The more watches he bought – and sold to fund his next purchase – the more friends he made within the watch-collecting community. “Meeting people is kind of a natural process as you acquire… You start to build connections organically,” he said.
As Chen bought and sold more watches, he began making friends within the watch-collecting community. Initially, it wasn’t about making a profit. “I had a limited amount of money, but I wanted to experience different watches, so I had to offload them. So naturally, I needed to sell some pieces to buy new ones,” he explained.
Those early experiences laid the foundation for his Instagram business. In 2023, he launched Rafflesia Vintage, named after the flower associated with Sir Stamford Raffles. He rebranded it as Reference Room in 2026, realising that the original name was not particularly suited to a cafe.
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