Kiu Tai Yu Born in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, China in 1946. Both of his parents came from families with generations of literary achievements. In 1970, at the age of 23, Tai Yu made his first mechanical watch and started collecting and studying watches and clocks. In January 1978, he created the first Asian escapement without pallets. Two years later he moved to Hong Kong. In 1984, he opened Kew & Cie, a company specializing in special watches. In 1990, Tai Yu made the first Asian tourbillon wristwatch. Because of this achievement, he was invited by the "Académie Horlogère" to join them as a "Créateur Indépendent" (AHCI) in January 1992. In April of that year, he stunned the horological world at the Basel Fair with his three hand-made tourbillons. In November 1992, Tai Yu published "Time in Pocket" featuring his own collection, He made the flying tourbillon wristwatch (No. 6) in 1993, and joined the British Horological Institute that same year. In January 1995, he unveiled the Mystery Tourbillon rectangular wristwatch (No. 10) and the Mystery Tourbillon Jumping Hour rectangular wristwatch (No. 11) the following year. He registered a Chinese patent for his Mystery Tourbillon on July 24 1998 . In March 1999, he presented the Joy of the Millennium automatic wristwatch (No.14), and the New Millennium rectangular automatic wristwatch (No.15) in 2000. In 2001 he presented the Double Golden Dragon Mystery Tourbillon wristwatch (No.16). In September 2001, Tai Yu held exhibited his tourbillon watches in Japan. On April 9 2002, Tai Yu received a US patent for the tourbillon. In June 2002, two 2002 "Horse Commemoration" limited wristwatches were sold by Antiquorum. "Jewelry & Gold" magazine published a special Kiu Tai Yu edition in 2002. The following year Tai Yu launched a limited series of automatic wristwatches at the Basel Fair. In May 2003, he published the Kew & Cie book "Watch Art". He was granted a Swiss patent for his tourbillon on December 31, 2003.