SCANNOW 城市編輯室-心度探索（Deep Dive）- EONIQ

店主的話

EONIQ的創辦人Quinn，在香港成長，先後於本地完成機械工程本科課程，並在美國史丹福大學修讀機械工程（設計方向）的碩士學位。他曾任職於麥肯錫擔任顧問，也做過惠普WebOS的產品經理，並陸續創辦過數間不同範疇的初創公司。真正引領他走進鐘錶世界的，是中學時父親贈送的一隻精工Seiko Kinetic鈦錶。在失去那隻錶後，Quinn開始自學拆解手錶、並上網購買機芯和零件自行組裝。

在矽谷讀書和工作期間，Quinn逐漸意識到一個深刻的問題：如果他的一生僅僅投入於科技產品，或許會淹沒在人海裡。然而，如果他選擇回到香港，專注於一件真正「屬於香港」的事情，例如創立一個以香港工藝為核心的鐘錶品牌，其意義將會完全不同。基於這份對本地情懷和工藝的熱愛，Quinn於2014年與夥伴Jacky和Charles共同創立了EONIQ。品牌最初以網上全客製機械錶為起點，隨後發展出實體工作坊。在疫情期間，EONIQ更將業務延伸至海外，創立了DIY WATCH CLUB，讓世界各地的客人也能透過另一種方式在家中接觸機械錶。

品牌故事

屬於香港的榮耀：一枚機芯誕生的重量

在EONIQ的創業旅程中，最難忘且影響深遠的時刻，莫過於第一次成功取得擁有香港產地來源證的機械機芯。多年來，EONIQ在客製錶和工作坊領域已累積不少經驗，但由於機芯始終來自外國，讓團隊總覺得缺少了一塊拼圖。香港幾十年來一直是全球手錶供應鏈中重要的一環，Quinn團隊因此發願，要打造一枚真正屬於香港的機芯。為此，團隊投入了大量的時間與精力，在本地尋找合作夥伴、調整設計，並解決供應鏈上的各種問題。當第一批機芯正式通過認證，能夠實實在在地被稱為「擁有香港產地來源證的機械機芯」時，那份感動不僅僅是完成了一個產品，更證明了「原來香港真係可以做得到」。正是這個里程碑，讓EONIQ更有底氣去發展琺瑯錶盤、更多本地工序，並決定將據點搬遷至PMQ，讓「香港工藝」在市中心被更多人看見。

慢工出細活：匠人的溫度與設計的哲思

EONIQ希望透過品牌傳遞多重訊息：興趣可以轉化為事業，但前提是創業者必須接受這是一條不斷犯錯和修正的路，而非一條帥氣的直線。機械錶的價值不應僅限於「名錶」或投資，它更可以成為一座城市、一段關係，甚至是一個人生節點的載體。當客人親手組裝一隻錶，並看著香港機芯和琺瑯錶盤在手腕上運作時，對於時間的感受將會完全不同。

此外，EONIQ亦堅信「不要小看『香港製造』這四個字」。香港不只是買錶、炒錶的地方，它擁有能力、人才和歷史去做出世界級的產品，只是需要有人願意投入時間，將這件事慢慢實踐出來。如果EONIQ能因為一隻錶，重新燃起更多人對「香港工藝」的自豪感，那麼這個品牌就完成了它很重要的一部分使命。

勿忘初心：用設計思維聆聽真實的故事

在日常營運中，Quinn有幾項重要的「小習慣」來保持靈感與方向：

觀察真實用戶： 經常觀察「真實的人怎樣用產品」。例如，在店裡觀察客人拿起手錶時的猶豫，或在工作坊傾聽他們選擇送錶的原因和刻字內容。這些「真實」的觀察，比任何數據報表更能指導產品的進化方向。

欣賞工藝： 喜歡不趕時間、慢慢欣賞不同工藝師傅的工藝。觀察他們如何控制火候、如何打磨一個邊緣、如何決定一個色調。這種「不只是爲了賺錢的努力」，鍛煉出來的直覺和火候，往往最終會轉化為EONIQ在比例和工藝上的取捨。

設計思維： 習慣運用設計思維（Design Thinking）。將零散的創意拆解成核心問題：「顧客真正的痛點是甚麼？」、「這件事對他們的人生有甚麼意義？」 而不是僅僅看「呢個 idea 型唔型」（這個創意是否夠酷）。

Quinn常提醒自己的人生哲學是：在打工時犯錯代表你有問題；但在創業時，你是持續犯錯，直到找到對的方向。因此，遇到挫折時，他會盡量將其視為「學費」，並自問：「這次錯誤幫我提早學懂了甚麼？」而不是困在「我點解咁差」（我為什麼這麼差）的情緒裡。

EONIQ向所有支持者表達感謝：「謝謝你願意把一段人生故事，交給一個香港品牌來承載」。無論是親臨PMQ工作坊組裝手錶，或是在世界各地透過DIY套裝完成一隻屬於自己的錶，客人的每一次選擇，其實都是在為「香港工藝」投下一票。

EONIQ衷心希望，許多年後，當客人再次凝視那隻EONIQ手錶時，不會只記得品牌名稱，而是會想起：「原來那個時候，我在香港／在某個地方，曾經這樣認真地對待過一段關係、一個夢想」——而這份認真，正是品牌最希望與顧客一同保存的珍貴價值。

A Message from the Founder

EONIQ’s founder, Quinn Lai, grew up in Hong Kong. He completed his undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering locally, then went on to earn a Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering (Design) at Stanford University in the United States. He has worked as a consultant at McKinsey and as a Product Manager for HP WebOS, and has since founded several startups across different fields. What truly led him into the world of watchmaking was a Seiko Kinetic titanium watch his father gave him in secondary school. After losing that watch, Quinn began teaching himself how to disassemble watches, purchasing movements and parts online and assembling them on his own.

While studying and working in Silicon Valley, Quinn gradually came to a profound realization: if he spent his entire life building only tech products, he might simply disappear into the crowd. But if he chose to return to Hong Kong and dedicate himself to something that truly “belongs to Hong Kong”—such as building a watch brand rooted in Hong Kong craftsmanship—the meaning would be entirely different.

Driven by this love for local identity and craft, Quinn co-founded EONIQ in 2014 with partners Jacky and Charles. The brand began as an online platform for fully customizable mechanical watches, and later expanded into a physical workshop. During the pandemic, EONIQ also extended its business overseas by launching DIY WATCH CLUB, allowing customers around the world to experience mechanical watches from home in a different way.

Brand Story

A Pride That Belongs to Hong Kong: The Weight of a Movement Being Born

In EONIQ’s entrepreneurial journey, one of the most unforgettable and far-reaching moments was the first time the team successfully obtained a mechanical movement certified with a Hong Kong Certificate of Origin. Over the years, EONIQ had built solid experience in custom watches and workshops, but because the movements always came from overseas, the team felt a crucial piece of the puzzle was missing.

Hong Kong has been an important part of the global watch supply chain for decades, so Quinn and the team made a commitment: to create a movement that truly belongs to Hong Kong. To achieve this, they poured enormous time and effort into finding local partners, refining the design, and solving countless supply chain challenges.

When the first batch of movements officially passed certification—making it possible to truthfully call them “mechanical movements with a Hong Kong Certificate of Origin”—the emotion went far beyond completing a product. It proved something deeper: “Hong Kong really can do it.” This milestone gave EONIQ the confidence to further develop enamel dials and additional local processes, and to relocate to PMQ so that “Hong Kong craftsmanship” could be seen by more people in the heart of the city.

Craft Takes Time: The Warmth of Artisans and the Philosophy of Design

Through EONIQ, the team hopes to convey multiple messages. Passion can become a career—but only if the founder is willing to accept that entrepreneurship is a path of continuous mistakes and adjustments, rather than a clean, stylish straight line. The value of a mechanical watch should not be limited to “luxury” or investment; it can also become a vessel for a city, a relationship, or a milestone in one’s life. When customers assemble a watch with their own hands and watch a Hong Kong-made movement and enamel dial come to life on their wrist, their perception of time becomes completely different.

EONIQ also firmly believes: never underestimate the four words “Made in Hong Kong.” Hong Kong is not only a place where people buy and trade watches; it has the capability, talent, and history to create world-class products. What it needs are people willing to invest time and make it happen—slowly, step by step. If EONIQ can help rekindle pride in “Hong Kong craftsmanship” through a single watch, then the brand will have fulfilled a meaningful part of its mission.

Staying True: Listening to Real Stories Through Design Thinking

In day-to-day operations, Quinn maintains a few small habits to stay inspired and grounded:

Observe real users: He often observes how real people use products—watching customers hesitate as they pick up a watch in-store, or listening in workshops to why they chose a particular watch as a gift and what they decide to engrave. These real observations guide product evolution more than any data report ever could.

Appreciate craftsmanship: He enjoys slowing down and taking time to appreciate different artisans’ work—how they control heat, polish an edge, or decide on a shade. This kind of effort that goes beyond “just making money” builds intuition and finesse, which ultimately shapes EONIQ’s decisions around proportion and craft.

Design thinking: He applies Design Thinking to break scattered ideas down into core questions: “What is the customer’s real pain point?” “What does this mean in their life?” rather than simply asking, “Is this idea cool?”

Quinn often reminds himself of a personal philosophy: mistakes at a job mean you have a problem; mistakes in entrepreneurship are something you keep making until you find the right direction. So when setbacks happen, he tries to treat them as “tuition”—asking, “What did this mistake help me learn earlier?” instead of getting stuck in the emotion of “Why am I so bad?”

EONIQ expresses heartfelt gratitude to every supporter: “Thank you for trusting a Hong Kong brand to carry a chapter of your life story.” Whether someone visits the PMQ workshop to assemble a watch in person, or completes one through a DIY kit from the other side of the world, every choice is, in a way, a vote for “Hong Kong craftsmanship.”

EONIQ sincerely hopes that many years from now, when customers look at their EONIQ watch again, they won’t only remember the brand name—they will remember: “Back then, in Hong Kong / somewhere in the world, I once treated a relationship, a dream, with such seriousness.” And that seriousness is the precious value the brand hopes to preserve together with every customer.