The 43rd Hong Kong Watch & Clock Design Competition has announced its winners, revealing a new wave of creative talent that underscores the industry's drive for innovation. The competition, jointly organized by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), the Hong Kong Watch Manufacturers Association Ltd., and The Federation of Hong Kong Watch Trades & Industries Ltd., serves as a platform to elevate design standards and foster originality in Hong Kong's timepiece sector.
This year's competition featured two categories: the Open Group, with the theme 'Transcending Time,' and the Student Group, under the theme 'Contours of the Breeze.' The Open Group theme challenged participants to translate sensory experiences—visual, auditory, and tactile—into abstract design elements that break the conventional boundaries of time. Meanwhile, the Student Group encouraged young designers to capture the essence of wind movement, reflecting life's endless possibilities. The competition drew 130 entries, with a judging panel comprising eight industry representatives and celebrity guest judge Joey Thye, who selected winners in both groups.
In the Open Group, the Champion title went to 'Tectonic Indeterminacy' by Chan Pak Hei and Yang Tianxu, sponsored by Golden Hawk Manufactory Ltd. The design draws inspiration from the organic geometry of pebbles, using angular facets carved from a solid form to create a dial that embodies time in a tangible way. A sculpted void seamlessly integrates the crown, and the piece transforms time-reading into an experience of spatial depth and tactile tension, going beyond conventional timekeeping.
The First Runner-up, 'Channel' by Wong Ting Bong, sponsored by Youngs Watch Company Limited and Po Fai Precision Company Limited, integrates a VU meter scale and pointer—typically used in audio equipment to show volume levels—into the dial, making abstract concepts of time and sound visible as physical traces. The Second Runner-up, 'Moment of Stillness' by Pang Sze Nga, depicts mountain ranges outlined in gold wire with enamel rivers and peaks, while a relief swallow weaves through the landscape as a messenger of time.
In the Student Group, the Champion was 'Traces of Storm' by Yip Yuen Sze, Christine of the Hong Kong Design Institute. The watch face features patterns reminiscent of cyclones in satellite imagery, with lightning-bolt-shaped hands, symbolizing that true limitless possibilities begin with courage and innovation. The First Runner-up, 'Running through the breeze' by Tam Hei Yiu of Pope Paul VI College, uses hour, minute, and second hands shaped like a girl, a tree, and a windmill, respectively, to depict a girl running across a field, conveying the message of persistent pursuit of goals. The Second Runner-up, 'Carpe Diem' by Lo Hoi Pui of the Technological and Higher Education Institute of Hong Kong, draws from dandelion seeds and a weathervane for its design.
The competition also presented the Made-to-Sell Award, given to a Student Group entry with strong commercial potential. This year, it went to Yip Yuen Sze, Christine, for her winning design 'Traces of Storm.' The Hong Kong Watch Manufacturers Association Ltd. and The Federation of Hong Kong Watch Trades & Industries Ltd. will bring the design into production, and it will be launched through the HKTDC's Design Gallery.
The competition results were showcased at the 45th Hong Kong Watch & Clock Fair and the 14th Salon de TIME, which concluded their physical exhibitions on 5 September, attracting over 17,000 trade buyers from 115 countries and regions. This event not only celebrates design excellence but also reinforces Hong Kong's position as a global hub for watch and clock innovation.
