Ethos is currently 42 stores strong in India: Pranav Saboo
Ethos is currently 42 stores strong in India: Pranav Saboo

Rolf Studer, CEO, Oris recently unveiled the 2017 Basel World novelties in India. He also announced their strategic exclusive partnership with Ethos Watch Boutiques which is India’s largest and most trusted luxury watch retailer, to strengthen the brand presence and visibility. Over the next three years with Ethos Watch Boutiques, Oris looks to have pan India presence by reaching tier two cities and doubling the number of point of sales to 32. Pranav Saboo (Co- Founder, Ethos Watch Boutiques) and Rolf Studer throw light on how this partnership is beneficial and what to expect out of it in near future.

What makes Ethos India’s largest and most trusted luxury watch retailer?
ETHOS -    Ethos is currently 42 stores strong in India. We are present across 13 cities and our website has emerged as Asia's largest online luxury watch platform with watches from over 50 premium and luxury brands. In the era of digitalization, going online is paramount and that's what we are trying to do. Our website attracts upwards of 1,000,000 visits per month. – Can add that we have over 7,500 watches on site.

In addition to this, we offer an exclusive buying experience, a highly-specialized team of luxury watch consultants, as well as The Watch Guide - an in house digital magazine that curates relevant content for watch enthusiasts and collectors.

What made Oris enter into a partnership with Ethos and how is it beneficial?
ORIS - Ethos follows a long-term, future oriented strategy that is based on traditional retail as well as online activities. Their customer is the emerging Indian middle class.  This is also the Oris customer, and we know that our customer – a young, urban professional – is very active online. As our strategies match, this partnership makes a lot of sense

ETHOS - Oris is one of the original (independent)watch brands which has stood true to its DNA of manufacturing mechanical watches. They were the first company to focus on mechanical watches and till date have remained private. Oris values our established retail and digital network, and although they have been in India for a while, our exclusive and strategic partnership is mutually beneficial as the Indian market evolves to a more international outlook towards brands, tastes and preferences.

On what criteria do Oris decide to re-introduce traditional watches with new technology?
ORIS-  Oris has a long history of over 110 years of uninterrupted mechanical watchmaking from the same village in the Swiss Jura mountains. Oris has made 283 own inhouse calibres to date. As you can imagine, we have rich archives documenting this history. We want our customers to participate in the joy of that rich heritage. When we pick a model for a re-edition it must be something significant. Divers Sixty-Five, which is a re-edition of our first divers watch dating back to 1965 has been very successful over the last few years. Oris Big Crown 1917, a tribute to our first aviation watch made in 1917, was very well received by both the press and the public. And we also have the Oris Chronoris date available that is based on our very first chronograph that we launched it 1970.

We always want to keep the charm and look of the original model while using today’s technology. Look at the curved sapphire of the Divers Sixty-Five for example: this used to be a plexi glass back in the 60ies, but we were able to reproduce the look with a scratch-resistant sapphire crystal.

How and when do you (both Oris and Ethos) plan to expand to tier 2 cities?
ETHOS- Over the next three years with Ethos Watch Boutiques, Oris looks to have pan India presence by reaching tier two cities and doubling the number of point of sales to 32. Currently, these are available at 16 stores in 8 major metro cities.

ORIS - Digitalization brings information to places and people that was never seen before on such a scale. The Internet plays a vital part in our marketing strategy. This way, our brand is always only a click away from our customer, even if there no store nearby

What range of styles do you (both Oris and Ethos) offer and under what pricing?
ETHOS - Oris is a men's (they also have women’s watches) watch brand currently with time pieces ranging from Rs 50,000 – Rs 5,00,000. The watches come under 4 major categories including diving, aviation, motorsport  and traditional time pieces.

ORIS -  Oris offers a wide range of styles in the worlds of Diving, Aviation, Culture and Motor Sport. The prices range from CHF 1000 to 6000. This is still a lot of money for a watch, but it is within reach of many professional people. 

Who are these cluster of designers that make every Oris watch innovative?
ORIS - Every Oris watch has to be functional. We offer a depth gauge in a divers watch, an altimeter in an aviation watch, a non-linear power reserve indication with a 10 day hand winding watch. All these complications are purely mechanical, serve an actual purpose and bring added value for the consumer

What international experience does Ethos bring to watch buying?
ETHOS - Ethos understands the watch market and each of its brands. We are in sync with international markets and are constantly updating ourselves to fulfill our consumer's requirements. Going digital plays a major role in that process. We also focus on the miniscule things to make the watch buying experience hassle free, be it advise from watch experts, updated knowledge on current trends or benefits like EMI, watch insurance and provision of after sale services. Our aim is to make the entire experience flawless.

What services, apart from premium luxury products, do you (Ethos) offer on your website that attracts lakhs of visits per month?
ETHOS - The website provides benefits like EMI, watch insurance and after sales service to its customers through its dedicated service facilities across India.

Also, The Watch Guide, our in house digital magazine that curates relevant and exclusive content for watch enthusiasts and collectors. It is very up to date and one stop for all the information on the latest about watches.

Where do you intend to take this partnership in future and through which new products/designs?
ETHOS - This is a strategic partnership with a mutual understanding of the importance of the digital space in terms of marketing and retail. We are looking forward to the new novelties by the brand that the brand will introduce in the coming years. It will be a delight to share this historic brand with the Indian market.

ORIS - Of course we want to grow the brand in the Indian market. We believe that we have a good product for the Indian customer – especially the divers and aviation watches are well received. We are very positive about the further development in this specific market

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