Articles
Hong Kong, Seen Through a Tourbillon
Chinese artistry, meteorite dials and characters from the cinema: the distinctive watches of Hong Kong tourbillon maker Memorigin.
A miniature guzheng becomes a seconds display. A gold dragon curls above mother-of-pearl. Spider-Man hangs over a turning tourbillon. Memorigin approaches the mechanical watch as a place for stories, giving the collector something to follow beyond the hands.
The thread running through these very different watches is Hong Kong: a city comfortable with Chinese cultural references, international popular culture and an outward-looking design language. For Memorigin, that combination takes shape around the tourbillon, the rotating carriage that makes part of the timekeeping mechanism visible. The result is a collection with several points of entry, from the open architecture of Crescent Moon to the theatrical detail of its cultural and character watches.
A watchmaking idea, drawn from woodcarving
Founded in 2011 by William Shum, JP, Memorigin grew from his father Shum Mak-ling’s collection of Chinese woodcarvings and a childhood interest in literature and history. The carvings suggested a way to bring depth, expression and cultural meaning into a much smaller object: the wristwatch.
That influence is easiest to understand by looking at the dials. Figures have volume; familiar objects acquire a mechanical role. The tourbillon becomes part of the composition, giving the scene a continuous movement of its own.
Chinese artistry, in two very different registers
Verdant Resonance and Harmony of Dragon and Phoenix express the meeting of Chinese art and Western mechanical watchmaking through contrasting materials and moods. One looks to the scholar’s studio; the other to sculptural ornament.
Verdant Resonance: the scholar’s studio, reimagined
Verdant Resonance takes its starting point from playing the guzheng while burning incense. A miniature guzheng forms the seconds display, while luminous green lines evoke rising smoke. The references are intimate and contemplative, set within an emphatically contemporary watch.
A luminous carbon-fibre case, an open dial and a rubber strap give the design its modern character. At approximately 39 × 39 mm and 9.35 mm thick, it offers a distinctive square silhouette. The manually wound flying-tourbillon movement provides a 48-hour power reserve. This is the cultural piece for someone drawn to light, texture and an unconventional dial.
Harmony of Dragon and Phoenix: sculpture in motion
Harmony of Dragon and Phoenix is more richly ornamented. An 18K gold dragon rises above a mother-of-pearl dial, its eye set with a ruby. At eight o’clock, a Japanese Akoya pearl turns once a minute, matching the rotation period of the flying tourbillon at six.
The black version gives the gold relief a strong outline against the shifting colour of the dial. An automatic movement offers a 72-hour power reserve inside an approximately 42 mm stainless-steel case. It rewards a closer look at both the sculpted surface and the movement beneath it.
Three expressions of the signature watch
Crescent Moon, the Explorer and Genesis reveal a quieter side of Memorigin. Each gives the flying tourbillon a different setting, from open architecture and meteorite to the changing light of a fumé dial.
Crescent Moon
Manual · 48 h · 36 × 40 mm
Crescent Moon is the most approachable price point in this selection. Its crescent-like structure frames an exposed movement inside a 36 × 40 mm cushion-shaped steel case. The flying tourbillon sits at six o’clock, with a manually wound movement and a 48-hour power reserve. Choose it for the curved architecture and the pleasure of seeing the mechanism at work.
The Explorer · Steel Bracelet
Automatic · 40 h · 39 mm
The Explorer Series, in its steel-bracelet version, pairs a meteorite dial with a 39 mm case approximately 9.9 mm thick. The natural dial pattern gives its more restrained design a point of distinction. An automatic flying tourbillon, date display and 40-hour power reserve make this a different proposition from the manually wound Crescent Moon: compact proportions, a bracelet and a quieter visual language.
Genesis Series Tourbillon
Manual · 40 h · 43 mm
After the exposed architecture of Crescent Moon and the meteorite texture of the Explorer, Genesis returns to the round dress watch. A fumé dial with a sunburst finish draws the eye towards the flying tourbillon at six o’clock, framed by silver hands and a 43 mm stainless-steel case.
The manually wound movement provides a 40-hour power reserve. Blue, green and brown dial versions change the mood of the same composition, offering a restrained way to enjoy the movement.
From the collector’s cabinet to the cinema
Memorigin’s international collaborations apply the same interest in sculptural detail to recognisable characters. The strongest designs make the character part of the dial’s architecture.
Star Wars · Captain Phasma
Flying tourbillon · Helmet-inspired dial
The Star Wars Series, designed by Hong Kong composer and designer Mark Lui, turns Captain Phasma’s helmet into the framework of a skeletal dial. Silver and black shapes leave the flying tourbillon visible at six o’clock. The attraction lies in recognising the character through the structure of the watch itself: a graphic, mechanical interpretation for a Star Wars collector.
Marvel · Spider-Man Tourbillon
Manual · 80 h · 43 mm
The Marvel Series Spider-Man Tourbillon takes a more animated approach. Spider-Man appears upside down above the rotating tourbillon, with the character’s red and dark blue carried into the dial and a web-patterned calf-leather strap. A rose gold-plated stainless-steel case measures approximately 43 mm, while the manually wound movement delivers an 80-hour power reserve. It is an overtly expressive choice, with a character to discover each time the dial catches the eye.
A closer look, in Hong Kong
The differences between these watches become clearest in their proportions and details: the cushion shape of Crescent Moon, the Explorer’s bracelet, the graduated colour of Genesis, or the light across Verdant’s open dial.
Memorigin supports its designs with its own factory, design and technical teams, and research, quality-control and repair support in Hong Kong. A private viewing offers time to compare the pieces in person and explore the woodcarving collection behind the brand’s story.
