MINT Interviews Zed: Singapore's Youngest Watch Dealer on Building Time Space

We sat down with Zed, founder of Time Space, for a conversation about starting a watch business at 18, building over 500 five-star reviews on Carousell, and what it's actually like running a luxury watch dealership while finishing a degree at NUS.

This is the full interview, lightly edited for clarity.

For the narrative version of this story, read 25 Years Old, 500 Five-Star Reviews.

On How It Started

MINT: Can you introduce yourself and tell us about Time Space?

Zed: I'm Zed. I should be one of the youngest, if not the youngest, in this watch industry. Currently I'm 25 years old, born in 2000. I started Time Space in 2021, but before that I was also selling privately, mainly on social media like Carousell and Instagram. So technically I've been in this industry for about six to seven years.

I started when I was in army. Back in those days, Carousell was one of the platforms we'd post one to five watches on, maximum, to try to sell. We'd meet in very weird places: void decks, Starbucks, Coffee Bean, even in clients' homes. As an 18 to 19-year-old kid, I found that it's very risky and dangerous to do deals like that. So that's why I eventually started Time Space, where I have my own store, CCTV, more security.

MINT: What got you interested in watches in the first place?

Zed: The passion came from scrolling social media. And as an 18 or 19-year-old teenager, you want to earn money. I was thinking, if I can convert my hobby into a business, it's definitely a bonus. So I started selling watches below S$1,000. Very cheap watches. Not even Rolex. Very independent brands.

Even S$200 to S$500 profit per month was a huge sum to me back then. It converted into a serious interest, and I tried to convert it into a business.

On Opening the Shop

MINT: Before the shop, what were people asking you?

Zed: There were so many questions. How do I know your watches are authentic? What if in the future there's a problem with the watch I bought from you? How do I get customer service? How do I get my money back? Those are the most common questions I've been asked since 2019 to 2020.

After I opened my own store, this question is no longer being asked.

MINT: How did you answer those questions before you had the shop?

Zed: Back then, I didn't even have a company UEN. I didn't have my own company established. It was just a hobby, a passion. Every month I could probably sell one or two watches. That's it. Because of the trust issue. If someone doesn't trust you, they wouldn't want to spend so much money on a luxury watch.

That's how I decided to establish my own company and open a storefront.

On Balancing NUS and the Business

MINT: You're still studying at NUS. What does a typical day look like?

Zed: The good thing about NUS Computing is we're very flexible with creating our own timetable. I usually choose tutorial slots early in the morning. 9 to 12 or 9 to 1 in school. Then in the afternoon I can come back to the shop.

Right now I'm graduating soon, so I have a lot more free time. Compared to year one and year two, which were the busy periods, year four is pretty free. Only one to two modules for my last semester.

MINT: Your degree is in Information Systems. Has that shaped how you run Time Space?

Zed: Definitely. Even though Time Space doesn't revolve around coding, the UX design, how the website looks, how social media should be presented to clients, that's something we learn in school that I can translate into the business. Information Systems is technically business plus computing. So the business aspect applies directly.

MINT: What has running the business taught you that a degree never could?

Zed: The most important thing is learning how to take risks. In school, there's no risk unless you fail an exam. But in business, we're putting real money into real watches. Any watch we can't sell, the value drops. That's something you can't learn in school.

On Building Trust and 500 Reviews

MINT: You have over 500 five-star reviews on Carousell in about three years. How did you build that?

Zed: Firstly, you have to put your clients first. If anything happens, like a technical issue with the watch, I'll be there to answer to it first. I have to be answerable for every timepiece I hand over to my clients. You don't need to be afraid that I'll run away. That's number one.

Number two is the rigorous check on each timepiece. We have something called a Kians system, it's a machine for authentication checks. It costs over S$20,000. It's like a microscope. Scientists use microscopes to look at bacteria, right? We use it for watches. To ensure all timepieces are well-checked, well-maintained, the authentication is ensured.

And then replying fast on WhatsApp. Every time I see a client message, I try to reply ASAP. I don't want to take one to two days to reply. That's not good.

MINT: You wish you'd started collecting reviews earlier?

Zed: Yes. Back in 2021 and 2022, I didn't really care about collecting reviews. I only started properly in 2023, 2024. Especially Google reviews. Google reviews are actually very important.

On Authentication

MINT: How do you assure customers, especially online buyers, that a watch is authentic?

Zed: Online, it's very hard to show a client a piece is real just through photos. Usually it comes down to company branding and trust. But I have the whole Kians system installed. Anyone who wants me to demonstrate how we do authentication, I can do a live demo for any client right now. They can take pictures and video if they want.

As a consumer, you also don't really have the knowledge to know whether it's real or fake. It's basically what you discern from us. So I have the whole system on display at my storefront to show everyone the step-by-step process.

On Choosing and Sourcing Watches

MINT: How do you help a customer find the right watch?

Zed: Based on my experience, people already have an idea of what they want. Luxury watches are a huge sum of money. Above S$6,000 is quite a hefty amount. So I usually ask what case diameter they want first. For ladies, it can be 26, 28, 33. Ladies with slightly larger wrists can go up to 36. Now it's actually quite a trend for ladies to buy sports models, 40mm, 41mm.

Start with case diameter to find which size suits the wrist, then go down to material. Stainless steel, two-tone rose gold, two-tone yellow gold. That's usually how we approach it.

MINT: And when you're sourcing for your own inventory?

Zed: If it's easy to move, we're keen to buy at a higher price. Pieces like the Pepsi or the Panda, we can move within a week. But a very big watch like a 44mm Yacht-Master, the target audience shrinks. Only men can wear it, and even then, not many. So those pieces we buy at a slightly lower price because it's more difficult to move. We might have to hold them for months, even years.

On the Chicken-and-Egg Problem

MINT: What was the hardest part of building the business?

Zed: Building up inventory. It's a chicken-and-egg question. Do you need customers first, or inventory first? If you have lots of friends and customers but no inventory to showcase, you can't do business. But if you have lots of inventory and no clients, it all sits there.

I was so scared. And then the most difficult part is finding the right inventory at the right price and right condition. After you find it, you have to worry whether you have the target audience to buy it.

Back then, I started with consignment. I had a lot of friends who wanted to consign their watches with me. That's how I started. In 2021, if you came to my store, there were basically no watches of my own. More consignment pieces. Now I have more of my own stock.

On Risk and Inventory

MINT: You're holding watches worth tens of thousands of dollars at any time. What does that feel like?

Zed: I won't say I'm worried. In fact, I'm actually happy to have so much stock to sell. Right now I'm holding the more popular brands: Rolex, Tudor, Omega. That's the three. I don't do AP.

Rolex watches hold value. Unless you bought during those very high price periods like COVID, then you worry. But if you're buying right now, you need not worry as much. It won't crash. It may decline, but it won't crash.

The more concerning thing is how do we roll our money. If a watch has been stuck in my store for six months to a year, we want to roll that cash. We can't manage to sell it. That's one of the things we worry about. But overall, I'm more happy holding more stock than not having any stock.

MINT: If something happened to your inventory tomorrow, fire or break-in, what would be the hardest thing to deal with?

Zed: Losing all the money.

MINT: Good thing you have insurance now.

Zed: Yes.

On the Most Memorable Sale

MINT: What's the most interesting experience you've had with a watch?

Zed: I think it's my first gold watch. When I was 19 or 20, during the COVID period, I sold a Daytona in full yellow gold for about S$89,000. But the watch value right now has dropped to S$50,000 or S$60,000.

That's one of the most interesting because it was my first-ever yellow gold Daytona. S$89,000 at 19 or 20 years old.

On Not Getting Attached

MINT: Your dream watches have both passed through your shop. Did you feel some type of way when you had to sell them?

Zed: If you're a watch dealer, all the watches to us, we just want to sell them for our business to run. We don't have emotional attachment. Not like collectors. Because all the watches to us, we need to sell them for our business to run.

MINT: What about when you lose money on a watch?

Zed: Last time, when I was very young, when I lose money on a watch, I was very sad. Sometimes I didn't even want to sell it. I just kept it. But the longer I waited, the value dropped even more. You have to suck it up. Cut the loss. Try to earn it back.

On What's Next

MINT: What's next for you and Time Space?

Zed: I'm graduating this April. I'm also thinking about getting a property agent licence, because I believe sales never die. That's one of my strongest advantages. I want to utilise it to go further.

Even though I studied computing in school, I don't think I'll be pursuing that route. But I didn't regret going to school. The friends I met, the things I learned. I never regret it.

Rapid Fire

Rolex or Tudor?

"Rolex."

Patek or AP?

"Patek."

A watch you would never sell?

"Hublot."

Dream watch?

"Two. Rolex Platinum Daytona in ice blue. And Patek 5711 in blue dial, but that's discontinued. I've had both. Sold both."

One word to describe Time Space?

"Young."

Advice for someone your age thinking about starting a business?

"If you lose money, you have to suck it up. Find ways to earn it back. Don't hold on hoping it recovers. The longer you wait, the worse it gets."

MINT Conclusion

Zed's story is a reminder that the watch trade in Singapore is evolving. A new generation of dealers is emerging: digitally native, built on Carousell and WhatsApp, growing up alongside their customers. They face the same risks as the most established dealers, from inventory exposure to authentication liability, but they're building from a completely different starting point.

Whether you're 25 or 55, running one shop or five, the fundamentals don't change. Inventory needs protection. Trust needs to be earned. And the right coverage gives you the confidence to keep building.

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

Find Time Space on Carousell and Instagram: @timespace.sg

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