[Post 924] 2 Things You Didn't Know Singapore Made: A Talking PC And A Rollei Camera | On The Red Dot

Summary

From the world’s first talking computer built right here in Singapore to mementoes of sporting glory, everyday objects unlock surprising chapters of our nation’s story. Brenda Chow’s Cubic 99 wasn’t just a home PC—it was a global first, putting Singapore on the tech map. Former MP Ahmad Magad’s Rolleiflex SL35 ME camera takes us behind the rise of Rollei, then a world powerhouse in cameras, and how training local engineers built the bedrock of our precision industry. An Omega watch marks C. Kunalan’s crowning moment as Sportsman of the Year 1968 and 1969, when he sprinted into national history. And Jeffrey Ong’s Fairchild employee handbook reveals how one company’s investment created thousands of jobs for women, reshaping Singapore’s workforce. In their own way, these keepsakes chart how Singapore innovated, competed, and built—small objects with big stories of a nation on the move.