Amid the flurry of watch releases and product presentations at Watches and Wonders this year, I also had the opportunity to visit the Panerai Manufacture in Neuchâtel. It is where I met Deborah Wong and Stephanie Soh, the founders of TickTockBelles, a community that supports and encourages women’s passion for watches. What struck me throughout my conversation with them was their infectious energy and zest for everything horology, and their mission to carve out a much-needed space for women in the world of watch collecting. An Instagram handle exchange before we went our own ways eventually led me down the road to reading about their contribution to encouraging women watch enthusiasts.
TickTockBelles started in 2022 when Wong and Soh, both based in Singapore, noticed a gaping absence of women in the local watch community. It was, in fact, the love for watches that had united Wong, who works in business development for an IT company, and Soh, an educator. Their friendship began a decade ago, when Wong purchased an Hermès Cadena that Soh had listed for sale on the buy/sell platform, Carousell. “I had a chat with Deb about starting a female watch platform where women could come together to learn and share their passion for watches. We wanted to give women a safe space to pursue their passion. I wouldn’t have wanted to do it alone, and since Deb was interested in watches, too, it made her a natural choice for a partner. Increasingly, we have more and more female friends that we got to know on Instagram, asking us questions about watches. So, we decided to put our resources together and start TickTockBelles,” says Soh.
Through TickTockBelles, the duo has managed to create a shift in the gender balance in watch communities. Currently operating on Instagram, it is a 4.2K-strong community of women mostly from Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, and Hong Kong. The motive of this community is a simple ABC—‘Advocating’ gender diversity in the hobby, ‘Building’ a female-friendly watch community, and ‘Creating’ awareness among brands of the needs of female watch enthusiasts. Apart from buzzing conversations, the group organises get-togethers two to three times a year. “This year we are organising a wrist game weekend in Kuala Lumpur, which is spread over three days, and we have the support of brands for four out of the five events. This is special to us because it’s the first time we are organising a get-together outside of Singapore, and we have 56 community members attending from Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, and Hong Kong. Brands are starting to recognise that female collectors are a niche market that has been neglected far too long,” says Soh. “Friendships have been forged among these ladies, and it extends beyond watches. We have more brands willing to collaborate with us to leverage our reach within the female watch collector community.”
Both Wong and Soh have an extensive collection and share a love for shaped watches. Soh’s watch box houses two Cartier Baignoire Allongées and a mini Baignoire, a Crash Paris, and a Pebble. “I hope to add the Tank à Guichet to my collection. The Cartier Crash is something I love very much and would hope to pass down to the next generation and maybe even future generations to come,” she says. Wong’s collection includes various Cartier Tanks, such as Must, Cintrée, Basculante, Asymétrique, and Chinoise. “A watch’s primary function is time telling. I admire watchmakers who go the extra mile to infuse creativity into watch case designs that converge functionality and aesthetics,” she says. Her current obsession is collecting the 1970s Cartier Tank Louis Paris dial shaped watches. “There are 12 primary shapes, but I have only managed to collect three,” she explains.
Currently, half of Wong’s collection is time-only watches, both manual-wind and automatic, including neo-vintage timepieces. One timepiece that’s very dear to her is the neo-vintage 35 mm Oris Pointer Date that belonged to her father, which he bought in the 1980s. There is also the Patek Philippe World Time 5110R, MB&F M.A.D. Editions M.A.D.1 Green, Konstantin Chaykin Grimaldi the Clown, Audemars Piguet 14790ST 36 mm, 1960s Rolex Oysterdate Precision 6694 fitted with a Mickey Mouse aftermarket dial, a special-order Cartier Tonneau and more. And of course, a neo-vintage black mother-of-pearl dial Rolex Daytona. “It’s one of the early watches I started my collecting journey with, so that would always be one of my favourites,” she says.Wong’s passion for collecting watches started with an anniversary event for Franck Muller that she attended, where she fell in love with the 15th Anniversary Asia Exclusive edition of Crazy Hours with pink indexes.
The oldest watch in her collection is a 1930s jump hour with an A. Schild S.A. manual wind movement, while her latest addition is a personalised Trilobe Une Folle Journée, to celebrate her milestone birthday. She also recently purchased a retro-shaped Anoma A1 in Slate and is waiting for a customised piece from Sartory-Billard. But for her everyday outings, she prefers either the Tissot PRX Powermatic 80 or the 1970s Louis Cartier Paris dial collection. “Recently, I have been very inspired by the journey of independent watchmakers and watch designers—how they establish their brands, the obstacles they face, and their perseverance in delivering out-of-the-box timepieces.” That’s why she has wish-listed watches like Simon Brette Chronomètre Artisans, the Berneron Mirage 38 in Blue Prussian, and the
F.P. Journe Elegante. Apart from that, she deeply appreciates artistry in watches, as displayed by watches like the vintage Piaget Protocole. “I am particularly impressed with how thin the stones could be sliced, which allowed the Maison to produce such a slim collection back in
the 1970s.”
Soh is into collecting Patek Philippes, Rolexes, and Cartiers, largely, and loves time-only watches with integrated bracelets—her love for watches began with her first Bradley Mickey Mouse watch that she received on her fifth birthday. This led her to her next love—the Swatch SCUBA Series with its jelly-like bracelets, which she started collecting when she was in university. Today, she says she is still evolving as a collector. “I go through phases in my watch-collecting journey. For now, I find myself becoming more attracted to some independent watch brands with smaller production numbers, which makes it rarer to find,” she says. The recent addition to her watch box includes a vintage Universal Genève Polerouter, which sparked her interest after her recent trip to Norway on SAS Airlines. There is also a Patek Philippe Aquanaut, Patek Philippe World Time 5110JTB, a Patek Philippe Nautilus 5711/1R-001, a Patek Philippe Calatrava Pilot Travel Time, Arnold & Son Instrument Collection TB Tiger, Cartier Incurvée, a Panerai Radiomir, a Franck Muller Double Mystery, a Moser & Cie. Endeavour Center Seconds Blue Lagoon Fume, and more in her watchbox.
A Rolex is a daily beater because, “They are such excellent tool watches that do not require any babying.” In fact, her first luxury watch was a Rolex, which she bought at the age of 23. “I splurged my entire bonus on it. It has been more than 27 years since my first serious watch.” Currently, she is also eyeing the Simon Brette Chronometre Artisans. For her, aesthetics is what matters first, followed by the brand heritage.
Spending so much time around watches and talking endlessly about them, they’ve come to shape each other’s buying decisions. Wong considers Soh her watch Wikipedia. “Most of the time when I ask her about a watch, she somehow manages to pull it out of her hat,” says Wong. “I was collecting mostly vintage Cartier in various shapes, but Deb got me looking at modern Cartier watches, especially the Tanks. Perhaps I got her into looking at Rolex.”
With over two decades of watch collecting, Soh shares that with time, women’s tastes and perspectives have evolved. Women are more emotional about watch collecting and she notes that today they are also open to buying pre-loved or vintage watches compared to five years ago—social media has had a strong role in this. Vintage shops and vintage watch owners are showing the charm of these watches in their posts. Wong says that women collectors are certainly savvier today when it comes to watch acquisitions, and brands can no longer just downsize cases, fit watches with quartz movements, throw in a few diamonds, and call it a women’s watch.
Together, Wong and Soh continue to empower the community of women collectors they have helped build. One advice they would give to women starting their collecting journey: Research, talk to people, and find the right community you can relate to.
Images: Courtesy of Deborah Wong and Stephanie Soh
