Watches encompass culture, emotion, patience

Watches encompass culture, emotion, patience

A. Junaidi
The Jakarta Post/Singapore

Many cultures give an important place to the concept of time. In
Western nations, the importance of time is illustrated in the
saying; "Time is money" while in an Arabic phrase: "Time is a
sword", shows that time can kill if we do not use it wisely.

In the distant past, people would observe the movement of the
sun and moon to determine the time. They then developed clocks
and watches to measure time more precisely. But as times have
changed, people no longer look only at their watches to know the
time. They can now see the time from their cell phones and
through other electronic means.

Is this the end for watches? No, of course not. This could be
seen from the thousands of people visiting Tempus, The Great
Watchapade, a five-day watch fair organized recently by The Hour
Glass Ltd at Raffles City Convention Center, Singapore.

Besides looking at expensive watches, people also attended
seminars and observed how independent watchmakers demonstrated
their skills at the fair, which commemorated the 25th anniversary
of The Hour Glass company.

"It's not only a watch. It's culture. We show people watch-
making process and educate them on the values of watches," The
Hour Glass deputy general manager Michael Tay said at the opening
of the fair.

Tay said the fair, which was modeled on the annual world watch
fairs in Basel and Geneva, included five full days of educational
and hands-on activities related to the world of quality watch-
making.

He said the fair was also an opportunity for watchmakers and
chief executive officers to meet their customers and watch
collectors, some of them Indonesians, from Asian countries.

More than 35 renowned luxury watch brands were displayed at
the fair, including Audemars Piguet, Bvlgari, Cartier, Chopard,
Corum, Daniel Roth, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Montblanc, Omega, Patek
Philippe and Tag Heuer, with prices ranging from US$11,250 to
US$20 million.

Several independent watchmakers, such as Philippe Dufour,
Vianney Halter, Kees Engelbarts, Thomas Prescher, Roger Smith,
Volker Vyskocil and Urwek gave a presentation at the seminars and
exhibited their watches.

They are called independent watchmakers because they have set
up their own brands and have not merged with big brands, such as
Bvlgari, Cartier, Tag Heuer, and so on.

The independent watchmakers usually produce only a few watches
a year and sell their products mostly to collectors at events
such as the Basel and Geneva fairs.

Vianey Halter, one of the independent watchmakers, said
independent watchmakers usually worked for big companies before
deciding to set up their own companies.

"My personality meant I preferred to be independent. So I quit
a big company and set up my own. Although it's small, I'm
satisfied," Halter said.

Another independent watchmaker, Philippe Dufour, who lives in
Valle de Joux, Switzerland, said people loved watches and would
be willing to pay a high price mostly due to emotional
attachment.

"It's emotion. You wake up in the morning, touch your watch
and wind it," said the 56-year-old Dufour who produced about 20
watches a year under his own brand name.

He said a collector currently would have to wait for at least
three years to get one of his watches, which were known for his
philosophy of "simplicity".

Watch collectors must be patient, as they may have to wait for
a long time before getting their very exclusive watches.

BOX: About The Hour Glass

The Hour Glass Limited is one of Asia Pacific's most established
specialist watch retailers. From a one-boutique operation in
Singapore in 1979, which was founded by Henry Tay, The Hour Glass
Group has developed into a regional network of 18 retail stores
in Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia and Thailand.

The Hour Glass has opened stores in strategically located
shopping belts, such as in Gayson Plaza in Bangkok, at 1 Utama in
Kuala Lumpur and in Ginza, Tokyo.

Henry Tay, a medical doctor who graduated from Monash
University, Australia, inherited his expertise on watches from
his father Tay Tuan Kee, the oldest retailer of Rolex watches in
Singapore.

"Watches are my lifeline. They are in my blood," the 60-year-
old Tay was quoted by The Straits Times as saying.

Tay who once practiced in his medical clinic for two years,
set up the first The Hour Glass shop in Lucky Plaza in the famous
shopping area on Orchard Road.

The company, which cost S$1 million (US$625,000) when it was
set up, has grown to be worth US$200 million. It has acquired
some Swiss brands, such as Daniel Roth and Gerald Genta, in 1994
and 1996, respectively.

In the business, Tay was helped by his wife Jannie, a
Malaysian who also graduated from Monash University and quit her
job as a lecturer at the University of Singapore.

His 28-year-old son, Michael Tay, who graduated with a degree
in business and international management from Oxford Brooks
University in the UK, seemed intent on continuing the family
business.

Tempus, the Great Watchapade, which cost US$1.5 million to
organize, was Michael's idea. He wanted to set up a watch fair in
Asia similar to the annual fairs in Basel and Geneva.

"If it's a success, we could run the fair every two or three
years, or even annually," Michael said.

A.Junaidi