In the midst of fine-tuning his collection, Kim Atienza speaks of his love affair with rare, vintage Swiss made replica watches from Rolex and more and the pleasurable trip to the past that he seeks out in each one.
“They have to sing to me,” shares Kim Atienza, “and for them to sing to me, they have to sing a very old song.” The prominent host and presenter, whose sobriquet “Kuya Kim” is a household name on Philippine television, isn’t shy about his affinity for all things vintage. Be it motorcycles, fashion, furniture or cheap UK fake watches—anything “old” has a soul and heritage, he muses. This is what drives him to collect vestiges of time.
Outfitted in his vintage Momotaro Wabash shirt, rugged Wesco boots and trademark hat, Atienza graciously joined us for an early morning photoshoot to delve into this passion of his—how everything he owns and wears must reflect his tastes and go well together. “I feel that a modern watch on a vintage motorcycle does not fit well,” he comments, smiling. His appreciation for a storied and well-crafted timepiece, in particular, started in the Seventies when he received his first-ever steel high quality replica watches.
Interestingly, it was a Christmas gift from his yaya (nanny) Gloria, who had saved a few months’ worth of her salary to purchase a secondhand Seiko watch from a pawnshop. “I was so fascinated with that piece, and I valued that perfect copy watches until it eventually broke,” he recalls. A few years later, his father’s post- college gift—an Omega Seamaster, his first luxury timepiece—would cement that captivation and spark his eagerness to collect once he began earning for himself.
Decades since those watershed moments, Atienza says he is now in the process of fine-tuning his watch collection. And although there are no avowed favourites, his affection for vintage luxury Rolex replica watches is undeniable. “It takes a sophisticated eye that’s well-studied to know exactly what you’re wearing,” he remarks of the classic, low-profile timepieces he naturally gravitates towards. “Only those who are into it know the value of little details and nuances that make a watch rarer, more collectable and more valuable.”
These days, he enjoys being in the company of like-minded individuals within the booming local horology scene. Alongside some of his close friends, he is an administrator of online top replica watches communities like Facebook’s Rolex Club of the Philippines, which has over seven thousand members who exchange insights, advice or mere musings.
The seasoned collector also has his fair share of noteworthy anecdotes about acquiring those in his possession today—as well as the ones he missed out on. Atienza recounts, “I had a vintage watch supplier back in 2003 and he told me, ‘Kim, you need to get this watch.’ It was a Rolex Paul Newman. I didn’t know the value of a Paul Newman then because I was into Rolex Bubblebacks and those were way cheaper. So, I missed out on that.”
While a Rolex Paul Newman remains at the top of his wishlist, that’s just one story among many successful hunts. The one he’s often reaching for and wearing most these days is a vintage Swiss movements fake Rolex Explorer II 1655 watches, frequently dubbed the Steve McQueen Rolex after the legendary movie star and racing enthusiast. With it prominently displayed on his wrist, he chats, “I traded in a very desirable Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore for this one, and it was a gamble for the value then—not knowing that it was a sleeper, that the yellow hand would eventually become five to six times more expensive than the price then.”
Atienza, like many collectors, also regards his acquired super clone watches for sale as investments; though he emphasises that this should not be the prime consideration. “If you collect a watch purely for its value, you will not enjoy your collection,” he adds. “I collect watches because they sing to me. They have heritage and history; when I read about them on the internet or in books, I am fulfilled by what is written about the watch, and then I’m fulfilled because I’m wearing something beautiful. So, it’s a piece of sculpture that you wear, that sings to you because of its past. It’s a spiritual experience when you think about it.”
