When you carry a watch, it gives you more than time. It gives you an identity, it tells a story.
We were inspired by the Su Song character and the clock tower he designed.
That 11th-Century figure who revolutionized timekeeping inspired a Hong Kong-based
French entrepreneur to become the first purveyor of limited-edition, luxury Chinese timepieces.
The idea behind the Chinese Timekeeper is quite simple.
I wanted to bring exclusive timepiece of Chinese heritage.
to do limited edition, special edition timepieces which are handcrafted, good quality, reliable, accurate watches.
But they come with a Chinese story, a Chinese aesthetic which is proudly Chinese overall.
We find our inspiration from traditional Chinese
clock towers, water-driven clock towers, to design a modern timepiece.
And it's all about giving a unique story - unique design, so the customers can wear something niche, unique that tells a story.
And connecting with consumers is the goal at the
world's largest watch-and-clock show.
Many of the more than 720 exhibitors from
12 countries and regions are doing that with some eye-opening innovations... as well as
some unique packaging. The Watch & Clock Fair is also where more
and more international brands are launching new products.
It's here in Hong Kong that you'll find everything from the casual style of Hush Puppies... celebrating
their decade in the timepiece business with a watch emblazoned with just the number 10...
... or how about the formal luxury of this 2-milion US dollar watch from Blancpain?
The Swiss watchmaker is among the industry leaders introducing their latest creations
at the fair's World Brand Piazza. As far as the Swiss watch industry is concerned,
as an example, I would say that Hong Kong has been our first market for a long time.
So I am convinced that Hong Kong can play this kind of 'hub' not only for watches but
for luxury products in general. And we have had competitors in Asia for a
long time -- for example Japan has been a competitor for a long time.
But now also China has become the major producer of watches in terms of volume.
And I think about India and also South Korea -- so of course Asia is already
today a very important player in the watch industry and no doubt that it will continue
and in such events like this fair of course we can note all this richness of the watch
industry." Among those players is the Chinese mainland
company that makes timepieces that are carried into space by Chinese astronauts.
They now hope their story will help them reach new heights with overseas consumers.
The space programme is quite far from our usual life -- so people are eager to know
the true activity of space. This watch is the real equipment in space
So we use this watch to tell them the story
about the space and let them know the difference of the watch itself. So the watch is not just a watch
it tells interesting stories that people want to know. And we use this collection
to let international people know about the watch itself, the collection and the brand."
Those dreams are finding buyers in Hong Kong - where 5-point-3 billion US dollars worth
of timepieces parts and components were exported in the first half of 2012... earning the city
a page in the industry's books as the world's second-largest watch and clock exporter.