As we bid farewell to another remarkable year, it's time to reflect on the incredible journey that was 2023 for Formex, a journey marked by significant milestones, exciting collaborations, and the unveiling of stunning timepieces. Join us as we take a look back at the highlights that made 2023 an unforgettable year for Formex.
My personal milestones:
Microbrand Triumph: WatchCrunch Tournament Victory
We kicked off the year on a high note by securing the top spot in the WatchCrunch Micro Tournament, being voted by their members and you as #1 among 63 other brands. Read more about this here.
Collaborative Watches with COCAB, Collective Horology and AWS
Joining forces with COCAB, Collective Horology and AWS, Formex continued to push the boundaries of watch manufacturing, creating unique timepieces that exemplify innovation and design.
Vincent’s GADA Watch: The Formex Essence 39mm COSC
The editor at Fratellowatches shared his love towards his Essence 39mm COSC in an article stating that this is his ultimate affordable, independent daily wearer. Dive into the details here.
Formex Watch Club Soars to 3.5K Members
Our community continues to grow stronger, with the Formex Watch Club reaching an impressive milestone of nearly 3.5K members – a testament to the shared passion for Formex timepieces. Thank you all for contributing in this group and helping others to find what they are looking for.
Watch Fairs and Adventures:
March took us to a busy District Time in DC, followed by Windup SF, setting the stage for a year of exploration and connection within the watch community. After the show in San Francisco, Markus and I headed to Salt Lake City to host a meetup with the Horological Society of Utah. On the way there, we stopped by at some incredible nature sites, like the Zion National Park, where we climbed the Angels Landing. We also got the chance to visit our first brick-and-mortar retail partner, AZFineTime, in Scottsdale, Arizona. Relive the adventure here.
In summer, we had a fun time with Austrian livestreamer @harry_liebling and a group of watch enthusiasts who visited our new manufacture in Biel-Bienne and the dial manufacture Cadranor in the Jura mountains. The visits ended with a Fondue- cruise on Lake Biel and a fun night out in Biel. We also returned to Chicago for the Windup show and extended our trip by visiting the RedBar crew in Raleigh, the Carolina Watch Club in Charlotte, the Greenville Watch Club and the Atlanta Watch Society. With the latter, we secretly introduced a collaborative club watch, and went home with a full book of pre-orders. Read about our road trip here.
In Q4, I visited some local events in Europe (WorldTime UK, WeLoveWatches in Paris, Treffen der Uhrenfreunde in Hamburg) while Markus took care of more shows in the US, including Intersect in Dallas and Los Angeles, where he took a leading role creating a new approach of watch meetups in a collaborative approach with other independent watch brands (more to come in 2024!). We were also invited to the RedBar Global Meetup in Edinburgh, exhibited at Windup NYC as well as WatchTime in Düsseldorf (thank you Mark and Wilhelm for your incredible help) and finished off the year with a new show called Micro Praha in Prague, Czech Republic.
New Watches & Accessories: Innovative Timepieces Unveiled Throughout the Year
One of my personal highlights of this year was the creation of collaborative watches; with the Watch Collectors of California and Beyond (COCAB), Collective Horology and the Atlanta Watch Society (AWS). Thanks to our new manufacturing capabilities (read a report here from the Fifth Wrist), we were able to create a series of completely unique dials, using materials such as Bronze or Eisenkiesel.
This year, we have also created more options for our bestselling Essence 39mm, such as the wine inspired Gamaret, the Mother-of-Sky, a summer collection of vibrant “Splash” colors, a relaunch of our successful Malachite dial as well as a number of unique pieces, using real Baguette diamonds as indices.
Responding to daily inquiries from our community for a smaller dive watch, we have created a smaller size for the Reef collection, which is now available in a 39.5mm case. While we had some great coverage from the watch press about this new piece, such as an in-depth article by Fratellowatches, more reviews on YouTube will be posted in early January, once more stock is available.
New Staff and Trusted Local Partners:
In 2023, the Formex family welcomed Stephanie, Mélanie, Ikmete, Tina, and Valentin, bringing fresh perspectives and expertise to our dedicated team. Also, as we are growing more international and appreciate the value of in-store watch experience, we have added great partners to our international distribution, such as Ochrono by Ocarat in Paris, Limited Edition Boutique in Ramat Gan, BigTime in Singapore, Ming Watch Channel in Hong Kong and Jungfrau Watch in Taipei.
What’s next in 2024?
In this new year, we're looking forward to further building the strong community that you are an important part of. There are some exciting new releases we can't wait to share with you for 2024, plans to further build out our presence around the world and we are striving to continuously innovate and improve our timepieces and accessories, always with an open ear for your suggestions and comments.
As we look back on 2023, Formex expresses gratitude to our community, partners, and team members who made this year truly exceptional. Here's to another year of innovation, collaboration, and the timeless elegance of Formex watches. Cheers to the journey ahead!
Raphael, CEO Formex Watch SA
(Blog image by Gavin Pouquette, shot at our meetup with the Horological Society of Utah in Salt Lake City, May 2023)