-: My name is Johnathon Frayer, I'm an industrial designer
and I design watches for a living.
My design style is a little bit more retro vintage.
So, I wanted to stand apart and have my own DNA.
So when you're designing a watch, for myself at least,
it's a mix of passion and intelligent design.
So the passion, it's like writing a song or writing a card,
you have to be in the right mood to do it
and that's where your personal character,
that you give this personality to the watch,
that's that side, but the other strong part of the designing
is the intelligent side, which comes from market research.
What are people looking for, what are people buying,
what do you predict the next few years
people's shopping patterns will be?
One of the reasons that I even started a watch company
was I saw so many other watch companies
taking very long times to design
and get a watch out to market,
so for myself, from sketch to prototype,
that can take anywhere between three to four months,
and from prototype to actual full production,
that can take anywhere from 70 to 90 days.
So you're talking six to eight months maximum
for an individual to produce a watch
where the corporate big brands would take
anywhere from two to three years to put out a watch.
I received my prototype and most people say,
"Aren't you excited at this point, aren't you so happy?"
But the first thought that goes through my head is,
"Oh my God, how am I gonna share this
with the entire world now?"
So, then I started sharing everything
on social media channels, from Facebook to Instagram,
Twitter, email marketing, and every event under the sun,
especially in the major metropolitan areas.
So, different components from different countries,
I'll work with Switzerland, China, and Japan,
and then also Thailand for the hands,
and so, through all of these different components,
they get assembled, and then they do get shipped to me,
but one of the main principles
that I learned from the very beginning was
never overproduce and expect people to purchase.
So what I did from the very beginning,
and this is what has allowed me to stay safe
and grow slowly but surely, I would produce
in very limited quantities.
I would tell my customers that, which also they enjoyed,
and so I wouldn't have the overhead,
and I also wouldn't have a lot of product on hand.
And then, once I ship everything out,
then I would go for a new production.
And then that slowly lets me adjust,
pivot for different colors and different styles.