How Singapore’s Delugs turned a humble accessory into a global platform for craftsmanship, personalisation, and connection.

Delugs is a Singapore-based brand dedicated to transforming the watch ownership experience through thoughtfully designed, high-quality watch straps and accessories. Established in 2018 by husband-and-wife duo Mr Kenneth Kuan and Ms Chia Pei Qi, Delugs began with handcrafted leather straps and has since grown into a globally recognised name for its wide range of quality products.

Delugs Founders Mr Kenneth Kuan and Ms Chia Pei Qi

Renowned for its obsessive attention to detail, in-house innovation, and customer-centric design philosophy, Delugs serves a niche yet passionate community of watch enthusiasts. From seasoned collectors to those new to horology, the brand has set a new benchmark in quality, personalisation, and service. Its mission - to make strap changing a lifestyle – is reflected in every product and interaction.

RESHAPING THE PRODUCT LANDSCAPE

Delugs specialises in premium watch straps and accessories, including leather, rubber, and fabric straps; deployant clasps; strap-changing tools; watch boxes and cases; and bespoke strap services. Every item is designed in-house and undergoes rigorous testing to ensure lasting quality and craftsmanship.

The company believes that watch straps are more than functional accessories – they are an evolving interface between the timepiece and its wearer, shaping how a timepiece feels on the wrist and how it expresses individual style.

Delugs is not just making watch straps - it is reshaping a category, setting a precedent, and creating a culture.

This belief shapes the brand’s approach to innovation, driven by deliberate foresight rather than passing trends. It also seek to maintain close ties with its community, learning how watch enthusiasts wear, pair, and experience their timepieces and accessories. Whether refining materials, rethinking construction, enhancing attachment systems, or elevating the user experience, every detail is approached with care and curiosity, with in-house product innovation at the core.

Delugs invests heavily in research, development, and prototyping, allowing it to design and refine each product from the ground up. The result is a range of future-facing products such as Cut-to-Size Rubber Straps and a soon-to-be-launched micro-adjustment clasp.

Meanwhile, their vertically integrated model ensures agility. By overseeing its own design, production, and distribution processes, the company can respond quickly to evolving customer preferences and trends.

While e-commerce remains the primary channel for its global sales, the launch of its flagship boutique at Singapore’s Raffles Hotel reflects how the brand’s innovation extends beyond product. The shop offers customers a space to explore the collection, customise their straps, and meet fellow collectors. It is also where the brand gathers feedback, hosts events, and connects with the community in a face-to-face setting. This testbed-style retail strategy ensures that product development - and the business – remains grounded in customer feedback.

Leather strap crafted in collaboration with Vacheron Constantin

LEARNING BY DESIGN

Every growing business faces its share of challenges, but at Delugs, failure is seen as part of building something meaningful. As the team builds a global watch strap brand - a rare feat in itself - it embraces setbacks as opportunities to learn, improve, and adapt. With a company philosophy grounded in experimentation, accountability, and responsiveness, the path to progress is anything but passive.

A pivotal lesson emerged in 2021, when the team branched into general leather goods. Despite their leathercraft expertise, the response was underwhelming because customers did not perceive Delugs as a leather goods company. Rather than persist, the company sharpened its focus, pivoting from lateral expansion to deeper category leadership, including a bold entry into unfamiliar materials such as rubber.

Another defining moment came in 2024, when the brand reversed its decision to avoid physical retail. Initially committed to e-commerce, the team opened a showroom and later, its flagship boutique. This move revealed a new customer segment – one that valued tactile experiences, face-to-face service, and the ability to try before buying.

BEYOND THE STRAP: MEASURING INFLUENCE

Delugs measures its success not by accolades or industry recognition, but by how it has redefined expectations. In a category often treated as secondary, the brand has introduced new standards of quality, accessibility, and engagement.

Across Singapore and internationally, the brand has reshaped how watch straps are purchased, worn, and enjoyed. Its Raffles Hotel boutique reflects this, offering customers an omni-channel experience and a community hub for customisation and connection.

Online, it has enriched the customer experience through tools like the Strap Finder, which allows users to visualise pairings before purchase - a valuable feature in a category where touch, fit, and style are personal.

Customer service is another hallmark. They offer round-the-clock live support that is fast, human, and informed, setting a new benchmark for after-sales care in luxury accessories.

The Delugs community and team – by enthusiasts, for enthusiasts

BY ENTHUSIASTS, FOR ENTHUSIASTS

Delugs is not just making watch straps – it is reshaping a category, setting a precedent, and creating a culture. For the brand, straps are more than accessories; they are expressions of individuality, craftsmanship, and community. By blending traditional craftsmanship, modern innovation, and authentic connections among enthusiasts worldwide, Delugs has brought new attention to an often-overlooked segment, transforming the humble strap into a meaningful platform for self expression.

As the company continues to grow, they remain focused on innovation, technology, and community, while staying true to the values that have shaped its journey. For Delugs, the strap is not the end of the story – it is where it all begins.