Category: Interviews

Interview – The Online Watch Market – Claudio de Giovanni from Verado

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.

6 years ago

Interview – The Online Watch Market – Patrik Hoffmann from WatchBox Europe

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.

6 years ago

Interview – The Online Watch Market – Philipp Budiman from Montredo

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.

6 years ago

Interview – The Online Watch Market – Tim Stracke from Chrono24

It’s often said that the online world of buying (and selling) watches is kind of murky. I remember the days, actually not so long ago, when most watch brand websites started with a pop-up warning the visitor about watches for sale in the online world. Now, only a few years down the line, those very same brands have started to develop their own e-commerce channels. Besides these official e-commerce channels, the internet is teeming with online marketplaces and we will be asking the CEOs of the largest and most reputable online platforms to tell us more about their company, themselves and which watch tops their personal wish list.

6 years ago

Interview – Marco Tedeschi of RJ Watches About The Brand’s New Strategy

RJ Watches – previously RJ Romain Jérôme – has never been classical, conventional or traditional. Whether the watches or the communication strategy, things have always been “out of the box”. For over a year, the brand has a new CEO as well as a new name and, as expected, new watches. Today, we talk with Marco […]

6 years ago

Event – A. Lange & Söhne at Concours of Elegance, An Interview with CEO Wilhelm Schmid And Tons of Car/Watch Photos

Had you been walking past Hampton Court this weekend, no doubt you would you have heard the roar from the dozens of fine vintage specimens manoeuvring around the palace for the Concours of Elegance. This year was the first time A. Lange & Söhne had supported the event – though, you would be forgiven for confusing this Concourse of Elegance classic car event with the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este at Lake Como. Both events are supported by Lange, but this show held at Hampton Court Palace is, in fact, no relation to the one on Lake Como. Still, we were there, we enjoyed the scenery (cars and watches are always a winning combo – especially Lange x Classic Cars) and we talked with CEO Wilhelm Schmid.

6 years ago

Video – The Vacheron Constantin Overseas – Part 1, the Origins, the 222 and the Evolution of an Icon

In 1977, Vacheron Constantin, the oldest watch manufacturer in continuous operation, celebrated its 222nd anniversary. For this reason, the brand decided to create a special watch, right in the middle of what was named “the quartz crisis”. Swiss brands needed to reinvent themselves, making necessary disruptive changes. This is when the Vacheron Constantin 222, a true luxury sports watch, was born – a watch that would later become an icon under the name Overseas. In our latest series of videos, we will talk with Christian Selmoni, the brand’s heritage and style director, about the Vacheron Constantin Overseas. Today, in the first part, we focus on the origins, which includes the 222 and the first generations of Overseas.

6 years ago

Interview – Xavier de Roquemaurel, CEO of Czapek, About What Makes This Niche Brand Genuinely Unique

Genuinely different… When re-launched in 2015, the name Czapek made quite an impression, not only because of the watches presented back then but also because of the way the project had been financed. While crowdfunding often refers to affordable pieces, it is here attached to the words “Haute Horlogerie”. Very surprising indeed… This is why, today, we talk to Xavier de Roquemaurel, CEO of Czapek, to understand how the name has been revived, how the project came to life and what the future holds for this independent brand.

6 years ago

Interview – Talking Volvo Ocean Race with Delma Watch Ambassador Nick Moloney

Last month I had the distinct privilege to meet with Nick Moloney. For those who do not know the great names in the world of sailing, like me, here’s a brief resume… Nick sailed around the world three times, is a 15 x world sailing speed record holder, and has competed two times in the America’s Cup (and much more). He was involved in this year’s Volvo Ocean Race as the official Race Ambassador, he’s a Delma Watches ambassador and a great, really great, guy. We sat down with Nick, when the Volvo Ocean Race ended in The Hague, Netherlands, and we talked about sailing, the Volvo Ocean Race, the quest for cleaning the seas and of course watches.

6 years ago

Interview – Armin Strom’s Serge Michel and Claude Greisler talk about what makes the brand unique and what’s coming next

Armin Strom is not a usual brand. And this is not only due to the unique design of their watches. We’ve told it to you several times when reviewing their timepieces and when we took the opportunity to visit the manufacture – because Armin Strom is a truly integrated manufacture that produces most of the parts of a watch and that has a true innovation power (see the Resonance watch). Today, we take the time to talk with Serge Michel and Claude Greisler, owners of the brand, to talk about what makes this watch manufacture unique and what they have in mind for the future.

6 years ago