The Life of a Watch Enthusiast: ZECK says, "The first watch I bought was a Patek Philippe 5070."

FEATURES Magazine article

2026.09.07

Hublot Audemars Piguet Cartier Gucci Tissot Harry Winston Patek Philippe Franck Muller Breitling breguet Richard Mille Rolex Vacheron Constantin

We at the Chronos Japan editorial team have met many fascinating hobbyists through our feature on the lives of watch enthusiasts. However, ZECK, whom we introduce this time, might just be one of the most interesting people we've ever met. He owns 300 watches, including Patek Philippe and rare pieces. He is probably the only Japanese person to have Breguet create a unique piece for him. But his true strength lies in his free-spirited and unconventional approach to choosing watches, unconstrained by such boundaries. Take a good look at the fascinating life of ZECK, who also loves Franck Muller's "Long Island NAMENNAYO."

ZECK
A dentist, he entered dental school to make use of his manual dexterity. Later, he opened his own dental clinic and successfully built a group of practices. ZECK says he "likes to concentrate," and his hobbies include windsurfing, clay target shooting, and driving. "I can only switch off when I'm driving." He currently owns over 300 watches and 11 cars.

Photo by Yu Mitamura
Photographs by Yu Mitamura
Masamasa Hirota (this magazine): Interview and writing
Text by Masayuki Hirota (Chronos-Japan)
Edited by Yukiya Suzuki (Chronos-Japan), Yuto Hosoda (Chronos-Japan)
[Article published in the July 2025 issue of Kronos Japan]

"Whether it's a watch or a car, waiting is part of the fun. Waiting increases the joy, and it's proof that you're alive."

ZECK says he likes things that require concentration, both in his work and his hobbies. It's no surprise that one of his hobbies is clay target shooting. Being the meticulous person he is, the gun he carries on his shoulder is a Perazzi from Italy, known as the "Ferrari of shotguns." The watch he wears with it is a Breitling original Navitimer Ref. 806, which he recently acquired. "I really wanted a Navitimer, so Mr. Ishida, the president of Best Sales, sold it to me."

　Watch auctions are generally open to the public. However, there is one that is extremely difficult to participate in: "Only Watch," sponsored by the Principality of Monaco. This auction, where unique pieces from various companies are exhibited, is something that watch enthusiasts would like to see at least once. However, participation requires a rigorous screening process. In other words, a casual watch lover will never be able to get through the door. ZECK is one such enthusiast who participates in this event and continues to win bids for unique pieces. He is one of only a few people in Japan who are qualified to participate in Only Watch.

"I've always enjoyed working with my hands. So, when I was little, I used to build model battleships and things like that. I had a lot of friends in the medical field, so I thought that dentistry would be a good career choice where I could make use of my manual dexterity." He started his own dental clinic at the age of 31, and eventually expanded it into a group.

Some of the unique pieces he owns. From left to right: a Breguet Marine Hora Mundi 5557 with some city names replaced with his last name and the word LOVE engraved on it; a Christophe Clare Maestro Coral from Only Watch 2019; a Hublot King Power F1™ Suzuka with a disc brake-inspired pattern on the bezel; and a Manchester United collaboration model. Both Hublot watches are prototypes number "000" that he won at charity auctions. A Harry Winston Midnight Big Date from Only Watch 2013. He has participated in Only Watch since his Antiquorum days. "I recently won a bid for a watch, but I didn't get it due to a mistake by the auctioneer." Incidentally, Jean-Claude Biver himself changed the color of the King Power brand logo to red.

"I used to perform live shows on pedestrian streets during high school. That's how I started collecting silver accessories while I was a student. I found out that Rolex had Chrome Hearts on it, and buying one was the beginning of my watch hobby." What really accelerated was after I started working.

"My senior colleagues in the medical department would brag about their Patek Philippe grand complications. I was influenced by that and bought a Patek Philippe 5070 as my first watch." It seems like a typical purchase for the wealthy, but ZECK's selection is truly obsessive. "The 5070 has a Lemania movement, right? So after that I also bought the 5970, which also has a Lemania movement. I also wanted the split-seconds 5004." The moon-phase Nautilus he showed me wasn't the standard 5712, but the 3712, which was only produced for six months to a year. And for Audemars Piguet's "Royal Oak," he said, "It has to be the extra-thin version with the 2120 movement."

　In fact, ZECK is just as, if not more, fascinated by cars as he is by watches. He currently owns 11 cars. "People who love cars tend to stick to Ferraris if they buy a Ferrari, or Porsche if they buy a Porsche. But I like all kinds of cars."

　The same goes for his watch hobby. ZECK's watch hobby, which began with Patek Philippe, has now expanded to various genres. "I probably own around 300 watches now. One-of-a-kind pieces, pocket watches, military watches, novelty watches, jewelry watches—I buy anything and everything." I've met many collectors, but I've rarely seen anyone with such an indiscriminate love for watches.

ZECK's versatility is evident in his collection of Patek Philippe watches with their uniquely shaped cases. From left to right, we see the "Sculpture" women's watch that ZECK wears regularly, a two-tone "Sculpture," a "Neptune" with a gold bracelet, a "Ladies' Gondolo" for his wife, and the "Flaired" (Ref. 1592) with its platinum case and baguette diamond indices—a watch that would silence even a crying baby. While many people collect Patek Philippe watches, it was unexpected to see someone wearing a women's Sculpture as everyday wear. Incidentally, all of his Patek Philippe watches, except for antiques, were purchased at the Sphere Patek Philippe boutique in Aoyama, Tokyo. "I'd like to buy a big one too, but I want to save that for when the price goes up."

These are also part of his Patek Philippe collection. From left to right, they are the "World Time Moonphase 5575," limited to 130 pieces to commemorate the 175th anniversary; the 5970P with a black dial, said to have been produced in very limited quantities; the 5070, a hand-wound chronograph that introduced ZECK to the world of watches; the "Nautilus 3712," a two-piece case model produced for only a short period; the "Calatrava 5089," created to commemorate the 2023 "Watch Art Grand Exhibition"; and the "4968," a women's moonphase watch. At first glance, they look ordinary, but the inclusion of rare models is typical of ZECK. "I also wanted the split-seconds 5004, since I'm into Lemania watches. But it was too expensive for me back then. I also wanted to get my hands on a Richard Mille split-seconds chronograph."

　What he showed me was a collaboration model between Excelsior Park and Second Second that he had recently bought. "I saw Mr. Hirota wearing it, so I went to HMS in Omotesando. This model not only uses the hands to resemble a baseball bat, but the logo also says 'out of the park.' It means hitting a home run out of the park. Isn't it interesting that they went to such lengths?" It's no surprise that he also likes women's watches. Although it's a trend now, ZECK has been wearing women's mini watches for a long time. With such a wide variety of watches, you'd think he'd forget one or two, but he remembers every single one of them clearly. "Each watch has a memory attached to it, so I'll never sell them."

　ZECK shared anecdotes about watches. "Oh yes, that reminds me, I recently had Breguet make me a unique piece." The company generally never accepts orders for such one-of-a-kind pieces. Why did Breguet agree to make one for someone who isn't even Middle Eastern royalty?

"I stopped by Breguet and asked if I could see the Only Watches. They told me I couldn't participate, but I told them I had won a few bids. They were surprised and suggested I make a one-of-a-kind piece. In the end, I needed Hayek's approval, though (laughs)." The watch he showed me was very much in line with ZECK's style. The base material was Breguet's "Marine Hora Mundi 5557." He removed two city names and added his last name and the word "LOVE" inscribed on it. To be honest, I never expected Breguet to make such an interesting watch. However, there's a punchline to this story. "When I delivered it, I ended up buying the Japan-exclusive Marine as well (laughs)."

ZECK's passion for watches began with his interest in silver jewelry. Of course, he owns many watches adorned with silver. From the back, we see a Rolex "Oyster" with a Chrome Hearts bracelet, which he bought as his first watch when he was a university student, a Cartier "Must de Cartier Tank" also with a Chrome Hearts bracelet, and two Gucci bracelet watches. The two Gucci watches are very rare models. In the background, you can see ZECK's collection of silver accessories. However, even this is only a very small part of his collection.

　ZECK's shopping habits are bold and unrestrained. However, isn't that just a reflection of his serious approach to work?

"People's abilities are roughly the same. So I worked three to five times harder than others." His current astonishing success is likely due to his unwavering dedication to his work.

"When I attend dental seminars, they often tell me to offer private treatments that aren't covered by insurance. It's more profitable that way. But the important thing is to properly provide insurance-covered treatments. More than half of our patients come in every month for regular maintenance. We don't charge an initial consultation fee, but it's better for the patients. Of course, the style of treatment will differ from one dentist to another."

This is just a small part of his super-premium collection. He actually owns many more, but due to the sheer number, he's narrowed it down to a few pieces. Clockwise from the 6 o'clock position, there's the Richard Mille "RM 020 Tourbillon Pocket Watch" and the "RM 010 Felipe Massa," both limited edition color models of only two pieces worldwide, a Rolex Cosmograph Daytona Le Mans gold model (Ref. 126528LN) that he recently acquired, a Daytona Ref. 116589SALV adorned with rubies, an extremely rare Audemars Piguet "Royal Oak Extra-Thin" hourglass limited edition model, and a gold-cased Vacheron Constantin "Historiques 222." There are many Richard Mille collectors out there, but he never imagined that someone in Japan would own an RM 020. "I wear this watch regularly. When I do, I wear it around my neck on a chain."

　What truly shows his love for watches is that he was one of the first to aspire to be a "manufacture." "In many dental clinics, they say, 'We can't do this, we can't do that.' But from the moment I opened my practice, I aimed to be a comprehensive dental hospital. So now, like Patek Philippe, we even manufacture our own 'parts' (laughs)." ZECK has established a system where he can treat almost everything related to teeth in-house. It's no wonder that children, the elderly, and even seriously ill patients visit his clinic. His attitude of expanding his work to a wide range of people since opening his practice is perhaps a reflection of his love for watches, as he keeps an eye on things like the Excelsior Park and Tissot's "PRX UFO Robo Grendizer."

　ZECK, who participates in OnlyWatch, owns a unique Breguet piece, and also has a Daytona Le Mans, is in a position where he can acquire any watch he desires. However, he has his own stance on how to buy them.

ZECK's passion for watches began with a Patek Philippe hand-wound chronograph, and has since expanded to include high-end rare pieces and jewelry watches, and now even antiques, including pocket watches and military watches. The photo shows just a small part of his collection. From left to right, there is the classic Rolex "Cosmograph Daytona" (Ref. 6263), a Rolex Submariner (Ref. 6536) which is extremely rare to find in this condition, an IWC rectangular model from the 1930s equipped with the masterpiece Cal. 87, a Hamilton "Otis" with a reversible case, and a Patek Philippe "Calatrava" (Ref. 96). There are many other interesting military watches and pocket watches that are not shown in the photo.

"I want to buy Patek Philippe from Sphere and Breitling from BEST. I could buy them anywhere if I wanted to, but I only want to buy new watches from authorized dealers. I really wanted a Vacheron Constantin 222, so I asked Mr. Ishida, the president of BEST Sales, for help." But why does ZECK, who has money but no time, take such a roundabout way of buying things, which is uncharacteristic of someone from the wealthy?

"Ultimately, I enjoy waiting. That's true for watches and cars. It's not about getting them right away, but about waiting, wondering when they'll be available. Waiting increases the joy, and isn't that proof that you're alive?"

　"By the way," ZECK said, "I recently got a watch coordinator certification for some reason. I didn't do well on the advanced level because there were so many trick questions. It's unfair (laughs)." I see, so what has driven ZECK is not wealth or fame, but boundless curiosity. "I want to live a fun life. If it's not fun, it's not life."

Perhaps ZECK's true calling lies in his collection of unusual watches. Here are just a few examples. From left to right: Tissot's "PRX UFO Robo Grendizer," Excelsior Park's "EP 95 Second Second Collaboration," Franck Muller's "Popeye Vanguard," the Franck Muller "Long Island NAMENNAYO" (whose existence was unknown to most), and Swatch's "Q2," which is based on the character Q from James Bond. They are all interesting, but the NAMENNAYO, featuring a cat named Nameneko and released in 2010, is a truly bizarre masterpiece that will go down in the history of Japanese watchmaking. Moreover, it was limited to only 15 pieces. "ZECK, why did you buy a watch like this?" "It just seemed kind of fun." ZECK's charm lies in the way he displays these unusual watches in his mansion surrounded by works of art.