25 Years Old, 500 Five-Star Reviews: Inside Time Space With Zed

He started selling watches at 18, meeting strangers at void decks and Starbucks with stock worth more than most people's monthly salary. By 25, he's built one of the most reviewed watch businesses on Carousell, with over 500 five-star ratings in about three years.

This is the story of Time Space, told by its founder Zed: one of the youngest watch dealers in Singapore, still finishing his NUS degree while running a proper retail operation.

The Army Kid Selling Watches at Void Decks

Zed's entry into the watch trade wasn't planned. It started the way a lot of things start for 18-year-olds: scrolling social media, spotting an opportunity, and wanting to make money.

"As an 18 or 19-year-old teenager, you want to earn money," he says. "Back then, I was thinking, if I can actually convert my hobby into a business, it's definitely a bonus."

He started small. Watches under S$1,000. Independent brands, nothing close to Rolex. He'd post one to five pieces on Carousell, maximum, and meet buyers wherever he could. Void decks, Starbucks, Coffee Bean, sometimes in the client's home.

At that stage, he was doing maybe one or two transactions a month. The money was modest. "Even S$200 to S$500 profit was a huge amount to me back then," he says. But the interest compounded. The hobby became a serious pursuit.

There was also a practical problem he couldn't ignore. "As an 18 to 19-year-old kid, I found that it's very risky and dangerous to meet strangers to do deals," he says. Carrying high-value watches to meet buyers in public spaces, with no shop, no CCTV, no formal business entity. The trust issue ran both ways.

The Questions That Kept Coming

Before Zed had a shopfront, the same questions came up with nearly every potential buyer. How do I know these watches are authentic? What if something goes wrong after I buy? How do I get my money back if there's a problem? How do I even find you again?

"These are the most common questions I've been asked since 2019 to 2020," Zed says. "After I opened my own store, this question is no longer being asked."

A physical shop changed everything. It wasn't just about having a nicer place to display watches. It was about crossing the first trust threshold. People can see you, find you, and hold you accountable. For a 21-year-old asking someone to spend tens of thousands of dollars, that matters.

Time Space Opens

Zed incorporated Time Space in 2021 and opened a shopfront. He was still studying at NUS at the time, pursuing an Information Systems degree in the School of Computing.

His parents were supportive, with one condition: finish university first. He's graduating this April.

The early days of the shop had a chicken-and-egg problem that every new dealer faces. You need inventory to attract customers, but you need customers to justify holding inventory. Zed solved it the same way many small dealers do: consignment.

"Back in 2021, if you came to my store, there were basically no watches of my own. I had more consignment pieces," he says. "Right now I have more of my own stock." The shift from consignment-heavy to owned inventory is a sign of a business that's stabilised.

Growing Up With Your Customers

Zed has an interesting take on his age being an advantage rather than a limitation. His friends and peers are the same age. As they grow up, their spending evolves.

"Imagine today you and your bunch of friends are all 20 years old," he says. "At one point we have to buy cars. We have to buy a house. At some point, we have to buy watches. So we grow according to our age. During that particular age, there will be a group of people wanting to buy from me."

His friends refer their friends. His customer base grows organically alongside his generation. It's a long-term bet, and it's already paying off.

500 Five-Star Reviews

Over 500 five-star reviews on Carousell in roughly three years. We asked Zeded how he built that kind of trust so quickly.

His answer comes down to three things.

First, being answerable. "If anything happens, like the watch has a technical issue, 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." For a young dealer, this commitment is how you prove you're serious.

Second, responding fast. "Every time I see a client message, I try to reply them ASAP. I don't want to take one to two days to reply. That's not very good." In a business built on Carousell, WhatsApp, and Instagram, response time is part of the product.

Third, checking the watch thoroughly before it goes out the door. Zed invested in a Kians authentication system, a microscope-style machine costing over S$20,000, that lets him do detailed authentication checks in the shop. Any customer can ask for a live demo of the process. "Anyone that wants me to show how we do authentication, I can do a live demo for any client right now."

He wishes he'd started collecting reviews earlier. "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."

The NUS Computing Advantage

Zed's Information Systems degree isn't directly about watches, but it shapes how he runs Time Space. UX design principles influence how his website and social media look. The business modules translate into how he thinks about operations.

"Information Systems is technically business plus computing," he says. "The business aspect I can apply directly."

But the real education has been the business itself. "The most important thing I've learned is 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 of these watches that we can't sell, the value drops. That's something you can't learn in school."

He doesn't regret going to university, even though he's unlikely to pursue a computing career. "The friends I met, the things I learned, even though not all of it converts into what I'm doing now. I never regret it."

What's Actually in the Shop

Time Space focuses on three brands: Rolex, Tudor, and Omega. No AP. The inventory skews heavily toward brand new, factory-sealed pieces. About 70% new, 30% pre-owned.

When sourcing, Zed thinks about how quickly a piece will move. Popular references like the Daytona "Panda" or the GMT "Pepsi" can sell within a week. Something like a 44mm Yacht-Master has a smaller audience, which means it sits longer, which means he buys at a lower price to account for the risk.

"Imagine the target audience. If it's a watch that only men can wear, the audience is already half. If it's a very big watch, even fewer. These pieces, we tend to buy at a slightly lower price because it's more difficult to move. We might have to hold it for months, even years."

His most memorable sale was early on: a full yellow gold Rolex Daytona, sold for around S$89,000 when he was 19 or 20 years old, during the COVID price spike. That same watch is worth S$50,000 to S$60,000 today. Timing matters in this business.

No Emotions About Watches

We asked Zeded about his dream watches. He has two: a Rolex Platinum Daytona in ice blue, and a Patek Philippe 5711 in blue dial (discontinued). He's had both pass through his shop. He sold them without hesitation.

"All the watches to us, we just want to sell them for our business to run," he says. "We don't have a particular, if you can call it, emotional attachment. Because all the watches to us, we need to sell it for our business to run."

That detachment is a discipline. Early on, when Zed lost money on a watch, the instinct was to hold on and hope the price recovered. "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." But holding made things worse. The longer he waited, the more value the watch lost.

"You have to suck it up. Cut the loss. Try to earn it back."

Risk, Inventory, and Cash Flow

Zed isn't especially worried about his inventory losing value. He's focused on popular Rolex and Tudor references that hold their prices well, and current market levels are relatively stable.

"Unless you bought during those very high price periods like COVID, then you worry whether the value will decline. But if you're buying right now, you need not worry as much," he says. "It won't crash. It may decline, but it won't crash."

His bigger concern is cash flow. A watch stuck in inventory for six months to a year ties up capital that could be rolling into new stock. "How do we roll our money? That's one of the things we're worried about."

And the scenario that would be hardest to deal with? Losing everything to a fire or break-in. "The hardest thing to deal with would be losing all the money." The good news: he has Jeweller's Block insurance in place. The bad scenario stays hypothetical.

What's Next

Zed graduates from NUS this April. He's considering a property agent licence alongside watches, because, as he puts it, "sales never die." It plays to his strength.

He's not planning to leave watches. The business is stable, the reviews are compounding, and his customer base is growing up with him. At 25, he's already been in the trade for six or seven years. Most people his age are just starting their first job.

Quick Answers From Zed

Rolex or Tudor?

"Rolex."

Patek or AP?

"Patek."

A watch you would never sell?

"Hublot." (He doesn't stock them, for the record.)

Dream watch?

"Two. Rolex Platinum Daytona in ice blue. And Patek 5711 in blue dial, but that's discontinued. I've had both. I 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. Cut the loss and move."

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 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 article is based on a conversation between MINT and Time Space conducted in March 2026. Business details and availability may change. Contact Time Space directly for current information.