Can’t afford a luxury watch? These cardboard copies might do – meet the Hong Kong artist making playful art models of Rolex, Richard Mille and Patek Philippe luxury timepieces
Not everyone can afford a rare Reference 96 Quantieme Lune by Patek Philippe – a model once owned by China’s last emperor Aisin-Gioro Puyi was recently snapped up at auction for US$6.2 million – but Hong Kong-based artist and watch lover Gabe Lau is hoping to remedy that.
“My art is a way of experiencing the beauty, design and craft of a luxury watch without having to buy it. The best part of what I do is being able to connect with people and learn about their passion for watches. Their journey and story add even more value to the art,” he says.
The founder of Labeg – an anagram of his name – has proved an unlikely hit among watch connoisseurs since he started creating eclectic and playful cardboard renditions of the horology world’s most iconic timepieces.
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Earlier this year Lau travelled to Geneva to attend Watch and Wonders for the first time, where he partnered with watchmakers Ulysse Nardin to create hand-painted cardboard versions of its Freak One timepiece on site.
Closer to home in Hong Kong, he recently unveiled a new series of limited-edition large-scale clock art – ideal for a kooky wall feature – at the newly opened Pedder Arcade. His pieces are so in demand that he now has a six-month backlog for any new orders or commissions. And he only started making them in 2021.
“If I had uninterrupted time, I would estimate that it takes a full day to complete one piece,” he says, while showing off his version of an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore, where the diamonds on the bezel have been replicated using tiny balls of cling film.
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“I am not a collector because I don’t have the means to build a huge collection, so in 2019 I started drawing models I loved in pencil on paper,” he remembers. “At the time I was obsessed with vintage Rolex watches so I started with the 6542 GMT-Master, which was the first design created for Pan America. I posted them on social media and people started to react extremely positively.”
Although Lau has only been creating models for two years, his current catalogue is extensive and includes well-known brands in the industry such as F.P. Journe, MB&F, Richard Mille, Cartier and Patek Philippe (the aforementioned Imperial Patek Philippe is remembered as the hardest he’s ever had to recreate).
Many of the styles he chooses are rare and vintage pieces he has never seen in real life, which means that he relies solely on photos in brochures to capture their details.
While bringing joy to his customers is the most fulfilling part of his work, Lau says that gaining knowledge and access to an industry that he deeply respects and admires has been a bonus.
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- Inspired by Picasso and Jean-Michel Basquiat, Gabe Lau started making kooky, cartoonish models of watches he couldn’t afford in 2021 – now he has a waiting list of six months for commissions
- The founder of Labeg travelled to Geneva to share his art with timepiece connoisseurs at Watch and Wonders for Ulysse Nardin, and recently unveiled a new range of wall art at Pedder Arcade