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Photo of Maximilian Busser, Jean Arnault and Kari Voutilainen: MB&F, Louis Vuitton and Kari Voutilainen
Following the highly anticipated unveiling of IAMWATCH 2024, which takes place from October 17 to 20 at Singapore EDITION hotel, The Hour Glass has announced the details of an immersive four-day programme.
Designed to engage the Pan-Asian watch-collecting community, the schedule features exclusive get-togethers (GTGs), insightful lectures, masterclasses, and panel discussions that promise to blend tradition, innovation, and the artistry of timekeeping. Expect the participation of some of the biggest names in the industry, including Kari Voutilainen, Jean Arnault, and Alain Silberstein.
At the helm of this horological celebration is Michael Tay, group managing director of The Hour Glass, who says, “This platform is not just about showcasing artisanal watchmaking; it’s an opportunity for meaningful discourse. We’ve curated a series of events that explore today’s horological landscape in all its depth and complexity.”
Esteemed French architect and watchmaker Alain Silberstein (Photo: Alain Silberstein)
IAMWATCH‘s public programme commences on Friday, October 18, and runs for the whole weekend. There are daily GTGs, featuring a host of independent brand founders such as Felix Baumgartner of Urwerk, Rexhep Rexhepi of Akrivia, and Anton Suhanov of his eponymous manufacture.
Lectures span Design, Typography and Time by Lee Yuen-Rapati of @onehourwatch, to a three-part series on Timekeeping through the Ages by author and historian David Rooney. Two masterclasses helmed by horological titans Maximilian Busser of MB&F, and Jean-Claude Biver of Biver Watches, focus specifically on watchmaking entrepreneurship.
British author, historian, and watch expert David Rooney (Photo: Simon Camper/Lumen Photography)
Panel discussions cover the most pertinent topics of today, with sessions like Future Makers: Navigating Ambition, Success and Challenges; Reinventing the Wheel: Blueprint for Design; and How to Build a Million Dollar Watch Collection: Auctions, Market Trends and the Business of Watches.
With the event boasting a roll-call of 45 “participating friends”, most of them from Europe, it offers a rare opportunity for watch lovers to meet their horological heroes in-person, ask their most burning questions, and discover new friendships and perspectives.
Also, visitors may look forward to evening screenings of the film Keeper of Time, which showcases the stories of four artisanal watchmakers — Philippe Dufour, Roger W. Smith, François-Paul Journe, and Maximilian Büsser, along with interviews from leading scholars in the fields of theoretical physics and philosophy.
