Jimmy Chu can be quite difficult to pin down, because he’s always on the move. The Geneva-based executive is Behrens’ Brand Manager for Europe, and he’s completely trilingual. He’s also polite and approachable, and his ambition is to improve Behrens’ fortunes on the Old Continent.
Let’s not beat about the bush: it won’t be an easy task. Behrens is something of a UFO, but Jimmy Chu relishes the challenge. The brand’s arrival in Europe is very recent – it made its first appearance at Time To Watches 2022 just a few months ago.
That was when Jimmy Chu first started to understand what launching an independent brand actually meant, from designing the press kits to erecting the stand, sourcing chairs and houseplants, while discussing strategy with local retailers, and taking orders from eager customers.
Different expectation
The obvious first step for anyone wanting to find out more about Behrens would be to go to their website. But that would be a mistake – European expectations won’t get you very far with a non-European brand. Behrens is a Chinese brand, and that changes everything. In order to understand it you have to take a step back, suppress your automatic reflexes, and start with a blank page.
First, let’s talk about the website. It doesn’t really do the brand justice. In China, a website is an afterthought – very few customers use them. “Many big companies simply don’t have one,” Jimmy Chu explains. “Everyone gets their information and makes their purchases using an app, or on a site such as Weibo. Websites are incidental.” So while there is a Behrens storefront, it’s not very high quality, and Jimmy Chu will be undertaking a redesign to bring it up to European standards.
Different scale
Another mistake would be to compare the resources available to a Chinese brand with those of a Swiss brand. Behrens’ R&D department alone has 30 people, and their manufacturing plant occupies an area of more than 6,000 m2. The company was founded in 2012 by three colleagues who shared a passion for watches. Once it was launched, Behrens grew quickly, and has now sold more than 12,000 watches.
The last error, and by no means the least, is that Behrens is a Chinese brand. In Europe, that alone represents a mountain of prejudice to overcome. “I always respond in the same way: patience and education,” Jimmy Chu explains. “We’re taking the time to show that we have a creative, reliable and innovative product, which offers something totally new in design terms.”
The design has already won over at least one well-regarded watchmaker: Konstantin Chaykin. He has developed three series in association with Behrens: two of them are sold by Behrens (2 x 200 pieces) with the third (200 pieces) sold exclusively by Chaykin. The designs have not yet been finalised but Behrens’ Instagram account has teased some prototypes.
Low price, high reward
With an offer that ranges from CHF 2,000 to 20,000, with the majority of models around the CHF 3,500 mark, Behrens needs you to open your mind to the possibility of a different, creative, refreshing and transparent watchmaking.
Using ETA and Miyota base movements, the brand has already proved that it’s possible to make far more creative and fun watches than we’re used to. It’s not better or worse; it’s just different. It’s not about polished inner angles or inclined tourbillons. It’s about innovative watchmaking that takes a different approach from what we’re used to. And it requires a necessary – and very healthy – dose of open-mindedness.
