“They love that there are female watch collectors they can bounce ideas off. So we decided to set up a watch appreciation community by women for women to support their interest in watch collecting. Additionally, we hope this platform will broaden women’s knowledge about the different types of watches they can wear.”

It may surprise some to learn that it was their love for an entirely different category of luxury goods that first brought them together. In 2014, Soh, a music teacher who also runs a home-based kombucha business, listed an Hermès Cadena padlock for sale on Carousell. Wong reached out to buy the padlock, which sparked a friendship between the two Hermès bag enthusiasts. The friends also began to share an interest in Chanel ready-to-wear at some point.

Six years ago, Wong, who is married with a 13-year- old son, began thinking about watch-collecting after Soh asked her a question in jest. According to Soh, who is married with two daughters, “Deb used to collect a lot of Hermès bags. Once, I joked, ‘Are you going to give them to your future daughter-in-law, since you don’t have any girls?’”

After hearing this light-hearted question, Wong seriously considered collectibles she could pass down as a legacy to her son — and voila, a watch enthusiast was born. Naturally, when she commenced her horological journey, she looked to Soh, a long-time collector who had bought her first luxury watch 25 years ago with her first bonus, for guidance.

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With an affectionate smile, Wong says, “Steph is my watch Wikipedia. “She’s my watch guru.” Unsurprisingly, there are a number of overlaps in their collections. For example, they both own the Patek Philippe Aquanaut Ref. 5065 in stainless steel. One of the earliest Aquanaut models, the Ref. 5065 was known as the Jumbo because of its 38mm case, which was 2mm bigger than its predecessors.

Soh bought hers new in 2009, while Wong purchased a pre-owned piece of the long-discontinued model in recent years. Both also own Patek Philippe’s Nautilus Ref. 3800 in steel, which was introduced in 1981.

Besides Patek Philippe, the friends are also fans of Rolex, especially its sports models. Soh says, “The first watch I bought myself was a Rolex. It’s a brand I associate with success. I also like how its movements are very robust.” The avid diver always wears a diving watch such as a Rolex Submariner when she is underwater.

In recent years, the friends have also become interested in Cartier timepieces, where their interests diverge somewhat. With a smile, Wong elaborates, “Our collections range from vintage to neo-vintage. Steph has more pieces from the CPCP (Collection Privée Cartier Paris) collection, while I have more modern novelties and pieces from the Privé collection. And her collection definitely has more bling than mine!”

“Watches brought my husband and me together. Around 2008, I was looking to sell a watch through a reseller, and he ended up buying it from me. A few months later, we met again when I went back to the shop to look for two other watches. He also happened to be there and owned the watches I was looking for. When we got married, he gave me my Franck Muller Double Mystery (pictured) as a wedding gift because I don’t wear much jewellery.”

“I like Cartier’s shaped watches. One of my favourites is the Crash (pictured). After hunting for a long time, I finally got it two years ago from Heirloom Gallery. The owner actually had a Crash, but I was an hour late getting to the shop, and it was sold to someone else. So I told him, ‘You have to find me another one!’ Eventually, he did. My piece is from the 1990s, and it’s a talking point. Every time I wear it, people comment on it. Recently, I was also offered the Baignoire Allongée that Cartier made for Cortina’s 50th anniversary (pictured in main image, left).”

“Patek Philippe is one of my favourite brands. Apart from the fact that it makes very good fine watches, I have two daughters — and I’m a sucker for its slogan about keeping your watches for the next generation. (Laughs.) I bought the Aquanaut Ref. 5065 in steel (pictured) a long time ago. It is one of the earliest Aquanauts and has Tritium lume, as opposed to the SuperLuminova used in modern models.”

“I first became interested in Cartier because of the Tank Basculante (pictured; a reversible model with a hinged mechanism that was discontinued in the mid- 2000s). I was actually looking to buy a vintage sports watch, but the seller also brought a Tank Basculante. When I put it on my wrist, it just felt right.”

“I own several Cartier Tank variations, including the Basculante, Asymetrique and Chinoise. When Cartier offered me the chance to place a special order, I chose something different — the Tonneau (pictured), which has a barrel shape. My birthstone is the ruby, so I wanted a platinum case and a ruby crown as well as burgundy Roman numerals.

“Most importantly, I wanted the chemin de fer (railroad minute track) around the dial not inside. I just received the watch, and I’m really happy with how it turned out. I am delighted to have the opportunity to own a Pebble next year. Hopefully, my Cartier collection will soon be more shapely!”

“At the moment, I have three watches I intend to pass to my son in the future — a Patek Philippe Nautilus Ref. 3800, a Patek Philippe Aquanaut Ref. 5065 (pictured), and an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 14790. The funny thing is, even though I became interested in watches because I wanted to collect items that could be passed to him, the first serious watch I got for myself was a Franck Muller Cintree Curvex Crazy Hours with pink dial accents and diamonds. I had to get something for Mummy first. (Laughs.)”

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