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The pricing structure for Hamtun is remarkable. Do you think the direct-to-consumer model is the future for the whole industry or do you think there’s a cutoff point where the idea of “luxury” involves the purchasing experience, as well?

What I’m doing isn’t luxury, and I don’t try to present it as such. I’m trying to make watches that are a great value and that people will be happy to own. I think online sales work great for that market.

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It can be offputting to some customers though, and I get that. I’ve recently moved into new offices, in part because I wanted a space I could use to offer people a hands-on experience. I plan to expand that into something a bit more formal over the next year and also start attending more international events. That way I get to keep my prices low, while still finding ways for people to try before they buy.

However, for a watch costing thousands, I think the whole experience of a good dealer is part of the joy. I like sitting down with someone who really knows what they’re talking about and looking at loads of amazing watches. I can’t see myself ever buying a 10k watch online, or at least not without having had significant hands-on time somewhere first.

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Which watches do you covet most? Give us one under $3,000 and one under $30,000.

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At the $3,000 point, not a lot, really. I wouldn’t turn down a blue dial Tudor Black Bay if someone wanted to give me one, but I’m not knocking down the door of my local AD to pick one up. However, at a higher price-point, there is something about the white dial Ressence Type 3 that I find fascinating. As it’s a model I couldn’t possibly make, I’d love to own one someday.

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What’s in store for Hamtun?

We’re going to keep making watches that I’d want to wear personally, at prices that are accessible. Once we’ve got the Kraken H2 pre-order campaign out of the way, we’ve got the first production models of the Nanok, our day-date model, arriving. QC and then shipping will take a while. I have another model at the prototyping stage at the moment, but I’m likely to push its release back to 2020. If it happens in 2019, it’ll be late in the year.

I’ve found that two watch launches each year is a level I can sustain without having to hire people and grow the business into something different than it is today. I’d rather spend my time building interesting watches and talking with my customers than managing people and dealing with too many projects at once. While I want Hamtun to continue to grow, and think it will, I want to do it at a pace that allows me to keep control.

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The Quality/Cost Equation

Before I wrap up this review, I just want to dig into something I mentioned to Davis during our conversation, explain a little more about what I meant by it, and explore how it can sometimes be overlooked by potential consumers interacting with new watches on a digital platform.

Although a huge amount of the retail price of established brands like Omega, or Rolex, for example, is either a spurious luxury tax or part of a significant retailer margin, those products do cost a lot more to make. This isn’t a slight against the actual quality of this Hamtun watch, rather a note of caution to manage your expectations when comparing the relative quality of affordable microbrands and that of established powerhouses.

It’s something that you might think needn’t be said, but it is something that I hear people complain about all the time. There is a whole host of microbrands out there. Each one places a slightly different emphasis on the quality/cost equation. Some micros will blow the budget on case finishing and incur the wrath of would-be backers, who balk at being asked to pay a couple of grand for an unproven brand powered by a standard Swiss tractor movement. Then you have the contrasting testimonies of the backers who took a punt and found themselves rewarded with an item of not just tangible quality, but that extra level of intangible excellence.

As much as some consumers seem intent on ignoring this, there are different standards of machining, and stepping up the grade of the finish costs a lot. Hamtun has walked this line very well, keeping costs low and the standard high. Does it sit like a $5,000 Omega? No, it does not. But does it wear as well as many products you’d expect to pay the better part of $1,000 for? Absolutely.

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Conclusion

It’s hard to come away from this experience being anything but impressed with what Hamtun is able to offer at the price they’re asking. For me, the extra £100 for the Sellita movement would be an absolute must. For less than $500 you then have a Swiss-powered, scratch-resistant titanium watch, on a bracelet, with a screw down crown, 200m water resistance, a nicely decorated case back, and an anti-reflective sapphire crystal. The value proposition is immense.

I am excited to see what Hamtun do next. With an established reputation and a ravenous online following that contributed to this campaign being funded in under 30 seconds, it would seem that any subsequent project will be a lock for success. Although the sea-faring theme of the Hamtun H2 Kraken makes perfect sense given the city’s coastal location and its rich maritime history, the nearby town of Hamble-le-Rice, was home to an aircraft training centre during the Second World War for aircraft including the Spitfire, the Lancaster, and the Wellington, so maybe we could see an aviation model take to the skies sometime soon? Whatever the future holds, I will be sure to watch with interest, as another British company starts to spread its wings. The Hamtun H2 Kraken is still available on Kickstarter, with current prices starting at £239 with the NH35 movement.


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