Rolex and Watch Palace History
Our Rolex History
What started out in 1978 as a humble, family-run watch business in Orchard Road has grown from strength to strength to become the full-fledged Rolex boutique at Mandarin Gallery today.
The journey for Watch Palace has not been easy but we take pride that we have not stopped working hard to improve ourselves in terms of watch knowledge and customer service standards. We will continue to maintain or even better our standards in time to come.
The Beginning and expansion plans
Watch Palace started out as a modest 200sqft shop on the third level of Lucky Plaza in 1978. As with all businesses, the beginning was tough as it took us time to find our feet in the industry. But being horological enthusiasts ourselves, the team behind Watch Palace persisted and rode out different challenges. The difficult start toughened us up and also taught us valuable lessons on managing the business. Things began to pick up gradually and business was brisk by the late 1980s.
In the 1990s, footfall to Watch Palace, which remained a multi-brand retailer, was healthy, while business was rosy too. The success boiled down to the team placing emphasis on delivering sincere, exceptional service to our customers. At the same time, we started focusing on upgrading our product and industry knowledge by reading up about watchmaking and the watch trade in general. The store was also modernised to cater to contemporary tastes so that customers would feel comfortable and welcome shopping in Watch Palace.
In the 1990s, footfall to Watch Palace, which remained a multi-brand retailer, was healthy, while business was rosy too. The success boiled down to the team placing emphasis on delivering sincere, exceptional service to our customers. At the same time, we started focusing on upgrading our product and industry knowledge by reading up about watchmaking and the watch trade in general. The store was also modernised to cater to contemporary tastes so that customers would feel comfortable and welcome shopping in Watch Palace.
What we are today
After some deliberation, Watch Palace revamped its strategy in 2003 to focus solely on retailing Rolex and Tudor timepieces, believing in the timelessness and quality of the brands and delivering the same promise to our customers.
The brands have been partners with Watch Palace since 1978, a relationship that has flourished over nearly five decades. With that, Watch Palace moved to the first level of Lucky Plaza. After almost five decades at Lucky Plaza, we relocated to our new Rolex boutique at Mandarin Gallery in 2026, further building on our legacy in a space that boasts even better visibility than ever.
The brands have been partners with Watch Palace since 1978, a relationship that has flourished over nearly five decades. With that, Watch Palace moved to the first level of Lucky Plaza. After almost five decades at Lucky Plaza, we relocated to our new Rolex boutique at Mandarin Gallery in 2026, further building on our legacy in a space that boasts even better visibility than ever.
Keep exploring
Keep exploring
