When celebrities from other countries visit Singapore, they often try to experience all things local. English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran went a step further during a recent show, wearing a watch strap crafted by homegrown brand Delugs.
Source: @peibacktime and @delugs on Instagram
Getting the watch strap to him was thankfully a breeze for the brand’s co-founders, thanks to a series of fortunate events that led them to him.
They eventually managed to hand Sheeran the watch straps personally when he arrived in Singapore for his ‘+–=÷× Tour’ last week.
The performer received the gift in time to pair it with his Patek 5230G Piece Unique for his 17 Feb gig at Capitol Theatre.
A week before Ed Sheeran arrived in Singapore, Delugs founder Kenneth Kuan, 30, uploaded a video on the brand’s Instagram page, imploring the watch community to help Delugs get Ed Sheeran’s attention.
He said that the team knew Sheeran enjoys wearing watches when he performs, particularly ones with rubber straps.
Hence, the team at Delugs prepared what they deemed a “perfect gift” for the singer in the form of a set of watch straps for his personal watch collection. They stored the straps in a special case that had been hand-painted with +–=÷× symbols.
Relying on the power of social media, the team hoped they could reach Sheeran and invite him to visit their showroom in Ubi.
On 16 Feb, Kuan and his partner, Chia Pei Qi, 29, received backstage passes to Sheeran’s sole ‘+–=÷× Tour’ date at the National Stadium.
In an Instagram story, they shared that many thought such a feat would be impossible. Reeling from the excitement, they expressed that they could not believe they were actually meeting the superstar.
Kuan highlighted that their meeting with Sheeran was only confirmed sometime before the concert started.
In a separate post, the pair uploaded an image of them beside the singer-songwriter, who was grinning while holding Delugs’ hand-painted case.
To their delight, their meeting with the acclaimed singer did not end that night.
The next day (17 Feb), they were invited once again to meet Sheeran backstage before his intimate gig at Capitol Theatre. That day was also the performer’s 33rd birthday.
This time round, the pair had the opportunity to install and size Delugs’ Navy CTS Strap on Sheeran’s Patek 5230G Piece Unique.
According to @insaneluxurylife on Instagram, the unique timepiece reflects Sheeran’s hometown, Framlingham. The star had also revealed the watch during Hodinkee’s ‘Talking Watches with Ed Sheeran’ interview.
Source: @peibacktime on Instagram
In her post, Chia highlighted that Sheeran took a genuine interest in Delugs’ straps. Notably, when he browsed through their mock-ups, he exclaimed: “Oh this combination looks so good!”
She also shared that “his eyes lit up” when he first paired their strap with his 5230G, because of how unique it looked.
Sheeran donned his timepiece with Delugs’ strap when performing during his gig.
Source: @peibacktime on Instagram
Chia mentioned that the experience far exceeded their expectations, and that “it really was a dream come true”.
Also read: ‘I want to do something special tonight’: Ed Sheeran & JJ Lin perform together at S’pore concert
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Featured image adapted from @peibacktime on Instagram and @ken.delugs on Instagram.
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