Kari Voutilainen is one of the most respected and revered independent watchmakers. The watches of this Finnish-born master watchmaker (no more than 50 pieces per year) are crafted to a level that cannot be achieved in mass production. We climbed the steep stairway of his Môtiers workshop to meet the master and understand why he is determined to remain an independent watchmaker.
Building a brand from scratch is a challenge. Success isn’t always (in fact, most of the time) present and few can claim “we made it”. Fromanteel could have been one of them, but this watch brand, founded in 2009, has stood the test of time and moved from the microbrand status to a more established young brand. Today we talk with Alfredo Silva, co-founder, to understand how to create a brand – and we’ll have a sneak peek at Fromanteel’s latest creation, the Pendulum Traveler Automatic.
A few years back, Dutch entrepreneur and watch enthusiast Tom van Wijlick decided to relaunch an old watchmaking name: Lebois & Co. What started as a one-off project founded on Kickstarter quickly moved to the next level with multiple re-launch (here and here) editions and now, Lebois & Co is what we could call a “microbrand”. Today we talk with Tom van Wijlick about two important topics. First is the launch of a new watch, the Venturist, which will soon be reviewed on MONOCHROME but that you’ll already see in this interview. Second is the introduction of a new (and truly interesting) business model, where clients and watch enthusiasts will have the opportunity to become a shareholder of the company… Let’s hear all the details.
A few years back, Dutch entrepreneur and watch enthusiast Tom van Wijlick decided to relaunch an old watchmaking name: Lebois & Co. What started as a one-off project founded on Kickstarter quickly moved to the next level with multiple re-launch (here and here) editions and now, Lebois & Co is what we could call a “microbrand”. Today we talk with Tom van Wijlick about two important topics. First is the launch of a new watch, the Venturist, which will soon be reviewed on MONOCHROME but that you’ll already see in this interview. Second is the introduction of a new (and truly interesting) business model, where clients and watch enthusiasts will have the opportunity to become a shareholder of the company… Let’s hear all the details.
Last but not least, to end our series that aims at deciphering the world of online watch marketplaces, we’ve decided to talk to the most “hype” of them all (let’s be honest, credit where credit is due): HODINKEE. What started as a hobby and a sheer passion for watches by Ben Clymer has now grown to a large magazine and an e-commerce website focused on watches and everything related to watches – and for the latter part, not without generating debate. For some, editorial and commercial activities shouldn’t coexist. So, in order to give full transparency on this part, we leave the stage to HODINKEE’s COO, Eneuri Acosta.
As you’ve seen from our previous episodes, the online watch market isn’t just a trend anymore. It is now well established and multiple heavy-weight companies are now playing market-makers. Yet, we talk about specialized firms, with one and only activity. More surprising are names such as Hodinkee, Worn & Wound or Revolution. All of them started their lives as watch magazines and have now added e-commerce to their portfolio of activities. To understand why and how watch-media can legitimately create value from such a business, we will first talk to our good friend Wei Koh, founder of Revolution and The Rake.
Today marks the fifth opus in our series of interviews focusing on deciphering the world of online watch marketplaces. Today, we look at Chronext and we talk with someone we know for some years already, CEO Philipp Man (who was featured in our “Collector’s Series” here). As he likes to say, “the new luxury buyer is online” confirming how important is this specific angle of the market. What makes Chronext different? Own stock, verified watches, authenticity guaranteed. Security in buying watches online, explained in the following interview.
After a look at Chrono24, Montredo and WatchBox, we continue our series focusing on understanding the online watch market – certainly one of the most important trends in the watch world today. Today, we’re talking to a newbie in the world of online watch marketplaces. The name of the company is Verado and his Founder & CEO is Claudio de Giovanni. What makes Verado unique? They claim to be “the facilitator of fair transactions between real people” – something that will be explained in the following interview.
Today, we continue our “Online Watch Market” series. After Chrono24 and Montredo, it is time to take a look at one of the main actors in this ultra-competitive market: WatchBox. Founded by experienced entrepreneurs and market-makers Danny Govberg (of US-based watch/jewels retailer Govberg Jewelers) and Tay Liam Wee (Asia-based retailer Sincere Watches), WatchBox is today opening its European Offices in Switzerland. Perfect timing to talk with our long-time friend Patrik Hoffmann (ex-CEO of a watch brand) about WatchBox Europe and the online watch market.
Yesterday we started with the first in a series of interviews with the CEOs of the world’s largest online watch marketplaces. Each and every place has its own specific ways of dealing with trade; one company owns the displayed inventory, the other doesn’t, and a third has a hybrid approach. One way or another, all these companies want to give you the best and most secure buying experience. But how do they do it? The respective CEOs explain this and today we’re talking with Philipp Budimann, CEO of Montredo.