Telling Time with Htay Aung, Founder & CEO of Anywheel

If you could only keep three timepieces to pass on to your children, or to keep for life, what would they be?

This is a tough question. I have two young daughters, and they have their Swatch watches. And even though these are accessible watches I try to instill the same habits of caring for their watch as I do with mine, not to just leave their watches around when they take it off but to put them back in their proper place. So it’s not about cost or value, but I think the three most meaningful watches in my collection would be the 45th anniversary limited edition Panerai Luminor Due 3 Days Automatic produced for Cortina Watch. It was presented to me by Mr Anthony Lim himself the first time I met him, at his office. It’s the only watch that he personally handed to me, and I think these important milestone models are precious because how often do you get to see a company that’s been around for so long and still family-led. To me, that is very meaningful and historic.

Another one would be a Vacheron Constantin timepiece that my elder brother gifted to me. I’ve come to appreciate this gesture even more as my interest in watchmaking grows. Even today, with a relatively large collection of watches, I think it’s an incredibly generous gift, especially as I was still young at the time. So that is a very dear timepiece.

The third would be the Patek Philippe Ref. 5524 that was a gift from my wife. She might regret having gifted that now, because I’ve been collecting Patek Philippes since. These are the three most meaningful timepieces in my collection.

It sounds like your wife and family share your interest and passion for watchmaking?

I do try to interest her in watches, but she collects other luxury products as well. For ladies, there are many other things to collect, but generally speaking, men tend to collect watches or automobiles. I run a bike rental business, so obviously I’m not really into automobiles. My father does own a lot of Rolexes, but many of these were acquired in his younger days and they are diamond-set models which are quite bold designs. My mother and elder brother also own quite a few similar models. In fact, I actually gifted my younger brother a Patek Philippe as a graduation present, two years before I owned one myself. But now that they see my collection and how it’s growing, they do share an interest and they’ll discuss and ask me what I think about a watch before they acquire it. Obviously we all have different personal tastes when it comes to watches, but it’s great to be able to enjoy this hobby with them.

On Cortina Watch’s 50th anniversary, what would you like to say to the management and staff?

I have huge respect for Mr Anthony Lim and Mrs Lim, they are such gracious people. I love how they have passed on their family values and culture to the family and employees, and I hope that even as they continue to expand and grow, they are able to maintain and continue building with these values in the company. And I’ve joked to Jon that when Cortina Watch turns 100, I’d love to be able to acquire one of their 100th anniversary models because I’ll only be 81 then! And the same for the 75th anniversary! I hope they continue to develop these long-lived relationships with their customers in the future. I’m just one customer, and I’ve seen how they are always considerate to other customers like me, and we really appreciate this loyalty. It’s not easy reaching 50 years, and that the next generations are eager to continue this family legacy, that’s incredible. They have wonderful plans for the future, and I wish them success at every step.

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