Last weekend was the opening of the new Grönefeld Boutique. Getting the chance to talk with watchmakers Bart an Tim Grönefeld, John McGonigle, Peter Speake-Marin and Kees Engelbarts was of course not something to miss.

It was a rare moment that the Netherlands where covered in snow. Traffic and road administrations where not ready for the snowy and slippery road, so it was long, long ride… Finally after 5 hours driving (usually 2 hours) i arrived at the Grand Opening of the Grönefeld Boutique. I was just in time to join the watchmakers and other guests for the evening program. And what a program it was… Read my report at the AHCI and Independent forum of The PuristS Pro.

The opening’s report was also posted at the PuristS Pro’s front page as the latest blog story. Since the opening was not the usual opening with bubbles and dinner in a restaurant with at least 1 Michelin star. Nothing wrong with such an opening, don’t get me wrong! But this opening… was the most fun opening ever!

To read the report and see the photos, click the image below.

Later i’ll post loads of photos of the watches the Grönefeld Boutique has in the collection… and of course a few wrist shots

Kees Engelbarts, John and Stephan McGonigle and Peter Speake-Marin will be present at the grand opening of the Grönefeld Boutique, a new dealer in Independent Haute Horlogerie.

Bart and Tim Grönefeld are both very familiar with this segment of the watch industry, especially after the launch of their own GMT-06 with tourbillon and minute repeater with cathedral gongs. Since the press release of the opening of the boutique last month, 2 more brands have been added to the collection!

Usually i’m no fan of slogans, however the Grönefeld’s slogan sounds very good i must say! Exeptional watches for distinctive people.

The new brands that have been added are Cornelius & Cie and McGonigle. Both are very interesting an make a very build up in different price ranges starting with a S.U.F. Flying Finn for well below € 3000.

The presence of so many interesting watches, so close to home, is absolutely thrilling news for me. I’m very much looking forward to the Grand Opening coming saturday, December 19th. Especially now i know several of the watchmakers will be present them selves!

Kees Engelbarts, John and Stephan McGonigle and Peter Speake-Marin will accompany Bart and Tim Grönefeld to celebrate the opening of this unique watch store. There are only a few watch stores completely focussed on Independent Haute Horlogerie, world wide.

Especially in North West Europe a watch store like this is unique. Due to it’s location in Oldenzaal, the Netherlands, it only a few hours drive from anywhere in the Netherlands, but also north west Germany and maybe even south Denmark.

The Grönefeld Boutique’s collection: McGonigle, Cornelius & Cie, Speake-Marin, Sarpaneva, S.U.F., Kees Engelbarts and of course Grönefeld.

Independent watchmakers and the ‘BIG name’ brands are very different. Yet they all aim for the same goal, which is making (and selling) beautiful watches. In a series of articles i will share some observations and thoughts.

In my first chronicle about Independent Watchmakers & the ‘BIG name’ brands I wrote about the difference in reputation and the role of marketing. The ‘BIG names’ usually have a name that is well known to most people, especially among watch collectors. Not only a long history plays a role in this, also huge marketing budgets helps relatively new-comers to build a reputation very fast.

Just take a look at these ads of Omega and Patek Philippe. They look familiar, don’t they? You have probably seen them in numerous magazines. And advertising in print media is expensive!

Omega advertisements

Patek Philippe advertisements

Independent Watchmakers don’t have huge marketing budgets, get almost no media-attention in print media and marginal attention from online media. They have to be innovative in their ways to communicate with potential customers. Some Independent Watchmakers use social media like Facebook and Twitter and instead of the institutionalized media, they use online media like weblogs.

In part 2, that has just been published on Worldtempus.com, i’ll share some thoughts about the differences in how a new watches grows from idea to final product.

Feel free to share you thoughts on this matter, by posting a comment or sent me an email. Stay tuned for part 3.

The Grönefeld Boutique opens it doors on December 19th and is the first boutique representing Independent Haute Horlogerie brands in the Netherlands.

Tim and Bart Grönefeld already made name with their own highly complicated wrist watch, the Grönefeld GTM-06. On December 19th they will open the doors of their new boutique, representing Independent Haute Horlogerie brands like Kees Engelbarts, Sarpaneva, Speake-Marin, S.U.F. and of course their own watches!

Grönefeld Boutique - Kees, Speake-Marin, Sarpaneva, S.U.F., Grönefeld

Usually when you’re interested in a watch or just looking for something new, you can go to a local or nearby AD. Independent watch brands already get much lesser attention in media, both online and in print. This makes it much harder for watch collectors to come across them and get to know these watches.

That’s why i think it was very good news when the Dutch watch magazine Watching asked me to write a series of articles about Independent watch makers. And that’s why i think the opening of the Grönefeld Boutique is great news! Finally a place where watch collectors and aficionados can see and feel these beautiful hand-made watches.

The Grand Opening of the Grönefeld Boutique is on saturday December 19th. Take a look at the website for information and register for the opening. This is an excellent opportunity to learn more about Independent Haute Horlogerie.

The Grönefeld Boutique is located in Oldenzaal, in the east of the Netherlands. This location makes it possible for watch collectors and aficionados from the Netherlands, northern Germany and even southern Denmark to visit the Grönefeld Boutique. Time for a road trip