Introducing Swiss Watch Company

7194 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

See less See more

Reactions: 5

61 - 80 of 95 Posts

pickle puss

· #61 · Sep 24, 2019

JRoem said:
Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

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

watchNoob

· #62 · Sep 24, 2019

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.

JRoem

Discussion Starter · #63 · Sep 24, 2019

BoppinVinnieB said:
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.

Reactions: 1

JRoem

Discussion Starter · #64 · Sep 24, 2019

fourthirteen said:
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

Discussion Starter · #65 · Sep 24, 2019

pickle puss said:
Hopefully you do well enough to afford a pair of shoes.

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

JRoem

Discussion Starter · #66 · Sep 24, 2019

watchNoob said:
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.

Minorcollector

· #67 · Sep 24, 2019

JRoem said:
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

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.

Minorcollector

· #68 · Sep 24, 2019

JRoem said:
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.

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.

JRoem

Discussion Starter · #69 · Sep 24, 2019

Minorcollector said:
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

Discussion Starter · #70 · Sep 24, 2019

Minorcollector said:
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.

sinner777

· #71 · Sep 24, 2019

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.

Reactions: 2

JRoem

Discussion Starter · #72 · Sep 24, 2019

sinner777 said:
Great watch, great specs ,good price.

Carry on!

Yes sir!

JRoem

Discussion Starter · #73 · Sep 24, 2019

sinner777 said:
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!

ffritz

· #74 · Sep 24, 2019

JRoem said:
Specifications:

Swiss Made

I'm out.

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

JRoem

Discussion Starter · #75 · Sep 24, 2019

ffritz said:
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.

IndependentGeorge

· #76 · Sep 24, 2019

JRoem said:
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.

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

Reactions: 1

JRoem

Discussion Starter · #77 · Sep 24, 2019

IndependentGeorge said:
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!

Minorcollector

· #78 · Sep 24, 2019

JRoem said:
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.

I like the one on the right in the picture with the cyclops. I am a retired Marine and do not have a "Marine" watch. Are they autos? What are the specs? You can PM me the details if you want.

Reactions: 1

Toonces

· #79 · Sep 25, 2019

Those are some good looking watches! The blue is seriously tasty looking.

Reactions: 1

JRoem

Discussion Starter · #80 · Sep 25, 2019

Minorcollector said:
I like the one on the right in the picture with the cyclops. I am a retired Marine and do not have a "Marine" watch. Are they autos? What are the specs? You can PM me the details if you want.

We definitely have some of those models. I'll get you all the specs, details, and some better images tomorrow when I can get one in hand( I'm not sure on the size off the top of my head). They are quartz though. Also thank you for your service!

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

61 - 80 of 95 Posts

This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.