MINT Interviews Huan Ni: The Woman Behind The Watch Specialist's Clinic

We sat down with Huan Ni, General Manager of The Watch Specialist's Clinic in Serangoon Gardens, for a conversation about her journey from a decade in professional kitchens to becoming the person who holds everything together at one of Singapore's most trusted independent watch service centres.

This is the full interview, lightly edited for clarity.

For the narrative version of this story, read The Cement That Holds It All Together.

On Her Role at the Clinic

MINT: Can you tell us about your role at The Watch Specialist's Clinic?

Huan: I've been with the Watch Specialist for almost six years. Basically, I run the business side of things. I would call myself the cement. I fill in any gaps that's needed.

The only way I can describe what I do is to run you through my day. First, I come in, reply to messages with a coffee. Always a hot latte, no sugar. We drink so much coffee here, we have to make our own.

Then I move on to project management. I need to make sure the guys are on track with what they do. If they need any parts, that's where I come in and order the parts. And see if anybody is experiencing any problems.

After that, I organise my own work, which is the polishing and the case maintenance. I do the polishing here. I wash the cases here. I strip the watch, I check the watch. I make sure there are things that we can identify that need parts.

The watchmakers are the middle. They work on the mechanics. I am at the front and the back.

On Leaving F&B for Watchmaking

MINT: You came from a completely different world. What made you decide to take the leap?

Huan: Honestly, I joined because I was pregnant. Being in the kitchen standing 12 hours a day is just impossible. The stars aligned. It was during Covid, and since I can sit around and sort of do nothing, I thought I could sit around and do nothing.

I was wrong.

MINT: Did you have any idea what you were signing up for?

Huan: Absolutely zero. I joined thinking I'm just going to do some paperwork, some admin. Sit down 9 to 5, walk around by lunch. Easy stuff.

MINT: But you're actually working on the watches now.

Huan: Yeah. I would say I truly took on this role after my maternity leave.

On the Learning Curve

MINT: What was the learning curve like, going from outside the industry to being immersed in watch repair and servicing every day?

Huan: The curve is extremely steep. But there are many transferable skills from F&B. The attention to detail in watchmaking and in F&B is equivalent. It takes a certain amount of craziness to be this meticulous.

Maybe the few of us who work here, we are very particular. We try to do a little bit more than 100%. Because we are perfectionists.

At the same time, we have to watch what we do because there are always certain limitations to everything, especially being an independent service centre. It's not every day that we can just break something and go to the shelf and get a new one. We just have to be extremely careful with the things we do and know our limits.

MINT: That's a fine line to balance. You want to do more than 100%, but you need to know when to step back.

Huan: A lot of things are irreversible. Once you go, you can never turn back time and fix that anymore. So you must learn how to stop.

On What Surprised Her Most

MINT: What surprised you most about joining the clinic?

Huan: Having to work so much.

MINT: But as a chef, you worked a lot too.

Huan: Yeah, we do. So I thought I could take a break. I wanted to be a housewife. A boss's wife. That's different.

On How the Passion Started

MINT: Has working here changed the way you see or appreciate watches? Or did you always have this passion?

Huan: The passion started when I visited my husband in Switzerland where he was studying in Neuchâtel. There was a museum nearby, a watchmaker museum. They had so many watches. You go through, you read the history, and you realise that watches were created way before electricity. You have farmers working in candlelight, making such intricate parts.

And they still work until today.

That's where I was really impressed with the level of craftsmanship. Apart from the mechanics internally, the beauty comes inside out. Even the case itself, they have artwork on it. And I am obsessed with art and the attention to all those small details. Even putting art onto such a small case.

It's mesmerising. The fact that they did it without any electricity. And we have modern technologies now and can barely achieve that kind of level.

On What the Clinic Does Differently

MINT: If someone asks what's the difference between coming here versus sending a watch back to the AD, what do you tell them?

Huan: The work we do here is definitely the same as what the AD does. We follow the standards of the Swiss. We do a 100% strip, inside out, regulated according to the COSC standards, and give two years warranty.

I'm not too sure, but we could possibly be the only independent service centre that gives two years warranty. That's how much confidence we have in our work.

MINT: Where does that two-year standard come from?

Huan: It started all the way since my father-in-law started the business. He's from the big brands before that too. He tries to make sure that whatever he does follows everything.

We put in so much effort. And to justify the work, honestly, we're not cheap. But at the same time, our margin is really low, because we take a lot of time when it comes to one watch.

And the fact that we do an overhaul, we check every part during the process. That gives us the confidence to give two years warranty. Especially when there is a need to change parts, we use original parts, because aftermarket parts don't last or they don't fit as well. It defeats the purpose.

We try to minimise as many watches that come back for warranty. So if we do the job well the first round, the warranty is just for both parties. It assures our clients, and at the same time, it's all human labour. There will be human error here and there. And the warranty gives us an opportunity to work on it.

On Why You Can't Just Replace One Part

MINT: A common question from customers, right? "Why can't you just replace the part?"

Huan: It's very common for someone to say, hey, why don't you just replace the part, we don't need the servicing. But it doesn't work that way. Everything else is already dry. The lubricants are dry. You're just putting more stress on the movement itself. You're doing more harm than good just replacing the part. You can replace one part and then one week later something else breaks down.

It's just like your car. It runs on gears and oils. If you don't service your car, your car spoils. A watch is no different.

The problem is usually just lack of education. This watch business, watch servicing, is so niche. There's not a lot of information out there. Even I try to look online to learn a thing or two. If you don't look, you will never understand what goes behind a watch.

And that's not the consumer's fault. But once you start explaining, people understand.

On the Most Memorable Watch

MINT: Has there been a repair job that was particularly memorable or challenging?

Huan: The most memorable watch that came into the shop is a Patek Grand Complication. A minute repeater with, I think, a perpetual calendar.

It took my father-in-law one entire week to work on that. He worked almost 20 hours a day. Everybody was anxious because it's the most expensive watch that ever came through our doors. The customer got it for above a million or something. So it was really expensive. If anything goes wrong, you know.

It was a very tense one week for everybody at the shop. And we were really excited to see the outcome. Servicing does help with the sound of the grand complication. We could tell from the difference after calibration. The gongs of the watch, they were dull, and then they became vibrant after the servicing. It's incredible. For a watch to make sounds, it's incredible on its own already.

MINT: How was the customer when they received it back?

Huan: Unfortunately, I wasn't there to see his face. But it didn't come back, so I assume it's working well.

My father-in-law took like a break for a week after that.

On Holding Other People's Watches

MINT: What's the one thing you're most worried about, as someone who holds other people's watches, some of which are irreplaceable?

Huan: For me personally, damaging anything external. Because internally, most of the time, we can even fabricate parts or order them. But if there's anything external, you have no choice but to go back to the agents.

And it's static. You look at it and you know something's wrong. Unlike internal issues.

MINT: And you also do restoration work on the external side?

Huan: Yes. Apart from internal work, where we can make certain parts, externally I've done a few restorations on dials. If the paint comes off, or the hands, the lume, I get to do all that. It's a lot of me mixing and colour matching and making sure that it matches the patina.

That's the fun part for me personally, because I'm into art. All the painting and restoration, the before and after, that tickles my bones.

On When Things Go Wrong

MINT: If something did go wrong with a watch, what's the hardest part to deal with?

Huan: Explaining to the customers. We have to be honest and we have to be upfront about it. But at the same time, we have to offer solutions. Most importantly, offer the solution.

We know that we have done something wrong, but here's what we're going to do for you. In business, there will be losses, definitely. You suck it up, learn from it, and get the job done.

Once we take in a watch, it's a promise that we'll finish it. Otherwise, we will turn it away. We won't even take in the watch. But once we take it in, we have to make sure we finish it. Whether it's good or bad, get it done.

On Customer Service

MINT: Do people feel intimidated walking in?

Huan: Even for myself, if I were to walk into a Chanel store in Singapore, I feel intimidated. So a lot of people do tell me they feel intimidated to even walk into our store. But it gives them a different feeling once they step through the door. Because we're just friendly. We welcome everybody.

We don't look at watches based on the value, like monetary value. We treat every watch with respect. There is sentimental value that has got no monetary. You cannot put a number to sentimental value. So every watch is important here. It could mean so much to different people.

MINT: When a customer walks in to collect their watch, what does that moment look like?

Huan: Most of the time, I can put a face to the watch. I remember them from the first time they walk in. Because I'm the one that helped them with initial diagnosis, and I stripped their watch, and I know what's going on with it.

Simple things. Even if you don't polish a watch, if we do a thorough cleaning, with all the dirt and grime gone, the watch looks totally different. And that's where the first impression comes in. They say, wow, my watch is so clean. Or, wow, my watch is so shiny. And it gives them that satisfaction, like, someone actually put care into my watch.

And most of the time they say, oh, it's so nice, now I want to come back to wear it. And I'm like, no, the reason why you fix it is to wear it. Don't waste it.

I always like to tell them: if anything goes wrong within these two years, I'm here to help you. So don't worry. Just wear your watch. Life is short. Enjoy your watch.

On the Satisfaction

MINT: What's the most satisfying moment in the whole process?

Huan: You know when at night you doom scroll and you watch those before-and-after cement cleaning videos? That's how I feel every time when I work on a watch. Or like mukbang, when you see someone clean off the entire plate of food.

I get to see it first hand. Honestly, we get grossed out most of the time. But the process of washing the case and working on the movement, we see it from start to finish. The satisfaction is very high.

It's really just me watching the video in real life. A slime video and a mukbang.

On Working With Family

MINT: You work a lot with family here. What is that like? And what does it bring to the business that you wouldn't find anywhere else?

Huan: It builds character. Patience. And not to bring work home. That's very important.

Patience has got different categories, whether it's work or communication. You try to take time to understand where someone else is coming from. Everybody says you learn how to communicate, but honestly, when we have words that we want to articulate, it goes through the head and comes out very differently. So it takes an extra two minutes to try and understand what the other party is saying before you get angry or you lose your patience.

Besides the skills, besides running the business, you learn how to be a better human. Especially when you work so close to family. You can't say, I fire you. You have to deal with it. And you work together more than you see each other at home. My husband, we see each other 24 hours a day. I can't be angry 24 hours.

MINT: What does the clinic mean to your family beyond just a business?

Huan: I guess now that we all moved out, it's probably some place that we can sort of see each other once in a while. I mean, once in a while as in like eight hours.

Everybody gets paid. Everybody gets comfortable. We are all happy. Lunch is provided.

On Women in Watchmaking

MINT: You're a woman in a very male-dominated industry. What would you say to a woman thinking about taking the leap?

Huan: Just do it. I'm very pro woman. I'm hoping there are more women watchmakers, honestly. Because women do things better.

In every industry, you need both men and women. And to keep the men in place sometimes, you know. Don't be too complacent.

We have a Swiss watchmaker on the team. She's only 21. She joined us last year. Very young, very talented. And our auntie helps with customer service.

It's okay to hire girls, females. Then they will know that there are women watchmakers out there.

On What's Next

MINT: What's next for the clinic? Anything exciting?

Huan: I hope that we can do a little bit more upgrading. There are tools and machines. Hoping to find another certified watchmaker. I haven't really thought too far ahead because day to day, it's been so hectic.

I'm just very happy everybody's enjoying what they do. Everybody is doing what they love. Everything else will fall into place eventually, I think.

And I'm hoping to get certified in Switzerland too, sometime this year. Fingers crossed.

MINT: If you could go back to your first day at the clinic, what would you tell yourself?

Huan: You're never going to be a housewife. Just continue to work.

Rapid Fire

One tool you couldn't live without?

Screwdriver. Without it, we can't take the movement out.

How do you take your coffee?

Hot latte, no sugar.

What did you wish you'd done earlier?

Join the business. I never knew I'd enjoy this as much as I did.

Daily non-negotiable?

Coffee. Coffee solves everything.

MINT Conclusion

Conversations like this one are why we do what we do at MINT. Behind every watch business in Singapore, there's a person like Huan: someone who takes the work personally, who feels the weight of holding other people's irreplaceable things, and who shows up every day to do it a little better than before.

That kind of care deserves the right protection behind it. Whether you're a service centre, a dealer managing consignment stock, or a collector building something meaningful, the risk is real and the stakes are personal.

MINT provides specialist insurance for Singapore's luxury watch ecosystem, from Jeweller's Block coverage that protects dealer inventory to collector policies designed for how watches are actually owned and moved.

Find out how MINT protects watch businesses

Visit The Watch Specialist's Clinic at 6A Maju Avenue, Singapore 556684. Open Tuesday to Saturday, 10:30am to 6:00pm. Instagram: @thewatchspecialistsclinic

This interview was conducted by MINT in March 2026 and has been lightly edited for clarity and length. Business details, services, and availability may change. Contact the clinic directly for current information.