Timely Treasures: A Conversation with Mark Cho

Mark Cho is the co-founder of UK menswear retailer The Armoury, known for its classic styling and artisanal products. One of the most prominent voices in the sartorial world, Cho is also a watch connoisseur whose collection includes some of the rarest and most valuable timepieces. To Cho, a watch is more than an accessory or a tool to keep track of appointments—it’s a work of art. He recently spoke with Magnifissance about collecting beautiful pieces and appreciating the minute details of a timepiece.

Modest start, ambitious undertaking

Cho traces his lifelong passion for watch collecting back to a rather humble purchase at a second-hand Omega Chronostop. It was a vintage 1970s piece and the cheapest one from the brand at the time of its production. A second-hand watch was the only kind he could afford, but he was drawn to its unique C shape and chronograph function. “As you search more and more for these things, you realize how beautiful they can be and how wide the world of horology is,” he says.

To Cho, a well-designed timepiece deserves to be appreciated as fine art. “A watch’s case is like a beautiful sculpture, and the layout of a dial can be an amazing graphic design. A watch’s details, such as the markers and the hands, are like jewellery,” he says.

Enviable collection

Cho’s vast watch collection contains extremely rare and unique pieces, including one made by German independent watchmaker Christian Klings. The latter’s career spans 50 years, during which time he has made only 33 watches; Cho owns one of them.

“Christian is not a brand, or a company, or a team of craftsmen. It’s him, his two hands, some tools, synthetic ruby, and lumps of stainless steel. This piece was designed by the two of us, not chosen from a range of previous models.”

Smaller is better

With his sophisticated sartorial style, it’s no surprise that Cho prefers smaller, more discreet watches. “I think most of the watches in the marketplace are a little too big. My taste is more for the smaller, more elegant iterations. Nothing quite beats the watches made from the ‘30s to the ‘70s by Patek, Vacheron, Zenith, and Heuer.”

Mechanical art

For Cho, a watch is more than a mechanism to tell time. “I think it’s perfectly fine to wear a watch just as decoration; they are, after all, very beautiful and expressive objects. For me, a watch is my only accessory; I don’t wear jewellery.”

While Cho finds some features of a smartwatch beneficial, he generally stays away from them. “Personally, I don’t like smartwatches. Phones are intrusive enough as it is, and I don’t need more notifications. I do think the health tracking functions of a smartwatch are very useful, though.”

Worn, not hidden

For Cho, watches are meant to be worn and enjoyed, not hidden at home. When curating the 50 watches for The Beauty in Everything Single Owner Online Auction by Phillips, Cho’s guiding principle was “to part with pieces I haven’t worn in six months. When I don’t wear a watch, it’s usually because it became too valuable or somehow it didn’t feel appropriate for me when I wore it. Auctioning them off means that, hopefully, they can be worn and enjoyed once again.”