Introduction: A Session Where Time Meets Terroir
In the UBS House of Craft series, craft is explored not as a single discipline but as a conversation across domains. The final session paired a sommelier with a watchmaker-influenced thinker, inviting attendees to consider how the senses guide expertise. The pairing of watches and wine in this setting isn’t a superficial juxtaposition; it is a thoughtful inquiry into how time, terroir, and technique shape taste and perception. The participants, including sommelier Jhonel Faelnar and designer-enthusiast TanTan Wang, embody a modern craft ethos: deliberate listening, precise craft, and a willingness to let sensory experience lead the way.
Meet the Voices: Jhonel Faelnar and TanTan Wang
Jhonel Faelnar is known in tasting circles for a disciplined palate and an ability to translate aroma, texture, and finish into a language that guides food and wine pairings. In conversation, he demonstrates how the world of wine—its climate, soil, oak, and age—parallels the world of watches: materials, movement, finishing, and the passage of time. TanTan Wang, equally at ease in design studios and galleries, brings a philosophy of craft that prizes clarity, restraint, and the elegance that comes from letting the material speak for itself. Together, they explore how time and nuance influence both the glass and the dial.
Craft in Focus: The Interplay of Timepieces and Terroir
The core idea is simple but profound: good craft often emerges when experts suspend judgment long enough to observe. In the context of watches, this means appreciating the movement, the balance, and the finishing that tells the clockwork story. In wine, it means sensing vintage conditions, fermentation nuances, and the maturation arc that reveals a wine’s character. When these two worlds meet, a new vocabulary arises—one that centers around patience, precision, and taste as a compass. Faelnar’s tasting notes align with Wang’s design instincts: both require attention to detail and a respect for the domain’s constraints.
Letting Taste Be the Guide
One of the session’s most resonant lines was the invitation to let taste lead. Rather than forcing a predetermined narrative, Faelnar and Wang urged guests to listen to the wine’s memory and the watch’s heartbeat. This approach reframes craft as an evolving dialogue rather than a fixed verdict. It also democratizes expertise: when you let your senses guide you, you become a co-creator of the experience, shaping what you value—be it a finish that lingers like a well-made chrono or a wine that reveals its layers over time.
Practical Takeaways for Collectors and Makers
For collectors, the session offered a reminder that acquisitions should reflect a living relationship with the object. A watch isn’t merely a timekeeper; it is a repository of technical prowess and aesthetic choices, a wearable manifestation of hours invested by craftsmen. A bottle of wine isn’t just a drink; it is a record of seasonality, soil, and patient refinement. The best pieces, much like great wines or refined watches, reward ongoing engagement: you return, compare, and refine your palate and taste over time.
Conclusion: Craft as an Ongoing Conversation
As UBS House of Craft closes its fall program, the dialogue between horology and oenology stands as a testament to contemporary craft: multifaceted, curious, and patient. Jhonel Faelnar and TanTan Wang model a practice where taste—not trend—guides judgment. They remind us that the most meaningful craft is built on listening, observation, and an honest allowance for time to reveal what matters. In this spirit, every watch, every glass, and every decision becomes part of a larger craft narrative that invites us to savor the process as much as the result.
