Beyond Boundaries

Watch appreciation should always be more than about just fawning over beautiful timepieces, say these two enthusiasts

- Alvin Wong

HOSANNA SWEE

Perhaps it has to do with her passion for photography, but Hosanna Swee appears to be drawn to the deeper expressions of art and craft – a sensibility she also expresses when it comes to watch appreciation. “Just like any other pastime, you have to attempt to strip the layers and delve into the provenance and craft that goes into each timepiece,” she says.

A creative director by trade, Swee says that her interest in horology was cultivated by her father, who instilled in her the virtues of punctuality and responsibility as he taught her about “the significance of time”. That aside, the role that watches play as milestone markers in

her family also nudged her to think about watches as more than just status symbols. “I came to associate time with storytelling and that sentimental value one has with these time instruments,” she says.

Serendipitously, Swee’s partner is also a watch enthusiast and a deeply passionate one at that – Tom Chng, founder of the Singapore Watch Club. Even so, Swee more than holds her own in the typically male-dominated watch collecting circles with unique horological perspectives and tastes, displaying a penchant for vintage watches and “classic timepieces with a unique flair”.

“While I appreciate aesthetics and good design to a certain degree, what truly resonates with me is watches that are designed for a purpose. Above all else, I believe timepieces are an extension of ourselves, what we’ve become and hope to be in an ideal world,” she says.

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