Guan Yu Tourbillon Watch
Posted by Memorigin on
Actor Michael Tong is widely recognized in the entertainment industry as a style icon. Beyond his impressive martial arts skills and athletic physique, he also possesses a sophisticated sense of fashion. Born into a family of tailors, Michael graduated from the renowned Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in New York, where he majored in womenswear design. Although he has long focused on his acting career, his passion for design has never waned. When Memorigin, the renowned Hong Kong tourbillon watch brand, discovered Michael’s extraordinary artistic talent and fashion sensibility, they invited him to pick up the pen once more to design a tourbillon timepiece.
A devoted martial arts enthusiast, Michael drew inspiration from Guan Yu—the legendary general of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms era, revered for his loyalty, righteousness, and bravery—to create the Guan Yu Tourbillon Watch. The timepiece features a barrel-shaped stainless-steel case with a sleek black PVD coating. Meticulous in every aspect of design, Michael sketched over thirty iterations of the dial before finalizing the vintage-style portrait of Guan Yu, set against a backdrop of intricately detailed armor patterns. To echo this motif, armor-inspired engravings are also embossed onto the calf leather strap, adding a rich, multi-layered dimension to the watch.
The tale of Guan Yu “crossing five passes and slaying six generals” stands as one of the most captivating episodes in Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Michael thoughtfully integrated this legendary story into the watch’s design, engraving the surnames of the six generals—Kong, Han, Meng, Bian, Wang, and Qin—onto the hour markers, while five red rubies symbolize the five passes. As the blade-shaped hand—an homage to Guan Yu’s Green Dragon Crescent Blade—sweeps across the dial, it evokes the image of the general cutting through formidable barriers alone, on his journey to reunite with his lord, Liu Bei. Through this timepiece, Michael hopes to inspire a spirit of courage and fearlessness, reminding wearers that with time, perseverance, and experience, success can ultimately be achieved.
The watch is powered by a tourbillon movement composed of 155 components and 18 jewels. With a 40-hour power reserve and a frequency of 28,800 oscillations per hour, it ensures exceptional precision and stability. Michael Tong and Memorigin have seamlessly integrated the legendary tale of a Chinese historical figure into the pinnacle of Western tourbillon craftsmanship, infusing the timepiece with cultural depth and significance—promoting Chinese culture to the world.
About Guan Yu Tourbillon
Retail price: HDK 46,800
Model No.
MO 9494
Case
Black PVD coated barrel-shaped stainless steel case
Watch diameter: approx. 58 x 46mm
Watch thickness: approx. 18.25mm
Both sides sapphire crystal
Water resistance: 5ATM
Movement
Flying tourbillon
155 pieces of subassembly module and 18 jewels
Frequency: 28,800 oscillations/ hour
Features
40 hours power reserve
The tourbillon located at 12 o’clock rotates at a speed of 60s for one circle
Manual winding mechanism
Dial
Guan Yu–inspired Dial
Green Dragon Crescent Blade–inspired hand
Strap
Calf leather strap