Now in its seventh decade of business, Sincere Fine Watches is the oldest luxury watch retailer in Singapore. It played a huge role in generating the city’s momentum as a watch hub, having been an early ambassador for brands such as Franck Muller, A. Lange & Söhne as well as F.P. Journe in the ’90s. In the early 2000s, just as a new wave of horological innovation swept through the larger watchmaking world, the retailer spawned an Haute Horlogerie arm, opening its first concept boutique at its former premises at Hilton Hotel, dedicated to spotlighting both high-end as well as independent watchmaking.

Since then, interest in watch collecting has mushroomed and, over the past decade, the demand and appreciation for independent watchmaking has grown by leaps and bounds. What were once shadowy figures looming outside the range of klieg lights that shone on industrial heavyweights have now emerged center stage, capturing the attention of both the seasoned collector and the wide-eyed newcomer. In parallel, retail experiences, too, needed to evolve to cater to the increasingly informed and sophisticated watch consumer. To this end, Sincere Haute Horlogerie has unveiled a new concept boutique at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore to provide a richer and purer experience centered around independent watchmaking.

Launched under the new name of SHH, the concept boutique is home to a total of 19 brands and counting, each chosen for their roles in various areas of accomplishment, be it technical, artisanal, conceptual or technological. The brands include Armin Strom, Ferdinard Berthoud, Greubel Forsey, Grönefeld, H. Moser & Cie., Laurent Ferrier and Moritz Grossmann. At the same time, the retailer has taken this opportunity to welcome two new brands into its expanding arsenal — Czapek & Cie. and Louis Moinet — which are making their exclusive debut in the SHH boutique. SHH will also create limited and exclusive editions, and watch lovers will have the opportunity to acquire these special pieces that are designed in collaboration with the brands.

Designed by celebrated Singaporean interior designer Peter Tay, the SHH boutique is equal parts a retail concept and a horological appreciation and education initiative. The lavish space is divided into two sections — a main showcase area as well as a private lounge. The showcase area features a large central island displaying timepieces from the brands that are exclusively sold at Sincere. It is bordered by five podium capsules on the left with a rotating selection of the rarest timepieces on offer and five paneled displays at the back dedicated to brands with larger collections, each accompanied by an interactive screen where patrons can surf for additional information on the watches.

Tucked away on the right side of the boutique is a private lounge where collectors can kick back, unwind and examine their selected timepieces up close, with a dedicated wine bar at their disposal. Beyond that, the lounge will also serve as a venue for intimate gatherings and exclusive events dedicated to advancing knowledge and appreciation of mechanical watchmaking. Collectors can expect to meet and interact with their watchmaking heroes, attend talks on horological history and mechanics, along with experiential sessions on movement assembly, finishing and métiers d’art.

Greubel Forsey Double Balancier Convexe SHH Edition

To commemorate the occasion, Sincere has also unveiled a trio of limited edition watches that will be sold exclusively at the SHH boutique. The three watches announced are fine examples of why independent watchmaking has become the cynosure of horology today. For Greubel Forsey’s watch in particular, the aforesaid can’t ring any truer. Today, there is no other watchmaker that pursues dual ideals of chronometry and craftsmanship to the same extent as Greubel Forsey, while simultaneously demonstrating an inimitable expertise in constructing dynamic, three-dimensional movements. In many ways, Greubel Forsey watches represent the pinnacle of watchmaking; each timepiece is an exercise in obsessional perfectionism in all aspects of horology. When the brand began its foray into sports watches in 2019, the Convexe series immediately found itself without parallel in the highly saturated category on all fronts — construction, chronometry and finish.

For the Sincere edition, Greubel Forsey has taken the most mechanically exotic of its hyper watches, the Double Balancier Convexe, launched earlier in the year and added a burst of purple. It features an intense purple baseplate, seconds subdial, and hour and minute tips paired with a matching purple rubber strap. The base plate is still made of titanium but it has been treated with PVD.

The Convexe series is distinguished by its complex and masterful case construction. When viewed from the top, the case appears circular, but it is, in fact, tonneau-shaped with an oval bezel that is curved vertically from 12 to six o’clock. To accommodate the curvature of the case, both the crystal and movement had to be fashioned to follow the same contours. It has managed to maintain fairly reasonable dimensions — 43.5mm wide at its base by 13.75mm, with a bezel diameter of 46.5mm. Moreover, its curved, ergonomic case and the lightness of titanium make it a lot more wearable than its architecture might suggest.

The Double Balancier movement is one of Greubel Forsey’s signature inventions whereby two inclined oscillators are driven by a differential that mechanically averages out their errors in rate. In this movement, a pair of barrels are stacked co-axially, with a relief-engraved barrel cover visible at 10 o’clock on the dial. They drive the center wheel which powers a differential made up of three co-axial wheels, with the top and bottom wheels driving their respective fourth wheels. But Greubel Forsey’s innovation lies in implementing a remontoir in the differential. Visible on both the front and back of the watch is a pair of spiral springs attached to the spokes of the top and bottom wheels. This set of springs is rewound every four minutes by the mainspring, delivering energy to the balance in short, controlled bursts regardless of the mainspring’s state of wind while also being regulated by the oscillations of the balance. The middle wheel in the differential then transmits the equalized force to the center wheel, which drives the purple seconds indicator via an auxiliary train.

Both balances are inclined at a 30-degree angle to the mainplate to avoid the most extreme gravitational errors in both horizontal and vertical positions. They are also positioned in symmetry so that the positional errors experienced by one balance in any given position is compensated by those in the other via the differential.

The bridges for the components are elaborately constructed and every surface of the movement has been finished to an extreme degree. The bridges for the differential as well as motion works, for instance, are three-dimensional with brushed flanks and a polished top surface. Finally, the reverse of each watch in the limited edition bears the personal signatures of Robert Greubel and Stephen Forsey.

The Greubel Forsey Double Balancier Convexe SHH Edition is priced at SGD 505,580 (including GST) and limited to six pieces.

Lang & Heyne Georg SHH Edition

The next watch is the Lang & Heyne Georg in rose gold, which houses one of the most beautiful, traditionally constructed form movements in the last decade. While the original watch featured a rectangular white enamel dial, the dial of the SHH edition comprises of three parts — a blue frosted rectangular dial base that is inlaid with circular hour-minutes and small seconds subdials made of ceramic.

Although ceramic ranks high in terms of hardness on the Mohs scale, its rigidity also makes it extremely brittle due to greater internal stresses, making it a complex material to work with. Due to its extreme hardness, it can only be manipulated with higher strength diamond tools and pastes. The dial base is first milled to accommodate the dial inserts. The numerals and markings are laser engraved on the ceramic disks and filled with black lacquer. Then the exposed edges of the hour-minutes disk are chamfered and polished, while the outer contours are sanded for the subdials to fit precisely in the recesses of the dial base. The small seconds disk measures just 0.4mm thin, sitting lower than the rest of the dial. As opposed to an entirely printed dial, the in-set dials create subtle definition and dimension, giving the watch a more refined appearance overall. While the standard model is characterized by a Teutonic formality, the composition of the dial in the SHH edition gives it more dynamism and has kept it from being too staid.

The case measures 40mm by 32mm in diameter and a svelte 9.4mm high. It features an onion crown with raised crown guards and is held to the alligator strap by distinctive, curved triple lugs. Visible on the reverse is the mesmerizing caliber VIII that leaves the entire wheel train exposed against a frosted baseplate. Every component in the wheel train is held in place by individual finger bridges, which have been scaled in proportion to the size of the accompanying component. Made of steel, these bridges are impeccably finished with a magnificently domed, black-polished top surface and deep, polished countersinks for the jewels. Beyond that, all surfaces have been elaborately decorated from the lustrous snailing on the crown and ratchet wheels down to the polished, beveled spokes of each gear. To top it off, a small diamond is used as an end stone for the balance staff.

The Lang & Heyne Georg SHH edition is priced at SGD 71,910 (including GST) and limited to 12 pieces.

Laurent Ferrier Classic Origin SHH Edition

While the first two watches are characterized by distinct designs and shapes, the final limited edition in the trio is a variation of watch that is quietly and sensuously beautiful. Initially launched in 2020 to mark the watchmaker’s 10th anniversary, the Classic Origin is a distillation of Laurent Ferrier’s watchmaking language, combining a classic round polished case in titanium with a simple yet nuanced dial and a caliber that has served as the foundation of his annual calendar. As such, the Classic Origin is the most accessibly priced for a Laurent Ferrier yet.

The SHH edition, however, has a pastel green opaline dial with a graduated effect where the mint green at its center transitions to a sage green on its periphery. The delicate, green gradient dial when unified with the fluid contours of the case reinforces the imagery of a river-washed pebble. The details of the dial are finely executed, with a subtle gray railroad minute track punctuated by forest green hour numerals and polished white gold indexes. In the middle of it all is a fine crosshair motif and the Assegai-shaped hands. The titanium case measures 40mm across and 10.7mm high. Due to its high polish finish, it resembles precious metal, so its lightness will be an initial surprise. In addition, its rounded form gives it a luscious, tactile quality.

Visible through the sapphire caseback is the hand wound caliber LF 116.01. Though it is simpler in form and construction when compared to Laurent Ferrier’s renowned Micro-Rotor movement, the finishing is still impeccable. The large bridges have a fine, frosted finish with superbly polished chamfers along their edges as well as countersinks for the screws and jewels. There is also an elongated winding click that has been black polished and even the pallet fork bridge below the balance wheel has chamfered edges, while the bridge for the escape wheel has a sharp interior angle. Whereas most Laurent Ferrier movements have a silvery rhodium plating, this is colored with a ruthenium treatment, giving it a medium gray tone that is more modern.

Further in, the movement adopts a traditional lever escapement and a free-sprung, screwed balance. Notably, the escape wheel and pallet fork are made of nickel-phosphorus and have been skeletonized with the use of a LIGA micro-molding technique, making them lightweight, consequently improving the efficiency of the movement.

The Laurent Ferrier Classic Origin SHH Edition is priced at SGD 55,300 (including GST) and limited to 10 pieces.

The new SHH flagship boutique is located at unit #B2M-202 at The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands.