The (quick) rebirth of watch brands
It took just six months for new management to launch a Wholesale replica watches at HYT, a quirky brand that uses fluorescent liquid to tell the time.
Less than a year after the HYT brand took new ownership, the Hastroid was produced, a value limited edition watch. The design showcases the brand's signature technology: Luminescent fluid flows through a tube driven by a mechanical movement to indicate the hours.
When it was announced in March 2021 that independent watchmaking company HYT was closing, few industry observers expressed much of a surprise. Many had thought that the eccentric brand, which uses a very unusual liquid system to tell the time, might be the first to be abandoned by the pandemic.
Over the past year, HYT has been reborn with new investments and new management. A private investment firm called Kairos Technology Switzerland purchased the HYT name, its internet address, assets and shares for an undisclosed amount. In July, Davide Cerrato, who had stepped down as managing director of Montblanc's Review replica watches division, was appointed CEO and creative director of HYT.
Then in January – which Mr. Cerrato described as a “miraculous” timepiece, as most watches take years to develop – HYT launched the Hastroid, a limited-edition timepiece. Like previous HYT designs, it showcases the brand's unusual technology: the hours are indicated by a luminescent liquid flowing through capillaries, powered by a mechanical movement.
Mr Cerrato's appointment as HYT's savior was as unexpected as the brand's rebirth. The 51-year-old Italian has more than 20 years of experience in the industry and rose to fame in the 2010s with Tudor's Black Bay and Montblanc's Minerva watches, vintage-inspired designs that became his trademark, as well as his polished Shoes and bow tie.
He seemed an unlikely fit for such an avant-garde company, but Mr Serrato said the industry was moving in a new direction and he intended to lead it. “The retro wave is ending,” he said in a video interview from HYT’s offices in the Swiss watchmaking town of Neuchâtel. "The peak has passed and many are starting to get bored. HYT replica watches online is the perfect place to drive the next wave."
When Lucien Vouillamoz and Patrick Berdoz founded HYT in 2012, it became an instant sensation. By convention, the only liquid that should get into a mechanical watch is the watchmaker's lubricant. Here, however, the watch features a traditional mechanism alongside two containers filled with liquid (one colored, one transparent) pumped around a tube in opposite directions by two mechanical bellows. Thanks to this profound technology, HYT is one of the leading brands in the field of high-end independent watchmaking.
It also has a large watch. Most are at least 48mm in diameter and rise 20mm from the wrist, and many of them are more recognizable by the sapphire crystal on the dial that looks like a garden bell clock.
They also have flaws. The crystal is glued in place and can easily come loose — which is ironic, given the brand’s USP Unique Selling Proposition — and moisture could get into the watch and damage the piece.
HYT has always relied on suppliers and collaborators rather than internal employees. Mr Cerrato continued the pattern, working with Swiss firms Edge Design and Efteor to develop the Hastroid's titanium and carbon fiber case, which is screwed rather than glued and can be easily customized. It's still 48mm in diameter, but the new watch is 13mm deep and weighs 80 grams (2.8 ounces), about the same as a large egg. These dimensions make it thinner and lighter than previous HYT models such as the H0 and H1.replica HYT Moon Runner Desert H02984-A
For the mechanical movements, Mr. Cerrato returned to Purtec, HYT's original movement supplier, and master watchmaker Eric Coudray. Mr. Cerrato said the base movement was introduced shortly before the brand ceased operations, but he has changed or upgraded 40% of its functions (for example, replacing the small hand at 12 o'clock with a central minute hand) and components have been given higher-end the completion. The intellectual property for the key fluidic modules is owned by the Swiss company Preciflex, which remains the supplier.
In 2017, HYT lowered the unit price to about 50,000 euros ($56,630) to stimulate sales. But in Mr. Cerrato's view, "it destroys the brand image." He says the brand will return to its original price levels, and later this year he plans to launch two models with traditional complications at a higher price than the Hastroid. (This is in line with recent industry trends, according to the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry, where production is falling even as average export prices rise.)
Mr Serrato said he believed his new watch - with its space-age design, marketing hype of "alien technology" and scarcity - would appeal to a high-end clientele. He said he had funding for a five-year project and had invested in the business himself. "It's a good time to come back," he said. "Clients are moving to rarer, more unique pieces, and we're the wildest kids on the block."
HYT is unlikely to produce more than 200 pieces in 2022, according to Mr. Cerrato, who added that he plans to work with about 20 retailers this year, in addition to online sales. Beyond that, he's reluctant to make predictions. "We're in no rush to launch high quality cheap watches," he said. "We're very curious about how the business starts. Our vision is to grow based on demand."
The pace of that growth may depend on factors largely outside his control, such as the value of the models produced before the brand filed for bankruptcy. Mr Cerrato said the company hoped to stabilize the second-hand value of existing watches by taking back consigned watches and “drying up the market”. He said he wasn't sure how many watches the old company made, but it was likely around 1,500.
A second-hand retailer gave it a positive review. WatchBox says the average price for the H0 and H1 models it sells has increased from $23,000 in 2020 to $32,000 last year, despite only seeing one or two sales each month.
HYT's resurgence has industry Discount replica watches questioning whether its comeback will be successful. "HYT was the first to reinvent the way time is told," said Oliver Müller, founder of Swiss luxury consultancy LuxeConsult. "But I don't understand why they would when they failed at lower price points." succeed at a higher price point, no matter how talented Mr. Cerrato is as a creative director."
Hodinkee's Mr Forster said the brand had to break free from its past. "HYT needs to innovate, not only in its core technology, but also in other areas," he said. "If that's all HYT does, I don't think iterating on existing technology is a long-term path forward." However, Mr. Serrato said he's had "hundreds of messages from people saying, 'We're glad you came back.'"
But he admits that HYT's future is not unique. "It was a huge challenge for me, very different from anything else I've ever done," he said. "Demonstrating my knowledge and creativity and bringing this brand back to life is absolutely critical to me."replica watches Price
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