Interviews Archives - Revolution Watch

In Conversation with: Kenneth Kuan, founder of Delugs

Katherine Arteche — Wed, 04 Oct 2023 00:00:31 +0000

In Conversation with: Kenneth Kuan, founder of Delugs

Five years since their official launch, Delugs is on their way to going places. Kenneth Kuan, Founder of Delugs, talks to us about being a business owner, a watch collector, and tips on taking care of your strap game.

Interviews

By Katherine Arteche

Oct 4, 2023

It’s a classic question to every business idea: ‘What If?’ Delugs Founder Kenneth Kuan (better known to friends and fans as Ken), wondered, “What if I used my leather crafting expertise to create watch straps?” If you’re looking down at your watch now and have begun to scrutinize the mild frays of your cracked leather band, maybe it’s time to shop for a whole new wrist wardrobe.

Last month, Ken launched Delugs’ YouTube channel, with a reintroduction of the homegrown brand. Since 2018, the leather atelier is on their way to becoming a watch accessories enterprise, from launching a wide range of ready-to-wear pieces to honing their bespoke program. Looking ahead to 2023, Delugs plans to expand its rubber strap collection, offering regular straps and integrated options for various sports models.

Founder of Delugs, Kenneth Kuan. Image: Revolution ©

As we settled into our conversation at the Revolution Watch Bar, Ken whipped out various tools from a nondescript canvas bag that he used in his early leather crafting days – a skiving knife, picking iron, hole puncher, and a stitching pony, to name a few. With a sizable team that’s now under his employ and the use of more automated systems, the tools now serve as a humbling, and perhaps to an extent, sentimental, reminder as to how he started.

“My hope is that brands will see us more as partners,” said Ken. “My message to them is that I’m not your competitor.”

Image: Revolution ©

Among the workshop paraphernalia of old, he also pulled out a roll of custom dyed Himalayan alligator leather that stretched no longer than a meter in length. Taking several completed straps, he matched their grain to various areas of the alligator. The most favorable parts are the midsection, i.e. the belly and the flank. At least 10 straps can be extracted from this piece.

“Let’s be real, there’s a lot of parts of the leather that you can’t use,” said Ken, as we started to discuss sustainability practices at his workshop. “The parts are either scarred or come from an unfavorable section that produces no pattern. However, we are looking at making smaller items with those, such as keychains or keepers on the straps.”

He’s just Ken: The watch collector

Ken describes himself as a rookie to the watch world as he started his watch collecting journey about five years ago, at about the same time he started his leather crafting business. “My watch collection started out with dress watches. Even at this point, I only have a couple of Rolex watches; leather straps do not go well with Rolex watches at all.

“Call it an occupational hazard but with Delugs creating these great rubber straps, I find myself leaning towards sports watches. Admittedly, it’s an R&D thing for me sometimes, as I put them on just to test things out.”

Image: Revolution ©

Ken shared that his current affinity is with independent brands. And with the selections from his impressive personal collection, it’s a well curated one. It includes a Grönefeld, Romain Gauthier, MB&F, De Bethune, a Cartier Cintrée, a limited edition Seiko Presage with a blue “ice shard” dial (his first acquisition), and one of his more recent additions, a blue-dialed Pascal Coyon whose caseback houses a generously sized exhibition crystal.

“The spirit of independent watchmaking is something I can relate to in terms of how I run Delugs as an independent business owner myself,” said Ken. “You get to push the envelope a little bit more, and you treat every project like a new novelty.

Image: Revolution ©

“And what drives them is simply their passion. They have a certain idea on what they want to bring to the world – they get to cut out the bureaucratic practices, and I daresay even the financial logic to things. You get to contemplate if it’ll even make financial sense, unlike the bigger brands who have to answer for the expected revenue, market share, etc.

“Needless to say, it’s much easier to work with independent brands. Getting a meeting with them is comparatively more accessible, and you get to deal with the founders themselves.

“That’s exactly what happened with Sartory Billard. After I received my watch order for one of his watches, I took a photo of it with one of our curved straps. When he saw it, he invited me to a discussion to produce the rubber straps for his next sports watch. Just like that.”

The Future is Delugs

So now that we’ve established that Delugs makes good straps, what’s the challenge? “There’s a certain level of brand acceptance that we’re still working towards,” said Ken. “The day has yet to come where people would want to have a Delugs strap onto their Rolex watch, for example. It’s Frankenstein in a way, still.”

And metal bracelets are not off the table. “We’re definitely looking into it. The aim is to be the go-to business for all sorts of watch accessories, and producing metal bracelets would be a natural progression.

A Delugs prototype clasp. Image: Revolution ©

“It will be trickier, because bracelets are often designed together with the watch case it came with, so I foresee challenges in getting someone to switch their bracelet out for something that’s not. Metal bracelets also require fine details that will improve its quality of life, per se. Take for example, micro-adjustment features and quick-switch systems.”

Ken’s parting advice for a good strap game

“The two main things I’ve noticed that people do with their watch straps is, firstly, they’re wearing straps that are not at a right length for their wrists, especially for the ladies,” he said. “They settle with stock straps that don’t sit well, typically very loose, and in turn, both the strap and the watch could get ruined.”

“Watch straps have an “overhang” too. Fabric straps with a long tail are akin to wrongly-sized clothing: They just don’t fit.”

The Delugs expert: Ken dresses Omega, IWC, Hermès

How would you dress an Omega Seamaster Ploprof 75th Anniversary?

Omega Seamaster Ploprof 75th Anniversary
Delugs baby blue CTS rubber strap

“Definitely our baby blue rubber strap.”

How would you dress an IWC Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Top Gun?

IWC Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Top Gun
Delugs dark grey Alcantara strap

“I would go with a gray alcantara strap with red stitching. And if I’m crazy enough, I’ll add a red keeper as well.”

How would you dress an Hermès H08 in yellow?

Hermès H08
Delugs white CTS rubber strap

“Yellow is a tough one for us, we don’t have enough yellow straps. [laughs] I’ll go with a white rubber strap. The color is luxurious and represents confidence. It says: ‘I know it can get dirty but I know how to take care of it that it will not be.’”

Reference

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FEATURED FROM ARTICLE

Sold Out

Angelus

ANGELUS x REVOLUTION CHRONODATE "ANGELS' SHARE"

$23,800.00

TECH SPECS

Movement	Self-winding caliber A-500; 60 hours power reserve
Functions	Hours, minutes, small seconds, chronograph and date
Case	42.5mm; titanium; water resistant to 30m
Dial	Salmon (6N gold plated) with gené or frosted area; Super-LumiNova filled Arabic numerals
Strap	Ballistic gray rubber; titanium folding clasp

The post In Conversation with: Kenneth Kuan, founder of Delugs appeared first on Revolution Watch.

Ahead of the Curve

Bhanu Chopra — Tue, 22 Aug 2023 09:30:57 +0000

Ahead of the Curve

From the power of collaborations to the buzz of e-commerce, Hublot’s Spirit of Big Bang showcases a modern and dynamic personality.

Interviews

By Bhanu Chopra

Aug 22, 2023

This summer, Hublot unleashes its third collaboration with Swiss tattoo artist Maxime Plescia-Büchi, who is renowned for his intricate graphical artistry. Having started working with Hublot in 2016, Maxime finds Hublot’s daring and innovative approach to be a perfect match for his own creative philosophy. In 2023, they release three limited edition models of the Hublot Spirit of Big Bang as well as two additional bejeweled models.

Concurrently, Hublot also harnesses the power of e-commerce to ensure equal opportunities for collectors worldwide by offering the limited edition Spirit of Big Bang Essential Grey, sold exclusively at Hublot.com.

Hublot Spirit of Big Bang Essential Grey

The novelties for 2023 lend a new edge and aesthetic to Hublot’s Spirit of Big Bang collection, expressing the quintessence of the brand’s philosophy, “Art of Fusion,” with different synergies and combinations of materials, colors and finishes that are as captivating as they are artistically intriguing.

Power of Collaboration: Spirit of Big Bang Sang Bleu

Hublot and Maxime Plescia-Büchi have embarked on a transformative seven-year collaboration that has yielded the extraordinary Spirit of Big Bang Sang Bleu timepiece. This remarkable watch exemplifies the marriage of artistic expression and meticulous craftsmanship, resulting in a creation that transcends the ordinary. With its three- dimensional design, harmonious geometry and bold spirit, the Spirit of Big Bang Sang Bleu completely infuses Plescia- Büchi’s artistic influences into every fiber of its being.

Hublot Spirit of Big Bang Sang Bleu – King Gold Pavé

Since its inception in 2014, the Spirit of Big Bang has captivated discerning watch connoisseurs with its distinctive barrel-shaped case and reinterpretation of design elements. In this third collaboration, Plescia-Büchi ingeniously reimagines the lines of the Spirit of Big Bang, injecting it with a renewed sense of identity and architectural elegance. While respecting the essence of the barrel shape, the Sang Bleu geometry and symmetry bestow upon the timepiece a fresh and captivating perspective. This collaboration epitomizes Hublot’s commitment to adaptability and, more importantly, the beautiful of real collaborations.

Maxime Plescia-Büchi, an artistic virtuoso renowned for his mastery of typography, tattooing and visual artistry, channels his creative prowess into the Spirit of Big Bang Sang Bleu. Much like his tattoos, which give rise to new identities, he painstakingly transforms every component of the watch, from the case to the crystal, the bracelet to the clasp. The result is a mesmerizing interplay of shapes and volumes, characterized by elongated beveled features and meticulously measured angles that evoke a sense of perfect harmony. The unmistakable Sang Bleu signature permeates the timepiece, granting it an immediately recognizable identity.

Maxime Plescia-Büchi

The Spirit of Big Bang Sang Bleu collection comprises three highly limited editions: 200 units in titanium, 200 in All Black ceramic, and a further 100 units in the regal King Gold. Two additional models enchant with their opulent allure, featuring 180 diamonds meticulously set in titanium or King Gold for a pair of variations that have an incredible architectural structure and a brilliant beauty at the same time. The 42mm diameter case is fully adorned with intricate geometric tattoos that express the artistry and craftsmanship of its creators. The sapphire dial showcases the mesmerizing HUB4700 automatic skeleton chronograph movement, while the disk hands proudly bear the characteristic geometry born from the collaboration with Sang Bleu.

Hublot Spirit of Big Bang Sang Bleu – All black Ceramic

Hublot Spirit of Big Bang Sang Bleu – Titanium

Despite its generous proportions, the Spirit of Big Bang Sang Bleu ensures an impeccable ergonomic fit for wrists of all sizes, catering to both men and women. The subtly arched back of the case and sapphire crystal provide a seamless and comfortable wearing experience. The structure of the hands has been further enhanced, and the hour and minute markers refined, ensuring optimal legibility. This timepiece seamlessly marries form and function, transcending the realm of mere aesthetics.

The partnership between Hublot and Maxime Plescia- Büchi has blossomed into an extraordinary artistic trilogy. It commenced in 2016 with the inception of the first Big Bang Sang Bleu, featuring three-dimensional geometry inspired by Leonardo da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man. In 2019, the Sang Bleu II saw the collaboration expand to encompass the entire Big Bang model, uniting the case, hexagonal bezel, sapphire crystal, hands, and bracelet in a unified symphony of artistry. Now, in 2023, the Spirit of Big Bang serves as a magnificent canvas for the Sang Bleu aesthetic, marking the next chapter of this visionary partnership.

The Spirit of Big Bang Sang Bleu represents the pinnacle of artistic expression between a watchmaker and a tattoo artist. Whether cased in precious gold or futuristic ceramic and titanium, the watch embodies a harmonious fusion of design, craftsmanship and innovation. With its breathtaking geometry, meticulous attention to detail and production exclusivity, the Spirit of Big Bang Sang Bleu has completely redefined what it means to be in pursuit of perfection. It is not just a timekeeping instrument but a true work of art that will forever captivate those who appreciate the union of creativity and precision. Revolution recently had an opportunity for an elevator chat with Maxime where we spoke about his latest Sang Bleu timepieces for Hublot.

Hublot Spirit of Big Bang Sang Bleu – King Gold Pavé

This is your third collaboration with Hublot. What do you admire about the brand and the ethos for continued collaboration?

Hublot’s willingness to truly go beyond their —and the watch industry’s — comfort zone is so unique and, quite frankly, I do not see any other brand that would have gone for such a daring project at the time we started. It is the way I operate as well; naturally, we clicked. Ironically, I have seen in the recent years a growing amount of pieces from other brands using similar aesthetics. Were we just ahead of the zeitgeist, or did we influence them, or both? We’ll never know for sure but still, I do not see any major house like Hublot getting anywhere near to this level of innovation. Other collab pieces that brands do seem to only remain on a very cosmetic level. We [are] committed to rethinking everything!

How did you seamlessly merge tattoo art with watch design?

My process is not like this. Tattooing or watchmaking is the end of a process; one doesn’t lead to the other. I start on a very abstract level, questioning and defining the formal or conceptual gestalt [the structure or experience, when considered as a whole] I am interested in. Then I work at formulating how they may be expressed in a specific context, e.g. tattooing or horological design. Then there may be a feedback effect from a specific implementation to the overarching abstract ideas, which updates the starting point for the next project.

Hublot Spirit of Big Bang Sang Bleu – King Gold Pavé

The latest Spirit of Big Bang Sang Bleu has a multifaceted geometric construct. How did you arrive at such a complex design?

Geometry is where visual form meets mathematics. But a clock, in its essence, is mathematical as well, in the way it displays information. But obviously, in the way it transforms natural organic movements of the body into an even, controlled one that can then be read as time-related information. In traditional watchmaking, this mathematical rationale is physically held in a contraption (a case with a bracelet or strap) whose shape is only loosely, if at all, related to the movement or display. My process aims to expand the mathematical dynamics of the informational and physical structures and let it “overflow” to the case [and] straps as far as can be, only adjusting it to the needs of ergonomics.

The choice of skeletonized sapphire dial with the visible mechanical movement makes a bold visual. Why did you select the skeletonized dial as the canvas this time?

The previous model has it as well. It just makes sense as the design is meant to also lead people to look and appreciate the design of the movement. I am hoping, in future projects, we may even be able to work on the design of a movement itself.

Hublot Spirit of Big Bang Sang Bleu

Tech Specs

Spirit of Big Bang Sang Bleu – King Gold Pavé Ref. 648.OX.0108.RX.1604.MXM23
Movement: Self-winding skeletonized caliber HUB4700; 50-hour power reserve
Functions: Hours, minutes, small seconds, chronograph and date
Case: 42mm; polished 18K King Gold set with 80 diamonds, King Gold bezel set with 100 diamonds; water resistant to 100m
Dial: Sapphire crystal
Strap: Black smooth rubber; 18K King Gold and black PVD titanium folding clasp
Price: US$70,400
Availability: Limited edition of 100 piece

Power of E-Commerce: Spirit of Big Bang Essential Grey

In addition to the new Sang Bleu collaboration, Hublot has unveiled another limited edition piece for a completely different segment, the Spirit of Big Bang Essential Grey. Following its philosophy that colors should be treated as limited editions, Hublot presents a unique concept in the world of timepieces. Each year, the Essential Grey collection offers a single color, a single model, and a single channel for purchase. This approach caters to both avid collectors, who eagerly acquire each vintage, and casual enthusiasts patiently awaiting the arrival of their perfect model.

Hublot Spirit of Big Bang Essential Grey

The star of this year’s Essential Grey line is the Spirit of Big Bang, by now a collection that has begun to really come into its own. Crafted entirely from 100 percent titanium, including the case, bezel, screws, crown, push-pieces, caseback and folding clasp, the Spirit of Big Bang Essential Grey showcases the chromatic properties of this exquisite material. Hublot has meticulously sandblasted and ground the titanium, resulting in a soft, radiant gray that forms the base for this extraordinary timepiece. The rubber strap has been carefully matched, featuring black thread lining on the outer edge to emphasize its sleek appearance.

Attention to detail is evident throughout the watch, with Hublot treating all components with equal precision. Subtle variations have been introduced to enhance legibility without compromising the timepiece’s overall aesthetic. Notable changes can be observed on the date disk, located at half-past four, and the chronograph counters at three and six o’clock. Multiple finishes, including mirror polishing, drawn lines, graining, luminescent hour markers and rhodium-plated hands, create a captivating interplay of depth and texture.

Hublot Spirit of Big Bang Essential Grey

Powering the Spirit of Big Bang Essential Grey is the HUB4700 caliber, an automatic chronograph movement operating at a high frequency of 5Hz or 36,000 vibrations per hour. With a generous power reserve of 50 hours, this movement ensures accuracy and reliability. The 42mm case provides ample space for the Spirit of Big Bang to make a bold statement, retaining its signature lateral push-pieces and offering water resistance up to 100 meters. The watch is also equipped with Hublot’s One-Click system, allowing for effortless bracelet changes without the need for tools. Two variations of straps are available, including gray grooved rubber and gray with a Velcro buckle and ceramic.

Only 100 pieces will be manufactured, making this year’s edition twice as rare as its predecessor. To ensure equal opportunities for collectors worldwide, the collection will be available exclusively online at Hublot.com. This approach exemplifies Hublot’s commitment to treating all enthusiasts fairly, regardless of their proximity to the brand’s sales outlets.

Hublot Spirit of Big Bang Essential Grey

Moreover, Hublot offers a unique advantage to customers who purchase their timepieces online. The Hublot Complete Service accompanies every online sale, commencing from the moment of purchase and extending beyond the warranty period. This comprehensive service includes a range of benefits such as restoring the watch’s original finish, renewing water resistance, overhauling the movement, and ensuring strict quality control. The Spirit of Big Bang Essential Grey qualifies automatically for this rejuvenating treatment, guaranteeing that your timepiece remains in pristine condition for years to come.

Hublot’s CEO, Ricardo Guadalupe, provided us with his insights into the brand’s e-commerce strategy.

Hublot has an established e-commerce platform in the U.S. Did the pandemic accelerate the rollout of digital commerce?

Yes, the crisis we faced definitively changed the way people buy today. Digital becomes more and more important, but only as long as it offers a real customer experience, with services worthy of the name. Of course, the project was in preparation before the start of the crisis, but we were forced to speed up work. We therefore decided to launch our online business platform the same day as we did launch the Big Bang e Black Ceramic and Big Bang e Titanium (connected watches from our core collection).

How do you strike a balance between e-commerce and brick-and-mortar boutiques and retail?

We have a client-centric approach at Hublot, which means that we believe our clients should be able to purchase whenever, wherever and however they choose. Thus, e-commerce is complementary to our retail footprint in that it gives clients the opportunity to purchase where we may geographically not have boutiques or when boutiques are closed or, quite simply, because they prefer to shop online. We also do know that our clients usually discover and explore the brand first online. Thus, we also would like to give clients an opportunity to purchase at this same moment of enchantment. E-commerce and retail are also intimately linked, as we know the client journey doesn’t end at the purchase; it’s actually in some ways the beginning. Thus, we fully expect and are equipped with services that allow the client to have a fluid experience between the online and physical worlds.

Hublot Spirit of Big Bang Essential Grey

What is your strategy for e-commerce-only editions in the U.S. market?

At Hublot we listen to our partners and to our customers. We understand their preferences and needs, then we bring our extensive know-how and craftsmanship to create watches at market demand while keeping up to our brand standards. In the U.S., we did launch the Classic Fusion Bronze Brown in 2022 as a U.S. e-commerce exclusive. This was sold out with a great success and we might reiterate the same action in the future.

Tech Specs

Spirit of Big Bang Essential Grey Ref. 642.NX.0110.NR.HEC23
Movement: Self-winding skeletonized caliber HUB4700; 50-hour power reserve
Functions: Hours, minutes, small seconds, chronograph and date
Case: 42mm; satin-finished and polished titanium; water resistant to 100m
Dial: Sapphire crystal
Strap: Gray fabric with Velcro and black ceramic buckle; additional black and silver lined rubber with titanium folding clasp
Price: US$24,100
Availability: Limited edition of 100 pieces and available exclusively on Hublot.com

Reference

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FROM THE SHOP

Bell & Ross

Bell & Ross x Alessandro Palazzi x Revolution & The Rake Bellytanker Chronograph "Vesper"

$5,250.00

TECH SPECS

Movement	Self-winding caliber BR.CAL-301; 42-hour power reserve
Functions	Hours, minutes, small seconds, chronograph and date
Case	41mm; CuAI7Si2 bronze; water resistant to 100m
Dial	Sunray brushed with applied, gold-plated indices
Strap	Black calfskin; satin polished bronze folding clasp
Limited Edition	Limited edition of 50 pieces

The post Ahead of the Curve appeared first on Revolution Watch.

Second Skin: Part Two, The Bvlgari Octo Finissimo with Shary Rahman

Revolution — Thu, 20 Jul 2023 13:00:57 +0000

In this three-part series, we explore the Bvlgari Octo Finissimo with three esteemed guests, all amazing and respectable in their own rights.

Wei sits down with Ahmed Rahman to talk about his passion and admiration for the Bvlgari Octo Finissimo series.

Ahmed Rahman, widely known as Shary, is a highly regarded figure in the world of watch collecting. Hailing from Bangladesh, he ventured to England during his formative years to pursue his education, and he now calls Mayfair, London his home. From this elegant locale, Shary oversees the marketing operations of his family business, further establishing his expertise in the field.

Guided by a refined taste and a passion for craftsmanship, Shary’s style reflects his upbringing and influences. With a deep appreciation for bespoke tailoring, he effortlessly exudes sophistication and elegance in his fashion choices. Complementing his discerning taste, Shary’s love for fine cigars and watches adds an extra layer of distinction to his character.

Shary’s profound knowledge of watches sets him apart as a true connoisseur. His extensive collection and expertise make him a sought-after authority in the watch community. With an acute eye for detail, he seeks out timepieces that embody both exceptional artistry and technical innovation.

This makes Shary a distinguished figure in watch collecting, renowned for his impeccable sense of style, extensive knowledge, and unwavering passion for fine craftsmanship.

Part I with Laurent Picciotto

The post Second Skin: Part Two, The Bvlgari Octo Finissimo with Shary Rahman appeared first on Revolution Watch.

Why a collaboration between Audemars Piguet and Marvel is more relevant than it seems

Wei Koh — Mon, 17 Jul 2023 04:00:06 +0000

Why a collaboration between Audemars Piguet and Marvel is more relevant than it seems

Glory Days: Outgoing CEO of Audemars Piguet, François-Henry Bennahmias, gives a masterclass on creating cultural relevance.

Interviews

By Wei Koh

Jul 17, 2023

François-Henry Bennahmias has, after his decade-long tenure at the helm of Audemars Piguet, assured his place in watchmaking leadership’s Hall of Valhalla. While the fact that he took Audemars Piguet from a 600 million Swiss franc a year business to a 2.01 billion Swiss franc business within a decade is already extraordinary, it is the way that he did it that separates him from the rest of the crowd. Because what Bennahmias has succeeded in doing is to transform the Royal Oak, a timepiece created by AP in 1972 as the world’s very first luxury integrated bracelet, sports chic watch, into an internationally recognized symbol for success.

The way he did it had its start before he took the reins of the company based in Le Brassus. It dates back to his tenure as AP’s head of North America, when he embarked on a brazenly daring rescue mission for the entire watch industry to assert its relevance in the culture of today.

Thanks to him, Audemars Piguet became the first luxury watch brand to forge connections with the worlds of hip-hop by partnering with Jay-Z, sports with then-emerging athletes such as LeBron James, and cinema with Arnold Schwarzenegger. It was basically thanks to Bennahmias that watches went mainstream, an effort he continues today with his collaboration with Marvel. The result was a level of desire for the Royal Oak and all other iterations including the Royal Oak Offshore and Royal Oak Concept that was unprecedented for any watch in our industry.

Bennahmias’ clear objective was to achieve the same level of desirability for his watches as that of Hermès handbags, creating a condition where demand far outstripped supply — so much so that secondary prices for Royal Oaks skyrocketed, ensuring that the waiting list for new watches only grew longer and longer. If you’re wondering who it was that created the current unprecedented popularity for watches, if you’re wondering who single-handedly elevated the integrated bracelet category to become the most popular luxury accessory on the planet, if you’re wondering why every celebrity on the red carpet is wearing a talking piece watch, the answer is simple. It’s because François-Henry Bennahmias willed this into being.

François-Henry Bennahmias

The following interview was part of his “farewell tour,” as he is now handing the reins of AP to a new CEO Ilaria Resta. But even then, he has put in place the next stage of accelerated growth for the brand, with a focus on becoming one of the most dominant players in women’s watches. The interview took place at the launch of AP’s second collaboration with Marvel, which resulted in the Royal Oak Concept Tourbillon “Spider-Man.” That evening, a pièce unique version of the timepiece, featuring Spider-Man in a black suit and luminous elements on the case, sold for a staggering 6.2 million U.S. dollars at a charity auction. The interview was conducted by multiple journalists, but I have amalgamated all the most relevant questions and answers here, which to me constitute Bennahmias’ masterclass on creating cultural relevance — something he has done better than anyone else.

So, how did the Marvel collaboration start?

OK, let’s flashback to 2003 and 2004. It was after we had made the partnership with hip-hop and I was looking for other ways to enhance our visibility. I saw that Marvel was more and more present in contemporary culture and I said, “That’s it!” So we went to their office in New York. Audemars Piguet then was not what it is today. And they were not interested at all. So I said, “OK, nothing is going to happen between AP and Marvel.”

Fast forward to the 2010s, we were the sponsor on the red carpet at the Tony Awards. Don Cheadle [aka Colonel James Rhodes in the Marvel movies] arrived. He was wearing a different watch brand and I said to him — bear in mind I didn’t know him at the time — “One day you are going to grow up and know which watch you should wear.” He asked, “What watch should I wear?” I said, “AP.” And he said “Tell me more about AP.” And that was how we became friends.

What happened next?

He started to wear our watches. We would talk a few times a year, then after a few years we sort of lost touch. But that’s normal life and we’re both busy. Then in 2014 I got a text from him. He asked, “Where in the world are you?” I told him. He said, “Where are you headed next?” “Paris,” I said. He said, “Me too”. So there we were in Paris, having a drink, and I told him that I had one regret and it was that we’d never worked with Marvel. He said, “What do you mean?” I told him that in 2003/2004 we had gone to see them and they said no.

And what did he say?

Don took his phone out and on the spot called Kevin Feige, the president of Marvel Studios. So, three weeks later, I was in Los Angeles meeting the Marvel team. Don came to the meeting as well. The rest is history.

How did you choose Black Panther and Spider-Man as the first collaborations?

Marvel chose the first two. At the meeting, they presented us six characters from the Marvel Universe. What is impressive about Marvel is how well structured their planning is. They know years in advance every movie, series and spin-off they are going to make with incredible accuracy. So they told us who they wanted the first two characters to be. Black Panther as number 1. And then the second had to be Spider-Man because he is really the powerhouse of the Marvel Universe.

The Spider-Man watch features a very cool sense of three-dimensionality…

I think there is a really amazing evolution in how we have dealt with the character and the three-dimensionality we incorporated into the Spider-Man watch. The new watch also features a completely different movement that is more skeletonized to really give the feeling of Spider-Man moving through the urban landscape. We really wanted to push ourselves in terms of innovation, including the pièce unique that will be auctioned off tonight. But for the third collaboration, Marvel gave us the opportunity to choose the character. The watch is already done and it will come out in 2025. And the name of the hero is… I forgot.

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept Tourbillon "Spider-Man"

People talk about the opposition between the populist dimension of Marvel and the refinement of a brand like Audemars Piguet — that the two don’t mix. What do you say to that?

I disagree and I’ll tell you a story that demonstrates what I mean. In 2021, after the launch of Black Panther in April, I went to play golf in Megève [in France]. I wanted to take a golf cart, so I went into the pro shop and sitting there was a kid about 20 years old. He spotted the watch on my wrist straight away and went, “Woah, Black Panther!” And without thinking about it, I took the watch off my wrist and passed it to him. He was stunned and said, “Are you sure?” I said, “Go ahead, try it on, I’ll be back.” Before going to play I went back to the kid for my watch and he said, “You must be François of AP. I love your brand. One day I will get an AP!”

That’s amazing.

After playing I sat down for lunch. The waiter was another kid about 20 years old. He looked at the watch and went, “Woah! I love Black Panther.” He said, “I love AP, it is the best! I cannot afford it now but one day if I make money, I will buy an AP.” This is the answer. There is nothing wrong with appealing to millions of people, regardless of whether they can afford the watch. It’s like Ferrari. Everyone knows who Ferrari is. Not everyone can afford [the cars] but there is not a man on the planet that doesn’t dream of owning a Ferrari. Same thing for AP. Now the other thing to talk about is that there is a lot of craftsmanship and authenticity at the heart of this collaboration. We remain faithful to who we are with this highly complicated timepiece.

AP X Marvel Royal Oak Concept Black Panther Flying Tourbillon

You were a pioneer in connecting with the younger generation by activating popular culture. Why is this important?

You may remember in 2015 when you came to see us at the SIHH when the Apple Watch came out, many of the world’s journalists kept asking us, “You guys realize you’re dead, right?” [They were] suggesting that the Apple Watch could wipe out the luxury mechanical watch business. The prevailing belief was that the new generation would be totally uninterested in conventional horology, that young people would only wear either no watch or exclusively smartwatches. But guess what? Exactly the opposite happened. To me, engaging the young generation is fundamental. Unlike some other brands, we find that young AP lovers are preaching the choir for AP to their parents and this is amazing.

Why do you think that is the case?

When I was growing up, there were only three ways to learn. Teachers, parents and books. Today, many parents are learning from their kids because kids have access to limitless information through the web and social media. So, the equation has changed. We saw an entire new generation arrive and absolutely fall in love with the craftsmanship and artistry of mechanical watches, and [they] preached the value of watchmaking to their parents. And one of the reasons behind this is the connection between watches and hip-hop, sports, entertainment, movies and, yes, Marvel. AP played a huge role there because it entered these fields before anyone else.

Is a comic character on a watch something radical and new?

No, we didn’t invent anything. If you look back at the 1930s, you can see the proliferation of comic characters such as Mickey Mouse appearing on wristwatches. Then in the ’80s, Gérald Genta had the brilliant idea to elevate these characters by putting them on the dial of his high-end watches. So, in the early 2000s, I wondered what is the equivalent of Mickey Mouse today? There was only one answer: Marvel characters! Watches should be fun

It is like when Richard Mille created his candy watch collection, I thought to myself, “This is great!” It enters into the world of fun while still being savoir-faire driven. As long as we respect the integrity of our craftsmanship and the watchmaking tradition then why should we not have fun?

I couldn’t agree more.

At AP, we always say we are a serious brand but we don’t take ourselves too seriously, meaning we have integrity but we want to have fun! Want another example? Look around this room. Fifteen years ago, this entire press conference would have taken place with us all wearing suits. Today, we are all dressed super casually. I’m wearing Spider-Man Nikes. Why? Because the biggest evolution of the last two decades is the merger between luxury and street style. Fifteen years ago, who would have thought Balmain and Balenciaga would be synonymous with sneakers or hoodies? No one. But that is the reality of today.

Very well said.

We always ask ourselves what we want the future to be. This is one of the reasons why we made RD#4: the most outstanding grand complication in AP history but so easy to use in order to live with our times and match our clients’ lifestyle.

What was one of your proudest moments?

In my office, there is a framed cutout of an article from 2005. It was the first time AP made it into the Financial Times. And it is the article about our collaboration with Jay-Z. At the time, no luxury brand had ever considered a partnership with hip-hop culture. So when I have guests from the music world coming to Le Brassus, I show them this article. And I tell them, you are here thanks to that. It definitely opened doors. You can enter watchmaking from multiple angles, through sports, music, craftsmanship, complications… it doesn’t matter. Every one of those pathways is legitimate.

Do you remember the launch of this collaboration?

We held the press conference for the collaboration with Jay-Z at 9 a.m. at the Four Seasons Hotel on 57th Street. I kept saying to myself, I don’t even know who is going to show up. It could be a disaster. But then 100 people showed up. It was insane. We only made 100 watches, 50 in stainless steel, 30 in rose gold, and 20 in platinum. All of them sold very quickly without any advertising beyond this press conference. And today it is very difficult to find any of these pieces.

Jay-Z and François-Henry Bennahmias

There is a current Netflix series on Arnold Schwarzenegger that is blowing up in popularity. How important was the Royal Oak Offshore “End of Days” as the first watch created for a movie character?

I remember the start of this project very well. We were having lunch with Arnold in Malibu. He wanted to buy some of our watches. And at some point, I asked, “You are shooting a new movie. Should we create a limited edition watch to be featured in the movie, and auction one piece for your charity?” He replied, “I love this.” The Offshore was new at the time and I wanted to push it. Part of the watch’s success was definitely the association with the movie and with Arnold. It took off and for many years until 2011, the [Royal Oak] Offshore was selling much more than the original Royal Oak.

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore End of Days (Image: Revolution©)

That’s incredible.

I’ll tell you something about the Royal Oak. In 2011, there were discussions, very serious ones, about discontinuing the Royal Oak Jumbo. We were making maybe 150 pieces a year. It was only thanks to the celebration of its 40th anniversary in 2012, by telling the story in the right way, that we slowly re-built the integrity of that piece. Eventually, the Royal Oak took off, and now you can see what it has become.

Do the haters on social media for the Marvel collaborations bother you?

Since I was young, I heard words like, “You’re not good enough.” So I’ve developed a very thick skin. But what I’ll tell you that in today’s world, people are always going to judge you. Some people will say this is the best thing ever, and some people will tell you it’s the worst. This is a game you have to get used to, because we are playing it every day. But in the end, there is only one way to judge the outcome.

What is that?

It’s like a boxing match. The ring is always right. In the end, there is always only one guy standing. Many people judged our watch the CODE 11.59. The Black Panther. That’s fine. Now where are we as a brand today? We are much better than we were 10 years ago. From 600 million to 2.01 billion Swiss francs, we’ve increased the business by more than 300 percent. We have a high perceived value. So, somehow, we must be doing something right.

If you were a Marvel character, who would you be?

The Hulk. On any normal day, I am the nicest guy in the world. I am happy, I get incredibly touched by nature, by beauty, etc. But then if I see someone abusing power, I want to become the Hulk.

What’s next?

I’ll give you a hint about the third character of the collaboration: it was a new one to me. And the watch will not feature the figurative character, it will be done differently.

Who is your competition?

The competition today is out there everywhere: a new painting, a new car or a new boat. If the waiting time for a watch is one year, you might buy something else if you want to reward yourself immediately.

Any regrets?

If I were to go back 40 years to my 18-year-old self, and you told me that one day I was going to run a two billion-dollar company and be in charge of over 2,000 people, that I would get to travel the world and meet so many incredible people, I would say, please, tell me where I sign! It’s been 29 years. I’ve been married to AP longer than with my two ex-wives. I leave proud to have built something special that will keep on going. Someone else is taking over and everything is there to keep on succeeding.

Am I correct that you want to become as big in women’s watches as you are in men’s watches — to surpass Cartier’s 2.75 billion Swiss franc turnover?

Yes and no. If you look at the watch industry, no one has achieved 50/50 parity between men and women’s watches. We want to get there eventually. One day, we met a couple. The husband had his Jumbo on and his wife said, “I want also a Jumbo.” I said, “But your husband already has one.” She said, “That’s his watch. I want my watch. We don’t share watches”. So I said, “You know what? You are absolutely right.” The [old] way of thinking [about watches] has to evolve. It’s not men’s or women’s, but just watches.

Reference

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FROM THE SHOP

Bell & Ross

Bell & Ross x Alessandro Palazzi x Revolution & The Rake Bellytanker Chronograph "Vesper"

$5,250.00

TECH SPECS

Movement	Self-winding caliber BR.CAL-301; 42-hour power reserve
Functions	Hours, minutes, small seconds, chronograph and date
Case	41mm; CuAI7Si2 bronze; water resistant to 100m
Dial	Sunray brushed with applied, gold-plated indices
Strap	Black calfskin; satin polished bronze folding clasp
Limited Edition	Limited edition of 50 pieces

The post Why a collaboration between Audemars Piguet and Marvel is more relevant than it seems appeared first on Revolution Watch.

The Collector’s Perspective with Nop Srinara (@nopstar83)

Revolution — Thu, 29 Jun 2023 14:39:04 +0000

In the maiden episode of our new series — The Collector’s Perspective, Constant sits down with Nop Srinara to share a conversation centred around their shared passion for watch collecting.

Besides starting his micro brand, Vilhelm Watches, Nop is also the founder of The Octo Club, an appreciation club for the Bvlgari Octo Finissimo. The prolific watch connoisseur has a penchant for aggressive designs with a touch of sophistication for his personal collection. Let us know what you think about his watch collection!

Follow Nop on Instagram here.

The post The Collector’s Perspective with Nop Srinara (@nopstar83) appeared first on Revolution Watch.

Building the WatchBox Brand

Wei Koh — Thu, 15 Jun 2023 08:50:22 +0000

Building the WatchBox Brand

Having placed his company on a successful growth trajectory, co-founder and CEO Justin Reis is now ready to focus on expanding the brand’s global reach and creating awareness of and investing in watchmakers, with the aim of uplifting the industry.

Interviews

By Wei Koh

Jun 15, 2023

Justin Reis, WatchBox co-founder and CEO

For his friends who grew up with him in Singapore, Justin Reis has always been the perfect student. Says Matteo Mango who went to high school with him, “He always got the best grades; he was amazing at math; he was always the guy that we knew would succeed. At the same time, he was always humble, soft-spoken and understated. Even at that age, he was the consummate gentleman.” Reis went on to a successful career in finance before he, along with Danny Govberg and Singaporean retailer Tay Liam Wee, founded WatchBox when they identified that the pre-owned or secondary watch market was potentially larger than the primary market. But after a few years finding their feet, it was clear that WatchBox needed some dynamic impulse to truly kick over into high gear. That happened when Reis was appointed the company’s CEO and moved to the company’s headquarters in Philadelphia.

Says Lee Chong Min, one of WatchBox’s board members and early investors, “WatchBox really became successful and accelerated when Justin moved to the U.S. and began working closely with Danny [Govberg]. They are incredibly complementary and, together, they took the visionary stance not simply to be a pre-owned player but to dominate the high-end category and become key tastemakers and communicators.” It was in Philadelphia where Reis demonstrated his capacity to learn, assimilate and innovate with extraordinary speed and efficiency. Soon, WatchBox was not just a key secondary market player, but had a decisive role in championing independent watchmakers like François-Paul Journe, H. Moser & Cie., Greubel Forsey, and more.

In 2021, they unveiled an even more ambitious strategy with the announcement by their parent group of the acquisition of De Bethune. Within a short time, they had demonstrated the power of WatchBox by transforming the brand into one of the hottest properties in the horological stratosphere. Such was the rising collectibility of De Bethune watches that they surged dramatically in price on the secondary market. But even more impressively, Reis and WatchBox demonstrated what no one had thought of — to harness the power of the secondary market to empower the creation of a new mini group. Sitting down with Reis, the biggest takeaway for me was his sincerity in creating true value for the watch industry and, in particular, for the collectors that comprise the WatchBox community. The fact that he has done so while still retaining a remarkable sense of humility and understatement — as an example, his office is on the floor amongst his staff and is no larger than anyone else’s — affirms that he is indeed the perfect gentleman.

Partners in building the brand — Danny Govberg and Justin Reis

How did the investment in De Bethune come about?

As you know, I didn’t start in the watch industry. So, when I got involved, I started looking at the various operators and entities that sit within the industry. I immediately found the independent watchmaking sector very interesting. The majority of them are actually quite handicapped by where they sit in the watch ecosystem, given their general lack of marketing and financial resources; hence, it is harder for them to succeed. Unless they really hit it out of the ballpark to begin with, it is a struggle for them. A lot of this has to do with the fact that most of them don’t have adequate starting capital. As such, they are unable to market their brand powerfully, and they don’t have the infrastructure to distribute globally. When they are able to find distributors, these distributors often dictate terms that are unfavorable to them. Basically, the watch world is not really set up for independent brands to succeed.

Our focus became finding really interesting brands and watches for our clients. At WatchBox, we are surrounded by a team that really loves watches, which Danny leads admirably, and we eventually landed on the independent watchmakers. This segment really resonated with me, as I have always liked to support the underdog. I wanted to find a way to help promote them so they would be as respected and recognized in the same realm as the leading watch manufacturers. We asked ourselves, how can we be supportive of the category, bring great product to our audience, while also creating much greater awareness for these brands and watchmakers? Well, the first thing was to identify what was truly great. That was when we recognized how special De Bethune and Denis Flageollet are. De Bethune is such an incredible brand with unique DNA, and we felt we could help it reach its full potential with support building global awareness and help architecting a more effective distribution model.

Interestingly, this was never part of our original strategy when we started WatchBox. But it became clear there would be great synergy if we invested. We provided them the capital they needed and connected them with our family of customers. We have no intention of disrupting what they do; we just wanted to give them our support and shoulders to sit on.

De Bethune DB25 Perpetual Calendar in platinum with rose gold toned dial

There were initially some skeptics when the acquisition was announced last year. How do you think people regard it now?

Of course, there were naysayers when we first announced our investment, but we have always believed in letting our actions speak to what we do. And so, the doubt was short-lived. What we’ve really tried to do is help build the brand’s profile and their credibility in the market where they were underrepresented and introduce them to collectors they don’t normally speak to. What we have seen is that this is a really strong, mutually beneficial relationship. I think that their CEO Pierre Jacques has done a phenomenal job, and he and Danny work really well together. We’ve seen the success for the brand in the United States now in terms of awareness, collectibility and also the considerable increase in secondary market prices — though I would put this more as a correction in their secondary prices, as there was a period where their watches were very undervalued. However, many of the strongest brands also had periods of vulnerability; they just took the requisite steps to ensure the market correctly reflected the true value of their watches.

I am sure what everyone wants to know is, how does WatchBox rapidly increase the secondary values of watches from brands like De Bethune?

WatchBox as a company, and as individuals, does not dictate the market value; however, we do contribute to the environment in which these watches are sold. If you look at independent brands, they are in general set up to produce a relatively small number of watches a year.

Frankly, none of us want this to change—it is important to keep the quality and rarity of their watches intact. It has been challenging for independents like De Bethune in the past, in that they have to spend a lot of time and energy to form a management team that is out there selling their watches. If you want to use the analogy of a sporting event, what WatchBox does best is fill the seats in the stadium; we create the buzz and the energy which allows the independent watch brands to do what they do best — to create extraordinary watches that make us dream.

So, this is really an easy partnership. We work on two things: The first is creating awareness and bringing real content creation to the brand; the second thing is helping them bring economics back to themselves to create a strong sustainable brand for the future. Putting them on a stronger footing lets them be able to negotiate the best win-win arrangement with retailers. The brand is no longer worried about selling its watches for immediate capital return; now they can think of how to place their watches in a way that best strengthens their brand equity.

De Bethune DB27 Titan Hawk V1 in two iterations

So, a big part of it is educating the customer about the appeal of a brand like De Bethune?

Yes. The increased awareness we create about the brand means greater demand for the watches. This greater demand means that the brand is able to get the pricing (both primary and secondary) that they deserve. Because discounting is the death of brand equity. Once you have this strengthening of pricing, the result is an increase in brand equity. Then their relationships with their retailers change, because the retailers essentially act now as allocation experts, placing the watches with the best collectors, which in turn only strengthens the credibility of the brand. So, you could say we support the uplifting of the brand equity of independents, and everybody wins in this scenario.

Danny has spoken about the changing dynamic of a traditional retail network in today’s climate…

We launched WatchBox just five years ago, and the changes we have witnessed in this relatively short period have been monumental. Given the strength in today’s market, the brands don’t actually need the retailers to sell their watches. However, I also recognize that there is a lot of loyalty built up over the years between brands and their retail partners, who tried to support them when things were more challenging. I respect this loyalty. I admire this and, of course, support the brands also wanting to respect this loyalty, even though the power dynamic has now changed — for example, for De Bethune.

My approach has always been to approach what we support with total sincerity. When we began to support Journe, it was because we truly loved the watches. We recognized that he was a genius and considering their relative rarity, we felt the watches were undervalued. It’s the same thing with De Bethune; what we strive to do is introduce the brand and their watches to our entire network of collectors. But what is of paramount importance here is that our collectors trust us. We’ve had relationships with many of them for years. We partner with them in their collecting journeys. That is the foundation of the trust between us. Because they know we are discerning, that when we recommend something like De Bethune, it is because the watches are genuinely extraordinary and the work of a living genius who is Denis Flageollet. To us, that trust is the most important part of our business.

You mentioned when you support a brand, it’s a win for everyone. Please elaborate.

Yes, it is absolutely a win for everyone. The watchmaker no longer has to worry about keeping the lights on at his factory and can instead focus on creating the most beautiful watches possible. Because we’ve done our job introducing the brand to our clients and creating maximum awareness and educational content, the demand for the watches increases. This means that the retailers can focus on the often-difficult task of placing the watches with the right clients. Because secondary prices are so strong, there will not be discounting on primary watches, and this is the ideal situation for a brand. This also ensures their continued success in any market condition, when times are good or bad. They are insulated because demand for what they create will exceed the supply they are able to generate. And the client also wins because he is able to purchase a watch that is truly a work of art backed by amazing authenticity. And as an asset, he’s seen the value of his watch appreciate, oftentimes quite considerably.

In the past, many independents created beautiful watches but were so undercapitalized that they couldn’t communicate their value, and so demand was low. This made them desperate to sell their watches, which in the end were discounted by retailers and all this created poor secondary values for them. The end result was damage to their brand equity.

The result was the Dream Watch 5 Tourbillon ‘Season 1’ pictured here

Swizz Beatz presented a challenge to De Bethune

When we spoke last year, you had 300 million dollars in annual revenue and double digit EBITDA margins. How do you get such amazing margins on pre-owned watches?

We spent the first three years really investing in the infrastructure to support a business of this size and bigger. That is so that we didn’t have to incur high variable costs as we expanded. This investment was significant because we have to be able to authenticate, service where needed, and polish every watch that comes to us before putting it to market. For many secondary businesses, they allocate a lot of energy to finding watches. For us, because we were able to grow our customer base, the super majority of our inventory actually comes to us through end customers. That’s given us a huge advantage in being able to source great product from great collectors that trust us.

We also knew that we had to price watches competitively in order to keep customers returning, so our pricing strategy is a very transparent one. The most important thing for us was to focus on the high value collector who is making watch purchases in the range of 20,000 US dollars and above. One of the key factors in this was building a portfolio of inventory that really attracted that customer. If you focus on buying inventory that retails for between 3,000 and 5,000 dollars, that’s where your business will be. We took a riskier approach by investing in inventory at a much higher price point.

When we first started, we definitely covered all spectrums in terms of price. But looking at us today, you can see that our average price point is 25,000 dollars. A few years ago, that was 8,000 dollars, so we made a concerted effort to refocus on the high end. We pay very close attention to anyone that is purchasing anything from us at a higher category, but at the same time, we welcome and love collectors at every price category. Because for a lot of people, they start their collecting journey with something more accessible but can also grow very rapidly from there. We like to act as advisers to our clients throughout their journey. As a company, we have been very disciplined in terms of where we put our energy and resources. We recognize that the high-end client was in fact under-served and set out to make WatchBox the primary destination for them. We wanted to become the dominant player in this segment.

Greubel Forsey Signature 1 Unique Edition

H. Moser & Cie. Endeavour Tourbillon with Cosmic Green fumé dial in the ultra-minimalistic “concept” design

Justin Reis with WatchBox investors and friends: Marc Lasry, Milwaukee Bucks owner and CEO of Avenue Capital Group (left); and Michael Strahan, Super Bowl champ, entrepreneur and host of Good Morning America

You have recently attracted investment from some real legends, such as Michael Jordan. How did this come about?

From the very beginning, we wanted to build our community around the passion for watch collecting. When I came over to WatchBox, it became very clear to me that we didn’t want just transactional customers. What we wanted was to convert these customers into real collectors. We spend a great deal of time studying customer buying behavior, and what you can see is when someone becomes a true collector, their engagement is at a totally different level. We recognized that many of these customers were coming to us from sports and media. Now when we built the company, we did it differently from others. We built it in an inverse way compared to traditional venture capital companies. What they normally do is build a brand very quickly, then build the infrastructure over time. You allow the customer to come in and then pivot to a profitable business. We did the opposite — we built the infrastructure, focused on profitability and then built the brand.

It is always challenging to acquire the customer when the brand comes last. So, one of the KPIs we set ourselves was to build the WatchBox brand over the last 24 months. I moved to the United States because that was a lot easier to do here. One of the things I realized was, all these famous names that we know and respect were actually accessible to us because these individuals were our customers and genuinely loved watches. Once we made the connection with these guys, it was really easy to strike up a conversation because of the passion we shared. Once they learned more about the business, for them it wasn’t even about the investment; they just liked the association with the company and our platform. One relationship led to another. With this most recent fund raise [in November 2021, it was reported that WatchBox had raised 165 million dollars in equity capital to support its expansion plans], it was really rewarding to bring on board a group of investors that became friends. I would like to stress none of these are pay-to-play relationships. They were just there to invest and be genuinely helpful to the company. We are super fortunate to have this.

What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned since you co- founded WatchBox?

I didn’t come from the watch industry, so it has been an education for me. One of the first things I learned was that the brands are all very much intertwined in a systemic relationship. But one surprise is that the industry can be very political. It is sometimes not the friendliest relationship between the various participants compared to other industries I’ve been involved in. What I try to promote is my firm belief that there is plenty of space for everybody. When I meet brands or watchmakers, I like to express that we should be an inclusive community. If there is any one thing that I hope changes in the industry is this mentality of traditional competition. We should be helping each other because we as an industry will benefit tremendously if we scratch each other’s backs a little bit more. To believe that the watch business is a zero-sum game is not correct. We have seen that the growth in this business has come from the massive increase in new customers coming to watches. I firmly believe that we are still in the beginning.

An ultra rare collection of early F.P. Journe watches with 38mm platinum cases, yellow gold dials, and brass movements, representing the foundation of the brand

Why are watches different from other luxury products?

You see, we were surrounded for so long by commoditized luxury. But people behave very differently when you put a watch in front of them. Because here you suddenly have an object that goes far deeper than something purely material. People in this hobby are driven by knowledge, and you can see when knowledge passes from one group to another how quickly its spreads.

Let’s use De Bethune as an example. Once the first group of our customers understood how innovative, unique and amazing it was, the passion for the brand spread quickly and organically, and that was awesome to see. Our responsibility is to cultivate this emotion and passion in this space. The truth is that men are looking for something to latch on to, but they will never find anything as unique as a watch. We as male consumers use it as a point of connection. If I see someone in a Berluti store wearing an F.P. Journe, I’ll go over and talk to him. We recognize a shared philosophy as human beings— we want to build positive connections through what we love. But at the same time, the watch is a better self-expressive device than anything else — more than cars, houses, art, boats. It is so transportable; you take it with you everywhere. It’s so personal because you wear it on your wrist all the time. It endures forever. So, there is nothing else like a watch.

Why has watch collecting spread so fast to the general public?

There has never been a better time to be a watch collector, because firstly, the knowledge is available everywhere online and on social media. The key to being a great collector is empowering yourself with knowledge. That’s what we like to promote at WatchBox, and today there are innumerable sources for that information. What is amazing is on social media you have guys who are 15 years old to 80 years old, all speaking the same language. That’s very rare today and will only lead to a more vibrant, dynamic world for watches.

Community has been central to the WatchBox strategy since the company’s 2017 founding. Pictured here is the Hong Kong Collector’s Lounge, an environment dedicated to collectors and community

What does the future hold for WatchBox?

I feel that we shouldn’t pigeonhole ourselves. To have the freedom to invent and reinvent ourselves is one of our greatest assets. How I look at it is like this: At WatchBox everything begins with the customers and the community. If we start to build keeping this in mind, it helps to define our trajectory for the future. If we always keep in mind our collectors and what they are looking for, everything becomes much clearer. Then we can see the opportunities that allow us to build WatchBox into a much larger business.

For example, we recognize that even in the age of online and social media, we still want to have a physical connection with our community. This gave rise to the idea of our Collectors Lounges. These are mini–Soho Houses where our community can gather and have fun. It’s an inclusive environment where you feel really connected to your friends, and it’s all centered around watches. Because the intention is to set these up in key capital cities around the world, when you travel, you can go to any of these Lounges and you immediately feel you are at home, that you are connected to people there. At the same time, it strengthens the public’s bond with watches. Imagine if a friend brings you to one of our Lounges. You would say, “What is this community? This is really fascinating that people are all bonding over watches.”

Regarding investing in brands, we will continue to do so but on the condition that we recognize something special in them that we want to bring to our collectors’ community. That is a value add for all participants. We also think we can strive more to build greater media. We believe in building education into everything we do in a fun and enriching way. Finally, we would love to bring our collectors closer to Switzerland to give them the possibility to see where these amazing watches are created. We just want to be a key part in enabling and building this global community with the greatest passion and authenticity. We care and want to support the Swiss watch industry in the sincerest way.

Videos

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Videos

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Christie’s Rare Watches Auction with Remi Guillemin

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FROM THE SHOP

Sold Out

Angelus

ANGELUS x REVOLUTION CHRONODATE "ANGELS' SHARE"

$23,800.00

TECH SPECS

Movement	Self-winding caliber A-500; 60 hours power reserve
Functions	Hours, minutes, small seconds, chronograph and date
Case	42.5mm; titanium; water resistant to 30m
Dial	Salmon (6N gold plated) with gené or frosted area; Super-LumiNova filled Arabic numerals
Strap	Ballistic gray rubber; titanium folding clasp

The post Building the WatchBox Brand appeared first on Revolution Watch.

Interviews Archives - Revolution Watch

In Conversation with: Kenneth Kuan, founder of Delugs

In Conversation with: Kenneth Kuan, founder of Delugs

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Ahead of the Curve

Ahead of the Curve

Power of Collaboration: Spirit of Big Bang Sang Bleu

Tech Specs

Power of E-Commerce: Spirit of Big Bang Essential Grey

Tech Specs

EDITORS’ PICKS

FROM THE SHOP

TECH SPECS

Second Skin: Part Two, The Bvlgari Octo Finissimo with Shary Rahman

Why a collaboration between Audemars Piguet and Marvel is more relevant than it seems

Why a collaboration between Audemars Piguet and Marvel is more relevant than it seems

EDITORS’ PICKS

FROM THE SHOP

TECH SPECS

The Collector’s Perspective with Nop Srinara (@nopstar83)

Building the WatchBox Brand

Building the WatchBox Brand

MORE INSIGHTFUL INTERVIEWS

FROM THE SHOP

TECH SPECS

Interviews Archives - Revolution Watch

In Conversation with: Kenneth Kuan, founder of Delugs

In Conversation with: Kenneth Kuan, founder of Delugs

He’s just Ken: The watch collector

The Future is Delugs

Ken’s parting advice for a good strap game

The Delugs expert: Ken dresses Omega, IWC, Hermès

EDITORS’ PICKS

FEATURED FROM ARTICLE

TECH SPECS

READ THIS NEXT

Ahead of the Curve

Ahead of the Curve

Power of Collaboration: Spirit of Big Bang Sang Bleu

Tech Specs

Power of E-Commerce: Spirit of Big Bang Essential Grey

Tech Specs

EDITORS’ PICKS

FROM THE SHOP

TECH SPECS

TOP DISCUSSIONS

READ THIS NEXT

Second Skin: Part Two, The Bvlgari Octo Finissimo with Shary Rahman

Why a collaboration between Audemars Piguet and Marvel is more relevant than it seems

Why a collaboration between Audemars Piguet and Marvel is more relevant than it seems

EDITORS’ PICKS

FROM THE SHOP

TECH SPECS

TOP DISCUSSIONS

READ THIS NEXT

The Collector’s Perspective with Nop Srinara (@nopstar83)

Building the WatchBox Brand

Building the WatchBox Brand

MORE INSIGHTFUL INTERVIEWS

FROM THE SHOP

TECH SPECS

READ THIS NEXT