Ali Nael

Ali Nael is the CEO of FutureGrail, a leading auction house and watch museum based in Singapore. With a focus on promoting watchmaking education, appreciation, and connoisseurship, FutureGrail's space welcomes new and seasoned collectors alike.

Mr. Nael authored "My Dream Collection" (2019), a book study highlighting part of Patek Philippe's mastery, and continues his journey through FutureGrail's team of excellence. FutureGrail provides an unparalleled service to counterparts through:

- Auctions and private sales for buying and selling timepieces
- Authentication and valuation services
- Secure shipping and storage options
- Curation and advisory
- Collections management

Mr. Nael's vision unites education, preservation, and appreciation amongst the fundamentals for a well-informed and pleasant journey in the space.

Austen Chu

Austen Chu is the founder and CEO of Wristcheck – a pioneering watch platform bringing trust and transparency to the pre-owned watch space featured on Forbes' 2023 ‘100 To Watch’ list. Launching @horoloupe on Instagram in 2016, Austen’s page soon amassed a community of more than 100,000. Invited to be the youngest jury member of the 2021 GPHG Awards, Austen was also appointed a committee member of the Swiss Institute that same year, and in 2022, was invited onto the Expert Committee of the Louis Vuitton Watch. Forbes further honored Austen's contributions by featuring him in their 30 Under 30 list for 2023. Through his unwavering passion and dedication, Austen has cemented himself as a respected tastemaker and champion of young Asian voices in the watch industry.

Barbara Palumbo

Barbara Palumbo is a freelance writer, editor, speaker and all-around industry personality who started her career in jewelry and watches in 1996 and has since gone on to write for publications such as Revolution Magazine, Modern Luxury, WatchUSeek, Luxury Daily, Upscale Living and others. Her two humor-based blogs (Adornmentality.com and WhatsOnHerWrist.com) earned her back-to-back nominations in the category of Excellence in Editorial Media by the Women’s Jewelry Association, and alongside her own podcast titled, “The Barb Wire” she can also be found guest co-hosting the occasional Scottish Watches podcast.

Ms. Palumbo is recognized mostly for bringing a lighthearted, humorous and yet honest approach to horology while also focusing on women who have made a major impact in the watch industry throughout its existence. Her current regular column for Revolution Magazine highlights women collectors from around the world.

She currently lives in Atlanta with her two children.

Benoît Mintiens

Bertrand Meylan

Bertrand Meylan is the co-owner of H. Moser & Cie. and Hautlence. As CEO of MELB Luxe subsidiaries, Bertrand has built and develops MELB Asia, MELB Middle East and MELB Americas, subsidiaries that are responsible for the development of brands in the regions. Bertrand is a board member of MELB Holding, an independent, family group based in the heart of the legendary Vallée de Joux, Switzerland. The group holds majority shares in the companies of Hautlence and H. Moser & Cie.

After Bertrand finished his Master degree at the Institut Supérieur de Marketing du Luxe, he began his career in the watch industry working with Hermes and Audemars Piguet. In 2010, he became responsible in managing Hautlence in Asia Pacific and eventually MELB Holding acquired Hautlence and H. Moser & Cie. in 2012. In addition to a truly entrepreneurial spirit, he brings his skillsets from valauable experience in the watch industry and developed extensive distribution network for Hautlence and Moser throughout Asia Pacific, Middle East and Americas.

Carson Chan

Carson Chan is the founder of WatchProfessorAcademy.com and a distinguished expert in the horological world. With over two decades of experience, he began his notable career in the luxury watch industry as the General Manager for Asia for Richard Mille, playing a pivotal role in the brand's early development in the region. Later, he became the Managing Director and Head of the Watch Department at Bonhams Asia. Carson also served as a consultant to the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie (FHH), enhancing his influence in the watch community.

Fiona Krüger

Fiona Krüger brings together the worlds of Fine Art, Design, and Horology. She activates and collaborates with an international network of highly specialised manufacturers and makers to create meaningful work.

Since founding her eponymous company in 2013, Fiona has designed, manufactured, and sold her own luxury timepieces, while also working as a creative force for other renowned brands and partners. Her skillset encompasses concept development, production, and asset creation, alongside consulting, which supports other brands in bringing their unique visions to life. Fiona has collaborated with prestigious brands like TASAKI, Ulysse Nardin, Fabergé and L’Épée 1839 and is a passionate educator, teaching at ECAL, one of the world’s leading design universities.

Fiona’s multicultural upbringing, combined with her fine art background, shapes her distinctive perspective on the watch industry. She brings a fresh and artistic approach that emphasises craftsmanship, innovation, and storytelling, making her work stand out in the luxury sector.

Heiwai Tang

Heiwai Tang holds the Victor and William Fung Professorship in Economics at the University of Hong Kong (HKU), where he also serves as Director of the Asia Global Institute and Associate Dean for External Relations at the Business School. Before joining HKU, he was a tenured Associate Professor of International Economics at the School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) of Johns Hopkins University.

He is affiliated with the Center of Economic Studies and Ifo Institute (CESifo) in Germany, the Asian Bureau of Finance and Economic Research (ABFER) in Singapore, the Kiel Institute for the World Economy in Germany, and the Globalization and Economic Policy (GEP) Center in the U.K. as a research fellow. Tang has consulted for organizations such as the World Bank, the International Finance Corporation, the United Nations, and the Asian Development Bank. He has also held visiting positions at the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Stanford University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and Harvard University.

Jackie Ho

Founded in May 2023, Watch Ho & Co. has swiftly become one of Hong Kong's most vibrant and inclusive watch communities. Embracing the motto “Good Vibes Only,” this dynamic group has already curated over 70 exciting gatherings, fostering invaluable connections among passionate watch enthusiasts and prestigious brands. Notably, he has moderated a panel discussion featuring independent luminaries such as Vianney Halter, Ferdinand Berthoud and Logan Kuan Rao.

Jackie is a strong advocate for Chinese made brands and an avid collector of neo and vintage timepieces, alongside independent brands like Daniel Roth, De Bethune and F.P. Journe. His commitment to horology and community-building continues to inspire both newcomers and seasoned collectors alike.

Jiaxian Su

Jiaxian Su is the founder of SJX Watches. He was a member of the jury of the GPHG and the inaugural Louis Vuitton Watch Prize.

Jill Chen

Based in Hong Kong, Jill Chen is Vice President and Deputy Head of Watches at Christie’s Asia Pacific. Jill brings with her a remarkable background in the watch industry, having started her career at Antiquorum before joining Phillips as the first employee of their Hong Kong office. Her role involved developing the watch business in Asia, and she played a pivotal part in establishing a strong presence in the Asian watch market through thematic auctions. Numerous world records were achieved during her tenure, including the successful sale of two vintage Patek Philippe wristwatches, which garnered over US$ 8 million in total (Reference 130 in stainless steel and Reference 1463 in stainless steel) during the debut auction year of 2015.

Additionally, Jill excelled in cultivating VIP relationships, overseeing private sales and transactions, providing expert collecting advice, offering valuation services, and managing the family timepiece collections. Her dedication to provide personalized client experience and comprehensive watch-related services further enhanced her contributions in the watch industry.

Johnathan Chan

Johnathan Chan, Co-Founder of the largest watch collector's community based in Hong Kong, The Horology Club. Since their inception 3 years ago, the community has hosted countless watch related get-togethers, built a Youtube channel producing quality video content and collaborated with multiple brands to create innovative limited edition timepieces.

Johnathan has been collecting watches for just over 6 years and nowadays has a diverse taste ranging from vintage quirky pieces to modern independents, favourites including Kari Voutilainen, Greubel Forsey and MB&F.

Pim Koeslang

With the arrival of master watchmaker Pim Koeslag in 2022, continuity is guaranteed for the future of Christiaan van der Klaauw Astronomical Watches. Besides developing the business, more technical developments are planned as well, including a first in-house movement.

Pim Koeslag was born in 1981 in Almelo, The Netherlands. At the age of 18, he attended watchmaking school in Amsterdam, where he won the prize for the best watchmaker at school. This success gave him the opportunity to do an extensive training at Patek Philippe in Geneva. After his training he started working at Frederique Constant as Watchmaker and later as Technical Director. During this 20-year period at Frederique Constant Group, he developed no fewer than 30 calibres, among them a tourbillon, a minute repeater and a chronograph. Koeslag was also responsible for starting the luxury brand Ateliers deMonaco where he held the position of CEO.

After living and working in Geneva for over 20 years, it was time for a new phase in his life and the Koeslag family returned to the Netherlands. Right at the same time when Daniël and Maria Reintjes were looking for successor, to prepare for the next phase for Christiaan van der Klaauw Astronomical Watches. Pim Koeslag will guarantee continuity of the company in the future with many more astronomical masterpieces ahead!

Mark Cho

Mark Cho is the co-founder of The Armoury, a group of classic menswear stores in Hong Kong and New York, and the co-owner of Drake's, a British menswear brand with shops in London, New York and Seoul.

In addition to his clothing ventures, he is also well known in the watch world as a collector, writer, researcher and collaborator. He was born in London and is a graduate of Brown University.

Ming Liu

Ming is a London-based writer contributing regularly to international publications including the Financial Times, HTSI, The New York Times, Vogue, Vanity Fair, Tatler and Hodinkee. She has been covering the watch industry for over a decade, interviewing key watch world luminaries from CEOs and watchmakers to creative directors and collectors. She is also the author of the novel Our Man in China and co-author of Winged Beauty: the Butterfly Jewellery Art of Wallace Chan.

Ming Thein

Born in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and raised in Australia and New Zealand, Ming Thein graduated with a Masters in theoretical physics from Balliol College, Oxford at the age of 16 before working in various consulting and private equity positions. In 2012 he became a full-time professional photographer, serving as brand ambassador for Leica and subsequently Chief of Strategy for Hasselblad as well as Advisor to the Board of DJI. He built an online community of over 150,000 photographers with a content archive spanning more than 1,800 articles. Commissioning custom pieces gave Ming Thein insights into watch design and production, seeding the origins of MING. Their first watch, the 17.01, debuted in 2017.In 2019, MING won the Horological Revelation Prize at the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève. Under his creative and engineering direction, MING has developed a unique design language with more than 60 references with a variety of complications and materials, including several world firsts such as the MING laser mosaic and the LW.01, the world's lightest mechanical watch.

Nicholas Biebuyck

Nicholas Biebuyck joined TAG Heuer in March 2021. Born and raised in the UK, Nicholas studied Mechanical Engineering at the University of Birmingham and built his career between London and Hong Kong. An expert voice in the vintage watch world, he served as Senior Specialist at auction houses Bonhams and Christie’s and was most recently Business Development Director at Blackbird Watch Manual. As Heritage Director of TAG Heuer, he oversees the brand’s archives dating back to 1860, the TAG Heuer museum in La Chaux-de-Fonds, traveling exhibitions, and more generally communication around TAG Heuer’s watchmaking and deep cultural history. Working closely with departments across the company from product development and innovation, through to the vintage watch workshop and retail teams, Nicholas provides key insight into the heritage of TAG Heuer and how it relates in the context of our business today. Based between TAG Heuer’s headquarters in La Chaux-de-Fonds (Switzerland) and it’s Eysins site (Switzerland), Nicholas is a passionate watch collector and keen enthusiast of classic cars and motorcycles and the events around them.

Robin Swithinbank

Robin Swithinbank is a writer, journalist, editor and broadcaster working across the luxury sector, with a particular focus on fine watches. He began his career in journalism in 2003 and went on to found and edit the upmarket men’s lifestyle title The Jackal. He is a regular contributor to The New York Times, Financial Times, Business of Fashion, GQ and Robb Report, a WatchPro columnist, and serves as Harrods contributing watch editor.

Today, he is one of the leading international voices covering the luxury industry, appearing on panels and podcasts and operating at the intersection of business, culture and lifestyle. In 2022, he was a jury member of the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève. He is the co-author of Bulgari: Beyond Time and TAG Heuer Carrera: The Race Never Stops. He lives in England with his wife and two children.

Robin Tallendier

Robin Tallendier began his horological journey at age 14, purchasing Chinese mechanical timepieces on trips to Shanghai with his parents. In March 2016, he was appointed Advisor and “Execution Expert” in the 中国钟表协会 (China Horologe Association), a Chinese national-level government organisation that oversees and promotes the watch industry in China.

He co-founded Atelier Wen in 2018 in Hong Kong with the vision of creating the very first world class Chinese watch brand, celebrating and elevating the global perceptions of Chinese culture and craftsmanship. Outside of Atelier Wen, Robin also worked in a boutique private equity fund in Paris. He is a graduate of the University of Warwick, Peking University and London Business School.

Sumei Shum

Sumei Shum embarked on her journey into watch collecting in 2004, with occasional breaks to manage and teach at a yoga school.

Her passions include exploring wildlife through safaris, immersing herself in nature, taking long walks, collecting and appreciating timepieces, and practicing yoga—though not necessarily in that order.

She also loves cats, gourmet food, fine champagne, and, of course, exquisite watches.

Suzanne Wong

Suzanne Wong is a veteran watch journalist, born and raised in Singapore, one of the world’s most influential and mature watch markets. Her experience — which includes four years as editor-in-chief of Revolution magazine’s original flagship Asia edition and her current position as editor-in-chief of online media WorldTempus — spans both print and digital publishing and ranges from directing editorial strategy to creating compelling watch-related content.

Few journalists are as proficient in the technical aspects of fine watchmaking as they are in the intricacies of traditional horological decorative arts, as familiar with 18th-century mechanical innovations as they are with modern advances in material technology. The ability to transmit these various aspects of horological knowledge to contemporary audiences has allowed Suzanne to become one of the leading voices of opinion in the global community of watch enthusiasts today.

At the heart of Suzanne’s work is the passion for furthering appreciation of fine mechanical watchmaking on a worldwide level. Her commitment to building relationships within the Swiss watch industry, allowing her to create stories that better reflect its core values, led her to relocate to Geneva in 2017, where she is now based.

Suzanne has been a member of the Cultural Council of the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie since 2017, served three years on the jury of the prestigious Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG), and is part of the pioneer cohort of the GPHG Academy, inaugurated in 2020.

Tim Mosso

Tim Mosso is the Global Watch Specialist and Media Director at The 1916 Company, formerly WatchBox. He is a former U.S. Navy officer who worked with Public Affairs prior to joining the luxury watch industry. As a historian of modern watchmaking, Tim focuses on timepieces, market trends, and brand evolution in the era since the Quartz Crisis. Over a decade of constant hands-on experience, Tim has recorded, written, and published extensively on topics in modern watchmaking.

He has compiled over 15,000 video showcases of individual watches, 2,000 educational video features for watch collectors, and published over 100 articles on the subject of collecting watches. As a collector, Tim enjoys vintage American pocket watches, timepieces from small and personal manufacturers, and bargain-hunting underrated gems on the preowned scene. He has a particular affection for “new vintage” watches constructed from the 1980s through the early 2000s. Tim can be found online at Tim_Mosso on Instagram and www.the1916company.com.

Wei Koh

In 2005, Wei founded Revolution magazine and single-handedly revolutionised the watch media, which has never been quite the same again. He has since developed Revolution into a multi-media, omni-channel platform with international editions around the world. He is also the creator of The Rake, a magazine of sartorial elegance and craftsmanship for the modern-day gentleman.

Journalist at heart and entrepreneur in spirit, his latest venture Grail Watch takes limited edition watches to the next level through dream collaborations, the revival of past icons, luminous signature, and championing independent watchmaking.

Zoe Abelson

Zoe Abelson has worked in the watch industry for over a decade now, establishing herself as a trusted expert with a global edge. Zoe founded the company, Graal, a one stop destination to source and sell timepieces. She specializes in rare vintage and modern timepieces from avant-garde and traditional watchmakers. In addition to being a watch dealer, Zoe has forged a popular online presence as @watchgirloffduty on social media.

Looking to share her passion for luxury timepieces, she also created a watch enthusiast community called Off Duty that has connected over 600 people around the world.