One company is giving Swiss-made timepieces the Malaysian touch, writes Nadia Badarudin
AFICIoNADOS in the world of haute horlogerie or fine watchmaking will not, typically, settle for anything less than the quality and age-old tradition set by Switzerland, home to the world’s best watchmakers.
This is because every part of a Swiss-made timepiece, be it a movement or design, is incomparable and exudes nothing but sterling European craftsmanship.
But what if one combines acclaimed Swiss watchmaking expertise with distinctive Malaysian design elements? Will that entice watch enthusiasts?
CHILDHOOD PASSION
In a first in the world of Swiss luxury timepieces, Masa Horlogerie will integrate Malaysian design heritage and identity with fine Swiss-made watches.
This homegrown brand is the brainchild of Dr Ahmad Syahid Mohd Fadzil, 34, a self-taught horological artist. He is a medical doctor by profession and his passion in watchmaking stems from childhood.
“I’ve always been intrigued with things, be it biologic or mechanic. When I was a kid, I enjoyed pulling apart my toys, cars and robots and making new ones from the disassembled components,” says KL-born Dr Ahmad Syahid, who studied medicine at Universiti Malaya.
From toys, he started experimenting on watches. The first ‘victim’ was his father’s automatic Seiko.
“I learnt about mechanical watches when I was 12. I was lucky because my mother would supply me with what I referred to as donor or cadaveric watches.
“When I was 15, my friends went gaga over Casio’s G-Shock watches but I was saving money for a pre-owned Rolex 6422 Oyster Precision. However, I bought a PlayStation game console instead due to peer pressure,” he says.
As his passion in watchmaking grew, he started networking with like-minded individuals and experts from Switzerland and the UK through online forums.
He did think about studying watchmaking in Switzerland, but his parents were not convinced that he could make a career out of it.
“The closest I can get to watchmaking is medicine. For me, both are based on the same philosophy, which is making multiple systems work as a synchronised, self-regulating unit to execute a purposed function.”
MALAYSIAN WAY
Masa Horlogerie got its start with a grant after winning the 2014 Bumiputra Entrepreneur Development Scheme’s Entrepreneurial Challenge, a national level entrepreneurship competition organised by the Bumiputra Agenda Steering Unit and the Prime Minister’s Department.
Dr Ahmad Syahid wanted everything to be Swiss-made, so he came out with a creative strategy and teamed up with his existing business network in Switzerland after establishing Masa Horlogerie Sdn Bhd on Aug 31, 2015.
He has been hands-on, from designing and determining technical specifications, to sourcing the material for each timepiece.
“The designs and technical specifications are done at our setup here (he has an R&D centre and horological arts gallery in Country Heights, Kajang, Selangor), but the watches are 100 per cent handmade by craftsmen at our workshop in Switzerland, using original Swiss-certified components,” he explains.
“We do our best to keep the material and processes Shariah-compliant, such as no pigskin for the straps etc. We also make sure that the diamonds are ethically sourced.”
BIG CHALLENGES
He admits it wasn’t smooth sailing at the beginning.
“Besides our minimal capital, the biggest initial challenge was convincing our Swiss counterparts that we had a strong foundation and similar work ethics and principles,” says Dr Ahmad Syahid.
“We had to prove that we had what it took to make luxury timepieces that paired the best of both worlds.”
Dr Ahmad Syahid and his partner advise the Swiss craftsmen on how to incorporate Malaysian elements into each timepiece.
“Initially, that was quite a challenge as integrating traditional motifs like the bunga pecah lapan (eight-petal flower) or lotus (a popular motif in songket) on the dial was a new experience for them,” he says.
“My partner and I wore songket sampin and baju Melayu when meeting them to demonstrate the significance of such a motif. We created a buzz there.”
HERITAGE INSPIRATIONS
The debut collection, Premier Edition: Heritage Horlogerie, was launched in November 2015. It comprised six models of 200 timepieces that featured a neo-traditional rendition of the bunga pecah lapan as the main element. It sold out in six months.
The geometric motif was chosen because it was simple to make. More importantly, it symbolised the birth of a new beginning as well as purity, balance and harmony of nature. The lotus aspect also represents cultural unity in Malaysia as the flower is popular with the other races too, he says.
Rather than focus on the watch mechanics, the brand’s strength lies in its heritage-inspired art and avant-garde designs. MasaHorlogerie also takes design inspiration from kain tenun Pahang, pua kumbu, batik, Nyonya kebaya’s patterns and the taming sari keris.
“We’re incorporating more Malaysian elements and each has a unique story to tell. We’re roping in the best of our traditional craftsmen to be part of our legacy. For our new collection, we’re collaborating with the best traditional crafts such as Bibah Songket from Terengganu and Pahang’s Warisan Craftwood. The songket-inspired element will be featured on the strap while the woodcraft is for the packaging,” he says.
GROWING TOGETHER
From the start, says Dr Ahmad Syahid, the business had always been about igniting the spirit of patriotism, a sense of belonging and appreciation towards tradition and culture among Malaysians.
“Our watches are ideally meant for Malaysians. However, our aim goes beyond profits,” says the entrepreneur who envisions Masa Horlogerie as a manufacturer with its own Swiss-accredited in-house facilities in five years.
“We always think about how we can contribute to society. We’re poised to transfer the Swiss technology here and train future watchmakers. We want to grow together with the local entrepreneurs in this industry.
“As a brand that serves a niche market, we don’t see ourselves to be a big company, but rather a significant one in the industry, a homegrown company that Malaysia and our fellow Malaysians can be proud of.”
From Nov 4-13, Masa Horlogerie is taking part in A Journey Through Time X, the 10th edition of the annual watch and jewellery event hosted by Starhill Gallery in Kuala Lumpur.
The watchmaker is showcasing seven artitus timepieces (watches with a personal touch for exclusive clients) that feature free-hand etchings of pucuk rebung and batik motifs on the case designed by Dr Ahmad Syahid himself.