This week on the Superlative Podcast, Ariel Adams is joined by Oscar Chabrat, founder of Praesidus Watches and Chief Marketing Officer of the Montrichard Group. Oscar takes Ariel behind the scenes of the watch industry to explain how Montrichard evolved from a traditional B2B manufacturer into a global operation involved in manufacturing, marketing, and a growing portfolio of watch brands. They discuss the realities of watch production, why so many brands rely on outside manufacturing partners, the challenges of inventory and movement lead times, and how a more flexible approach to production can help brands respond to a rapidly changing market.
The conversation also explores the changing economics of the watch industry, from the decline of traditional fashion watches to the rise of microbrands and increasingly aggressive luxury watch pricing. Oscar and Ariel discuss why brand recognition can command a premium, how informed enthusiasts evaluate value differently, and whether AI could change the way consumers discover and compare watches. Oscar also shares the story behind Praesidus, from its roots in recreating a WWII veteran’s lost A11 watch to the role storytelling continues to play in the brand today. He also looks ahead to the next stage of Praesidus as it moves beyond familiar WWII inspired designs and into a new generation of more modern watches, offering a glimpse at how the brand plans to evolve while staying true to what made it successful.
Learn more about Oscar, Praesidus Watches, and the Montrichard Group:
- Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/praesidus.watch/
- https://www.instagram.com/oscarchabrat/
- Websites - https://montrichardwatch.com/
- https://praesidus.com/
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Key Timestamps:
[0:36] Introduction to Oscar Chabrat
[1:12] Inside the Montrichard Group
[5:09] A Global Approach to Watch Manufacturing
[8:05] Just in Time Manufacturing and Watch Production
[12:39] Why Watch Brands Need Manufacturing Partners
[20:15] The Decline of Fashion Watches and Rise of Microbrands
[22:53] Building Better Watch Brand Partnerships
[27:07] Can the Montrichard Model Scale?
[29:59] Watch Pricing and What Brands Can Really Charge
[33:19] Why Luxury Watch Prices Keep Rising
[37:27] How AI Could Change Watch Buying
[39:58] GEO and Optimizing Watch Brands for AI
[47:30] Why Storytelling Sells Watches
[50:49] The Future of Praesidus Manufacturing
[56:27] The Story Behind Praesidus and the A11
[58:20] Moving Praesidus Beyond WWII Watches
[1:01:09] Closing Thoughts
