Category: Interviews

Independent Watchmaking – In Conversation with “Monsieur” Philippe Dufour

Philippe Dufour is a living legend. The independent watchmaker is one of most (if not the most) revered craftsmen in the industry and his watches are regarded as the ultimate in traditional hand-finishing. We visited the 70-year-old master in the small village of Le Solliat, in the Vallée de Joux. There, Philippe Dufour crafts his watches entirely by hand, elevating the art of watchmaking to the highest level. Visiting his workshop is a unique experience. It is exactly what you have dreamed about, and yet everything is a surprise and catches your attention: old tools, ancient machines, drawers, books, raw materials… This place has soul.

7 years ago

Video – The Seamaster Chronicles – Part 2, How the Omega Seamaster Became an Icon (With CEO Raynald Aeschlimann and Auctioneer Thomas Perazzi)

Last week, we launched our new video project in association with Omega, “The Seamaster Chronicles“, which you’ve probably guessed, takes a deep dive into the world of the Omega Seamaster. This follows our other project focussed on the Moonwatch, the Speedmaster Chronicles. In our first instalment of the “The Seamaster Chronicles”, we took a close look […]

7 years ago

Independent Watchmaking – In Conversation with Kari Voutilainen

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.

7 years ago

Interview – Alfredo Silva, Co-Owner/Founder of Fromanteel Watches, about Building a Brand and a New Traveller Watch

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.

7 years ago

Interview – Tom van Wijlick from Lebois & Co about a New Watch and a Surprising Collectors/Shareholders Project

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.

7 years ago

Interview – Tom van Wijlick from Lebois & Co. about a New Watch and a Surprising Collectors/Shareholders’ Project

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.

7 years ago

Interview – The Online Watch Market – Eneuri Acosta From Hodinkee

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.

7 years ago

Interview – The Online Watch Market – Wei Koh from Revolution/The Rake

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.

7 years ago

Interview – The Online Watch Market – Philipp Man from Chronext

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.

7 years ago