WatchProjects

How to avoid 1) being locked in your case supplier’s ecosystem and 2) losing leverage.

I have recently been talking with mainland China case manufacturers for a project. They try to upsell the complete watch, which would lock you in their ecosystem: they would control the blueprints and the supply chain.

Supplier - Do you want to buy the whole kit?

Me - No (I want to be able to mix and match suppliers based on my own requirements).

Supplier - Do you already have dial and hands?

Me - … (I don’t want you to procure from your buddy, whose quality I don’t know, and charge me a hidden finder’s fee).

Supplier - We need to check that all the components fit together.

Me - I have a watchmaker who will double check the blueprints, the parts and the fitting (I also plan to send you and independent appraiser before you ship me the batch).

Supplier - We can assemble for you.

Me - I plan to assemble in my region (a couple of hours flight away, so I can hop on a plan whenever I need).

Looking into launching your own micro watch brand?

According to How Money Works (https://youtu.be/97Bh7cOT2Go), "If someone is making a big deal about how easy it is to get into some type of business, or how you are guaranteed certain returns, that should not be a selling point: that should be a giant red flag.

A business that's easy to get into means it's easy for your competition to get in too. More competition means less profits, and a greater risk of failure.

If you really want to go into business, you want to find something that is incredibly hard to get into, or better yet, find something that ONLY you can do."

That's why you need all the preparation you can get.