Chinese EV maker Yangwang, a sub-brand of BYD, has registered a new top speed record for electric cars. The brand’s U9 Track Edition clocked 472.41 km/h (294 mph) at the ATP Automotive Testing Papenburg track in Germany.

The record was set by German professional driver Marc Basseng, who was behind the wheel for the previous global EV speed record in 2024. After completing the high-speed test for Yangwang, he said, “Last year, I thought I’d peaked. I never expected to break my own record so soon — but here we are, at the same track, with new technologies that have made it possible.”

The Yangwang U9 Track Edition is based on the e4 platform. It uses a 1200V ultra-high-voltage architecture – a first for a mass-produced car.

The U9 is powered by four electric motors that can run at 30,000 rpm, delivering a peak output of 744 hp per motor. The car has a combined output of just under 3000 hp and a ridiculous power-to-weight ratio of 1205 hp per tonne.

Recent years have seen Malaysian contemporary art gain new visibility internationally. Across biennales, gallery exhibitions and museum collections, Malaysian artists are gaining recognition for work that is rooted in local and regional experiences while also being relevant to art lovers abroad. Take Haffendi Anuar, for instance, who transforms the domestic kain pelikat into sculptural forms that reflect trade, migration and post-colonial memory. Chang Yoong Chia reimagines everyday materials to probe politics, religion and cultural identity. Nadiah Bamadhaj blends folklore and architecture to question power and gender.

By drawing on local traditions while speaking to global debates, these artists highlight the complexity of Malaysian identity in a rapidly changing world. Collectively, these artists demonstrate how Malaysian perspectives — from textiles and buildings to personal histories — are shaping global conversations about belonging and heritage.

Haffendi Anuar

Haffendi Anuar works across sculpture, painting and installation. His practice explores how history, architecture and material culture shape contemporary Malaysian identity. A recurring motif in his work is the kain pelikat — a chequered cotton fabric commonly worn at home — which he transforms into sculptural forms. In doing so, he connects a familiar domestic textile to wider stories of trade, migration and post-colonial memory.

Another strand of his work draws from the architecture of traditional stilted houses. For his major public commission at Battersea Power Station in London, he reinterpreted this building style at a monumental scale — translating Southeast Asian heritage into the language of global urbanism. This ability to move between the local and the international is central to Haffendi’s practice.

His work has been shown across Asia, Europe and the United States, positioning him as one of the most recognisable Malaysian artists of his generation. Yet even as his career expands internationally, he continues to return to the textures, stories and symbols of Malaysia. In doing so, he demonstrates how a deeply local perspective can open onto global conversations about belonging and cultural continuity.

Find out more about the artist here.

Chang Yoong Chia

Chang Yoong Chia has built a practice that reflects on Malaysian identity through the inventive use of everyday materials. Trained as a painter, he extends this foundation into embroidery, collage and unconventional mediums such as plant remains and household objects — transforming them into works that address politics, religion, alongside themes of nature and cultural memory. The meticulous labour embedded in his process adds weight to his explorations of history and belonging, often reframing ordinary objects into symbolic carriers of meaning.

A founding member of the artist-run initiative Spacekraft, he has also engaged in community projects — highlighting art’s role in public life. His works have been presented at major exhibitions including the Fukuoka Asian Art Triennale, Musée d’Art Contemporain de Lyon and Yokohama Museum of Art, and are held in collections across Asia. In 2018, the National Art Gallery in Kuala Lumpur staged a mid-career survey of his work, cementing his significance in Malaysia’s contemporary art scene while underscoring how local narratives can speak to broader global conversations.

Find out more about the artist here.

Nadiah Bamadhaj

Nadiah Bamadhaj trained as a sculptor in New Zealand before moving to Yogyakarta, Indonesia, where she now lives and works. Her practice spans collage, drawing, installation, sculpture and video editing, often using myth, folklore and architectural forms to question structures of power and gender. While much of her recent work reflects on Indonesian society, her early grounding in Malaysia continues to shape her perspective — particularly through an interest in how personal and national histories intersect.

She has exhibited widely across Asia and internationally, including the Asia Pacific Triennial in Brisbane, the Jakarta Biennale and the Sharjah Biennale and her works are held in major regional collections. Alongside her artistic career, she has also written on human rights in Malaysia and Indonesia — underscoring her commitment to linking cultural expression with broader social issues. Bamadhaj’s trajectory reflects how Malaysian-born artists extend the country’s cultural identity beyond its borders, contributing to global debates while remaining rooted in questions of community and belonging.

Find out more about the artist here or click here for their social media.

Sharon Chin

Sharon Chin — born in 1980 in Petaling Jaya — is an artist and activist whose work spans painting, installation, performance and illustration. Now based in Port Dickson, she is recognised for addressing environmental and political issues through projects that often involve collaboration with local communities, making art part of everyday life rather than confining it to galleries. She has been actively involved in Malaysian civil society, designing costumes, banners and performances during protests and elections that drew attention to issues of democracy and freedom of expression.

Still from VIA, a film by Azharr Rudin. © Azharr Rudin 2012. All rights reserved. (left)
Photo by Johnny McGeorge © Johnny McGeorge 2012. All rights reserved. (right)

Her floral motifs for “Creatures of Near Kingdoms” — later adapted into textiles with local screen-printers — highlight her interest in how shared stories and visual culture shape collective memory. Chin has exhibited widely — including at the Singapore Biennale and Asia Pacific Triennial — and her works are represented in major regional collections. By placing Malaysian narratives — whether ecological concerns, social critique or re-imaginings of folklore — at the centre of her practice, she has developed a body of work that is rooted in local realities that also resonate with global conversations on art and activism.

Find out more about the artist here.

Read More: Gallery des Artistes Owner Edith Ho on Shaping the Pop Art Scene in Malaysia

Zulkifli Yusoff

Known for his installations, paintings and mixed media works that probe the relationship between history, politics and culture, Zulkifli Yusoff has built a career marked by both acclaim and controversy. Since first gaining recognition in the late 1980s with installations that addressed power, corruption and Malay identity, he has consistently used art as a way to unpack Malaysia’s layered past. His practice often draws on historical texts, colonial records and traditional motifs, reworking them in ways that highlight how narratives of nationhood are shaped and remembered.

Read More: Mirsham Habib on HARTA’s Initiative to Celebrate Malaysian Art and Culture

Works such as “Don’t Play During Maghrib” — shown at the Venice Biennale — and his “Malay Sketches” series demonstrate his interest in juxtaposing archival material with pop-inflected imagery, creating a visual language that bridges past and present. By placing figures like J.W.W. Birch or symbols — such as the keris and ketupat within contemporary contexts — Zulkifli makes visible the tensions between heritage and modern life. His work resonates globally yet remains rooted in the Malaysian experience, positioning him as a leading figure in articulating the complexities of cultural identity through art.

Find out more about the artist here.

Ahmad Fuad Osman

Known for his ability to combine painterly skill with installations, sculpture and video that probe the intersections of politics, history and identity, Ahmad Fuad Osman is one of Malaysia’s most prominent contemporary artists and for good reason. A founding member of the influential Matahati collective, Fuad emerged in the 1990s as part of a generation of artists determined to challenge official narratives of nationhood and culture in post-1969 Malaysia. His works often draw attention to how memory and history are constructed, whether through monumental paintings, politically charged installations or projects such as the “Enrique de Malacca Memorial Project”, which revisited overlooked figures in global history through a distinctly Malaysian lens.

Read More: A Greedy Capitalist is No More Than a Beast on Shafiq Nordin’s Canvas

Known for his sharp wit and satirical edge, Ahmad Fuad has long been considered one of Malaysia’s more provocative contemporary artists. In “Recollections of Long Lost Memories”, he digitally superimposes modern figures onto archival photographs to challenge official narratives and expose the subjectivity of memory. The first painting in the series exemplifies this approach: a coloured figure stares down Malaysia’s first Prime Minister with a mocking expression, a gesture that reinforces Fuad’s critique of how history is constructed, distorted and selectively remembered.

While his practice has been exhibited internationally — from Documenta to the Singapore Biennale — Fuad’s art is always grounded in the realities of Malaysian life, reflecting the tensions between ethnicity, religion and power that shape its society. By questioning accepted truths and pushing against restrictive labels, he positions Malaysian culture not as a fixed identity but as a dynamic space of contestation and dialogue. In doing so, Fuad has become a crucial voice in framing how Malaysia is seen within the wider conversations of Southeast Asian and global contemporary art.

Find out more about the artist here.

Read More: HARTA Space Celebrates Malaysia’s Timeless Traditions With “The Grace of East” Exhibition

Shooshie Sulaiman

Muar-born Shooshie Sulaiman is recognised as one of Southeast Asia’s most consequential contemporary artists, her creative approach rooted firmly in Malaysian identity. Educated in fine art at UiTM, she works across drawings, installations and performance, often using natural materials — including soil, water and local flora — as a means to question how place, memory and national identity intersect. Her “Malay Mawar” project, for instance, involved grafting a rose from her mother’s grave in Johor onto a French rose, creating a living artwork that symbolises cultural reconnection and geographic convergence.

Her installations and performances frequently collapse the boundaries between the personal and the political, the domestic and the monumental. In projects such as “Kedai Runcit Shooshie Sulaiman”, she recreated a kampung-style provision shop as a site for dialogue and exchange, questioning how history is written and who controls its narratives. Similarly, her “Malaysian Landscape” series uses soil and architectural motifs to ask how colonial and postcolonial frameworks shape the way we inhabit space.

Presented internationally — from Documenta 12 to the Gwangju and Singapore Biennales — her work consistently challenges conventional curatorial norms by centring the personal and communal within a Malaysian framework, forging an identity that resonates globally while remaining deeply local.

Find out more about the artist here.

Read More: The Young Rising Stars of Southeast Asian Design Shine at EMERGE @ FIND Fair 2025

Anniketyni Madian

Anniketyni Madian is celebrated for her ability to weave heritage into modern expression. A Sarawakian sculptor, she draws inspiration from “Pua Kumbu”, the sacred Iban textile traditionally woven by women for ceremonies and rituals. By reinterpreting these intricate motifs into abstract wooden forms, she creates works that are simultaneously architectural and organic, embodying both memory and reinvention. Anniketyni’s sculptures reframe tradition as a living, evolving force, carrying Sarawakian identity into new and unexpected contexts. Her practice bridges the ancestral and the modern, ensuring cultural memory remains alive while speaking to a wider global audience.

Her works have travelled far beyond Malaysia, with residencies and exhibitions in Asia, the Middle East and Europe, placing indigenous narratives in dialogue with global artistic currents. Yet at their core, her sculptures remain deeply rooted in cultural continuity, asking how heritage can adapt and survive in an era of rapid change. Through her unmistakable visual language, Anniketyni has successfully positioned Malaysian identity within the larger global art conversation.

Anniketyni’s sculptures are increasingly recognised both in Malaysia and abroad — she has exhibited across Asia, the Middle East and Europe. Her work has earned regional distinctions such as the Women of the Future Award Southeast Asia. By reworking ancestral motifs into contemporary forms, her sculptures play a part in preserving local heritage and affirming Malaysia’s cultural identity in global art discourse.

Find out more about the artist here.

For the latest in art and culture reads, click here.

The word ineluctable is perfectly suited to the passion for watches. While the watch collector and the watchmaker are very different animals, they have this in common: it is always about the next watch. Whatever watch you have on your wrist today, or that you spend hours studying with a loupe, the next watch is already skirting the edge of your conscious desires. You might think that there is a perfect watch that will finally cool your ardour, but then again, perfection does not exist. In the end, it is the chase that matters to us all and thus, most of us probably greeted the news of watch markets cooling with a shrug. Perhaps there was no reaction at all, although if you are an independent watchmaker, you might smile wryly as you consider how best to finish all the watches you have promised so you can start on that next watch.

This contrasts strongly with the prevailing sentiment of the last few years, since before the pandemic, where collectors found themselves worried – frightened even. What is the point of a chase when everything that is worth lusting after is simply unavailable…or maybe a better word is unattainable. Well, the good news is that in 2025, the situation has changed. If you believe the general press, then watch brands are scrambling to address precipitously steep drops in demand. We all know a collector who, after being ghosted by his dealer for years, suddenly found himself with multiple invitations to buy all the pieces he expressed an interest in. Unfortunately for the dealer – or dealers – in question, this collector has moved on – some itches disappear if you leave them alone long enough.

The editors of WOW were having a think about the above subject, while attempting to time exactly how long a minute hand in a quartz watch without a seconds display took to move. Yes, the above is true; yes, the editors are real nerds; and yes, they thought it would be a good idea to go public with that wonderful detail. Also, one of them wrote this introduction and he thought it would be awesome to refer to himself in the third person. Anyway, it emerged that the timing experiment went nowhere because the editors of Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand had a brainwave: might this be the best moment in recent memory to start collecting watches.

That sentiment might sound counterintuitive and perhaps the lads are not quite sound of mind. Nevertheless, the editors have a track record of making sense (more or less), and if you will read on, they will plead their case and try to convince you that traditional watchmaking is chockful of opportunities. You only have to know how and where to look…

RC: Happy Chinese New Year to my two colleagues and our dear readers in the region.

AS: We are writing this on the third day of the Year of Snake, for those keeping score. Thanks Ruckdee, and to you too!

DG: In between the Chinese New Year holidays and the weekend I might add! So, it might take awhile to get the engine going…

RC: Are we workaholics or do we just love our jobs? Tell me, Daniel, since you are the youngest among us, how long have you been interested in watches? You seem to know a lot; lot more than your years might indicate.

DG: I am very flattered by your kind words Ruckdee! I have been writing about watches for close to 10 years now and, frankly, before I started writing about watches, I knew nothing about them. I used to exclusively wear a Casio F-91W purely because my uncle had one and I loved how it sat on the wrist. But as any watch enthusiast will know, watch nerdery is a very deep rabbit hole and once you fall in, it is kind of hard to stop. So, probably hundreds of hours of research, buying, regretting and repeating this cycle over and over again, here I am, 10 years later and hopefully a little wiser!

AS: You should only be flattered if Ruckdee offers you a red packet! Seriously though, there is a real gap between a professional interest in watchmaking and the urge to actually buy more of the same thing. I mean, to be realistic for just a sentence or two, watches are parity products within whatever segment they are in – one dive watch is pretty much the same as another, so why buy more than one… I often ask myself that question, as a person with more than one, and Ruckdee is being cheeky there because we have bemoaned our own fate as people who spend money on these things. He just wants to rope you in! Beware!

DG: Arguably, in essence this entire magazine is designed to try and rope in as many people into this hobby we call watch collecting is it not? Well, if we are doing our jobs correctly that is… Haha!

RC: Honestly, I asked Daniel that because I wanted to know if he felt the watch world was intimidating when he stood at its door, or if he felt he started at the right time (e.g. not too soon or too late). Ashok’s experience and mine are not exactly relevant because we are from way back in the past, like at the beginning of world wide web and the end of vintage watch corner at Sunday flea markets.

AS: Way to make us feel old! But this is actually a subject that comes up from time to time in conversation with readers who are also collectors… People from the watch clubs at Singapore universities for example (hello there!).

DG: Ah, intimidating for sure! But I think I started at the perfect time. I had just enough time to catch a small glimpse of what the watch industry was like and how it has evolved over the years. Of course, I wished I could also go about 30 years into the past because apparently watches were way cheaper then. My father told me he bought his Rolex Ref. 6694 for MYR 800! But that being said, I am still excited about where the watch industry is today as we are utterly spoiled for choice.

AS: We all wish we could go back 30 years or so… maybe to a time before we were born! I always imagine being smart enough to have bought a Series A Royal Oak in 1972. I wonder if I would have!

RC: Those were the days, right? But since we do not have a certain DeLorean parked in the garage, the best we can do is make do with the present.

AS: And that made us wonder if now might be the best time to get into watch collecting. As in, maybe not this exact moment but, you know, in the general ballpark. I think Ruckdee and I (and you too Daniel) know collectors who were offered Philippe Dufour Simplicity pieces way back when. Like when it debuted. For something like $30,000. In hindsight, that seems like a no-brainer but when I talk with the old school guys, they say it was no such thing. Similarly, maybe right now is another perfect moment to start, despite evidence to the contrary. Remember that back in the late 1990s (the Simplicity debuted in 2000, which is technically a part of the 1990s), it was not clear that collecting wristwatches was going to be interesting or had a future.

RC: Prices are, of course, a key consideration. But people who started in the past decade like Daniel also benefited from the accessibility of information and the variety of choices – two things that were arguably limited in our earlier days.

DG: I agree. I think when you mentioned accessibility you absolutely hit the nail on the head. The amount of information out there on the wilds of the Internet is absolutely at its peak at the moment and shows no signs of slowing down. When I first began, people were telling me how good it was that I have websites that publish articles about watches, before that people had to trawl through very obscure forums. And today, there is no shortage of information about watches. If you want to read about watches, there are thousands of articles online; if you want to watch something instead, just type the name of the watch you are curious about on YouTube. So, you only have 15 seconds of time to spare? There is always TikTok; the list is endless. And accessibility also applies to price points too! With microbrands springing up every other day, it would seem, the would-be watch collector now can start from a variety of spending brackets, some go as low as around US$500 for something quite respectable.

AS: Well, prices are one thing and easy availability of information is another. On that note, I would argue that information is too easily available and frequently wrong because no one bothered to check it… Paradoxically, this gives our magazines a reason to keep on ticking! I do enjoy correcting people on the Internet. Maybe I’m a masochist… But all this aside – prices will only go up and people will continue to be loudly and proudly wrong on the Internet and social media – I think we might be on the cusp of a new chapter in watchmaking. And I credit the “store-of-value” crowd for it, since they are the new kids in town. Literally the nouveau riche who like these coins you can bite or something… Well, my irreverent attitude aside, there is a lot of interest in collecting watches these days and I think this will continue. Self-serving yes, but I humbly submit that it is a fact. Oh, and I would be acting entirely out of character if I did not act my age and say the worst way to learn about something is TikTok… the name of this platform offends me.

RC: Oh, wow, you must have spent more time on TikTok than I knew. It seems that you have grown more negative of the content being published there! But, you are both right, there is a lot going on, and not everything is on the factual side of things. There is also sort of a situation going on in my country now with what they call “finfluencers” who give financial advice on social media in however way they see fit. I think it applies to any circle where there is a demand to follow or know more. Perhaps, it is a positive reflection of the state of the watch industry? There are still more people wanting to get in than out.

DG: So, I think we can all agree that while there is an abundance of information online, the budding watch collector should always adhere to sources of information that remain credible and objective. Cough, like World of Watches, cough.

AS: Well, yes this is exactly what I mean guys! More people wanting in than heading for the exits! And to Dan’s excellent point, World of Watches is the absolute best. Congratulations dear readers, you have done well! In fact, I think specialist titles are more relevant than ever because we are good faith observers.

RC: I will not argue with the excellent observations made.

DG: But just to circle back earlier to what you both were saying about brands like Philippe Dufour being available some 30-odd years ago, is this not a cycle? All three of us were at IAMWATCH organised by The Hour Glass some months ago and there were so many extremely young and talented watchmakers exhibiting their watches alongside industry greats. I am curious about both your thoughts on these young watchmakers. I mean there is a chance that one of them might go on to become the Dufour of the next generation right?

RC: I would say that right now the door of opportunities is as open to the watchmakers, creators and designers as it is for the buyers and collectors.

AS: My thought about this is that the likes of Sylvain Pinaud, Remy Cools, Felipe Pikulik and other young guys making watches, and women such as Daniella Dufour and Venla Voutilainen too, rather mirrors that opening generation of watchmakers who made the AHCI happen. But only a handful are successful, or rather tremendously so. Vincent Calabrese, to cite just one example, is no Francois-Paul Journe. Neither is Vianney Halter for that matter. For every Philippe Dufour, there are many Antoine Preziusos. This is not to cast shade or anything because those guys are probably happy not to be anything but themselves! So, to get back to my point, we have a whole new generation of watchmakers to choose from. It may be odd to think of it as a race to discover the new Dufour but I suspect that is how many people feel. I use Dufour here because he is universally respected as the elder statesman of independent watchmaking.

The next stage, to cast my story back to that recent past I brought up, was when someone brought all these independents together and hitched their names to a major name in watchmaking, which was of course Harry Winston with the Opus. And the man who did it was Max Busser. Ok, technically, Goldpfeil was there first but no matter because we have not yet had the second act on this front today. It is still unexplored territory. Imagine if Louis Vuitton were to create special projects with the emerging stars now… I think something like this will happen again; we are just waiting for the right brand. If I am right, then now is the best time to find that independent watchmaker that you like.

DG: Does what Louis Vuitton did with Rexhep Rexhepi apply? Their LVRR-01 Chronographe à Sonnerie.

AS: That could be a first step, but really I use Louis Vuitton here because of the history with Michel Navas and Enrico Barbasini from the old BNB. Also, Jean Arnault (the boss of Louis Vuitton watchmaking) seems like the kind of character who would and could make this happen. But the point stands, regardless of brand, that now might be the best time to get interested in the work of these up-and-coming watchmakers. I mean, who knew Sylvain Berneron had something like the Mirage in his repertoire based on his work at Breitling? There are plenty of guys like this, and we can actually play a part in telling the world about them. I find that tremendously exciting, in case I was not being obvious enough!

DG: I feel like it is also because the increased channels of watch-related information is being disseminated that watchmakers and designers feel like they finally have the chance to step out of their big brand comfort zone and try something for themselves? Like before digital marketing was a thing, it used to cost so much to start something new.

RC: There were a few brands that probably started too early and missed out on the possibilities, meaning the openness or dynamism of the more recent watch buying market. But as the industry continues to evolve, we will not be short of choices for the foreseeable future. This applies to the more high-end and more affordable segments alike.

DG: I totally agree! Just look at how today’s watchmakers, designers and entrepreneurs have seemingly inexhaustible ways to reach their intended market. Kickstarter is one such platform which, I feel, single-handedly “kick-started” plenty of brands that have now become mainstays in the microbrand ecosystem. Most of them do not need crowd-funding platforms anymore. Atelier Wen is probably a good example of this; its first watch was on Kickstarter, and after gaining confidence, the subsequent watches were direct-to-consumer. Digital marketing also helped brands like the Malaysian-born Ming Watches to get their feet off the ground. Its first watch was something like CHF 900 and now, I do not even ask about the price anymore after the numerous GPHG wins.

AS: Ming! Yes indeed. Thank you, Daniel for addressing the naysayers in the audience who will be thinking that there is no way to get watches from the likes of Rexhep Rexhepi. There are boundless opportunities, at all sorts of price points, although I think the Kickstarter and microbrand levels are only good for fun. Save your pennies for things with a stronger shot of lasting more than a few years, is my professional advice.

And Ming might be such a thing, in all seriousness! As a collector, you do not want to buy into something too early, as Ruckdee pointed out. Atelier Wen, to go with the example cited here, is also an illustration of potential issues because brand reputations are not yet set in stone. Again, Dufour is one example, Journe another but there are plenty of MCTs, Christoph Clarets and so on…many of these names have been lost and they only emerged in the public eye in the last 20 years. In some cases, good luck finding someone to service these watches.

DG: Ah, I agree with you…now. But there was a time when I did not know too much about watches and spending a huge chunk of change on one single watch was a little daunting. Seasoned collectors can surely foresee pitfalls like servicing and longevity but as a budding collector, I think buying the more affordable watches in greater numbers, gave me the option to really learn what I liked or disliked about a watch. Of course, with every trade I lost a bit off the top, but it helped me to really understand what my preferences were. And now, I am extremely selective about what I buy. If it does not meet every set criteria, I am enlightened enough to give it a pass.

RC: I get what you mean about learning and discovering as you go through the different watches. But I am less forgiving before the purchase. I took a pass on so many “almost there” watches because I know that it is not really “there” for me. So, the only times I decided to sell my watches were either because of the size (whether too big or too small), because I was upgrading to another model within the same collection and I did not want to keep the less complicated one, or, because I needed some money for something more important in life.

On that other point about longevity, as a consumer, not a journalist, I am more comfortable spending my limited funds on what I know can be conveniently serviced during my lifetime or at least within 20 years from the time of purchase. This is why, outside of the traditional watch brands, I have no hesitation buying from non-traditional watchmakers who are established luxury brands like Hermes, Bulgari, Chanel and Louis Vuitton, assuming that I have the means to, that is. As much as I work actively to support smaller, high-price brands in my journalistic work, I admit to giving any potential purchase decision more cautious consideration. After all, I have seen a handful interesting brands go defunct over the years … some more than once.

AS: I have a lot of thoughts on this, but let me address the point about selling our own watches. As we wrote previously, none of us have bought a piece just to resell it. This is not because we are the most virtuous lot or anything. It simply would not occur to us to buy any watch because we have another buyer in mind for it. We are just not that transactional. Ok, that said, let me turn to the luxury point.

One would think that the collector community would be indifferent, if not outright opposed, to the big luxury names but the fact that Chanel and Hermes have persevered all these years shows that this is more than a cash grab. As if it ever was really. In the case of Bulgari, the brand bought up Gerald Genta and Daniel Roth to gain their production facilities and expertise, which have now found a comfortable and profitable (presumably) home under that storied name. For me, Chanel investing in Kenissi and GF Chatelain was important. The same is true of Hermes with Vaucher. Or Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels reviving a variety of decorative arts. At the time, I thought it showed a strong commitment to the culture of watchmaking – something brands like Chanel and Hermes already do for the culture of textiles and tailoring in France – and distinguished them from other primarily fashion labels.

Today, I think it has paid off – it says something that a respected journalist can say he might want a Bulgari or Hermes; he might even have one (or more)… I will go out on a limb and say that names like Chanel, Hermes, Bulgari and Louis Vuitton do not make me run for the hills – the opposite really because they have good people working in good faith there. It is all about the people who make the watches, ultimately.

RC: That is very well said. In my market, going back 15 years maybe, several watch buyers and collectors frowned upon non-traditional watch brands for one or another similar reasons. But now they look at the Octo Finissimo, for example, with a completely new attitude. They have lined up to buy the latest and coolest versions of the Cartier Tank Must or Tank Louis Cartier also. It is good to see how the perception has shifted in this way, and how my local collectors have become more expressive and less conformist, in a way.

DG: Yes, I think for the more affordable fashion brands, slapping their logo on a mass-produced watch would work but at the luxury level and with the abundance of watch knowledge available at the press of a button or tap of a screen, brands have to really be more discerning. Especially so when it is an industry that is known to put absolutely everything under the unforgiving scrutiny of a loupe. It is not enough to have screws that are so tiny that sometimes it is even hard to see with the naked eye; it has to be blued perfectly, polished to a mirror finish and everything has to be in sync for the next five to 10 years.

With that being said, I also think that the right leadership is paramount to the success of non-traditional watch brands. Like with what Jean Arnault is doing with Louis Vuitton (watches) today and what Guido Terreni did with Bulgari watches before. They need someone at the top who also understands watches to make the right decisions, like with Chanel investing in Kenissi and buying a stake in MB&F (there is also a fascinating story told by Max Busser himself on how he came to sell 25% of his company, but perhaps I will save this story for another time).

RC: Once again, you do not sound like someone who has been around for only 10 years. And I’m glad I have you to depend on when bouncing ideas like we do in these articles and in our WhatsApp chat group!

Tell me this: are you equally excited to see the developments at the more affordable level of the industry as you are at this top echelon? I am probably more excited because those are some things that I can actually afford. And just when I thought I could not be surprised anymore, the collaboration between H. Moser & Cie. and Studio Underd0g came along. Now that is something I totally did not anticipate. What is your take on this, Daniel? Or Ashok? Daniel first la.

DG: I am very glad you asked! I am absolutely ecstatic to see developments at the affordable level! The affordable level is my playground and in the last, I would say, three-ish years I am deeply impressed at the level of quality in this playing field. Studio Underd0g is very much in its element at the moment. It made a fantastic field watch with a sapphire dial; it garnered the attention of H. Moser & Cie; and, fresh out of the oven (pun intended, because the brand has a pizza watch), it even did a fantastic collaboration piece with Fears. This one is called the Gimlet, which I adore, priced at GBP1,000 and will be available during British Watchmaker’s Day, which is sometime in March.

Yes, it is brilliant to have really respectable watches at these quite affordable prices. For one thing,I think it is more important in the sense that like we were saying earlier, it helps with accessibility. And the more people get into watch collecting, the easier it would be to grow the community of watch enthusiasts. I have been to a few watch GTGs, as it is called, and rarely do I see people comparing prices when talking about watches.

AS: The most aptly named Studio Underdog is trying to give enthusiasts something fun, and that is true of the best of them. I am thinking of Christopher Ward, Fears, Space One, Amida and others, including Pikulik too on the side of singular watchmakers. As Ruckdee said somewhere, it is also about fun right? That is at least partly why we are into this area. It is difficult to find the fun in watchmaking, since watches are so small and you cannot have a blast with them on the road, as you can with a car (as I wrote last issue). Nevertheless, watching the little orbs on the Space One Tellurium go around the dial is its own special kind of pleasure…and one that can be had without taking out a second mortgage.

These brands also show that watchmaking is not one-dimensional. Yes, we all love the finishing touches that Daniel mentioned, but there are also other pleasures to be had. And approaches that are not Swiss! Consider the Toledano & Chan that we discussed in the last Conversation, or CIGA Design, or Behrens for that matter. There is something refreshing in what these brands do, and I applaud their decision to offer their wares at an approachable price point. More conventionally, this is where some of the aforementioned (but formerly) microbrands come in, like Baltic and Anordain.

DG: Speaking of Baltic, I am reminded of the field day that stone dials seem to be having at the moment, especially in the affordable price segment. The brand did three special editions with stone dials for each of its boutiques in NYC, London and Paris. And I believe, speaking of stone dials, Ruckdee has first-hand experience with a stunning piece from one of the new kids on the block when it comes to microbrands?

RC: I have a lot of love for Baltic, its watches and its communication visuals. I just hate the sizes. I bought two watches from the brand in 2023 and 2024, and I hardly wear either because they are too small for my taste. I knew they were small, but I wanted to try, and now I am sure they are not for me. Some friends asked why I don’t just sell them, but they are not too big money anyway so I just keep them for fun and occasional wear.

My brand new and affordable stone dial watch is not from Baltic though. It is the Dennison ALD with a lapis lazuli dial. Technically, it was bought for my Supreme Commander (a.k.a. the wife) because I knew from the specifications that it is way too small for my liking. The whole dial can be covered by two pairs of my cufflinks! I will for sure buy the ALD watch with a tiger’s eye dial in a yellow gold PVD case, if the brand came out with a 50% larger size, because it matches my wardrobe in general. I like the malachite even more as a stone, but I will have to figure out how to pair a green dial with my clothes. Anyway, my size preferences and sartorial deficiency aside, this reborn Dennison serves to further solidify our collective points about the watch industry becoming more and more diverse and accessible, and for good reasons.

AS: Well, we can have a chat about your Baltic pieces then…privately! To be fair, on my side, my hesitancy on the subject of microbrands keeps me from pulling the trigger. This extends even to smaller brands, I admit, which is a weakness on my part. I surprised myself with my Christopher Ward purchase but I will admit that I was encouraged by how many collectors were piling into this. I must personally know at least half a dozen guys who went for it, all in different dial colours thankfully. That brings me to the idea of camaraderie. Much as we do not want to all have the same watch, we also want our peers to appreciate our decisions, even if they do not agree. This is something that I have learned to accept over the years.

RC: I do appreciate your Christopher Ward C1 Bel Canto although it is from a reasonably higher price level. I would have bought one too if money was not the problem. Their Rosa dial was my number one choice until the Oro lasered guilloché dial came along. I am looking at the pictures once again now … hmmm …

AS: Well, speaking for those of us who bought that watch, it is likely in the same realm as the Space One and the M.A.D.1. I think there is a sweet spot in terms of pricing for fun watches, and I would argue that a US$5,000 or so asking price for an hour striker is pretty incredible! Still, I do agree that we need more exciting watches in the US$1,000 to 3,000 range; basically in the under CHF 3,000 range that the Federation of Swiss Watchmaking is always reporting on.

RC: The M.A.D.1S is the farthest I will go for a fun watch. I did not win the raffle though so maybe the next edition. For the record, I have not tried to get my hands on the earlier editions of the M.A.D.1. This was my first attempt because I was convinced by the slimmer proportions.

AS: I joined you in failing to win the raffle. I have failed every time, since the first one, so I am in a much sorrier state than you. Then again, perhaps I am glad to have failed since the watch in question is not really in my wheelhouse.

RC: Well, I wish the both of us better luck the next time. Personal shopping aside, Daniel, I have this one last question for you. In your opinion, considering the previously bullish and presently bearish state of the speculative watch market, do you think this is the best time for an uninitiated person to become a watch collector?

DG: There is no better time than the present! I shall not comment on the state of the speculative watch market because I feel like, even with all your kind words, I lack the experience. I shall leave that bit to you masters. And also, all my watches I have bought and sold, I have lost money on simply because I just buy what I like and don’t think about what happens after. What I will say, however, is that this is the perfect time to start a watch collection. There is ample choice, and an abundance of information. The choice means there is more variety regardless of the price point you are starting at, so you can experiment, and ultimately develop your collecting philosophy a lot faster. And the abundance of information, again derived from the right sources, cough World of Watches cough, means you are more well-informed about your options, without having to only take the word of whoever is trying to sell you whichever watch. Knowledge is power.

RC: I feel the need to buy you some nice lozenges for your frequent coughing. Ha ha. Ashok? Boss? What’s your take on the timing and things as they stand now?

AS: We do have professional biases to admit to here! Leaving the vested interests aside, I think there is no such thing as group action in collecting watches, any more than there is in collecting cars or art or what have you. You know, I see that a certain Meta personality has been getting a lot of attention for finally donating his wealth to the Swiss economy, and some media personalities are wondering aloud if this will influence his followers and admirers.

I sincerely hope not, whether positive or negative, because we should only get into this sort of thing with an abundance of personal preferences. There is no point in wanting what an influencer is hawking, or a celebrity is wearing…unless you just want one piece. This is especially true of icons like the Royal Oak, Nautilus and Daytona; there is nothing worse than getting something like that and finding that you do not like it.

This is because ultimately, the mistake was yours and you will know it when you make it. Of course, how much you paid for such an item plays a part and you may never want another watch again, if you went too high.

Like anything else that is very niche, you need to educate yourself and then test those learnings. Maybe buy an homage? Or see if a chronograph is really for you by getting a relatively inexpensive one. If you want to start at the very top and go visit Petermann Bedat, you also have that option but it really does pay dividends to be incremental here. In an arena with so many exclusive and exclusively priced objects, we should tread with ample respect. For the independents, they worked hard and obsessively on their watches. We owe it to the makers to care, and there is no easy way to know why you should care…unless you go through all the steps in the collecting journey. And we have yet to hear from you, Ruckdee, on this subject.

RC: I am intrigued that you say there is no group action in collecting watches. Maybe there is, but there should not have been, in my personal opinion. To me, watch collecting should be as personal an endeavour as possible, because I believe that your watch is partly a reflection of your taste, if not who you are or who you want to be. I am not saying that I am impervious to cultural exposures and transient influences – they do provide some impulse, but my approach to watch collecting was never based on a trend or market vibe, so to speak.

Now, for the larger public, what I want to say is that anyone who is thinking about jumping into this game should do so right now. I feel that the climate is just right. Watch collecting is not as hyped as it was two years ago. The retail scene is more relaxed and welcoming. The secondary market is also less volatile and exaggerated. The newcomers have taken their first dips and some have even been satiated. Plus, as we discussed at length above, there are even more choices now than ever before at all price levels. The variety in terms of offerings is simply astonishing, not to mention creativity and democratisation. Now it is up to the individual buyers to study the choices, manage their temptations and decide on what is best for them in the short term and the long term. It is a hobby so please keep it fun. Don’t stress!

DG: Managing temptations I would say is probably the hardest part of all this. Considering that all three of us agree that this generation of watch collectors have more options than ever before, and at all segments of pricing too. And with e-commerce buying becoming more acceptable, it takes an incredible amount of willpower to not just keep clicking ‘add to cart,’ check out and repeat this across every interesting microbrand website I come across.

AS: Resist those temptations, Daniel! We have consistently called collecting watches a hobby and I suppose that is what we advocate. Take us at our word and see you guys in Geneva for the next conversation!

This story was first seen as part of the WOW #77 Spring 2025 Issue

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