In the horological community, finding a man who is a serious watch collector is as simple as a watch-related hashtag search on any number of social media channels, but finding women who not only collect but also post about their collections has proven ever-so- slightly more difficult. While in Dubai in November, I had a conversation about this very point with my friend Caroline Kallman Joffe who is the director of marketing at WatchBox, and she suggested that I take a peek at the Instagram page of a woman in Singapore by the name of Sumei Shum. “This woman is serious — I mean really serious — about her watches,” Caroline said to me, while pulling out her phone and going to Sumei’s IG account.

“Holy. Shit.”

It was the only response I could conjure. Moser. F.P. Journe. MB&F. I also spotted mid-range brands like Sinn, Omega, Ming and more. There was even the Bamford × Revolution “Joe Cool” Snoopy watch! I knew immediately I wanted to know more about Sumei Shum and from where her love of watches stemmed. An introduction was set up, and that’s when the emails started flowing.

How it all began

Ms. Shum, who spent 17 years as a lawyer (seven of which were in private practice), stopped practicing law in 2009 and opted instead to go into the world of yoga. “After I stopped working in 2009, I spent the subsequent years training as much as possible to be a yoga teacher and a trainer to other yoga teachers,” she explains. “I then started a yoga school with my partner, but it was difficult to sustain a studio/business in rental-expensive Singapore, so in 2016, we gave up the business.” When asked where life took her after that as far as the professional world goes, she replies, “As of now, I am teaching yoga on a part-time basis with COMO Shambhala, aside from managing my own investments in stocks, watches, crypto/NFTs full time.”

But the first watch Ms. Shum remembers grabbing her attention happened many years before, while she was attending university. “My parents owned watches, but I don’t think they influenced me very much. Their watches looked quite boring, to be honest,” says Shum. “However, while I was at university, I was reading The Agony and the Ecstasy: A Biographical Novel of Michelangelo by Irving Stone. To me, the Renaissance was a golden period with so much creativity and artistry. I especially loved how the frescoes on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel are depicted, so much so that when Swatch came out with a large watch with some images of cherubs on the dial and strap (the “Putti” Pop Swatch designed by Vivienne Westwood), I hunted that watch down as it totally gelled with my idea of a Renaissance watch. I still have that watch in my drawer. It’s a 48mm-sized plastic watch, and it’s no longer running, but it’s a sweet reminder of my first watch.”

From there, Ms. Shum did what many Swatch owners do: continued to buy more. “I bought a lot of Swatch watches. They were, and still are, fun and affordable. I still have at least 10 of them, but at the time, I never thought of myself as a watch collector,” she states. “Eventually I moved on to more functional timekeepers (such as Baby G-Shocks) which I needed to keep time while running and playing tennis.”

As far as her first “expensive” watch (the quotation marks around the word were added by Ms. Shum herself), the timepiece she selected served several purposes, while also bringing with it an entertainment of a different kind. “My first ‘expensive’ watch was a TAG Heuer that had a bright orange dial and a black bezel. I technically got it for diving (and yes, I still have that watch). I was fascinated by how the bezel worked. If you’ve ever owned a watch with a rotating bezel, then you understand how it feels to keep turning the bezel and hearing that familiar ‘clicking’ sound. It’s so hard to resist turning the bezel once it’s in your hands or on your wrist,” says Shum. Interestingly, readers of this column may remember that Hind Seddiqi, whom we profiled in an earlier issue, had relatively the same to say about her TAG Heuer, which she also considered her first “real” watch. “It was a two-toned, 24mm diameter TAG Heuer S/EL Link with a dark gray dial,” stated Seddiqi. “I used to love turning the bezel around as it made a ‘click’ sound, which was very therapeutic to me.”

The evolution of a collector

As with many watch collectors, there comes a moment when one goes from the Swatch/G-Shock realm into, well, what might be considered, “the dark side.” Mind you, “dark” doesn’t mean “evil” in this instance, but rather, it’s the side that — once ventured into it — many collectors find it quite difficult to get out of. Think of Michael Corleone’s one truly great line from the dreadful 1990 film, Godfather III: “Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in!” It’s this side that tends to carry weight in the watch collecting community; it’s heavy and complex, and hell, let’s admit it, it’s the side that can get really, really crazy and fun. And as Ms. Shum tells it, her “dark side” led to some iconic pieces in her early days of collecting.

“When I finally started making what I considered to be a decent salary, I then upgraded and purchased a Cartier Tank Française. Next came a Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso, and then much later, a Patek Philippe ladies’ watch with a moonphase complication (which, I never could adjust accurately). Looking back, however, I really was attracted to watch dials that were colorful,” she states. “To this day, I feel that my first really ‘serious’ watch (which is now extremely hard to get) was the F.P. Journe Réserve de Marche, brass movement, which I purchased in Geneva in 2006. This was also my first ‘men’s’ watch; a 38mm diameter timepiece which, surprisingly, looked good even on my relatively small wrist.”

Labels: A woman enthusiast weighs in

Sumei Shum’s reply leads us into a deeper conversation about what has always been viewed as the traditional labels of “men’s” and “ladies’” watches, and where, as a society, we should, or could, stand as it pertains to watch gender norms.

“The best thing a brand could do to attract more women buyers is to not label watches as being part of a ladies’ or a men’s collection. Once you remove the category, all watches become gender-neutral, and no one then needs to justify or explain why they want a particular watch,” says Ms. Shum. “Brands should also highlight a bit more of their female clientele and/or collectors so it then becomes the norm that watch collecting is not just for men.”

As someone who, back in 2015, wasn’t sure where to begin my horological journey, I asked Ms. Shum for a piece of advice she would give to women who might be just getting interested in watches and watch collecting. Her response was simple but poignant: “Start by reading reputable watch blogs and subscribing to newsletters; you’ll get a wealth of information plus new release data from there. Also, I suggest everyone download the Watchville app as it keeps you notified of new launches and articles about new watches.”

Today, tomorrow and beyond

Ms. Shum has no plans to slow down, it seems, when it comes to adding to her extraordinarily impressive watch collection, though for now, she states that her currently owned pieces number in more of the humble range. “I own fewer than 50 watches,” she claims. “Let’s just leave it at that.”

As for the watch brands Sumei Shum feels do not get the recognition they deserve, or are vastly underrated, a handful of fan favorites get her vote. “I’d say, right now, the brands I feel that aren’t getting the attention they deserve would have to be Krayon, Habring² (which I feel are innovative watches at a very reasonable price), and Andersen Genève (which has an impressive Jumping Hours complication as well as a hand guillochéd dial).”

And what about her grail watch — because, c’mon, who doesn’t have a “grail watch”?

Ms. Shum admits that her “grail watch” would also be the watch she would next purchase if it becomes available to her — “a Rexhep Rexhepi Chronomètre Contemporain (either 1 and/or 2).” If our friend Rexhep is listening, let’s hope he takes note.

As a still novice collector, I am enamored and almost intimidated at the collection Ms. Shum owns, and yet, that intimidation doesn’t sway me from my goals. On the contrary, her page has inspired me as of late, and it has lit a fire in me; it’s reminded me that there are goals I’ve yet to reach and ways in which to reach them. As a now single mother, I have new obstacles in my path to success, sure, but with hard work and determination, I’ll get where I want to be and need to be, for my children and for myself.

As for my interest in indie watch brands, Ms. Shum has paved the way to where I’d eventually like to be, and hope to be, some day. In speaking of the indie brand watches she owns, and which might be her favorite in contrast to some of the others, Ms. Shum has this to say: “I love all my F.P. Journe watches, but if I had to pick one, I would say the Vagabondage III. Then probably the MB&F LM 101 (sneaking in the Moser/MB&F collab here as well). I just love the rounded dome of these two watches plus the amazingly brilliant colors of the dial. And I love my Ming Mosaic 20.1 prototype — the laser-etched mosaic on the dial needs to be seen in person. Ming Thein literally had to ‘dump’ many, many lasered dials which did not meet his exacting standards.”

It was an absolute joy and a pleasure to learn more about Sumei Shum and her expansive collection of incredible watch brands. I do hope that she and I remain in contact for many years to come, as I feel she will have so much to teach me about the world of watch collecting from a woman’s point of view.