bklm1234 Posted May 16, 2012 Report Share Posted May 16, 2012 (edited) I just came back from a 2 week trip to China and Hong Kong. Thanks to TC, I met a representative from the company that bought out wm9. According to the rep, wm9 was owned by the Ku's family and another partner. The Ku's family is mainly the father and the son. Some other family members also worked there. Roger Ku was the father who's also the designer and master watchmaker. Wm9 George told me on Jan 1, 2010 Roger Ku passed away on Dec 20th. The last email I got from George was June 9, 2010. The rep I met told me the young Ku, the son, died in a car crash around June 2010. The rep remembered the young Ku was a stylish man, loved to drive fast, crashed his Lamborghini and died around June 2010. Was George the son? I have no way to confirm it because I never asked George's last name and the rep doesn't know the young Ku's English name. I can't help but feel a sense of loss. It's one thing George stopped emailing me since June 2010. It's another thing to think of him dead. I seriously hope George is not the son. He's just somewhere on a beach, sipping a Mai Tai. I anyhow feel bad the Ku's were gone. When the Ku's were alive, they split the market with their partner like this: the partner took Asia and the Ku's took the rest of the world. So wm9 was a brand that belonged to the Ku's. All in all, it's one company that made all the watches. When I was reselling for wm9, George told me not to sell to Asia. I now understand why. With the Ku's gone, the remaining partner bought out the whole company. I tried to call the current company the new wm9. That's not quite appropriate because the owner was never part of wm9 even it's the same company/factory that made the wm9 watches and makes the current TC subs Added 5/17/2012: I forgot about this. On April 25, 2010, on explaining why so much delay in shipping my components, George wrote "My cousin Allan was poisoned by carbon monoxide on Mar 27. He hasn't wake up since the accident and is like a vegetable since. We're the only two family members in this business. So, I have to take care of his part as well". Allan was the one who took care of shipping things. When I talked to the rep of the current company, I asked if the young Ku had a cousin that was poisoned by carbon monoxide, he said yes immediately. Said he's still in a vegetative state. I hate so much to accept George was the young Ku. But all the data seems to point to one conclusion. -bk -bk Edited May 17, 2012 by bklm1234 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cats Posted May 16, 2012 Report Share Posted May 16, 2012 Interesting thanks for sharing BK. Carpe Diem Cats Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vlydog Posted May 16, 2012 Report Share Posted May 16, 2012 Thank you B! Sad story. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fixen Posted May 16, 2012 Report Share Posted May 16, 2012 Thanks for sharing Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomhorn Posted May 16, 2012 Report Share Posted May 16, 2012 Wow .... sad (potentially) story full of intrigue ... befitting of our hobby I guess. Hope the new owner stays committed to producing quality pieces. It was a great loss to the community when wm9 disappeared. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAHLER Posted May 16, 2012 Report Share Posted May 16, 2012 thanks for the news Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dluddy Posted May 16, 2012 Report Share Posted May 16, 2012 Wow, very weird. Sad to hear if it is in fact George. Does this mean you will revive the SD project BK using the TC factory parts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubiquitous Posted May 16, 2012 Report Share Posted May 16, 2012 Very unfortunate and sad to hear. But thanks none the less for providing some insight on what has long since been an unanswered, open ended question for all of us. Thank you, BK. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jkay Posted May 16, 2012 Report Share Posted May 16, 2012 That's an amazing bit of detective work, and a very sad story. Thank you for relating this important news to the community. It's also potentially explosive, since the people with money invested in the WM9 SD pre-order might rally against the original business partner. As for a factory name .. how about WM10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiman12 Posted May 16, 2012 Report Share Posted May 16, 2012 That is sad to hear...thanks for the update B! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mapman57 Posted May 16, 2012 Report Share Posted May 16, 2012 I still have not got over missing out on the infamous 'SD project'. At that time I was dealing direct with George and not active on the forums. I had a $375 early pre order directly in with him..............Sorry B - did not even know of you in those days! He/they was always a delight to work with and I was shocked at the time of the melt down and the aftermath. In a strange way, that led me into the forum world!!! It was worth every dime invested guys Perhaps your supposition about George/son of Ku is correct B; and this is truly what happened and explains a lot. Anyhow, obviously a very sad loss to you and many other associates of 'George'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FxrAndy Posted May 16, 2012 Report Share Posted May 16, 2012 Well if that is the case then it answers what happened, I cant see how there could be any rally againt the original partner or the new owner, that is one of the rep worlds hazards. but it would be good if we can start the ball rolling with this new factory and get some new top watches made Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jkay Posted May 16, 2012 Report Share Posted May 16, 2012 I cant see how there could be any rally againt the original partner or the new owner, that is one of the rep worlds hazards. You can't see how people might do anything to get their money back? People are nuts for money. I hope TC and BK are not now caught in a sea of angry email from such people. That would be a tremendous waste of time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danielv2000 Posted May 16, 2012 Report Share Posted May 16, 2012 Thanks for the update. Intriguing, it is is. At least, now we understand why the TC is the updated WM9. It's still strange that other business people could not just manufacture something equivalent or better Like others have said, let's start producing true 1:1 reps of every kind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the_rymeister Posted May 16, 2012 Report Share Posted May 16, 2012 Thanks for sharing bk very interesting and a sad story Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tanya Posted May 16, 2012 Report Share Posted May 16, 2012 thanks for the update Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjmj Posted May 16, 2012 Report Share Posted May 16, 2012 Wow! Thank you for the long awaited update. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Navik Posted May 17, 2012 Report Share Posted May 17, 2012 very sad story indeed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TwoTone Posted May 17, 2012 Report Share Posted May 17, 2012 Moved the Topic to General Discussion as it's a more appropriate forum for it... Thanks for the insight BK... Much appreciated... TT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dvn Posted May 17, 2012 Report Share Posted May 17, 2012 So which sub is the best (on par with WM9)? TC or BK? How do I contact TC? Welcome back and thank you for shedding some lights on WM9 disappearance BK. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justlounging Posted May 17, 2012 Report Share Posted May 17, 2012 (edited) Finally some form of closure to this open-ended question..not a very happy ending to say the least but hopefully the new owner can bring wm9 back to its glory days.. that should at least give its founders joy and pride in the afterlife.. Edited May 17, 2012 by justlounging Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemmy Caution Posted May 17, 2012 Report Share Posted May 17, 2012 Thank you for taking the time to find out what you did. I had wondered why George just 'disappeared' though now, it seems reasonable that George must have died. I have emails from him up until early 2010. Then, I didn't have any reason to email. I had my WM9 Jumbo up for sale - didn't get any reasonable offers. I'm glad I didn't sell it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Star69 Posted May 17, 2012 Report Share Posted May 17, 2012 very nice ferry tale i remember the old WM9 website very well - it was full of BS - this story fits perfect and a Lambo - wow a James Dean Porsche would have been better .... I'm happy that these watches available again - the prices are fair thanks to TC. usually i would say the more dealer offer them - the better - sadly the reseller speak to each other - so we don't see any progress on the price side ... we all know that the rep makers and resellers make a fortune on us junkies i personally don't need any touching background story - they are nice Reps, except gen part an are made in China ,,, cheers, Frank Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgtguk Posted May 17, 2012 Report Share Posted May 17, 2012 Wasn't around for all the drama with wm9 but the legacy still lives on, now that can't be a bad thing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
babola Posted May 17, 2012 Report Share Posted May 17, 2012 Explains some of the confusion in recent times, thanks for this snippet BK. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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