Sharon’s motto is “Always hone your skills, advocate for yourself and be confident in your ability.” — Photos: LOW LAY PHON/The Star
THE watch on the wrist of Sharon Lim is unusual and whimsy, and even a little chaotic.
Instead of the usual ascending order, the numerals on the dial have mostly swapped places.
Eight is where 12 normally is, and vice-versa; 2 is at the 6 o’clock position, and 6 is snuggled between 1 and 11 at the upper right corner of the dial – you get the idea.
The hour hand jumps at the top of each hour, while the minutes hand adheres to the conventional 60-minute cycle.
“Can you tell me the time now?” she jokingly asks, extending her forearm to show the Franck Muller Crazy Hours.
“It’s always jumping, it’s ‘crazy’,” she says. “What Franck Muller has developed in terms of complexity is very different, and this is something I like about the brand.”
As the CEO of Franck Muller Ptd Ltd since 2021, Sharon, who is the daughter of Cortina Holdings Ltd founder Anthony Lim, looks after the Southeast Asian and Australian markets.
Sharon enjoying a cuppa at the interview with StarChrono.
Her appointment followed Cortina Holdings’ acquisition of Sincere Watch Ltd and its subsidiaries in March that year.
The exclusive distributorship rights to Franck Muller in Asia-Pacific were part of the deal.
An obvious benefit of the takeover is the chance to finally flaunt the brand’s avant-garde timepieces on her wrist.
The Swiss manufacture is known for its grand complications and bold, bejewelled creations.
“Back in the ’90s, although we didn’t deal with Franck Muller, I had always admired the brand from afar.
“I am very happy because I can now buy my own Franck Muller watches and wear them,” Sharon tells StarChrono.
Among her priorities are expanding Franck Muller’s retail network and bringing in many exclusives to the region.
In January this year, Franck Muller opened its flagship boutique in Pavilion Kuala Lumpur, its largest in Asia.
The brand has charmed collectors with region-exclusive timepieces, such as the Vanguard Rose Skeleton Black Diamonds which has 422 brilliant-cut black diamonds on the case and 75 brilliant-cut gems on the dial, and the Long Island Evolution series – a trio of redefined tickers in pine green.
“A lot of customers are looking for exclusivity and value in these pieces.
“Of course, not every collection has to be exclusive, but it is something we would want to do for our market,” Sharon shares.
Having started in the industry three decades ago with a seat next to her father, who preferred to have an office right in the retail shop, Sharon has an acute sense of what the market desires.
That stems from having close relationships with their clients, a lesson imparted by her father.
“He always says that relationships are very important, be it professionally or personally.
“He could be successful because of the relationships he had.
“He knew all these distributors who had trust in him, and he knew all the customers who were also his friends. That helped him.”
The Lim elder also always stressed to his family the importance of being respectful to customers, employees and partners.
“My father is a man of integrity and resilience,” says Sharon.
“Resilience is not being afraid of setbacks. Even if you fall, you learn how to climb back up.
“The next value is being able to adapt.
“There were a lot of changes when I joined the business, but he was quite open-minded,” says Sharon.
Throughout the years, she was involved in marketing, retail and later distribution, building a solid grasp of the ins and outs of the trade.
Sharon notes a shift in the watch industry, which used to be dominated by male in high positions.
Among the women at the helm of companies within the industry are Audemars Piguet CEO Ilaria Resta, Chopard co-president and artistic director Caroline Scheufele and Jaeger-LeCoultre CEO Catherine Rénier.
“Luckily these days, things have changed a lot.
“It’s not necessarily so difficult for women to join the trade now,” Sharon points out.
“Women do face more challenges than men for sure, but what is important are talent, perseverance and hard work.
“More importantly, you need to have knowledge, be in tune with the trends and have passion for the watches.
“At the same time, always hone your skills, advocate for yourself and be confident in your ability,” she says.
Sharon raises the glass ceiling at work while being a doting mother to her children, now aged between 19 and 26.
“It’s extra hard work for women. I have three kids, so there was a lot of juggling to be done.
“We are fantastic, we are super women.
“There are extra challenges and this is why women are very resilient and strong.”
And just like the spirit of the Franck Muller brand, Sharon considers herself bold, very open-minded and not afraid to stand out.
“Sometimes, standing out is a good thing, people notice you.”
She has just returned from the preeminent trade show Watches and Wonders in Geneva when she launched the Long Island Evolution collection in Kuala Lumpur in April.
She notes that this year’s trends at the Watches and Wonders appear to be leaning towards the safer approach, with brands redefining their existing collections and expanding on their sellable models.
The industry is also observing a moderation in consumer spending, following the post-Covid-19 pandemic revenge buying.
“I believe brands that stand well can do well, because if you have something to offer and you push the boundaries, then there will be opportunities,” she opines.
“With our limited time in life, we need to seize the time and make it ours.
“I feel what’s important are the memories you create with time.
“Of course, I would like to believe that I can add value to other people’s life.
“It’s really about how much time you can spend with other people that we can impart values to them,” Sharon concludes.
