Back in the early aughts, I heard rumors of a mega-collector from Bangkok with the most comprehensive collection of luxury UK Omega replica watches known to mankind. He never surfaced when I asked around about him. I figured he was just an urban legend, the horological equivalent of Keyser Söze.
But last year Ukrit Vanagosoom, one-half of the team behind BKK Rooftop Studio, told me that it was all true, there really was a man just outside of Bangkok with the greatest collection of AAA Swiss Omega fake watches in the world. And he was willing to chat with me.
It was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up. There was one peculiarity, however. We would have to drive to a factory in an industrial zone in Bang Pakong, an hour outside of town.
We arrived at a stadium-sized factory and made our way to the office of factory owner Khun Apichai. His office doubles as The Omega Passion Museum, where 25 years’ worth of his collecting and scholarship is on display. Around us were Omegas of all kinds, ranging from the brand’s earliest high quality replica watches to the hottest modern-day Speedmasters. And that wasn’t even half of it. In another room, Apichai had re-assembled an entire 1:1 cheap Omega fake watches showroom that he bought from an AD when they closed down in the early 2000s.
The sheer amount of dedication Apichai has for the brand is mind-blowing. He has more than 50 deep-dive videos on his YouTube channel and regularly organizes meet-ups for Swiss movements Omega copy watches fans in Thailand. He does all this on top of running a successful business.
This is the last segment of Watches in the Wild focusing on Thailand, and I want to thank everyone who watched the show for their support. As the world opens up and becomes accessible once more, I’ll venture out again to discover top super clone watches wholesale culture in more unexpected places. This is just the first stop.