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
- 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
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.
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.
