Anyone interested in providing opinions on a new watch project I'm doing?

Thanks for all the PMs so far - I might just wait a little longer to see who else replies and I'll be sure to write back to everyone.

Thanks for all the offers of help - great to see so many people are willing and interested

banie01 wrote: »

I've completed the survey and I fear my involvement in your projects 1st model at least is at an end.

I'm not a wearer of Dress watches and tend to just swap straps on a tool or chrono to make it slightly "dressier".

I will help out in anyway I can tho.
The stigma some have towards made in china for mechanicals is quite strange, considering the amount of partially completed high quality movements and cases that are shipped to Switzerland for enough finishing to allow them to be "Made in Switzerland"

Interesting complication and design, coupled with good quality will go a long way to building interest.

The very best of luck with it TF!
Now if ya want to convince your Chinese buddies to do a reasonably priced Sinn 155/Heuer 1550 homage...
Well then :P
Take my money

Honesty is always the best policy - it's definitely not for everyone but hey maybe once you see the design and "innovations" you might be tempted back in - once you see the complication you'll realise why I went for dress watch (despite divers/chronos being much better western sellers).

As for reasonable heuer 1550 homages there actually is one I believe - not available new anymore but who knows maybe drop HKED a message on WUS:
https://forums.watchuseek.com/f29/fsot-ray-wong-bundeswehr-homage-heuer-bund-seagull-st19-chronograph-1901-like-hked-4682375.html#/topics/4682375 - they come up on the second hand market too every so often.

He's on the Chinese forum often and does lots of St19 chronographs.

I imagine $299 is a lot less than what the 1550 goes for?

As for myself - no homages (or at least knowingly - dress watches can look much of a muchness - hence I want to try something new/exciting).

banie01 wrote: »

Thank you by the way for that Ray Wong lead!
I have something to try and find now

Thank you or curses? (I love being an enabler )

CalamariFritti wrote: »

I dont think anyone who is genuinely looking at a €6000 watch would be swayed by a €350 Chinese based project even if it was technically on a par. Those kinds of watches are bought only to some degree for technical superiority I think, but are to a large degree just expensive jewellery that relies heavily on origin and brand name.

After all why would anyone buy an expensive watch if they could get a digital quartz that holds the time just as well if not better and has 200m water resistance for a pittance compared. Expensive watches are bought for the pleasure of it with a bit of vanity thrown in I think. Not sure that's your market no matter how good the watch is.

Definitely agreed - anyone who is shopping for a Patek/ALS tourbillon isn't going to take a second look at a Sea-gull tourbillon for example (unless extremely "patriotic" though ironically/incidentally the domestic Chinese love the Swiss brands).

But I wager there are people who are looking at a Swiss tourbillion and think - I'd like a tourbillon - but I don't want to pay Swiss tourbillon prices.

That's the audience I'm targetting - the mechanical watch lovers who like interesting/different complications but want it in an accessible (price-wise) watch - without the extras that Swiss cachet brings.

Btw - my proposal isn't a tourbillon - those are dime a dozen now from Chinese companies - but it gives an example of the sort of people who are attracted by 6000 - 9000 euro watches' features but would only like to pay 500-1000 euro (to be honest I haven't checked what Omega et al's tourbillon pieces' costs are but I'm certain they're not 500 euro ) - Chinese tourbillons do sell - despite your entirely correct observation that a digital quartz would be much more accurate.

As for "expensive" - it really seems to vary from individual to individual - see the debate that takes place on the WUS affordables forum on what is an "affordable" - some want sub $20 aliexpress watches, some categorise sub $100, $500, even $1000 as "affordable".

A 350ish euro watch won't be targeted at the people are looking at buying a family heirloom at this price point - or this one being their "one and only watch" (though I'd love it if anyone would consider it) - but it's more targeted at people who have a smattering of X00 and X000 euro watches who might be interested in getting an "affordable" (relatively) technical complication - that hopefully doesn't look half bad either

This discussion is really helpful to me though - makes sure I'm clear in my head who I see as the people who may be interested in the product.

As an aside I do wonder what other people are doing about taxes and regulations with "bigger" kickstarter campaigns. Perhaps people are treating it as their primary business and then hoping to make more substantial margins off prices - and thus can afford to hire accountants etc.

The tax rules don't seem to be helpful to people who may be engaged in large turnovers but actually making relatively little profit (my intention) - it seems I either need to reduce my turnover or increase mark-ups to provide for the cost of an accountant - the second option meaning higher costs for buyers (which I don't want). A "passion project" which may deal with relatively large sums of money, but nets me a non-significant income does seem to be somewhat penalised by our business rules.

I wonder how the guy who got 50k+ to make potato salad dealt with his tax issues (guy raised $55,000 to make potato salad from thousands of backers):

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/zackdangerbrown/potato-salad

Just an interesting tax quirk. Death and taxes - the two inescapable realities of life