A remarkable watch from a remarkable emerging watchmaking talent, the 18 in 18 (十八旹) by young Hong Kong based prodigy Ricky Hong is a piece of notable maturity and arresting good looks, coming from the hands of a currently eighteen year-old full-time student, and in his own words, up to this point at least, a ‘part time watchmaker’.

Self-taught, and learning the fundamentals of watchmaking via modding and selling Casio G-Shocks and customising old movements, Ricky Hong’s natural ability quickly became evident and he has graduated to creating his own highly impressive and technically sophisticated pieces, whilst still pursuing his academic career.

Produced in a series of eighteen examples (from whence the piece derives its name), the 18 in 18 (十八旹) is presented in a case of stainless steel which measures 40.5mm across and standing a mere 9.5mm in height. The surface of the rounded case is polished throughout and it also features ‘bullet’ style lugs, which are unapologetically inspired by the Cartier Obus; one of the iconic designs of twentieth century watchmaking, and which allow for excellent ergonomic fit and comfort on the wrist.

Beneath the sapphire crystal, the dial epitomises classic elegance, with its timeless combination of black on silver and the two-hand time indication. Immaculately finished mirror polished leaf-style hour and minute hands taper to very fine points and complement the two-tone dial, whose central panel is made using porcelain enamel, while the roman numerals are hand painted onto a brushed silver ring, while almost hidden around the periphery, along the minutes track at the eighteen minute mark, the Chinese characters 八十, symbolise the western number ‘18’, and is a little personal touch which the watchmaker has added to every one of the eighteen pieces.

On the underside, a sapphire caseback reveals what started out in life as a 6498 manual winding movement, but which has been deeply modified and now include new in-house two-thirds plate, bridges with curved bevelling around the edges and snailing decoration on the wheels, as well as côtes de Genève stripes and engraved balance cock. It is an astonishingly accomplished piece of work, and a showcase for the uncompromising standards of haute horlogerie watchmaking which the young watchmaker excels at.

The 18 in 18 (十八旹) is very much a piece which announces the arrival of yet another profound watchmaking talent, and one who firmly intends to add his home country of Hong Kong to the world map of independent watchmaking.