Singapore and the watch markets of South-East Asia

In the Far East, namely South-East Asia in particular, it comes as no surprise that Singapore is often the first choice when it comes to the establishment of a watch brand’s boutique in this region. German watch brand and Manufacture Glashütte Original for instance, opened its first South-East Asian boutique in Singapore towards the end of 2015. This is the … More

The importance of Asia for Swiss Watch Exports

How large is the market in Asia for Swiss watch brands? Well, there is no doubting Asia’s importance as it is the biggest market for Swiss watch exporters, accounting for half of such exports in terms of value. In 2015, the total value of Swiss watch exports worldwide was CHF21.5 billion, representing a decline of 3.3%, according to the Federation … More

Patek Philippe dome clocks – the Ref. 1665M “Peranakan Culture”, Ref. 1675M “Farquhar Collection” and the Ref.1677M “The Esplanade – Singapore”: The William Farquhar Connection

In 2015, Patek Philippe created three one-of-a-kind dome table clocks to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Singapore’s independence (1965 to 2015). One of the dome clocks is the Ref. 1675M “Farquhar Collection” which takes its inspiration from the famed William Farquhar Collection of natural history drawings, as its name implies. William Farquhar (1774 to 1839) was the first British Resident … More

Patek Philippe Ref. 1665M “Peranakan Culture” dome table clock: Vibrant Flower Power

To appreciate the Patek Philippe Ref. 1665M “Peranakan Culture” dome table clock in cloisonné enamel, perhaps the first and most important question for the uninitiated is: what is a Peranakan? The term “Peranakan” is both a Malay and Indonesian word and it means “descendant” or “local-born” when translated to English. It is generally used to describe descendants of early Chinese … More