Time flies in Chachoengsao

Apichai Chinsettawong calls it the Omega Museum but at first glance it looks like a showroom devoted to a single brand. Take time to browse the 70-square-metre space, though, and you'll see that alongside the latest models are hundreds of vintage watches showing how time has changed over the years.

Well known in the world of watch collectors, Apichai is also managing director of packaging firm Union Carton, and transformed the third floor of his office building in Bang Pakong, Chachoengsao into the Omega Museum two years ago. "They make me happy when I look at them," he says.

The idea to open a museum came after Apichai bought a big chunk of stock from an Omega dealership. He added it to his already impressive collection of luxury watches and decided that Omega lovers everywhere should get the chance to see them.

At first, he invited friends and watch fans he'd met via his website OmegaPassion.com. But now the countdown is on for the museum's official opening to the public tomorrow.

"I hope it will be a place where watch lovers can enjoy themselves and get to know more about the history of tickers," he says. 

As a boy, Apichai received a watch from his parents every time they returned from travels abroad. His fascination with the precious timepieces has grown over years of handling, cleaning and polishing them.

After collecting several different brands, Apichai began to focus on Omegas in 1997, attracted by their complex mechanisms. They are beautifully put together and unique in their finish of red gold, he says. He began to study the history of the make seriously.

"Omega has an interesting history, with good-quality watches whose prices aren't ridiculous," he says, explaining the attraction. The Swiss watchmaker, he adds, also has a bigger variety models, designed with more functions to play with than many of its rivals. And constant technological progress is guaranteed.

Of the estimated one thousand watches in his collection, 600 are Omegas, many of them bought with money Apichai made by selling off his less favoured brand-name timepieces.

"As a collector, especially of vintage models, money is a necessity. You need to have money and be ready to spend, or the watch will be snatched by someone else," he says.   Apichai is not a collector who follows trends. Making up most of his collection are limited-edition watches made for special occasions, pieces that are often overlooked by his fellow enthusiasts. His favourite hunting grounds are antique shops and the Internet, especially auction site eBay.

The Omega name decorates every surface of the museum, glinting in the dials of vintage classic timepieces, splashed across old advertising posters and counting the days in an Omega calendar from 1967. It's also there in a display used for an exhibition of the

"Moonwatches" chosen by Nasa for the Apollo programme.

The Moonwatches stand alongside other famous limited-edition Omegas, among them the Speedmaster 125, the first automatic chronometer Omega ever made -- produced in 1973 to mark the company's 125th anniversary. Dating back much further is the oldest item on display, a 102-year-old pocket watch.

Pride of place, however, goes to a cabinet containing two watches from the collection of Louis Brandt, Omega's founder. Nearby is the museum's most popular spot: the display of clocks. Though rare, the clocks are not sought-after by collectors. The oldest on view was made in around 1920.

Asked to pick a favourite from his collection, Apichai hems and haws. Eventually he settles for a watch made from an American five-dollar gold coin stamped with a date of 1904.

"It is incredible that you can make a watch from a coin. Its mechanism is inside the coin. This type of watch actually not that expensive because it is not popular, but for me, it's rare," he says.

Piled high in the museum are documents which Apichai used as a reference when he wrote his book about Omega watches. He has plans for a library section, where enthusiasts can dig deeper into the history of watches and watchmaking.

Though he points out that quality watches are a good investment as the value of special models is always on the rise, Apichai says his hobby is not about money.

"I don't collect them as a business, to make a profit on them -- I'm a genuine enthusiast," he says.  

The Omega man isn't sure how much he's spent on his collection. In fact, he says he doesn't dare calculate how much his passion for time has cost him.

To book a visit to the museum, call Rattha Milintajinda at (038) 570 163-8 during office hours.

Entry is free.