Singapore is well known as a city of watches. Many serious and high end collectors live, work and play in the city state which Deployant calls home. In this episode of Spot the Watch, we went on a mission around town to spot interesting watches. Believe us, it was not a difficult task to spot the watches. The difficulty was to take the photograph candidly, without disturbing the owner or attracting any attention that we were wrist perverts. What did we spot? For this week, we have Patek Philippe Nautilus and Aquanaut, Rolex Daytona and an IWC Portuguese Chronograph.
Right off the bat, we start with a Patek Philippe. We spotted this Patek Philippe Aquanaut on a gentleman in a public bus somewhere in Newton.
Patek Philippe Aquanaut Ref. 5167 in a public bus.
On the same bus, same day, a lady was wearing a Rolex Daytona in Everose. Positive ID seems a bit tricky due to lighting, but our spotter confirms that she saw the watch in live and it was Everose.
Rolex Cosmograph Daytona, probably the one in Everose gold Ref. 116515LN
Rolex Daytona Ref. 116515LN in Everose.
And in another bus in town, the Omega Seamaster Diver 300M Co-axial.
On the bus, a Singapore Armed Forces Military Expert 2 with his Omega Seamaster Diver 300M Coaxial.
Omega Seamaster Diver 300M Co-axial.
And the Rolex Deep Sea Sea Dweller in a bus at Potong Pasir.
Rolex Deep Sea Sea Dweller D-Blue Ref. 126660.
We turn from public transport to random public spaces. In a coffee shop somewhere near Lavender, an IWC Portugieser Chronograph on the wrist of a young man, relaxing with his friends over a cuppa.
IWC Portugieser Chronograph Ref. IW371445.
Finally, the big one, at a car park lobby at Ion Orchard, while waiting for the lift, we spotted this lady engrossed with her phone sporting a Patek Philippe Nautilus Ref. 5711/1A, a highly desirable and very difficult to obtain watch.
The Patek Philippe Ref. 5711/1A on the wrist of a lady.
We were very happy to be able to spot these nice watches in the wild. These means that these watches are being worn and enjoyed.
On other occasions, we have spotted numerous Audemars Piguet Royal Oak and Royal Oak Offshores, various Rolex sports models like the Submariner, the Sea-Dweller, GMT-Master-II, Explorers, as well as the near ubiquitious Datejust. But as mentioned, photographing them in the wild was less than convenient.
This concludes this episode of Spot the Watch. Tell us if you would like to see more features like this in the comments.
Editor’s note: Spotters and photographs taken by Chelsey Chen, Daniel Chua, Peter Chong. None of the images were posed, or arranged. 100% candid, and unbeknownst to the owners.
11 Comments
Compare the watch with the shoes. If the person wears a seeminingly expensive watch, accompanied with $800 shoes, then yes the person is wearing a real watch. If the person is wearing cheap $10 shoes then you know the person is rocking a fake. It is a rule of physics that any person that wears a nice watch wears nice shoes. This is always true on weekdays for people in work wear. This does not apply on weekends where singaporeans wear nice watches with flip flops. People who drive nice cars don’t necessarily wear nice watches. Vice versa is true too.
I can ‘t understand why using public transport is sign of poverty or sth? People, i mean rich people use public trans in developed countries. There is nothing interesting
You might wanna think twice before making another halfwit statement. I’m a doctor in private practice and I take public transport all places wherever I’m headed. My wife drives the Panemera to bring the kids around and to work. I rock a solid gold day date President 118238 daily. HATE paying COE. Yeah I’m a slob but guess who’s got more money?
Most aquanauts you see in Singapore are fake. Can get em cheap from China.
Those that take buses usually wear fakes. It’s the truth.
How to spot a real watch? Usually precious metal and with complications. The fakers can’t fake those.
Yes. Poor slobs. Spent all their money on watches and can’t afford a car. Lol.
Thats because a vehicle in singapore depreciates to $0 in 10 years, unlike any other country in the world. A watch doesnt. Lol.
Last trip to Singapore (in March), my flight attendant on Korean Airlines wore a Nautilus with diamond bezel, and the young man that checked me out of my hotel wore a Richard Mille. No idea whether or not these were authentic.
Who is to say these are truly authentic?
Indeed, people do express themselves with their wristwatches in the Far Eastern countries more than what we see in the USA. I have experienced it while traveling to Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Philippines and Indonesia.
Half of those watches you see are fakes.
You’d never see such watches worn anywhere near public transport in the USA. In Singapore and HK, it’s all pretty normal.