Singaporean Wei Koh becomes first Asian to chair Oscars of the watch world

SINGAPORE – The Foundation of the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Geneve (GPHG) – often described as the Oscars of the watch world – has announced that Mr Wei Koh will chair its jury for the 2026 edition. The entrepreneur, publisher, TV host and watch journalist is the first Singaporean and the first Asian to hold the role.

Describing the appointment as “one of the greatest honours” of his life, he tells The Straits Times: “Watchmaking has given me everything. It has given me my profession, my passion, my friendships and my community.”

The elder son of Singapore’s Ambassador-at-Large Tommy Koh, the 56-year-old is best known as the founder of independent watch title Revolution and men’s style magazine The Rake, both of which have grown into international brands.

A graduate in comparative religion from Vassar College in New York, he also hosts Man Of The Hour, an eight-part Discovery Channel series on the makers, families and figures shaping modern watchmaking.

Over two decades, he has built a reputation as one of the industry’s most recognisable voices, known for making technical subjects accessible to a wider audience.

GPHG Foundation president Raymond Loretan describes Mr Wei Koh as “one of the most well-respected voices in contemporary watchmaking”, citing his “deep knowledge of the watchmaking world, independent perspective and contagious passion”.

Now in its 26th year, the GPHG is one of the industry’s most closely watched events. Each November, the watch world gathers in Geneva’s Batiment des Forces Motrices – a historic building that once powered the city’s water and watchmaking industries – to recognise the year’s standout timepieces.

The top honour – the Aiguille d’Or, or Golden Hand – goes to the single watch judged to be the most significant of the year. The jury examines all 90 nominated watches, debates behind closed doors under notarial supervision and votes by secret ballot.

Mr Koh will chair a 24-member jury, guiding discussions and helping the panel arrive at decisions that he says should be reached with “intellectual rigour”.

Asked about being the first Singaporean to preside over what remains a Swiss institution, he shifts the focus away from geography.

“What I love about watchmaking is that it transcends race, religion, age, gender and even language,” says Mr Koh, who has served on the GPHG jury five times. “It is a language of its own, one that seeks to unite rather than divide. In a time fraught with precariousness and divisiveness, watchmaking can perhaps be that unifying power.”

He is keen to dispel the idea that the jury functions like some “secret cabal” meeting in sombre silence. In fact, he credits his predecessor, British historian and writer Nick Foulkes, with fostering a culture of bracingly open discussion. 

“The debate in that room is vigorous, wonderfully passionate and sometimes utterly hilarious,” Mr Koh says, adding that he has often entered the room thinking he would vote one way, only to change his mind after holding a watch and listening to an impassioned argument from someone he respects.

The real misunderstanding, he suggests, is the belief that jurors sit in judgment with perfectly calibrated, objective taste. 

Instead, he believes in assembling a jury with a wide range of perspectives – from technical experts and designers to collectors and curators – and encouraging them to listen to one another while trusting their own judgment.

“I would remind each person in the room, ‘You’re smart. That’s why you are here, so trust yourself.’”

He adds: “I have always believed that to be successful, I should surround myself with people much smarter than me and that is my strategy for jury selection at the GPHG.” 

A “knowledge-based passion” is what he hopes to bring to the judging process, one that is rigorous yet accessible and engaging. He credits his father, a keen observer of geopolitics, with showing him how even the most complex topics can be turned into lively dinner conversation if explained by the right person.

Mr Koh has long been a visible presence in the industry, moderating panels, emceeing events and hosting discussions at Geneva Watch Days for several years, often without being paid because he believed it helped grow watch culture and awareness.

Now, that has to change. “The role of the president of the jury of the GPHG comes with certain responsibilities,” he says. He plans to stop hosting or emceeing events and to be more careful about publicly endorsing specific brands or watchmakers. Impartiality, he adds, is as much about perception as it is about reality.

Asked what kind of watch he believes should win the Aiguille d’Or, he turns to a metaphor borrowed from independent French watchmaker Francois-Paul Journe.

The best watch, he says, is one that adds a “brick” to the long wall of horological history, whether by improving precision, expanding people’s understanding of time or offering a compelling aesthetic experience.

In a year when the watch market is facing challenging conditions, Mr Koh believes that pressure can drive innovation. “Challenge often brings out the best in the watch industry,” he says.

Whether the eventual winners are widely agreed upon or spark debate, he is less concerned with consensus than with engagement. “I always love watches that compel people to think.”