what makes it special – it’s the brand’s first open-dial watch and a 99-piece special edition.”

A GRAIL AT THE GYM:

“The A. Lange & Sohne Datograph had been my grail watch since 2004, and this year, I finally hunted down this platinum edition from 2008. I like chronographs, and I noticed that the Datograph had a unique arrangement, with subdials that are set lower than other dual-subdial chronographs, and a big date. Sometimes, I wear this or my Patek Philippe Ref. 5960 [Chronograph Annual Calendar] to the gym for weights sessions. They have a fly back chronograph function, which is useful when I’m timing my rest intervals between sets: I don’t have to start, stop and restart the chronograph, but just restart it with the push of a button.”

THREE WATCHES THAT REPRESENT ME AS A COLLECTOR

“Timeless.” Rolex Oyster Perpetual Sea-Dweller 4000 in steel 

TEXT LYNETTE KOH PHOTOGRAPHY TAN WEI TE  ART DIRECTION ASHRUDDIN SANI