Watchmaking royalty descends on Singapore as three watch fairs converge

[SINGAPORE] Singapore is set to become a watch collector’s playground this mid-November, as three watch events – IAMWATCH, Spring Sprang Sprung and Golden Hour – signal the city-state’s growing importance in global horology.

IAMWATCH, organised by The Hour Glass, has assembled some of the biggest names in contemporary watchmaking for its three-day fair.

They include British master watchmaker Roger W Smith, Finnish virtuoso Kari Voutilainen, MB&F founder Maximilian Busser, and Kosovan hotshot Rexhep Rexhepi who recently won the Aiguille d’Or, the highest honour at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Geneve. 

There are also extraordinary watches arriving: 22 creations by the late George Daniels, including his legendary Space Traveller I and II pocket watches, which will be exhibited together for the first time.

Meanwhile, the new fair Golden Hour features hot independents such as Baltic, Czapek, Furlan Marri and Kiwame Tokyo, while the five-year-old fair Spring Sprang Sprung has established names such as Oris, Raymond Weil and Christopher Ward alongside many emerging microbrands.

All three events offer free general admission, though visitors are advised to register online to secure entry.

THE BUSINESS TIMES INSIGHTS

Powering Asean's Future 2026

Find out how enterprises are navigating power constraints and sustainability targets

ACCESS THE INSIGHTS

Singapore has long punched above its weight in watch collecting, with retailers such as The Hour Glass and Cortina Watch cultivating that audience over decades. 

So, it’s perhaps no surprise that the city-state is attracting legendary artisans and coveted independent brands to what some are calling “Singapore Watch Week”.

In the first nine months of 2026, the city-state received about 1.2 billion Swiss francs’ (US$1.5 billion) worth of Swiss watch-industry exports, ranking seventh globally despite its population of six million. 

SEE ALSO

S$3 billion money laundering case: Rare Pateks, Rolexes and diamond-covered Hermes head to auction

10 watch highlights from the S$3 billion money laundering auction

Can Mark Shaw bring Singapore back to Orchard Road and the movies?

But the fair organisers say that horological enthusiasm has spread far beyond the great Swiss maisons, to experimental makers and cult brands.

“Status has become less of a concern for many Singaporean watch lovers,” says Kenneth Kuan, co-founder of Singapore watch-strap company Delugs, which organises Golden Hour.

“They’re looking for something that’s a bit more different, more unique and at a more accessible price point.”

Having opened boutiques in Singapore and Hong Kong, Kuan sees a difference between the two markets, adding: “Singapore has a stronger appetite for microbrands and independent brands... More collectors here regard watch-collecting as a hobby, rather than a luxury acquisition.”

That enthusiasm is backed by considerable knowledge. Lim Yong Keong, co-founder of Spring Sprang Sprung, recently returned from New York Watch Week struck by the amount of homework Singapore enthusiasts do.

“Whenever Singaporeans see a new brand, we tend to do a lot of research before going into the brand,” he says. In contrast to American buyers who are more “impulsive”, he adds, Singapore collectors generally want to know what they are buying.

For independent watchmakers and cult microbrands that have built their reputations online, that kind of audience is a powerful draw.

“These brands are eager to come to Singapore to meet current clients and potential new clients,” says Spring Sprang Sprung’s other co-founder, Sugiharto Kusumadi. 

He cites Christopher Ward, an online-first British brand with existing Singapore customers who give it good reason to make the journey.

Meanwhile, the fair organisers say several of their clients from Asia and the Middle East are flying to Singapore to attend all three events.

They hope this informal “Singapore Watch Week” might eventually become a fixture on the international calendar. 

“With so much happening in our city, it would create this gravity that pulls people in,” Kuan says.

We look at the highlights of each event.

IAMWATCH: A gathering of legends

For serious collectors, IAMWATCH at The Singapore Edition hotel offers access to the who’s who of independent horology.

Besides Smith, Voutilainen, Busser and Rexhepi, guests also include Vianney Halter, celebrated for his futuristic designs, and Urwerk co-founders Felix Baumgartner and Martin Frei, whose mechanical creations look as though they belong in a science-fiction film.

The programme gives enthusiasts the opportunity to hear these masters discuss their work. On Nov 14, for instance, Rexhepi, Smith, Voutilainen and Andreas Strehler tackle the provocative question: “Who Actually Invents Anything Anymore?”

Another gathering, cheekily titled “The OGs in the Penthouse”, brings together many of the revered figures mentioned above in one room. 

The centrepiece is undoubtedly “George Daniels 100”, an exhibition of 22 watches by the late British master. His Space Traveller I and II pocket watches, created in 1982, are being reunited for the first time. 

Daniels made just 24 pocket watches and two wristwatches during his lifetime, spending thousands of hours on individual creations. His former apprentice, Roger W Smith, will discuss his legacy alongside auctioneer Aurel Bacs.

The guest list extends beyond traditional watchmaking, with Japanese contemporary artist Takashi Murakami expected to unveil a new watchmaking venture, Time Objects.

There are also film screenings, technical lectures and conversations with rising talents.

The Singapore Edition hotel Nov 13 to 15 (public days), 11 am to 8 pm 

Spring Sprang Sprung: Microbrands galore 

Now in its fifth year, Spring Sprang Sprung has been a place to discover that new independent brand before it becomes mainstream.

What began in 2022 with 22 brands has expanded to 78 exhibitors, filling two floors of Glass Dome on China Street. The festival’s approachable microbrand spirit remains, while a new upper-level showcase called Chronoscape showcases more established names.

Among the biggest draws is Christopher Ward, the British-Swiss company, the chiming Bel Canto of which became an international sensation and won a major Geneva watchmaking prize in 2023.

Meanwhile, fellow debutant Raymond Weil won an award that same year for its vintage-inspired Millesime.

For more adventurous collectors, Chinese brand Ciga Design made history by winning a Geneva prize with its unconventional Blue Planet watch in 2021, while Atelier Wen has earned acclaim for incorporating traditional Chinese craftsmanship into contemporary mechanical watches.

For something altogether stranger, look for No Identity, the new watch label by Hong Kong artist Gabriel Lau, who is better known as Labeg.

Having attracted attention for his whimsical cardboard sculptures of luxury watches, he has now translated that playful aesthetic into actual timepieces with irregular cases and hand-painted dials.

Australian brand Erebus, meanwhile, was co-founded by watch-review YouTuber Jody Musgrove, who will join a panel on building successful microbrands.

The Singapore contingent of microbrands is reliable and strong. For his brand Loth, independent watchmaker Tristan Ho painstakingly finishes its mechanical components by hand.

Other local names such as Vario, Feynman Timekeepers and Horizon Watches are also present. 

Prices stretch from a few hundred dollars to several thousand, making Spring Sprang Sprung approachable for buyers taking their first steps beyond mainstream watch brands.

Glass Dome, 28 China Street Nov 14 to 15, 11 am to 6 pm

Golden Hour: cult favourites up close

At Raffles Hotel, online watch enthusiasts may finally have the chance to try on timepieces that are usually encountered through only photographs and online releases.

Organised by Singapore watch-strap specialist Delugs, the inaugural fair brings together 17 exhibiting brands, including some with fervent international followings.

Among the most eagerly anticipated is Kiwame Tokyo, the small Japanese maker with watches released in limited ordering windows.

There is also Furlan Marri, the first Kickstarter watch of which was fully funded in just 35 seconds, going on to win Geneva’s Horological Revelation Prize in 2021. 

Other favourites include Baltic, the French brand that has won fans over with its restrained, vintage-inspired designs. Its collaboration with SpaceOne, the mechanically inventive Seconde Majeure, has just won the Challenge Watch Prize at Geneva’s annual watchmaking awards.

Further attractions include Atelier Wen, whose hand-guilloche Perception watches have attracted considerable collector interest, and Czapek, celebrated for its highly finished Antarctique sports watches.

For those with considerably deeper pockets, Golden Hour offers private appointments with some exceptional artisans, including movement designer Dominique Renaud, whose Pulse60 has just won this year’s Horological Revelation Prize. 

Rare creations by Gronefeld, Simon Brette and Romain Gauthier will also be on display, although their makers will not attend and the pieces are not for sale.

Casuarina Suite, Raffles Hotel Nov 13 to 15, 11 am to 8 pm