50 Years A Retailer

Cortina Watch CEO Jeremy Lim speaks frankly with Augustman on the state of watch collecting in Singapore and what this bodes for the future of retail

CORTINA CELEBRATES its 50th anniversary this year. Given its history almost as old as Singapore has been independent, Cortina's legacy has grown from a single multi-brand boutique in Colombo Court in the '70s into a sprawling regional network in addition to opening Singaporean eyes to Patek Philippe and Rolex. At the height of the pandemic (on the eve of its 50th anniversary), Cortina acquired Sincere Watch for S$84.7 million, which it paid for in cash. Suffice it to say, Cortina's impact on the Singaporean consumer is undeniable and with Sincere in its stable, its ability to offer a qualitative portfolio of watch brands has made the retailer an undeniable, unavoidable presence in the market.

How do you think Cortina has shaped the taste of Singaporean watch consumers?

I think it is more accurate to say that Singaporeans have shaped a retailer to satisfy their need for watches. In the past, there was no information readily available to the general consumer. Today, there's an abundance of information on the internet.

What we used to do was present uninformed customers in terms of what watches we had and our recommendations based on their preferences. Our role today, is one of enhancing the knowledge of an already knowledgeable customer. This gives us a bit of pressure to keep up as the Singaporean watch enthusiast is seriously passionate.

You raise a good point that consumers shape how retailers do merchandising. Do you consider it as part of your responsibility to expose people to more than the brands they are familiar with?