Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to another SLG Meetup, your host, Alvaro, to bring you another exciting guest and today we're going to be talking about watches. A super fascinating industry and for that we're going to have the founder of Reasons Watches, his name is Vinwamintians and he's going to tell us why his company has become so unique on the creation of these timepieces and how it fits in such a luxurious lifestyle. There he is. Father is working from Hong Kong.
What's happening Vinwah? Thank you. Now, but it's exciting to have him here today because obviously when he comes to this luxurious lifestyle, we have different areas, right? We usually speak about houses, private jets, watches, watches is something so unique and something that you attach to yourself so much and the way that you've created these timepieces are just so unique.
So I wanted to bring you here today to tell us all about it because it's fascinating. It's a social status on your wrist. What your yacht is difficult to take to a party and as well as your your Lamborghini, but the watch you can take it and the nice, the interesting aspects also of a watch is that it says a lot about you. When, of course, I am in the business of watchmaking and so I'm quite, I have a bit problem, I would call it that I always take the watch of the person I have in front of me and it says a lot about who it is basically.
If you wear a certain brand, well, it means that you are a bit like this or a certain brand like that means that you are very, very rich or that you are very open-minded or that you are, etc. Right. It goes beyond that even because we're looking into what the reasons watches mean and the logo with the hand is not humanity. So there's a story behind the brand, right?
That really makes this completely different from a Rolex or different type. You should not compare even though it's a watch, but it's not swatches, not only from the the loops but also from the concept behind is very different and the approach is very different. Most watch brands have been created by Watchmaker, what is a logical evolution when you are a watchmaker that you create your watch brand. I think quite obvious, but I'm not a watchmaker.
I'm an industrial designer and when you're an industrial designer, your perspective on products is very different than a watchmaker. We built from the outside towards the inside, but a traditional watchmaker's brand would start from the inside towards the outside. But what will be the best way to create this community? How have you successfully target your niche?
I wish I was that strategic and long-term thinking, but basically what we have done is to be extremely coherent and consistent in what we do. So I believe that the community of people that buy or watch are most of them, people that are very sensitive to the intrinsic values of the product itself. But definitely congratulations, you build a very successful brand that is very well recognized internationally and that it really differentiates itself from what the, I guess, common brands in the watch industry represent. So that's very difficult and you'll enjoy a great job with that.
They sell to different products in a different positioning with different values to different customers. I would love to know what's been one of the hardest challenges that you've faced and what did you learn from it. The fact I'm not a watchmaker is an advantage, but also disadvantage because the advantage that you come up with ideas that nobody has done, but then you face reality of watchmaking and in an environment that is extremely standardized, watchmaking is very standardized. Production is very standardized.
I mean that the production of components is something that is very standardized. If you come up with something completely different, it takes you a lot of energy. I remember when I introduced the first oil field watches, it was, I remember that one of my producers, he said that the guy that is producing the parts, he said, well, I think you have made a mistake in your design because there is no relation between the top side and the bottom side of your watch. So how will it run?
There will be oil inside. It was like, what? You have to really dig into it and okay now that I'm doing it for a certain amount of years, I know what is easier, what is less easy, more time than this. But no, I think the challenges have been really strong also.
The e-crowned introduction of the type 2 with e-crowned technology has been a huge step for us. Because it's entered, it's entered to the sounds into a completely new category. There is no other one has done that before. So when you do things on a regular basis, I mean every year you come up with a product that no one has ever done before, well, you expose yourself to quite some difficulties.
That's of course what our customers like. They will wear a watch that nobody has, that no one even knows how it works. And that's not the point. But as a brand, you come up with concepts that have never been tried before.
It's like a bit like going on the moon when no one has everyone moon. How do you start? Well, you start. How do you do it?
There is some basic concepts you have to to invent to do these things. When you say okay, I'm going to put oil in the watch. Yeah, nice idea. What's the vision for the results for the upcoming years?
For us, the real, the key, the central theme that we apply to ourselves is improving the economics. And when you do that, you can do it in many ways. I'll give you an example. We have a diver, which called type 5.
Why do we, because there is no other independent brand that has a real diver, which we're the only ones. Maybe there's going to, you're going to find me one. Basically, we're the only ones. And the reason why we did the diver watch is because thanks to the technology that we developed on type 3, being the oil inside the watch, it applies to a diver watch.
It suddenly becomes the only diver watch that you can perfectly read on the water. What is quite a functional thing. And that comes because you have probably like most people that are looking at listening, they have been under watch with a watch one day in their pool or maybe in the sea. And when you check your watch at that point, you really need to face it straight on.
Otherwise, you cannot read it. It becomes another, or the deviation is really strong that you also cannot really read it. So normal watches with air inside, but it's of course older watches, mechanical watches, you have to really face them straight on to be able to read them. Well, if you fill them with oil, suddenly you can read them from any angle.
It's even better than during just in air. So we have with this innovation, we also improved functionally the watch. And if you do that, and that's maybe the vision that you are asking for, if you do that in a proper way, you create a better relation between you and the watch. And that is what we try to do.
It's not, you can do better economics, but in the end, you want your relation to be better. If, for example, you both very nice shoes, you think, okay, I'm going to show that. Those, all my friends are going to think, wow, these guys, very, very nice shoes, but they hurt. They hurt you like crazy.
Well, probably you will wear them once, maybe twice, and then never again, both said. And your relation with those shoes will be, you look good, but another. And so this is not what you want when you make products. Now, talking about that, you know, the word luxury, it comes in so many different shapes and forms and feelings.
So what is really luxury to you? To me personally, the less is more luxury. So the less you do, the better, that's for me very, very often, and unfortunately, my opinion, luxury is very often associated with a lot. But when you think of it, I think luxury is more that there's less.
I think it's fantastic. And that's completely true. There's a lot of people think like, oh, sorry, yours everything, like all the old and old, sometimes the simplicity of it, right? Like the minor things when you can accomplish something with, you said, right there, I never really had that before.
So it's very interesting to hear that from you. And, you know, especially from somebody that designs this type of watches, and you're always looking at the best combinations, you're right. So not very good. Now, if I have to ask you about something like WooFrunner throughout your career, that was like, wow, this was something that really changed my perspective on things.
What would it be to do it? When before I was a watchmaker, as I said, I was a designer, and I don't live in Switzerland, and I'm not a watchmaker. So starting a watchmaker was, you know, uncommon or not so obvious, I would say. And then, yeah, you slowly, but surely get into it and you'll become more and more involved in it.
But yeah, at a certain point, you have to jump. You can learn swimming just theoretically, but in the end, you have to jump in the pool and say, okay, I can swing. And so I think doing that was for me, one of the important steps to say, okay, let's go for it. I had some money that I saved.
Let's just do it. We'll see if not, okay, then not. But if it's, yes, yes. I guess it worked.
Yeah, just do it. I think this is a, we live in an environment, certainly in Western world where, um, safeness or security has become more important than freedom. And when we have the last years, everyone is about safe, safe, safe, safe, it's good. But where is my freedom?
Where is my expression? Where can I just try something? Where can I take risks? It's not allowed anymore to take risks in this world because it's not safe to take a risk.
But if you never take a risk, well, where you'll get, you'll get nowhere, basically. So I think that taking risks and just go for it. And yes, okay, well, if it fails, it fails. You know, we live in such a society where everybody around you wants you to do well, like be safe, stay comfortable.
Don't do too much because there might be no risk. I mean, be tired of working. Be careful. Yeah.
Exactly. Exactly. You become an entrepreneur. It's like, well, I used to work nine to five.
Now I work 34 hours. But as long as it's something that you're passionate about that, you have the control and the direction that you want to go. There's much more rewards afterwards. So no great advice.
And I definitely encourage everybody to do it. I would, I would, but yeah, I really think that's, that's the environment we are in is, is, yeah, it's not motivating people to take risks anymore. And I think this is the basics of, of every achievement at a certain point, you took a risk that another one didn't take. If she don't do that, well, you know, that's it.
Well, I appreciate that. I think that's something that a lot of people need to hear these days, just to remind themselves that there is an opportunity out there to go and do it. Whatever it is, go on. So aside from that, obviously all the insights that you'll be sharing with us today about your company and the industry when it comes to watches and the way of looking at things that's very unique.
So I appreciate it. And obviously I know that you have a lot of work. So I just wanted to rub this up by saying thank you once again, I don't know if there's anything else that you would like to share before we finish it. Yeah, no, thank you very much.
And I really appreciate that. You also open the spectrum of your, of your organization towards other fields, their interests, domains that are maybe a bit outside the traditional things that you do. But yeah, I think it fits perfectly. Don't worry.
I appreciate it. Exactly. And I'll tell you that, you know, it's all about that lifestyle. And anybody that is living this lifestyle of whether it's traveling or fine dining or private yet or just, you know, anything that relates to high and living involves watches.
So I definitely wanted to bring you more to talk more about it and definitely you've touched a great point right there. So thank you, Kevin. I wish you all the best. We'll stay connected.
And if you ever come to Miami, please come visit. And thanks again for everybody tuning in today. We hope you enjoyed it. I remember Embrace it's beautiful success in life.
My name is Alvaro and I'll see you next time.