In 2016 Zhang Jianmin was on a visit to Milan when he decided to buy an expensive suit. The purchase was something of a flight of fancy: Mr. Zhang, founder and president of CIGA Design, a wristwatch manufacturer based in Shenzhen, China, imagined wearing it to the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève. The annual awards event, commonly called G.P.H.G. or the Grand Prix, is often described as “the Oscars of watchmaking.” “I told myself, I will only wear this suit on the G.P.H.G. stage when I win the award,” Mr.…