About Dash
“Being borne in this booming and bustling era, what will you adjust your life with?”
“I like to listen to the mechanical sound of "tick-tock, tick-tock" to lighten my troubles and appreciate the delicate mechanism to relieve my stress.”
——Dash Iao
Dash has fallen in love with mechanical sounds since his college days, including mechanical cars, mechanical toys, mechanical accessories, and mechanical watches, etc... He found that mechanical sounds can bring him a calm and clear inspiration. When encountering troubles during his studies or work, the sounds seem to lead him to a comfortable and calm exit, seem like they have the magical power to relax the nerves and reduce stress. Dash is particularly interested in mechanical watches that are driven by gears, and have unknowingly developed the habit of "collecting" over the past years. In this watch exhibition, he has selected more than 30 personal collections to share with watch enthusiasts. It is a valuable opportunity and hope everyone will like them too.
In addition to the exquisite workmanship and precision of mechanical watches, Dash is also attracted by the fascinating historical stories behind each watch, so he also likes antique mechanical watches a lot. Not only pay attention to what new mechanical watches are coming out every year, but Dash also spends more time to understand the stories and origins of mechanical watches. In the process of choosing mechanical watches, he does not rely solely on the appearance or brand to buy but also considers their collective value and the mechanical craftsmanship level of the caliber.
Recalling the first collection began in college, Dash spent two years of savings to buy a first-generation Patek Philippe 5000G. This unique "flat" buckle of the first generation 5000G is the only model that can be seen in Patek Philippe collections, and thus extremely rare.
Among all the collections, which one is the most meaningful to Dash? He thought for a while and quickly replied that it’s the one that he had invited a Swiss independent watchmaker to make a unique bespoke watch in 2013.
He remembered that he had a sudden idea that year, which he wanted to tailor-made a "watch that can represent DASH" for himself as a birthday gift. Dash first chose an antique caliber "FHF 96” for the watch as the blueprint, and he designed the entire concept from the caliber to the enamel dial together with the watchmaker. Dash added his own preferences like constellation, zodiac and also used Chinese characters as the hour markers to represent his personal characteristics, the whole watch has an oriental sense.
Although the watch is not very expensive, it is still invaluable to Dash. After a long time discussion with the watchmaker, finally, a watch representing himself was born. He couldn't believe he actually have the perseverance and enthusiasm for this, so it is especially memorable to him.
Exhibition Message
Over the years of passion for mechanical watches, Dash has also undergone changes in different stages. The selection of the size of the materials of the watches has been changed in different ages, different mindsets,s and different times. The only thing that did not change as a principle is his strict requirement of the caliber and its level of innovation, craftsmanship, and complication. We hope that through this personal exhibition, we can all join Dash in appreciating the wonders of science in the seemingly small world of mechanics and appreciate the eternal beauty of time and art.
