Made for her: Singapore brands are realising women love their watches, too
When it comes to watches, horology and watchmaking, it's prophylactic to say it'due south no longer just a man's pursuit.
Look around at the poetic complications and femininely styled mechanical movements offered by the industry'southward biggest names and you'll realise that women are no longer just interested in diamond-encrusted bracelets that happen to tell the fourth dimension.
And in Singapore, 1 sign of the shifting times is the arrival of local micro-brands that cater specifically to the ladies. After all, in the face of options by established names in watches, jewellery and even manner, you'll need 18-carat passion and a keen understanding of what women want to take the courage to launch 1'southward own make – in mid-pandemic, we might add together.
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MORE OPTIONS FOR WOMEN
For Sherrie Han, that passion was great plenty to galvanise her into launching The Eliana Timekeeper in 2020, despite already having a mean solar day job as a senior associate at Tzedek Police force LLC, and being heavily pregnant at the time.
Mesmerised by mechanical timekeeping later on taking a watch servicing workshop 3 years ago, and dissatisfied by the lack of affordable options for women, Han set out to fill that gap in the market.
Post-obit a successful Kickstarter campaign at the start of final year, The Eliana Timekeeper launched with 3 28mm models in silverish- or rose golden-coloured stainless steel, all powered by automatic movements from Nippon.
In an era that prizes convenience, bombardment-powered quartz watches and smart devices are however the obvious choices, but it is dazzler that Han wants to peddle.
"People wear mechanical watches because they appreciate the workmanship and finesse that goes into making ane. It's the timeless simplicity of hundreds of gears merely working together as one."
This, she explained, is why her watches take transparent example backs and cut-out dials – all the better to admire the sentinel's beating heart.
The Eliana Timekeeper has retail partners in Singapore (Watch Wonderland and National Gallery Singapore), Japan, Hong Kong and even Poland, simply contempo COVID-19-related restrictions accept driven more than sales to the brand's online shop.
Still, Han remains optimistic about her market. "There is an increased consciousness about sustainable and ethical products with a want to buy things that last, and consumers are first to realise that toll does not equate to value," she observed.
"Mechanical watches do well on both fronts – retaining value for longer and being more sustainable than their battery run counterparts."
Han is now decorated designing her brand's second drove and looking for local partners to work with, and while she will continue to keep the watches uncomplicated and stylish, she's not afraid to dream big.
"I'm a huge fan of flinque enamel dials [where translucent enamel is applied over an engraved base of operations plate], tourbillons and moonphases, so if we had absolutely no limits, I would want us to brand an in-business firm movement with those complications and designs, and have them assembled in Singapore," she said.
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PERANAKAN-INSPIRED ENAMELLED DIALS
Her goal isn't as lofty as yous might recollect, because another micro-brand is already working toward something similar, at least on the aesthetic side.
Four-twelvemonth-former Feynman Watches is expanding its core offer of men'southward timepieces with a highly express series boasting beautiful enamelled dials, with the aim of creating Singapore'due south commencement metiers d'fine art watches.
In fine watchmaking, metiers d'art (French for "master of fine art") is a category that celebrates rare and ancient decorative techniques, such as enamelling, miniature painting, engraving, lacquering and more. Brands similar Vacheron Constantin, Patek Philippe, Cartier and Hermes are famous for such punch artistry but Feynman Watches' new series, titled Projection Coalesce, wants the spotlight on a much more than familiar aesthetic.
"I am fiercely patriotic," said founder Yong Keong Lim. "When people think of metiers d'art, they call up of horses or Roman goddesses but when I think about Singapore history, I realised the Peranakan art fashion would exist perfect considering it is a blend of our cultures."
The lotus motifs on two of the models were inspired by common Peranakan tiles, while the peacock feathers allude to the many peacock designs constitute on Peranakan tombs at Bukit Brown Cemetery.
It's not simply the designs that are uniquely Singaporean; they were crafted past local easily, as well. Imperial Insignia's in-house enamelist Charlotte Hoe spends two to three days on each dial, relying on the laborious champleve enamel technique – which involves cells or troughs beingness carved out of a metal base, filled with vitreous enamel, and then baked at high temperatures – to deliver vibrant, long-lasting colour.
The leather for the straps are sourced locally and fabricated by Ng Shuyi of Yi Leather, and a 2d, beaded strap is offered with every picket, each ane handmade by Raymond Wong, a master of Peranakan beadwork and owner of the Kim Choo Kueh Chang rice dumpling business. The paw-wound movements might all the same exist Swiss (the ETA 7001, to be exact), simply the watches were assembled past self-taught watchmaker Alvin Sim.
Each of the three designs will be a express edition of vi pieces, and will be available from July. It'due south not a lot, just it's a starting time, as the make is already working with a local woodworker for Project Coalesce'south adjacent series, which will focus on marquetry. Declared Lim: "Our aim isn't to friction match or catch upwards to the Swiss or the Japanese, just to exceed them."
METIERS D'Art FOR WOMEN
It'southward truthful that metiers d'art timepieces by the famous horology houses give the impression of barely attainable luxury, appearing to squirrel away the world's terminal remaining masters of various decorative arts behind chokingly prohibitive price tags.
But new micro-brand Artemis Fourth dimension Art is on a mission to make such crafts accessible to anybody, starting with a collection meant to entreatment to women who are new to the globe of watches.
Make owners Brandon Lam and Thai Xiong noticed a lack of affordable options for women that didn't fall nether the umbrella of cookie cutter offerings by fashion brands similar Olivia Burton.
So after raising S$32,000 on Kickstarter in April, they got to work producing a series of v designs with champleve enamel dials through a studio in China. These are meant to have broader appeal so the designs are borrowed from multiple cultures, such as Japanese kimono patterns for the "Migration" model, and the elaborate designs of Jewish marriage contracts, known as ketubah, for the "Tigress".
While high-end horology houses tin can charge five- to six-effigy prices for their metiers d'art pieces considering of the precious materials used and complications included, information technology'southward yet an exceedingly far weep from the Due south$299 that Artemis Time Art is currently charging for pre-orders on Indiegogo. The watches have 33mm stainless steel cases and use quartz Ronda Slimtech 1063 movements. Costs were also kept low by using CNC machines to cut the dial patterns earlier paw-finishing.
"The smallest brush used for these dials is but five-hairs thick. I think the amount of detailing and the results speak for themselves. And then to be able to practice this for just S$299, I cartel say nosotros offer a slightly improve value proposition than Daniel Wellington," quipped Thai Xiong.
While the women's watch micro-brand space is withal a nascent one, Lam believes it will grow as long every bit designers heed to and consult the women they're selling to.
"The majority of the more knowledgeable watch collectors I've come up to know are women, and they don't want macerated versions of men's watches, rainbow gem-set bezels or leopard print dials. We can't just make assumptions nearly what women desire anymore."
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Source: https://cnalifestyle.channelnewsasia.com/women/watches-women-singapore-eliana-timekeeper-feynman-artemis-time-248071
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