Leong Poh Kee, a low-key player in a glamorous trade

THE name Leong Poh Kee is definitely unassuming in the world of luxury watches. The homegrown distributor of high-end timepieces has its headquarters in Beach Road, which does anything but call attention to itself: It is a sparse, cramped office in the back of a watch shop that looks more like a pawnshop than a business dealing in upscale watches.

But the company is well known among those in the watch trade, particularly for its practice …