Bertrand Mak knows he can't control time but the former Christie's watch specialist certainly finds it a rewarding playmate. 'Time is a tricky fellow. I'd like to control it but know I can't,' he says. Part of his attraction to watches is that 'as soon as you pull out the crown, you can stop time'.
Time is also what drives this 28-year-old entrepreneur to success. 'You never know how much time you have left,' he says.
Mak finds the ticking of a watch comforting, no doubt a result of spending much of his childhood in his godfather's watch store on Queen's Road Central. 'My father had an old Omega and with Hong Kong's humidity the leather strap would often need changing, so my mother would take me to visit my godfather's store,' Mak says.
For Mak, watches are about the emotions they inspire. 'I react emotionally to watches - especially vintage and handmade watches. It's amazing that separately the components are inert, but together they transform into something that's literally like a beating heart.
'It's not so much the price tag for me, I have been there and seen amazing pieces that were sold to museums. For me, the ultimate watch would be from a watchmaker I admire and made exactly to my specifications.'
His appreciation for hand-crafted, authentic products led him to collaborate with award-winning British shoemaker and designer Rupert Sanderson to open the latter's flagship store in Asia in Central, which already has a growing A-list celebrity following.