Hey Everyone,
We are using Kickstarter to raise funds to manufacture our watch.

It features:

• 36mm Diameter
• 10mm Thickness
• Stainless Steel or Copper Plated Case
• Stainless Steel Caseback
• 3ATM Water Resistance
• Genuine Leather Wristband
• Miyota 2025 Movement

We would love to here your advice for us and your thoughts.

Here's a link to our campaign: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/991195979/n-o-r-t-h-simple-timeless-and-refined-watches

Thanks in advance

 

Is it your plan to "manufacture" the watch it source the various components and sell it under a marketing umbrella?

How does your plan differ from the story of Daniel Wellington? http://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...e-a-200-million-business-out-of-cheap-watches

My personal opinion, I would never be a potential client for this product and I suspect you'll have very limited success on this forum as most of like mechanical timepieces with some history behind them.

Personally, I've also never understood the concept of a Kickstarter campaign. If I had an idea that needed seed money, I'd find a way to earn the money myself first and then I'd own the company outright myself from the beginning.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Hi, Your two years of painstaking research clearly didn't tell you that a) copper tends to turn skin a sickly shade of green and b) "simplistic", which you use twice in your pitch, means "not complete or thourough enough". bests

 

I look at this design and think "what is your point of difference here?"
When I think Forest Time I think "I don't want to look at my watch, I'm in the forest."
Maybe I think too much

 

Kickstarter is not much different to buying wine En primeur. They are simply selling the watches before they are made. I'm pretty sure they will still own the company.

 

Yes, you're not investing in the company in the traditional sense that you'd get some equity in return. All you're doing is donating money to the company and in return you might get some stuff (depending on the amount you donate, maybe even the product itself: so you're just preordering).

 

"High quality watches"

By this you mean "cheap, poor quality watches, wrapped in expensive marketing". Right?

 

I'm not sure where your market audience is, but I respectfully suggest that it isn't here.

 

I am not against Kickstarter per se, and have backed several ventures that have gone on to other things.

This, however, isn't going to be one of them

Your use of the word "simplistic" to describe your design, while I believe is erroneous in intent, is accurate in fact

The watches illustrated is a minimalist design modellled on the Bauhaus school, of which there are already many fine examples in the market place.

Many of these have great pedigree or exceptional levels of finish.

You offer no point of differentiation to them and you execution falls short in several areas :-

-The ratio of the case thickness to diameter doesn't look appealing - seems very tall for a minimalist design
-The crown looks to be all but inoperable with no discernable knurling to provide grip to turn and set the watch.
-The strap attachment system is hidden and looks like it may be unique and propriety to you - always a bad idea to limit your oprions in watch-fancier circles.

I could go on, but I'm sure that you get the idea

Your value proposition also seems a little shaky, I'm not sure what you plan to retail these for, but an inexpensive japenese movement inside a simplly machined and finished case with a leather strap doesn't look like $100USd to me, possibly up to $180

I can get a Swatch Sistem 51 Irony with a 90 hour power reserve from a company that I know and trust for that sort of money or less, not to mention an host of original and interesting Bauhaus designs

Oh, and copper plated jewellery, not only leaves green stains, as has been mentioned, but it wears off the item relatively quickly

In short, you don't seem to be doing anything new, or different and you are using inexpensive components and charging a premium for it.

 

got wood?

 

Bet you spend more on the box it comes in than the movement inside the watch

Good luck

 

Good luck.

You posted on the wrong message board, frankly.

And while many of us do own sub $100 watches, my guess is the Seiko brand remains king, at least for most of us here.

 

I'm going to say something positive. I like the twig minute hand; it's original and distinctive. That's all I've got.

 

How do you go with the other Forest watch you can buy now with a real moss dial

http://small-order.hktdc.com/small-...ss-Dial-Watch-by-FORREST/en/1X09F7PQ/2971193/

View attachment 280491

 

Swing and a miss...

Please tell us how repairs and supply of spare parts will be handled down the road...or is this just a disposable watch that I won't be able to get parts for 1 year from now...if ever...

 

Al, these sane and logical complaints are ruining the tar & feathers approach taken so far in this thread so kindly knock that shit off. Besides, you can get moss right out the back door.

 

My apologies...let me give a more "squirrel approved" response then...

Most of these Kickstarter watches are done by one or two 20 or 30-something guys who decide they want to add the "experience" of being a watch company to their "life resume". They contact some Hong Kong or mainland China based manufacturer, do some back of the envelope designs, or just plain pick features from the on line catalogue that the company provides, and get some samples made. They then make a fancy video that goes on about their particular unique "philosophy" and "design inspirations" leading to the "painstaking efforts" taken in design and research.

Then, because they would never risk the money to finance it themselves, and no bank with any sense is going to lend them money for this idea, they post it on KS or some other platform. Other 20 and 30-something guys, looking for a "watch owning experience" to add to their "life resume" buy in, and enough people put their money on the line (not the people who started this mind you) that the project gets funded, the watches get ordered and are shipped out. When one doesn't work well, the only choice the people who ran this thing have is to send another one (hopefully they ordered spares for warranty claims!), because they have no real knowledge of watches, or have any watchmaking abilities.

One the campaign has ended, that's it. No company is formed or comes out of it, and it's typically just a one off. Part of the reason for this is that there were countless headaches in the whole process that the people who started it didn't count on, and it really wasn't all the fun they thought it would be after all is said and done. Move on to add the next experience to that life resume...

I'm sure there are exceptions, but my guess is that they are quite rare, in particular in the watch campaigns. If this sort of thing actually leads to a viable watch company, it would be rare. IMO if they do this for their first watch and it really is a success, there's no way it should be done for a second one...by then they should be able to finance it themselves, and if they can't. well that's not very inspiring from a business point of view.

Cheers, Al