In Japan, the incense clock became known as the “Kodo clock”. Kodo, the “way of fragrance”, is the Japanese ceremonial appreciation of incense, a traditional practice akin to the tea ceremony. The Japanese refined the incense clock into an elegant art form, often associated with the upper classes and the samurai, who saw the discipline of precisely timing and appreciating incense as a way to cultivate patience and attentiveness.

In Japan, a significant cultural and technological evolution was experienced in the Edo period (1603-1868). The introduction of wadokei, which translates to “Japanese clocks”, marks a distinctive era when Japan began to amalgamate western mechanical knowhow with its culture and aesthetic sensibilities. The genesis of wadokei can be traced back to the arrival of European missionaries and traders in Japan during the 16th century. Among the various technologies and ideas they brought with them were mechanical clocks, which were quite different from the traditional timekeeping methods used in Japan, such as the incense clock or the sundial. 

The mechanical clocks from the west operated on a 24-hour system that divided day and night into equal hours, with each hour having a fixed duration of 60 minutes, in contrast to the traditional Japanese temporal system that divided daylight and night-time into six temporal intervals that changed with the seasons. These intervals varied in length throughout the year based on hours of natural daylight; in winter, for example, the night-time “hours” would be longer than in summer. 

Thus began a period of transformation for the East, towards the inevitable adoption of western timekeeping concepts. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with the Meiji Restoration of 1868, Japan endeavoured to consolidate its power and rapidly modernise by incorporating western technology and cultural practices. The arrival of western-style pocket watches, for example, represented a shift from traditional Japanese timekeeping methods to a modern, industrialised way of life. The pocket watch became a symbol of modernity and status in these societies as they transitioned through these changes.

The rise of industrialisation paved the way for domestic manufacturing capabilities. One of the pivotal figures in the Japanese watch industry was Kintarō Hattori, who founded a watch and clock repair shop in Tokyo in 1892. This venture, which was originally called Seikosha, would evolve into Seiko and become synonymous with precision Japanese watchmaking. The Hattori family’s contribution helped establish Japan’s reputation for quality and innovation in the global watch market.

Meanwhile, China’s exposure to pocket watches came largely through the interactions with the west following the Opium Wars. These events led to the establishment of treaty ports, enclaves of colonial influence where foreign merchants and missionaries introduced various western goods, including pocket watches. Among the popular items available at a trader’s market set up by British merchants, known at the time as the Peking market, were Swiss-made pocket watches that featured Chinese numerals and often included other culturally significant designs. These watches were specifically designed for the Chinese market in the late 19th century— around the same time as Hattori opened his shop—a testament to a fascination with western mechanical ingenuity blended with Chinese aesthetic preferences.

China’s watchmaking industry took longer to develop than Japan’s but eventually gained momentum in the 20th century. The establishment of the first eight watch factories in the Fifties and Sixties marked a significant milestone in the history of Chinese horology. These factories were set up as part of a broader effort by the government to foster a selfsufficient watchmaking industry. Tianjin, for example, a coastal city with a history of industrial activity and access to international trade, was chosen as one of the sites for this new venture. 

In 1955, the Tianjin Watch Factory produced its first batch of watches, under the brand name Seagull, which remains prominent to this day. The factory was a significant achievement for China, manufacturing the first Chinese-made watch, the WuXing (Five Stars). Established in 1958, the Shanghai Watch Factory quickly became one of the most significant watch producers in China. Its most famous contribution is the Shanghai brand, which became a household name in China. In the same year, the Beijing Watch Factory was set up in the nation’s capital, and came to be known for producing high-quality watch movements, including for intricate tourbillon watches.

“I fell more in love with the Chinese market watches, the [watches made at the] big eight [factories] and the special escapement [that did not use traditional pallets to regulate the release of energy from the mainspring] under his [Kiu Tai Yu’s] inculcation,” says Yeung, adding that he had “also paid a lot of tuition fees”, by buying Kiu Tai Yu’s pocket watches and learning more about Chinese horology every time he met him. 

Kiu says her father’s work ensured that the Chinese were “not merely copying European brands, but creating something they were proud of ”. “My father gave [Chinese watchmakers] the confidence that the Chinese can also do good things in the watch industry. That’s the [idea] that he always wanted to deliver,” she says, highlighting the newfound confidence her father instilled within a local industry that was at that time focused on making mass-produced watches. 

Comments Yeung, “While the first [recognised] Asian watchmaker was, of course, Kiu Tai Yu, who was able to independently hand-make 15 tourbillon watches with different characteristics, he was also the first Asian to join the AHCI [Académie Horlogère des Créateurs Indépendants], an association of independent watchmakers in Switzerland, and obtained patents for his inventions in different countries.” 

Following his legacy, various watchmakers such as Qin Gan, Hou Felie and Qian Goi Biao tested their mettle, putting China back on the horological map. Peony Kiu also mentions Taiwanese watch collector and repairer Wang Ching Lung as an important contributor to the rise of Asian watchmakers. Today, creators like Japan’s Naoya Hida, South Korea’s Minhoon Yoo and Malaysia’s Ming watches are globally recognised as names that are adding to the rich landscape of Asian horology. But as this story continues to unfold, the contributions of those early pioneers like Kiu Tai Yu continue to remain important. 

“My father was really dedicated to his watches; dedication was his principle,” concludes Peony Kiu. And his legacy has inspired countless other Asian watchmakers and been celebrated by horologists across the world. When Kiu Tai Yu died in 2020, founder of AHCI and independent watchmaker Vincent Calabrese was the first to announce it on Facebook, blurring the boundaries between the east and the west, in an acknowledgement of his immeasurable contribution to the community. 

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