Time To Watches: Aerowatch

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Real Time Show – "Time To Watches: Aerowatch"

Release Date: June 13, 2025

In this engaging episode of The Real Time Show, hosts Rob Nudds and Alon Ben Joseph delve deep into the storied legacy and contemporary endeavors of Aerowatch, a venerable watchmaking brand celebrating 115 years. Through an in-depth conversation with Jean Sebastian, co-owner of Aerowatch, listeners gain valuable insights into the brand's evolution, challenges, and future prospects in the ever-competitive watch industry.

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1. Introduction to Aerowatch

The episode kicks off with Alon Ben Joseph introducing Jean Sebastian from Aerowatch, highlighting the brand’s centennial legacy. Filmed live from the glass igloo at the Time To Watches 2025 event in Geneva, the setting underscores the brand's prestige and longstanding heritage.

Jean Sebastian responds, emphasizing the need to educate more people about Aerowatch:

“I think like me, the more people that should learn about the brand, because I do not know much about you guys.”
(00:34)

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2. The Rich History of Aerowatch

Jean Sebastian provides a comprehensive overview of Aerowatch's origins and its commitment to pocket watch manufacturing:

• Founded in 1910 in La Chaux-de-Fonds by the Gutman family during an era when aeronautics was booming.
• Maintained uninterrupted production of pocket watches for nearly 90 years.
• 1942: The Crevoisier family from Neuchâtel took over, continuing the legacy until 2001.
• Transitioned to wristwatches in 2004-2005, marking a significant shift from solely producing pocket watches.

“Aerowatch is an old brand which was founded in 1910... almost three years. And you know, pocket watch is a niche product and the market is changing a lot.”
(00:50 - 02:00)

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3. Transition from Pocket Watches to Wristwatches

The conversation explores the historical context of pocket watches, noting their popularity from the late 19th century through the mid-20th century, especially in corporate gifting and among American consumers.

Jude Aloman Joseph draws parallels between the decline of pocket watches post-World War II and current market trends:

“There’s a direct correlation with the demise of pocket watches.”
(03:38)

Jean Sebastian discusses Aerowatch's strategic pivot:

“We decided to continue to produce a small range of pocket watches... always respect your heritage.”
(05:24)

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4. Modern Pocket Watch Innovations

Aerowatch has reimagined the traditional pocket watch for the modern era, incorporating contemporary design elements and enhanced functionality.

Jean Sebastian highlights recent innovations:

“We create something with different shape in satin matte finish with sapphire crystals. This is also a pocket watch which is waterproof...”
(05:32)

Features include:

• Sapphire Crystal: Enhances durability and clarity.
• Waterproofing: Adds practicality for everyday use.
• Unique Patterns: Inspired by the Jura mountains, adding a regional touch.
• Sandblasted Movements: Industrial design meets classic aesthetics.

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5. Production Volume and Market Niche

Aerowatch maintains a delicate balance between heritage and limited production to sustain exclusivity.

Jean Sebastian shares production figures:

“We produce what actually between 12 to 15,000... pocket watches represent still only 10% probably of the.”
(07:57 - 08:03)

This indicates an annual production of approximately 1,200 to 1,500 pocket watches, catering to a niche market of individual enthusiasts rather than corporate clients.

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6. The Impact of Smartwatches and the Future of Mechanical Watches

A pivotal discussion centers on the relevance of mechanical watches in the era of smartwatches.

Jude Aloman Joseph poses a critical question:

“With the arrival of smartwatches, do you think that mechanical wristwatches are doomed to have the same future as pocket watches?”
(09:34)

Jean Sebastian offers an optimistic perspective:

“I don't think so. Because for me the Swiss watches are real, have real world value... we have to educate the young generation to the watchmaking horology.”
(11:12)

He believes that the inherent value and craftsmanship of Swiss mechanical watches will continue to resonate, especially as Aerowatch engages directly with consumers at events like Time To Watches.

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7. Participation in Time To Watches Geneva 2025

Aerowatch's presence at Time To Watches 2025 underscores its commitment to revitalizing the brand and expanding its reach.

Jean Sebastian discusses the benefits:

“We have the possibility to have contact with the press people... very professional and it's a nice discovery for us.”
(13:45)

Key objectives include:

• Networking: Engaging with distributors, agents, and retailers.
• Marketing: Building brand awareness with a limited marketing budget.
• Consumer Interaction: Directly connecting with watch enthusiasts and collectors.

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8. Perspectives from Hosts Rob and Alon

Post-interview, Rob Nudds and Alon Ben Joseph share their reflections on Aerowatch.

Alon expresses intrigue about Aerowatch’s persistence and market strategy:

“It's interesting that they're able to do that without shoving marketing down your throat... it's a sleeper brand that has a huge potential.”
(20:02 - 22:54)

Rob adds insights into Aerowatch's retail presence and market positioning:

“It seems like this is a sleeper brand that is very much about ROI. They are self-sustaining because I don't think they do a lot of marketing.”
(20:39)

Both hosts recognize Aerowatch as a brand with significant potential, particularly in emerging markets and among consumers seeking unique, heritage-rich timepieces.

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9. Final Thoughts and Future Outlook

The episode concludes with Jude emphasizing the importance of showcasing independent watchmakers and brands like Aerowatch to a broader audience. He encourages listeners to explore Aerowatch's offerings through their website, fostering greater appreciation and awareness.

“If you want to discover more, check out their website. It's aerowatch.com.”
(17:38)

Jean Sebastian expresses gratitude and optimism:

“Thank you very much, Alon. It was a pleasure being here.”
(18:02)

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Conclusion

This episode of The Real Time Show serves as a comprehensive exploration of Aerowatch’s enduring legacy and adaptive strategies in the modern watchmaking landscape. Through thoughtful dialogue and expert insights, listeners gain a nuanced understanding of how a century-old brand navigates contemporary challenges, embraces innovation, and seeks to reconnect with a new generation of watch enthusiasts.

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For More Information: Visit Aerowatch's official website at aerowatch.com to explore their collection and learn more about their heritage-driven timepieces.

Transcript

[Rob]

Foreign.

[Jude Aloman Joseph]

Watch friends, I'm your friendly neighborhood Jude Aloman Joseph. This is the Real Time show coming live from the glass igloo in front of Villa Saracen at time to watches 2025 in Geneva. I'm actually very happy to have you here in the igloo, Jean Sebastian, because this company is 115 years old.

[Jean Sebastian]

Yes.

[Jude Aloman Joseph]

And I think like me, the more people that should learn about the brand, because I do not know much about you guys.

[Jean Sebastian]

Yeah.

[Jude Aloman Joseph]

I know that you're one of the few that still makes a lot of pocket watches.

[Jean Sebastian]

Yeah.

[Jude Aloman Joseph]

But I kind of want to do a deep dive in this short episode about you.

[Jean Sebastian]

Yep.

[Jude Aloman Joseph]

So what do you tell people that have never heard about Aerowatch?

[Jean Sebastian]

Actually, Aerowatch is an old brand which was founded in 1910 in La Chaux de France. It was in the hand of the family Gutman at that time. 1910, this is a year which was very popular with aeronautics. It was like a revolution. Every week, every month, you had new flying time record, altitude record. And people were fascinated by aeronautics. And the family Gutman decided to create the brand and to give that name to the brand Iro Watch. Because of that, and during almost 90 years, Iro Watch was producing pocket watches without any interruption. It changed the family owned change. In 1942, it was taking over by the family Crevoisier in neuchatel. And during 59 years, up to 2001, it was at the end from the family family established a network only with pocket watches distribution network in 15 countries. But at that time, the pocket watches were very popular. And they continued to sell only pocket watches. Mr. Crevoisier's son George took over the company in 1959. And he continued until 2001. In 2001, nobody of his children wanted to care about the brand. And he was looking for a new family owned company, if possible, to continue the production of the pocket watches. And My father knew Mr. Courvoisier and took over the company in 2001. And from that point, my father continued to deal only with pocket watches during almost three years. And you know, pocket watch is a niche product and the market is changing a lot. And he decided to continue. But he asked my father, my brother and myself if we wanted to join to the company to create something new. And we started actually with wristwatches only in 2004, 2005.

[Jude Aloman Joseph]

That's actually a crazy, crazy story. Because if we go quickly back in time, pocket watches are in 19th century, 1870, 80, 80, when people slowly start industrializing, had a bit of money. Yeah, a lot in America as well. First wrist swatches were ladies, then obviously military.

[Jean Sebastian]

Yeah.

[Jude Aloman Joseph]

And 50s, we could say it really came into shun after the second World War into civilians. And that means a direct correlation with the demise of pocket watches. So it's amazing that you guys say that in the 21st century you saw a demise in the purchasing of pocket watch. So who bought all these watch? From the 1950s to 2005, pocket watches.

[Jean Sebastian]

Were popular in America, as you said. And aero watch, I mean, I didn't experience myself. But what I heard about Mr. Courvoisier stories they were producing really nice pocket watches for big companies. For example, they get orders from bank of Manila in the Philippines from different big company like Ford's, like Airbus. It was a big business also for the corporate business because people like to offer pocket watches as a gift to the trustful workers, you know. And this business disappear more or less. But we decided to continue to produce a small range of pocket watches. We have about still 60 references. And this is a part of our heritage. And when you want to make something, you need always to respect your heritage. I think is very important.

[Jude Aloman Joseph]

I find this uber cool. Can you speak about how many pieces you guys produce or sell?

[Jean Sebastian]

Yes, actually. You mean now. We decided also with my brother. My brother is watch constructor. I am also a watchmaker now more involved in sales and marketing. But we decided to create a new pocket watch which is more modern than the one we know from the before. And we create something with different shape in satin matte finish with sapphire crystals. This is also a pocket watch which is waterproof with a very special pattern on the die. These are some needle in from the fir tree from our region from where we come from in Senior Leisure in the Jura mountain. And yeah, we decided to make a modern pocket watches. And even by the decoration of the movement, we made sandblasted movement with blue screws. It's a little bit an industrial design, but which is totally fitting to the style of the pocket watch.

[Jude Aloman Joseph]

I'll get back to my original question to continue on the segue of I have this actual watch in my hands. It's with an unitas movement.

[Jean Sebastian]

Yep.

[Jude Aloman Joseph]

Where we see unitas in big wrist watches, but they've meant to be in pocket watches. So very happy to have an unitas in my hands without a chain. So it's basically I would say a pilot's watch. Satin finish, stainless steel. It's almost art deco ish eyelet where you can clip on your chain. Do you have A chain for this?

[Jean Sebastian]

Yes, we do. We have a chain which is also with a matte finish. I don't have it now here, but it's fitting perfectly to the style of the pocket watch.

[Jude Aloman Joseph]

So what does this retail at?

[Jean Sebastian]

The retail price of this watch is about 1,500 Swiss francs ex VAT. Yeah. Yes.

[Jude Aloman Joseph]

So in euros you'll get to 1900.

[Jean Sebastian]

Yes, yes, that.

[Jude Aloman Joseph]

So almost $2,000.

[Jean Sebastian]

A little.

[Jude Aloman Joseph]

A little less. I see a last five years or more. Even a resurgence in men wearing chains on their wallets and actual pocket watches.

[Jean Sebastian]

Yep.

[Jude Aloman Joseph]

And hipster is often used as sarcastic, but I don't mean that like that in this context. I guess that's a growth market for you again.

[Jean Sebastian]

Yeah.

[Jude Aloman Joseph]

Going back to my previous question, how many watches does Aerowatch produce per year?

[Jean Sebastian]

We produce what actually between 12 to 15,000.

[Jude Aloman Joseph]

That's a lot.

[Jean Sebastian]

Yes, but pocket watches represent still only 10% probably of the.

[Jude Aloman Joseph]

So 1200 to 1500. Okay. Compliments.

[Jean Sebastian]

Yeah.

[Jude Aloman Joseph]

So it's cool that people that are looking for a new one can still obtain one. Is it still a corporate gift?

[Jean Sebastian]

No, not anymore. We don't work a lot with companies as before. Now there are more individualist people who look for. Who are looking for pocket watches. We developed also some kind of quartz watches to young generation, also with stainless steel case, sapphire crystal to be a bit more robust. And there is a new not market, but a new public audience for this kind of pocket watches. On the other hand, we have also some nice skeleton watches for pocket watches. And there is also a public who likes to be different, who likes, as you said, wearing the Gillet with elegant way to have a pocket watch. You know, the Peking Bliders. It's very popular in England. And there is a trend for chain with pocket Gillette and the cap and everything. And I think, yes, maybe pocket watch are a little bit more popular now.

[Jude Aloman Joseph]

You're the perfect man to ask a question I've been pondering about for more than a decade and many more with me. With the arrival of smartwatches, do you think that mechanical wristwatches are doomed to have the same future as pocket watches, which was almost obsolete? Because with you, I know Tissot makes a few or used to Longines. 1, 2, 3. Obviously Patek Philippe kept on going.

[Jean Sebastian]

Yeah.

[Jude Aloman Joseph]

To preserve the material and more for enameling than I think making calibers. Are there many more that make pocket watches?

[Jean Sebastian]

Tissot has reduced drastically his range. I have noticed there are few actors but most of the pocket watches at the moment, unfortunately they are Coming from China with cheap movements. And we never start doing this way because we are Swiss family company independent and we want to continue to offer, if possible, good quality pocket watches to affordable price. I don't think that wristwatches are going to disappear or to be obsolete because there are a lot of people looking for nice status or not only status. There are a lot of people and the young generation who likes to have a nice watch and to be different than others. And they are many opportunities to. To. To create something interesting.

[Jude Aloman Joseph]

So to refer back to my previous question. You are not scared that the coming 10, 15 years or longer wrist watches, especially mechanical ones, have the same future as pocket watches?

[Jean Sebastian]

I don't think so. I don't think so. Because for me the Swiss watches are real, have real world value. And I think now we have to educate the young generation to the watchmaking horology. And if we can do that, I think people will love to continue to have a nice watch. When they are maybe a bit older. We have different opportunity to communicate with them. Such an event like the time to watch is perfect because you can enter in contact with end consumer, which is perfect. I really love the way of this fair because we are for the first time here. And it's a big difference for me to see people wearing our watches, being happy to enter in contact with you, asking questions. And I think I see also a lot of young people coming to visiting the show, which is very positive.

[Jude Aloman Joseph]

Thank you for that segue. You did that naturally, because that was actually my next question. Why you joined as an exhibitor to time to watches and what you expect here. So besides seeing collectors and wearers, are you looking actively for agents, distributors and or retailers?

[Jean Sebastian]

Yes. And the very positive thing is that, you know, we have been to Mexico, to Hong Kong, to Munich several times and after Baselworld disappear, we were always looking for a place to be and to meet with our distributors and agents. And I think here in Geneva, of course, of course the proximity with watches around us attracts people. But we have seen our customers coming from Asia, we have seen people from the Middle East. We meet with end consumer, with collectors. There is a good variety, a good mix of people which are really interested in watches. And I think it's very, very positive.

[Jude Aloman Joseph]

I'm happy to hear. And your task is marketing and sales. How important is the marketing aspect for you as a company to be here?

[Jean Sebastian]

Here? You know, we are a family business company. We have not huge budget to spend. And I think such affair is very important because you are. You are physical you have a physical presence and it's very well organized. You have the possibility to have contact with the press people. We met several people from different parts of the world. I must say it's a first participation but we are very happy to be here. And I found the fair very well organized and very professional and it's a nice discovery for us.

[Jude Aloman Joseph]

Last night I spent with a big group of. They call themselves influencers in the pub. Do you use them in your marketing mix?

[Jean Sebastian]

Not yet. I was always a little bit doubting about influencers but personally I'm already too old. I am 48 years old. Personally, when I love something, I don't need to. I will never choose a watch because it was worn by somebody making publicity. I am more individualist, but I need to take in consideration this aspect and I don't know if we will do this way, but there are blogs, bloggers, there are different way to promote the brand which I found personally more important or interesting.

[Jude Aloman Joseph]

We are at the end of the interview, but I have to do an important task as a journalist. I want to make sure that our listeners do not think you only make pocket watches. I have a wristwatch in my hand, a regulator.

[Jean Sebastian]

Yes, true.

[Jude Aloman Joseph]

So let's briefly touch upon the wristwatches. How big is the collection? What price range do you do and what is special to Aerowatch wristwatches?

[Jean Sebastian]

Yeah, actually as I said, when we took over the company in 2001, there were no wristwatches collection and we decided to create one. And this is exactly the one you. You have in your hand. This is a collection 1942 inspired by the first pocket watches which were worn as a wristwatch. And this model has. This is actually our iconic model with Lux which are sold on the case, big chrome, onion chrome. And we started 20, 21 years ago with this first collection of wristwatches, only mechanical. And then we develop the ranges. We create also some skeleton collections which are also not well known but very successful. And this coming back to this product. This is a regulator automatic. This is a sellita movement inside, well decorated. It is a small limited edition. We wanted to test the market last year with the first edition and it was very successful. And we decided to make something classic, timeless, with elegance, but also with some aesthetic aspects. And there is a very nice dial with brushed black dial and with some counters in silver and you have a good contrast to read the time. And yeah, this is an iconic collection that we created 20 years ago and it was important to us to present this watch to the show here to show something also a little bit special and not for everybody.

[Jude Aloman Joseph]

Thank you. And this is the reason I come to fairs like Time to Watches. You can meet the makers, the independent entrepreneurs, the people behind the brand. I'm happy I discovered more about Airwatch and this is one of the reasons I'm doing this podcast, because I love this. If you want to discover more, check out their website. It's aero watch.com. thank you, Jean Bastard, for sitting down.

[Jean Sebastian]

Thank you very much, Alon. It was a pleasure being here. Thank you.

[Jude Aloman Joseph]

Have a good fair.

[Jean Sebastian]

Thank you.

[Rob]

So, Rome Aero Watch was rather a surprise to me in a positive sense. It's a brand that I knew existed quite some time and it actually exists since 1910. So imagine 115 years old, but not such a strong brand DNA in marketing sense. What surprised me was the quantity of pocket watches they still actually sell. Did you know the brand? And if you obviously heard of them, have you ever encountered them and what's your opinion about the brand, Rob?

[Alon]

No, I didn't know the brands. I had never heard of them. And I'm forming my opinions on the fly now because this is the first time I've ever had the chance to discuss the. The brand. I mean, I opened up the website after I heard you'd spoken to them and I thought, oh, instantly it's going to be skeletonized unit test movements, either 6497 or 6498. And for that reason, maybe it's not so much of a surprise that they still persist with pocket watches, because that is a movement that works well in, some would say better in a pocket watch than it does in a wristwatch, even though there are many basic wristwatches that use it. So it's a good way to component share, of course, you know, able to offer different options, different cases, different formats of watch without having to change the movement. And as far as I can see, the movements are exactly the same. Some. Some are maybe 6197, some are maybe 6198. So I haven't poured through the entire collection. When I look at the quartz offerings, I see some stuff that reminds me of Blancpain, Aqua Long, and I see things that remind me of Longines. I'm not sure what the word of the collection is, but it's Longines take on the tank, as it were, Dolce Vita or maybe something like that. I think if I pull that one out of the back of my brain. So there's a lot of derivation in these designs. There's Some Frank Muller esque gear going on here.

[Rob]

And while you are chatting I'm looking at their website and as a retailer I'm always curious what retailers carry them and it's super surprising that they have more than two dozen retailers in the Netherlands. And I never knew they had doors in the Netherlands. But all of the UK doesn't have one dot or pin in them. Spain only has one. Switzerland is almost black with pins of retailers that sell them. So it seems like this is a sleeper brand that is very much about roi. They are self sustaining because I don't think they do a lot of marketing.

[Alon]

No, they, they can't really. Considering that neither of us with over 50 years shared experience in the industry have never encountered them before. Especially if there's 24 points of sale or thereabouts in the Netherlands of all places and you've not run into them as a retailer. Yeah, maybe there's some extra business to be had there, a little bit more investment on the marketing side of things. You know, I've got a funny comparison here to pull out of my bag of tricks and it's really weird. It may not be aesthetically congruous, it's just a vibe I get from this brand. It reminds me of two brands that I worked with in the past in my early journalistic career way back in say 2015, I guess it must have been one brand was a German brand called Elise and another brand was, I believe Belgian called Radion. And that's spelled well, Elyse is spelled E L Y S E E and Radion is spelled R A I D I L L O N. And what I found from these watches were their designs were weren't so much consistent as in they were archetypes from around the industry that they'd plucked and said, okay, that's a regulator watch, we'll do one of those. That's a ladies watch, we'll do one of those. And they put their own twist on it and they'd done it very, very well at a very good price. Now there's no brand behind. Certainly Alisa Radeon did go for a little bit of a period where it had a bit of pump from the major blogs. I think they did chuck quite a bit of money into investment and since then they have tried to be a bit more experimental with case shapes and they've got this very asymmetric case called the Curve and They've got a PRX esque F77 esque GTA model which is quite cool. But these are odd brands. That exist on the fringes of not the mainstream and not the indies are somewhere between the two. They're like this weird gray area like they obviously make money. They are obviously like decent volume brands because the prices for what's in the watches is relatively reasonable. But it's just odd that they're able to do that without shoving marketing down your throat. I would think that a brand like this would only succeed with marketing. But you said to me, Affair, that because they have this partnership with Bayer, right, in Zurich in Switzerland, that they are one of the more popular tourist purchases in Switzerland.

[Rob]

What I've heard is that if you want a souvenir from Switzerland, well, often watches are sold besides Swiss pocket watches and maybe cow stuff and cowbells and all that kind of stuff. The to go brand apparently for decades on end is Aerowatch. And if it's not a pocket watch, then people will buy a dress watch or and I assume before Mondaine watch, the Swiss railway clock watch became popular, which is obviously also souvenir type. And swatches are that they sold buckets and bucket loads of them. And while you're chatting, I keep on browsing on their worldwide map of retailers. So the whole of us has only two points of sale. And for those that have been listening to all the time and tide, or not time and tide, sorry, time to watch these episodes that we've done. Every single brand said that the US is their number one market. So imagine what potential Aero Watch has because it seems that both in the emerging markets, which are the bric, the BRIC countries and the, the North America countries, that they don't have exposure there yet. So this is really, really a sleeper brand that has a huge potential. It's quite interesting actually.

[Alon]

It is interesting because to me, no offense to aerowatch, it's interesting that they are in existence. It's interesting that they're doing enough to create separation from brands around them to command prices of two and a half thousand, three thousand in some cases. It's. It's interesting to me. I can see why the US is the major market for most creative independence. I can see why it's the biggest market for established mainstream brands as well. What I don't really get is why it would be a big market for something like this other than the fact that there are a lot of people with a lot of money that are into watches, relatively speaking to the rest of the world. But what is Aerowatch doing that nobody else is doing? Well, did they have an answer for you? I mean, I'm Looking at a watch here for €3180. It's a Chrono Pilot auto. It's an absolute like one for one almost copy of an IWC big pilot. I wouldn't spend 3180 on that. I'd buy a LA for either €300 or 1500 and get a really fancy one.

[Rob]

I feel you.

[Jude Aloman Joseph]

I hear you.

[Rob]

They did not really answer that. It's interesting to dissect this in a follow up conversation because this was obviously too short in the igloo and it was one of their first or maybe the first podcast appearances also, so. But it seems that something is changing because they obviously were present that kind of watches, so they were looking for more retailers, distributors and obviously press coverage.

[Alon]

I mean, to be fair to them, and I really mean this sincerely, if they have survived this far and they have prospered this far with what they've got, then there obviously is a market for it. And I could well imagine it being in like department stores in the us, like Borscheims, for example. I could see it just alongside like 100 other brands and just being absolutely at home there and picking up a lot of interest by people walking past. I mean, there's a couple of models that are. This is a weird way to describe it. I'd say almost accidentally attractive. You know, I'm sure that when the designers of these watches look at them all, they find it tough to pick their favorite. As every designer says, oh, every watch is my baby. It's like choosing between your children. But there's one here, this regular Tour, Limited Edition, 1942, 1990 Euros on a leather strap that is just, it's a very, very handsome watch. Like, it's very, very smart. Everything's come together very well, it's very simple, but it's, you know, got a bit of a chrono Swiss, bit of a blanc pan, aqua lung, bit of a, yeah, old school Louis Arad regulator look to it. But somehow to me that's an attractive watch like that looks a million dollars in comparison to a lot of the other stuff in the collection. And I could well imagine that somebody else would look at this entire collection and pick out another model that spoke to them similarly, as this one does to me. And they would sell, obviously. They do sell. So congratulations to Aerowatch. Let's get them on for a full episode and warn them ahead of time that I'm going to ask some quite pointed questions about how you sell this amount of stuff, derivative as it is, which I'm sure they wouldn't bother denying without marketing. So, yeah, let's do it.