The Clockmaker's Son

A passion for antique mechanical gadgets drives Shawn Lim to keep his family business of restoring antique timepieces going in this digital age.

- Karen Tee

Shawn Lim’s favourite retreat is his bedroom. “It is the only place where I don’t see clocks,” quips the bespectacled 27-year-old. As the third-generation scion of the Lim family to run Cheong Ann Watch Maker, much of his waking hours are spent tinkering with the intricate mechanical parts of antique clocks to ensure they continue keeping accurate time for years to come.

Since he joined the 73-year-old business in 2015, he has spent countless late nights and weekends at Cheong Ann’s quaint shophouse in Lim Tua Tow Road that's packed to the rafters with timekeepers of all shapes and sizes. And, in spite of a wry comment about finding respite from horology, he is clearly in his element in this space where he is surrounded by the melodic tick-tock of what seems like a thousand clocks.