Watchismo logo from 2013
Watchismo is now Watches.com, but their mission will remain unchanged. While many of the timepieces they sell are admittedly not high-end, they are correct in suggesting that a great number of the customers they reach need a “gateway watch” to help open their eyes to the larger world of what it means to wear a cool timepiece. Several years ago, Watchismo launched their own brand called Xeric, which means that they are now in the watch production game as well. Xeric began as quirky yet affordable set of watches with Chinese mechanical movements, but moving forward, Xeric timepieces will quickly move away from Chinese movements to those produced in Japan or Switzerland, and expand with more designs. According to the Greenblatts, half of their time will be focused on producing watches, while the other half will be on Watches.com.
Despite having a successful business model, Watchismo – now Watches.com – doesn’t really have any real competition. I find it a bit sad that the traditional watch industry, so historically reliant on third-part retailers, would not at least attempt to support more good operations like Watches.com who are focused on the selling side of the watch business equation. Watch brands are moving toward producing their own e-commerce sites – which is a step in the right direction. With that said, few of these companies have proven track records of selling items as well as producing them. The digital side of the watch sales industry might be better-off in the short-term by having quality retail partners online who are more focused on the delicate operation that is sales versus production.
Watchismo website from 2014
Going back to the Watches.com domain name, it was originally registered in 1993 by a then-serial prospective domain name registrant. People possibly like him have been known in the past as domain squatters. Interestingly enough, the Greenblatt’s acquired the name from the original owners, who aside from a few short-term leases never sold or made much use of Watches.com.
Watchismo was approached by a domain name broker and asked if they were interested in buying the domain name. While not looking for a new name, the brother’s could not resist the query of “how much” when it came to perhaps the only domain name around that in their eyes worked better than Watchismo.com.
After some discussions, it became clear that the then owner of Watches.com simply wanted too much money for the domain. Watchismo politely refused and the conversation was over – temporarily. As many negotiations go, the domain name owner contacted the Greenblatts a few weeks later to reopen the conversation. He had had a change of heart, and his primary concern was that whoever used the watches.com name would use it well. The alternatives were a series of lower quality or gray market dealers that would not lend a prestigious facade to the watches.com name in his eyes.
In fact, the original domain name owner held on to watches.com so long, apparently, because he thought his daughter might one day like to start her own watch company or brand. After some research into what it actually takes to produce a decent watch, those plans were abandoned.
The actual purchase price paid for the Watches.com domain name is a secret, and I didn’t push to find out. It doesn’t matter. An agreement between a motivated buyer and seller resulted in what seems like a good outcome for the future of Watches.com, and will hopefully allow the Watchismo team to set an even grander example on how to properly sell watches in an authorized way online.
Watches.com recently launched, and when you go to Watchismo.com you’ll be redirected there. In the fall of 2016, Watches.com promises to launch a totally refreshed design, and the we look forward to seeing how the Greenblatt brothers continue to care for and advance the important name that is Watches.com – something that should be of interest to consumers and anyone in the timepiece industry.