ICYMI: HF.10 - The Best of Day 2

After the big news drops and excitement of day one, the second day of HF.10 was a little more sedate in pace. The guests (at least the international ones) were familiar with their temporary home at the Henderson, and guests had quickly settled into the pace for day two.

Kicking off the formalities is the perennially hot topic of pre-owned, with the panel 'Whose Birkin is it Anyway' seeing a stimulating discussion which sadly didn't include a discussion of capacious bags. It did have an insightful conversation between FutureGrail founder Ali Nael, Graal founder Zoe Abelson and The Armoury's Mark Cho, moderated by Wristcheck founder Austen Chu. The conversation ostensibly was intended to be about the 'Birkins' of the watch industry. Really, it was a free-flowing exploration of shifting trends in the secondary market and full of insights into how people collect (Americans, for example, are apparently quick to follow trends and equally likely to sell up when a new trend comes along). Each of the panellists also had some sage words of wisdom for new collectors, from Mark Cho's advice to 'stop sitting on the fence and just spend some money' to Zoe Abelson's reminder that your first watch won't be your last. The secondary market is a source of endless fascination, and this expert panel certainly provided some genuine insights.

Switching gears a little was a brand new format for Horology Forum — 'The Watch Industry Starter Pack: How to Build a Watch Brand in 60 minutes.' Wei Koh guided Bertrand Meylan, Fiona Kruger and Suzanne Wong (along with a few special guests) through a high-pressure incubator that actually delivered on the promise of building a brand in 60 minutes. The result of this action-packed, stressful, chaotic and amusing-but-serious process was a brand new brand: Junk Watch (inspired by a message of sustainability and Hong Kong harbours iconic boats). Made from Junk, transformed by passion. The proudly Hong Kong-based brand proposed a debut watch with an asymmetrical case, with a jump hour and retrograde minute display that serves as a platform for Metiers d'Art techniques utilising sustainably sourced materials.

While it was a firmly tongue-in-cheek process, it was nonetheless impressive to see three experts in their field do what they do under some pretty severe time pressure. A highlight was when Fiona Kruger decided that designing a watch by committee was never going to work, and, in a few minutes, created the bones of a design that actually had some merit and a strong sense of identity. In a final surprise, watch artist Sunflowerman was furiously working behind the scenes to present an initial sketch of the Junk Watch to a lucky audience member.

The last panel of the day, 'Evolution of a Collector: APAC Edition' saw moderator Barbara Palumbo explore the ins and outs of watch collecting communities in the Asia-Pacific region with Singaporean collector Sumei Shum and Hong Kong-based Jackie Ho, who provided some insight into the diversity of collecting culture in the region.

Of course, the scheduled program only encompasses a fraction of what HF.10 is about — for many, the real programming schedule was happening in hurried meetings, chance encounters with old friends and on WhatsApp messages with Hong Kong's watch enthusiasts turning out in full force to show off the gems of their city — be it in the form of places to check out, food recommendations or the incredible watches on their wrists.