How Ikepod & Klokers Returned From Bankruptcy With Christian-Louis Col

He fell in love with Ikepod in 1990s Paris. Years later, he didn’t just buy a watch, he bought the brand. Christian-Louis Col joins us to tell the unfiltered story of reviving Ikepod after bankruptcy: what you actually get when you acquire a “dead” Swiss watch brand, what’s missing when there are no archives, and why rebuilding trust means more than a new logo and a press release. 

We get into the real mechanics behind the comeback, from service challenges and sourcing parts to the controversial decision to bring Ikepod back with accessible quartz watches that still respect the original design language. Christian-Louis explains how he thinks about Ikepod as a design brand, why the integrated strap and ergonomic UFO case shape are non-negotiable, and how he works with designers without turning icons into copies. If you care about independent watchmaking, concept watches, and what makes collectors obsess, this conversation is packed with practical insight. 

Then we pivot to his second rescue mission: Klokers. We talk about buying the brand out of liquidation, why the rotating disk display and clip system are such compelling IP, and what it takes to re-engineer a design watch so it can survive real life. We close on legacy, pressure, and what “winning” looks like over the next 5 to 10 years when your goal is to save ideas worth keeping. 

If you enjoyed this, subscribe, share it with a watch friend, and leave a review so more people can find the show.

Check out Ikepod and Klokers:

https://ikepod.com/en/

https://www.klokers.com/

Transcript

Welcome And The Big Bet

Blake Rea 0:00

Hello, everybody. Welcome back to another episode here of the Lonely Wrist Podcast. I'm your host, as always, Blake Ray. And today's guest is somebody who did not just admire a piece of watchmaking history. He actually bought it. Christian Louis Cole is the owner of Ikepod, the Swiss brand behind some of the most distinctive concept watches ever made. And since 2023, he has also taken the helm and the clockers. What I find interesting about Christian Louis's story is that it starts with an obsession and turns into a real second life for a brand that most people had written off. Ikepod went dormant, went bankrupt, and bankrupt twice, and somehow came back, thanks to Christian Louis, more accessible and arguably more interesting than before. And that's not a marketing story. That is a guy who loves something enough to go buy it and figure out the rest. So stay tuned. We're going to talk about what buying a dead brand and bringing it back to life actually entails, what it actually takes to relaunch a heritage name, design philosophy in the realities of running two watch brands at one time, and why some objects are worth saving even after everyone else has moved on. Christian Louie, welcome to The Lonely Wrist.

Christian-Louis Col 1:19

Hello, everybody. Wow, what an introduction. It's uh thank you very much for for this presentation. And yes, it's uh I I do not say it's a second life, it's my life.

Blake Rea 1:30

No, no, I I I'm glad to have you on. We've been working on this for a while. We've recorded multiple different interviews before in the past. You've gotten to spend some good time, good time together, and this has been a long time coming. So it's a pleasure having you here. I'm I'm super excited for this one.

Christian-Louis Col 1:46

Same yeah, same yeah. So, yes, we the most important is life is uh is to have time, and so today we are taking the time, so so it's cool.

Blake Rea 1:56

Yeah, we are we definitely are, we definitely are. I'm curious, and let's just jump right in. You know, I don't want to take any more of your time than we're already going to, but what was your first introduction to icopod? And what was the first kind of icopod that you remember seeing that kind of created this love for the brand?

First Ikepod Encounter In Paris

Christian-Louis Col 2:17

Oh, it's it's quite simple. Uh I was I was younger because it was uh it was 32 years uh ago. And I I was in Paris, I was working at Richemont Cartier, and I I I was visiting a customer and there were word watches in in the window. You must remember that at this time in 94 the the watches were 32, 34, 36 millimeters and not big. And the only watches big were Paneraye, and then came Icopod. And I I look at that and say, Wow, it's something very interesting. It's about design, it's not about complication, it's not about big motors, it's just design. And in 97 I saw the the Amipod, one of the most iconic watches, and I said, Wow, I must buy one now. I must I love this watch better than the first one, which was the Syslog. And I said, Oh, I need one. And but when I asked the price, I was a bit shocked because it was more expensive than the day owner, 32 years ago, 30 years ago. So yeah, it was too expensive for me at this time because I was not ready to buy a watch more expensive than a day owner, because I I didn't understand why it was so expensive. So yeah, it was my first contact with iCapod, something very cool. And you know, in Paris, everybody was wearing this watch. When I say everybody, I mean the people of the fashion industry, the designer, the architect, people were going at Colette buying this watch. So it was a big hype and it was a blast in in the industry at this moment.

Blake Rea 3:54

Was that the the megapod that you saw first?

Christian-Louis Col 3:58

No, first I saw the syslog, but I okay, I said wow, it's cool, but uh I I felt in love with the emi pod. The megapod came after. I I felt in love with uh yes,

Wanting An Emipod For Years

Christian-Louis Col 4:10

with with the emi pod.

Blake Rea 4:11

Did you did you buy the watch just right then and there? Like, all right, cool.

Christian-Louis Col 4:15

No, to to no no to to make the the long story short, uh the the first icopod I bought was when I bought iCopod, the brand and the design. I never I I never bought an iCopod before because to explain you when I I uh I um I came in Switzerland to for for a job, uh a very good job with a very good salary, a Swiss salary. And uh it was uh in 2006, and it was the second generation of the of the iCopod. And I said, Okay, this time with my good salary, I'm buying an iCopod, this Emipod that I was dreaming uh about for 10 years now. And I came in the shop, a quite quite famous shop in Lausanne, selling Patek, etc. And I said, Okay, I I need this watch, I want it. But when I arrive at uh to to pay it, I say, but what? It's now it's 16,000 Swiss francs, but it was 7,000 Swiss francs uh three years ago. Ah yes, but they're the generation two, they're on titanium, there is a new owner, etc. So my dream was vanishing. The more I was coming close to my dream, it was vanishing, but it was not about the the the money, it was about the fact that at this time I was more buying vintage watches affordable, you know, like a blompin fifty fathom, technician backtis, calf. I was I was involved in the that kind of things in a collection like that. So and it was I I could have bought two watches for for these prices, so so it was it was even not a subject. So again, but later on, as you know it in uh 2017, I I bought the brain and the design. So it was uh and with some stock. So there I was able to have an icopod.

How The Brand Purchase Happened

Blake Rea 6:10

Yeah, I'm curious if we could like peek into your brain in 2017 when you when you actually decided to like make the bid to go buy the brand. Like, how did you discover that the brand was for sale? Or you know what kind of made you take the plunge into buying?

Christian-Louis Col 6:29

You know, you know, and I and I and I am saying that for all entrepreneurs or for for people who want to to become an entrepreneur or to to to to invest in something, you you you have to pursue your dreams and you have to take your time and you have to never give up because one day it's your time. And and the the the momentum is perfect, and but you you have to be patient. So in 2010, I was working uh for for a company, I was a consultant for a watch company, and in front of me in Basel World, there was uh there was a booth with uh with the new relange iCap Generation 2. And I saw fantastic pieces, I saw some Hourglass, so I said, Oh, these Horglass are fantastic, and I need one, and but the price again was 25,000 without tax. And maybe you can see some, you can see one here, yeah, and and and even two, and and finally I get in touch with uh with the people who are managing the brand with the right arm of the owner, because it was the third third of owner of iCapod, and uh we we kept in touch even with the commercial director, was very good and talented guy, Alexandre. And uh we kept in touch, and one day I I lost my job, and I called everybody to see if there was a job for me some somewhere. But the right arm of the owner said, No, I don't have a job for you, I have like a pot to be sold, and if you want, you can you can buy it. So, but I knew I knew it was for for sale, so yeah, you know, it was a kind of approach, and it took a long time, but but finally I was able to buy the brand and the design. So it was it was good and like a dream, you know, because uh to tell you more about myself, uh I'm 58, I'm French, nobody's perfect. And uh the the fact is that I I I always dreamed about being head of product. And when I joined Cartier, I asked the Alain Perrin asked me, What do you want to do? I said, I want to be head of product. He said, But you are stupid or what? I am the head of the product of Richemont. So all the guys have the have the title, but they are nothing. I am the big boss. So you will never be a head of product. Ah, okay. So now you have to sell the watches. So and my uh I become a marketing assistant, and then after I become a rep, a sales manager, and after a commercial director, and after a managing director, and after a CEO, but I never been uh I never been uh a product manager. So even if I if I left Richmond very early because uh I was not made for that. And but in the in various positions in the watch business, in the diamond, in the anterior business, I was MD or CEO, but never head of product. And finally it took me 30 years to be head of product, and now I am the head of product.

Blake Rea 9:35

I'm sure you probably, when you got the offer or you heard that you know it was available and you were considering it, I'm sure those closest to you are probably like, What the hell are you doing? Like you're getting ready to buy like a twice bankruptcy. Well, at that point it was one time bankruptcy going through second, you know, yeah. Like, what did those closest to you even say? And then I mean that's such an incredible risk going from having the stability of working for a big corporation like Richemont, like then just going straight into entrepreneurship and and and reviving something that was about to die.

Christian-Louis Col 10:16

Okay, so again, I didn't spend all my career at Richemont because I I only spent there five years and I I my hair were too long and my suit were not enough uh good to stay there. And I am always saying what I am thinking, so it was not uh a place for me. So I I spent my career in other smaller companies, but uh, if you can the the last one was Lalic, decorative object. I was the MD of Lalic, so okay. But the fact is that I I I was an entrepreneur also sometime because I was consultant, or I had some shop boutique selling ready to wear. So you know it was back and forth, it was uh it was not my first time that I was trying to be out of the corporate. But yeah, uh the only person who was supporting me at this time was my wife, and she said, Okay, I I I I don't know how I capot, but I discover it and I like it, and I think there is a good potential. It it will be a niche brand, it will still be a niche brand, but it's it's cool and it's it's it's what you like. But the vast majority of my friend and even my lawyer, Marc Christian, who is a fantastic person, but who was not very happy about about that project, and everybody was trying to tell me it was bankrupt two time. Why we we have a quote in in French, we say, okay, already two times, so three times will happen, so jamais deux sans trois, never never two without three. So so yeah, it's uh it's everybody, all the designer, all everybody was saying, oh, you have to do something totally different, you have to do that and do that and do that, and but don't do it, don't buy it. And yeah, so at the end of the day, and even at this time, my my closest friend was a guy who is owning a watch brand, and he said, Okay, you know, I I I I I will not drop his name because it he told me I ruined my life, uh setting set set my family life, my personal life. I I ruined all my life launching my own brand, and I I I spent so many time so energy there, and I am not happy with it, and it's it's too complex, it's too stress, too much stress for for for the result. So everybody was telling me, don't. So maybe that's why I uh I didn't because no, yeah, because you know, the when everybody is is telling you that it's not a good deal, it's certainly a good one.

Blake Rea 12:49

Yeah. And then I think you and I had talked about this before, but you know, I had asked you probably I think maybe this is in Watches and Wonders or something, or in at the at the Beau Revage, walk us through the actual like acquisition process. I mean, you know, you I think I had asked you about how complicated it was before, and you were like, oh, it's super, it was super easy. So, like when you got your hands on Ikepod, like I'm assuming all like the brand's assets, the designs, the intellectual property, like what did that look like? Once you got your hands on the brand, like what was left of it, you know?

Christian-Louis Col 13:27

Oh, you know, uh, I I will not disclose all the all the all the journey, but it was uh it was a total mess because there were no archives, no it was a mess. But you know, to be honest, when when you at 38, I was uh I was managing director of a public company in Switzerland doing 100 million after another. So when you are buying uh two two-time bankrupt brands, it's not so complex to buy it and to look at what is important, even if you're uh uh less alone than in a corporation with doing 100 million and with public. But I had the chance to to to add uh again, Marc-Christian Perronet, my lawyer with me, he was fantastic. He helped me a lot. And the people around me uh helped me also, and it made it was really simple. Well, because you know it's a two-time bankrupt company we are speaking about. I was not buying the company, I was buying the brand and the design and some stock. So easy, easy. Not easy in terms of the journey because everybody wanted to buy it at this time, so it was complex, it was like a fight, but the process in itself, it was so simple.

Blake Rea 14:40

Wow. You had a couple like did you did this with a couple investors? Did I understand that correctly? That you had um some partners that you brought in, and like you know, so that brings the question like like how did you get your partners on board to buy such a risky venture? And and how did you create divide the responsibility?

Christian-Louis Col 15:03

It's it's because you don't want to be alone because you think it will be very complex to be alone, but uh through the journey I realized uh that uh someone was uh stealing some watches, uh, another one was stealing money. So now I am alone, I am 100% owner of it. So I I'm good to buy the company, but I am not good to choose my my partners.

Blake Rea 15:26

I'm sorry. Yeah, no, no, that's okay.

Backlash, Quartz, And Kickstarter Proof

Blake Rea 15:29

Um let's talk about the so obviously reputation, right? Like you get your hands on iCopod. What did the brand's reputation look like at that point when you acquired it? And do you feel like maybe the enthusiasts, the collectors were excited that the brand was going to be revived, maybe skeptical because they the twice bankrupt? Or do you feel like people had just kind of really kind of almost forgot about icopod at that moment?

Christian-Louis Col 16:00

To to be very honest, uh it's it's uh it's a niche brand and it's still a niche brand. And the generation who knows icopod is is quite old now. You have my age, you're they're in the in their 50s, because we are speaking about a brand which was famous 30 years ago, 25 years ago. So let's say it was divided in in several parts. So I mean that there were real fans that are still buying an icopod, you could have from two to 20, 30 icopods, generation one, generation two, generation three. Real fans of the brand, they are fan of Apple, BMWs, they are in the Silicon Valley, your tech moguls, your people who are working uh in tech companies. So they are real fan of the brand. So this stayed the same. They didn't change with the price, positioning, with everything. And you have to consider that when I bought the brand and the design, there were 400 watches on on uh on eBay, on Chrono 24, so a lot of watches which were considered as junk. And when I relaunched the brand, it was on Kickstarter with very accessible and affordable uh watches, quartz watches, and the people were insulting me that I was going to destroy the brand and that I was going to dilute the DNA, blah, blah, blah. And you say, okay, yes, but the brand was already gone and she was dead already. The strap was there, the orgas were there. So at the end of the day, what was remaining was uh some design that I am owning. But you know, the people were quite, yes, uh, some were very enthusiastic because some people were not able to buy like a pod, like me. So they were very happy to that I uh that I was bringing back the the watch. But as you say, others were skeptical and very, some people were nasty. But you know, if I had money at this time, I would have bought all the 400 watches on on eBay and on uh on Chrono 24 because they were considered as junk. So some people were writing to me say, Oh, you are going to delete the brand with your quartz watches. They say, Okay, what do you own? Oh, I own an AnyPod that I bought, 1000 US dollars on eBay. Okay, perfect, well done, because it was a watch at 7,000. So you yeah, but my watch will be worth nothing. No, no, your watch will double, triple very quickly. And you know, at after two months just having the website stating iCopot.com, iCopot is back, 50% of the watch disappeared, and uh after the Kickstarter, there were there were no more watches on Chrono 24 and on eBay. I mean 400 watches were were bought, so it it was and maybe more because there were on Chrono 24 on eBay, so maybe they were not the same, I do not remember well. But yes, fortunately I bought some watches at this time, not all, but yeah, the it the the people were skeptical, and you know, the um you are you are it's like Bugatti, you know, uh Ettore Bugatti. Uh there is no longer anyone in the family of Ettore Bugatti in Bugatti, and this is uh a second life for Bugatti. So some people are not happy. You know, you look at Balenciaga. If you go to the museum of Balenciaga, Balenciaga is no longer the Balenciaga of the 50s, it's a new brand. But with Icopod, it's always the same brand, always the same design, always the same look. It's about design, it's not about prices, it's not about complexity, it's about simplicity and design.

Blake Rea 19:51

And you're actually right, too. Like, you know, obviously, when you were here in Vegas and you and I were talking, just seeing this seeing the secondhand value of the vintage icopod, I mean, those things are freaking ridiculous right now.

Christian-Louis Col 20:08

So all no, no, no, it's not ridiculous, you know, because you know it's about scarcity, you know. Yeah, for sure. Yeah, yeah, I I remember everybody, everybody including you, was coming to me and saying, Oh, look at these watches, and I say, But you cannot buy this watch. This watch is not in a good state, and uh you you need too much money to to to recover it. And uh, but everybody at the end of the show, uh, there were nothing left on the everybody was buying, so yeah, it's about scarcity because people understand that it's um an important, it's an important brand in the history of contemporary watchmaking. This is the first time that a designer was successful with a brand because if you look around, there is no no designer apart the watch world. I am not speaking about Gerald Genta, I'm not speaking about uh Emmanuel Gates, yeah, I am not speaking about Fabrice Gonet. I am speaking about someone who was able to design planes, boats, Ferraris, things like that, and was able to invent a new territory, a new language, a new design language in terms of watches. So it it never happened before. So and uh yes, if you can name someone who was able, some people say oh Stark, the French designer, did a watch for fossil. Yes, but Manuel Gate was designing it at Fossil, so it was the name of Stark on it. But so yeah, we are speaking about Genta, etc. But the the the the the the founder of of Ikepod was really a genius in this in this because he he was able to invent uh something totally new.

No Archives, No Parts, No Problem

Blake Rea 21:55

What surprised you most once you got you know? Once you took ownership of the brand, like was it what was left in inventory? Maybe some of you said there was virtually no archives. Like, what surprised you the most once you got hands on?

Christian-Louis Col 22:11

Everybody everything was put to the bin, everything was uh left over, everything was uh in hands of uh nasty people, or yeah, it it it you know because the the the first generation the the had some qualitative issue, so many people have have some watches in the drawer and they they cannot service it. So I invite them to send me an email at contact at icuput.com. We will find good watchmaker. For example, we we uh I was in New York after Vegas and we have fantastic guys in New York now. They have all the tools, they have some parts. So we we I am so happy to to to to have this guy in New Jersey watch central, they are fantastic and re and really and Mike, they are fantastic. So uh and I was with them and I just discovered that they were servicing a watch that I never saw because there were 20 of it made and the watch was there and it was just by by chance. But yes, the um the the fact is that the the the most complex was no archive, no parts to service the old watches, no tools. So I had to buy tools there, I to buy parts and to rely on some watchmaker, and gradually I am doing things, and uh yeah, so it's uh the most the it was the most difficult to have just a brand, some design, and some generation to watch, and gradually also I was buying generation one to do what I am calling the e-museum that you can see on the website. You can see, and I am still buying in auction some watches to redo complete collection of original watches. And I had the chance, for example, to find through my UK distributor the the C slug number 001. So I was able to buy it, but for for sure use it, but I was so happy. So and I am discovering uh a new thing every day, and I am learning every day about about iCapod, so so it's it's fantastic.

Blake Rea 24:17

Knowing now what you know and looking back, what's something you wish you knew about icod or the the company then that you know now that would have kind of changed maybe your mind before signing on the dotted line?

Christian-Louis Col 24:38

No, because you know the the the the past is the past, uh it's what we are living now is already the future, so even not there is no future, it's just the present. So we are living now and it's now. So yes, I could have done better. I could have no. I uh to be honest with you, I I thought at the beginning I could do a volumic brand with a with iCapod. And I I I was thinking of doing very affordable prices and under 500 bucks, but uh when I received the the prototypes, they were so ugly, so so I said no, I cannot do that. So the the brand is has a strong DNA, beautiful look, so I I need to do something beautiful where the the original strap can fit in and vice versa, etc. We we should rely on the same qualitative object. So it's it's not it's not it's not um a cheap watch when we are speaking of the entry level at at 700 um Swiss francs for a quartz two hands, but the the quality is there, the the the the the the the watch is really qualitative. So, yes, maybe I would have done something differently, more volumic, but the the quality you require for an icopod, which is very complex in terms of technique of assembly and construction, especially for the the Swiss mail with monocoque and assembled by the top, you you must deliver a good quality. You cannot do so, yes. Some people managing the brain at my place maybe would already uh flying a private jet. I am still flying economy and I am happy with that, and I have I have times. And uh no, you know, it's uh it's my it's it's now the people just have to accept it. Now the brand it's is mine and I own the brand. I am doing what I want with my brand because it's my brand. So yeah, it's some people could be very upset with what I am doing, but I I am keeping the DNA, I have Hong Kong made watchers, I have Swiss Maid watchers, the Swiss Maidwatchers are totally in line with what was done in the past, but improved in terms of techniques and in terms of realability, and uh less uh 50% less expensive than before, and we are 30 years after. So I think uh yeah, it's a decent offer.

Blake Rea 27:06

Yeah, no, I I'm a huge fan of what you're doing. I think you know, like because there's brands that do what you're doing and they don't execute it as well, right? Because you think when you're getting a cheaper watch, you know, more accessible, or whatever you want to call it, you're you're having to cut corners in a different way, right? You know, obviously the people that that want the Swiss made moniker and the Swiss made monomani, you know, Kernigram, and then there's people that just want the icopod D ⁇ M without the icopod price ten, you know? And the fact that you're able to actually deliver on that to me is insane, you know? Because some of some of my favorite icopod watches from you like are around around around a thousand dollars, you know? Like that that that's freaking amazing that I can have a legitimate icopod, you know, for a thousand bucks and it's new, and I don't have to worry about like some of the stuff that we were talking about from the vintage, right? You know, you and I have talked about this, like you know, supports and and and getting vintage watches serviced and all this. We've talked a lot about that.

Christian-Louis Col 28:19

But yeah, it's uh it's it's it's easy to wear, and I always repeating the same, so it's it's it's a stereo stereophonic for you. But you know, uh one day I received an email and a guy was buying um a 995 uh chronopod, and uh in USD it was uh it's less than 1000, as you said. And the guy sent me a long email saying that now that the kids are out of the house, having a work, out of the studies, that the mortgage is paid. And finally, he bought the most luxury, luxurious watch he was able to afford and that he was dreaming about for since 97. So he bought chronopod with is really the same DNA of the the the hemipod but affordable. And the guy was saying, now I am able to realize my dream. And you know it's very important because okay, uh I uh to be honest with you, I spent a lot of money in in watches, not in cars, but in motorbike and in and in and watches, I I spend quite a decent amount of money. But and and for me, yeah, sometimes you say, Oh, a watch under one 1000 USD is okay, it's not a luxury watch. But for this guy, it was and this guy was putting me under pressure because you know I I say, Wow, I have to deliver something fantastic, but he was so happy, and we are still in contact, and uh, because sometimes he's ordering uh a strap and he's uh he's so happy with his watch, you know, and he and he is sending me pictures, and I am happy for him because you know it's the most important. The guy has a smile on the face with that, and each time, maybe 50 times a day, he's looking at his watch, he's happy with it. Okay, I am not sending life, I am not a doctor, I am not a surgery surgery person, but I am uh iCopod is about being happy and putting smile on the faces, so it's it's important. And yes, we're under 1000 US dollars. We still have the look, still have the DNA of the brain, and it's it's cool.

Designing Affordable Without Cutting Soul

Blake Rea 30:23

Yeah, let's talk about getting your watches there. So, you know, when you're designing a new watch, I'm I'm not sure if we could talk about some of the stuff that I've seen on your table. You know, I think you know the watch that I'm talking about. But when you're designing a new watch, do you just literally come with a checklist and say, hey, look, here's what I want the watch to have? Or do you start with a price tag and say, I want a watch that is a thousand dollars, eight hundred dollars, and no, get the watch there.

Christian-Louis Col 30:57

No, I I am I am bad as as that. As I as I told you, I I I wanted to to to do some quartz watches under 500 bucks and uh the prototype. I I destroy them. I destroy them. They were so they were real bullshit. And so I find another company, and uh the guy has a good reputation and uh is doing really qualitative things for what we call Laplace, Laplace Vendome. So uh he he understood icopod, and no, so and then we we are doing the math on the other side, we have a production cost, and then we are putting all what we need in terms of margin to have retailers, to have distributors, to have agents, because I am an old style, old style guy, I am not selling 100% of my watch direct because I really think that the middleman, the distributor, the retailer, the point of sales, the agent, he must talk about the watch and and advocate it. So everybody has to earn his money somewhere. So I am doing the math on this side, and then after we land on a on a retail price. And uh yeah, sometimes uh it's a bit what we call the blue ocean because there is no sharks and no no no killing in uh in this ocean, but it could be also the triangle de Bermudes, the Bermuda triangle, because sometimes the watches are uh are in a price point that uh some people okay say, Oh, it's expensive, regardling, blah blah blah. But also what I am doing, I am taking each time a new designer. So we are speaking about Alexandre Peraldi, Emmanuel Gett, Fabrice Gonel, Ryan Bushman, Clay Soncoi Bistorune, etc. And even my my my daughter in artistic direction lately with uh with a mini pod that you you saw uh you saw in uh in uh in Vegas. And yes, so uh sometimes I can say, okay, I need I need a dive watch, which was never done, and I have an idea, so I do a sketch, and then Fabrice Gone executed the idea and asked me to never redesign again because it was so ugly that uh but he was able to understand what I wanted and he did the fantastic watch. I am speaking about about the C pod, that is is my favorite, my favorite iCopod. And it could be also uh replicating the designs that I am owning and continuing the legacy of the brand.

Blake Rea 33:24

What do you feel like has been thus far like maybe the hardest operational lesson from you know your first years of owning the brand that maybe you never saw kind of coming?

Christian-Louis Col 33:38

No, I I was approached by many people who wanted to do collabs, and because uh the first watches were uh met the market in uh in 2019, July, and I was approached by the by a lot of people who wanted to do some uh some collabs. Uh one of the famous was uh was a very famous uh musician, rapper, uh very controversial. So uh I was approached by a lot of people who wanted to do a collab, but I I always thought that the the the the language of the the DNA of ICAP was not ready to do some collabs. Art collab, maybe with Tom Christopher, my favorite painter for sure, but not with uh so I have time, you know. It's just the beginning of the relaunch, it's just uh yeah, it's even not 10 years that I am back. So so yes, between the the the the in in one year it will be uh 10 years that I bought it back, and it's already eight years on the market, so I have time. I I have time, so it's not uh I'm not under pressure. I I try to do it well.

Why Relaunching Is Harder Than Launching

Blake Rea 34:56

Do you feel like it's harder to kind of relaunch a brand than it is to build one from scratch, or do you feel like maybe one's easier than the other, or both equally? I mean they're both equally challenging, but what do you feel?

Christian-Louis Col 35:10

No, no, not no no, I I don't think so. I think it's uh it's much harder to to relaunch because the brand could have been damaged, the brand has all already uh a lot of things in the in the in the backpack. And if you launch a brand the last 10 years, what I I I don't want to be too arrogant or aggressive, but it it's it's really it was quite easy to to to understand the market the last 10 years and to do what the the people were uh wanting. So we we we saw plenty of new brands that have a lot of success because they are just giving the people what they are looking for. And it's not a criticism, it's just because people understood very well what the market was wanting, and then they are delivering that and they have a fantastic success. And okay, kudos to them, they are doing well. But I I think that there are many brands to save, and there are many brands that are just there to be relaunched, and why creating a new one? If it's to be honest, if it's to create a new one which is just a copy of copy and just uh doing okay, uh unaffordable Patek look or unaffordable uh mix of uh Daytona and Speedmaster look, okay, let's do it for the money, let's do it for buying a Porsche, no problem with that. But it's not it it no, I mean it's not it's not my cup of tea. I I I'm I will not be good at that. Some people are much better than me to do that. So, yes, it's more difficult to relaunch a brand because you have a big backpack with a lot of uh issues, could be uh plenty of issues, and uh it was the case for the the second brand I bought, and um plenty of issues. But uh yes, I I think it's more easy to launch a brand if you launch it in regards to what the customer are awaiting. If you want to do something special, uh but we we saw plenty of good product, uh exclusive, uh fantastic, creative, also the last 10 years. So some but but yes, not with uh uh financial success, but with uh with a beautiful success in terms of image and in terms of uh creativity. So yeah, yeah, there is room for what we call the independent. Uh was the first to be independent, one of the first and the first concept watch 30 years ago. So yeah, there is plenty of room, and I I I prefer the people who are we are going this way, something rare, unique, creative, than copying the past.

Blake Rea 38:01

Yeah. The more I learn about you, you're just a modest Frenchman.

Christian-Louis Col 38:05

That's that's that's no, we are arrogant, we are arrogant, we have P we are we have PhD, PhD in arrogance. We are the we are the world champion of arrogance. You're not though.

Blake Rea 38:19

You're not. I'm I'm curious, you know, you just said, you know, that you're pushing the brand forward, and I totally agree. How do you honor like the DNA? Because like Mark Newsome, you know, his design language is so distinctive, and you know, later going on to influence the Apple Watch strapper, like whatever. So how do you kind of like honor that DNA while still kind of making it your own? If that is even possible?

Christian-Louis Col 38:53

No, it's uh I I think you know, if you look at uh I will explain it uh differently. Uh look at the Porsche 911, look at Porsche. Uh you look at the 366, you look at the 911, you look at the Cayenne, you look at all these, they are all Porsche. You you see them, you you recognize them. So even if it's uh SUV, even if it's a sport car, even if it's uh a cabriolet, you recognize a Porsche. So uh so yes, just do iCopods that people will recognize. So you keep the DNA, you keep the what was sought and created by the by the creator of the brand. And it's just simple to to stay there. And if some designer, and at the beginning, I I met a designer that I was uh very uh I was in admiration in front of this designer, he's a well-known guy. And uh I told him, Oh, do you see uh iCopod? And he told me, Oh, you know, you have to change everything. And I said, No, uh if I have to change everything, I I I will create a new brand. Oh no, no, you have to change everything because me, if I am working at iCopod, it will it will be something different. He said, No, and when I am meeting the designer, the designer should understand that there is a strong legacy, there is a Porsche 9-11, and you have to still design Porsche 9-11 at ICOPOD. So, if you don't want to do that, if you want to do uh Lamborghini, so go at Lamborghini.

Keeping The DNA Like A 911

Blake Rea 40:39

Yeah, no, that makes sense. Well, let's talk about how do you work with a designer? So, like, you know, you brought up Emmanuel Get, you know, Alexandre Peraldi. Like, how do you brief one of those designers on kind of like reinterpreting an icon, like an icopod icon without just becoming like a copy? You know, like do you give them free reign? Do you have like a brief package where you say, look, here's the history of the brand, find something cool? Or like, how does that even work?

Christian-Louis Col 41:14

Oh, it's uh the the brief is quite simple because I am explaining that uh icopod is uh icopod with a strong DNA and uh that uh we must follow follow on with uh with the original uh idea and design and design language. And after I I uh okay, I say I I want a quartz watch, a chronograph, etc. And then they know that the shape of the of the of the watch is fixed, they know that the the territory is there, and uh after half an hour talk, even not written, they understand everything. The only time I I had uh some issues were lately with the mini pod, and because I wanted a lady to design uh a watch, and it was it was it was it was quite complex because they were all under 30s and they don't know iCopod, they don't know the creator of the brand, they don't know anything, and uh so it was quite complex. So finally, uh my daughter did the artistic direction, and we took the designer of the factory to to finalize the artistic direction. And the the the the main thing is yes, the main difficulty was Clay Son Coebistorune for the Skypod, because the the design is some things that were not relevant to ICOPOD, so we we we we we spent a lot of time uh reworking everything. He made so many proposals that were out of of the DNA of the brand. And I am saying that because your anterior designers, you have 100 awards, they have done everything uh on earth, you have designed everything, they are fantastic Swedish studios, they are very good. But you know, when you are designing something very, very, very small, the people will not sit on a watch, they will look at it 50 times a day. It's not the same thing that when you design a plane or when you design an armchair or an hotel or a lounge for an airport. So these people are fantastic, but they were very they were really in difficulties to to design uh so small object, and it was it was a challenge. But with uh the the other watch designer, it's so cool, so simple, they are so the one I am I I I work with, they are fantastic. Emmanuel, Alexand, Fabrice, Adrian, they are just fantastic, they are quick, efficient, clever, so yeah, easy.

Blake Rea 43:57

Well, I do have to say the the design that you did with your daughter it might be one of my favorite ice pods. I think you know that.

Christian-Louis Col 44:04

Yeah you told me and uh yeah I I um it's it's it it's came uh it came about a frustration because again I I I I I ask I ask all the guy I I I am quoting uh do you know a lady that could design the the the the new manatee and the the they gave me plenty of names and uh and to make it short uh yeah no one was uh interested or core to the DNA of the brain and able to understand and and my my daughter just said when I was upset on the phone after all the calls she said because she she was 16 at this time she said okay yo you must uh you must do that and that do that and and then say okay so you you write an email to the to the to the factory to the designer of the factory you tell him he said oh yeah it's quite simple and then we did a wax and then she said but it's it's not what I ask for it's exactly what you ask for ah okay but it's not what I want okay but it's it's what you ask for. And so back and forth doing new waxes until the end the the eight of the dial you you saw in the prototype will not be the the eight of the dial in uh in in the production so and everything was was moving and changing even the name because now we will be we will be named mini pod. So and it's fantastic because now she's 17 and she's wearing a prototype that she co-designed or at least did the artistic direction so so so there is a new form of legacy and um I I am happy with it.

Blake Rea 45:37

She's probably the coolest girl in school going around with her mini pod yeah it is is there a design element from the original Ikepod DNA that you would never ever ever change no matter what yeah look at uh look at the website uh you you will see that uh the the the watch are still looking the same so so even the mini pod is uh is is totally like the like the like the manatee it's you you can feel the DNA you can feel the a cartier looks like a cartier a braidling looks like a braidling so you you you will not change that so there is a strong DNA the it's a Porsche 911 you you it has to look so I will never go out of the integrated trap because yes it's it's a part of the concept uh I will never go out of the fluidic form about the the this geodesic form about this space UFO forms uh all is rounded all is shaped so it's ergonomic so when you look at it you say okay it's just uh an UFO watch it's just uh a discovolent no it's not a discovalent it's really something totally different because when you have it on the wheat it's ergonomic it looks big but there is no lugs so sometimes when we say wow it's a 44 millimeter oh people are afraid but no the the the the size so it's just marketing you know so when you say that because there are no lugs it's lugs to lugs 44 millimeter for some watches so yeah it's uh so yeah I I will never change icopod because anchorpad has a stronger language is there anything that you feel like you're trying to modernize with some of your more updated like releases to modernize in the future in the future yes we will come with new projects but uh for the time being we we are following the we are following the um the system yeah I'm curious about your hand painted dial collaboration that you did with Tom Christopher like how did that all kind of come together okay so again it's uh it's about a journey it's about just meeting people so I was I was a big fan of of Tom Christopher so uh I I I I I met him once and one day I asked him if he if he wanted to do uh some dials with me and so we we did some printed dial and uh and we did also some hand painted dial and uh yeah it's just a journey it's not um a collab like that uh calling uh someone who is a well known uh just like an opportunity it's it's yeah it's it's a journey because I am owning this this painting and other things for years so it's just about opportunity it's about friendship that's freaking amazing I've got a couple more questions about icopod and then I'm gonna roll into clockers and then we're gonna finish things up how do you feel like since you've taken ownership of the brand like how do you how do you feel like the collector base for the brand has evolved or changed or are you seeing original fans return to the brand or are you seeing like a whole new generation of watch collectors and enthusiasts beginning to enjoy the brand no this is the biggest challenge I I have to move on on a new territory because for the time being I have three types of customers I have people who who know the brand and are collecting icopod whatever you you launch I have people who are not able to buy an icopod and now they are buying an icod because it's affordable and it's uh it's railable and it's not uh bankrupt it's still there after eight years and uh I I I'm sure I will be uh soon uh having producing more watches than Gen 1 and Gen 2 and new people yes were discovering the brand but there are mainly people who already own all the iconic watches the old speed masters the other the own Daytona the own uh Carrera the own uh El Primero so they consider icopod watches as something important in a collection they are not monothematic they are not buying uh 100% Rolex uh they are buying uh things that they like but it's coming from the top for the moment it's not people who are buying what we call microbrand or affordable projects it's they are not coming from there so they are coming from the top so it's it's about a culture it's about the the the the the fact that the brand is not well known so some people don't even know iCopod uh during future at at Vegas all the the the big boutique they all know icopod but the small boutique they never heard of it so uh it was funny it was very interesting to to see that we talk about that and yeah so I think there is a still a lot to achieve and that's why I didn't want to do some uh stupid or clever collab and to to be quick to to break into the market but I want to establish something stable and uh with a good point of sale with the good people who are able to advocate the brand and push the brand because yeah it's uh again it's important in the history of contemporary what watchmaking yes very much so this is a good pivot point to talk now about clockers which I obviously have a clockers and to me my first time in Geneva I don't know if I've told you this story my first time in Geneva you know I was a baby in the watch industry you know just getting my getting learning how to look and I wanted to buy my watch you know at that time to kind of like honor my trip to Geneva and I went past one of the the retailers that you have in Geneva I can't think of their name right now super nice family family yeah yeah yeah super nice super nice retail like their family is freaking amazing and I still I still talk to to Gregory pretty regularly like there's really super nice guy yeah we follow each other on Instagram and we've we always we'll read each other every every um and I know we just had a he just had a child which is kind of cool you know so so yeah yeah super nice and then I I left I left the retailer with for whatever reason without purchasing the watch and clockers is such an interesting little brand so walk us through like your acquisition for clockers I think you picked it up in in 2023 if if I understood that correctly and they have a a very different design philosophy the Nike pod and and and what drew you to acquiring that brand again it's uh it's about a journey and uh it's about also uh some uh yeah personal uh personal things in my life but when I uh I discovered clockers I uh I wanted to buy one on Kickstarter and I was adding some on the on the on the basket but I realized uh at the end that they were quartz so I said oh no I don't want uh to buy a quartz watch it was in 2015 and finally I didn't buy the butt the the Series one but when I was relaunching iCopod I I I went to to to meet the clockers team they were a huge team 22 people working at clockers because it was the second Kickstarter they were expanding a lot and uh I was asking them oh oh are you doing a Kickstarter oh let's talk to the agency or are you doing the logistics oh let's talk to these people they were 22 people they were and I I I didn't uh I say wow what are you doing here I am managing the agency I am managing the logistical I am managing that okay okay okay so but you are not doing things no no we are managing and so I say wow it's complex to to to do the payroll of 22 people but they were expanding a lot raising money raising a lot of money okay first season of uh clockers he burned nine million he went bankrupt second he burned five million she went bankrupt so look at it a watch a design watch no lugs integrated strap two time bankrupt it's for me it's for me so and uh and you know uh one day uh the the the the the creator of the brand called me and said oh we must help each other and work together I said no no no i i don't want to work with anybody but finally we we we we we we we kept in touch and uh and the brand was in liquidation and i made an offer because you know when it's liquidated it's chapter 11 in fact you go to the court and you you do an offer and then you can so hear about the brand the design the patent and a huge huge stock of watches produced and watches to be produced so i i i i bought a ton of watches generation seven so now they are more reliable because also they have they have they have issue with uh sorry they have issue with uh with the quality uh like me with my phone and I see those things falling out falling out the whole day yeah yeah yeah because it's uh it's hot it's it's 40 40 degrees here it's 40 degrees oh my god yeah it's what we call the canicule and yeah so I bought the brand and I I I realized that technically it was not possible to go along with what he invented because it's not possible to be reliable because you you cannot drop a clock earth if you drop a clock earth you break it so I am I am at the moment while stock lasts I am I am selling on uh I am doing sales on the on the on the inventory and I am preparing the future of lockers because you saw it we we have an automatic in the pipe an automatic design by Fabrice Gonnet and uh reliable that you can drop from one meter and you do not break it and the watch is the the watch is cool.

Clockers Goes Bankrupt Then Gets Saved

Christian-Louis Col 56:38

And yeah this is my second brand it's about design and the territory is totally different the customers are totally different the price points are different and but yeah it's about rotating disk I invite you all the listeners to to to have a look at clockers.com the the anti anti-clockwise rotating disk and the the the the look is it's it's a talking piece when you have that on the train people cannot resist to ask you but what is it and then you unclip the watch because it's clipped on the VIRS and you you you just give the head of watch to the people and you say wow what is this it's just but you have one so you know you know that it's a talking piece.

Blake Rea 57:18

It's it's a super cool watch and and yeah I haven't dropped mine yet so it still works for now so but no no it's it's I think it's a cool brand because the IP right you know there's a lot of cool IP just the whole clip system the way that it it attaches to the straps and you also have little like uh pouches and stuff like that that you can turn it into a pocket watch if if you wanted to go that round just it's just cool it's just a cool little brand and it's a cool way to read the time and yeah I I love mine so I'm I'm glad that I was able to get one now from you knowing you how do you how do you switch between two brands so like you know you're you have two different hats like you're running two different brands with two different identities like almost like bipolar right bipolar leadership not sure if that's you but like do you just have like okay cool like I'm going into clockers let me put my clockers hat on okay cool I'm going back to micapod let me put my micapod hat back on like how do you like run two brands at the same time I think about this all the time because there's a lot of other people in your role that are also running two brands which is wild to me like you know I've heard of others yeah yeah the the the fact is that the the identity of the of the brands are so strong that uh you you you you you you cannot miss it so they are so different they are so so even if they are design watches they are so different the customer the the distributor the the every everything is different uh so for sure sometimes people uh understand that I am owning the the a second brand and they are buying a clock earth uh because they already have an iPod but you know the the territory is uh and you you know you you you mentioned this this beautiful shop that I invite everybody in Geneva to visit Pastor Nicolet with Gregory they are fantastic they are advocating the brand they are very good you are you you can discover beautiful brand for example icopod is not there because it's not the same place and the same thing so it's very easy to move from a side to another side what is important that is you have access to some resources that you can share for example Fabrice Gonet did the C pod for me now he did the automatic uh the factory is the same uh you you it's it's it's quite easy to to it's like if you were managing again a 911 and a cayenne it's uh okay or an electric an electric porch and uh and uh and a six cylinder in line um you know it's there's they have such strong identities that you cannot uh you cannot make any errors yeah are are there shared resources like between like manufacturing distribution maybe you know you mentioned that there's like like Nicolette doesn't carry Hycopod but like retail relationships like how or do you just keep them fully separate in their own lane?

Two Brands, One Operator Mindset

Christian-Louis Col 1:00:29

No in fact uh there were they were separate at the beginning uh I am just putting in the same factory to to to to manage the the the watches for sure for the for the time being I am not doing expensive uh watches so I am not sharing the the Swiss made facilities with with clockers but no the distribution uh the agent the customer they are different so uh because it's more like micro brand like you know this kind of things we are more on the side of the the the the the big wave of the last 10 years the micro brand the the the small very cool brand that we have on the market under 1000 so yeah it's it's this this vibe do you ever worry about like diluting your focus while you're running two brands at once or do you ever worry about that no no because uh again I I am just there to continue the the the the strong DNA of these brands and I I am not inviting inventing the the wheel so I I am just uh trying to save what could be saved because this branch will not disappear because I with my French arrogance I really think that these two brands have something that the other don't have and it will be stupid to let them disappear. So why not save them even if it's uh just for fun or for the to be brave and uh yeah the they have something there is a territory and you know I am I I I am uh I was a bit uh hard with the with the with the people of Clocker the when we were speaking about it but just look at what he achieved what he did while while putting all that to the bin I am res I I I I am not a creator I am a manager I am a saver you know I am a re-legender I am not a respite diver yeah and so uh fortunately it was not too deep but the fact is that uh why not saving what could be saved?

Blake Rea 1:02:50

It's just stupid to to put that onto the bin what's the and I just a couple more questions here and you can continue with the rest of your day what is the most rewarding moment that you've had since your acquisition either for Ikepod or Clockers?

Christian-Louis Col 1:03:08

Like what's been the most rewarding moment that you've just been like okay this is it this is why I did it oh plenty plenty of moments you know I I cannot choose one because uh you know when you when you look at the Kickstarter and the the the the figures of the turnover going up and that you are you are you know that after eight minutes you you you you you have the your target I I fixed a target at 80 000 Swiss francs and after eight minutes it was done so people are doing that some people are doing we're doing that in 30 seconds but me I did it in a eight minutes and so it was fantastic to understand that all the people the the 1000 people who bought an iPod were just saving the brain so it's it was uh it was fantastic but after when you you are in contact when when when you are doing a watch with with your favorite artist or when you are in contact with one of the top 100 artists in the world brian donelly you are in contact with him because he did he did he did some watches with uh with uh with icopod uh the cows the 104 cows and back in 2012 when you knew you you are meeting new people when you are meeting people who want an iCopod and show it to you is there is nothing particular about because every day is every day is a gift every day is a gift and no sometimes I when I bought the brand and the design sometimes I was just asking myself but I am the guy who is owning that because many people were jealous many people wanted to buy it and okay I was out of the business the watch business for because I sometimes I was no more in watches so I am not a finger of the of the watch business so uh yeah sometimes I say oh it's it's mine but now I I have two brands and I am uh happy with it what would you say is like one of the hardest moments that you've had to go through while you know you're taking the helmet these two brands and how how did you get through it oh we we have things that we cannot disclose that are difficult yeah and fights fights so sometimes people they don't want to kill you but uh they they want to destroy you so again iCOPAD is uh is something very important in the mind of some people some competitors some uh I am French I'm not suiss uh yeah sometimes it's uh people are nasty or they are very offensive because you know out of uh what you see Borivaj at Vegas at Watch and Wonders. It's a fight. It's uh we we are fighting big corporations, big groups, individuals with a lot of money, people who are very rich and just doing this as a hobby. Yeah, it's sometimes it's difficult, but we it's not interesting. It's not interesting.

Blake Rea 1:06:22

What what does the legacy look like for icopod and clockers? Like, you know, at some point you're gonna get to a place where you have to either decide to to sell the brand or to to give it to your your daughter or let her run it. Like what like I think we talked about this, you and I, like very briefly, but what does that look like for for your brands, you know?

Christian-Louis Col 1:06:48

First, first of all, I am coming from uh my name is Cole C O L. I I am coming from a family of pedlar, you know, the people who are traveling from mountains to mountains to to mountains to valley to sell goods. So I am a pedlar in my heart, you know. And so what I think is that uh the most important today is to be it's my point of view, it's to be an entrepreneur because you are meeting a lot of people, you you are on your own, you can do all the stupidity, all the stupid things you want, you can do it because you are you don't have to report to anybody. So I achieve a dream, so I I I just want that the dream continues. So if my kids are interested in the business, and I can tell you they are not only on the watches, but in art, in a lot of things, I have three kids 17, 16, and 11. The last one, 11, is very interested in the business, I can tell you, at his age and stage. So yeah, entrepreneur, it's a mindset, and when you have it, you know it. You are an entrepreneur. So when you have this mindset, you you don't want to get rid of it. You don't want to I I am not doing it for the money, I am do I am doing it because I am meeting people, I am spending good time, I am leaving my passion every day. I am doing what I love. Okay, who can say that? Not so many, not so many people.

Blake Rea 1:08:19

No, yeah, yeah. We're we're alike in that regard that this is this is the same for me. Lonely wrist, it's my passion, you know. What would you say? And this is the final question, so we gotta make it super juicy. What does winning look like for you with these brands in the next five to ten years from now, or maybe something that you hope to accomplish while you know these brands are yours, you know? Milestones maybe.

Christian-Louis Col 1:08:59

So many things to do, many things to do. It's it's about design, it's about creativity, it's about a design language, being uh you love it or you hate it. And uh yeah, so there is a lot, lot to achieve. After the pass and the the the speed uh could differ, could be depend on the if you have uh one or two or three around, if uh there is a crisis or not, if uh if some market are booming or not. But uh yeah, it's not a watch brand, it's a design brand. So it's put you in the picture of what could be high-coupled in the future. I end up telling you that I am going to do sunglasses, and it's not that, it's more than that, it's design. So yeah, plenty of things to to achieve, plenty of project in uh some you saw, some you never saw, so plenty of project.

Winning, Legacy, And Never Giving Up

Blake Rea 1:10:01

I yeah, I I can't wait to see what you do with the brand. Cl, thank you so much for your time sharing it with us. It's always good to see you, to spend some time with you. Everybody, we are going to link both icopod and clockers here in the description. I would highly encourage that you guys, you know, do some time, do some research, really take in and enjoy what what Christian Louis is is bringing here back to the community with these brands. I'm I'm I'm honored to to be acquainted with you, to be your friend, and and and to spend this time with you and to be able to tell your story with me.

Christian-Louis Col 1:10:44

So you you see, Blake, this is the beauty of it. Two years ago, I never heard about you, and we spent very good time in in uh in Geneva. We learn from each other, so we are learning from each other. In in Vegas, it was the same. I was learning from you. So yeah, it's it's just to this is this is a perfect adventure, and I encourage everybody to pursue the dreams, a small, a big, pursue your dreams, never give up, because at the end, uh when it's not finished, it's not finished, and at the end, all what you have put step by step rewards you so really you this is my message. You like or you dislike icopod, it's not it's not a big issue. Just just okay, have a look, have a look at the e-museum, have a look at the history, etc., of these fantastic brands and even of uh about clockers, but never give up, never give up. Things can happen. I am the example of it. I am an example of it.

Blake Rea 1:11:53

Yes, you are, yes, you are, and I can't wait to get my hands on a mini pod. And I'm gonna have to do a YouTube video. So everybody look forward to that. I'm gonna annoy Christian Louie for a couple more months until I think they're ready. And and then we'll we'll expect a mini pod review because I think this is such a cool watch. I think it's just such a cool story, and that'll be one that I'm I'm also looking forward to telling, and also owning, you know, in my personal collection and wearing and enjoying every every single day.

Christian-Louis Col 1:12:25

So Merci beaucoup, Blake. It's uh it was a pleasure. Thank you for your time. And uh finally we did it.

Blake Rea 1:12:30

Yeah, we did it, we did it. This has been a long time coming. Probably about I mean I interviewed you two years ago or three years ago, and then yeah, we talked, I talked, I so we've been working on getting this one. So this is probably another two years in the making. So it's been it's been epic.

Christian-Louis Col 1:12:46

And it's it's it's watchmaking. You have to take your time.

Blake Rea 1:12:50

Yeah, it is, it is, and and this will actually go out today. This is gonna be posted today on the internet because we are trying to catch up here.

Christian-Louis Col 1:12:59

So not gonna sit on it for too long.

Blake Rea 1:13:05

I will talk to you very soon, buddy. Thank you so much for spending time with us. Everybody, please go check out his watch brands and we will see you on the next episode.