In GT racing, where drivers are changed through the race, every decision and reaction has to do with saving time. Every action is streamlined for efficiency in this head-to-head with the clock, whether it’s removing your seat belt, refuelling or changing tyres in the pit.

“You’re not just looking at every second, it’s every tenth of a second,” explains Hui, whose team won the 2019 Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup.

But getting too greedy about shaving off milliseconds could result in a mistake, leading to a knock-on effect for the rest of the race. “You’ve got to be very controlled,” says Hui. “It’s that added element of risk that you’re chasing time but you don’t want to risk losing more.”

It’s a very different philosophy on time when you’re part of a family legacy – you shift from saving seconds to building and preserving for coming generations. When Hui isn’t representing Hong Kong, he works in property investment at the family business, Central Development Group, which was founded by his late grandfather, Hui Sai Fun.

“I think, when we talk about family legacy, it’s more about the ‘time horizon’,” he says. It means making decisions with future generations in mind, something Hui has learned to do by watching senior members of his family. “You try to make decisions which you believe will stand the test of time.”

Family influence can be found in his collection of watches, too. Hui is sentimental about his Patek Philippe Calatrava because it is similar to the one his grandfather had. “He’s always been a role model for me in my personal life and in the business world, too, so it was one way for me to remind myself to be inspired by him,” says Hui. “You want to emulate the success of someone that you admire, so for me this is purely about the sentiment.”

When it comes to buying watches, Hui says he is quite passive, unlike his approach to his 20-plus car collection. He isn’t too concerned about a timepiece’s movement or complications – it’s the aesthetics of design that speak to him.

Jonathan’s watches

Of the classic Daytona, Hui says: “The 1970s had a pedigree in racing and driving. I think it’s one of those watches any person interested in racing and driving probably wants to have, one way or another.”

This watch also reflects Jonathan Hui’s passion for cars. He says Hublot’s avant-garde, forward-thinking design “is relevant to the racing world because like the cars he races, it’s at the forefront of technical innovation”.

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