In his 17 years as an active timepiece collector, 32-year-old New York horology enthusiast Zach Lu, (or @zachattack__25 on Instagram) has amassed an enviable collection of watches, and prestigious connections with watch world stalwarts.
When most of Zach’s guy friends developed an abrupt overnight obsession for fancy wheels, a teenage Zach Lu found he couldn’t stomach perpetual conversations about motor vehicles. However, he discovered that he could digest watch-talk. Indeed he relished it. He spent weeks buried in dusty horology treatises, learning whatever possible about luxury timepieces, and savoring the way the watch world seemed to slowly open for him. Captivated by the lure of horloges he’d spent his fifteenth year researching, Zach Lu made his way to the 2005 Geneva Antiquorum celebrating Vacheron Constantin’s 250th year at the age of 16. He used the auction to pick up a VC that he proudly dubs his “first legit purchase” and scope out the horomtry stage in Switzerland. During this time, sympathetic watch enthusiasts that Zach had met through his family, introduced Zach to Patek Philippe and Zach began attempting to acquire Patek pieces with eager determination.
Within the year, Zach Lu’s name had begun to ripple across the Geneva watch circle and the-then CEO of Patek Philippe Stern, had heard that Zach had been trying to contact Patek. Intrigued by Zach’s persistence, he asked the Patek Manager to personally contact Zach. The boutique led the teenager on tour through Patek’s Siege Principal and then settled him at a lunch table set with Patek’s indomitable CEO. Zach recalls that this lunch with Philippe Stern transformed his view on good horology. Zach became a Patek loyalist and even now more than half his impressive collection is filled with Patek timepieces.
Some of Zach Lu ’s most prized pieces include Patek's most valued innovations. Zach nabbed the firm’s second perpetual calendar chronograph, the legendary Ref. 2499 first series in exceptionally unusual yellow gold. He also has both the most complicated Patek Philippe wristwatch and the second most complicated Patek Philippe wristwatch, that is the Grandmaster Chime 6300 with its unique reversible case and the Grand Complication Sky Moon Tourbillon 6002R with its ornate rose-gold and brown enamel, respectively. And as if this gamut of monumental models wasn’t enough, Zach recently acquired the limited edition Tiffany Nautilus 5711, or the blue-dial crown jewel of Patek’s signature steel timepiece co-signed by Patek Philippe and Tiffany & Co. This last acquisition comes with the added perk of opening previously uncharted territory in the watch world. In a recent interview with Hodinkee, Zach detailed the meeting he had with Tiffany’s High Management when he took ownership of the 5711. He added that this purchase “opens up the door for me to Tiffany America, and to Tiffany Patek. I think this will be the beginning of an adventure and a long relationship with [Tiffany] and [Patek USA President] Lisa Jones… Phillips, Patek”. Zach’s new connections and his noteworthy plans for the future signify the promise of his enduring presence in important horology circles.
Despite the domain that he has already made for himself in the watch world, Zach frequently looks out at the watch vista and spies pieces he cannot yet have. For example, he coveted the Tiffany-signed Patek Philippe Nautilus 5740 which also boasts a unique blue dial, before gracefully turning his back on the model. The watch belongs to Bernard Arnault, the chairman and chief executive of LVMH. “If anybody deserves this watch, it's him,” said Zach.
Zach Lu adds that he categorizes his watches by their ‘classy’ or ‘sporty’ appeal and as far as he is concerned Patek entirely satiates his yearning for classy timepieces. For daily sport wear on the other hand, Zach gravitates towards Richard Mille’s futuristic appeal and innovative material design. He particularly treasures his 52-05 Pharrell Williams Sapphire, with its transparent case, sapphire crystal and shocking yellow band and his Rafael Nadal RM 27-04 which was limited to 50 pieces worldwide. And as of today, Zach hasn’t felt the need to venture beyond Patek and Richard Mille yet. When he speaks of other high-quality watchmakers however, he does speak with reverence and wonders if he will be tempted by some other brand one day in the future.
