SINGapore WISdom

In late May, I was invited to speak at a high brow Quantitative Finance conference in Singapore which presented a great opportunity to leverage some of the latest thinking post the Global Financial Crisis and to showcase some of Australia’s investment insight and capabilities. Another unforseen yet pleasant outcome was the opportunity to meet some of the local WIS collectors and impart opinion on the latest watch trends collecting experiences.

I could sense my Qantas flight was going to be an eventful one. The fantastic bonus was the fact that I was sitting in 10b which is the first row on the second level on a Boeing 747 – 400 (I always take the aisle seat during long flights) with no one sitting next to me.

The bad news was the fact that we were stranded at the airport for nearly 2 hrs due to engine maintenance issues. It was only the soft bubbles of the complementary Charles Heidsieck that kept my frustrations at bay.

My first observation of Singapore was that the skyline has changed more over the last 12-18 months than the previous decade. I come here regularly but this was the first time since the completion of Marina Bay Sands, ION Orchard and Knightsbridge.

The Hour Glass Malmasion in Knightsbridge was everything I hoped for and expected, this concept sets a new standard for luxury retailing. The brainchild of Mr Michael Tay Director of the Hour Glass, it is a sanctuary for passionate collectors and friends to experience some of the finest watches and handmade luxury goods.

ION Orchard is now the central shopping anchor on Orchard Road. Designed by leading architecture firm Benoy, who brought shoppers iconic malls such as the Bullring in Birmingham, UK, ION Orchard’s signature futuristic architecture has won two prestigious awards at MAPIC 2006 against stiff competition from submissions from around the world.

The watch boutiques are simply awesome!



Shame that the Panerai Boutique was not yet open, gives me a further excuse to revisit Singapore sooner rather than later.

Apart from the wonderful watch and clothes boutiques in the ION complex, the chief reason I was spending so much of my final hours was the opportunity to meet up with the uber inspiring Bernard Cheong and SXJ. An added bonus was that I also had a chance to meet Dr. Melvyn Teillol-Foo literally a few hours before he was embarking on his journey to host the International Gathering of the Purists Tribe 2 (IGOTT-2) in Las Vegas. The Hour Glass in ION Orchard was the gracious host of our little gathering.

Bernard openly shared his passion for watches and we discussed his favourite independent watchmakers.


SXJ also had some prototypes such the Panerai 372 and the new Richard Mille RM35. Naturally I had to try on both.

The Panerai 372 is everything I hoped for and more. I can’t wait for mine to arrive later this year.

It was a real privilege to spend the time with such savvy, established collectors and share our common passion and experiences.

Singapore is a special place but it is the openness of its people that makes my journeys there truly memorable.

Thanks for dropping by!