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- [00:00]
Simon Ryan
Foreign.
- [00:06]
Rob Nudds
Hello, watch fans, and welcome to another edition of the Real Time Show. With me, your friendly neighborhood watchmaker, Rob Nudds, the friendly neighborhood jeweler, Alain Ben Joseph, and our very friendly watchmaker and watch analyst, Simon Ryan of Monceaux watches and also YouTube fame. Simon, welcome to the Real Time Show. How are you doing?
- [00:22]
Simon Ryan
I'm doing very good. Thank you guys for having me. It's. It's different for me to be on this side of the microphone, if you like, kind of being interviewed rather than interviewing other people. Yeah, it takes some getting used to, actually.
- [00:37]
Rob Nudds
All right, well, that's an interesting situation. I know exactly how it feels myself, because I've also had to talk about myself. And we're going to get you to talk about yourself as well as your exciting new project, which is really the main reason why we felt we had to get you on the show, because what you're doing with Monceau is certainly something that we are very interested in. And I know our community is keen to learn more about the watches. But before we learn about them, let's learn about you. So, Simon, could you please give us a rundown of your life, your passions, your interests, your occupations, and how you got to this point today?
- [01:09]
Alain Ben Joseph
Right.
- [01:09]
Simon Ryan
Wow. Okay. How long have we got? Well, I suppose probably the place to start is how I got into watches. And I only actually realized this quite recently when somebody asked me the question. And literally it was the first time someone, you know, first time I'd been asked this and I really had to think about it, but it actually came to mind was that it comes from my father. Now, that's not uncommon. A lot of people, you know, a lot of watch enthusiasts, you know, follow in their parents footsteps, their father's footsteps, a handed down watches and things like that. But mine's a slightly different story. So I can vividly remember being at the age of probably, I guess, six or seven, and my father was loading the car. We were about to go on holiday, and we used to do these incredible holidays where we would drive throughout Europe and, you know, it would be every school holiday. The reason we did was because my father at the time was doing a lot of work in Eastern Europe. That was his kind of area of specialty. And we understood that he was a kind of a rep, a sales rep, if you like, back in the day. You know, this is before the days of mobile phones and email and all of this kind of stuff. And he'd be away for three or four weeks at a time. We didn't really know what he did. But, you know, we understood that he was selling things, and he's loading the car, and he picks up this box of kind of digital LCD watches, which were sort of. It was just at the time where they were kind of coming down in price, and that was a thing. And he puts it on the top of the luggage in the boot. And of course, I said to him, well, dad, what are those? And why are we taking those with us? And he said, well, he said, look, it's. When we get to the customs borders, we're talking to the border guards. Said, you know, they asked what they are. They ask, you know, why I'm bringing these watch, this box full of watches through. And I just say, well, you know, look, you know, it's just some gifts for friends, but, you know, would you like one? He said, and it works every time. They always let us through. And that has always stuck with me. And sure enough, it did always work for him. Well, this is what I'm getting to now. Something Elny actually found out as I kind of became an adult, I guess, and really only learned a bit more about in the last 10 or 50 years, actually, is that he was involved in military intelligence. Either, I'm not sure. And again, he won't talk about it. He's still alive. He's in his 90s. He emigrated to Australia, and it's just part of his life he doesn't really want to talk about, despite myself and my brothers kind of trying to press him on it because we're desperate to know more. But, you know, I mean, he. Of the bits and pieces that he has told us, he was either an asset or an agent working with intelligence. He also brokered some arms deals between the US And Saddam Hussein's government in Iraq many years before the Gulf War.
- [04:25]
Rob Nudds
Right, okay. So I wasn't too far off with the spy comment, which I'm meant flippantly, but there we go. That's totally bizarre and awesome. What a backstory. So you've obviously got this. This interest in watches and technology and whatnot in your blood, but when did it really become an obsession for you that, well, became your primary passion, I would guess.
- [04:47]
Simon Ryan
So I guess kind of even into my teens, I was, you know, I mean, I remember buying a Casio Data bank watch, and it was just like my surprise possession. But when the hobby really kind of got into the blood was when I started working. So my background is as a designer. That's how I trained as a graphic designer. And after a few years, not very long actually into My career I set up, along with a former colleague, set up our own marketing agency. And after winning our first kind of major contract, I decided to treat myself to a watch. And I wanted something a little bit special and bought an Oris at the time. But of course, once you buy one, one's never enough. And that led to a couple of Omegas and then a couple more Oris. And, you know, before I knew it, had a kind of a growing collection. And I think really probably around 2018, 2019, that's accelerated even more. And I think at one point I ended up with about 25 pieces in the collection.
- [05:54]
Alain Ben Joseph
What an amazing story about your dad, Simon, and thank you for sharing because it's awesome to have you on the other side of the mic because I've been a guest on your amazing YouTube channel, which you've done a tremendous job with. Compliments for that. For those that don't know the show, please sure to have a look at Escapement24 on YouTube. Now, listening to your story about your dad, is that where your passion for tool watches came from?
- [06:24]
Simon Ryan
Well, my dad was never. Even though his career was kind of quite an interesting one, he was never really like James Bond in terms of his. His kind of interests, his physique or anything else. So I think two watches is just something that, yeah, it's just really a bit of a passion that I've developed.
- [06:43]
Alain Ben Joseph
So you said you come from the design side of things, had your own agency, reward yourself with a watch. Now, you know, I say this as a joke, but what the heck is wrong with you to while scratching your itch for watches with a YouTube channel to start your own watch brand and your own. Produce your own watches?
- [07:07]
Simon Ryan
Yeah, well, when you say wonder what's wrong, I mean that's. Yeah. What a learning curve it's been. What I've. Would I have embarked on it knowing that was going to be such a big learning curve? Yeah, I probably would because I'm a sucker for punishment. So, okay, so in between the marketing agency and starting the YouTube channel, my wife and I started another business. We actually. We bit like yourself, Alan. We went into retail initially and we opened a bridal shop selling wedding dresses. And after a couple of years of having our own store and stocking dresses, gowns from other designers, we decided to set up our own brand. And, you know, probably always too ambitious, I don't know, but we set about developing a supply chain, finding manufacturing partners we could work with design collections, et cetera. And we did that business for 10 years and after well within eight to 10 years we were supplying 50 stores across the UK and Ireland. It was quite a successful business. But then Covid came and Covid wasn't great for the events and wedding industry and it had a real major impact on the stores that we were supplying. And of course that had a trickle down effect on us and we never really managed to recover from, I think, the damage that was done from COVID So that left us about 18 months ago and left me at a bit of a career crossroads. I could see that the wedding dress business, that brand wasn't really going to be viable to continue. And I thought, well, I've got a couple of choices here. I can either go back into marketing and pursue that full time. I didn't really have the confidence of thinking that YouTube was ever going to be something that would give me a full time salary. There are lots of people with much bigger channels than mine that don't make a full time living out of it. And so I thought, well, you know, what could I do and what would I really enjoy doing? And of course I thought I could find a way of combining my passion for watches with my background in design. With 10 years of experience in global sourcing, working with supply chains around the world, I thought, well, maybe there's something there, Maybe, you know, there's the opportunity to design my own watch. You know, when you've been a designer, I mean, every watch enthusiast wants to design their own watch, don't they? But when you are actually a designer by trade, I would say that passion is even harder to ignore. You know, that kind of inner voice. And so the other thing that I guess clicked into place was I realized that Having done the YouTube channel for by that time, maybe two and a half, three years, I'd actually made quite a lot of contacts in the watch industry. Some really interesting people, many of whom have become good friends and account yourselves among those. But also people like Max Bruxer, who I speak to quite regularly, Sylvan Berneron, who you've also interviewed on the show here, and a number of other people. And so that also made me realize that I not only had the design skills, I had the passion to do it, but I also had a network of contacts that maybe could help me to avoid making some of the mistakes that I was bound to make and kind of help just guide me and give me some advice. And so on the day that I decided to embark on this crazy project, I literally picked up the phone and called four or five people. I think Max was one of the first and just said, look, this is something I'm thinking about doing. How can you help me? You know, it's gonna. It's something I've never done before. I. I love watches. I think I know about watches, but I've never created a watch. And, you know, all of them were just so supportive and, you know, have really helped me along this journey, and I. I really owe an awful lot to them.
- [11:33]
Rob Nudds
So, obviously, it's great to have those kind of connections when you're starting out in a new industry, even if you're very intimately acquainted with that industry. But you mentioned hoping to avoid the mistakes you would surely have made on your own. But I'm sure you managed to find and make new mistakes that were completely unforeseeable. Tell us about some of those that you've managed to overcome.
- [11:52]
Simon Ryan
Oh, they've just been so many. I mean, I think making a watch is like making almost nothing else. And funny thing, actually, Sylvain said this to me when we were chatting was, you know, when you even just the scale and the proportions, when you design it, you know, you look at something on a computer screen and, you know, you can blow it up as large as you want. But, you know, the. I think Savannah's phrase, which was really just summed it up, was that on a watch, a millimeter is like a football field. And so I think one of the hardest things was just actually trying to understand that sense of scale and how to design with that scale, because it really is like nothing else. You know, you're designing at kind of minute, almost at microns at times, you know, fractions of a millimeter. So there were a number of. I mean, my early designs, I have to say, were. I look back on them now, and I think what was overthinking. And even though a lot of my designs take a lot of influence from watches that I love, you know, and I kind of, I suppose, carried, you know, a few details through that were the things that I love about watches, some of them which are in my collection, but actually sitting down, designing one is just something different altogether.
- [13:15]
Alain Ben Joseph
So I want to jump in, Simon. Sorry, because we obviously have discussed quite a bit before we record it, so we need to prevent that our listeners are lost. So you've decided that you want to start your own watch brand and make watches. Did you have something in your mind brand? Did you want to do vintage inspired? Did you want an old name? Because Monceau is an old brand that you've revived.
- [13:39]
Simon Ryan
That's right.
- [13:40]
Alain Ben Joseph
Did you Want to make a retro inspired watch? Did you want to do something completely modern? Walk us through that process. So you spoke to industry peers and not just peers. Living legends.
- [13:52]
Simon Ryan
Absolutely. Around the time that I started my first designs, I was getting really into vintage watches. And my 50th birthday was about a year away at that time. And so I was starting to think about, I'd really like a birth year watch, something from 74. And so I was doing a lot of browsing on the auction platforms, on sites like ebay and things like this, and getting heavily into old Zeniths and some of the old Omegas and things like that. And I remember late one night and I'm scrolling, scrolling through and I come across this chronograph, a racing chronograph from the 60s. Gorgeous looking watch. And the name on the dial was Monso. And I thought I'd never heard of that brand. It just didn't mean anything to me. I never come across them before. So I started looking for more watches from that brand and slowly over the following days and weeks, a few more started to turn up in other places. And it took me down a little bit of a rabbit hole and made me very curious to know more about the brand. But when I tried, the more I tried to find out about the brand, almost the less information seemed to be there. There was almost this kind of a bit of an enigma, like they'd fall into a black hole. And what I really was able to, and this took took weeks and months of, of research actually, but what I was able to, to find out was that the brand had started around the mid-50s in Lausanne and they made men's and ladies watches, they'd done a lot of gold pieces, but then around the late 70s, early 80s, they just seemed to disappear. Now, I do understand that the brand was bought by another jewelry manufacturer, but they did nothing with it and they allowed all the trademarks to lapse. And so it really, I thought, wouldn't it be great to actually breathe some new life into an old brand like this? A brand that, you know, they. There are still quite a lot of Monso old vintage Monso pieces around. If you Google them, you can find, you can find them on the Internet. And so, you know, at one time this was a known name in Swiss watchmaking. So I thought, you know, it. I just had this real passion for trying to bring it back to life and do something with that brand and almost kind of put it back on the map and put the Monceau name back on the dial of Watches.
- [16:31]
Rob Nudds
You wanted to reinvigorate this brand, bring it back to prominence. But for you, was the real driving force behind the project product based or brand based? Were you keen to see if you could do it or was there an itching desire to see a specific product in the market? Because I know ideas like this, notions that we have, they don't just appear fully formed one day out of nowhere. It's kind of a step by step process where one thing will pique your interest and then another thing will follow and eventually they'll all come together into this fully fleshed out idea that you want to pursue. But for you, what do you feel was like the, the real main driver?
- [17:13]
Simon Ryan
That's a really good question. I mean, I think I was, I think I've always been with this project, very product focused and whilst the brand is important and look, coming from a marketing, a branding background, I mean, I know the power of branding and, you know, actually finding a brand that I could reinvigorate and revive, that, that's been a hugely important part of this journey for me. But ultimately it's got to be about the product because if the product isn't great, then quite frankly, why should people buy it? And so my philosophy has really all been, it's, it's been about, you know, you've got to make a great, great product, it's got to be solid, it's got to be a very high specification, regardless of what price range you're selling it at. And I wanted to produce something and I guess, look, with having the YouTube channel, I suppose, whilst it's not a, a big channel, but I do have a, I suppose a public image or reputation if you like, you know, people trust me and, and trust my, my opinions and views when I'm talking about watches. And so the last thing I wanted to do was to produce something that people could easily criticize and say, oh, well, look, he's used a cheap movement or, you know, the loom's no good or whatever. So I've really put a huge amount of work into ensuring that specification is exceptionally high for the price point.
- [18:38]
Rob Nudds
Talk us through that a little bit more in detail, if you don't mind. Because you're absolutely right, you know, you have a public Persona, people know who you are. There's quite a lot riding on this release, really, because you want to show that you really do understand intimately on every level what makes watches great, because you are already an authority in the commentary space and I'm sure that you'd like to enhance that reputation even further by doing a good job on this. And you're right. You said that you wanted to avoid creating a watch that could be very easily criticized. That's something that we're all scared of. Whenever we put pen to paper or we go into brands and say, oh, you should do this or that or the other. You know, you're trying to almost predict what the comments section on the most vitriolic of websites the world has to offer could possibly be like. Where can they pull you up? Where can they say, oh yeah, well, I like the case, but I can't believe they've done X, Y, Z, blah blah, blah. Talk us through. If you don't mind as many components as you come to mind that you had to make those quality versus cost decisions for. Because of course this is a very good value product. Start by telling us the retail and then or how it's going to work on Kickstarter because I believe that's how you're launching it. Start by telling us that and then go through and tell us some of those design decisions you had to countenance in order to get us a great product on the wrist.
- [19:58]
Simon Ryan
Yeah, sure. Okay. So yes, it is going to launch on Kickstarter. It launches on the 30th of May and I believe that's when this recording is probably going out. So it may well be live by the time people hear this. Yeah. In terms of the design decisions. So I guess this ties into also my love of vintage watches. But there's been a big resurgence, as you know, in integrated bracelet style watches and this has been very big. It's, you know, some people may say that it's been almost overdone, but it's something that really, that style, that genre has really interested me for a number of years. And so when I went through, started going through the Monso back catalogue or designs that was able to find from the research I've done, they had a few pieces in there that they produced that had an integrated bracelet design. There was one actually they made for the Saudi military. I think it was the Saudi Air Force that was particularly interesting. And so that combined with influences from brands that I guess migrate towards or aspire to. And I'm talking about brands like Zenith and a number of others and all of these ideas kind of came into this sort of melting pot. And so the Model 1 is an integrated bracelet and design. But something that I was very passionate about is so I've got very, very small wrists. I mean, you know, I joke on a lot of my videos, you know, risks like the average mosquito. And so I wanted to create a piece that would be wearable for somebody with smaller wrists like mine. And often integrated bracelet designs aren't, you know, I mean, a famous example of this is the Tito prx. I don't know. Have you guys tried the PRX on the bracelet?
- [21:57]
Rob Nudds
Yeah. In all sizes?
- [21:58]
Simon Ryan
Yeah. Well, even in the smaller size they do, which I think is 40 on my wrist. That overhangs my wrist because of the design of the way that the bracelet integrates into the case, because you just don't get the same level of articulation from the bracelet. Now look, for most people with human sized wrists, that's really not a problem. But I was very keen that it had to wear well for somebody with wrists like me. Now, by virtue of that, that also means that I was, I was going to create something that could be truly unisex because it's a smaller size. So the case size on the Model 1 is 39 millimeters, which isn't all that small, but it has a very, very short lug to lug. So the, the lug to lug is just a shade under 45 millimeters. But I also wanted to create a design where you could very easily interchange the bracelet for a conventional strap. Because one of the things that's a bit of a bugbear for me is when I see these fantastic integrated bracelet designs. And then if you want to throw it on a strap, you've got to go back to the brand and you've got to buy their special strap with a special connector on or whatever. You know, you can't just go and choose something that you want to put on there. So that by doing these things, all these things, it kind of. I think I set myself a huge challenge actually. And, you know, maybe in hindsight I should have kind of picked off something easier to chew, maybe for my first watch. But it's something I'm very proud of that we've now achieved this. So we have this, what I think is a fantastic integrated bracelet design, but it has a quick release end links on the bracelet. So when the bracelet is on, it looks like an integrated bracelet design seamlessly. And yet within seconds you can put a strap onto the watch and it gives it a very different look again.
- [24:00]
Rob Nudds
Yeah, I think it's worth jumping in and just talking about the terminology here because what you've achieved is the effect of an integrated bracelet without it actually being integrated. So it's like either faux integrated or as I like to Say integral, like it's integral to the design, it gives it its incredible character, but it's actually just a regular bracelet. It's just extremely well obscured by the style of the case and the integration of that end link with the case. Because you're absolutely right. The problem with true integrated bracelets is that they don't accept regular straps. But you've kind of managed to tick both boxes there. So people may not actually realize immediately when you look at this watch that you can just remove the bracelet so simply because the line between the end link, the shaped end link, which follows the dropped tips of the lug and meshes perfectly with the case is almost invisible. Almost invisible. Entirely invisible to be fair. But even when you do see it, it doesn't immediately leap out to you as a separate component. It looks like it's just part of the case decoration. I mean, that's nicely done. And I imagine that you had to go through quite a few rounds of prototyping to get that absolutely right. Am I correct?
- [25:08]
Simon Ryan
Correct there, Rob. You wouldn't believe it. I mean, this was just became the bay of my life. You know, the, the watch was initially supposed to launch towards the end of last year and we, we just couldn't quite get this kind of seamless look with that end link and getting it to, to fit the, the case properly. And we thought we'd got there around February and then found that no, the second version still wasn't right. And again, it just didn't have that seamless look. You could tell that it was, the bracelet was separate and that just wasn't what I was trying to achieve. And I was at the point where, around the end of February where I thought, okay, look, these are prototypes, it's a Kickstarter campaign. So the watches will be pre ordered effectively. So, you know, I could launch with the prototypes and just kind of explain to people that this is something that you know will be improved for the final production run. But I couldn't do just that wasn't something that I could accept. And again, I don't know whether it was just because I didn't want to risk criticism, but I thought I wouldn't be satisfied selling something that I wasn't 100% confident in that could be achieved. And two, we'd actually been there and done it. And so it meant another delay to the project and it took another three months. And in the end the only way of solving this was actually not only to re engineer the end links for the bracelet, but we had to re engineer the case as well and allow some more tolerance in the case. And so yeah, that was a, a big setback. But I'm so glad that we didn't go out to market with something that wasn't quite perfect because now I look at it and I'm just so pleased that we put that extra work in.
- [27:07]
Alain Ben Joseph
I can vouch for the fact that Simon is a masochist. He, he, I'm laughing here, but he, it's interesting what you just said that you were worried about criticism and, and Rob and I also had the honor to design watches. And I think our Northern Light is that we make what we like and then since we're also commercial, then suddenly you need to balance the fact with what will sell. And I've said this several times on air in Dutch, we have a saying, a molage is a, A beautiful watch is a sold watch. So talking about commerciality of things, Simon, I've been saying this to you from day one. Too cheap, too low. Simon, go higher. You can't sell at this price. So let's talk about pricing and why start off with Kickstarter?
- [28:01]
Simon Ryan
Yes, we have had that conversation several times, I think. Ella, let's start with the Kickstarter question first. Kickstarter, obviously being crowdfunding means that it's a way of raising the, the production cost. And you know, as somebody effectively, this is a one man band business right now, you know, and I just don't have the capital behind me to, to go out and, and raise the kind of money required for the production. I did secure investment into the project initially. So I have got a, technically got a business partner, although he's not, you could say he's a sleeping partner if you like. But he covered most of the investment required for all the design, the R and D and the prototyping which given the fact that we'd gone through three actually four variations on the end links as we discussed in two different cases, wasn't a small amount of money. But the other aspect of Kickstarter is that obviously Kickstarter is great for visibility and for new brands who are starting off, you know, it's visibility is just essential. You know, if people don't see you up, then how the hell are they going to know it's even out there to buy it? And so it's a fantastic marketing tool in that respect. Don't get me wrong there. I think that there are a lot of fairly average products on Kickstarter, but Kickstarter has also launched some really fantastic products and some great Brands. I mean, actually, I think Studio Underdog started on Kickstarter for one, but even brands like Yema regularly still use the platform and so they can bring a whole new audience to you. But the one thing that I was clear in, from, in my vision with this, and this comes purely from a commercial perspective, is I did a huge amount of research at the outset into the projects that were successful on Kickstarter and it was very easy to plot a graph and you could see that the ratio of success where the projects were being fully funded also mirrored a certain price level. And so I guess people who are listening to this might be able to really kind of understand this. And in terms of if something on Kickstarter is priced at, let's say, 500 to 7, $800. Well, for most people you kind of think, well, I can take a risk on that. It's not a small amount of money, but you know, it is a risk. I can take a risk with that. I think once you start getting above that, the ticket price becomes so high that really Kickstarter isn't the right platform for you to be using to launch. It's not going to be right for that audience. And so ensuring that the price point was going to be competitive for the launch was also very, very important for me. And so what I've had to try and do is do this huge juggling act between, you know, producing something that is a highest specification possible, but for a price that still enables me to launch it on that platform. And I think that what I've managed to do, and unfortunately, I suppose there has to be a compromise somewhere. And the compromise in this case is really margin. So don't get me wrong, if the Kickstarter launch is successful, then it'll give the business a platform on which it can grow. But you know, my approach with this has been to not be greedy with the margin to keep it sensible. But obviously after the Kickstarter campaign, that's people's one and opportunity, one and only opportunity to buy the watch at the launch price and then after Kickstarter it will never be available at that price again.
- [32:03]
Alain Ben Joseph
You are at the crossroads. You made a decision to do a one off. Will you produce as many as being sold during the campaign or is it a closed quantity of Model 1 watches? You have different dial colors.
- [32:20]
Simon Ryan
Yeah, so there are four different dial colors. It's not a limited production run in terms of. It's not limited by number and they won't be numbered pieces in that respect, but it will be effectively making as many as the. As per the orders from the Kickstarter campaign. So that will determine the production run. I mean, look, I have minimum order quantities that I have to meet, and that's another reason for using a crowdfunding approach. But I think what I've also got with this, as well as having the four dial colors, I think that the case and bracelet design is a very solid platform also that I think I can build on for the future. And I've already got a ton of ideas now about other dial designs, other complications that I'd like to try and incorporate and maybe retain the same overall case architecture.
- [33:15]
Rob Nudds
Oh, he just took the words out of my mouth. And I was going to ask you to give us some insight into where you see monster going. Like what, what is your long term goal? What kind of watches do we imagine we'll see coming out of the brand? Will we see a price point creep and creep and creep upwards, or is there always going to be impetus to keep it suppressed so people can get these watches on their wrists a lot easier?
- [33:41]
Simon Ryan
I'm definitely keen that the brand is accessible. So whilst I won't be able to continue to meet the price point of the Kickstarter campaign, or certainly not with this model, equally, I want to ensure that Monceau is not a brand that is aspirational in terms of its price. I want people to aspire to own because they love the watches and want to have one on their wrist. But I also want it to be something that people look at and think, you know, that's a beautifully made watch and it's a great specification and actually it's solid value. And so really that's my kind of ambition, I suppose, is that, you know, I would like to see the. My sweet spot, I think, would be to be producing watches, you know, somewhere around the, you know, maybe 1,000 to $2,000 price range. And I think you can do a very healthy business with that.
- [34:38]
Rob Nudds
So to just pinpoint an existing corollary, maybe something along the lines of Econutra.
- [34:44]
Simon Ryan
Yeah, I think that would be probably a good comparison. Yeah, I mean, you know, that's a brand that I think are doing, actually doing some really interesting stuff. They've drawn my eyes several times on some of their recent designs and I think that they have a very. That's the right for me, that surprise level that I think a brand like that should be operating in. And I think it holds a lot of appeal because of that.
- [35:07]
Rob Nudds
Yeah, I absolutely agree. I think they've built a really dedicated following and been very patient and disciplined with their releases, I would say. So tell me this. Now. You know all about branding. Obviously, this is something that you've got a huge amount of experience in. I'm going to ask you one of those questions every brand will get asked at one point or another, and I want you to give me a proper answer. Because unlike most brand representatives, should we say, you're the boss, this is your vision. You also are someone that's behind the scenes in the industry already anyway, so you're more qualified to give an answer that our audience will know is not marketing. So who's your target audience?
- [35:50]
Simon Ryan
Okay, so my target audience is really the enthusiast community, and it's the. I guess it would be the sort of the people who are buying the. The studio underdogs of this world, the notice pieces. You know, I think that it's really somebody who want something slightly different. I'm not. When I say different, I'm not talking about necessarily, you know, wacky or crazy designs, but something that's a little bit more boutique, a little bit more niche, let's say. But, you know, I think in this industry, we. We've got kind of a. There's a. An end of the market where you have collectors who just kind of, you know, they really migrate towards certain brands. I mean, take Rolex, for example. You know, I know so many people who have several Rolex in their collection, and they just. It's a brand that they see as being a status symbol for them in some ways, as well as the fact that they love the product. But I think with it, sometimes in a certain element of it comes this kind of. There's a bit of snobbishness almost around the brand. And, you know, I've got a great friend who, you know, he's got three watches, they're all Rolexes, and he wouldn't consider buying anything else. Although, interestingly, he actually does really like mod. So it was the one, funnily enough. But his sort of kind of approach is almost like, well, you know, it's not a Rolex, is it? You know, to pretty much everything. So, you know, I want people who are passionate about watches, passionate about watchmaking, people who want to have a range of brands in their collection, people who appreciate a little bit of history as well and the story. And I think that bringing Monseaux back to life is actually a big part of this journey. And, you know, one thing I kind of saying in the information on the Kickstarter page is, you know, using a crowdfunding Platform. Everyone who buys a Monso watch places an order or backs on Kickstarter. They are part of this journey to bring this brand back to life. And it would be amazing in 10 years time or 15 years time, hopefully with a portfolio of designs under the new Monso brand, it would be amazing to think that some of these people could look back and think, well, actually I was there when it all started or restarted, let's say.
- [38:31]
Rob Nudds
Okay, that wasn't a terrible answer. So I'll give you six and a half or seven out of ten.
- [38:36]
Simon Ryan
Fair.
- [38:37]
Rob Nudds
Pretty good. Thanks for. It's a tough one to answer, isn't it, really? Because like most brands want to say, well, our target audience is whoever's going to buy the watch. But it's like, no, you need to focus on who you're going to be speaking to and you'll pick up people that you never expected to pick up along the way. But targeting the enthusiasts and giving them something different, fine. But here's the question. Why should they buy your watches over a studio underdog or a notice or an echo neutral? Because every single person that's been around at the start of every single one of those brands is as much a custodian of that brand as they will be of yours. Like that in itself, although it's a very nice thing to. To have in mind and a great thing to have central to your communication strategy that these people are, they are the lifeblood of the company. They are what, responsible for its existence or otherwise. But that's the same with every new brand. So what's different about Monsoon is it just. Is it the quality? Is it the design? Is it you? Is it what?
- [39:30]
Simon Ryan
I think it's a real mixture of all of those things and it's probably another fluffy answer to the question. But, you know, I think quality is paramount. I mean, the factor I'm using actually to make the cases and the bracelets manufacture for a number of much higher priced brands than Monceau. And the quality is absolutely paramount, as is, as we've discussed already, the specification. So, you know, that really is. I think I want people to trust that they are going to get a very high quality piece, not just for the price point, but full stop when they buy a Monso. So I think that. I would like to think that that gives a confidence, a reassurance in what people are buying, what they're going to get. So one of the other things that we've done in terms of the specification and really to ensure that we can deliver just the best possible product within this price range. And actually this is probably financial suicide really doing this. But I was keen to not only use a hand winding movement but also because it has an exhibition case back. I think there's no point using an exhibition case back unless you've got something that's really interesting to look at. And so we're using the Slita SW210 hand winding movements in this watch, but we're using the elaborate grade version of it with the highest level of decoration. And I think that's going to make the reverse of the watch just as interesting to look at, I hope, than the dial side. But it's something I was very keen to do. But yeah, it's something that's. I think I'm struggling to find peers or other watches within this kind of price bracket that are using the elaborate grade SW210 in terms of what makes it stand out, what makes it different. It's really, I think it's about coming up with designs that a little bit unique in the market. Okay. Other people have done integrated bracelet designs or faux integrated bracelets or however you want to kind of cage it. You know, my dial design, I mean having from some of the initial images that I've posted online, you know, I've had a few people say, oh, that's very similar to a Christopher Ward dial. It is. And I can't deny that. I mean the truth is actually that I created this dial design 18 months ago, quite a long time before the Christopher Wall model launch. But you know, look, you know, I can't take full credit for it. It's hard to find original ideas, let's say. But that's one that I do like to think that, that I was there first. But I think it's, it's really about sort of buying into the fact that this is a new brand that's trying to restart something that was once a well known brand with a great product. And you know, my vision for the future and for future models is to continue the innovation, if you like, that I think we've put into the bracelet. How the bracelet attaches and those removable end links is the kind of innovation that I want to bring through to more aspects of the watches in future. So if we get that opportunity, I want to be looking at more interesting complications. I want to be looking at different dial techniques. I want to also be. One of the things I'm very keen to do actually in future at some point is explore high accuracy quartz because I think that that's an area that is really being underutilized at the moment.
- [43:15]
Rob Nudds
Oh, Simon, Music to my ears. I did think a couple of questions back whether I'd ask you if you were going to ever think about quartz when you mentioned further complications, but I actually stupidly assumed from your answer that that wouldn't be on the table. But no, I'm glad to hear that. That is very interesting indeed. So also you said something that stuck out to me and that was that it's very hard to find or do anything original these days. I think you're absolutely right. And I think maybe that's what we see surrounding the mirage, the burner on Mirage. What Sylvan did was very original.
- [43:48]
Simon Ryan
Absolutely.
- [43:49]
Rob Nudds
And that's why I think that it sticks out at the top of mind for everybody is like the. The best watch of its generation. So your job as a designer is really not trying to reinvent the wheel or make the wheel a blobby asymmetric shape. Rather, it's to cherry pick bits and bobs that you like from all around the industry and put them all together in a high quality and affordable package. I got to say, for me, the dial, I always thought of the Czapek Collective limited edition rather than the Christopher Ward. I see the similarities, but I mean, these kind of three dials, these more topographical dials are, are a thing now. And it's, it's really well executed. I've seen your dials in person and they are brilliant. But this is, this is one question I have about, I guess almost what you're pushing as your, if not usp, but main selling point, the quality. Now you know what quality is. You know the difference between a well machined watch and a poorly machined watch. You know the difference between corners being caught on a dial design or a dial execution, so we say, and those corners being fully rounded. So what are you going to do to communicate that quality? Because quality is extremely difficult to communicate. Quality, I always say, gets you your second, third, fourth, fifth sale. It gets you the fan because the watch on the wrist becomes the ambassador for the brand. But the brand itself normally has to sell the watch in the first instance, when people have not had no chance to see it in person, to handle it, to appreciate the tangible difference in quality of something else of the same price point. So you've got authority, perhaps you deem us to have authority also, which is why you're on this show. I assume you will utilize your very close network of credible friends in the industry to communicate exactly the same message over and over and over again to the audience or, or have you got any other ideas of how you can really sell the quality of this product to somebody that maybe hasn't had a chance to see it?
- [45:46]
Simon Ryan
Yeah, absolutely. And Rob, I think you hit on such an interesting point and also answer your own question to a degree. But yes, you're right, it's very hard to communicate quality without somebody actually getting a watch in their hands. So in the first instance with the launch of the Model 1, I am having to utilize friends, contacts, other industry, source of authority in the industry, let's say. And I've deliberately actually been speaking to a couple of people who I enjoy watching or listening to because they are quite critical because in my view that, you know, look, there are going to be criticisms. That's the Model 1, I have no doubt. But I think that if somebody who's known for being quite critical actually gives something a positive review, then that says an awful lot, you know, and I think, you know, because it's not in their interest to, you know, in many ways in some of these people, I'm a competitor to them in terms of my content creation, so it's not in their interest to give me an easy ride. But that's. So that's a bit of a litmus test, I suppose, and I've been very deliberate doing that. But one of the things I'm really keen to do in the future with future models, and if the Model 1 is a success that I hope it's going to be, is that I've actually already started taking steps to set up a forum for Monso owners so that I hope to develop into a community. So it's called the Monso VIP Club and it's a very simple principle, but essentially anyone who buys a Monso or backs a Kickstarter campaign initially will be granted access to that forum. And it's somewhere where I hope we can develop a real community around the brand and get people sharing their wrist shots and talking about what they like and sharing ideas for things they'd like to see in future as well know, or if they see any areas that they think we could improve on. You know, I want it to really be this sort of kind of two way dialogue between the, the owner community and the brand. So I think that's very important. But also for the future it's going to be a case of a very keen to make sure that I can get out to shows and really get these watches into the hands of enthusiasts and collectors, give them a chance to really get hands on With, I think that's just so important.
- [48:25]
Alain Ben Joseph
Simon, this is amazing. I have so many questions for you. We're running out of time. We need to do part two. But before we end this show, and I would love to do a maybe a revision show after the Kickstarter campaign ended. How long will it be?
- [48:39]
Simon Ryan
So the Kickstarter campaign lasts for 15 days, so just over two weeks. So it will end on the 15th of June. So that's a reasonably narrow window for us. I'd encourage people, if they want to get one of the watches, to get in there quickly because there will be early bird deals as well, which are going to last for this first 24 to 48 hours of the campaign.
- [49:05]
Alain Ben Joseph
So you've already answered my question earlier on automatically, before I've even asked it. Why opt for a Kickstarter campaign? It was actually very good answer and a reason to do so. Did you take the problem space one encountered into consideration? So they started off with a different name, Kickstarter kicked them off, no pun intended, and they had to pivot and sell on their own URL, their own website. Did you consider that? And how did you tackle the IP for the brand, Monsieur?
- [49:41]
Simon Ryan
Yeah, so the ip. So the brand has been trademarked initially for the uk, we've got applications going in at the moment for Europe and the us and a couple of other regions as well. But yeah, I mean, actually, when I was trying to decide on the best way to launch the model one, you know, I did go back and forth between, you know, do I just launch it on my own platform, my own website, or do I use Kickstarter? And it was quite a tough decision, really, because, you know, obviously, whilst Kickstarter does give you a lot more visibility, and ultimately that was the thing, I suppose, that swayed me in that direction. It does come at a price. I mean, the Kickstarter fees are pretty punchy. And so, you know, it made me think, well, you know, if I launch on my own platform, maybe I don't need to hit quite as high a target in terms of sales for, for the project to be able to go ahead. But I think ultimately what it came back to was, and I think this was my marketing brain kicking in, was just this thing about, you know, it's really, I think success of so many brands when they launch is about visibility and I think you can have the greatest product in the world, but if, if it's not visible, if you haven't got that visibility, then unfortunately it won't succeed.
- [51:03]
Alain Ben Joseph
Do you expect a lot of extra Visibility due to the Kickstarter platform, therefore.
- [51:10]
Simon Ryan
Yeah, absolutely. I mean, I think that. My understanding, I think with Kickstarter is that 60% of Kickstarter backers are in the US so I would assume that most of this visibility will be in that marketplace. But they've got a big reach. I mean, they're kind of email subscriber lists run into several million. So I think that that will definitely give this a lot more visibility and a lot more reach than it would otherwise have under my own steam without. I've put everything financially into the design of the product. And whilst I know how important marketing is, unfortunately that hasn't left as much as I would have liked to actually promote it. And, you know, so really it's going to be having to lean on mechanisms, tools like Kickstarter that will kind of do that job for you.
- [52:06]
Alain Ben Joseph
I think so too. And I think it's a wise decision. And when you earlier said that your target group is actually the hardcore collectors, I think it will definitely resonate with them, especially those that miss the Zenith defy classics or not the current skyline, but the ultra elegant integrated bracelet defies by Zenith. But I think that those that are less familiar with watches or the watch culture will definitely resonate because it's a beautiful watch, a lot of bang for your buck and as I said earlier, way too low in price. I think that those that indeed are maybe triggered by a Tissot PRX that you mentioned earlier on will see this as an upgrade. So, Simon, I think we should wrap it up here. Wish you the best of luck. We're definitely going to see that ticker on Kickstarter C creeping up and the orders coming in. I am very excited for you and I know it will be a smashing success. And I want hereby to invite you back to tell us how the journey was when the campaign ended.
- [53:17]
Simon Ryan
Well, look, guys, I mean, it's just been such a huge pleasure having the opportunity to talk to you about this and I mean, I know we've spoken about it individually in the past, but to be able to talk to you about it now, so close to the launch and also to share it with your audience who, you know, I know you've got a fantastic audience base for this podcast and, you know, being able to share it with them, I think is just really grateful for that.
- [53:44]
Rob Nudds
One more time before we go, give us the details about the Kickstarter campaign, prices, duration, et cetera, et cetera.
- [53:50]
Simon Ryan
So the Kickstarter campaign launches today, the 30th of May. It runs until the 15th of June. The price on Kickstarter in pounds is £679, which I think equates to around €810, about 880, US$890 though for the first 48 hours of the Kickstarter campaign there are some fantastic early bird offers so you will save some more money then, but you also get a free strap as well so it really is the best time to get in.
- [54:25]
Rob Nudds
There you go. You heard it here hopefully first. Although I think there's quite a lot of news about the Monceau flooding the Internet today as we speak. If you want to read my review of it, you can go over to watch Gecko because it should be live today also. And yeah, leave some comments on there, let Simon know what you like about it, whether you're going to buy one and if not, what you would like to see from onsil in the future, because we anticipate there being a long and healthy future for this brand. So any questions for Simon that you'd like us to pick up on episode two, then just drop them into either the WhatsApp group. If you're not a member, you can join by emailing us at either Rob or alondherealtime show or hitting us up on Instagram. Rob N U D D S or a L O n B E n J O S E P H We'll be back soon with more top quality watch content. Until then, stay safe and keep on ticking.