iW INTERVIEW
KEVIN KOUCH,
BALL WATCH EXECUTIVE
Which Ball Watch collections sell the best in the United States?
The Engineer Hydrocarbon, the Engineer, and the Fireman collections are the best sellers here.
Does this differ from sales abroad?
Yes, in some ways. In Japan, Malaysia, and Hong Kong, the bestsellers are the Trainmaster, the
Engineer and the Fireman collections.
What role does the Ball Watch Explorer’s Club play in drawing consumers?
The Explorer’s Club plays a supporting role by attracting new consumers to Ball Watches.
We love sharing their stories, as these are people who actualize their dreams by taking on
significant challenges while striving to achieve their goals. Ball Watch aligns with these
individuals based on philosophy and brand image and we respectfully support them in a way
as not to take advantage of what they do.
Do you see Ball competing with smartwatches?
No, I do not see Ball competing with smartwatches. As a matter of fact, we do not compare. We
are not at all vested in connected technology but in the “savoir-faire” of mechanical watches.
How does Ball Watch handle online sales?
We understood quite early that we had to adapt our distribution to the modern world
by being active online. It was and still is a big challenge, as this also means being in
direct contact with customers, which involves new business systems. But it’s been
extremely beneficial and we feel much closer to our clients. This is a great way to know
what people expect.
Online sales do not mean that Ball is taking away all retail shop businesses. Quite the
contrary, it provides another level of support through innovative product launches and
exclusive distribution in which everyone benefits: the manufacture, the retail storeowner and
the client.
Why should a collector buy a Ball watch as opposed to another watch at about
the same price point from a highly marketed Swiss or Japanese brand?
In my opinion, Ball offers a better value for the money in terms of the watch itself. You get
more than what you pay for in terms of quality, specifications, and constant innovations
such as implementing tritium gas tubes inside the sapphire turning bezel of our Engineer
Hydrocarbon and Engineer Master series.
Can you offer our readers
a preview of any upcoming
Ball watches set to debut
later this year?
Yes, as a sneak peek, we will be
launching our latest DeepQUEST
II in June or July exclusively
for our retail partners available
only in store. Additionally,
we have many projects in the
pipeline that involve our in-house
movement 80-hour power
reserve COSC movement—the
BALL RRM7309-C. We will be
adding more features to it, so
stay tuned! Overall, there will be
more exciting products to come
by the end of the year!
Left: Ball Watch Order of Railway
Conductors, No. 307412, Series
VIll, circa 1893.
SPRING 2020 | INTERNATIONAL WATCH | 45