After launching in the the 26 Spirits of Switzerland in the UK, WatchPro caught up with the company founder and grandson of Raymond Weil to find out more.
Here’s what Pierre Berheim had to say:
WP: What is the inspiration behind the brand?
PB: My grandfather, Raymond Weil and his passion for watchmaking, his attention to detail, his high level of customer service and the relationships he made. This, with the democratization of Swiss-Made watches. I also wanted to bring forward my home country; Switzerland and its industry.
WP: How has your Raymond Weil background had an impact on you?
PB: My experience developed my ability to build a relationship of trust and friendship with the distribution network, and also with the manufacturers.
WP: What are the values of the brand?
PB: Quality, accessible in price for all, excellent service from my sales team, eco-friendly, and a brand that will remain faithful to its roots.
WP: Tell me more about your product offering.
PB: We offer two-size watches, 35mm and 42mm, in stainless-steel, with sapphire crystal, folding clasp and vegan straps. Our prices vary between 149GBP and 199GBP for the time being. Our first collection is called “Lake Geneva” and showcases 25 timepieces. You can purchase an assortment of 20 watches for less than 1’800 GBP.
The objective is to allow all retailers to offer a quality, reliable, Swiss-Made watch Brand without taking much risk. We have started with simple, reassuring, safe but charismatic models in order to reach a satisfactory first round of sell out.
WP: In terms of watchmaking specifically, how does the process work for you?
PB: First comes the product brief, which is drafted after a long brainstorm and market research in collaboration with our main customers. It’s very important for us to work closely with our retailers and/or agents because they are at the front line and get most of the feedbacks.
Then, the brief is sent over to our designer who gets back to us with ideas of designs. Once accepted, these designs are sent to watchmakers who construct the watches. Then, we fix our retail prices accordingly, and we launch the production of samples. After bringing the necessary modifications, we can start with the production based on our forecasts.
WP: Speaking of processes, which markets do you expect to perform best?
PB: We decided to target specific markets at the beginning. With a limited inventory, we couldn’t allow ourselves to open too many markets. Today, we distribute in the UK, Canada, Spain, Belgium, Armenia, Kuwait, Ireland and soon Hungary.
“We plan to open ten new markets. We focus our efforts in the UK because it’s the biggest country among the ones mentioned earlier. Indeed, we hired two agents to cover the whole country, I have also created a limited company to ease the movement of products from Switzerland to the U.K.
WP: What is your aim in terms of brand progression?
PB: We want to develop the brand step by step, without going too fast in order to wisely control our inventory. This is fundamental in order to avoid an overflow over parallel markets. In addition to that, we want to improve our communication tools so we can remain close to our customers and bring them all the necessary support.
WP: What can we expect in terms of product in the coming weeks?
PB: In 2022, we will introduce our second spirit by launching two-tone watches and new chronographs. We will strengthen the charisma of our products by asserting their Swiss identity and by following our customer’s first insights.
We will continue to spotlight our capacity to offer competitive prices. This second spirit collection will honour those who serve their country.
You can discover the brand HERE.
