A Few Thoughts From the Train
On the way back from Biel to Geneva
Good evening. It's 16:04 on the outskirts of Geneva as I write this.
Swiss trains are awesome. Get yourself a multiday EURail pass (they are NOT cheap, so be forewarned) and use it to get from one city to another. It's the best.
Right now I'm on my way back to Geneva from Biel, where are I just had a fantastic afternoon at the headquarters of microbrand darling Formex.
It... was not what I expected.
There's a whole piece on Formex coming. I have SO much to say about these folks but the short version is this: they are emblematic of why I absolutely love microbrands.
Getting this look behind the curtain at Formex's operations was an experience that has gotten my mind running in multiple directions. Apart from the stories that are now waiting to be told, it reinforced what I am coming to believe about the world of horology: the really fun stuff is happening on this side of the fence. Indie and microbrand shops like Chris Ward, Furlan Marri, and Formex are breaking through what is expected from this sector. My hope is that they continue to remain independent and don't get sucked up by LVMH or Swatch Group.
My biggest takeaway from this afternoon in Biel was the importance of this sector to the development of horology in general. It was something that Markus Wälchli, Brand Directory and Co-Owner of Formex mentioned to me almost in passing.
We were chatting with Sabrina, who had been working at Formex for all of three days when I showed up. She will be doing Marketing Design for Formex and will be joining Markus on a business trip to Detroit.
"Detroit?" I asked. "Why Detroit?"
"We have a meetup," Markus said. "With a RedBar club, but also with another club called CP Time. That club is [comprised of] members who are viewing their love for horology through the Black lens - that's how they call it. So it's mainly African-Americans, who don't maybe feel included in other watch clubs because it's..." he gestured to his own bearded face "... mainly white guys. So they founded their own watch club and reached out to me because they really like what we do, apparently. So we'll visit them."
The topic of inclusiveness in horology is not talked about much, but it should be. Horology is AMAZING. I think it could perhaps become one of the most relatable things in the world. It's not now and that's on us as horology nerds, enthusiasts, industry professionals, and collectors. We don't do nearly enough to educate, to inform, to entertain, but most importantly to reach out to people who might be interested in this field and bring them in.
We can have some great conversations around how and why to bring people into the community, but I think there's a means that's incredibly powerful staring us right in the face: independents and microbrands. What Markus said above? That's important and should resonate with more of us.
Here's a company out of Switzerland, located in the heart of Switzerland's "watch valley", in the home of some of the biggest watch companies in the world (hi Swatch Group, nice museum you got there), that's reaching out to groups in Detroit, Michigan. Mike Pearson of Christopher Ward is now CW's "man in America" and has been hitting up almost every watch show that pops up. Small shows like Intersect LA, which I attended a few weeks ago, are bringing accessible horology to places everywhere. The big brands aren't showing up (though Casio and Miyota do come to Windup Watch Fair) for these shows. They're content to play out of retail operations, but the small brands are the ones showing up to talk directly to their fans and new prospective customers.
That's the true power of independent and microbrand watch companies. That's what makes what they're doing SO much more exciting to me than what the big houses owned by LVMH or Swatch are doing. And, in the coming weeks and months, I'm going to talk more about this in greater detail - including going into great detail about how technology and an increasingly flexible supply chain is going to serve as not only an equalizer, but also a competitive advantage for a number of small brands.
For now, as I pull into Geneva's Cornavin train station, goodbye from Switzerland. More to come...