Happenings: Singapore’s Indie-Focused IAMWATCH Returns This November

With the massive rise in interest in independent brands over the past few years, it seems like it’s basically impossible to even begin to meet with watchmakers these days, let alone have a meaningful conversation with them or see their watches. I have to field the question “How do I meet ___” at least once a week. No matter the answer, it requires some effort. But what if I told you that you could walk into a room and see Rexhep Rexhepi chatting with Max Büsser, right next to Kari Voutilainen, who is looking at Jean-Claude Biver’s watch while Jean Arnault looks at Trilobe. All while Rémy Cools, Theo Auffret, Gaël Petermann, and Florian Bédat are chatting at a table nearby, their watches in hand. That’s IAMWATCH in Singapore, and it’s happening again from November 12 to 15 at the Singapore Edition.

I was there two years ago at the first iteration of what I will say is one of the most “me” watch fairs ever made; you can see my 2024 Photo Report here for a sense of the event. I love the people of the watchmaking as much as I love the watches—maybe even more because I can’t afford most of the big-name independents, but I can enjoy talking to them and learning from them all the same. The Hour Glass, one of the world’s largest retailers, is also putting it on, and it’s run by long-time avowed independent watchmaking acolyte and Managing Director Michael Tay.

Proof of how stacked this event is comes from the list of names I’m going to rattle off just off the top of my head, from previously reading the attendees: Rexhep Rexhepi, Roger Smith, Hazemann & Monnin, Andreas Strehler, Krayon, Chopard, Daniel Roth and Gerald Genta (under LV, which will be there), Urban Jurgensen, Gregory Proz, Jean-Claude Biver, Kari Voutilainen, Aubert & Ramel, MB&F, Petermann Bédat, Rémy Cools, Sylvain Pinaud, Reuben Schoots — I need to take a deep breath here. The list is long. Heck, even Takashi Murakami will be there.

Unlike a lot of watch weeks or fairs, which can feel more commercial with big brand booths and huge crowds, this is literally just a big room in an amazing city where you can step inside and, without jumping through hoops or making an appointment, wait your turn to sit down with that one watchmaker whom you never thought you’d meet. Sure, other watch fairs are awesome (and I still love to attend Dubai Watch Week, for instance), but for an introvert like me, this is about as low-pressure as it gets. Heck, the dress code is resort casual and double-wristed. You also don’t have to wear an indie to get in the door. See below for another jaw-dropping example of what you might see on the wrist.

In addition to sitting down with the watchmakers (and the Phillips team, who will be in attendance), there are a number of talks held throughout the weekend. I’ll be chatting with a few young independents who all went through the same small watchmaking school, asking them if something is in the water at Lycée Edgar Faure in Morteau, France. The whole program of events hasn’t been announced yet, but you can get a sense of who will be there from the 45 announced watchmakers by visiting the website. Despite the amount of time I spend meeting people already, I have a list of about 15 more I want to sit down with for the first time. So if you’re in the neighborhood, love watches, and like to travel, or even need to do a very fruitful mileage run at the end of the year for airline points, Singapore and IAMWATCH won’t disappoint.

For more on IAMWATCH and to register, visit the event’s website.