The Watch Ho & Co. x Selten Yum Cha, A Heartfelt Tribute to Hong Kong’s Tea House Tradition

Since its launch, Watch Ho & Co(mmunity) has taken a very personal approach to collaborative watchmaking. Founder Jackie Ho has consistently built projects around stories and culture. Previous collaborations with Selten, such as the Jui series with hand-guilloché mother-of-pearl dials inspired by Hong Kong’s Bauhinia flower, demonstrated that approach well. To celebrate the community’s third anniversary, the two brands present what may be their most personal project yet: the Yum Cha, inspired by Hong Kong’s traditional tea houses and the founder’s childhood spent there with his grandparents.

The watch is presented in a compact 38mm stainless steel case, measuring 9.95mm thick (8.35mm excluding the crystal) with a 44.5mm lug-to-lug. The solid caseback features an original illustration by artist @onehourwatch, depicting Jackie Ho as a child sharing a Yum Cha meal with his grandparents. Collectors can personalise the watch by engraving a meaningful number of their choice on the illustrated restaurant table marker. A box-shaped sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating protects the display, and water resistance is rated at 50m.

For the dial, inspiration comes from one of the most familiar objects found on every Hong Kong dim sum table: the woven bamboo steamer basket, the lattice pattern of its lid. Each dial begins as a silver blank, then is engraved by hand by Selten’s master engraver and enamel specialist, Qin. He divides the surface into approximately eighty individual sections, each filled with dozens of precisely cut bright-polished lines. The direction and depth of every cut are deliberately varied, creating the illusion of woven bamboo.

Then, multiple layers of highly transparent Grand Feu enamel are applied and fired individually at approximately 800°C. The process is repeated at least 8 times before the surface is hand-polished. In total, approximately 16.5 hours are invested into each dial, while the rejection rate exceeds 40%. The resulting colour is described as Fumé Amber, transitioning from a luminous honey-gold centre towards deep smoky brown edges. Depending on the light, the engraved pattern alternates between brilliant reflections and darker shadows, recreating the appearance of a well-used bamboo steamer. Further reinforcing the theme are the distinctive tea leaf-shaped hands.

The watch is powered by the manually wound Sellita SW210-2 M Power+, offering an extended 65-hour power reserve while being adjusted in five positions for an accuracy of approximately ±6 seconds per day.

The Watch Ho & Co. x Selten Yum Cha is worn on a tan Italian nubuck leather strap handmade by HasNoBounds, closed with a pin buckle. Each Yum Cha arrives inside an authentic handcrafted bamboo steamer basket accompanied by three bamboo coasters, while the warranty card faithfully reproduces the familiar red dim sum order cards used in Hong Kong tea houses. The Watch Ho & Co. x Selten Yum Cha is limited to 100 pieces. The price is USD 4,950 or HKD 38,828.

For more information, please visit SeltenWatch.com.