Once upon a time (in the not-too-distant past) watch collectors would have been compelled to take to the forums and social media, if what they were in search of was a wider sense of community.
Now, a trifecta of Singaporean entrepreneurs โ led by Arich Tan, CEO of the largest wellness conglomerate in the city โ is looking to ensnare the top end of that market, with a new members-only concept that integrates the comforts of Annabelโs or Pall Mall 67 into the activity of watch collecting.
Dubbed 33Club โ in deference to traditional ideas in Chinese numerology about the auspiciousness of the number โ33โ โ this new high-end club (billing itself as Asiaโs first members-only community โdedicated to timepiece lovers and collectorsโ) sits at the heart of Singaporeโs iconic Raffles Place, in a Grade A address that has been transformed by German interiors outfit Syrenka Studio.
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Consisting of three discrete spaces โ a bar & lounge, watch โboutiqueโ and even a full-blown spa โ itโs clear from the outset that 33Club puts a little more effort into the amenities than your local chapter of Red Bar. According to Tan, the genesis for the clubโs creation was to provide watch collectors โ many of whom shall ostensibly be Singaporean scions and rainmakers in Asian markets โ with a holdfast where they could discuss, handle and exchange mechanical watches with adequate privacy.
Though Singapore remains a universally safe environment in which to take your $105,000 Royal Oak out for a spin, clubs that offer privacy and a gatekept membersโ community remain all the rage in Southeast Asia โ something that Tan and his cohorts are intimately conscious of. โOne of our members recently came in to have lunch,โ he says, โand was wearing a rare Richard Mille.โ โHe was happy to discuss [the piece], to chat about how he obtained the watch and what its story wasโฆelsewhere you wouldnโt be comfortable talking about something like that with people youโd never met before.โ
Beyond the facilities for wining and dining which are so crucial to bringing high net worth collectors together (particularly in Singapore), 33Club also features a fully integrated watch-trading boutique โ notably also accessible to visitors. Managed primarily by collector and horophile Terence Ho (one of Tanโs fellow co-founders) the boutiqueโs stated purpose is to help 33Club members โavail themselves of exclusive and bespoke timepieces normally off-limits to the general publicโ.
According to Tan, the clubโs meticulously cultivated network of dealers and third-party retailers has enabled it to source โaround 95 percentโ of the pieces that members have previously requested; which, if recent history is any indication, likely includes a huge chunk of vintage Rolex; and unobtanium Patek Philippe releases.
Doubling down on the idea of a safe and pampering space, 33Clubโs final USP (as far as competing watch societies go) is its inclusion of a fully fledged boutique spa. Again, open to both members and the broader public on the clubโs upper floor, at time of writing itโs also the only retailer in Singapore of Dr. Baumann โ a range of boutique skincare solutions manufactured in Siegen, Germany.
It would have been amusing if 33Club had been able to source a range of pricey spa treatments from Saxonia โ birthplace of such watchmakers as A. Lange & Sรถhne โ but one gets a sense of the parallel management is drawing by partnering with an indie brand like Dr. Baumann.
To learn more about 33Club Singapore or speak to one of the clubโs membership managers, check out the link below.
