Celebrity Life

Jackie Tan and his dad had few shared hobbies — until they both got into watch-collecting.

The post Horology is a form of bonding for this father and son appeared first on The Peak Magazine.

Jackie Tan and his dad had few hobbies in common — until they both got into watch-collecting.

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Paul Newman's Oyster Cosmograph Daytona Ref. 6239 is on display at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles.

The post World’s Most Expensive Rolex on Display in Los Angeles appeared first on LUXUO.

Gone but not forgotten is the perfect adage for this rare 1954 Rolex Submariner watch. This vintage Rolex watch was found at the bottom of a dusty old box and now has gone on to break auction records with a winning bid of over £200,000. This watch is steeped in history as the Submariner 6200 […]

The post Rare 1954 Rolex Submariner 6200 Watch Sells for over £200,000 appeared first on Upscale Living Magazine.

In their unceasing quest for innovation, technological excellence, reliability and ultimate achievement, Rolex and motorsport are the perfect partners.

Ever since Mercedes Gleitze became the first British woman to swim across the English Channel, the esteemed watchmaking name of Rolex has been associated with the peak of sporting achievement, from tennis to golf and from equestrianism to sailing. As the Geneva- based brand has long been synonymous with technical innovation and perfection, it was also inevitable that its name would also become closely linked with what’s arguably the most technologically advanced sport of all: motor racing.

The story dates back to the 1930s, when the British racing driver and motoring journalist Sir Malcolm Campbell set nine world land-speed records between 1924 and 1935 in a succession of specially designed cars bearing the name Blue Bird. In September 1935 at Bonneville Salt Flats in the United States, driving the last in the line of his streamlined Campbell-Napier-Railton machines, this intrepid automobile adventurer went down in history by being the first man to exceed 300mph (483km/h) on land. He did so while wearing a Rolex Oyster watch strapped to his wrist.

Campbell’s feat marked the beginning of a long and fruitful relationship between Rolex and motorsport, which is exemplified by the introduction in the 1963 of the Cosmograph Daytona. Designed specifically with racing drivers in mind, the Daytona chronograph boasts the split-second accuracy that’s essential in an activity where timing and precision are all-important. Named after the Florida beachfront community that’s home to the famous international speedway, where the annual Rolex 24 at Daytona endurance race takes place, the watch remains one of the most prized timepieces in the brand’s product line-up.

As well as endurance sportscar racing, Rolex has built strong and enduring links with the series that forms the very pinnacle of motorsport – Formula 1. The great Scottish-born driver Sir Jackie Stewart, who was crowned World Champion in 1969, 1971 and 1973, and vocally advocated safety at a time when racing was fraught with danger, was named a Rolex Testimonee in the early 1970s.

Still an outspoken voice for the sport today, Stewart describes the evident synergies between racing and the brand thus: “The levels of precision, engineering and innovation upheld by the top levels of sport, and particularly Formula 1, are very similar to those set by Rolex. They are leaders in their respective fields and have made a habit of turning unconventional thinking into the norm, resulting in many pioneering moments in their histories.”

Other Rolex Testimonees from the sport include the Australian Mark Webber, the winner of nine grands prix who also made his mark in endurance racing, and the great Danish driver Tom Kristensen, whose astonishing nine victories in the gruelling 24-hours Le Mans race makes him the uncrowned king of this classic event. Both drivers point to the trickling-down of technology from racing to road cars that’s made the latter more efficient, safer and more durable. “The DNA of our cars has come from motor sport,” says Weber. “It continues to develop technology that filters into mass-market products … Every day, people are much safer driving their cars because of motor sport.”

Kristensen adds: “Naturally, Le Mans has greatly influenced the automotive industry throughout the race’s history … Success at the 24 Hours of Le Mans is the best stamp of approval that one can receive in the road-car industry.”

Rolex’s appointment in 2013 as Global Partner and the Official Timekeeper of Formula 1 cemented the ties that have long linked the world’s most technologically driven sport with the watch brand whose name has been a byword for innovation, continuous development and a relentless quest for excellence for more than a century. Whether pushing the parameters of performance and reliability to be first past the chequered flag or creating the most precise, accurate and durable timepieces possible, both are united in their pursuit of the ultimate.

Find out more

The post In Their Unceasing Quest for Excellence, Rolex and Motorsport are the Perfect Partners appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

Robust and reliable timepieces that perform flawlessly for every season and reason.

The post Tested to Extremes: Rolex Watches for Risk Takers appeared first on LUXUO.

Most of us know Wil Fang as the founder of Cookie DPT and Carbs. To his friends however, he's a bit of a hoarder. From sneakers and collectibles to a budding watch collection, the connoisseur of classic all-American fare tells us about his collecting habits, his quartet of Rolexes and what makes him tick.

Wil Fang will tell you he’s no watch collector – yet. He’s merely starting out, dipping his toes in. But step through the doors to his apartment that’s decked out in all sorts of collectibles – from Bearbricks to the Mr Moncler figurine created by artist Craig Costello and various Louis Vuitton x Supreme items – and you’ll see telling signs that he has the potential to become a very serious one.

That is, if his sneaker collection is anything to go by. Fang has a room lined with floor-to-ceiling shelving, dedicated to housing his 400-plus pairs of sneakers. At a glance, there are autographed Air Jordans, limited-edition Off-Whites, Fear of God, and more. His collection is still growing; he points to a couple of boxes stacked on a Supreme logo-ed folding chair – “I haven’t worn those yet,” he tells me.

Fang’s interest in sneakers grew from childhood – his first pair of Jordans was from his mother, when he was in third grade. He also has a single Jordan shoe, signed by the entire Chicago Bulls team, which he displays in a glass box.

“I even have a magazine signed by Dennis Rodman, Scottie Pippen and Michael Jordan after they won 72-10,” says Fang, referring to 1995-1996, when the Chicago Bulls set the record for the most wins in an NBA regular season. “I’m a huge Jordan fan and I always wear Jordans. He was my idol growing up.”

But back to watch collecting: “I’ve had quite a few watches, but I’d say the first serious timepiece I own is this Rolex, which my wife gave me on our wedding day,” says Fang.

The watch in question is a Rolex Submariner, in steel with a black dial and bezel. “When my wife got it for me, it wasn’t crazy expensive,” he continues. “Five years ago it wasn’t even difficult to get, like it is today. Things have definitely changed.”

Rolex was the definitive watch of Hong Kong culture, the ultimate milestone watch that you’d get for a special occasion. “It’s almost like the standard entry-level watch here,” says Fang. “Everyone’s got some sort of Rolex, whether it’s a Sub or a Milgauss – for a lot of my friends here, it’s very normal for them to get a Submariner for graduation or when they land their first job.”

The watch Fang got for himself when he got his first pay cheque, however, wasn’t a Rolex. When he graduated with a double major in mechanical engineering and business management from Bucknell University in 2005, he joined Ralph Lauren and was quickly sucked into the company culture.

“We weren’t required to wear any particular uniform, but as a young professional, you see your bosses walking around in suits and nice watches, and you start becoming part of that culture,” Fang recalls. “And, you know, it’s aspirational.”

And soon enough, his interest was piqued. The first watch he bought for himself with his own salary was a TAG Heuer Link chronograph, which he still owns. “In Hong Kong, maybe it’s not a big deal, but back then, when you’re 22 years old in the States, it’s a pretty nice watch. It was a gift to myself.”

Later, as Ralph Lauren ventured into timepieces, Fang also invested in a dress watch. “It was unnecessarily quite expensive,” he says with a chuckle. “It was a Ralph Lauren watch and I probably should have put that money into something else, but it’s a prototype model. It’s definitely sentimental and I’ll never sell it or get rid of it. It’ll stay in my collection.”

Later, Fang’s work brought him to Hong Kong and, in 2016, he found himself in Taipei with a group of friends launching a fashion retail concept store called DPT. “It was one of those dream-come-true situations,” says Fang. “I’m half-Taiwanese and Hong Kong was home, so I was commuting weekly back and forth from Taipei for
two years.”

It was at DPT that Fang’s sneaker collection really flourished. “I’m a sneakerhead,” he says, enthusiastically. “I’ve had sneakers my whole life, but when you open your own shop and brands send you 50 pairs and you could have your first pick, it was like, ‘Oh my God, I’ve made it.’”

Owning the sneakers – and the watches – was only part of the thrill. A huge part of what makes the community so exciting was the hunt for a good bargain, the relationships you build with your authorised dealers, and the full experience of receiving the goods.

“The cool thing about collecting is like, once you have it, you have it, but there’s also a story of how you got them, whether they’re sneakers or watches,” says Fang. “I’ve seen my friends pick up their watches at a VIP house and it’s a great day, you know, everyone’s excited and they come with a bottle of champagne. It’s all part of the process.”

After his wedding Submariner opened the floodgates, Fang picked up a “Panda” Daytona with a black ceramic bezel, an Explorer and a vintage “Pepsi” GMT Master with a faded bezel, explaining that Rolex was an easy entry point to collecting for him. “I like things that are more modern, a bit more subtle and sleek,” he says. “White gold or steel and black. Something that’s very clean and not too flashy.”

“Collecting watches is definitely a more expensive hobby. It’s not like collecting suits or sneakers,” says Fang. “But what I like about it is the community. It’s much smaller, more intimate. I don’t even consider myself a watch collector at this point, but from an interest perspective, I really like the circle. They come from all places – from F&B, fashion, finance, entrepreneurs – you meet so many interesting people through collecting. And a lot of them are successful, so it also gives me the drive and the mentality to work hard in my own businesses too.”

That drive is serving him well. Unfazed by the pandemic, Fang and the DPT Group are launching a takeout pizza business called Carbs – “I’m playing the devil’s advocate,” says Fang.

“Covid isn’t such a happy time but seeing the success of a fast-moving takeout delivery business gives us the confidence that, even in the toughest times, Carbs will be OK.” And how could it not be? Comfort mac-and-cheese, authentic Chicago deep-dish pizzas, fried chicken, and hands-down the best spicy vodka fusilli I’ve tasted. Perhaps as Hong Kong’s appetite for Fang’s goods continues to grow, so will his watch collection.

The post Wil Fang of Cookie DPT and Carbs on his Growing Appetite for Watch Collecting appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.