Gary George Girdvainis gary @ isochronmedia . com
American Watchmaking
There is no question that the last decade has seen American watchmaking growing by leaps and bounds . With full respect and acknowledging the leadership of those luxury brands on the vanguard of re-birthing American watchmaking like RGM , Waldan , Towson , Kobold , and very few others , American watchmaking has been basically a handful of high ( er ) end offerings – and Timex Group .
This makes a lot of sense . In the not-too-distant past it took more than a design , a handful of cash , and an internet connection to bring a wristwatch into existence . Brands like Waldan and RGM invested years cultivating their own watchmaking skills and acumen - as well as the necessary contacts overseas and domestically to source components and movements . Today is quite different .
Alibaba brands aside , almost anyone with a design idea and a relatively small amount of capital can have a watch design developed , engineered , and brought to life with relative ease . While the quality of the finished product can vary wildly from superb to sub-par , literally hundreds of new American-based brands have registered their names and taken the plunge into the watchmaking pool with watches that cover the style range from homage to oh-my . Some will succeed and continue on to develop as a brand , while the majority will simply disappear having made their one attempt at timepieces . I ’ ve seen brands with the most basic designs thrive , and others that really caught my eye struggle and go by the watchmaking wayside . What makes the difference between success and failure is abundantly clear – marketing .
The Direct-to-consumer ( DTC ) pipeline has opened up a new method of selling and a few leaders on the vanguard of the DTC movement have embraced this option as the main source of sales with some of the most basic designs realizing amazing results . Even then , sudden success is no guarantee of a brand ’ s longevity and sometimes the brightest bulbs burn out the quickest . Like a new restaurant , the deck is stacked against a new watch brand ’ s chance for long-term success . That said , the cuisine of watch designs being launched at accessible prices has never been more diverse . Most are powered by traditional movements , so even if they do go away , the watches they create can most likely be kept in working order for years to come .
Keep Watching – American Brands
Gary George Girdvainis
4 | AboutTime Magazine