An Interview with JF Chang, Founder and CEO of Raffles Watch

Raffles Watch is known for its Singapore Heritage and Swiss made watches. Located in Raffles Place in the Central Business District, Singapore, the brand offers both luxury and economy watch to suit everyone’s needs. We got a chance to Interview JF Chang, Founder and CEO of Raffles Watch.

Kindly describe your journey as an Entrepreneur so far and what triggered you to go ahead with the idea of Raffles Watch?

In the watch industry, it is a very hard journey. I have always been a big proponent of people having a good watch even in this digital age. At Raffles Watch, we can say with utmost confidence that we have a long experience of what makes a good watch. Our aim is to build excellent watch for our clients at good pricing, that can last. Raffles comes from the word Raffles Place and Stamford Raffles. In Singapore Raffles Place is the central business district. We have been in the central business district for many years. Also, Stamford Raffles was one of the pioneers of Singapore. We are naming the watches as part of the pioneering spirit, entrepreneurial spirit and we hope that many people will be able to enjoy and afford a quality watch.

RFW-01 automatic

What were the initial challenges that you faced in your endeavor?

It is not an easy journey. There will be difficulties of all sorts. High production cost is definitely an issue. But it is good that we have what we set out to produce and people will realise after purchasing our products that the quality is as good as it can be. It takes a long time for someone to have the ability to appreciate what we have is good quality. Education is a long process, and appreciating what is good is subjective but takes time to build and appreciate a brand. Like wine, it takes a connoisseur to understand what we offer has its merit. It is not common to also see traditional watch houses sell online directly. Coming from years of history in the industry, we are both traditional yet modern in our outlook, in bringing a traditional premium product online.

Tell us more about your experience as a “watchpreneur”?

As I said, it is not easy, and if the odds are stacked 100% against me, I have no choice but to continue. If I am not committed to telling you what I sell is good, then you have not grasped what we have, and that is a good product.

There are people who like it, and there are some who do not know what is good. Our vision is offering premium quality watch at a very good price.

Do you think that the new generation isn’t that keen on wearing watches?

It is fine that they have what they have, smartphones, etc, but when people want to pass something down to the next generation, they may be more keen to have something like a timepiece from us. Which is more meaningful.

Our watches are built to last, and so this is something they might consider that has more meaning and that our timepieces are of high quality and a very good price.

RFW-02 : a watch to pass down the next generation

For our readers, tell us more about the types of watches you sell. Also, can anyone order your products outside of Singapore?

We sell automatic and quartz watches. They are of swiss-made quality, good quality, similar to parts which other big brands use with the only difference that we offer good pricing. If you want something that can pass down for the next generation, and meanwhile wear it daily, you can look at our RFW-01 swiss made automatic series. It comes with two straps: leather and animal-friendly strap. They are formal looking, for the person who believes or wants to believe in himself or herself and those around him to get things done. We also have the rugged looking RFW-02 swiss made automatic which RFW-01 can be used for swimming also. These are for people who believe in themselves. Comes with stainless steel strap and another of your choice from our website. If you want a classy elegant quartz watch, try the swiss RFW-03. Great value and I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed sharing with you about them. We ship internationally. Free shipping.

RFW-03: Singapore heritage, Swiss made: a watch to remember for years

For more information on Raffles Watch, click here.