Home › Cars

Notes From Singapore: Craft, Cars, and Collecting

Cars Editor Carl Cunanan reflects on a start to the year shaped by watchmaking, music, Porsche culture, and the quieter passions sustaining craft across Singapore.
February 23, 2026

We started the new year rather busy.

Going to the reopening of the Patek Philippe service center in Singapore led things off. This facility, recently honored as the best service center for the brand, has grown significantly since the time we first used it in its early days.

It was quite refreshing to see how it has expanded and improved apace with the level of importance watchmaking and collecting has risen to in Southeast Asia. 

The service center spans 8,000 square feet.

We also got the chance to see a wonderful symphony concert at what are probably the best seats in the house at Singapore’s Esplanade-Theatres On The Bay. has had a longstanding partnership as a benefactor of the theater and has a private box there. This is slightly raised above the main floor, allowing you to see almost all the musicians at work and how the different components of the orchestra come together. 

Hans Graf.

The acoustics of the space are amazing, and it was a joy to see the world premiere of Joyce Koh’s Earth and Elgar’s Cello Concerto with soloist Julia Hagen. After the intermission, we were entranced by Gustav Holst’s The Planets, conducted by Hans Graf, as we tried to figure out how the music matched the visions of the planets themselves. Quite an eye-opening experience with a piece that gets very little mainstream attention.

Porsche at Jewel. Porsche

Next stop was the Porsche At Jewel, located inside the Jewel mall beside Changi Airport. This space is dedicated to the enthusiasm and passion behind the Porsche world, and will serve as the welcoming point for those who will be attending events at the Porsche Experience Center Singapore. When this opens in 2027, its Hermann Tilke-designed track will interact directly with the facility’s architecture.

The mural by Priscilla Tey. Porsche

Displayed during our visit at Porsche At Jewel were a mural celebrating the history of Porsche Motorsport and the actual 1982 Le Mans-winning Porsche 956-002 race car.

Priscilla Tey. Porsche

There, we had a great talk with the young artist who created the mural, Priscilla Tey, who managed to capture Porsche and racing enthusiasts’ emotions in an art piece that was initially a Red Envelope project for the Year of the Fire Horse.

Also in Singapore, we met with creative solutions boutique design studio Fin Crafted Goods. This Singaporean company first caught our attention because of its collaborations with Porsche. It’s is a shop and studio dedicated to keeping good things alive, and that involves sourcing extremely curated vintage clothing and fabrics as well as putting together limited runs of clothing lines and accessories. We are sure to see more from the brand in the watch world, as well as in the car world.

Credor

We wrapped up the first months of the year by checking out one of only 10 special Credor watches, the platinum Goldfeather Tourbillon GBCF999. It is the first tourbillon ever for the Goldfeather line, and features urushi lacquer, braden and maki-e techniques in addition to the exquisite engraving and finishing touches. Credor is a very dedicated Japanese house for watches, and its collectors and enthusiasts include people who run and own some of the top Swiss watchmaking maisons.

On one hand, our year started without really flashy or well-known pieces. Many people don’t understand how important the commitment of is to keeping any of their watches running forever. But for true collectors, it is paramount. 

So what we really saw is kind of a deeper level of enthusiasm and passion and commitment in ways that aren’t as ostentatious as most might expect, but are key to keeping these crafts and passions and pieces and skills alive. 

All this comes at the best time and serves as an indication of what lies on the road ahead. It was actually a great way to start the year.

Access to this content is reserved for members only. Please purchase a membership to unlock this content.

Be A Member If you need assistance, please email [email protected]