Exclusive: Interview With Red8 World Founder Christian Bedat
We’ve been a bit Red8 World mad lately here at The Watch Lounge, what with the fantastic competition we are currently running and the original article that generated all the buzz. Now with another Watch Lounge exclusive, we give you an interview with the infamous man himself, horological legend and founder of Red8 World, Mr Christian Bedat!
TWL: The new Red8 World collection is unlike anything you previously created at Bedat & Co. What was the catalyst for this dramatic change?
CB: In a way, as you say it is completely different from the BEDAT &CO collection, elegant sophisticated refined watches. If you think about it, after having spent all my working life in the traditional Swiss watch industry, I had to do something really different in every aspect. Plus I owed it to the owners of BEDAT&CO, not to try and create a No2. I also owed it to the actual brand owners.
That said, the current environment we live in now played a significant role as well.
During my past professional life, I have always thought that in order for a product to be perceived as upscale is does not necessarily need to be expensive. I had a few attempts, but no real successes…. it seemed price and brand name were the best way for a consumer to position a product.
However, this idea has always stayed with me, and I really believe in creating a new type of style at a more affordable price. RED8 watches are an example of that.
RED8 watches also reflect my personal taste 100% and I am proud to wear it as much as I am proud to see it on other people wrists.
The attention to details reflects the feel for quality, despite the affordable price point. Nothing has been left behind. Attention to details is always key.
TWL: Why Red8? What do the combination of this colour and number represent for you and what message are you trying to convey through their use together?
CB: I needed a simple name, easy to remember and that has nothing to do with my name. I had no intention to promote myself, just the product. What better than a colour and a number?
Even better if this particular number has a significant meaning for some cultures such as Asian cultures.
The overall concept tries to convey certain values like on the bezel of the watch, with words related to peace, love, culture, race etc…or simply through the web site design, its animations and its simple understand ability.
By the way, there is deliberately no mention of my name on the site…. Only for those who know me, I appear at the end of the fashion show, just to say hello to my friends….
TWL: How long did it take you to create and design the new Red8 concept? Does the end product reflect what you first envisioned when you started out or have there been a number of changes along the way?
CB: Creating the product was quite fast. Once we got down on paper what it was we were after there was very little variation from there. And with the help of my designer friend, my graphic designer in Nyon Switzerland and factories in China, we were able to move very quickly from the initial design to production stage. Although it’s something I have been thinking about for some time the process itself probably took about 6 months from inception.
Thanks to this streamlined process we did not require many changes, just a few improvements on details. I believe a well born product does not require many changes.
TWL: When you designed this new collection who did you have in mind and why?
CB: In the car industry, there are cars that transcend social status, like the new mini cooper or the new fiat 500. These cars are not the cheapest, but are affordable and please all kinds of clientele. Next to the fancy luxury cars, they look fine.
That is what I had in mind, to create a watch, which could position itself likewise and be appreciated by all sorts of people, worn in style with style.
It was not my intention to create a product to compete with the traditional Swiss brands or the low end of the market. My concept is different in all aspects for that reason.
TWL: How did you come up with the unique concept of four customisable words on the bezel and why do you think it will appeal to your customers?
CB: Again, in the search of being different, in the desire of promoting certain values, the idea to apply words or sentences on the bezel is a way to show your vision, your belief, your belonging to a certain set of values. This also contributes to creating a point of differentiation. At the end of the day a watch looks like another watch and to tell time, you do not need a watch. So the watch brings its user pleasure. That is the point I am trying to reach.
On the Website, we have different sections. One of the 4, the White WORLD combines a Design Centre and a Museum. Basically the idea is to let user create their own watch for fun, and then post it to the museum to share their ideas with others. Unfortunately they cannot order their own designs, simply because of the difficulty to produce one by one, the time it would take and the price it would cost. But I have had demands for quantities of a certain design for a foundation or a corporation.
Users can rate the designs of others and their own. Based on rates and my judgement I will nominate a winner every 2 months and notify this person by email and offer him or her a watch of their choice from my collection. His or her design will then be posted onto the site museum.
We see that the design centre is proving a success already.
TWL: Given your rich heritage within the Swiss watch making industry why have you decided to have your new collection made in Asia?
CB: I have always evolved in the Swiss Tradition and produced watches in Switzerland. I have always believed in protecting the values of Swiss Made. I even created my own label guaranteeing the 100% origin of all components from Switzerland. As you know, the Swiss Made regulation says that a watch can be called ‘Swiss Made’ if assembled in Switzerland with a Swiss Made Movement. I have always believed that customers when buying a Swiss watch imagine nice factories in Switzerland where all has been made.
But at the end of the day, in order to compete and to match the demand for lower prices, many brands produce important components outside and then assemble them in Switzerland.
Yet consumers can judge only by Brand and Price.
In my desire to be transparent and at the same time really different, I decided to produce in Asia and proudly say it.
Think about APPLE products, designed in California and produced in China… Are they not the best?
This is also part of my desire to be different and stand out in all aspects from other players in the industry.
If you visit factories in China, you will be blown away by their abilities. And at the end of the day they use the same machines, the same steel as we do. So for a product priced at only US$880, who wants to be more King than the King ?
TWL: You have you chosen to sell your watches exclusively on-line, why is this?
CB: This is again a point of differentiation. It also stems from our desire to have direct contact with clients and gives us a way to be really exclusive. Any products from the Red8 Collection sold online elsewhere will be either fake or second hand.
My website is our window to the world. It has been designed without pretention to give pleasure to its users.
I found a great company in Korea called Ideapicnic which specializes in animation, website, games etc… So I decided to trust them with the project.
I wanted to find different ideas and a new approach. We have used lots of animation for fun or for information. I would have done even more, but was mindful of the issue of connection speeds.
We had to find a way to boost speed at local user’s home; otherwise the site would be too slow.
Of course this site will evolve and also bring new products in the future.
This site is our business card.
There is also a section reserved for press for downloading all relevant information for a journalist.
TWL: Which variation from your current collection of Red8 watches is your favourite and why?
CB: Of course I like them all. Women love the CB005, the white one. Men prefer the CB007 and 011, the grey and brown.
Personally I Like the CB004, the green one a lot as it is so different and cool looking.
I have read some criticism about the red crown. I personally believe that the red Crown makes a great difference and makes the product alive and stand out.
As the crown is red it could not be in made in Stainless Steel. It could have been made Aluminium but this would be too fragile I thought. As such the crown is made of Plastic coating over stainless steel base. It is designed to be durable and long lasting and above all to stand out.
Thanks to Christian’s generosity we also have two brand new Red8 World watches valued at $880 each to giveaway! To enter just click here.
Category: Interviews
Great interview Tom.
I found what Christian had to say here really interesting:
“In the car industry, there are cars that transcend social status, like the new mini cooper or the new fiat 500. These cars are not the cheapest, but are affordable and please all kinds of clientele. Next to the fancy luxury cars, they look fine.
That is what I had in mind, to create a watch, which could position itself likewise and be appreciated by all sorts of people, worn in style with style.
It was not my intention to create a product to compete with the traditional Swiss brands or the low end of the market. My concept is different in all aspects for that reason.”
I wonder if this was perceived as a risky move? Here Christian is saying that they intended to move away from the traditional high/low end, well defined watch markets in order to create something new. I wonder how their marketing efforts are helping to accomplish these aims? What do you do to create that new segment? Does the watch speak for itself or will it need a celebrity endorsement?
Thanks again. Enjoyed it.
Ramsay
RED8WORLD idea is to step away from the usual ways…..We are not competing with the industry as you are use to see it, but our clients by definition are clients of the industry. But if you study a little more the concept, I believe you will agree it does not interfere with the establishment, as it follows different codes. Of course quality is of high standard. I just came back from major swiss factories where I tested RED8 watches. Reaction from Swiss Experts: ” well if that is what you can achieve in Asia, what is left to us beyond SWISS MADE”….
Regarding Celebrity, we will be pleased if celebrity endorse, but we shall not pay for it, or have this a marketing tool… All the best to our Australian friends
Having received the Red8 watches that will be given away I can definitely attest to the quality aspect. These are really well made watches. They look great, they have a nice weight to them and the colors are very rich and striking.
As for the concept itself I too am very interested to see how it plays out. I definitely think that Red8 World has put together a recipe for success and so I am looking forward to how this new idea is received by the market. Haven spoken to Christian and seen the watches for myself I have a degree of confidence that the brand will do quite well, but only time will tell.
Great interview! I’ll post a link to it tomorrow.
The concept Red8 is an ingenious way forward. I like the bold approach Christian Bedat took.
We in Switzerland have to find new approaches as the next generation of watch buyers is a lot less concerned with Swiss Made than the current buyers are. And the next generation is just waiting around the corner.
It will be interesting to see how Red8 evolves over time. In any event, I wish Christian and his idea the commercial success they aim for.