Today I’d like to introduce a young self-taught Singaporean watchmaker. Known for his impressive progression since his beginnings and for his perfectionism, I’m going to talk about the brand LOTH. Before presenting the first watch that brought him international recognition, I’ll retrace the path of Tristan Ho, the founder behind this horological project.
Tristan Ho was born in 1997 and grew up in Singapore. His passion for micromechanics began at the age of six when his parents gave him a Lego Bionicle set. Building his own playground, his love for making things by hand grew as he assembled objects and kept inventing new combinations from existing Lego parts. Little by little, thanks to his father, who ran the family printing business with his uncle, he developed a taste for entrepreneurship and the desire to one day shape his own story.
At seven, his father gave him his very first watch, a G-Shock. He was fascinated by its luminous function. Afraid of the dark, he used that light as a night lamp that kept him company. He then followed a fairly classic academic path through to biomedical research studies at the National University of Singapore (NUS). His interest in watches deepened during a trip with his partner, when he nearly bought a counterfeit Rolex at a market. Back home, searching online for a first quality mechanical watch, he plunged into the world of watchmaking. Unsatisfied with what he could find at an affordable price at the time, he decided to build his own and spent a few months doing Seiko mods (modifying existing watches).
Very quickly, that wasn’t enough. After discovering on Instagram makers such as Lang & Heyne, Felipe Pikullik, Minhoon Yoo, and Roger W Smith, he had a revelation. He wanted to make his own watch using traditional high-horology techniques. Lacking the time and means for formal training, he set himself the challenge of learning online. For more than three years, Tristan studied techniques, created his own tools, and developed strong skills through blogs, notes from students and WOSTEP alumni, and highly instructive videos on social platforms such as Dean DK’s YouTube channel.
He is drawn to dials that are both simple and striking, paired with large, beautifully decorated movements that fully fill the back of the case. He had always dreamed of owning one, which led him to create his brand LOTH, short for Lab of Tristan Ho. The name pays tribute to his biomedical research background and to the rigor and spirit of experimentation guiding his watchmaking. It also reflects his personal journey and his commitment to crafting each timepiece with passion and dedication. The logo’s typography nods to “Ho Printing,” the company founded by his grandfather, carrying the family enterprise’s spirit into LOTH.
He produced several prototypes, but none met his standards. What kept him going was his passion for watchmaking and the steadfast support of the watch community. In early 2025, he set aside any preconceptions about what the watch should look like and designed a model from a blank sheet with an updated aesthetic. It required a much larger initial investment, but that was the moment he chose to believe in himself, in his vision, and in his abilities, to take the project seriously and give it his best.
By day, Tristan Ho works as a research assistant in a biomedical lab, performing diagnostic tests and studying cells and tissues under the microscope. By night, to unwind, he peers into another microscope in his small workshop in Loyang, Singapore: there he modifies and assembles watch calibres from A to Z, engraves dial motifs, and polishes every movement plate, all entirely by hand. The project blends deep respect for traditional craftsmanship with meticulous attention to component finishing. Now, let’s move on to the presentation of his first watchmaking project.
Table of Contents – LOTH Watch 1
What are the features of the LOTH Watch 1?
Case
The LOTH Watch 1 has a 3 ATM water-resistant case in 316L stainless steel, fully polished on the front-facing areas and satin finished on the middle case. Measuring 40.5 mm in diameter, 11.2 mm in thickness, and 49 mm lug to lug, the case suits many wrists. It is paired with an onion crown typical of vintage watches. Personally, I would have imagined slightly shorter lugs that detach a bit more from the rest of the case, perhaps with an exterior bevel to elevate the overall design.
Dial
The LOTH Watch 1 is fitted with a two-part dial and a chapter ring (rehaut) that creates a 3D effect and real depth. After seeing a photo of Rune Bakkendorff’s Bakkendorff Byrja, Tristan Ho chose dots as hour markers. The main base is German silver (maillechort) and is distinguished by a traditional hand-applied scratch decoration also known as “mosaic.”
Made entirely by hand, section by section, this organic technique makes every watch unique. To execute it, he produced his own buff sticks (cabrons): polishing paper glued to wooden sticks whose tips he cuts to the desired shapes. He then applies each scratch by hand to the dial, regularly renewing the abrasive by trimming the buff stick every few passes. Because adjacent strokes cannot share the same orientation, the method forces him to plan four to five steps ahead to avoid getting trapped.
The rehaut itself is sunray-finished stainless steel. To complement these two components, the hour, minute, and small-seconds hands are heat-blued steel by Timothy Agus. With a simple torch he reveals the full palette of steel colors, from orange-red to Breguet blue with all the shades between; even a perfect violet, which demands extreme precision, is no problem for him.
Wishing to build a watch that lasts for generations, Tristan Ho refused to use glue or any adhesive to assemble the two-part dial. He fixed the dial feet to the rehaut and inserted the dial between the case and the mainplate to facilitate servicing and repair. A small note: in the photo you see below, the watch does not yet have its anti-reflective crystal, which is why the dial does not pop as it should. In person, I found this dial very original, transforming the moment a beam of light hits it.
Movement
The LOTH Watch 1 houses a Swiss ETA 6498 hand-wound base, chosen for reliability and ease of service. Completely rethought, reworked, and finished in Singapore, every curve is based on a mathematical formula to ensure perfect harmony with the jewels and gear train. This period movement is paired with custom-machined German-silver bridges finished by hand. German silver was selected for both dial and bridges as an homage to nineteenth-century watchmaking. Its off-white hue is easy on the eye and left untreated so it can develop a patina over time, turning honey and ambrosia in tone. Despite its silvery look, German silver is an alloy of copper with nickel and zinc.
Beating at 18,000 vibrations per hour, the movement delivers more than 40 hours of power reserve. Each calibre requires about 150 hours of work, embodying the peak of contemporary craft. Tristan Ho taught himself several demanding artisanal techniques, notably his signature anglage and mosaic finishing, along with frosting, flocking, fine gold plating, polishing, and sunray brushing. Special mention goes to the nameplate on the movement, an homage to his beginnings inspired by Takanuva’s Light Staff, the first object that sparked his obsession with form, symmetry, and function. Finishing is fully up to the mark.
The bridge’s wide flowing bevels with both inner and outer angles are shaped by hand with files and are intentionally not pre-machined during precision milling. He looked to the Lang & Heyne Friedrich III for cues on where to introduce them. Additional specifics of this reworked calibre include open-worked wheels, a mainplate refined by Ondřej Berkus, hand-frosted surfaces, a ruthenium-plated and bead-blasted baseplate, a balance bridge with mosaic finishing to harmonize with the dial, sunray-finished train wheels with very light burnishing on the spoke chamfers, polished jewel sinks, and screws with beveled edges and Zaratsu polish. Every detail was considered to create a beautiful harmony in the alternation of surface treatments. Bravo.
Strap
The LOTH Watch 1 comes on a custom full-grain leather strap that showcases Singaporean craftsmanship. Handmade by local leather artisan Cattlehide, the slim and comfortable strap features a simple unsigned pin buckle that combines brushing on the tang holder with polish on the peripheral areas.
What is the price of the LOTH Watch 1?
The LOTH Watch 1 debuted as a first subscription series of twelve pieces. No longer available since last September, it was offered at a base price of SGD 6,498, roughly 4,320 euros before VAT. Given the very substantial work per watch, with production of about one piece per month, I find the price truly fair.
LOTH Watch 1: a watch born of unwavering conviction
The LOTH Watch 1 is a very strong first piece overall, with a clear emphasis on movement and dial. Each watch carries a fragment of who Tristan Ho was at the moment of its creation. Each one requires around 150 hours of work, meaning hundreds of meticulous steps such as screw polishing and slot beveling. This watch is far more than a timekeeper. It is a symbol of personal evolution for Tristan Ho. Every piece is a part of his spirit, every angle the result of passionate work. It may not be perfect, but he made it with his own hands. It fulfills his original goal exactly, a watch he would be proud to wear.
Tristan Ho is eager to go beyond his brand. He wants to spotlight Singapore as a city that, beyond its many watch enthusiasts, could also become a new cradle for watchmaking. He could very well create a course to teach, or even build an academy to teach watchmaking, or perhaps launch a Métiers d’Art program for existing design and engineering schools. One of his main objectives is to inspire a new generation of local watchmakers and to show them there are other paths into the craft without moving abroad and spending astronomical sums on a watchmaking school.
What I appreciated about Tristan Ho is that he constantly shares and always seeks to inspire other watchmakers. His interactions on social media, his workshop visits, and his participation in watch fairs express his desire to give back everything he has learned. I find him very ambitious, showing that anything is possible with passion. I loved speaking with him, gaining both an insider’s view of the project and his perspective on the watch market in Asia. I am excited to see his new project scheduled for the end of the year, which aims to create Singapore’s first manufacture watch movement, freely inspired by an existing vintage calibre and in a smaller format. I wish him great courage with the project and much success for what comes next.
LOTH Watch 1 – Watch Specifications
- · Brand: LOTH
- · Model: Watch 1
- · Case Material: Stainless Steel
- · Dial: German Silver, except for the chapter ring, which is Stainless Steel
- · Functions: Hours, Minutes, Small Seconds
- · Movement: LOTH First Calibre, based on ETA/Unitas 6498, Manual-Winding, 18’000vph frequency (2.5Hz)
- · Power Reserve: 40 Hours
- · Water Resistance: 3 ATM
- · Crystal: Sapphire
- · Caseback: Sapphire
- · Case Dimension: 40.5 mm (Diameter) × 11.2 mm (Thickness)
- · Lug to lug: 49mm
- · Strap: Bespoke Black handmade strap by Cattlehide with Stainless Steel Pin Buckle
- · Availability : Limited to 12 pieces – SOLD OUT
- · Retail Price: Starting at SGD6498 (Excluding VAT)
Did you know this Singaporean watchmaker? Did you enjoy his first model? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.
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For more information about Loth, click here.
