Largely known as “Mr Tourbillon” by friends of the industry, the late Kiu Tai Yu (1946-2020) was a man of many firsts. He was the first Asian watchmaker to build a tourbillon wristwatch, not to mention, the first independent from the East to receive an invitation to join the prestigious Académie Horlogère des Créateurs Indépendants (AHCI) in 1992. Humble yet accomplished, Mr Kiu’s outstanding reputation for impressive and irreplicable designs was instrumental in putting Chinese haute horology back on the map.
Entirely self-taught, he was merely 23 years old when he built his inaugural mechanical wristwatch in 1970. Having discovered his talent and passion at a young age, he soon moved to Hong Kong in 1980, where he opened Kew & Cie., and focused on repairing, as well as studying, fine antique timepieces. In 1990, Tai Yu attended his first Baselworld exhibition and according to sources close to him, it was love at first sight when he saw wristwatches equipped with the tourbillon complication in person.
Working out of his small workshop, he began to explore the available technical solutions for intricate tourbillon devices, including the one in which the balance and balance spring are housed in the turning carriage with the escapement attached to the fixed part of the movement. From the pillar plate to the wheelwork, each component was carefully mastered by the watchmaker himself. Kiu did one better after building traditional tourbillons; he engineered his very own “Mystery Tourbillon” in 1993. This sensational free-floating invention neither requires a visible bridge nor carriage, for which he was later granted patents across China, Switzerland and the US.
Throughout the 90s, Kiu Tai Yu gained an international presence thanks to his frequent participation at Baselworld, sharing his philosophy of watchmaking through his inimitable handcrafted watches. His 1992 self-published “Time in Pocket” book remains a seminal standard of reference by a Swiss watchmaking school. For a few subsequent years, the artist put his beloved tourbillons aside and diverted his attention to watches without complications. In 1999, he presented “The Joy of the Millenium” in platinum, identified by its large gold sight balance bridge and the off-center time display. Similarly, The New Millennium created in 2000 is a rectangular-shaped automatic time-only wristwatch. In 2007, Kiu Tai Yu was forced to gradually step back from watchmaking due to an unexpected stroke.
Sticking to his roots, Kiu’s watches are tastefully executed with heavy Chinese influences as shown in the present timepiece. His works are distinguished by the use of smooth sensual shapes, yellow or white gold cases and signature enamelled details. Much like most independents, Kiu’s designs are all issued in extremely small quantities, rendering each piece a rare collectible.
Launched in 2003, the Millenium “唯吾知足” is Mr Kiu’s 22nd creation. The name of the model is a poetic idiom that means “Fulfilled and Content” in English. Bearing the lucky number “8”, the present example is part of a limited edition of 20 pieces. This white gold wristwatch is framed with a polished stepped bezel, followed by a set of elongated downturned lugs. Notably, the caseband is adorned with a “Kiu Tai Yu” logo at 9 o’clock and each lug is enhanced by a beautiful scroll motif, all hand-churned and enamelled in his signature red.
Moving on to the dial, the time is displayed on the lower half of the canvas, highlighted by a yellow gold plaque in the shape of a “元寶”, an ingot currency used in imperial China, with a year “2000” designation along the top. Celebrating the turn of the New Millenium, he inscribed the Chinese blessings “千年之禧” and “吉祥如意” on the plaque, which stand for “Millenium Jubilee”, “Best Wishes and Good Luck” respectively. In typical Kiu Tai Yu fashion, the hours and minutes are sandwiched between the couplet, displayed in a red enamelled subdial inspired by an ancient Chinese coin, featuring the watch’s model name.
The most important feature of the dial is undoubtedly the visible escapement. Taking center stage, this escapement is proudly presented in an aperture with a red background, sitting above the time display, with two yellow gold arms supporting the balance. The dial is completed with the watchmaker’s signature at 10 o’clock, along with the timepiece’s individual case number and year of manufacture.
Turning the watch over, the sapphire caseback invites its wearer to admire the automatic 25 jewelled movement that powers the watch. The complementary 18K white gold rotor is also adorned and signed with detailed red enamel work.
Well-preserved in excellent overall condition, the present Millenium “唯吾知足” is further accompanied by its original presentation box. A quintessential Kiu Tai Yu timepiece, this fresh-to-the-market example offers connoisseurs the ideal opportunity to acquire an esteemed masterpiece, made by one of the most important Asian independent watchmakers of this generation.