[JRoem]

I think you missed the boat on the 44mm watch trend. Nice looking watches, but way too big. The name screams Chinese mushroom brand. I have all the same reservations as others have stated. Price point is good. I always shake my head at these startup micro brands advertising a standard equipped watch for $1500. It's like they are trying to fake the luxury. If your divers were in the 40-42mm I'd be interested. I sold all my 44mm divers long ago.

Size is definitely something we will be re evaluating in the future. We are looking at an option to have the next version of our diver run at 40mm or 41mm, but we will have to be absolutely certain that it is something our current customer base is OK with changing.

I can see where you are coming from with the name. Many backers within our campaign disliked it as well, but by the end of the month almost all opted to keep it on the dial. It gives off the vibe that we aren't "microbrand" run by individuals when it is first encountered. It is something we are working on but it will be tricky to find a final solution because we will be dealing with the other side of the coin where many people will push us to keep the name. We think the best solution may be to switch to SWC for branding and keep the full name for our company and licensing.

 

[JRoem]

I'll echo what everyone else has said about the name.

"Hey what's that watch you're wearing?"

"Oh this? It's a Swiss Watch Company"

Yeah this is something that changing to SWC for branding could fix, similar to how IWC is structured. It definitely flows much better haha.

 

[JRoem]

Good story and nice price point. The bezel is cool, something interesting about the curvy shape and textured lines. Overall, very nice looking watch.

If I was to pick on some minor things, just based on my personal tastes, it would probably be the logo / text, name and size. The text feels like its been condensed / squished into a small space. My preference would have been an abbreviation, as others noted, or perhaps making the text a lighter shade of the dial colour so it does not pop out as much. Also, the name does not feel personal enough to me, as opposed to something like Roemer Watch Works. If it were smaller, around 40, I might be tempted.

Overall, congratulations on a nice watch.

Thank you very much! The text is something that we have had a few reviewers bring up. It was designed by a Swiss designer, but has not been updated since the 1990s back when it was created. It could be that we are due for an update, but changing over to SWC with could be a remedy for this.

Having this many people express interest in a smaller design makes it very likely that the next version of this model will come in around 40mm-41mm. I will say as I have said before though that it will depend on our current customer base, but feedback like this definitely gets the conversation started with them.

 

[JRoem]

Suggestions....I know you want to keep "Swiss" in the name, how about Swiss Roemer? Or at least shorten "Company" to "Co". I think "Swiss Watch Co." looks better than the full name.

Also, it says your dad got started making military watches. There are a lot of people on here interested in "military" watches. What were the products he worked on? Maybe some product lines that are similar to that. In the US military watches are primarily G-shock style. There aren't any mil-spec watches here (20 years in the Marines and I was never issued a watch). I'd be interested in your dads military designs (I assume they were for European militaries).

Swiss Watch Co. would be doable without much hassle. We would prefer to make the switch to SWC but branding laws for watches are pretty strict in Switzerland and getting approved would be a process, but definitely doable with time.

Yes he did watches for the military for quite some time (all U.S. military)! I'll attach a picture here of two of the more popular models. It has been a little more than 10 years since we produced them but we made and sold thousands so there are a lot still floating around. We made them for the Marines and U.S. Army so our company name is only found on the caseback. These were never issued to soldiers but were available in the stores on almost all U.S. bases. Most sales happened at graduation.

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

 

[JRoem]

1. I really like the overall design of the watch - it's great to see something besides just another submariner knockoff - but the size is a bit too large for me. That said, I believe larger watches still sell better than smaller ones, so this is just my own tastes speaking. I would prefer 38-40mm for a dive watch, but that may or or may not be the best marketing decision for you.
2. I'd need to see it in person, but I'm a little unsure of the square pattern on the dial. I like that you have some texturing on the dial - I'm just not sure that I want a square within a circle. It is understated (which I like), so it seems very likely has a different appearance in person rather than in a zoomed-in photograph.
3. As others have stated, 'Swiss Watch Company' is a bit much to have on the dial; I don't have a problem with the name itself, but I think having just the logo on the front (without the text) would look better.
4. I absolutely love the design of the bezel.
5. I love the orange chapter ring on the black watch. I'm not usually a fan of orange, but that looks like just the right amount of color to be bold without 'shouting' visually.
6. Normally, I want the date complication to match the color of the dial; in this case, the white date complication seems to take the place of the hour marker and make the dial more balanced. I'm a bit unsure on this one - I have dueling OCD on whether my desire to have the date match the dial outweighs the balance between the 9 o'clock hour marker and the date complication.

1. Thank you for the feedback! With our future model families there will be no question that we size down for them and keep things in the 38mm-41mm range. As you said, any changes in size to the next dive watch model will be dependent on what will be best for our current customer base, which is where (at least initially) the majority of our future sales are going to come from.
2. The square pattern is much more prominent in photographs than it is in person. We will actually be in Chicago at the LAmicrolux show next month (October 18th-19th). It is free to attend so if you get a chance you should stop by and handle one.
3. Having just the logo on the dial is something we are experimenting with for our next model family that we will be announcing in a month or so!
4. Thank you! The bezel design is probably the favorite feature of our customers right next to the lume.
5. The orange model was a surprise hit. The orange chapter ring was something that was actually chosen by our followers on Instagram and it became so popular that it sold our far sooner than we projected it would.
6. This is another design change we are looking at for the next version of the dive watch. It won't happen until well into next year but we are currently leaning towards matching the colors as you stated.

 

[JRoem]

I kind of dig the football field pattern on the dial. It's different, but not obnoxious. Really like the sword hands as well. The "Automatic" on the bottom of the dial needs to be a bit bigger. Probably not even readable in person and there is a lot of open space. That might be a good place to put the name. Leave the logo on the top (maybe make the logo a bit bigger), and move Swiss Watch Company to the bottom above "Automatic".

Swiss Watch Company
Automatic

Or

Swiss Watch Co.
Automatic

Thank you! The pattern on the dial is much more subtle in person, especially on the black dial. Changing the location of the name is something we have looked at as well and I could see your suggestion being viable. The reason for the smaller "Automatic" text was actually a suggestion made by our backers. People were split on making the text smaller or axing it completely. In the end it got shrunk down, but we are leaning more towards removing it completely since our price point suggests (at least I would hope so ) that it is an automatic.

 

[JRoem]

Looks good to me. Best of luck.

Thank you very much!

 

[JRoem]

Nice looking enough but too big for my tastes.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thank you!

 

[JRoem]

By the length of this thread, you realize you are interacting with some serious and smart WIS's here.

Got to give you credit and appreciate you taking the time to respond to everyone's comments.

It is always better to start by playing at Carnegie Hall than the ball field anytime, so welcome to the deep end of the pool.......

Your watch is nice, but the first thing I thought of was Seamaster to a bit lesser degree. Not bad, not good......

I will keep an open mind on your other stuff.

Still, anyone with good knowledge and abilities for anything-watch is certainly welcome to try and make it work.

Good luck.

I couldn't agree more. Also engaging with people is honestly something I really enjoy. It the best way for us to progress going forward and the more people we engage with, the easier it is to see a pattern form in regards to what people like, or dislike.

Our next models will definitely be far more unique. This will be a good and a bad thing as unique designs are often polarizing, but we are eager to see how it is recieved. Due to my dads background we have the capability to create quality pieces for competitive pricing. However, we believe that true success will lie in creating designs that give us a brand identity. I wouldn't say our diver is a homage but it definitely has elements of tried and true designs (such as the Seamaster). Homage watches sell well, but they don't do much for a brands identity.

 

[JRoem]

Congratulations on the new venture! Personally I like the 44mm size since I have larger wrists. The designs are nice too, I like the orange one (too bad it's sold out) but as others have said the name is pretty generic sounding. Someone mentioned a name such as "Swiss Roemer" or "Roemer Watch Works" and I like those suggestions. If I had some extra money in the piggy bank I'd consider buying one, because I like the idea of having a sort of "first edition" of a watch, but for now I guess I'll have to watch from the sidelines (no pun intended! Well, maybe it was...)

Thank you very much! We have a surprising amount of customers with wrists below the 7" mark (the lug length helps with that) but the vast majority are 7"-8" so you are in good company! The orange model was a surprise success for us and sold out much faster than we expected. The blue model still easily outsells the rest at about 4:1, but we were able to anticipate the demand and plan accordingly.

The name suggestions are very appreciated! We are looking at options, but as I mentioned earlier things are pretty strict when it comes to our name changes on the dial due to us being licensed in Switzerland. We'll have a bit of bureaucracy to wade through but suggestions like these definitely help push things in the right direction.

And puns will always be welcome here haha.

 

[JRoem]

I like the look and the price but a big diver is not for me. i'm looking forward to seeing what the 41mm non-diver looks like.
Good luck!

Understandable! Divers tend to be the safest bet for a first model release due to them being extremely popular overall. We will definitely be expanding into new model families in the future. I am looking forward to seeing how our newest model will be recieved. I have some aspects of the design teased on our Instagram page, but won't do a full reveal for another month or so.

Thank you!

 

[JRoem]

Hopefully you do well enough to afford a pair of shoes.

We'll see how the budget looks after our next release!

 

[JRoem]

I like the design overall; with so many brands doing only 'vintage' releases; it's nice to see someone trying anything new. I think you do have a rather challenging problem in terms of branding. 'Swiss Watch Company' is both long and generic. Also, copying IWC's approach may be technically legal but might cement you as a copycat in the minds of some potential customers. Perhaps you could try developing a strong sub-brand strategy; similar to how 'Seamaster' has served Omega.

Thank you! While our goal is definitely to sell watches, we are equally (if not more interested) in creating a good brand identity. Our next design is going to be a fairly unique one and we are interested to see how it is received.

I absolutely agree that if we make the switch to SWC claims that we are copying their approach will be inevitable. Your suggestion could definitely be an option as we are planning on covering many more model families going forward. We are going to try our next model without the name on the dial at all, or, the name included but very discreetly. A lot of how we change going forward will depend on how that is received as leaving the name off the dial will be far easier than changing the name legally.

 

[JRoem]

I think I remember seeing those at the PX back in the day. Got any more of the black Marine divers left over? I might be interested in one of you have any remaining.

We have some left in inventory that we still use for repairs so I should be able to find one that is unworn. Is the black ceramic chronograph the one you are thinking about? I'm not sure if we had any other black pieces but I can double check with my dad.

 

[JRoem]

Shouldn't you be worried more about future customers? The trend is smaller now with divers. Pretty much everyone here has commented that 44 is just too big these days. It really shouldn't even be a question. This is the biggest watch forum in the world. I would probably take our advice and not worry too much about the few people who have bought your previous offerings. Get ahead of the trends.

You make a valid point. The issue is that we are still very new and don't have the largest marketing budget. We get a lot of our business off of repeat orders from current customers and our brand loyalty is something we are very proud of. From a financial standpoint it would be safer to market to the hundreds of people who have already purchased one of our products vs finding new customers who are unfamiliar with us. I don't see our current base having much of a problem with us going smaller on the next run of divers, but it will be the first thing we assess before we make the change.

That being said, we are trying something new with our next model which will be completely different from the current and come in at 41mm.

 

[JRoem]

Great watch, great specs ,good price.

Carry on!

Yes sir!

 

[JRoem]

Great watch, great specs ,good price.

Carry on!

TBH I am surprised with amount of negativity in thread.

Will look up on social media and keep an eye on your project.

Yes please come join us over on Instagram! I like to look at the criticism as a way of people hoping for more from our brand. My believe is that if someone is willing to take the time to critique something directly, it is because they like what we are currently doing and want to see improvements. I think it also gets people engaged and involved with what we are doing, which is something we love.

I'm not sure whether my outlook is correct or not but it sure does make things more enjoyable!

 

[JRoem]

I'm out.

This watch is obviously made for people who believe that "Swiss Made" makes a watch better. Truth is, it doesn't.

To each their own! Thanks for stopping by.

 

[JRoem]

Whoah, that show was not on my radar; I have just registered for it. I'm looking forward to visiting your booth!

That is great to hear! We'll see you there next month then!