In Singapore, guys and their Pateks

OVER ONE WEEKEND in late August, a group of 11 millennial-aged watch collectors from Hong Kong; Sydney; Shanghai; Taiwan and Yangon, Myanmar, converged in Singapore.

The attraction? A celebration of #PatekAcademy, a new Instagram affinity group that had 2,655 followers a little more than two months later. But Patek Philippe, the family-owned Swiss brand known for its horological expertise and elegant style, did not have a thing to do with it.

"We're creating our own community," said Shoyo Kawamura, 23, the group's co-founder, who compiled the guest list, organised events and picked up the tab once his guests were in Singapore.