Competition is rife in most markets: the big groups, through guile and clever marketing, dominate displays in retailer’s windows; attracting consumers through eye-catching and meaningful advertising is über-costly; finding and recruiting a slick and unemployed salesman is akin to cornering the Higgs boson and if you include the economic fact that spare cash is at a premium today, you can’t help asking the obvious question: what is it that makes small independent watch companies believe that they can not only conquer a corner of the watch market, but also make enough spondulix and shekels to thrive?
Self-belief?
Innovation?
Almost certainly both, but you have to add a very large sprinkling of courage.

I’m sure that of the more than three hundred or so Swiss watch companies and the same amount of ‘foreigners’ at the last Baselworld, there were dozens of small existing brands and newcomers trying desperately to get into the action, find enthusiastic distributors, make their mark, establish their brand.
They participate with hope in their hearts and watches in their pockets and despite being tucked away in some corner of the more than 140,000 square metres of exhibition space available, they are optimistic about being noticed, discovered, applauded, acclaimed in the press and even fêted.
Here’s a tribute to three of them.

VALBRAY Opens its Shutters

The Resurgence of CHRONOSWISS

The ATELIERS DEMONACO Challenge

Source: Europa Star August - September 2014 Magazine Issue