The Influential: How Ralph Christian Watches Became The Symbol of Success For A New Generation.

The days when ambitious and self-empowered men had to choose between being successful and appearing successful are long gone.

Before groundbreaking companies decided to eliminate bloated middlemen, reduce operational costs and invest their capital into product development and customer service instead of pompous celebrity endorsements or pointless brick and mortar shops, successful men often faced a difficult choice: investing their capital to create greater wealth or spending a part of that capital on high end (yet grossly overpriced) luxury products that would help them “look the part”. After all, when was the last time you saw a successful businessman wearing a cheap looking plastic watch?

Yet as new generations entered the watchmaking business, younger entrepreneurs like the founder and CEO of now iconic brand Ralph Christian were quick to identify areas of opportunity and vastly underserved market segments, and center their efforts towards the disruption of an industry that had been controlled by old, out of touch executives for way too long.

By focusing on developing a sustainable small batch production system, obsessing about customer service and paying close attention to consumer trends and preferences, Ralph Christian has been able to cement a reputation of excellence for itself, while filling the void that had long plagued the accessible luxury timepiece market: high quality watches, made out of high quality materials by expert watchmakers, with multiple customization options available along with industry leading global shipping procedures and top of the line customer service practices at fair prices. How can you not fall in love with that?

Well, it turns out people did fall in love with the brand and its eye-catching collections, ordering Ralph Christian watches from all corners of the earth and flooding the company´s website with raving reviews.

As the business grew, the stakes also got higher. In order to continue at the forefront of the movement, the company has made a point of exercising continuous innovation and paying close attention to customer feedback.

We recently interviewed the founder and CEO of Ralph Christian watches who shared with our readers some of the secrets behind his brand´s meteoric rise to prominence. Here´s what he had to say:

Ralph Christian has accomplished what many brands had sought out to achieve before, but failed; To become an iconic symbol of style and affordable luxury, what has the journey been like for you?

Thank you, that’s quite a testament! It definitely hasn’t been all easy streets. In the early days the big challenge was getting our voice heard and letting people know that ‘hey, we’re here, check us out!’. After we released a few models that had relative success, people started to take us more seriously. Thankfully, we’ve been fortunate enough to keep that momentum going and just grow on a year to year basis.

What has been your most successful model / collection to date?

We’ve had a few home runs, but the Intrepid Chronograph collection is the most successful to date. It was our first Chronograph watch and I think the Tonneau shape really resonated with people; when they feel the weight and look at the detailing in person, they’re usually blown away.

Your business model has disrupted the status quo, allowing customers the pleasure of owning a piece of wearable art at a much lower price point than traditional luxury brands; Was this always your vision for Ralph Christian?

One hundred percent. The whole idea of Ralph Christian was to create these high-end-looking watches, that have the look and feel of something considerably more expensive, but produce them and sell them in a streamlined way so as to be able to deliver them much more affordably. Sure, selling watches directly to customers is not new… but if you look historically at the kinds of products available, they tend to be minimalist white circles with a very basic design. Not exactly what I would call luxurious looking.

What can we expect from the brand in the near future?

We have a lot of exciting releases planned over the next 12 months. I can’t give too much away but let’s just say there will be a number of collaborations, and we’re also growing our jewelry collection significantly at the same time. We want to offer more choice to our customers as that’s what they keep asking for!

We know this is a difficult question, but out of all the watches you manufacture and sell, do you have a personal favorite? If so, why?

If I had to choose one it would probably be the Intrepid Chrono. It's just a beautiful watch and I’m a big fan of the Tonneau shape. The machining on the bezel and the dial is superb and the fact that it has a functional Chronograph is incredibly useful. It’s an all-round great driver!