Some More Boxing Day Leftovers - Zenith

This originally ran over a year ago.  I think a lot of it is still true, and it seemed like a good time to look back -

Why Zenith Matters

Zenith...

I will not speak false flattery here, there was a brief time prior to the current management team at Zenith that really made me scratch my head and wonder.  A wonderful brand had been turned on its head.  In all fairness, the name of Zenith grew incredibly fast, gaining renewed interest here in the US.  But it was done at a great cost.

And then change came about again with the arrival of a new management team who still looked forward, but did not abandon the past.

Think about the company as a whole - this was the sort of place where a watch maker was not merely asked - but ORDERED to literally throw away all of the mechanical movements in his possession.  And instead of following those instructions to the letter, he hid them!  And thank goodness that he did!  Sort of reminds me of the scene in the Red Violin when the violin is hidden during the cultural revolution in China. 

And it seems fitting, and in that spirit that I will share with you perhaps the main reason why Zenith matters - they are in the PEOPLE business.  It just so happens that they make watches.  What do I mean by this?

So a quick homework assignment before you complete reading this post.  Visit this link at watch - u - seek, and read this story - http://forums.watchuseek.com/f457/special-package-switzerland-le-locle-mr-dufour-498563.html

Okay - homework finished?  Welcome back!

I have to say that I am jealous of Mick Mooren, not because of the wonderful interaction he had with Zenith and Mr. Dufour, or his abilities as a budding watch maker.  No, I am truly jealous of his ability to tell a story.  It makes me re-think my chosen profession!


But why this matters?  Let's be honest, there was NOTHING in it for Zenith to do what they did.  It's not like Mick was a customer, but Mr. Dufour and the people at Zenith clearly understand something that many of the the "Big Dogs" seem to have forgotten.  The watch business is not simply about sell-throughs, moving stock, etc.  It is about people, and the relationships that come with them.  That relationship moves beyond the watch itself, and instills a real connection to the watch owner.


I have never owned a Zenith - but now I want one.  Not owing to the history of the movement manufacturing, the legend of the El Primero, or the status.  No, I want a Zenith, because now I have an idea of the sort of people working there, and the sort of person running the company.  I like them.  Don't get me wrong - Zenith is wonderfully innovative, dynamic and historically significant.  But so are a lot of manufacturers.  No, Zenith is in the people business.  And that is why Zenith matters.

A Few Minutes with Mick Mooren

Courtesy of Mooren

James Henderson - What was your first watch? Was it a gift? Is there a story behind it?

Mick Mooren - My first watch was a U-Boat Classico 53mm.  I bought it about three years ago.  At that time, that watch was my grail and I worked in a restaurant to pull the money together.  It is a watch that I would never buy again, especially because it is ridiculously big, but I do not regret that I bought it, because at that time I was really proud of it.  I don’t wear the watch anymore, but I still like the watch because it was my first real watch, at least in my eyes.

JH - When you were a young boy - what did you want to be when you "grew up"?

MM - I did not know what I wanted to be actually.  I have always been very creative though, and I thought about doing something with graphic design. But I later discovered that graphic art was more like a hobby to me and not something I wanted to do for a living.  I am also very interested in subjects such as economics, marketing, internationalization etc., so I decided that I wanted to do something with that.  I am not really someone who likes to work for a boss, so now I am sure that I want to be an entrepreneur, which I already am actually….

JH - Where did/do you go to school - what did you study exactly?

MM - I study International business and management at AVANS university in Breda.  I started with this course of study this past August.  Before that I was in high school.  I chose this study because it is quite broadly orientated on many economic and business related subjects.  The courses are taught in English and focus on the international aspects of business and economics and I see that as a big advantage, so that I why I chose the program.  I think this program will be very helpful for becoming a successful entrepreneur.

JH - What got you started in watch making in the first place?

MM - It started a few years ago.  My father, who works as a goldsmith at a jewelry shop, sometimes brought some watch magazines home with him and I read those.  That is where I started to get interested in watches.  My father doesn’t have anything with watches, but he kept bringing magazines home with him for me every now and than and the more I read them, the more I got interested in watches and later also in the technical aspects of watches.

After a while I decided to get my hands on some old watch movements and I found that very interesting, so I decided to get more into it.  After a while I was given an old workbench from an uncle of my father.  He (the uncle) used to be a watchmaker, but was to old to be able to keep doing it and he was happy to give it to me, so that he would know that his tools would still be used.  From that point on my interest in watchmaking started to get bigger and bigger…

JH - Had you always wanted to have your own watch company?

MM - When I started to get interested in watches, I did not immediately had the feeling that I wanted to have my own watch company. Later, when I got more seriously interested, I felt more and more like starting my own business.  I have however always felt some sort of need to start my own business and this was a great chance for me to combine that with my hobby.

Courtesy of Mooren

JH - Mooren has now released its first watch.  What has the response been so far?

MM - The overall response has been quite positive actually.  Of course, there are also people who do not like the watch, and people who are very negative, but most people have been quite positive.  Even if they do not like the design, they almost all say that they appreciate the story behind the brand, and they wish me the best of luck. I can of course not please everyone with one watch - that is simply impossible.

Courtesy of Mooren

JH - Who else out there is making watches that interest you?

MM - Pff, if I had to sum up all the other brands I like, I think that will become quite long list, so I find it really hard to call names, because I might forget a lot.  I appreciate a lot of different watches and brands, all in a different way and for a different reason.  I have a sort of special appreciation for independent watchmakers such as Peter Speake-Marin –whose watches look awesome, and Roger W. Smith – a stunning combination between classic and modern.  On the other side I also like the more common brands such as Zenith and Jaeger-LeCoultre.

JH - What is it that makes the Mooren watch special?

MM - I think that I designed a really special watch that does not look like any other watch, so it has a truly distinctive design.  Though I made something new, I did this with respect for the watchmaking heritage and I think that resulted in a special combination.

Besides that, I also try to be as close as possible to the consumer, because I want my brand to be more personal and I want to communicate my passion and vision as well and direct as possible to other people.  Of course, the story behind the watch also makes it special; a watch tells more than the time, a watch tells a story.  There are of course more things that are special about the watch, but that can be different for each consumer.

Courtesy of Mooren

JH - Any further communication with Zenith since the famous gift of new old stock parts?

MM - Before I launched my first watch I also wrote a letter to Mr Dufour about what I had done, and what progress I made.  In that letter I also thanked him for what he did for me, because that played a mayor role in me starting my own watch brand.

A week after the presentation, I noticed a Facebook update from Zenith in which I saw a picture of me!  I clicked on it and it appeared to be a personal message from Mr Dufour himself in which he compared me with the founder of Zenith and in which he also wished me the best of luck with my brand!  I was really surprised by that and I really, really appreciate that he did that.  That really shows what a great brand Zenith is, it is not just about making money, they are honestly passionate about what they do.

JH - What do you like to do in your down time?

MM - Down time? I don’t have any… If I accidentally have some spare time however, I like to read about watches or to work on them, how surprising! And of course I also like to spend some time with my friends.

JH - What is next for Mick Mooren?

MM - That is a really good question! If only I knew…

I hope to be able to continue with Mooren watch and that I can keep growing, so that I can come up with new models and expand my brand and collection. I would especially like to develop my own or maybe a modified movement, so who knows where this will end… or not end…

JH - What advice do you have for young people like yourself interested in getting started in the watch business?

MM - Well, there is only one way to get started and that is to do it!  As long as you keep trying and keep doing your best you will eventually reach your goal.  If one road ends, try another road, and again, and again, and again until you succeed.  I learned everything by doing it and I think that is the best way to learn it.