Market reports are clear about one thing: Gen Z (individuals born between the mid-1990s and early 2010s) are tomorrow’s consumers, forecast to make up a third of luxury buyers by 2030. As consumers, they seek authenticity and brands that align with their values. Can watch brands tap into this? “There’s a watch for everyone, irrespective of price,” said writer and consultant Justin Hast, one of the experts taking part in a panel discussion organised at the INHORGENTA trade fair in Munich. “You only need enter a watch store to see that. Watches have ties with history, technology, sustainability and design, and this is what makes watchmaking such a fascinating world.” Photographer Marc-Henri Ngandu noted how brands are now using social media for their communication, “not just to present new products but to invite users into their universe and, by doing so, develop more personal relations.”
Is this enough to get Gen Z hooked on watches? “It’s my view that direct contact between the customer and the brand is essential,” said Nicolas Amsellem, associate director of Les Rhabilleurs magazine. “A cold, stuffy boutique isn’t an environment that appeals to younger generations. The sales associate has to become your friend, something independent watchmakers have understood.” “Brands go out of their way to make watches everyone will like, even when this means denaturing the product, then invest a huge marketing spend as a means of persuasion,” commented Maxime Couturier, co-founder of APRESDEMAIN agency. “Always remember that a watch is an emotional object and that it’s better to focus on five percent good customers, and build a community of people who are truly passionate about the product, rather than try to appeal to everyone.”
Hospitality, community, creativity – and authenticity, “a key concept that’s too often overlooked,” insisted Lorenzo Maillard, co-founder of APRESDEMAIN agency. “Since the quartz crisis, and more so since the early 2000s and the mechanical revival, brands have been steadily moving into the luxury arena with increasingly exclusive products. Which isn’t necessarily what newcomers to the watch world want. How else do you explain the rocketing pre-owned market? If authenticity is being drowned out by a formatted marketing discourse, diversity is a characteristic the watch world must never lose. This diversity opens multiple gateways into coherent and perfectly positioned universes.”
