-
AlbertaTime
- Master of Time
- Posts: 5117
- Joined: October 13th 2010, 10:00pm
- Location: Peace River, Alberta
- Contact:
Sept 27th update AMCHPR China Tour 2023
I'm home.
I got back to Edmonton, Alberta on September the 21st (Alberta time), entirely exhausted, at about 10PM (after a 30 hour airport travel-a-thon) with 11 hours of total layover between Seoul and Vancouver). It was nice to be able to sleep on the plane, in business class--but still, that only helps so much. 7 hours of the layover was in Vancouver, after the Seoul-to-Vancouver leg.
I drove home to Peace River the next day (6 hours incl a lunch stop), and since then I've recuperated for two days at home, worked two days back at the job, done a small amount of easy facebook posting, and I'm just now getting around to collating all the photos and info from the trip.
I'll be breaking things down as I usually do at amchpr.com, posting articles in time sequence.
But Watchlords has seen some previews, and here's another "Watchlords first" preview: a quick and dirty rundown of some of what happened since my previous "epic-er" post of Sept. 18th.
In my Sept 18th teaser post, I included this photo of this dinner.
The thing is...
I had expected to meet only David Chang (Chang Wei), beside me on my left in the blue shirt, but when I arrived at the address I'd been provided, it turns out to be the location of Beijing Fashion Week...
...and David had obtained a private dining room on the second floor of the venue and he'd included me for lunch with some watch lover friends.
I don't have the names of three of the attendees at the moment, but I'll fill in as I obtain details.
The person on the extreme left (stage right/gray t-shirt) was described to me as one of the very newest AHCI independent watchmaker candidates: 曲昶 (Qu Chang) aka MINEROCI. I know Mr. Qu presented with AHCI at the Hong Kong Watch and Clock Fair and that he's hugely liked and respected. QuChang drove me back to my hotel after the meet-up. How ass-backwards is that? It's like me being driven home by Jeff Beck or something. Mr. Chu is young, friendly, skilled, very easy going, and very very serious about his path.
This photo about Qu Chang is borrowed from Prestige Time, one of Hong Kong's premier Chinese watch outlets. If you're on facebook and you want insight into the Chinese industry, this is a page to follow. Anyways...onward...
Here's an example of what Mr. Qu builds...
Next to Qu Chang, in the purple blue plaid shirt, is Mr. Wang Dong (Don).
Mr. Wang is head of a very creative cultural arts/crafts studio Songzhuang that will get its own article. I mean, the studio was a place I could take these next three pictures, without even scratching the surface. The studio was a wonderland.
The watch below is a very kind gift to to the AMCHPR from Mr. Wang. given to me at the lunch.
It's undeniably massive, and Mr. Wang is clear: "I like BIG watches" he told me, smiling. Yup, but the watch is also built beautifully, and the dial is clean, legible and fun.
David/Chang Wei, next to me on my left, presented me with this very cool, racing inspired watch as a gift, from Atowak watches. This is the Atorre Lite, Grey model from the Atowak line. Another fun, creative watch!
And a (shaky) video showing the seconds complication.
As I've noted before, David is one of the judges for the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève, a widely known figure in China's horologe world, and in Europe, and his hospitality towards me is humbling.
https://www.gphg.org/horlogerie/
Oh, and the food at the meal with Chang Wei/David Chang, Qu Chang and Wang Dong...
High on my list is any time I get to spend with my friend and mentor Li Wei, Working Group Leader of the Domestic Horologe Dept of the China Horologe Association. Anyone familiar with my writing knows who he is, and how grateful I am for his friendship and insights. I'll write more, but it was a very good time over three days together. Yes, that's a Peace River town shield pin Li Wei is wearing lower on his chest.
More to come about my time with Li Wei, but more gratitude right now: he gifted me this very cool vintage Hangli step-timer, and box.
And, topping this huge pile of gratitude all off was a visit to a group of young watchmakers who have outifitted an impressive workshop for their independent projects: another article.
After a nice lunch with some members (and I stupidly didn't take a group shot), I was taken to the home/workshop of an acknowledged group leader, craftsman and collector who (I think/hope I have this right) is named Ren Yifan: another article.
Mr. Ren gifted me these super cool additions to the AMCHPR collection:
A Hongqi case back tool (I've never even seen one before!)...
A set of dials...
An original 4th generation Shanghai tongji movement...
A vintage acrylic watch cover...
And this spectacular vintage Shanghai Watch factory box!
--------------------------------------
I am hugely blessed, and very often astonished at where I find myself, and forever grateful.
I tell my friends in China about Watchlords, and about how supportive y'all are. Thank you.
I got back to Edmonton, Alberta on September the 21st (Alberta time), entirely exhausted, at about 10PM (after a 30 hour airport travel-a-thon) with 11 hours of total layover between Seoul and Vancouver). It was nice to be able to sleep on the plane, in business class--but still, that only helps so much. 7 hours of the layover was in Vancouver, after the Seoul-to-Vancouver leg.
I drove home to Peace River the next day (6 hours incl a lunch stop), and since then I've recuperated for two days at home, worked two days back at the job, done a small amount of easy facebook posting, and I'm just now getting around to collating all the photos and info from the trip.
I'll be breaking things down as I usually do at amchpr.com, posting articles in time sequence.
But Watchlords has seen some previews, and here's another "Watchlords first" preview: a quick and dirty rundown of some of what happened since my previous "epic-er" post of Sept. 18th.
In my Sept 18th teaser post, I included this photo of this dinner.
The thing is...
I had expected to meet only David Chang (Chang Wei), beside me on my left in the blue shirt, but when I arrived at the address I'd been provided, it turns out to be the location of Beijing Fashion Week...
...and David had obtained a private dining room on the second floor of the venue and he'd included me for lunch with some watch lover friends.
I don't have the names of three of the attendees at the moment, but I'll fill in as I obtain details.
The person on the extreme left (stage right/gray t-shirt) was described to me as one of the very newest AHCI independent watchmaker candidates: 曲昶 (Qu Chang) aka MINEROCI. I know Mr. Qu presented with AHCI at the Hong Kong Watch and Clock Fair and that he's hugely liked and respected. QuChang drove me back to my hotel after the meet-up. How ass-backwards is that? It's like me being driven home by Jeff Beck or something. Mr. Chu is young, friendly, skilled, very easy going, and very very serious about his path.
This photo about Qu Chang is borrowed from Prestige Time, one of Hong Kong's premier Chinese watch outlets. If you're on facebook and you want insight into the Chinese industry, this is a page to follow. Anyways...onward...
Here's an example of what Mr. Qu builds...
Next to Qu Chang, in the purple blue plaid shirt, is Mr. Wang Dong (Don).
Mr. Wang is head of a very creative cultural arts/crafts studio Songzhuang that will get its own article. I mean, the studio was a place I could take these next three pictures, without even scratching the surface. The studio was a wonderland.
The watch below is a very kind gift to to the AMCHPR from Mr. Wang. given to me at the lunch.
It's undeniably massive, and Mr. Wang is clear: "I like BIG watches" he told me, smiling. Yup, but the watch is also built beautifully, and the dial is clean, legible and fun.
David/Chang Wei, next to me on my left, presented me with this very cool, racing inspired watch as a gift, from Atowak watches. This is the Atorre Lite, Grey model from the Atowak line. Another fun, creative watch!
And a (shaky) video showing the seconds complication.
As I've noted before, David is one of the judges for the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève, a widely known figure in China's horologe world, and in Europe, and his hospitality towards me is humbling.
https://www.gphg.org/horlogerie/
Oh, and the food at the meal with Chang Wei/David Chang, Qu Chang and Wang Dong...
High on my list is any time I get to spend with my friend and mentor Li Wei, Working Group Leader of the Domestic Horologe Dept of the China Horologe Association. Anyone familiar with my writing knows who he is, and how grateful I am for his friendship and insights. I'll write more, but it was a very good time over three days together. Yes, that's a Peace River town shield pin Li Wei is wearing lower on his chest.
More to come about my time with Li Wei, but more gratitude right now: he gifted me this very cool vintage Hangli step-timer, and box.
And, topping this huge pile of gratitude all off was a visit to a group of young watchmakers who have outifitted an impressive workshop for their independent projects: another article.
After a nice lunch with some members (and I stupidly didn't take a group shot), I was taken to the home/workshop of an acknowledged group leader, craftsman and collector who (I think/hope I have this right) is named Ren Yifan: another article.
Mr. Ren gifted me these super cool additions to the AMCHPR collection:
A Hongqi case back tool (I've never even seen one before!)...
A set of dials...
An original 4th generation Shanghai tongji movement...
A vintage acrylic watch cover...
And this spectacular vintage Shanghai Watch factory box!
--------------------------------------
I am hugely blessed, and very often astonished at where I find myself, and forever grateful.
I tell my friends in China about Watchlords, and about how supportive y'all are. Thank you.
Last edited by AlbertaTime on September 28th 2023, 11:30am, edited 3 times in total.
Curator: Alberta Museum of Chinese Horology in Peace River
"That stone buddha deserves all the birdshit it gets. I wave my skinny arms like a tall flower in the wind." Ikkyu
"That stone buddha deserves all the birdshit it gets. I wave my skinny arms like a tall flower in the wind." Ikkyu
2025 3flushes Media.^^^