Zelos

Zelos was founded in 2014 by Elshan Tang, born from a lifelong passion for watches that began when he started collecting Seikos at age 15. While studying mechanical engineering at the National University of Singapore, Tang ran a side business trading pre-owned luxury watches. Finding the dealer lifestyle repetitive, he decided to design his own timepieces. Tang launched Zelos on Kickstarter with his inaugural watch, the Helmsman, raising $80,000 from enthusiastic backers. The brand name derives from the Greek word for zeal and passion, reflecting its ethos. What started as a one-man operation has grown substantially—Zelos produced nearly 10,000 watches in 2021, with business doubling or tripling annually. Tang remains the sole designer and primary employee, personally handling quality control in Singapore while assembly is completed in Hong Kong. The brand has expanded from affordable Seiko-powered dive watches to include Swiss movements from Sellita and La Joux-Perret, even venturing into tourbillons priced at $10,000.