A WATCH FAN ON HOW TIMEPIECES COMPLETE HIM WITHOUT RULING HIS LIFE.
“When I’m getting ready, I feel half-dressed if I don’t put on a watch. I bought my first watch with my angbao (Hokkien for red packet) money when I was in secondary school. It was a Casio analogue watch. I remember feeling like I had become a man because I finally had an accessory to call my own. (Laughs.)”
“I like watches that are rugged and elegant. I take care of my watches, but I’m not afraid of scratching them. I have a Patek Philippe Aquanaut 5167 in white gold that my wife gave me for our fifth wedding anniversary, and I wear it to swim or play golf. It’s the second watch she has given me. The first one was a Tag Heuer Formula 1 (pictured) about 15 years ago, when we were still dating and she was just starting out in the working world.”
“The last watch I got was the Panerai Radiomir Composite PAM 504 (pictured), nearly two years ago. I’ve not been buying watches because my new house is being built. I would like a Richard Mille RM11, but I think to myself: Would I rather buy a watch, or a lift for my house? For now, I’d rather get the lift.”
“My Patek Philippe Nautilus 5726 (pictured) was a reward to myself for a milestone I reached before I left ST Engineering and joined my current company. I had been on the waiting list for this watch for a year, and it happened to come in then. Although it has an annual calendar complication, it’s very slim. I use the moonphase to know when it’s chu yi shi wu (the first and 15th days of each Chinese lunar month). On those days, there will be a new moon or full moon. My wife is Buddhist and eats vegetarian food on those two days. So, I can make arrangements accordingly, if we are going on a dinner date.”
“I’ve been waiting for the Nautilus 5711 for one and a half years. After I get it, I’ll move towards Patek’s dressier, more complicated watches. Your likes and choices evolve as your lifestyle does – dressier watches go well for formal events, which I attend more of these days. I thought I would stop at two Pateks because I have two children. You know how the brand says you don’t actually own a Patek, it’s for the next generation? Then, when I started looking at the 5711, I thought, well, I guess I can keep one for myself too. You always give yourself reasons to shop.”
THREE WATCHES THAT DEFINE MY HOROLOGICAL JOURNEY
“Rugged” Panerai Radiomir Composite PAM 504 in ceramicised aluminium
TEXT LYNETTE KOH PHOTOGRAPHY DARREN CHANG ART DIRECTION FAZLIE HASHIM
