Time Locker Diving Watches Interview

Auch verfügbar auf Deutsch

Brice from Time Locker Diving Watches launches its own watch brand in early 2019. The first photos you can see on Instagram look really good! One more reason to do an interview with the founder to push the start also from Germany!

1) Brice, tell me a little bit about yourself. How old are you, what do you do, your hobbies, work, whatever…

First of all, David, let me thank you for giving me the opportunity to talk about Time Locker. After having spent so much time on the development of our dive watches, I am excited to share my story with fellow watch enthusiasts.

I am Brice, 31 years old. Born in a French-German family, in France, just a few kilometers away from Basel (Switzerland).

I am currently in South Korea, working in overseas sales and marketing. Time Locker occupies most of my free time. However, when possible, I like to go surfing, hiking or rock climbing with friends.

2) When did you get your first watch and what’s the story behind it?

My first watch was a digital Seiko timepiece. I was too young at that time to care about the model. I received it as a gift when I was around 8 years old. Sadly, I don’t have this watch anymore.

3) Started your passion for watches with your first watch, or when did that happen? What time?

My passion for watches, to be more precise for dive watches started with a Seiko 7s26-0020 200m diver. My father gifted me this watch when I was 21 years old.

4) What kind of watches do you have and what story can you tell about each one?

I like old watches that have a story to tell. I have found a few military timepieces on flea markets in France and Germany. One of them is a Glycine from WWII.

My favorite watch remains the Seiko offered by my father. It’s the watch I have worn the most. From my days as a student to my first steps in the corporate world. I even wear it when surfing. It reminds me of the father and son bond I have with my dad. It is a priceless timepiece.

5) When was it clear to you that you wanted to start your own watch brand? When and where did this idea come about?

In 2016, as a hobby, I started to design leather flight jackets with the idea to manufacture them. Aviation has always been a passion of mine. Leather flight jackets from WWII are classic designs among vintage wear enthusiasts.

In my corporate job, I have to dress formally. As much as I like my Seiko, the watch took to many hits over the years. I felt it was time to upgrade my wrist style.

The dive watches I fancied were too expensive. I don’t want to spend a few thousand euros on a watch. I value experiences. Using my hard earned money to explore the world brings me more joy than owning expensive branded goods.

Unable to find the style and quality I wanted in affordable watch brands, I decided to put on hold the leather jackets to create my own quality dive watches.

6) Inspired by the diving stick of the French Navy you have developed your own series. Tell us more about it and about each individual watch.

When I was in high school, I read the book The Element of Surprise by Darryl Young, a retired US Navy Seal who fought in the Vietnam war. This book piqued my interest in combat diving units. I love the ocean. Swimming and surfing are my two favorite sports. Thus, I was drawn to these units.

The French Navy (Marine Nationale) founded in 1947 the Commando Hubert, which is the equivalent of the Navy Seals. The Time Locker dive watches are inspired by the watches worn by this unit in the 50’s.

I have created three watches. All share the same technical characteristics and dimensions. Only the dials are different from one watch to another. The watches are named after ocean trenches as a metaphorical invitation to explore and travel the world. These watches are the Kouriles, the Kermadec and the Tonga. Each wristwatch is available in a black and white version.

Quality and style are important to me. That’s why the watches come with a stunning ceramic unidirectional bezel with lumed inserts. What is great with a ceramic bezel in terms of quality is that it does not scratch. It is also a feature that you normally see only on high-end watches.For a beautiful glow in the dark, we used 3 layers of applied lume on the watch indexes.

The dive watches feature a double domed sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating. This accentuates the beauty of the dials.

The dimension of the watch case is 42 mm, while the bezel has a dimension of 43 mm.

I selected the automatic movement Seiko NH35A as it is a real workhorse. Once again, the watch had to be reliable, as it is inspired by a military dive watch.

Its water resistance is 200 meters (660 feet).

I am leveraging the knowledge I gained while working on the leather flight jackets to develop a beautiful leather strap. I have selected a vegetable tanned Italian leather with a grain texture that gives a beautiful vintage feeling to the strap. Right now, I am finalizing the design. That’s why you have not seen it on our social media channels such as Instagram of Facebook.

7) Your brand name and logo. What exactly does it mean and how did you come up with it?

The aircraft in our logo is a reference to the leather flight jackets. You can also see that the hands of the watches are shaped like a vintage aircraft propeller. Another reminder of the origin of the brand. Even on the crown of the watch, you can find this propeller.

The brand name together with its tagline ‘’once in a lifetime experience’’ evokes the unique experience Time Locker offers in terms of time. Vintage inspired military dive watches from the 50’s and leather flight jackets from the WWII era.

Time Locker is bringing back designs from the past to make them timeless and durable. They are like a snapshot out of time in today’s time.

The watches are inspired by epic men. Vintage watches to live your life to the fullest in the present. It’s a paradoxical experience between past and present… A past you can experience at any moment when wearing a Time Locker watch.

8) You will soon be active on Kickstarter. are you already excited?!

Yes, I am really excited about it. There is still, a lot of work to do. I am currently working on the Kickstarter promotional video… Getting brand exposure is also one of my main priority now.

9) Can you already tell my readers prices or an approximate price range?

For the limited period of our Kickstarter launch, we will have preferential prices at around EUR 350 per watch. There will also be a limited early bird offer at around EUR 300 per watch.

10) When exactly is the watch offered for sale?

The targetted launch is for March 2019. I invite your readers to sign up to our newsletter and follow us on our social media. We will let you know the exact launching date. It’s the best way not to miss our early bird offer.

11) What else do my readers need to know that I didn’t ask?!

My vision for Time Locker is to create authentic quality products for men. The brand found its inspiration in pilots and combat divers.

Men of exception who symbolize bravery, adventure, risk-taking. Men who pushed their limits and broke mental and physical barriers to following their dreams of flying or joining an elite army corp.

Like my Seiko watch who reminds me of my father, whenever I wear it, I wish that your Time Locker watch reminds you that you are on the path of becoming a better version of you… It is an invitation to push your limits… To explore the world… I hope that like the pilots and divers who inspired our brand, you will follow your dreams. Our time on earth is limited. Make the best out of it.

To finish, I would like to share one of my favorite quote by Charles Darwin.

‘’A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life’’.

Links to your website, Socials, . . .

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Twitter: @WearTimeLocker
Website: www.weartimelocker.com

Once a week, I publish a behind-the-scenes post on Medium. I document there the different steps of my entrepreneurial journey https://medium.com/@weartimelocker

WATCHDAVID: I am pleased that I can support Brice, especially in the German market. His watches preserve a piece of French military history. And not only that. The watches also look really super beautiful. A real adventurer watch for the man with class & style. Love this Brice! And I hope I become one cool Time Locker, too! 🙂