Matters of time

The founder of Revolution magazine is launching a TV series, Man Of The Hour, on modern watchmaking legends

- Wong Kim Hoh Features Editor

Mr Wei Koh has never merely told time. He has also spent two decades shaping the culture around it.

At 55, the son of ambassador-at-large Tommy Koh has channelled his boundless curiosity into a global lifestyle empire.

Mr Wei Koh founded Revolution, a leading watch magazine with eight international editions, and The Rake, a British men’s style title. Together, these have grown beyond print into multimedia brands spanning digital platforms, retail ventures and television.

His latest venture, Man Of The Hour — premiering on Discovery Channel on Nov 4 - is an eight-part series that travels from Los Angeles to Geneva, Paris and Singapore to meet the makers, families and iconoclasts redefining modern watchmaking.

The series, which is produced by Singapore production company Refinery Media and supported by Singapore Airlines, is hosted and executive produced by Mr Koh.

Season 1 opens the atelier doors at Swiss stalwarts F.P.Journe, Chopard and De Bethune; traces the revival of Danish brand Urban Jurgensen; follows Kosovo-born watchmaker Rexhep Rexhepi’s journey from refugee to revered master; examines Swiss brand Greubel Forsey’s relentless pursuit of precision; and peers into French luxury house Louis Vuitton’s future under Mr Jean Arnault alongside movement maestros Michel Navas and Enrico Barbasini, before landing in the kinetic universe of Switzerland’s MB&F.

The approach is personal and human — less about products, more about people. It shows how legacies are built, how families sustain them, and how passion and perseverance turn into watchmaking craft.

Mr Koh - who is married to fitness entrepreneur turned artisanal ice cream maker Beatrice Ding - says the series is more than a love letter to watches.

“This isn’t just a documentary about horology,” he says. “It’s also about the lives, laughter and struggles of people I deeply care about.”