Watch Appreciation Society

Quirky watch art is bringing horology into the meme era with modern takes that give this old-school craft a viral twist. Out go the stuffy old guard, in come the pop culture jokes and internet humour. Tatler meets the watch artists and enthusiasts who know craftsmanship deserves just as many chuckles as gasps

- Amrita Katara

Watch enthusiasts are widely seen as stern and serious. They analyse the meticulous mechanics in a Patek Philippe with the solemnity of a monk seeking enlightenment. While an exceptional timepiece deserves appreciation for its technical genius with all the sombreness that traditional, “serious” watch lovers shower on it, there is more than one way to appreciate it.

Take, for example, three “watch artists” we spoke to about finding ways to practise their craft as part of their appreciation of horology. Gabriel Lau, Julie Kraulis and Tuen van Heerebeek seek to rewrite—or redraw—the definition of watch appreciation, through painstaking yet playful illustrations and pop art that cleverly transforms watches into sly cultural metaphors, and capture the magic of mechanical timepieces in an accessible, engaging fashion.

Lau was introduced to luxury watches by a friend at university in Toronto and then he started liking the design of “high-end watches—just the grand essence of luxury and how it made me feel,” he says. He bought his first watch in 2010, a Bell & Ross BR 0392, and followed this with a Tudor Black Bay in burgundy, after which he got “heavily into vintage Rolex watches”.