CHRISTOPHER HO
CHEF
When did you begin collecting watches?
I’ve always been into watches. It’s something about the intricacies regarding the movements of cogs and dials to govern time, a concept that’s meant to be completely outside our control, but which always intrigued me. I was given my first luxury watch when I turned 18, but I only began to collect them when I turned 21.
What’s the rarest piece in your collection?
Perhaps not the most expensive, but the rarest watch I own that I’ve never seen anywhere else is my Rolex 16013 two-tone Datejust with both a Buckley dial and Tiffany & Co co-branding. I’ve only seen 16013s with either the Buckley or Tiffany co-branding, but never with both simultaneously. I think the two-tone bracelet itself is a bit flashy, so I’ve changed it to a more casual and subtle leather strap.
Are there watches in your collection you’ve never worn?
There’s one watch that’s technically in my collection but has never been worn and nor has the leather strap even been bent. It’s an Audemars Piguet Quantieme Perpetual 25661BA bought by my father in the 1980s for his future son (i.e, me). I “received” the watch when I turned 21 – that is to say, it was taken out of the safe and a photo was taken, then it was returned to the depths of the safe where it remains till now! I plan to keep the watch there for my own son when he turns 21, and perhaps he’ll do the same for his son in the future. I have a feeling the first son in our lineage who accidentally bends the leather strap will receive a visit from all the ancestors that night!
Do you have a favourite watch, because of its intrinsic or sentimental value?
There are two watches I’m sentimental about. The first is my first-ever luxury watch – a Rolex Milgauss – that I was given by my parents in 2012 as my 18th-birthday present. It was the first thing I’ve had to treasure and truly look after and it reflected my first step into adulthood. My other watch that holds the most sentimental value is my Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chronograph 26331ST. I bought that earlier this year after doing a catering gig for Audemars Piguet. I’ve always treated my cooking as a passion project, but this was the first time I’ve truly felt a sense of accomplishment from my hobby and professional pursuit.
What makes you covet a watch?
As with everyone, the price of the watch obviously makes a big impact on how much it’s coveted, but above design and brand it’s whether or not the watch resonates with me and the sentimental value surrounding the purchase. Every watch I’ve bought has been to commemorate some milestone or event in my life, and often the watch I choose reflects the event itself, for example, a dress watch to reflect a professional event in my life. One thing that’s been exciting me a lot is the unique materials, such as tantalum, carbon fibre and ceramics, that are being incorporated in the watch world nowadays. That’s definitely a route I’d like to explore more in the future.
Do you follow other watch collectors?
Coincidentally, the people I talk most about watches are also within my family; both my aunt and uncle are big watch collectors. One focuses on vintage watches and the other on newer models. Whenever there’s a watch I’m interested in or if I ever want to chat about watches, I almost always talk to them first. However, in terms of an amazing watch collection, you can’t ignore Austen Chu. We recently met up for dinner to catch up and chat about watches and I still can’t fathom how he can be so knowledgeable about watches at such a young age.