Thinking of Quitting My Job & Starting A Watch Company
So last night while cleaning random files on my computer last night I came upon a final presentation I did for my luxury marketing class when I was a MBA student. As someone that was leaving the strategy consulting world and at the time planning on entering luxury goods, I was obsessed with the idea of luxury being the patron of the arts. The presentation along with 3 of my peers focused on using mechanical watches as a way of preserving traditional crafts and art styles from around the world. The idea of this watch company was to partner with different master artisans from all over the world to create beautiful watches that show off unique crafts. Examples we gave were Oribe porcelain dials (Traditional Japanese porcelain craft), Igbo Brass dials (Traditional Nigerian metalwork), Jade Engraved Dials (Traditional Taiwanese and Southern Chinese gemcraft), and Thai Silk watch straps.
I have some relationships with the Swiss watch industry in Geneva for introductions to find the watchmaker side of this enterprise. However, upon doing a full business analysis it would easily take 50M+ USD for this type of enterprise due to the complexity of this type of supply chain (QC would be a huge challenge as would fulfillment due to the inherent nature of hand crafted elements from around the world), materials, R&D (DNA of the company would be starting with inhouse movements and trying to recruit an independent master like Logan Kuan Rao as chief movement engineer and designer) and of course the equipment, tools, materials, and staff.
But it is doable. It would be amazing to have a watch company that serves as a showcase for some of the world's most unique and endangered crafts that are also beautiful, elegant, as well as technically brilliant. This logo was just randomly dummied up on an AI logo site but I am thinking of calling it the A&C Group, Artisans & Craftsmen Group.
Eclectic collector: lover of urushi, art deco, stone dials, unique movements, and really anything that catches my eye.🇮🇱✡️🕎
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Nothing Ventured… Nothing Gained… Wish You Luck!! And please provide us discounts when you do have your watch company 😁😉… 🍻
The challenge is huge. I hope you find a way to realize your dream.
Sounds awesome and very ambitious. Good luck 👍👍
I know a few that have done it… it’s tough but ultimately…we’ll worth a go. Good luck 👍🏼
Sounds niche. I simultaneously support preserving old crafts while also thinking this reeks of bougie crap.
Would this venture revolutionize the luxury watch market and cut out the middle man? 🤣
Jokes aside, it sounds like a solid idea.
Btw read your profile … so your a fan of these then 😁… so am I…
Get out there and make your dream a reality! Best of luck!
When I lived in Japan, I became friends with some of those interesting craftsmen
My grocery store clerk was always super polite and friendly young guy.
when I asked what fun things he did as hobbies, he explained he didn’t have any. That whenever he wasn’t at work, he was a journeyman level builder of traditional Japanese bows. He said it would be several more years of training under a master bow maker until it was his real profession.
I was super impressed that skills like that were still valued and preserved. Also that it’s still respectable employment, at least in some areas of Japan.
Like yourself, I try to seek out these sorts of crafts when it’s a traditional art that can be used in a watch!
My projects next time we visit are tracking down a famous leather studio and a famous urushi lacquer studio, both are hiding in Kyoto.
Great watches @Ichibunz !!
Good luck 👍