Cover The ladies watch that made collector Noel Wong fall in love with watches (Photo: courtesy of Noel Atelier)
The ladies watch that made collector Noel Wong fall in love with watches (Photo: courtesy of Noel Atelier)
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When Noel Wong spoke to Tatler about his love for watches, he gave us a glimpse behind the scenes of the life of a war correspondent-turned-luxury watch salesman-turned-filmmaker
Lights, camera, action! This is the story of Noel Wong: watch collector, filmmaker, journalist, auctioneer and author. His journey as a watch collector began with a ladies’ watch—a gift that remains his favourite in the well-honed collection he has nurtured over the last few decades.
Stop. Rewind. Play.
It all started when he was accepted to university in Australia to study journalism. His mother wanted to show her pride through a well-meaning gift, and bought Wong his very first watch, a Pasha C by Cartier. “I still remember, it was HK$15,000 after discount; getting it at that price today is impossible,” he says. Wong, a self-described “mama’s boy”, felt love at first sight, and is eternally grateful for the gift. “Because of that watch, I started getting interested [in luxury watches],” he says.
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Above Wong at a watchmaking workshop (Photo: courtesy of Noel Atelier)
Wong at a watchmaking workshop (Photo: courtesy of Noel Atelier)
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While in Australia, Wong lived with his aunt, who was a nun and “took him as her own son”. “She didn’t have any money; she contributed a lot of it to the church,” says Wong. But even though she had been through a rough financial patch, and noticing Wong’s avid interest in the art of watchmaking, she wanted to give him “something that would always stay with him”. That’s when she gave him a Rolex Cellini. While the watch was not an expensive purchase at the time— “around HK$ 5,000”—it meant a lot to Wong, and became another all-time favourite in his collection.
After graduation, Wong returned to Hong Kong to work as a TV reporter and was soon consumed by the urgency of helming a news desk. But despite his busy schedule, his love for and interest in watches only increased. “I started saving my money and putting it down to buy watches, even if they were not high complications—simple mechanical watches made me very happy.” He spent a lot of time in local watch boutiques, holding the timepieces he loved, feeling them on his wrist, making mental notes about the ones that made an impression on him and weighing them in the palm of his hands. An appreciation of the visual soon became a passion, and he dedicated his limited spare time to reading watch books and doing online research, a task which, as this was the late 1990s, required visiting a cyber café.
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Above Wong's Rolex Cellini gifted to him by his aunt (Photo: courtesy of Noel Atelier)
Wong's Rolex Cellini gifted to him by his aunt (Photo: courtesy of Noel Atelier)
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But just as Wong began to comprehend how deep his interest ran, duty beckoned. After the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the US in 2001, he was sent to Afghanistan and Pakistan to cover the news, a “fear-inducing” trip which made him reevaluate his life. When he returned to “normal life” three weeks later, he found himself wondering whether he really wanted to continue his work of daily reporting “to cover an accident in Central [in Hong Kong]”. Over the next six months he decided to “listen to his heart”; after that time, even though he cherished his seven-plus years in journalism, he realised it was time to move on.
Cut to 2002: Wong decided to become a sales trainee at Elegant, a multi-brand watch boutique. “Starting from scratch was difficult after having an illustrious career as a journalist,” he admits, but his passion for the product fuelled his rise at the company. Four years later, he was offered a job at Sotheby’s as the head of watches for China and Southeast Asia; he accepted. The job involved growing the auction house’s watch department, and he had a brainwave: Sotheby’s partnered with Panerai to create a limited-edition watch of 50 pieces. This watch made a lasting impression on Wong because it was the first time in Asia that a brand had agreed to make a timepiece solely for an auction house; it resulted in a “white glove sale”: all the watches were sold, with most of the lot fetching more than the estimated price.
Above Noel Wong wearing his Lange 1 (Photo: courtesy of Noel Atelier)
Noel Wong wearing his Lange 1 (Photo: courtesy of Noel Atelier)
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Later, Wong was offered the role of managing director for German watchmaker A Lange & Söhne for the Asia Pacific region. “I have always been a fan of German engineering and watchmaking, and to have the opportunity to head the region was something I could not let go,” he says. But while that stint lasted only four months, the watch collector inked his love for the brand by writing a book about the Lange family and how they helped to establish a major centre of watchmaking in Saxony, Germany, as well as an examination of the brand’s history, craftsmanship and success—the first such publication in Chinese. No prizes for guessing that the Lange 1 is also on Wong’s list of favourites.
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Above Wong authored a Chinese book about A Lange & Söhne, an endaevour greatly appreciated by the brand (Photo: courtesy of Noel Atelier)
Wong authored a Chinese book about A Lange & Söhne, an endaevour greatly appreciated by the brand (Photo: courtesy of Noel Atelier)
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Wong describes the last 20 years as being full of exciting opportunities. Today, he is an entrepreneur and the founder of Noel Atelier, a platform where he shares his “passion, knowledge and appreciation of watch culture”, giving back to the watch community, and also recently made a documentary on the history of watchmaking in Hong Kong.
Wong believes that dedicating himself to “the beauty of watchmaking” has led to his witnessing some of the most “beautiful moments of my life”. His passion has also taught him an important life lesson: to cherish every moment “before time disappears without our notice”.
As the Regional Editor for Watches and Jewellery and Editorial Content Lead for Tatler GMT, Amrita Katara specialises in luxury watch and jewellery coverage across Asia, with expertise in editorial strategy, feature writing and interviews with industry leaders. Her past roles span luxury lifestyle media and client partnerships. Based in Mumbai, Amrita’s work bridges global trends and Asian market insights.
