Brief Encounters: Steven Holtzman, founder of Maîtres du Temps
Founder of Maitres du Temps, Steven Holtzman talks about how his back to front approach to watchmaking helped him shape the vision for his company, the challenges faced by an American working in Switzerland, and the lifetime commitment a watch brand requires.
"Watches have been part of my life for a long time, well before I decided to start Maîtres du Temps. I began by working at my father's company, the Gruen Watch Company, one of the last great names of American watchmaking.
I did that for 10 years, and it gave me a different perspective from working with retailers. A lot of people in the watch industry started on the supply side, but my start was working with customers, so it gave me a different outlook.
Many people in Switzerland make watches far away in the mountains, and then put products into the marketplace. I was starting in the markets and then going to the mountains, so it was a backwards approach.
You have to create something personal, that speaks for itself, something that will connect. You really have to make the connection, and the connection can be physical or emotional, so everyone goes about it a different way.
Working in Switzerland demands an organised process, and that's one reason why the Swiss control the watch world. For everything to work, the products have to be well thought out; you can't succeed in Switzerland unless you have a long-term plan.