As watch enthusiasts, we harbor a particular affection for small mechanical objects. Intricate and artistically beautiful, it's easy to marvel at watches purely on the physical level. But for many of us, it's the people behind the watches — and the people behind the industry — that tell the greatest stories. On this episode of Collectors Among Us, we’re joined by Eric Lau, a creative director, photographer, SCUBA diver, and watch collector and designer.
The appeal of wrist-worn mechanical timekeepers — ones imbued with the character and taste of those who conceptualized them, not to mention a healthy respect for the laws of physics and micro-engineering — is well documented amongst the design set. Those who spend their days toiling over the minute details of a branding campaign; or for whom the difference between a serif or non-serif font means the failure or success of a product; or whose libraries are filled with books detailing the histories of the Bauhaus and Art Deco — these are precisely the types who can be counted upon to debate the relative merits of stepped bezels; the appeal of domed acrylic crystals; and whether a leather strap or a beads-of-rice bracelet is a more appropriate accompaniment to formalwear.
For one such designer and creative director, however, watches are much more than a casual interest. Eric Lau — whose diverse resumé includes graphic design, art direction, advertising, branding, photography, and more — is also a watch designer in addition to an accomplished collector. “I love creating things,” says Lau. “From a full global rebranding to small things like a banner ad, I think the type of joy you get from creating and designing is just unmatched. However, there's always a little bit of disappointment when your design gets replaced. A logo is rebranded, an event that you worked on for months is over in 72 hours. And I think that's why I sort of subconsciously find a bit of joy in mechanical watches. The idea of, ‘They are longevity objects.’”
Indeed, the idea that a watch is a snapshot of a particular time — in addition to being a timekeeper — resonates with Lau. “Maybe you made a certain decision that you like certain aesthetics, a certain size, or a visual preference…and you cannot update it. That's kind of it."
"Time is really a cultural construct," he continues. "We used to not care about minutes until people traveled at speed and railroads started to connect all these cities together. So in a way, horology, watches, clocks — or how we tell time — is really a little window to culture about how human civilization had evolved. A little tiny object on your wrist that talks about so much.”
Photograph taken by Eric and exhibit at Sotheby's
Born and raised in Hong Kong, Lau moved to New York City in 2005 where he attended Parsons School of Design. His talent quickly manifested itself through work in a wide variety of artistic disciplines, earning him a Graphis New Talent award in 2006. The following year, he joined experiential agency Visionaire where he worked on projects for brands such as MINI and Louis Vuitton; afterward, he worked at famed ad agency JWT on campaigns for the likes of Sony, HSBC, and Nike. Meanwhile, his pared-back approach to street photography led to coverage by The New York Times, Time Out New York, and The South China Morning Post. As proof of his talent, one of his photographs was exhibited at an exhibition at Sotheby’s in 2018.
This multi-disciplinary approach to creativity led organically to a love for watches and watchmaking — but it was his grandfather’s humble Alba digital quartz watch that truly set him on a course down the horological rabbit hole. “If I need to grab one watch and go to Mars or Mercury or whichever planet, this would be it,” says Lau. “This is my grandfather's watch. And since he passed away when I was nine, I don't remember what watch he was wearing, but I always remember he had something nice. Many years later, I asked my mom to find this very watch from my grandfather. And when she found it, I was a little nervous because it's a quartz watch, and I had no idea if it would work or not. Sure enough, once I popped a fresh battery in, boom — it came back to life. And I was overjoyed and wore this at my brother's wedding.”
Lau's grandfather's quartz Alba watch
An interest in busy designs and the Accutron movement led naturally to the fascinating jump hour complication. “Sometimes you see a watch and instantly, you know you want it. And this is the case for this Benrus Dial-o-Rama Jump Hour,” he says. “The unique design, they called it ‘direct and digital read.’ And these turning stars and this sort of Art Deco [design] just encompassed the post-War optimism of the time, and the mechanism itself is a bit of a novelty. That led us to create our own jump hour watch, which is our MEC one.”
Sketch of the MEC Watch
You heard that right: Lau is one of the intrepid few collectors who went so far as to actually start his own watch brand. “I remember vividly getting a call from my friend Carlos, and he's like, ‘Do you want to design a watch?" And I was like, ‘Never thought about it.’ says Lau. “The next thing you know, we are on a call with various parties in Geneva. Our watchmaker Judd and our product manager had worked tirelessly for almost 18 months before seeing this click for the first time. We had painstakingly redesigned the jumping hour mechanism that was integrated into other parts of the movement instead of stacking it on top of an existing movement. So the open dial sort of lets you enjoy this mechanism while it is in action,” he explains. “There’s that 15, 20 seconds every hour that you try to look down the watch and try to time it and wait for that little magic to happen on your wrist.”
Of course, designing his own watches has done little to quell the collector’s thirst for models both vintage and contemporary. For example, Lau explains how a SCUBA diving trip led to his purchasing a special Seiko:
Lau SCUBA diving on Utila, an island in Honduras
“When my buddy invited me to the Honduras for a diving trip, I decided to get the same dive watch as him, which is a Seiko Save the Ocean. And it is such a simple lifestyle — you wake up, you load up the boat, you go diving, come back, work a little bit. And day in, day out, it’s you and the ocean and the dive watch. It's such an analog and such an offline experience, if you will.”
The love of dive watches also extends to a modern Tornek-Rayville TR-900, a reimagining of the vintage models from the mid-20th century that helped Blancpain circumnavigate U.S. import laws concerning military equipment. “For me, these two dive watches don’t just represent watches — they really represent me going from a non marine-conscious person to a marine lover, to a marine enthusiast,” says Lau. “And these are trusted partners for us on the journey. It really doesn't matter the materialistic value they hold — it's really about the journey they have been through.”
As adventurous as Lau may be, his favorite watch model is something far more elegant. “Polerouters are my favorite watch,” he admits. “Of course I don't want to belabor the point of Gerald Genta design, but the beautiful typography and the proportions — I think it's a perfect balance of an elegant sport-dress combination watch. And the hairline dial and the case design...make it very wearable, from day-to-day [wear] to a nicer party. And it also comes in different arrangements, such as this 18K gold [version], two steel [versions], and rose gold. And what for me is interesting is also how different they end up. After almost 70 years, you can see them turn from very glossy to tropical to crazy patina. And that’s the fun of collecting them.”
Some of Lau's favorite Polerouters
Perhaps the most noteworthy pieces in Lau’s collection are also the most unconventional. “When I first looked at my friends who had small watches, it didn’t make sense to me,” he explains. “ I always thought, ‘It looks good on you, but that's too small for me.’ It wasn’t until I got this Lady Polerouter Sub. I found this on eBay and I thought I would give it a go. It bounced back from Italy to New York for three months, [and] I finally got in the mail. I just cannot stop wearing it. It almost feels like a bracelet with a watch on it versus a watch. In a way you feel so free — it's a completely different tactile feeling. And the next thing you know, I got this second small watch, which is also sub-30 mm. It is a salmon ‘California’-dial [vintage Rolex]. These two are very, very fun to wear. And if you’re still on the fence about it, I say go try one, and I don't think you'll regret it.”
Lau's vintage Rolex Oyster Royal
Rather than focusing on particular marques or categories, Lau has instead explored themes that resonate with his sensibilities both as a designer and as a human being. From gold-cased dress watches to miniature dive watches, from modern tool watches to vintage Rolexes, every piece has a story and a purpose.
“Looking at this table, I think it says a few things,” he says. “There are watches that remind me how important [my] friends are. I think we are all fascinated by this object that almost has a soul and story on its own. And maybe you can create a little bit of your own story by designing them as well — [by] diving into a project, let's say, be it designing a mechanical watch, or designing a pipe organ…there are principles that they share. Hierarchy, principle of design, how your eyes kind of move and how one line leads to another. The environment that you allow yourself in changes your vantage point, which changes how you see things, and then changes your art. I just find that process of movement and flow is something that you need to embrace with an open mind — and it becomes part of who you are.”
