Introducing Swiss Watch Company

7193 Views 94 Replies 42 Participants Last post by pnojazz, Feb 7, 2022

JRoem

Discussion Starter · Sep 23, 2019

5

Hi everybody, my name is Josh Roemer and I run the marketing for Swiss Watch Company.

My dad (Stephen Roemer) founded the company back in 1996 after nearly two decades working within the Swatch group. Those of you who have followed us on Instagram for the past 2 years are very family with his, as well as our, brand's history. For those who are not familiar; my dad after leaving the Swatch Group moved to the United States and began manufacturing watches for the U.S. armed forces as well as first responders. In 2008 he began facilitating the manufacturing for other watch brands, large, and micro (something we continue to do to this day). In 2017 we decided it was time to create our own line of watches and after a successful Kickstarter campaign in October of 2018 that dream became a reality.

My dad and I have truly enjoyed getting to know people within the watch community on Instagram and wanted to expand onto Watchuseek. Not only to get to know more of the community, but because forums seem to be more conducive to long form conversation, which we prefer. We get a lot of questions from people not only regarding our brand, but on the microbrand market as a whole (specifically how to start a microbrand) and these are topics we love discussing!

Here are some images and the specs for our dive watches which are currently available (with the exception of the orange model, which is sold out). We will also be releasing a chronograph (based of our of dive watch design) and announcing completely new model family later this year.

We look forward to getting to know you all!

Specifications:

Swiss Made
SW 200 Swiss Made Automatic Movement with 28800 A/h (4Hz)
26 jewels
316 L solid stainless-steel case
120 step uni-directional divers bezel
Ceramic diver bezel ring
Oil pressed case back
Sapphire crystal
5x Anti reflective coating
30 ATM / 1000 ft water resistant
20 layers of Swiss Made Super-Luminova for the indexes
Solid 3 link 316 l stainless steel bracelet
Capsa pins
Solid integrated divers buckle

Measurements:

Case: 44mm
Lug Width: 22mm
Band Width: 22mm/20mm
Case Thickness: 13.2mm
Case 9h3h: 48mm

Watch Analog watch Watch accessory Fashion accessory Jewellery

Watch Analog watch Watch accessory Fashion accessory Green

Analog watch Watch Watch accessory Strap Fashion accessory

Watch Analog watch Watch accessory Fashion accessory Orange

Watch Analog watch Watch accessory Blue Fashion accessory

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JacobC

· #2 · Sep 23, 2019

I cannot get excited or recommend a brand that chose a parts bin name. It would be like me starting a blog called Online Blog.

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JRoem

Discussion Starter · #3 · Sep 23, 2019

JacobC said:
I cannot get excited or recommend a brand that chose a parts bin name. It would be like me starting a blog called Online Blog.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

Yeah, that is definitely something we have heard before. If it's worth anything we do have a brief history on how "Swiss Watch Company" came to be on the "about" page of our website. We are looking at getting the name officially changed to SWC (similar to International Watch Company IWC) but legally changing a corporation name in Switzerland is pretty tough so it could take some time before we are able to get anything changed.

Feedback like this does help steer us on future changes though and helps us a lot.

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

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pickle puss

· #4 · Sep 23, 2019

Too big. Looks like a Seamaster and an Aquaracer had an accident. You need a logo. The entire company name on the dial is a bit much.

Reactions: 5

that 1 guy

· #5 · Sep 23, 2019

I like the way these look and the name has already been mentioned. The size is too big for me, and in my opinion to large for this style watch. I do think these would look good on someone with a larger wrist. Thanks for showing us your product line. I will keep an eye out for future releases.

Reactions: 1

JRoem

Discussion Starter · #6 · Sep 23, 2019

pickle puss said:
Too big. Looks like a Seamaster and an Aquaracer had an accident. You need a logo. The entire company name on the dial is a bit much.

We have looked at changing the size up but it is such a subjective view that we stuck with 44mm and shortened the lug to lug length. To be sure something like a 40mm would appeal to a broader audience though.

The logo and company name on the dial is something we address in our campaign but the vast majority of backers opted for it to stay with the design. Having the logo changed is something we have looked into, but isn't likely to be honest. We have definitely received negative feedback on the logo design, but it has been a relatively small amount. If we received more feedback like this that could change though!

Our next model family will come in at 41mm but will not be a diver. It also won't have the company name on the dial but will have the logo.

JRoem

Discussion Starter · #7 · Sep 23, 2019

that 1 guy said:
I like the way these look and the name has already been mentioned. The size is too big for me, and in my opinion to large for this style watch. I do think these would look good on someone with a larger wrist. Thanks for showing us your product line. I will keep an eye out for future releases.

Thank you very much! We brought the lugs down to accommodate smaller wrists but 44mm is still considered large by today's standards. As I mentioned before, feedback helps us a lot in terms of future designs.

We definitely have more releases in the works (our next will be 41mm) so do stay tuned and thank you for stopping by!

OvrSteer

· #8 · Sep 23, 2019

The sizing is fine for a diver, and 41mm is probably OK for a non-diver.

Appreciate that you guys are taking feedback and working on solutions for the logo/name. I understand it can take time to steer the ship in a different direction.

Love the color of the lume plots on the blue dial. I only wish more "classic/retro/vintage" style designs would lean into "minty toothpaste" instead of brown patina.

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SethThomas

· #9 · Sep 23, 2019

I really like the bezel design. Especially in blue. Adds a nice texture to an otherwise tried and true design.

Way too big though. 48mm 9 to 3 with that broadly sloped crown guard is not just big, but enormous. What is the Lug to Lug on this (its not in your press release above)? If it is 50mm or under it can be still manageable to the masses.

Any pictures of the buckle? I really like the bracelet's look

Reactions: 1

JRoem

Discussion Starter · #10 · Sep 23, 2019

OvrSteer said:
The sizing is fine for a diver, and 41mm is probably OK for a non-diver.

Appreciate that you guys are taking feedback and working on solutions for the logo/name. I understand it can take time to steer the ship in a different direction.

Love the color of the lume plots on the blue dial. I only wish more "classic/retro/vintage" style designs would lean into "minty toothpaste" instead of brown patina.

We wouldn't be where we are now without feedback! In fact the switch to the blue lume plots you mentions was a suggestion made by our followers during out campaign. Thank you very much!

Reactions: 1

Rugbyboy96

· #11 · Sep 23, 2019

Also not keen on the name (although SWC isn’t AS bad) or logo. This watch is far too large for me in diameter and thickness. The hands are a smidge too short too.

The rest of the specs look good, and I like how you’ve matched the lume to the colour scheme. Bracelet looks great, and the overall design is very sleek

I like the backstory, and the fact it was founded the year I was born. It will be interesting to see what else you have in the pipeline without this logo (which completely kills this for me) and in a more moderate size. Do you have any plans to go under 40mm?

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JRoem

Discussion Starter · #12 · Sep 23, 2019

SethThomas said:
I really like the bezel design. Especially in blue. Adds a nice texture to an otherwise tried and true design.

Way too big though. 48mm 9 to 3 with that broadly sloped crown guard is not just big, but enormous. What is the Lug to Lug on this (its not in your press release above)? If it is 50mm or under it can be still manageable to the masses.

Any pictures of the buckle? I really like the bracelet's look

I am happy to hear that!

The lug to lug comes in at exactly 49.6mm so it does wear quite a bit smaller than the sizing would suggest. I'll attach a photo of it on my 7" wrist.

I'll also attach a photo of the integrated buckle. The bracelet is definitely one of the most liked parts of the design!

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

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JRoem

Discussion Starter · #13 · Sep 23, 2019

Rugbyboy96 said:
Also not keen on the name (although SWC isn't AS bad) or logo. This watch is far too large for me in diameter and thickness. The hands are a smidge too short too.

The rest of the specs look good, and I like how you've matched the lume to the colour scheme. Bracelet looks great, and the overall design is very sleek

I like the backstory, and the fact it was founded the year I was born. It will be interesting to see what else you have in the pipeline without this logo (which completely kills this for me) and in a more moderate size. Do you have any plans to go under 40mm?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thank you for the feedback! And I have a brother that was born around the same time that we will bringing on board for our next model. He currently lives in Switzerland and will be handling all of our finishing work going forward.

Our next model will come in at 41mm and will be completely different from our dive watch. We are still debating on whether to leave the logo on the dial though and it will depend a lot on what our current customers have to say.

As for something under a 40mm we have a dress watch in the works that will come in under 40mm but it won't be announced until likely the summer of next year.

Zeroedout

· #14 · Sep 23, 2019

I like the design, I like the vibe, I like the specs and I like the fact that your dad has an established history in the industry. 44mm is a bit too large for me, but I’ll be excited to see where you guys go from here. I’ll admit to not loving the name, but it’s certainly not a deal-breaker for me. A move toward a “logo only” dial would be a big plus.

On a side note, I love discovering brands I’m not familiar with. Maybe I fall in love with something right off the bat, maybe I don’t. Regardless, it makes the industry a lot more exciting. Always a positive in my book. I wish you guys the best of luck and look forward to seeing what you come out with next.

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Watchbreath

· #15 · Sep 23, 2019

There is one pictured on its crown and "a watch on its crown, is upside down."

Reactions: 1

lisine

· #16 · Sep 23, 2019

I feel like the price is too low...it feels scammy

like if this was a $1,500 watch I'd be ok....nice, the specs def make it a good bang for your buck. But at $450, I can't help but wonder what the catch is...because the math just doesn't make sense for you to be able to offer al that for a price that low.

Free world wide shipping is $100

SW200 standard grade movement with no decoration...another $100

Case that is waterproof to 1000 feet? Another $100

Bracelet? Another $50

Dials, Superluminova, AR coating etc...another $50

"Swiss made" assembly and prototyping and boxes etc...another $50.

So where is the profit? Just feels fishy.

Throw in the scam sounding company name, and all kinds of red flags start going off.

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JRoem

Discussion Starter · #17 · Sep 23, 2019

Zeroedout said:
I like the design, I like the vibe, I like the specs and I like the fact that your dad has an established history in the industry. 44mm is a bit too large for me, but I'll be excited to see where you guys go from here. I'll admit to not loving the name, but it's certainly not a deal-breaker for me. A move toward a "logo only" dial would be a big plus.

On a side note, I love discovering brands I'm not familiar with. Maybe I fall in love with something right off the bat, maybe I don't. Regardless, it makes the industry a lot more exciting. Always a positive in my book. I wish you guys the best of luck and look forward to seeing what you come out with next.

I'm happy to hear that! We've shown off the dial of our next model to a few of our customers and it has been nearly unanimously decided that the company name should be left off the dial. So you are in good company!

We are still relatively unknown and likewise always enjoy meeting new people within the community. New brands coming into the space is a double edged sword. Those that create quality timepieces drive other to up their game, but you do have a lot of companies taking pre made pieces and selling them as their own which alienates the community a bit. Overall I believe it to be a net positive though and look forward to what the future brings to the industry!

Reactions: 1

Earthjade

· #18 · Sep 23, 2019

Hello JRoem,

Always nice to hear from microbrands trying to appeal to the watch hobbyist crowd. I have one question:
Are you related at all the old Swiss Roemer watch company?

Here are my comments for your dive watch:
* I have found there is lots of excitement around here when companies release slightly smaller dive watches such as 38-39mm in diameter and 44-46mm lug to lug
* Overall, I think it is an attractive design, feels like a Seamaster which I think was what you were going for
* I agree with the name on the dial - full name is too much. SWC would be fine (and I think you can still label your products as that even if the company name has not formally changed yet)
* The patterned square in the middle of the dial I find a little odd - I think any dial texture or pattern should take up all of the dial
* The second hand should be longer so that it actually touches the indices of the minute track
* DATE WINDOW THE SAME COLOR AS THE DIAL - so many brands just do white date windows for all watches but watch collectors give nothing but praise to companies that match the date wheel to the dial color! The numbers of course, would need to be white.

Finally, you may or may not care but you did mention your background in making watches for first responders.
I'm currently looking for a field watch and there is a brand called Bertucci that makes some great quartz watches. However, they don't offer any solar quartz watches. If you could make some solar quartz field watches, I would be VERY interested in that but I can only speak for myself.

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wbird

· #19 · Sep 23, 2019

I don’t know I would probably opt for the Certina diver with the powermatic 80, and better bracelet, for $575.

JRoem

Discussion Starter · #20 · Sep 23, 2019 (Edited)

erdini said:
I feel like the price is too low...it feels scammy

like if this was a $1,500 watch I'd be ok....nice, the specs def make it a good bang for your buck. But at $450, I can't help but wonder what the catch is...because the math just doesn't make sense for you to be able to offer al that for a price that low.

Free world wide shipping is $100

SW200 standard grade movement with no decoration...another $100

Case that is waterproof to 1000 feet? Another $100

Bracelet? Another $50

Dials, Superluminova, AR coating etc...another $50

"Swiss made" assembly and prototyping and boxes etc...another $50.

So where is the profit? Just feels fishy.

Throw in the scam sounding company name, and all kinds of red flags start going off.

I get what you are saying, but I can assure you we are making a profit. It isn't enough to afford selling through a third party, but it is plenty for my dad and I. Also I think $1,500 is far too high for a new brand on their first model. I would say that our quality would be fairly priced up to $800. Higher than that and I would feel we were over priced.

Also we go directly to the manufacture and do not use any third parties to facilitate our manufacturing (something my dad goes into more depth on in this podcast). Also we pay FAR less (as does every other brand) than what you have listed. For example our average shipping cost is $20-$50 with DHL Express.

Regardless of that though, the most common feedback we get when we deliver a watch is that it looks far better than expected. Having our price as low as we do can be viewed as a negative as you have stated but it is a price we are comfortable with. It also builds brand loyalty as our customers know they are getting far more than what they pay for.

You aren't the first to bring this up though so I understand your concern.

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