Anonimo celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. Does the brand have ardent fans who have been following it from the outset?
That’s a good question, because one of our objectives with the anniversary models was to build a bridge to fans of the older Anonimo watches. They were very cautious about the new team and the new products that were presented in 2015, such as the first reproduction of the Militare. But thanks to our presence at Baselworld in particular we have been able to show them that we are not neglecting the brand’s history and that we will try to take the historical DNA of the brand into account.
You have recently launched some Militare models with vintage inspiration. How have they been received?
People like the look with the contrasting black and white dials, but they also appreciate the modifications we have made, with a reworked case, improvements to the crown protector, the dials and the straps. The markets received the first watches around a month ago, so it’s still a little too early to draw any conclusions and see what works best in different countries, but the general response to the collection has been favourable.
Will you be at Baselworld in 2018?
It’s a question we ask ourselves every year. Not being at Baselworld sends out a signal that might be misinterpreted by customers and competitors. But being there consumes a considerable amount of our annual budget. I think you need to be there if you are looking to build up a distribution network. Baselworld is above all about business and growing your distribution network. It is also a good showcase for our existing partners to welcome their customers. Plus it also gives us access to international media.
What about regional exhibitions such as the SIAR in Mexico and SalonQP in London, which are increasingly being used as platforms to launch new products?
I was at JCK earlier this year and most of the meetings we had all led to the opening of a point of sale. So even if you reach a smaller audience with this kind of exhibition, you are talking to just the kind of people who could represent your brand. I think that regional exhibitions and events create more relationships and proximity than international fair.
You started direct sales this year through your own e-shop. How do you tackle the challenge of presenting the brand to someone who might arrive directly on a product page after an internet search?
E-commerce is a complement to classical distribution and for the time being at least it is unlikely to replace it. Watches are products that awake emotions and they need to be touched. As a result, you cannot do the storytelling with e-commerce as you could in a store. However, you can appeal to people who are wowed by the design of the watch. If they then see that it’s Swiss Made and has a Sellita movement, along with a few key points about the watch to demonstrate its quality, they can buy it in a few clicks. And that’s what we are seeing from our first six months of experience. It’s a great complement to the existing distribution network, serving countries where we have no physical presence. But it requires a long-term investment.
What can Anonimo fans expect from the brand in 2018?
After a busy 2017 which we used to strengthen the foundations of the brand, 2018 will be a year in which Anonimo must be more visible in points of sale. So my number one objective is to develop our distribution network. I will be travelling all over the world before the end of the year to support our sales network. I have an old-school approach to developing the distribution network which involves going directly to retailers to show them our products and explain the brand.
A second objective is to reinforce the base of our product pyramid with an aggressively priced model (1,700-1,800 Swiss francs) with more elegant and classic styling and a smaller size that will make it more unisex. I think this will be very popular.
