Nick Lau's watch collection

Nick Lau, the founder and CEO of the Web3 platform bridging the gap between physical luxury goods and digital collectibles, Wear, walks us through his pick of timepieces

Rolex Paul Newman Daytona Ref. 6263

This is my grail watch that I wish to own someday. In my opinion, the Panda 6263 is the most beautiful standard Paul Newman Daytona around. There’s just something special about the two-tone black and white “Panda” dial and the original “Mark 1” acrylic bezel. I remember trying one on in Capri last summer and it was absolutely stunning!

Richard Mille RM 005

The Richard Mille RM 005 is about as subtle as it gets from the watch brand, but its design is also very functional. First introduced in 2004, this is RM’s first automatic model with a semi-instantaneous date-change. I’ve been incredibly drawn to this piece as it packs a ton of innovation from its case construction to the movement architecture.

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Automatic 41mm White Dial “50th Anniversary” 1551OST

The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak is hands down one of the most influential watches of all time. Its progressive design was unprecedented – a blend of a dressy yet sporty, in steel, that set the wave of luxury sports watches into motion. 2022 was the 50th anniversary of the iconic timepiece and I was lucky enough to get my hands on one, a very special milestone piece to mark my one year start-up anniversary at Wear. Since then, this has become my daily beater!

Rolex GMT Master II “Pepsi” 126710BLRO

The gmt-master ii is one of the cornerstones of the Rolex line-up. As technological advancements made longer flights possible in the 1950s, the Rolex GMT-Master II was born out of necessity for the pilots who would frequently lead flights across time zones. I’ve always been drawn to modern iterations of classic watches. I got this Rolex GMT Pepsi after selling my first retail business in New York, and it’s been my go-to travel watch ever since. The combination of function and design makes this an incredibly handy watch as it’s easy to keep track of up to three time zones simultaneously thanks to the
GMT complication and two-tone bezel.

Patek Philippe Aquanaut 5164A

The Patek Philippe Aquanaut is as low-key as luxury watches get. Simpler, cleaner and sportier than the Nautilus, the Patek Philippe Aquanaut is my favourite piece from the brand. Its design reinterpreted the Nautilus’s signature porthole shape to better suit tastes of today, embodying a “less is more” attitude.

Cartier Tank Louis Ref. 1601

Elegant and creative, the Cartier Tank boasts a number of hallmark design features including its flat, vertical brancards, a sapphire cabochon, Roman numerals and the dial’s inner railroad-style track. I’ve always loved the simplicity and versatility of the Cartier Tank. I have several modern versions in my collection but this vintage white gold Tank Louis holds dearest as it was my dad’s “lucky” watch which he wore during the early days of his career in New York.

Also see: Erik Ku’s watch collection