AUSTEN CHU
OWNER OF WRISTCHECK When did you begin collecting watches?
It all started in kindergarten! I moved to Shanghai when I was very young, and lived with my mom and my grandparents, who happened to be maths professors. Naturally, since they were Chinese, they taught me numbers before my ABC, and I picked up telling time very quickly. I know that sounds crazy, but that’s how it all started. My mom then bought me a baby blue Flik Flak, which became my “safety blanket” – I wouldn’t be able to sleep or shower without that watch strapped to my wrist. For the record, I don’t sleep with watches anymore.
Are there watches in your collection you’ve never worn?
Nope! I’m a firm believer that all watches should be worn and appreciated, because that’s part of the charm of watch collecting. Part of it is being able to have your hobby (your watch) alongside you as a companion throughout every milestone in life. There are certain pieces in my collection that I haven’t worn in a long time, like the watches that aren’t with me physically in Hong Kong. However, I do try to rotate my watches as much as possible.
Do you have a favourite watch, because of its intrinsic or sentimental value?
I don’t think I have a favourite watch per se, but
I think the watch that means the most to me is my collaboration with Audemars Piguet, the Royal Oak China Edition, launched in January 2020. It’s definitely the watch that means the most to me, because it’s pretty much everything I’d want in a high-end daily watch. A super-light (the watch was the first-ever Royal Oak perpetual calendar in full titanium), monotone Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar (Perpetual Calendars are my favourite complication).
What makes you covet a watch?
A variety of factors. In the beginning, before I knew about any brands, it was all about aesthetics, so I guess design is the most important factor. I still stick to that today. After design comes the brand, and the people behind the brand. However, at the end of the day, just
buy and collect what speaks to you is my sincere advice to all budding collectors. If you see a watch and it tugs on your heart strings and you’re still thinking about it when you’re going to bed at night, then it’s the right watch for you. Watch collecting is a very personal hobby, and we’re often too clouded by what we see on the echo chamber of social media. For me, it was always down to aesthetics. That’s why I had a Royal Oak poster in my bedroom in middle school, before I even knew how much it cost.
Do you follow other watch collectors?
Of course I do. There are so many wonderful people I’ve met in the past year after moving to Hong Kong, who all have fantastic collections – museum-worthy stuff. Sadly, these individuals all prefer to remain private.