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Horology And The Internet: When Will The Two Get Along?
The internet sometimes presents a strange paradox for luxury watch consumers and enthusiasts. On the one hand, it has become a daily, essential tool for millions of people the world over in little more than a decade, and yet on the other hand it is still considered with a degree of mistrust by many brands of horology.
The question is, why? And more importantly what will be the consequences of these drawn-out, toe-dipping exercises?
What’s Stopping Them?
Perhaps it is the speed? The internet is evolving at an incredibly rapid pace, at odds with an industry whose core business model is based upon time (and the slow passage of it). Maybe the internet is too vague, too broad? The watch-making industry is governed by laws of precision and the unpredictable nature of the internet is in direct contradiction with its well set standards, based upon personal relationships and confidentiality.
Whatever the reasons, the fact remains that the internet can (and will) easily survive and grow without the aide of the luxury watch industry, but is the converse true?
If Facebook’s most recent statistics are to be believed, there are over 500 million active users each month spending a combined 7 billion minutes interacting with their peers, catching up on all the latest news and trends, and most importantly learning about new products and concepts. Can any brand, luxury watch oriented or not, really afford not to be operating effectively in this space?
There is one thing for sure: no matter the brand positioning strategies companies have adopted, it’s hard (impossible even) these days to move forward without the internet. Ignoring it is a dangerous game, and just as bad is seeing it only as a simple tool without many real practical applications. However, the more innovative companies have embraced the issue and created special roles for Community Managers (see our interview with Jérôme Pineau, from Marvin Watches, here).
Marvin’s Community Manager Jérôme Pineau
And yet many of them still hesitate – taking a kind of wait-and-see attitude to see how things go. This is a dangerous bet on the future, as it implies that, one day, all the uses and habits of the web will finally be stable. There is nothing less sure, as the web is in a constant state of transformation.
In a bid to try and get some more insight from the industry players themselves, the Watch Lounge asked a number of mainstream horology brands one single question:
“In the process of the continuous growth of a brand and its image, can the Internet make the différence?”
As a first point, it’s quite significant to note that many brands decided to simply ignore our request. Although it would seem they are quite happy to talk to us about any number of other topics, internet strategies evidently is not one of them. This very first observation reveals a web which is still a quite unknown object, one in which brands identify doubts and fears more than opportunities.
Why these fears? Firstly, because brands can’t comprehend how a channel governed by complete opposite rules to their own can, in the end, help them achieve their goals. Major watchmaking houses try to build their reputation upon luxury: the luxury of taking his time, the luxury of final pieces, the luxury of booklets and stores, the luxury of customers. On the contrary, the web is based upon various other values, such as real-time, non mastered exchanges, large consumer audiences, and uncertain futures. How do you reconcile these two seemingly conflicting universes?
These are questions that Ludovic Ballouard simply sweeps away when considering the inestimable added-value the Internet brought to his business : “The internet really makes the difference! It allowed me to launch my brand and stay independent! I would never had the means to launch my business only with paper. If people like my watch, they freely talk about it and spread positive news about it all over the world“.
In fact, this phenomenon of third party endorsement is what each and every brand desperately seeks. But by fear of the opposite phenomenon, wide-spread denigration, many prefer to stay away from social media. The precautionary principle, some would say. But many times, despite this precaution, Internet users will in the end talk about the brand, even if they are not invited to. And this is where negative comments can pop up…
“Indeed, if web users disliked my watch and if negative comments had been posted, I could have considered a brand new strategy, from scratch, of my brand and it’s awareness ! Internet is all about criticism”, continues Ludovic.
Still, managing criticism when you’ve spent the two last centuries working with a top-down communication model can be quite a touchy exercise.
For Jérôme Pineau, Community Manager of Marvin Watches, “the Internet has had a significant impact on brand and image building in the luxury world, and horology is no exception.”
So why are brands are so reluctant then? Because for too long they’ve been focused on their own products, and sometimes, on their related environments (such as sport, culture, etc.). But for Jérôme, the rules have changed:
“Brand building can only be accomplished around the customers. The customer IS the brand and its image is their perception of it. And if the customers are online, then this is where it makes sense to reach out to them. This phenomenon is planetary in nature. It reaches across geographic and cultural boundaries.”
The Final Word
In the end, the last psychological barrier for a real web strategy is the fear of an omnipresent web, that will take the priority over the other channels of communication. A statement that Jérôme quickly refutes: “It makes sense to leverage channels like Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube without neglecting the classical ones as well. Because a balanced strategy is typically more effective as long as all efforts are integrated and aligned around a consistent message. The objective is to be no longer talking AT the customer, but WITH them”.
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Ateliers deMonaco: One Year On
In 2009, the horology galaxy experienced a small seismic shake. Although on the tiny Rocher, as we call Monaco in France, it may have been considered by some to be a Big Bang: the creation of a new independent watchmaker named Ateliers… deMonaco.
However, it hasn’t all been celebrations and explosions. The launch and the subsequent first year of a brand is critical to its long-term success. For one, the brand has to consistently find ways to answer all those annoying questions about their reputation, how they’re building brand recognition, what will be the return on investment, how they will increase sales and so on.
Undoubtedly every other brand in the world faces these same issues on a regular basis, however, the key difference for a young brand such as AdM is that the answers to these questions will not just determine their ability to pay off potential debts or deficits, but indeed their ability to survive to year two.
To gain a greater understanding of the challenges faced in the first year by a young start-up company competing in a capital and research intensive market place we decided to go straight to the source. In this case the charismatic and insightful Robert van Pappelendam, Initiator and co-founder of the Ateliers deMonaco.
What follows is a chronological journey through the short life-time of a very exciting new company, and a must read for any aspiring entrepreneurs out there.
From L – R: Robert van Pappelendam, Manuel da Silva Matos (engineer), Peter Stas and Pim Koeslag.
Anatomy of a (forthcoming) success.
2004 - Master Horloger Pim Koeslag, Robert van Pappelendam and Peter Stas – future co-founders of Ateliers deMonaco – meet at Swiss watch-maker Frédérique Constant. First challenge: they all are very, very different, yet somehow complimentary characters.
However, they soon discover that they have more in common than just their Dutch passports. They are also all passionate watch nerds. However, is passion enough to launch a new brand? Well, if history is anything to go by than the answer is a resounding no.
Fortunately, the heroes of our story have far more than just their passion to rely on.
Pim had a tremendous talent and intuition for designing innovative movements. Peter had the knowledge and more importantly the experience to create a new company from scratch, as he had proven with Frédérique Constant, and Robert had earned his reputation as successful marketer and brand builder. Individually, it never could have worked but the three of them together just might be enough.
Summer 2005 – The team starts thinking about a dream: creating a high end luxury watch brand from scratch that would over time become a legacy of their generation. According to Robert, the initiator & co-founder of the brand, “each generation wants to develop its own innovation that will cascade to the next generations. It’s a deeply rooted desire to leave a legacy, and we wanted to leave ours, or at least give it a try!”
A bold notion but certainly easier said than done. Doing the same things others do rarely results in something that will stand the test of time. So the team gave themselves one year to come up with an idea, a unique style & signature and innovation program. This is where the soul of Ateliers deMonaco was born.
Summer 2006 – Time to make it reality! The team felt they had come to a point where their idea was strong enough to start translating the dream into viable business. It was time to progress innovative thinking into real-time development, to create something truly unique: “If you launch from scratch, you need to have breakthrough innovation that must trigger a wow-effect. This is where we realized we must set foot where no one else has before”, remembers Robert.
Summer 2007 – Well into the journey and with serious money being invested into the research and development program as well as building the brand’s proposition, Robert remembers that the question most frequently asked at that time was: “Are you guys nuts or brilliant?”
Probably a mix of both.
Things are progressing well but now it’s time to think about a location. Switzerland is the logical choice for haute-horlogerie, especially when considering the tight link with Frédérique Constant. But the team argues that new concepts need new territories, and they draft a list of countries that, as Robert puts it, goes “from the classy London to the trendy Paris, via Dubai, Singapore or even China»”.
As a great lover of art, Robert noticed that painters like Matisse and Picasso, writers like Checkov and Cocteau, philosophers like Nietzsche or architects like Le Corbusier all had something in common: the south of France, the Riviera. When Robert matched that report with the necessity to find a place that could serve both as an inspiration, aspiration as well as being a good reflection of the brand’s essence, Monaco magically appeared as front runner.
“Monaco has this Hollywood like mix of style, money, stars and luxury”, analyzes Robert. Next challenge: incorporate the brand « Ateliers deMonaco » in Monaco!
Summer of 2008 – Pim finalizes the very first model, the Carré d’Or Grand Tourbillion XP-1, with its own in-house developed and manufactured Xtreme Precision tourbillion movement. The question is, how do they make 101% sure that the products works perfectly and is fully reliable over a long period of time? The solution: the team will wear the couple of watches night and day for the next 6 months to iron out any last minor adjustments – in the shower, jogging, while sleeping, even during a relaxing round of golf!
Remainder of 2008 is spent obtaining permits and finding a suitable head office location – not an easy task in a city state of the size of a postage stamp…
March 26, 2009 – The official birth certificate of the Ateliers deMonaco is awarded and a new brand enters the world of haute horology! It wasn’t all smooth sailing though explains Robert; “Creating a company in Monaco really can be seen as a nightmare! All around the world, it usually takes between 48h and one week. But to avoid speculation based upon fiscal laws, it can easily take up to 9 months in Monaco.” Unperturbed, however, the team presses on and are rewarded for their efforts. The launch party with H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco happens in May 2009 and is a huge success.
After 4 years of tireless work and more than a dash of luck, Ateliers deMonaco is finally open for business.
H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco and Robert van Pappelendam.
Summer 2009 – The team sets a goal to produce around 5 to 10 tourbillon units per year. Soon, though it becomes apparent that this may be a little low. “Quickly,” remembers Robert, “we changed that to 20 units, but it was not enough though, as we registered even more orders on the very first year, which was way beyond our craziest expectations!”
September 2009 – First retail shop opened in Monte-Carlo. The challenge: determining the correct size of retailer network to enable it to work cohesively with a carefully planned production capability & capacity. The decision was made that for the production of high-end complications, regardless of the demand, Ateliers deMonaco would stick to its original plan and focus on quality first, and over time scale up to maximum 100 to 150 pieces per year as the company’s capabilities grew.
“Making a customer wait for their watch can be a very disappointing message to send, but diluting our quality just to make a few more watches is worse as it would kill the dream and brand promise that we set out to realize”, says Robert, explaining the logic behind the brand’s reasoning.
March 2010 – Baselworld – In the world of horology the stage does not get much bigger. This is the event that secures – or dissolves – your place as a credible player in the watch industry. There is no room for error, no time for mistakes, especially when you are launching an in-house developed Minute repeater, considered by many to be the most difficult of the watch complications.
But how will people react? And more importantly, will a small start-up from Monaco even get noticed among the 500 other watch brands? The numbers speak for themselves; “7 days, 2040 minutes of appointments and 100,700 visitors later, we somehow emerged still alive” says Robert with a smile.
April 2010: Successful conclusion of Year 1 and of a course a special celebration to acknowledge the official first anniversary of the brand. For Robert the high point of the event was the private meeting with H.S.H. Prince Albert II in which he received his very own Ateliers deMonaco watch.
The team present H.S.H. Prince Albert II with his very first Ateliers deMonaco timepiece.
The Final Word
When Ateliers deMonaco first entered the luxury watch scene we were, and still are, incredibly impressed with the brand’s attention to detail and overwhelming desire to innovate. In our humble opinions the future of this small, yet ambitious company is not only very bright, it is also very exciting, especially if Robert’s final words are anything to go by:
“We have a lot of innovation still to come in the next couple of years. So far, we have had a tremendous amount of fun, disappointment, anger, sense of achievement, feelings of victory, failure, and probably all other emotions known to mankind. Still the thought that we have the opportunity to realize our dream and leave a legacy, is a huge motivating factor. And having a lot of fun in the process is a great bonus!”
If you would like to find out more about Ateliers deMonaco you can visit their official website complete with company blog at: www.atelier-demonaco.com
Un an avec les Ateliers deMonaco
En 2009, la planète horlogère a vécu une petite révolution. Et sur le rocher monégasque, ce fut presque un Big Bang : la création d’une marque horlogère indépendante appelée Ateliers…deMonaco.
Le lancement et la première année d’une nouvelle marque sont critiques à bien des égards. Toutes les questions d’image de marque, de retour sur investissement, de ventes, etc. qui sont importantes pour une grande maison, sont tout simplement vitales pour une marque qui se lance. La question qui se pose à elle n’est pas de devoir gérer des dettes ou un déficit, mais déjà d’assurer sa survie en année 2.
Pour comprendre tous les défis d’une première année, nous avons eu le plaisir de partager un moment avec Robert van Pappelendam, membre fondateur des Ateliers deMonaco.
From L – R: Robert van Pappelendam, Manuel da Silva Matos (engineer), Peter Stas and Pim Koeslag.
Anatomie d’un succès annoncé.
2004 – Robert van Pappelendam, Peter Stas et le Maître Horloger Pim Koeslag, tous trois futurs cofondateurs de la marque, se rencontrent chez Frédérique Constant. Premier défi : ce sont trois caractères très, très différents, mais complémentaires. En plus de leur passeport néerlandais, ils affichent un point commun : ils sont tous passionnés au dernier degré d’horlogerie ! Est-ce suffisant pour lancer une nouvelle marque ? Certainement pas. Mais Pim a un talent certain, doublé d’une intuition rare, dans la réalisation de mouvements innovants. Peter, quant à lui, a apprit à créer une société ex nihilo. Robert, enfin, a acquis ses galons comme dirigeant commercial et fondateur de marques. A eux trois, il y a de quoi aller plus avant.
Eté 2005 – L’équipe commence à réfléchir à un rêve un peu fou : créer de zéro une marque haut de gamme, qui serait l’héritage de notre génération. Selon Robert, l’un des co-fondateurs, « chaque génération cherche toujours à développer sa propre innovation qui sera transmise aux suivantes. Ce désir de transmission est profondément ancré dans la nature humaine, nous voulions créer notre propre héritage – au moins essayer ! ». Le défi : sachant que la copie de l’existant est rarement pérenne, l’équipe se donne un an pour trouver une idée, un style, une signature et une innovation. C’est là que naît l’esprit des Ateliers deMonaco.
Eté 2006 : Concrétisons ! L’équipe estime tenir un projet suffisamment abouti pour en faire un business viable. Le temps était venu de développer l’innovation, de créer une proposition tangible. « Si vous créez une marque de zéro, il vous faut une innovation sans précédent, qui génère à coup sûr l’étonnement. C’est à ce moment là que nous nous sommes rendus compte que nous foulions un terrain vierge », se souvient Robert.
Eté 2007 – Alors que d’importantes sommes avaient été engagées et que le projet avançait à grands pas, Robert se souvient que la question qui lui revenait le plus souvent était « Etes-vous brillants ou complètement dingues ? ». Probablement un peu de deux.
Mais il est temps à présent de trouver une domiciliation. La Suisse est le choix le plus rationnel pour la haute horlogerie, surtout en raison des liens existants avec Frédérique Constant. Mais l’équipe objecte qu’un nouveau concept appelle un nouveau territoire, et se met alors à dresser une liste de destinations possibles, « de la classieuse Londres jusqu’au Paris tendance, via Dubai, Singapour, ou la Chine ». En amateur d’art, Robert note que les peintres comme Matisse ou Picasso, les auteurs comme Checkov ou Cocteau, les philosophes comme Nietzsche ou les architectes comme Le Corbusier, ont tous un point commun : le sud de la France, la Riviera. Quand Robert croise cette donnée avec l’exigence d’un lieu inspirant et qui reflète le positionnement de la marque, Monaco est sortie en pôle position. « Monaco est une sorte de Hollywood qui mélange le style, l’argent, les stars et le luxe », analyse Robert. Prochain défi : implanter les Ateliers deMonaco…à Monaco !
Eté 2008 – Pim finalise le tout premier modèle, le Carré d’Or Grand Tourbillion XP-1, avec son propre mouvement maison à tourbillon, le Xtreme Precision. Le défi : garantir à 101% un mouvement d’une fiabilité irréprochable sur le long terme. Solution : l’équipe porte elle-même les premiers exemplaires, jour et nuit, pendant plus de six mois, afin de détecter les derniers ajustements nécessaires – dans la douche, durant le jogging, la nuit, et même durant une pause golf !
Automne 2008 est consacré à la recherche de bureaux pour les Ateliers – une tâche qui peut rapidement devenir un casse-tête dans une ville-état qui fait la taille d’un timbre poste… .
26 mars 2009 : certificat de naissance officiel des Ateliers deMonaco ! Robert se souvient : « Créer une société peut devenir un véritable cauchemar à Monaco. Partout dans le monde, cela prend entre 48h et une semaine. A Monaco, cela peut aller jusqu’à 9 mois ! Mais il faut les comprendre, ils veillent simplement à ce que leur régime fiscal ne soit pas la seule cause de domiciliation… ». La soirée d’inauguration avec S.A.S. le Prince Albert II de Monaco a lieu en mai. Après quatre ans, les Ateliers deMonaco sont enfin ouverts.
H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco and Robert van Pappelendam.
Été 2009 – L’équipe se fixe un objectif de 5 à 10 tourbillons produits par an. « Rapidement, se remémore Robert, nous avons produit 20 pièces, mais ce n’était toujours pas suffisant puisque nous avons enregistré encore plus la première année, au-delà de nos espérances les plus folles ! ».
Septembre 2009 – Le premier point de vente ouvre à Monte-Carlo. Le défi : adapter la taille du réseau de vente aux capacités et au potentiel de la production. Afin de garantir une qualité parfaite, la décision est prise, pour les années à venir, que la production de pièces à complications serait plafonnée aux alentours de 100 à 150 unités par an. « C’est très décevant pour un client de devoir attendre longtemps sa montre, mais faire des compromis sur la qualité juste pour augmenter notre qualité de production serait encore pire ; cela tuerait le rêve instantanément ainsi que la promesse de marque que nous avions faite », résume Robert.
Mars 2010 – Baselworld – Probablement, vu de l’extérieur, le signe manifeste que l’on devient – ou non – une marque qui compte dans le marché de l’horlogerie. C’était pour les Ateliers le lancement de la répétition minute, qui est la complication suprême en matière horlogère, autrement dit le moment à ne pas manquer. « 7 jours, 2040 minutes de rendez et 100.700 visiteurs plus tard, nous étions toujours vivants ! », sourit Robert.
Avril 2010: conclusion de l’Année 1 – premier anniversaire officiel de la marque. Son point d’orgue est le rendez-vous privé avec S.A.S. le Prince Albert II de Monaco, au cours duquel les Ateliers deMonaco lui remettent personnellement son premier modèle.
The team present H.S.H. Prince Albert II with his very first Ateliers deMonaco timepiece.
Et Robert de conclure : « Nous avons encore de multiples innovations prévues dans les années à venir. Jusqu’à présent, nous avons surtout eu du plaisir, des déceptions, de la colère, de la satisfaction du travail bien fait, les sentiments de victoire, d’échec, et probablement encore la quasi-totalité de la palette de sentiments humains ! La possibilité que nous avons de réaliser notre rêve et de laisser notre empreinte dans le monde horloger est pour nous une énorme motivation. Le fait que nous y prenions autant de plaisir, c’est du bonus ! » .
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