Pecados Veniales interview one of the co-owners & cofounders of independent watch brand “Linde Werdelin”

1. Tell us something about yourself. Who is Jorn Werdelin?

I have enjoyed skiing and the outdoors from a very young age. My father and grandfather were in the watch business and I always enjoyed trying on the latest models and hearing about developments in the watch industry. After a few years of banking I went back to my true passion and decided to combine watch design and my love for sports. I am inspired by nature but I also love the idea of combining functionality and creating an iconic look.

2. How did you meet Morten Linde and decide to create your own brand?

Morten and I have known each other since we started primary school at 6 years. Back in 2002 so 17 years ago we had this idea of combining beautiful mechanical sports watches with attachable digital electronic instruments for performance related information. The birth of Linde Werdelin.

3. How do you define Linde Werdelin?

Linde Werdelin makes sportswatches inspired by our two universes of mountains and sea. I like to think we have a very distinct design it is not really comparable and many of our customers remark they get more conversations going over Linde Werdelin than they do over other more mainstream watches

4. How did you start out in the world of Haute Horlogerie?

I would not necessarily say Haute Horlogerie is at the centre of our brand maybe more the inspiration of extreme performance under very tough circumstances. However, I think there is a natural interest and desire to make something with integrity, challenging and personal and working in the movement is definitely part of that.

5. What distinguishes independent watchmaking from the best-known brands? Pros and cons of being a small watch brand.

There are some very essential challenges which are at the core of creating a sustainable and long term business and proposition to our customers. Large groups and brands have over the years created awareness and history that are near impossible for newer smaller brands to surmount - mostly because of inertia amongst large majority of customers.

The challenge for a smaller brand such as us is to be adequately unique - not too much - in most things we produce and to create enough desirability for a large enough group of existing and new customers to grow a healthy and long-term brand. This requires us to be very flexible in how we operate and always near the customer. Of course this is a great opportunity, we can make decisions quickly and very client centric.

At Linde Werdelin we have become completely customer centric. In 2015 we took a tough and necessary choice to become a largely direct to consumer business and to increase focus on the existing LW owners rather than only focusing on new customers. I think managing our own pre owned watches (as the first in the industry) was an important step in that direction.

Jorn Werdelin & Johnny Dowell, master engraver, with the Oktopus Volcano

6. How do you see the future of Haute Horlogerie considering the threats looming in this sector?

It seems like for the best part of 20 years since 1995 there was a surge in interest for new watch brands, interpretations, complications and forms. That changed in 2015 and since then we have to contend with a flight to safety. This is possibly the source of the general climate of economic and political uncertainty but also impacted by changing customer values. The customer wants to buy less and better, we have had the opportunity to find out what works for Linde Werdelin and we are ready to focus on our core lines and animate these rather than coming up with novelties all the time.

7. What is your source of inspiration and what do you want to express with your watches?

We are and always been inspired by our two universes - the mountains and the sea and we want to express the freedom and the beautiful aesthetics of these universes

8. Why three different collections and so technical? What defines every collection?

The Biformeter is the original family and both the Oktopus and the Spido families are in a sense each a furthering of the Biformeter but more directly inspired by what you need in the mountains - antigravity - and in the sea - anti corrosion

Since relaunching the Biformeter 3 Timer in 2016 it is the more classic and less technical/extreme family of watchmaking

9. What are The Rock and The Reef? What are those instruments and how do they work with your watches?

The Rock and the Reef were our attachable electronic instruments made for mountaineering and diving, respectively.

The Rock, the electronic attachable to Linde Werdelin´s watches for climbing

10. Who are your customers and what are your main markets?

Our customers tend to be generally interested and knowledgeable about watch brands and like our idea behind what we do and how we do it. They are open minded and enjoy having a distinct, slightly different watch from the norm. Our markets are quite evenly distributed around the world with particular focus on Asia, Europe, Middle East and US

11. All watches have a clear male image, when are you going to produce watches for ladies?

We have quite a few new watches and ideas waiting to come out but I don’t think a line for women is part of it - it would be too early for us.

12. Which of your creations do you feel most proud of?

I personally like the SpidoLite 3DTP Carbon and the Oktopus Moon Tattoo and I think the reason for that is that I feel we went as far as we could with those pieces - no compromise!

SpidoLite 3DTP Carbon

Oktopus Moon Tattoo

13. What will be your next creation? Is there anything brand-new coming?

Quite a few things but you will have to wait and anticipate.

14. What is your favorite watch from your collection?

I am sometimes asked if we could only make one model which would it be and it would have to be the SpidoLite in titanium as it represents the essence of Linde Werdelin for me - it is a completely new and technical case construction inspired by an expedition to climb Everest in 2007

15. How are you adapting to new market trends and new younger customers?

We very much follow our own ideas and try not to think about trends

16. How are the market and clients reacting about your Pre-Owned watches platform?

We were the first watch brand to endorse the idea of pre owned and taking responsibility for all watches we have ever made - the industry is following lead now. Our clients really like that we are doing this; it is about putting the customer in the centre and first

Linde Werdelin pre owned and revised watches

Pictures: Linde Werdelin

Interview with Jorn Werdelin

Pecados Veniales interview one of the co-owners & cofounders of independent watch brand “Linde Werdelin”