Watch Collecting's Curator Club: A Look Inside Our Hong Kong Meet-Up

One of the great perks of being a collector is the opportunity to meet like-minded enthusiasts and get stuck right into the nerdy details. This is exactly what happened at Watch Collecting’s first-ever Hong Kong Curator Club event last Saturday.

MatchaLi’s Wan Chai venue was the perfect setting for a group of collectors to settle in and review a hand-picked collection of pieces currently listed on the Watch Collecting platform. Like any watch event, wrist checking is the first order of business so let’s get right into it.

You know you’re amongst serious collectors when you spot a Rolex ‘Paul Newman’ Daytona. This vintage reference from the Crown is among the most coveted watches in the world and the late actor’s own example set auction records when it sold for USD17.8 million in 2017, highlighting its popularity and importance.

The mighty Royal Oak was out in force, with some really interesting models representing different ends of the spectrum for AP’s iconic sports watch. For those who appreciate the technical side of things, there were some big-hitters including the mega Double Balance Wheel Openworked in black ceramic.

On the more pared-back side was a collaboration with fashion designer 1017 ALYX 9SM, which trades the Royal Oak’s signature Tapiserrie dial for a stripped back minimalist aesthetic. This watch also has one of the coolest clasps in the game, echoing the distinctive buckle used by the designer.

Amongst the independents, a few watches caught our eye including an Elégante Titalyt from one of the hottest brands of the moment, F.P. Journe. A De Bethune DB25 also turned heads with its distinctive hollowed-out lugs. In between the watch spotting, it was interesting to hear the chat around the prevalence of the vintage market and the return to more modestly sized watches - two big themes we’ve seen play out in recent times.

Let’s move onto Watch Collecting’s contribution to the evening, and talk about some of the watches we had on display, and what’s sold on the platform since.

Our aim was to cover all bases, with some vintage watches offset by contemporary models, and some time-only classics paired up with a few highly technical pieces.

If you’re curious to know what caught everyone’s eye and found a new home since the event, a 2021 Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Double Balance Wheel Openworked sold for HK$650,500, a 2015 A. Lange & Söhne 1815 was swept up for HK$100,500 and a lovely vintage Daytona reference 6265 from 1974 hammered at HK$510,500.

Of course, when you get a bunch of watch collectors in one room, there’s very likely to be some nice cars close by and we thought it would only be right to leave you with a couple of snaps for anyone across both hobbies. We’d also like to give a big thanks to everyone who came down and we’re looking forward to hosting a number of similar events in the near future at different locations around the world. Keep an eye on the website for more details!