“It’s a project I’ve always wanted to do,” says Cho, “and [during the pandemic], we were all wondering what was next.

“Luckily, the New York stores have done amazingly but Hong Kong felt squandered for years. This project signifies that at the end of the day, some things you just have to do by yourself.

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“You have to rely on the goodwill of customers and friends, you make exciting projects and you hope this will bring Hong Kong back to where it needs to be,” adds Cho, who was born in London but moved to Hong Kong 13 years ago and founded The Armoury.

A significant financial driver of these efforts is evidently Cho’s love of watch collecting, which has been a passion since 2006. Last year, he worked with Phillips to auction off a large portion of his personal collection in a sale called The Beauty In Everything, with 64 lots sold for a total of HK$12.68 million. At the time, it was in the hope of setting up a watch arm for The Armoury – an expansion of the two cases of vintage pieces on display at the Landmark Atrium outpost – but Cho confirms proceeds eventually went towards creating Pedder Arcade.

Much of Cho’s collecting philosophy is on display in those lots: from rare vintage references and designs from Patek Philippe, Vacheron Constantin and Grand Seiko; to modern independents such as Daniel Roth and even Baltic Watches; and even two Mickey Mouse pieces from Bulgari and Swatch.

“I dislike large watches,” he says about his current tastes. “I find them clunky and annoying to wear. As a result, I end up not wearing them and they stay in the safe which is kind of futile and pointless.”

Vintage is also on his mind – Cho is currently interested in ultra-thin pieces from the 1960s such as the Audemars Piguet Extra Flat or Seiko Goldfeather, and more recently, the Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Control from the 1990s in 34mm. Cartier is also becoming a larger part of his collection.

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“Some people buy things for the movement,” he elaborates, “I do that sometimes as well. Still other people buy for [exterior design], which is also a difficult thing to get right. Just because it’s on the surface doesn’t mean it’s not as complex as the movement within. When those two come together, you have a real gem on your hands.”

So between movements, design, vintage or modern, what’s the best way to go? Cho says experiencing watches is the key – as you look at and handle more pieces, the characteristics of good condition become apparent. “When you start out, you may not know what certain lines are supposed to look like,” Cho explains. “It’s hard to explain through just photographs. You buy stuff, you learn from it and that’s it. It’s better to have bought and learned than to have not bought and missed that opportunity.”

His instinct comes to bear in The Armoury’s many collaborations with brands such as H. Moser & Cie, Naoya Hida and Masa’s Pastime. This includes their most recent collaboration with Scottish microbrand Paulin Watches – themselves affiliated with indie favourites AnOrdain. The Modul A Hong Kong Dial riffs on Paulin’s signature vintage-style C-shaped case, adding an “Asian” California dial to the quartz watch. California dials have half Roman numbers and half Arabic; in this case, the Arabic is replaced with Chinese characters. One of The Armoury’s more affordable but still fun collaborations, the piece comes in four colours - black, yellow, purple and light blue.

“An important part of the collaborations is to be respectful of other people’s design language,” he explains, “so we always try to reimagine what they might have been thinking of in the first place.”

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Reflecting on his fundraising auction, it seems there were few missed opportunities. While Cho had hoped his A. Lange & Söhne lots would do better, he’s happy to see them gone. What he does miss includes a quirky reverse gold and white two-tone Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 56023AC.

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As for what he’s kept, it’s the Patek Philippes that he finds hard to imagine parting with. Though he is nonchalant about modern references, the brand’s vintage pieces sit well with him.

“It’s just hard to let them go,” he admits. “Every time you put it on, you never wish it was more this or that, it’s always ‘this is perfect’.”

Over 17 years of collecting, Cho has remained level-headed. “There are no hard and fast rules,” he says. “If you like it: buy it, wear it and experience it. Keep what you enjoy and sell what you don’t. If it’s sitting in the back of your safe never being worn, it’s probably time to let it go.”

Collector’s pick: Cartier Tank Louis Cartier

“What I love about the Louis Cartier is that they design it to be collectible but not to be extremely expensive. They’re affordable enough that most people can aspire to own one or even a few.”