The people behind Jurmo Watches say their customers often fall into one of two categories: those who know exactly what they want, and those who have little or no idea and need advice.
Because the Finnish brand, founded in 2017 by Martin Kalland and Kim von Gerich, makes customized mechanical watches that require certain decisions to be made. (Think about ordering a pizza or getting a tattoo.)
Many watchmakers commission customization and charge high fees for the service, but these people say they strive to produce more affordable watches, sometimes up to several thousand dollars. "For people who know what they want, we've gotten to a point where we can do almost anything at a reasonable price," Calland said. "For those who don't know, we're trying to narrow it down to a few options."
Most of the Jurmo's customizations involve small changes, such as the shape of the hands or the color of the dial, on one of the four models that sell on the site for between 2,000 and 3,000 euros ($2,225-$3,335). But the brand can make even more significant changes.
"Our goal is to make watches for the people they care about," said Mr. Calland.
Combining high-tech hand tools and machine tools, Jurmo manufactures most parts in-house, with the exception of the mechanism, which comes from Swiss supplier ETA; sapphire crystal; seals; water sources; Ruby and metal cord or bracelet. Currently, he sells about 120 watches a year, half of which are one-offs and the rest from his collection.
Additionally, annual production and sales of 4,000 units from more than a dozen watch brands worldwide, which accounts for about 30 percent of the brand's sales, helps keep the in-house watch line accessible and affordable, Herr says. calendar
The company expects to at least double its parts manufacturing capacity when two computer numerical control (CNC) machines are commissioned this fall.
Jurmo also does customization for other brands, and unfulfilled wishes remain for everyone, Herr said. Calland during an interview at the brand's 180 square meter brick headquarters. In Aalto. University campus near Helsinki, capital of Finland.
On a recent July afternoon, some of Zurmo's six employees were running lathes and laser cutters, or working at watchmaking benches or laptops. Vicente Gryaznov, who designs watches for more than 20 brands, including Konstantin Chaikin and Gelfman, is half-hidden behind a large monitor. Techno music plays in the background, adding a fun atmosphere to the whole activity.
"With every project you face a new challenge," says the 38-year-old Mr. Calland. "I would say that my main problem is to find a solution." Mr. von Gehrich was the company's production manager and taught himself watchmaking through YouTube; He is the 35-year-old Finance Director.
At the request of Hungarian collector Tamas Miklós, Jurmo recently customized one of the R0 watches; he replaced the automatic winding mechanism of the watch's ETA 7750 flying chronograph movement with a manual winding system and replaced the sapphire crystal case with plain titanium. As a result, Mr. Ess has a slimmer watch that fits better on the wrist, Miklos wrote in the letter.
The Lord supported Ukraine in the conditions of Russian aggression. Miklos also had a watch made with bright blue and yellow sun rays and added an engraved version of Ukraine's coat of arms, the trident, to the case. The price of the complete watch is around 4,000 euros — about 1000 euros more than the original price.
"The watch became the main point of my collection," writes 44-year-old Miklos. Plus, collaboration makes almost as much sense as the timer. "I realized I needed to downsize my current collection and focus on more unique pieces."
The clock, true to Yurmo tradition, is called Hope for Ukraine. "We give each project a name," says Caland. “I don't want to have too many projects. I want them to be personal.
Another customer, who gave him a blood-red textured dial to symbolize his Christian faith and the challenges of a chronic illness, was concerned that the coordination problems associated with his illness might damage the watch. To increase the strength of its stainless steel cases, however, Jurmo uses a treatment called frost hardening; it is exposed to extremely low temperatures.
Mr. Calland said the watch, which he and the customer named Discovery, was a custom-made model and not a customization of a Jurmo watch; The customer states that he paid about 6,000 euros.
However, some requests can significantly increase the price. a customer once asked for 56 diamonds to be set into the bezel, which required consultation with the jeweler, and another 11 diamonds to be set on a custom mother-of-pearl dial. As a result of the changes, the price of Jurmo models has increased from around 2,000 euros to 7,000 euros, Kaland said.
The two say they are very careful not to copy other people's work or infringe their copyrights. "We didn't call Nike," Herr said. Calland, who realized his loss while studying law, but did not graduate because he preferred to make watches. “We don't print logos and do what other people do. If we're not sure, we can't do it. So far, we haven't had an offer we couldn't make to a customer."
The company and the name, Mr. Kalland, were unlucky in 2015 for the watchmaker who managed to call the island of Jürmor while his family was on a summer cruise off the southwest coast of Finland.
"I thought, 'Hey, why don't I fix myself?' How hard would that be? “Remembers Mr. Calland, who gave the watch to his father for his 50th birthday.
When the assembly project succeeded, Mr. Calland and Mr. Von Gerich, who studied together at the Arkada University of Applied Sciences in Helsinki, considered starting a watch-changing company, but eventually focused on custom watches.
As the epidemic increased the weekly supply of spare parts, the boys decided to buy mostly used cars to build them themselves.
"It was tough, but we had time to sort things out and focus on what we wanted to do and what we didn't want to do," Calland said. "And we realized that we wanted to do it ourselves as much as possible."
A number of industry observers have noted their success. "Honestly, I think Martin and Kim were a bit crazy," Mati Airaksinen, editor-in-chief of the Finnish watch blog Tyliniekka, said in an email. "But they believe in themselves and work hard."
"They offer consumers an affordable option to own a watch with a personal touch, which is not possible with the big boys."
