No you didn’t read wrongly; that wasn’t some “Fee-Fi-Fo-Fum” catchline from a fairytale – it’s #TheGoodTimeMovement
As a relatively avid consumer of watch related media across different mediums, I’ve often seen videos and heard podcasts about watch fairs. From the biggest of conventions like Watches & Wonders, to the flea markets across Europe, I’ve yearned to get in on the action and see what the fuss is all about. Turns out I didn’t have to even look beyond the shores, and my bucket list item was checked off this October at Spring Sprang Sprung 2023.
What is Spring Sprang Sprung?
First thing’s first, I must admit I love the name – it’s such a catchy and apt name for a Watch Fair, and you almost have to resist the urge to shout it like a Harry Potter spell (am I the only one?). Naming aside, Spring Sprang Sprung (or SPRG for short) is an independent watch fair that highlights both regional and global independent watch brands, with a focus on microbrands. Being hosted in Singapore, it also features a larger proportion of local microbrands, and its always heartening to see the local horology scene taking centrestage. As I understand, this year is the second run and having missed out on the first one last year, I definitely wasn’t going to miss this year’s show.
The Experience
Now I’ve never been to a watch fair, and I wasn’t sure of what to expect. The location of choice this year was XM Studios, known for their extensive and excellent collection of figurines/collectibles. Stepping into the studio, I was first greeted by the registration booth.
Entrance to the fair is free, and registration was relatively straightforward. I had already registered online, so all I had to do was to show the confirmation email and in I went. There was mention online of some kind of door gift, but I figured it was on a first come first serve basis and having reached on the second half of the second (and last) day, I was probably a step too late. Ah well.
Stepping into the fair, I honestly thought that there wouldn’t be a lot of people. Watches were a pretty small niche after all right? Boy was I wrong. Turning the corner, I was hit by the buzz of an enthusiastic crowd, and you could literally feel the energy thriving in the air.
Over the speakers, an interview was being conducted with two swimmers who had been part of the first Singaporean relay team to swim across the English Channel; two watches from Feynman that had been worn during the swim would be auctioned for charity. My brain was still trying to process the sights and sounds coming from all directions, and I wasn’t too sure where to start from.
SPRG 23 featured 36 brands – some were familiar to me, others completely new. I decided to start with something I already owned: Oris.
Oris
I’ve always felt that being an independent was a big part of Oris’ brand identity, and it was nice to see Oris being a part of big events like Watches & Wonders, yet still joining in on the fun alongside smaller microbrands in watch fairs like SPRG 23. I managed to get my hands on their newer releases:
The new Artelier S expands on Oris’s Arterlier collection, with an elegant minimalist approach that reduces the watch down to its bare essentials. It felt bauhaus-like to me, and I particularly liked the 38mm case size, the pairing of that beautiful deep brown leather strap, and the shade of green Oris has opted for. Oris is masterful with their dial colours, and green has become one of the trendier colours in recent times. The watch is a bit too much on the minimalist side for me, but if you’re after something that’s elegant and understated, this might be for you.
If the Arterlier S is about keeping a low profile, the next piece is the complete opposite:
The Divers Sixty-Five “Cotton Candy” drew me in like a moth is drawn to a flame. The pairing of the cotton candy dial with the steel bezel and case is eye-catching, and I like that this comes in 38mm too. It’s a fun piece and very Oris.
The last piece I tried was the latest Divers Sixty-Five Chronograph. I had just seen it on Instagram and hadn’t expected to see it in person:
At 40mm, its slightly larger than the previous 2 I tried, but still manageable. I do like how we seem to be trending back towards smaller case sizes – a plus for those with smaller wrists like me. The chronograph is well executed overall, maintaining the Divers Sixty-Five design language, with the addition of the vintage styled chronograph pushers. While I initially thought that I would connect with the piece immediately, it didn’t “grab” me like I thought it would. I found the dial to be a bit too glossy, almost enamel like, though I probably didn’t spend enough time with it. Nonetheless a good piece overall and good job to the friendly folks over at Oris!
Lima
Having warmed up at Oris, I decided to begin exploring the rest of the fair. For first-timers thinking of visiting such events, its totally understandable if it feels intimidating, but there’s really no need to be shy or worried; the brand owners are all really friendly and you can literally feel the passion oozing out as they share generously about their stories and journeys.
I headed next towards a microbrand that I had seen previously, but wasn’t too familiar with: Lima. I first came to know their brand through the Automatic Meca02, with its unique concept of using a separate key to wind up the watch, almost like the toys of old with the little wind up keys stuck in their backs. I hadn’t handled any of their watches in person, and the founder Herman gave me a quick run down of the 2 models on display:
The Meca Revolt was a diver styled watch, featuring an interchangeable bezel allowing you to switch between different styles. A key highlight is the lightning shaped second hand, adding a vibrant pop of yellow with the crown adding a second touch of colour. The overall design is very aesthetically pleasing, and the watch felt good on wrist with great proportions.
The second watch was Lima’s latest release, the Kronosprinter. It was so new in fact, that it was being launched there at SPRG 23 and while the watches were ready for purchase over the counter, the boxes had just been finished in Jakarta and would be shipped out separately. I was immediately drawn to the brilliant use of colours on the hands and pushers, and the unique “Squircle” case shape. The choice of fonts and the round date window at 6 are clear exhibits of well thought design, and it reminds me of a cross between Studio Underdog and Braun. Powered by the Seiko VK64 meca-quartz movement, the watch comes in at a very reasonable S$320 (SGD).
Zelos
A few steps away from Lima was Zelos, a stalwart of the local microbrand scene and one of the pioneers in the earlier days. I’d heard plenty, but never had the chance to see it in person and heading to the booth was a feast for the eyes (and hands).
Zelos has a wide product range and a dizzying number of models, but amongst others I remember the Swordfish, Blacktip and Starfighter pictured above. Zelos uses many different types of rare stones for its dials, and each is as dazzling as the next. The watches all felt well made, with great case proportions catered for smaller wrists in an Asian market.
Amongst the watches on display were founder Elshan’s own personal pieces as well:
The forged carbon case of the Vitesse was impressive, but the Mirage Tourbillon really stole the show and is a testament of Zelos’ serious watchmaking capability. These 2 pieces truly blew me away. Wew!
Vilhelm
Right beside Zelos, was Vilhelm, another local microbrand I had only seen but yet to handle in person. I had a friendly chat with the founder, Nop, who explained how the brand had been named after his son. Vilhelm had initially started out with a focus on larger, masculine timepieces, but had since gone into other forays such as automatic chronographs. On display was the Vilhelm Bicompax Column-wheel Automatic Chronograph, a watch I had happened to want to see in the flesh.
While I had thought the watch would be very big, the lug to lug was surprisingly compact and it fit well on wrist. It did have a very masculine feel to it, but the main draw for me was the “skipper” dial. I overheard Nop mentioning to another visitor about how the Tag Heur Carrera Skipper came out shortly after this – guess Vilhelm called it first!
Havaan Tuvali
As I continued to browse around, I saw Havaan Tuvali; I had just seen it being featured on a YouTube video covering World Time UK (a watch fair that recently took place in London), and I wanted to find out more.
Founder Eric explained the concept – not too long ago in the distant past, Taiwan was a major manufacturer of watch components for European brands, but as the industry shifted, this eventually waned. As a result, there were all these parts lying around in warehouses, with no one to use them. With an entrepreneurial spirit, Eric acquired these parts, and used them to create his own watches, making and assembling each one by hand.
Aside from the incredibly smart business idea, there’s something cool about wearing NOS (new old stock) that’s over 50 years old. It’s like wearing a piece of history, but updated with modern technology. Mind you these watch cases aren’t just knick knacks found in some storeroom drawer, they’re considerably good for their age; after all they were made for the who’s who of watch brands back in the day.
Constellar Timepieces
Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted an interesting booth display and what would be my favourite find of the day.
I couldn’t tell the brand from the banner, and was intrigued by the placement of a mini Japanese screen, along with various elements designed to make the scene very “grammable”. Founders Song and Edgar greeted me enthusiastically, and wasted no second in making their pitch. It turns out that Constellar was a new brand the two were launching at SPRG 23, and Constellar Origin was their debut piece.
The two were avid watch fans themselves, and had previously attempted and failed thrice in launching their own brand. With the precious experience they gained, they pressed on and are now ready to launch Constellar Timepieces. Handling the Origin, I was immediately drawn into the unique design; the floating indices draw you in, and the layering of the chapter ring, dial, and hidden day/date windows give a deep sense of depth. It feels like a fusion between the best of classic, vintage watch design, with modern day edginess. You can tell that a lot of attention has been put into the details, and the pair are evidently serious about launching a watch that they can be proud of.
Not featured in my photo is also a subtle diamond motif, inscribed onto the watch bracelet itself, which is not something you usually see. At a launch price of S$1,105, I think the Constellar Origin is really something to look out for, and I’d recommend you check out their much better taken photographs found on their site (pardon my crappy/lazy smartphone photos whoops), which are really similar to what I saw in person so you can have a better idea of what to expect. Looking forward to more exciting timepieces from this duo, and wishing them all the best for a successful launch!
Atelier Wen
At this point, I had been exploring for close to 2 hours, speaking to brand owners, trying out watches and geeking over all things horology. As I was about to leave, I stopped by one final booth which had been constantly crowded throughout the entire time I was there: Atelier Wen.
I’d heard about Atelier Wen and my impression of them were that they were somewhat of a superstar in the watch world (is my impression correct?). There were people getting their autographs in person, which further corroborated my thoughts.
Founded by two French men Wilfried Buiron and Robin Tallendier, the two wanted to showcase the strength of Chinese craftsmanship and founded Atelier Wen to raise awareness of China’s modern watchmaking capabilities. The two were sharing passionately at their booth, and invited me excitedly to come take a look, spending time to explain about the brand and their watches.
I had the opportunity to handle the Perception, featuring a handmade guilloche dial with a crazy backstory. Each dial is made by a single, master artisan located in China, and it takes him 8 hours just to manufacture one dial. The slightest tremble in the manufacturing process would ruin the dial, sending hours of work down the drain and starting it all over. In fact, the artisan was so serious about his craft, that he moved to a mountainous area away from the city, where there were noticeably less tremors from the ground. How insane is that?
Conclusion
While I highlighted some of the brands I felt were more interesting, I wasn’t able to feature all the brands I spoke to, nor did I have enough time to go to every booth, which would definitely have been lots of fun.
When you think of a watch fair, the imagery that comes to mind is often times something posh, with the likes of suits and champagne, exhibiting timepieces the price of a house. Spring Sprang Sprung isn’t that kind of watch fair – on the contrary, its a celebration of all kinds of watchmaking and the entrepreneurial journey these founders have embarked upon courageously. It was honestly inspiring speaking to the various brand owners, and just feeling the energy in the room. From children to adults to watch media outlets, the fair was very inclusive and truly in the spirit of #TheGoodTimeMovement.
Alas, the next SPRG will probably be next year, but this year’s one was a really good run and I’m already looking forward to the next show. And if you didn’t manage to join in on the fun this year, head over to the SPRG 23 site and show these indie brands some love; at the end of the day, that’s what we’re all here for.
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