by
Photo: Spring Sprang Sprung
Bauche, Ubiq, Havaan Tuvali, Konnii… You may not know these brands, but it seems that’s just a matter of time. The first two are newly founded by Singaporean working professionals with an inventive take on materials and colours, the third is a Taiwanese house that had made a dial lined with tobacco leaves, while the last is a Malaysian specialist in timekeeping automatons.
Discover these watchmakers, which are among 45 independent and largely micro brands, at the upcoming Spring Sprang Sprung (SPRG) 2024. Held from October 18 to 20 at the Level 3 foyer of National Library Singapore in Victoria Street, this event is now in its third iteration, showcasing brands from more than 15 countries, including 25 returning exhibitors from the past years and 20 new to the show. Ten are proudly home-grown.
This is certainly good news for the watch community that SPRG is held during the same week as The Hour Glass’ IAMWATCH. And as the fair’s co-founder Yong Keong Lim reveals, that is no coincidence. “We had a discussion with The Hour Glass on doing cross-marketing and creating a ‘Singapore Watch Week’ kind of synergy, so that we have the big boys of watchmaking, the large independents, and the micros to be involved at the same time.”
The longer vision is to have such a week on an annual basis, he says. “We’ve also had great discussions with the Singapore Tourism Board on holding SPRG as a yearly or seasonal affair.”
Bigger than ever
Beyond seeing the latest timepieces in-person at SPRG, collectors seeking exclusive creations would be pleased to know that several recently established brands are set to launch their debut models there. Expect all watches on offer, from the newcomers to established players such as Singapore flag-bearer Azimuth and Swiss independent Oris, to be priced in the $300 to $6,000 range.
From left: Yong Keong Lim and Sugiharto Kusumadi, co-founders of Spring Sprang Sprung microbrand watch fair (Photo: SPRG 2024)
Planned with a music festival vibe in mind, visitors could also look forward to meeting brand owners, exchanging ideas and views in a series of Chat Time sessions, try their hand at leather strap making, participate in a hands-on mechanical watch workshop run by a certified watchmaker, and enjoy live performances by buskers, one of whom was UFM100.3’s Busk King winner Sheng Li (@guitarstreet).
Underpinning the fair is the #GoodTimeMovement slogan, created by Lim and his co-founder Sugiharto Kusumadi to represent the fun, casual spirit for the annual event that they’d debuted back in 2022.
Watches with exquisite dials from new Singaporean microbrand Bauche (Photo: Bauche)
In addition to owning Big Time Singapore, which represents the Japanese Orient and Orient Star brands, Lim also launched his own microbrand Feynman Timekeepers in 2018. Kusumadi is the founder of retailer of independent brands Red Army Watches, which was established in 2004 and now boasts a regional presence aside from his Ion Orchard and Suntec City boutiques.
Both long-time collectors who each owns over 200 watches, they envision SPRG as a lively and inclusive platform to fire up the passion of like-minded enthusiasts, as well as to welcome beginners. More importantly, the fair serves as an important stage for the thriving microbrand scene here.
Shuyi Ng, chief artisan of Yi Leather, will be running a workshop on handcrafting your very own pair of vintage leather watch straps (Photo: Yi Leather)
Explains Kusumadi, “Microbrands are founded by individuals who create original pieces in a very small volume, and Singapore is at the forefront of it. This wave was at its peak in 2018, and we felt it was time to do a fair that focuses on the consumer rather than a trade event. Beyond selling, it’s an opportunity for brand founders to speak to the audience directly and get feedback.”
The fair format is kept simple and straightforward, with empty tables for brands to display their wares and space for background set-ups. “We want to build a platform where we can help these brands who usually don’t have so much funding. When we bring everyone together, it is a more financially sustainable event than holding individual ones. After all, they need to make money,” he adds.
Bright and playful colours on the sports watches from new Singaporean microbrand Ubiq (Photo: Ubiq)
Dynamic duo
Previously held at collector’s toy and figurine production company XM Studios’ event space in Kitchener Complex, SPRG has grown so much in scale that this year’s edition features 50 per cent more exhibitors than 2023’s. The pair even had to turn away late overseas registrants who’ve heard of the fair through word-of-mouth within the international microbrand circle.
While Lim and Kusumadi were essentially a two-man show at the past fairs, this time they’ve roped in communications and design company Pushing Pixels to manage publicity and social media, as well as a team of part-timers to assist with show coordination and crowd management.
The biggest challenges with the fair’s widened scope, adds Lim, is in managing the 45 participating brands. Lim says, “There is representation from Australia, France, US, UK, Israel, Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, China, and Finland. Every brand has a different timeline in launching new watches, and we had to have a channel of communication with everyone.”
French microbrand March Lab is one of a slew of international names represented at SPRG 2024 (Photo: March Lab)
Searching for the right location was another, and they were lucky that a expansive foyer space outside National Library Singapore’s Drama Centre was available for events due to the facility’s current renovation. Lim elaborates, “Its high ceilings, large windows, and carpeted floor that reduces echoes make it a good venue.”
Much effort also has been put into the brand curation to ensure that show participants have good design and a compelling story. Kusumadi categorises them into two groups: the younger generation without much collecting experience but are very passionate about their new hobby and driven to achieve something of their own; and seasoned collectors who are a little bored with mainstream designs and want to create something interesting.
He states, “Individuals from the first group tend to have day jobs and have to fund their projects with public help, while those in the second have more capability to finance their own. There’s a third, which I call the money-grab group, which copies designs from famous brands and sells them on Kickstarter for $200. We do not accept those.”
This automaton watch is the brainchild of Alfred Chia, founder of Malaysian microbrand Konnii, who paints the dial elements himself (Photo: Konnii)
The future is bright
If sales figures are any indication of SPRG’s success, then the public response to certain brands last year is telling. Lim says, “The brand owner of Jakarta-based Lima Watch arrived in Singapore with a luggage full of watches, and went home with an empty one. It’s the same for Havaan Tuvali. Everything was sold out, even the prototypes they were wearing, and they received a lot of orders. They’re the happiest.”
Beyond revenue, Kusumadi emphasises that there are other benefits to taking part in such a show, especially when they have to travel all the way to Singapore. “Having access to fellow brand owners, the valuable opportunity to share ideas, and getting feedback from your target market are other KPIs the brands should consider.”
Meet the founder of Taiwanese microbrand Havaan Tuvali, Eric Yeh, at SPRG 2024 (Photo: Havaan Tuvali)
For instance, he adds, Oris is an established independent Swiss brand, but it believes in engaging with the community. “It sees SPRG as a good platform to do that, although it’s not a microbrand.”
As for visitors, the pair is glad to report hearing of collectors from Southeast Asia and as far as Turkey who have planned a holiday in Singapore for the sake of attending the show. Even the watch appreciation bug had bitten past visitors who popped in out of curiosity. Lim points out, “My colleagues, who were not watch collectors, attended the first edition and began to buy micro brands the following year. I saw one of them wearing an Atelier Wen.”
A watch from the collection of Feynman Timekeepers founded by Spring Sprang Sprung co-founder Yong Keong Lim (Photo: Feynman Timekeepers)
The future is indeed bright. Local support for watchmaking start-ups has been heartening, observes Kusumadi. “Singapore customers form the top three to five markets for Singaporeans brands that use crowdfunding platforms, as there’s trust that the watches will be delivered even if they are not ready yet. Singaporeans are also used to shopping online, and it makes them more open to foreign microbrands, especially since our import regulations are not as strict as some other countries’.”
He shares that they have been invited by Paypal for collaborations, after someone working there visited SPRG and began taking an interest in microbrands. It only takes that one spark or encounter to begin a watch collecting journey, and perhaps there’s no better place to start than at a public fair that you can just stroll into.
In Kusumadi’s words: “No one will be wearing a suit and tie. Just show up and have a good time.”
