Ticking together

“Corum likes to go local. We always have local teams at our offices all over the world. To me, this is very important because the feedback and information that comes back to us becomes much more diverse. If we send people from the same culture out to these markets, the feedback that we receive isn’t as mixed. Using a local team gives us a better understanding and reading of the market.”

“I think the differences between the Asian and Western markets are getting smaller. This year, we launched a 47mm timepiece and it is a watch that, until a few years ago, I would have thought is for America, South America, and Russia. But the first client we had today is from Hong Kong and he made a major order for the timepiece. This is something that five years ago, we would all have thought very improbable. So I think we are seeing a huge change in tastes and they has become more global.”

“It feels like I have three children because Bubble, Bridges and Admirals’ Cup are such different collections. And they say that when a child is born, you don’t know who you are letting into your home because they are born with their own personalities and you can’t fully control that. So I respect the different strengths of each collection, give them love, and let them take the path they want to take.”

“Bubble is all about creativity and fun. For example, I know a local retailer in Singapore who moved seven Bubble watches in one sale. That’s what it is about – someone who wants something fun, and instead of buying one very expensive “serious” watch, buys something more playful. The buyer is not necessarily a different consumer (from those that would buy a “traditional watch), but the same consumer buying in a different group. Bridges is definitely very strong in Asia. Again, it’s a watch for the consumer who already owns many timepieces and doesn’t need to follow a certain brand or a certain trend and is comfortable with making a very individual choice.”

“The challenge in managing such diversity is mainly in the distribution. We have to be flexible and allow our retailers and partners to carry what they are comfortable with. We definitely have those who only want to carry the Bubble, and those who only carry the Bridges and Admiral’s Cup. Our retailers are very diverse and we try to cater to them and keep them happy.”

“But diversity is also richness. Brands that are very strong in a certain product or in a certain market may struggle when there is economic uncertainty in a demographic or market. We don’t really have to worry about that, so diversity also makes us more resilient in a downturn.”

Corum