Mervin Ling on his first Rolex, defying tradition and getting a pre-loved Patek Philippe for his engagement, and starting his own watch club

Ling’s interest in watches stretches beyond FP Journe. His collection began with a Rolex at the age of 15; and his Jaeger-LeCoultre (JLC) Reverso Grand Taille Sun and Moon 270.2.63 Rose Gold holds a special place in his heart, he says, because it “actually belongs to my dad. He wore this watch for 20 years.” As a teenager, he wasn’t convinced by its appeal, but as he grew up, the watch “spoke to him more and more” and he asked his father if he could wear it himself—and he hopes to pass it to his son in the future.

To continue this family tradition, and in case he one day welcomes a daughter, Ling decided to buy a vintage Jaeger-LeCoultre that would suit his wife and could then also be passed down the family line. “The modern ones are too big,” he says, “so I had to hunt down a vintage model to suit her wrist.”

His fascination with vintage watches also led him to the Patek Philippe Nautilus 3800/1A, a slim, understated piece that he had first spotted while he was still in high school and attending an interview for an internship; it was on the wrist of the interviewer. While his father had bought the JLC watch because “he is an engineer himself and thinks about mechanical movements,” Ling values design first and foremost. The Patek Philippe Nautilus 3800, he says, has “a good balance of design and mechanical complications”.

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Not that acquiring this dream watch was straightforward: he had dreamed about it since the day he spotted it, but “I did not know the exact reference because the 3800 was a slimmer profile than the often-seen Nautilus.” Ling kept his eyes peeled and, just around the time of his engagement in 2021, his parents offered to buy him a watch as a gift. It took a year of bidding (and losing) at auctions and connecting with fellow fans. “I found someone from Malaysia on Instagram who owned this watch, and he connected me to an Indonesian in Hong Kong who owned the same model.” His luck finally turned: after several meetings, the owner told Ling he was moving to Singapore and wanted to sell some of his watches. He convinced his parents to buy it for him; they did so reluctantly, preferring to get him a new one. But by this stage, Ling was starting to develop a specific taste. “Always listen to the people around you,” he says, “but ultimately, buy what you love.”

Ling had thought that the Nautilus 3800 was his “endgame watch”, but that wasn’t the case. He continued to browse a vintage watch shop in Causeway Bay from time to time, with no intention to buy, but just to feed his curiosity. Talking about why he has always felt drawn to vintage classics, he says: “Some of the watches these days are made slightly too big or slightly too thick, or they’re trying too hard to be another watch. I’m always looking for originality, something very classic.” It wasn’t until earlier this year that he found a piece that fit his philosophy: a limited- edition Cartier from 2002. As well as becoming a cherished part of his collection, its acquisition also reconnected him with a childhood friend from kindergarten, who was in fact the owner of the vintage shop he visited.

While vintage classics appeal most, his discovery of FP Journe stemmed from his quest for originality, which has led him to explore newer, independent watchmaking brands. “While other brands make the movements first and then design the dial, FP Journe makes the dials first,” he says. “When you look at a watch, you always look at the dial first, then the movement and then everything else.” This was reason enough for Ling to believe that the watchmaker is more than just another craftsman, but rather “a living Picasso”.

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He picked up the FP Journe Elegante from a boutique in Hong Kong, choosing the piece as his first “affordable” acquisition based primarily on the dial: the entire surface is coated with Super-LumiNova; most other brands at the time were only coating the indices and hands. The focus on design doesn’t mean the inner workings are neglected, though. The Elegante “has a quartz movement and a motion sensor as well, which is the mechanical part of the watch. If you don’t wear it for 30 minutes, it goes into sleep mode. But whenever you pick it up, the motion sensor will detect movement and the hands will go back to the correct time.”

“I collect because there is so much to enjoy in a watch even after buying it,” Ling says, pointing at the vintage JLC he bought for his wife. After he’d bought it, he discovered that it was nicknamed Shadow because, when turned to a certain angle, the chapter ring appears brown on the inside, and there is a unique patina on the dial that has become evident over time. Ling’s passion extends beyond the mere collection of timepieces; it’s about sharing the stories they carry and the connections they foster. And with the FP Journe Collector’s Club, the collector does just that: he tells his stories and brings together like-minded enthusiasts to celebrate the art that is horology.

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