He wanted a new watch, but ended up creating a brand

“I always knew I was going to do something other than the 9 to 5,” Robert Kwok said with a laugh, aware of the irony that, as founder of Beaufort Watches, he only works with time.

Mr Kwok, 25 years old and born in Auckland, attributes this perspective to the fact that he barely made it through high school. But he said he “really lost hope” when he attended Auckland University of Technology in 2016 and began his journey to starting one of New Zealand’s few watch brands in earnest.

“My goal was to start a business before I finished university,” he said during an interview at the Beaufort store in the city’s affluent Ponsonby suburb. The boutique, which opened on November 30, has a contemporary feel with low-slung leather chairs and a lounge area for cocktails. On display were versions of the brand’s two current models: the sleek 40-millimeter Aerotimer MK11 (559 New Zealand dollars, or about $340) and the sportier 39-millimeter Seatrekker ($649), in various colorways.

Both are powered by the STP 1-11 automatic movement, made by Swiss Technology Production, with the cases manufactured in Hong Kong and leather straps made in Italy (stainless steel bracelets and rubber options are available).

All Beaufort watches are designed by Mr. Kwok, who sends scans of his sketches to his factory, which turns them into technical drawings for use in purchasing parts. “I’m a terrible artist,” he said, “but I know what I want the end result to look like, so it’s a bit of a back and forth with the factory to achieve that.” Since last year, all Beaufort timepieces have been assembled in Taupo, New Zealand.

Mr Kwok focused on the technology sector during his university years and dabbled in a number of start-ups, including an on-demand delivery app. But when he wanted to treat himself to a new watch that would cost around 500 New Zealand dollars, he decided to change course.

“None of the watches at that value were my thing, so I started window shopping outside my price range,” he said. “I thought if I put that much money into a watch, maybe I should consider starting my own watch company. So in 2018 I put my studies on hold, got my money together and thought I’d give it a try.”

While New Zealanders pride themselves on what’s called ‘Kiwi ingenuity’ – the ability to solve problems or fill gaps in a practical, no-nonsense way – that hasn’t extended to watchmaking. “There’s also Draken, Paceracer and Magrette here in Auckland,” Mr Kwok said, listing the three other New Zealand brands.

But the lack of a local industry – or a watchmaking heritage – did not deter Mr Kwok. “First, I took an online watchmaking course for two months to understand the process,” he said. “I wanted to make sure I knew what I was talking about. Then I spent a few months just researching launch and crowdfunding strategies.”

He also sent emails to factories in China asking for research and development costs, details of minimum orders and whether he could actually start with his original budget of 5,000 New Zealand dollars. The answers were all positive, he said, and since he had an uncle in Hong Kong who was happy to let him stay, he started visiting the companies.

In 2019, Beaufort Watches was born on the crowdfunding platform Kickstarter. Mr Kwok wanted a name with a historical connection, so he named his company after the Bristol Beaufort, a British torpedo bomber used by the New Zealand Air Force in World War II. He noted that he also admired the vintage design aesthetic of the time, so that also supported the choice.

Its first model, the 40-millimeter Aerotimer Automatic in stainless steel and a selection of pastel dials, was launched on the platform late that year, priced at NZ$539 and aiming to attract US$15,000 in pre-orders. Ultimately, 185 donors sent more than $109,000.

“It was crazy,” Mr. Kwok said. “I was twenty and suddenly had over a hundred thousand dollars in my bank account.”

He planned to ship the orders in early 2020, but the pandemic delayed the timeline until mid-year.

“Everyone from the Kickstarter campaign was super understanding and so nice about the delay,” he said, “but once we got going, we shipped everything within a week.” The next introductions were the 39-millimeter Cavalli dive watch and a limited edition version of the Aerotimer with dial colors named after native birds, such as the Kakapo Green and Tui Blue – all of which are sold out.

Jarrod Gill, who founded the New Zealand chapter of watch enthusiast community RedBar in 2016, said the country has many watch enthusiasts who buy “everything from cheap to expensive watches” but that people are “less clear about their collections” than they are about watches . collectors in other countries.

He added that, when it comes to Beaufort, “Robert is doing very well. The quality is really good, the price is very good and people really like them.”

Mr Kwok has a chronograph planned for introduction next month, which he expects will cost around NZ$2,500, the brand’s highest price yet. Three other models are set to debut later this year.

Although Mr. Kwok said he would one day like to make custom watches, he is now happy with the company’s growth.

“My job here is to introduce the general public to watches,” he said. “Most people don’t really know the difference between a mechanical watch and a quartz watch, and fall into the trap of seeing the price and thinking it is related to the quality of the product.”

He added: “Beaufort is for people looking for a serious entry-level automatic movement watch.”