Hello, everyone, and welcome to another of my articles. In this article, I chronicle my visit to Delugs’ new flagship showroom in the prestigious Raffles Hotel.
Located on the second floor of the hotel’s Arcade wing, Delugs bills its new showroom as the world’s first strap boutique. The brand states that: “As the world’s first strap-dedicated boutique, the Delugs Flagship Boutique offers an unmatched scale, material diversity and range of variations of watch straps, while also providing watch enthusiasts the opportunity to experience them in a more personal setting.” With such tall billing, I was excited to check it out.
Delugs Flagship Raffles Hotel Boutique – Video
For more hands-on footage, do check out my YouTube video on Delugs’ new flagship Raffles Hotel Strap Boutique below:
Delugs Flagship Raffles Hotel Boutique – Initial Impressions
The first thing that caught my eye was the new Bespoke Corner, where customers can create custom straps.
Even though Delugs is better known for its CTS rubber straps and ready-to-wear leather straps, the brand has a robust custom strap program starting from a relatively affordable S$195. The brand states that a strap specialist will be on hand to guide customers and that visitors can also choose from boutique-exclusive materials. Some of the hides I’ve seen are unique—I foresee myself returning for a custom strap order sometime soon.
Next is the Strap Wall, which is undoubtedly the pièce de résistance of the boutique. With over 400 straps on display, it’s eminently striking and transforms the traditional strap shopping experience by making the humble watch strap the centrepiece of attention.
The browsing experience is infinitely better than the current convention, where straps are often displayed lifelessly in a file or folder at the watch boutique. Even though Delugs first surged in popularity as an online strap provider, leather accessories are inherently tactile, so there’s immense satisfaction in interacting with the watch straps up close. Certain subtleties (such as a gloss vs matte finish) are more evident in person than in online edited product shoots.
In fact, the brand has poured so much effort into this Strap Wall that they even engineered custom strap hangers. Ken (founder of Delugs) shared that the design is entirely proprietary, and acts “as a storage solution while evoking the imagery of clothing racks, reinforcing the concept of straps as outfits for our timepieces”.
I also particularly like Delugs’ standard strap displays, which allow customers to place the watch head on a movable pedestal and “slide” to their interested straps. This allows customers to visualise better how their watches will look on Delugs’ various strap offerings—another ingenious solution I’ve not seen elsewhere.
Ken also took the opportunity to highlight that the new boutique now has an engraving machine, which allows customers to have their straps engraved in-store. I’ve covered Delugs’ personalisation options in my recent review of the Delugs MAD1S straps, so do check that review out to see what the engraving looks like.
In addition, Ken and Pei Qi stressed that the boutique functions not only as a retail space but also as a community hub and space for hosting events. Last week, Delugs hosted brands from the Alternative Horological Alliance, such as Ming, JN Shapiro, Fleming, Fears, and Massena LAB, while a showcase with Armin Strom is up next month on 12 June.
With the Raffles Arcade also being home to other watch brands such as MB&F, Hublot, Patek Philippe, Rolex, and Audemars Piguet, Delugs’ new upscale showroom feels much more appropriate for hosting watch events and get-togethers. While the previous Ubi showroom was tastefully decorated, it was still in an industrial estate and was out of the way (especially by public transport). Even the lighting is better in the Raffles Arcade boutique – the team shared that the soft lighting is intentional so that collectors can take wrist shots anywhere in the boutique. I remember Pei Qi quipping: “Now you guys don’t need to stand by a window just to take a wrist shot anymore!”
Personally, it’s pretty surreal to see how far Delugs has come. I remember first meeting Ken in 2019, when he approached me to share his burgeoning side hustle, which he was running from his bedroom after coming home from his day job as an army regular. Fast forward to today, and Delugs straps are now worn by international superstars, with its new boutique now being located next to the likes of Rolex, Patek Philippe and Audemars Piguet. Delugs put Singapore on the horological map and blazed its way as the industry’s preeminent strap provider.
Congratulations to Delugs on their continued success (and to Pei Qi, who just delivered a lovely baby girl). The new strap boutique is the culmination of the brand’s hard work and tenacity throughout the years, and I believe the success is well-deserved. By popularising quick-release spring bars, Delugs single-handedly made strap changing a lifestyle instead of an afterthought. I can’t wait to see Delugs scale new, even greater heights.
Visit the Delugs Flagship Boutique: Raffles Hotel Arcade, 328 North Bridge Road, #02-35, SG 188719
Opening Hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 11AM to 8PM
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P.P.P.P.S Shiok is a common word Singaporeans use to express admiration or approval. As of 2016, you can find the definition of the word in the Oxford English Dictionary.
