Smaller brands, micro brands especially, reach a considerable audience online, in blogs, social media and the like. But as watches are entirely tactile objects their full character reveals itself only if touched and put on one’s wrist. Here the smaller producers face the barrier of lacking contact points (i.e. dealers) or networks that faciliate direct contact to their clients. UK-based specialist retailer Page & Cooper aims to change that with their Independents' Day 2018 event held earlier this year in London, an evening dedicated to aficionados of fine specialist watch brands. I was there on the spot and mixed with vibrant London watch aficionados' scene.




The idea behind Independents' Day was for it to serve as an intimate meeting point for watchmakers and watch lovers: close to the people, the watches test-riding on the wrists. Quite a number of more and lesser known brands exhibited - in alphabetic order:

Chronoswiss:
Now under new ownership, and having recently relocated to Switzerland (Lucerne) to make sense of their name, Chronoswiss, one of the pacemakers in the resurrection of the Swiss watchmaking industry, has modernised their formerly pronounced classic appearance. One key parameter is that dials are decidedly more 3D now, with sculptured bezel rings and (partly) exposed gear work. In the course of this, the guillochage on the dials, a characteristic of the brand, has greatly benefited from the acquisition of a rose engine: its bolder, deeper, with more playful variety in the grooves.  


Dodane 1857:

Laco (presenting a limited Page & Cooper exclusive edition):

The ‚fauxtina‘ as many call this ‚finish‘, was certainly something we have seen in many instances this year. I am not a particular fan of this, as I consider this presumptuous, displaying something that has not factual grounds. From a pure aesthetic point of view I think this specimen is especially well done in the sense to being closest to a real patina acquired though use over time.

Melbourne Watch Company:

Probably not a brand for collectors, but a wonderful option to novices to get their hands wet - literally possible with a dive watch!

Sinn:
A brand that needs no introduction here and is certainly considered an ‚established‘ brand, so one might wonder why Sinn chose to partner with Page & Cooper. The reason I think is in their specific distribution system, selling directly with using a select few of dealers as their ‚depots‘, a concept that fits apparently nicely with the Page & Cooper business model.



The watch can be ordered with a steel bracelet that is tegimented as well. We were invited to try to scratch it:

Finally, Lexus served as automotive partner - for Europeans a rather niche choice for a luxury car, thus it fitted well.











Third, Page & Cooper organised talks and panels to discuss the appeal of small, personal brands - in a very interactive and entertaining manner. Professional video and photography teams took footage which will later be used for marketing purposes - a great benefit for the brands, and the images are fantastic as you can see here.




I am looking forward to a da capo next year!

Cheers,