Hanhart one year later

It's now been a year since Thomas Morf took the helm at Hanhart.  He was kind enough to spare me a few minutes to share an update.

Courtesy of Hanhart

James Henderson - So a year on, how are things coming together?

Thomas Morf - Things are coming together well.  As I predicted, Hanhart has a huge potential… and this is a potential that needs to be exploited.  2011 has been a year of transition, where we have taken care to make the right decisions.  Having defined our new strategy with new people and starting to implement it, this has been our primary goal.  In the process, we have made people around the world see what’s going on with one of the industry’s most legitimate instrument watch brands.

JH - What has been the best "success story" of the year? 

TM - The biggest success so far is, that Hanhart created impact and raised interest around the world.  People love the direction where Hanhart is going.  What people want and like (be it trade, consumers or press) are brands with history, a crystal clear positioning / differentiation, a great strategy and a strong product.  Simplicity and coolness are keywords.  Hanhart has it all.  We only need to tell this to people.

JH - I'm sure that there have been some challenges as well, what were some that you faced in this first year? 

TM - The supply of components is driving us crazy.  If you have orders and you can’t deliver, that hurts. But I’m sure it will be better next year, because our supply chain management has improved.  Suppliers do see that Hanhart is a brand they can count on and that we have a long-term partnership planned.

JH - What is your favorite model so far? 

TM - Without a doubt, it’s the Pioneer TwinDicator.   

Courtesy of Hanhart

This is a model with the typical Hanhart features and sophisticated technology.  This model for now is our flagship and will be delivered to the markets starting from November 2011. 

Courtesy of Hanhart

JH - Anything in the "pipeline" that you can share with us?

TM - At Baselworld 2012 we’re going to unveil the Pioneer “Stealth 1882“.  It’s a model to celebrate the 130th anniversary of Hanhart.  It is an extremely cool instrument watch that will have 2 versions in a limited edition of 130 pieces in each version.  It is a perfect example of what Hanhart is all about.

JH - Who has emerged as your strongest market?

TM - Due to our limited supply, we have focused our efforts in Europe, especially in markets like Switzerland, Germany and Austria.  This is in line with Hanhart’s history of being heavily involved with Racing.  We have supported quite a few vintage car races in these markets.  Vintage car racing is very popular in this region of the world.

JH - Where do you see the next big/emerging market for Hanhart? 

TM - Our strategy is clear: We exploit markets first before we move on to a new market. The partner needs to be right too. Anything else would be wrong and short term. We have different options now, but haven’t decided yet.

JH - Any predictions/forecasts for 2012?

TM - Hanhart will without a doubt move forward quickly.  It all goes back to following the right strategy, one that was created for the long-term.  All our new products will be more exciting every year, so people around the world can expect something from Hanhart.  And last but not least, I hope that the economies around the world will stabilize.  That is of course very important for the entire industry.