Exactly one year ago, I released my first watch model. I was confident that the °363 had succeeded in both its design and quality. The biggest challenge wasn’t the product itself, but figuring out how to get people interested in it.
Small changes, big impact
Many people expect watch brands to keep releasing new models. But I couldn’t shake the thought that the first one needed to be as good as I could make it before moving on to the next. I wanted to refine the details that genuinely affect the experience of wearing the watch, without changing the original idea behind the °363.
Not every idea made it into production. I tested several new bracelet options and explored plenty of other improvements along the way. Some of them even looked promising on paper. In the end, I decided not to go ahead with them. The reason was simple: I couldn’t honestly say they were better than the solutions already in place. There is no point in changing a product that works just for the sake of releasing a “new version”. Every change needs a clear purpose.
The most visible changes to the Refined version are fairly subtle. The sapphire crystal has been upgraded with an anti-reflective coating, making the dial considerably easier to read in different lighting conditions. The lume on the hands has also been slightly improved, while the packaging has been redesigned to better reflect the experience I want to offer from the moment the watch is first opened.
None of these changes make the °363 a different watch. Together, they make it a better one.
The biggest improvements happened behind the scenes
Over the past few months, I’ve spent a significant amount of time simplifying supply chains, finding new partners and improving the production process as a whole.
More components now come from the same sources, making quality control easier, shortening lead times and making the entire production process more predictable. At the same time, I’ve reduced the hours I spend at my day job so that I can dedicate more time to Jugbitten.
A customer may never notice these changes – and that is exactly why they matter. A well-functioning production process ultimately results in a more reliable product.
The most important feature of the watch turned out not to be technical
From the very beginning, I knew I wanted Jugbitten watches to have a story. Something that would give the watch an identity and make it more than just an object. What I didn’t expect was how important the owners’ own stories would eventually become.
I’ve received several personal messages from customers telling me what their watch means to them. One that particularly stayed with me came from a customer who bought his watch while spending his first parental leave abroad with his partner and their first child. He told me that the watch had become a reminder of that time. Whenever he looks at it, he thinks back to those moments and to the slogan: “Time well spent.”
That was when I realised that the story of a watch isn’t mine alone to write. Every owner adds a chapter of their own. Messages like these have probably been some of the greatest individual sources of motivation for me to keep going. There is something special about knowing that something you created can genuinely mean something to another person.
Another thing I didn’t expect was how often owners would tell me that the watch starts conversations all by itself. Several people have told me that someone has stopped to ask about their watch, wanted to know what brand it is, or asked where they could get one.
So in that sense, the watch is doing exactly what I hoped it would do. An advertisement can make someone look at a watch. But when a complete stranger starts a conversation simply because they noticed it on someone’s wrist, that might just be the best kind of marketing there is.
The first year opened new doors
Over the past year, Jugbitten has found customers in several countries. Along the way, new collaborations have emerged and messages have started arriving from within the wider watch industry.
Next up is the first more comprehensive English-language review of Jugbitten, along with the first professionally produced photo and video material for the brand.
A year ago, I wouldn’t have believed I’d be writing this. Today, my inbox occasionally brings messages from international watch media, invitations to different watch events, and conversations with people working with watch brands I’ve followed myself for years.
The most important thing, however, isn’t any single invitation or message. It’s the feeling that Jugbitten is no longer just an idea. Little by little, the brand is beginning to find its place within the international watch community.
Looking ahead
Although the °363 has now been refined into a better version of itself, the ideas haven’t stopped there. Development of the next model is already underway, and this time I’m starting the journey considerably wiser than I was with the first one.
Sometimes I catch myself focusing only on everything that still needs to be done. Then I stop for a moment.
It really wasn’t that long ago that Jugbitten was little more than an idea and a pile of sketches. Today, there are watches on wrists around the world, each carrying a small piece of this story with them. For that, I want to thank every customer, collaborator and watch enthusiast who has been part of the journey so far.
The first year was only the beginning.
Phase two starts now.
