Watch Ho & Co. team up with Selten to offer an engraved Tahitian mother-of-pearl dial for just under US$1,100
Zach Blass- Hong Kong-based watch enthusiast group Watch Ho & Co. enlists Selten to make a limited edition for its 2nd anniversary.
- It’s named Jui 聚, which translates to “to meet, to gather”, as a nod to how the group comes together for “good vibes only”.
- Despite being only US$1.1K, it notably features a CNC-engraved natural black Tahitian mother-of-pearl dial.
Towards the end of last year, I had the good fortune of flying over to Hong Kong for the 10th edition of Dubai Watch Week’s Horology Forum. I had never been to Hong Kong until then, nor could I say I was super familiar with the regional watch-collecting scene. One man I was told I just had to meet was Jackie Ho, the co-founder of a new Hong Kong-based watch community and club, Watch Ho & Co. Jackie, who was enlisted for a Horology Forum panel to share insights on the Hong Kong watch scene, was incredibly friendly and showed me and my colleagues around Hong Kong in the evenings after – inviting us to drinks, karaoke, and a sit-down with high-end independent watchmaker Rémy Cools. In such a short time, my journalistic colleagues and I were instantly welcomed within the club, pints and wrist rolls a plenty.
I make a point of mentioning all this background, not to brag about an awesome visit to Hong Kong, but rather to give proper context and testimony to the meaning and inspiration of the new Watch Ho & Co. x Selten Jui 聚 Limited Edition. Jui 聚 translates to “to meet, to gather”, and this latest limited edition honours not only the second anniversary of Watch Ho & Co., but also the welcoming “good vibes only” nature we see far more often than not in #watchfam that inspired the creation of the watch club. Jackie, as a collector who loves distinct details and off-the-beaten-path indies, has aptly teamed up with Hong Kong microbrand Selten (the German word for rare), known for its rich exploration of materials and fresh approach to present a dial made of a very interesting material at a lower price point than you would expect.
Tahitian mother-of-pearl is known to be prized for its beauty and rarity, and both aspects tend to make the material more expensive. In fact, Alfred Chan of Toledano & Chan told me (while I was in Hong Kong for the Dubai Watch Week Horology Forum, funnily enough) that he and Phil Toledano chose Tahitian MOP for the B/1.2 (a watch that retailed just shy of US$6,000) for its beauty and rarity. This is why it comes as a surprise to see the material utilised in a watch that is priced at just US$1,099.
Black and iridescent do not normally go in the same sentence, but natural black Tahitian mother-of-pearl is somehow both. On the B/1.2, the darker tone of the material was much clearer, but here the expression of colour looks different due to a further step taken. Selten has used CNC technology to engrave the dial, creating a guilloché look. The lines create a “mountain pattern” inspired by the body armour utilised in ancient China. These engraved lines not only create new depth and dimension, but they also change the way in which light interacts with the material, creating what appears to be a brighter, more pale surface, and under direct light, the rainbow effect comes through rather intensely.
Here, at a more off-angle, you can see the surface becomes darker with the spectrum of green, blue, violet, red, and yellow more muted (though still clearly discernible). A chapter ring surrounds the dial, engraved with a dotted track to denote the hours and minutes. However, at the 2 o’clock position, you will notice two lines in place of a dot as a subtle nod to Watch Ho & Co.’s second anniversary.
The high-grade 316L stainless steel case comes in a comfortable size, measuring 39mm in diameter, a slender 9.95mm thick (including the domed sapphire crystal), and just 45.5mm lug-to-lug. With such sizing, this allows the watch to have enough contemporary presence while also being somewhat vintage-adjacent in its span across the wrist. At 45.5mm lug-to-lug, this is a watch that should suit all wrist sizes well and will not feel too small, thanks to its 39mm diameter.
Jackie Ho is known for often searching for an aftermarket strap in place of a more standard factory offering, so it comes as no surprise that he has curated a hand-stitched French Epsom leather strap with a green goatskin under from HasNoBounds that tastefully complements (and leaves the bolder colour to) the dial. The Watch Ho & Co. x Selten Jui 聚 does, however, have an aftermarket-friendly lug-width of 20mm if you wish to further make it your own.
Exhibited inside is a tried-and-true Miyota 9039 automatic movement with 42 hours of power reserve. According to Miyota, the accuracy is rated to be +30/-10 seconds per day – so you can’t expect to have METAS or Superlative Chronometer accuracy here, but also keep in mind the price point. The movement is surprisingly well-finished here, and the visual intrigue of the calibre is elevated further with Setlen’s interestingly shaped winding rotor that features the same striping found on the bridges. The caseback engravings commemorate the second anniversary of Watch Ho & Co. and also read “good vibes only” to showcase the familial, welcoming community mindset of the club.
For people in search of an interesting, eye-catching dial, offered at a more affordable price, in a smart-casual-meets-dressy case with wrist-friendly dimensions, the Watch Ho & Co. x Selten Jui 聚 Limited Edition appears to be a very interesting proposition. Its natural black Tahitian mother-of-pearl dial, with a complex CNC-engraving no less, is not something you see every day at this price.
On the one hand, I could say I wish Watch Ho & Co. and Selten had utilised a running central seconds hand, which the 9039 is fully capable of driving. However, considering the elegant openworked alpha handset, I can also understand keeping visual interruptions to the textured iridescent surface of the Tahitian MOP down to a minimum. Furthermore, since it does not promise chronometer-level accuracy, the lack of a running seconds hand may be the right call.
Watch Ho & Co. x Selten Jui 聚 Limited Edition pricing and availability
The Watch Ho & Co. x Selten Jui 聚 will be available for pre-order for a period of 72 hours beginning on August 13 at 23:00 HKT. The Jui is a limited edition: once the pre-order period concludes and production is complete, no further pieces will be made in this black MOP configuration. Price: US$1,099
| Brand | Watch Ho & Co. x Selten |
| Model | Jui 聚 |
| Case Dimensions | 39mm (D) x 9.95mm (T) x 45.5mm (LTL) |
| Case Material | Stainless steel |
| Water Resistance | 50 metres |
| Crystal(s) | Domed sapphire front, inner AR-coated Flat sapphire exhibition caseback |
| Dial | Natural black Tahitian mother-of-pearl, CNC guilloché |
| Strap | HasNoBounds French Epsom Leather strap, green goatskin under, hand-stitched, steel pin buckle |
| Movement | Miyota 9039, automatic |
| Power Reserve | 42 hours |
| Functions | Hours and minutes |
| Availability | Available for pre-order for 72 hours beginning on August 13 at 23:00 HKT |
| Price | US$1,099 |
Watch photography provided by @enthusedad.