Mark Cho – the co-owner and co-founder, respectively, of menswear shrines Drake’s and The Armoury – is a firm believer in developing taste and appreciation through ownership. After selling the vast majority of a collection that he had built over the course of nearly two decades, believing that people change and with them their wants and needs, he takes us through his new assemblage of watches

Credor Goldfeather Platinum

There was an important watch in Seiko’s catalogue in the 1960s known as the Goldfeather. It was extremely thin, very elegant and it had a characteristic feather-like texture to its dial. This year, it has been revived by Credor, Seiko’s high-end brand, as a limited edition of 12 pieces in platinum with a sumptuous guilloche dial and an incredible hand-engraved gold feather
on the decorated movement visible from the back.

Cartier Tank Louis Yellow Gold Mosaic Dial

The tank louis is not only a classic in Cartier’s range but also a pleasure to collect as it is reimagined yearly with new and unusual dials while still remaining a reasonable price. The version from 2023 is one of my all-time favourites, featuring an entirely new dial-making technique developed by Cartier that allows its artisans to create a mosaic from squares of yellow, rose and white gold.

Patek Philippe 3970G

The 3970, Patek’s perpetual calendar chronograph, seems to finally be getting its due. I love everything about it, from its beautifully laid-out dial display capturing multiple complications to its beautifully finished movement to the wonderful way it wears on the wrist, full of soft curvy shapes in the case, lugs and bezel. The white gold/white dial variation is quite rare and my personal favourite of this reference.

Naoya Hida & Co. Type 1D

First released in 2018, the Naoya Hida & Co. Type 1D is a modern classic, combining cutting-edge CNC technology for the creation of its crisp and well-balanced case with a delicate, hand-engraved dial unlike any in modern watchmaking. It was memorably described by the chairman of one of the world’s biggest watch retailers as “the ultimate watch snob watch” because of the purity of its design and execution.

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 56175 Platinum

Of all the variations of the Royal Oak, I like this one the best. It represents a very different moment in Audemar Piguet’s history, when the Royal Oak emphasised a fine and discreet look. The 56175 is a mere 34mm in diameter and extremely thin thanks to the use of a quartz movement instead of a mechanical one. A detail often overlooked by modern Royal Oak collectors is the much smaller facets on the edges of the bracelet, making the watch wear more subtly than its modern counterparts.

Rolex Day-Date 18206 Platinum

I love day-dates in all their incarnations. This particular variation is the smooth bezel Day-Date, right before Rolex perfected making fluted platinum bezels. I love the idea that the smooth bezel can be a subtle indicator for a platinum Rolex. The simplicity of the design is especially appealing when paired with the heft of platinum.

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