"Although she didn't know it at the time, the piece - a gift for her mother's 50th birthday - would open a portal to a watchmaking universe she now inhabits as both a devoted enthusiast and a seasoned professional. Over the past two years, Li has worked as a contractor for Phillips' watch department in New York, where she recently spent 30 minutes inspecting the Patek Philippe Ref 1518 wristwatch that sold at the house's Geneva sale in November for $17.6m."
"At the time of her first purchase, however, Li was an undergraduate at Harvard University with a proven track record of savvy collecting. Born in Harbin, China, she moved to Canada aged 12. In middle school, she developed a fixation on collectible sneakers, particularly Nike SBs. "I had Paris Dunks, Yellow Lobsters," she says. "I had a YouTube account and was doing all these unboxing videos instead of going to class.""
"When lockdowns forced her to return home to Vancouver, Li, now 28, discovered the wide world of wristwatches online. "I fell in love with vintage Cartier," she says. During one of her countless late-night Instagram scrolls, she came across a rare 1980s platinum Tank Louis model with burgundy numerals and hands, offered by a dealer in Thailand. "When I woke up and saw the transfer had gone through, I thought, 'Did I just get scammed?'" she recalls."
"On the contrary. The dealer was legitimate - and Li, who'd cashed in her sneaker collection to help fund her watch hobby, was just getting started. Not long after, she acquired her first vintage Patek: a small, two-tone cushion-shaped model from 1926. "I still have it, but I don't wear it," she says. "It means a lot to me symbolically because without that piece, I don't think I would have ventured further into Patek.""
Li received a gift for her mother’s 50th birthday that later connected her to watchmaking. She became a devoted enthusiast and later a professional, working as a contractor for Phillips’ watch department in New York. She spent 30 minutes inspecting a Patek Philippe Ref 1518 that sold for $17.6 million at a Geneva sale. Before watches, she collected collectible sneakers in middle school, making unboxing videos instead of attending class. After returning home to Vancouver during lockdown, she discovered wristwatches online and fell in love with vintage Cartier. She bought a rare 1980s platinum Tank Louis with burgundy numerals, initially fearing a scam. She later acquired her first vintage Patek, a two-tone cushion-shaped model from 1926, which she keeps as a symbolic starting point.
Read at Elite Traveler
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