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 of paying for everything in cash. One Orchard Road watch boutique manager said: "Leong Poh Kee is flush with cash. They have vaults filled with money."

At the annual Baselworld watch fair in Switzerland, the world's biggest, Leong Poh Kee impressed visitors with its booth for SARCAR, a high-end Swiss brand.