by
Photo: Athirah Annissa
At the beginning
“I have been into watches since polytechnic, where I was studying IT. I started with things like fashion watches and G-Shocks. Later, when I was studying for my degree in communications, I did a presentation and a paper on Bitcoin. From there, I got into cryptocurrency. Nobody knew what Bitcoin was then. In the mid-2010s, I was based in China. Along with a few partners, I was doing a blockchain and crypto-related business, including selling Bitcoin mining machines. When I was 23, we secured my first big business deal. To celebrate, I bought my first luxury watch, an all-black Hublot Classic Fusion Aerofusion.”
Watch collector Seth Lim wears his Roger Dubuis Excalibur Glow Me Up Mono Tourbillon. (Photo: Athirah Annissa)
Short-lived retirement
“When I was 27, I kind of retired and moved to the Sovereign Islands on Australia’s Gold Coast. Jet-skiing every day sounds fun on paper, but I got tired of the retired life after two years. A friend who was working with a blockchain events company in Tokyo suggested I try my hand at being a speaker. I ended up staying in Japan for five years. When I returned to Singapore during the pandemic, I decided to set up an MAS (Monetary Authority of Singapore)-regulated investment fund here because I felt that the cryptocurrency market was very volatile. I wanted to create this service to help create stable returns for my friends.”
A concept lab
“Sporty” — Roger Dubuis Excalibur Spider Monobalancier Huracan in black DLC titanium. (Photo: Athirah Annissa)
“In 2019, a Beijing-based friend invited me to the Geneva Motor Show. Roger Dubuis was showcasing the new Excalibur Huracan watches they had created with Lamborghini. I ordered one (pictured) because I loved the design and how it takes inspiration from the Lamborghini Huracan. And because the Roger Dubuis manufacture is also in Geneva, my friend and I visited the manufacture as well. I like how they experiment with a lot of new concepts. They’re like an R&D lab for the Richemont group.”
No joke
“Fun” — Konstantin Chaykin Clown II Audacity in steel. (Photo: Athirah Annissa)
“My Konstantin Chaykin Clown watch (pictured), which won the GPHG Audacity Prize in 2018, is always a conversation starter. I like fun mechanics, and I love how the watch has eyes with pupils that turn (to show the time) and a moon-display mouth. I got to know about Chaykin after he launched the Joker in 2017, but I couldn’t get the Joker because the brand doesn’t have many retailers. I’ve also ordered an upcoming watch, a 38-piece limited edition piece by Chaykin and Bored Ape (Yacht Club), which I think I’ll get next year.”
Against the grain
“Party” — Roger Dubuis Excalibur Glow Me Up Mono Tourbillon in pink gold. (Photo: Athirah Annissa)
“I’d describe myself as a rebellious collector. I buy watches that I like, and I don’t care about their valuation. There are many ‘rainbow’ gemstone watches out there, but the Roger Dubuis Excalibur Glow Me Up has similarly coloured gemstones that actually glow in the dark. (Editor’s note: The bezel’s grooves in which the diamonds are set are first filled with lume.) In the past, many people did not recognise my Roger Dubuis watches when I wore them, but I’ve noticed that more people now do. While I don’t like things that are mainstream, it’s good that more people know about them now, because I like the brand, and I want them to do well.”
