Swiss Perpetual’s origins date back to 2019, when Adrian Teh and his cousin Klein dreamed of opening a watch store in Cebu. Adrian is someone who has always been into watches for as long as I’ve known him, and the luxury goods space in general, really, having previously worked at Louis Vuitton. His cousin Klein was the perfect partner as well, with him being in the jewelry business.
The COVID-19 pandemic was ultimately the catalyst for their plans to move forward. Adrian, who was working for his family’s travel agency at the time, found himself at an impasse, with the world and tourism being put on hold, and he found himself pondering what to do next. He dabbled with the idea of a buko juice business, which, despite all his efforts, did not go to plan.
One day, while staying with Klein, he finally decided it was time to take the leap and go all in. Together with their good friend from college RC, the three partnered up to form what we now know as Swiss Perpetual – with a small case of watches to start with, and nobody but themselves and their own drive and will to succeed to fall back on, they would quickly turn that one case into three storefronts: one in Manila, one in Davao, and now in one in his hometown of Cebu, in the short span of 5 years and go on to become one of the most recognizable names in luxury watches nationwide.
You don’t come to Swiss Perpetual just to buy a timepiece – you come to make new lifelong friends, gain knowledge, and immerse yourself in the hobby that is watches. Don’t get me wrong, the prices the pieces are offered at are great – some of the best in fact, but as Adrian himself vehemently emphasizes, price is not the first thing they think of here at SP.
Being a collector himself, he finds the value not in how much the watches trade for, whether they appreciate or not, rather, he sees them for the characteristics the market more often than not doesn’t show – the intangibles, if you will, “sentimental” value even.
Look, it doesn’t take a nuclear physicist to tell you that you don’t need a wristwatch in 2025. In fact, your phone probably tells the time better than any watch could. So then why? Well, simply put, they’re timeless, they have no expiration date, and they can mean something. The opening of a new business, the birth of a child, your wedding, the lasting memory of a loved one, and many more.
Watches, simply put, are romantic, and there might be no one on the island of Cebu who expresses that romance better than Adrian. Look no further than one of the most prized pieces in his personal collection: a “humble” Junghans Max Bill that his parents gifted to him when he graduated. It’s a piece that he says helped spark and ignite his passion for the hobby that he now cherishes more than any other.
Anecdotally, Adrian shares his excitement for how the Cebuano watch scene has grown over the years, and finds joy in the fact that many more locals have come to recognize even the more obscure pieces on people’s wrists. “A secret handshake” is how he describes certain watches – and how certain pieces can show the type of person people are without even saying a word. He hopes to use his knowledge and expertise to help nurture this even further and hopes to see the local scene grow even more.
Walking into the Cebu store feels like coming over to a friend’s place more than anything else, really, and it’s meant to be that way – Adrian expresses wanting to make the hobby feel as approachable as possible to anyone and everyone, as some can feel intimidated walking into authorized dealerships and the like.
You’re free to look around for anything that interests you, but the experience really begins to take shape once you engage in conversation and ask questions to the man himself and his staff. Adrian is a well of knowledge – and as a self-proclaimed watch nerd myself, I can guarantee you that no matter how much you think you know, there’s always something you can learn every time you stop by.
This is exactly the type of service I talked about previously. Sure, anyone nowadays can sell you a Rolex. But can they tell you what the movement underneath it is like? Or whether there is an alternative that will look better on your wrist?
There is a sense of genuineness that you rarely find in other dealerships that you get the moment you walk into Swiss Perpetual. You can visit their storefront located on the second floor of Banilad Town Centre, and find them on their socials @swissperpetualcebu.
Photography John Justimbaste