Despite being classed as an ‘independent’, 30-year-old Fiona Kruger is a rebel in her own right. Curious about this feisty new kid on the block, Luxury Society sat down to discuss her recent Baselworld debut and her business.

As the Wall Street Journal once noted: “Female master watchmakers are a rare breed”.

Yet, as a millennial watchmaker, seasoned traveler and dynamic artist who admittedly fell into watchmaking “by accident” – Kruger stands out for much more than just her gender.

Welcomed into the wings of the independent watchmaking collective – already distinguished by their avant-garde attitude – by mentors such as Kari Voutilainen and Max Busser of MB&F;, and forging her way into a sector not only primarily dominated by men, with significantly more experience in the field, but also by giant behemoths such as LVMH and Richemont – she has managed to carve out her niche, and she is certainly a force to be reckoned with.

Her approach to watchmaking – and to the odds now facing the industry as a whole – is both refreshing and candid; and one gets the sense upon talking to her that she is unafraid to stake out new territory, and is in fact, excited by the challenges ahead.

Learning more about her history, reveals a few clues into where this pioneering spirit of hers originated. Having lived in Mexico from the age of 10, before moving to Brazil, then Scotland, then South Africa – it’s difficult not to be swept away in a sense of wanderlust – and it’s these globetrotting experiences which have undoubtedly shaped both her vibrant character – and her unique watch designs.

As an artist first and foremost, Kruger delivers a novel take on the art of watchmaking and has consistently pushed the boundaries where it comes to traditional timepiece trends – blending new shapes, colours and mechanical prowess to craft collections that are at once distinctive and unconventional.

To say that she has succeeded in making her mark – despite having just launched her business in late 2013 – would be an understatement; and while she’s endearingly modest about her achievements – the fact is that her combination of technical skill, artistic flair and fresh attitude have already won her the admiration and support of many in the watchmaking industry.

Her first exhibit at Baselworld 2016 of her eponymous brand is a case in point – having been invited into the fold by renowned independent watchmaker Kari Voutilainen, whom she met and inspired just over a year ago at SalonQP in London.

“In July, Kari phoned me and said that he was going to be submitting at Basel. He goes every year with two other independent brands. He said that there was a space that had just opened up in the Palace that he was taking, and he wondered if I wanted to come with him on the stand. I just said yes. But at the time, I thought to myself: ‘I’m so unprepared. I’ve never exhibited at Basel before’.”

She needn’t have worried. Walking past her stand earlier this month at the height of the colossal watchmaking event, the most I got to interact with Kruger was a quick “hello” as she rushed back to her base to meet with media, retailers and watch aficionados alike. Eager to sneak a peek at this prodigy in the making, I made my way over to find the booth buzzing, and Kruger meticulously showcasing the inner workings of her creations with a captivated client.

All signs point to a star on the rise – and if the watch industry is poised for a downturn this year, Kruger may just escape unscathed.

While many of the more established watch brands scramble to adapt their business operations, marketing and designs to the changing market, where the power is increasingly shifting into the hands of the next generation of demanding luxury consumers – Kruger again has an ace up her sleeve. She’s one of them.

Having being borne into this digital era, Kruger arguably has an advantage over the rest. She doesn’t necessarily need to adapt – she’s already 10 steps ahead. And while, perhaps a few years ago, the traditional structure of the industry – and its seasoned veterans – may have made for a baptism by fire, in this present day, it’s what distinguishes her from the rest which is in fact, her greatest strength.

In fact, and perhaps inadvertently, in eloquently balancing the fine line between rule breaker and beacon for the future of the industry, she’s exactly what the watchmaking sector needs to get a new spring in its step as the market churns with the volatile winds of change. As someone who doesn’t necessarily fit the mold, she somehow represents this turning of the tide – and any who needed any further evidence of that can see it reflected in her businesses’ bottom line.

“Apparently, last year was a really tough year for the watch industry, but honestly, I didn’t notice in terms of my own business. I think it’s because I only started up quite recently. So, in that sense, I’ve been quite fortunate because I don’t have anything to compare it to. I sold more last year than I did the year before.

“Maybe, if I’d started my business, say, six or seven years ago, I might be thinking: ‘Oh, God, it’s not that great’ – because my comparison would have been different. But, for me, it’s actually been fine. And there are still people interested. My sales are still going up. I’ve signed new retailers, and actually recently, rather than me contacting them, I’ve got them now contacting me to ask about selling.”

Additionally, department store Harrods has recently given her the nod of approval and will be hosting an exhibition of her creations for the first time in the Harrods Fine Watch Room from today (March 31) until April 27.

Game, set, match. The playing field is changing – and this new kid on the block is far from being an underdog.

Here, she talks to Luxury Society exclusively about her entry into the industry, the formation of her self-titled watch brand, and her plans for the future.

How did you get into watchmaking and start your business?

Well, I started the watch business in September 2013, but basically I got into watches a bit by accident.

I actually studied fine art in Scotland, and then I lived in South Africa, where I worked in an art gallery, then I went to Switzerland to do a masters in product design for the luxury industry, with the intention of going into teaching, but it was on the masters course that I learned about the watch industry, because one of the sponsors of the course was a watch brand, and they asked my masters course to design a watch for them.

At the time I didn’t even know who the brand was – I’d never even heard of them – and I didn’t know the difference between a quartz and a mechanical movement, so I was a real newbie.

But it was through that workshop, that I kind of fell in love with the watch industry, and watches, basically. Then, I produced a watch as my diploma project, and that’s the piece that I then took on to build my company and brand around.

In terms of the business, as I said, it was started in 2013. I launched the first edition of pieces in September 2013, and they were finished by December, January. I then launched a prototype of the second series, which is the black skull watch, in March 2014.

This year was your first exhibiting at Baselworld –how did that come about and what was your connection to the event before that?

I’ve been going to Baselworld for the previous three years, I think, just to kind of see what was happening. Then in 2014, that was the year that I went and I met what became my first retailer, which was Chronopassion in Paris.

Laurent Picciotto is the owner, I bumped into him, also by accident. Before I went to the fair, I thought, well, okay, great, now I have this product and nobody knows I exist. I was doing a lot of research online trying to find journalists and emailing them etc. One of the journalists had actual been emailing Laurent pictures of my watches, unbeknownst to me. When I met up with the journalist at Basel, he told me this, and literally, two minutes later I was in the Palace, I notice this guy and it was Laurent, so I just went up to him and said: “People have been sending you spam email with pictures of my watches, and by the way, it’s me”. Then we had a quick chat. I went to go and visit him in Paris the week after, and then he came onboard immediately.

Then following that, 2014, at the end of that year, I did I trip to the US and Mexico to set up retailers there. So they’re also in Westime in Los Angeles, Provident Jewelry, just north of Miami in Jupiter, and Berger Joyeros in Mexico.

I can see a lot of Mexico reflected in your pieces, in the design, and the colour schemes – would you say that particular part of the world has been a big inspiration in shaping the creative direction of your label?

Yeah, it was during the time in Mexico, actually, that I got the idea for the third piece, which is the multi colored one. I actually grew up in Mexico. I lived there for three years — in Mexico City — when I was a child.

I absolutely love Mexico, and I loved living there. Actually, it was the whole like … Spending time there was one of the things that kind of inspired the design originally, anyway, because my most vivid memory from that time was when we first moved and we went to this craft market. That was the first time that I saw the ‘Day of the Dead’ festival.

When I was younger, basically I grew up in France and then we moved to Mexico City when I was 10, so I lived there from 10 to 13. Then after that we went to Sao Paulo, Brazil, so I lived there for three years, until the age of 16, and then went back to Scotland, which is where I finished high school and went to university, and then after that, South Africa. So I’ve kind of hopped around quite a bit before I wanted to do my master’s and set out with the business and everything.

But when I went back to Mexico – the first time I’d been back in about 16 years – it brought to mind the whole idea of time and mortality, which for me are linked. And that was kind of the basis of the concept behind the design originally. The Mexican tradition of ‘Day of the Dead’ was something I sort of brought into it. For them, death isn’t the end, it’s part of a bigger journey, so for them, it’s more about celebrating your life.

I really like that idea. So, that was why, with the new piece, I really wanted it to be much more about that. Then when I went to Mexico, it was like, okay, if you’re going to do something with color you really have to go all out or don’t go there. So that was where the design for the celebration skull came, and all the colors that were used in it, each color has a specific meaning in Mexico pertaining to the Day of the Dead. So, those are only the colors that they use in that celebration. That’s why there’s no green or anything in there, but there’s orange, yellow, red, black, white, blue, and purple. Each one of those has a specific meaning.

So, basically/ blue means trust, yellow actually means death, red means life, white is purity, pink is celebration, purple means grief, orange means sun, and black is mortality.

It’s interesting that you mention Latin and Central America as such an important influence in your business, because, even though it is becoming an emerging market for luxury – much like India – many luxury retailers are still very wary of investing in that part of the world in any way at this stage.

I agree with you about Latin America. Especially if you’re a business that’s set up and based in Europe. There is a little bit of kind of wariness. The thing that I find really interesting is the fact that everybody was talking about Brazil. And saying: “Brazil is this new, emerging market”, and it was going to be this massive deal… But, at least for watches, it’s kind of not. There’s nothing really happening there.

Whereas, Mexico, there really is a sort of culture of luxury buying and luxury branding and that kind of stuff. The thing that I think would be really amazing would be to see more, rather than Mexico kind of bringing in that sort of branding from the outside, is kind of showing what they do in a kind of luxury way, because they’ve got such a rich craft culture and artist’s culture. So, yeah, I just think there’s so much to do there.

So, on that point of luxury consumption in Mexico, would you say that there is an emerging culture for the appreciation of watch art and collectors in Mexico?

My experience is that there is one. I think it depends on what you’re comparing it to. The other thing to know is that in Mexico I have one retailer, and they’re in Mexico City. So it’s very specific to that.

The thing that’s really interesting is that that retailer, they carry my watches, but also other independent brands, and that, for me, says that there definitely is a culture of watch collecting, because they obviously have clients who aren’t just buying like Rolex and Patek and whatever. They’re have more of a knowledge, and so more of an interest in kind of watchmaking, and then that then leads to an interest in kind of independent brands who are doing something a little bit different.

Whereas, if I look at, so when I went to Dubai, there’s also a retailer or two that carry independent brands, but it’s definitely much more difficult. I think it’s just because people there haven’t been collecting watches for that long, maybe. For me, that just says that there is definitely a watch collecting sort of culture in Mexico. Then, if you look at the kind of market in general, like the biggest market for independent brands has been Singapore for a long time. So maybe if you compare it to Singapore it’s nowhere near the same thing. Yeah, I think that there definitely is.

I think the other thing that I found when I went there and I was doing press interviews, is that they’re more, I think, interested in all of the craftsmanship sides, and the kind of storytelling, the emotional side, and the design side. Then, in a second time, the kind of technical aspect.

Which I found really interesting, because usually you think, okay, watch collectors, they like all the technical stuff first. Actually in Mexico, that’s not what I found. So I don’t know whether that’s just because my watches are very much like … Well, the design of them is probably the strongest element, and then all of the kind of technical and handmade aspects are support to that. I don’t know whether it was biased because of my watches or what, but that’s what I found.

You also have retailers in Mexico, which again, is interesting. Do you feel that being an independent watchmaker gives you a little bit more freedom in terms of your distribution structure to tap niche markets that perhaps other brands, bigger brands can’t justify?

Currently I have six retailers. So, to that question I would say sort of yes and no. I mean I think I just have more freedom in general, because the company is me. There aren’t any assistants, there’s not even an intern. It’s literally like – me, and my computer, and my sketchbook – and that’s about it. So, that just means that I can be really flexible.

So, if somebody’s interested it doesn’t have to go through the ranks, like with those massive brands where you know, first you have to email and make an introduction, and then you speak to the sales department, and on it goes – and it can take forever. With me, because of the size of my business, I can be much more reactive, and it also means that the relationship with my retailers is much more personal and I’m very hands-on.
For example, I don’t set up a retailer unless I’ve been to visit them, because I think it’s important for me to know how they work, to see their boutique, meet their staff, and all of that – because they’re the people who are going to be selling my product.

I just think if you’re a niche brand that nobody’s heard of, especially a nice luxury brand – so you’re at a certain price point – you need the people who work in the boutiques to be passionate about your watches to be able to sell them. I don’t see how I can expect them to do that without me going there myself. So, that’s what I’ve done so far. Then if they have a client in front of them, it’s more like they’re telling them a story rather than regurgitating a sales pitch – if that makes sense?

If their sales guys don’t care about your product, unless somebody goes in there specifically to buy it, the likelihood is that you’re not going to sell. So, they need to care about you, or me, and care about the watches that they have in front of them as well.

So, to your theme, in that respect it does give me a lot more freedom, but at the same time, I think it’s a funny one because unless a retailer is used to selling and dealing with independent brands it’s impossible to get in the door, because they expect a certain margin and they kind of lump you in with the bigger brands.

The reality is that the production cost if you’re a small independent are super, super high. So your margin is already like minuscule, whereas with a bigger brand like Rolex or something like that, obviously they do all their stuff in house as well, so it’s just a completely different business model, and you can’t really apply that business model to an independent. So that, in itself, already kind of determines the retailers that you’re going to be able to work with. Or at least that’s been my experience.

Then, at the same time, the bigger brands, because they have that sort of buffer of being a big brand and an already well-established name – and potentially belonging to a big group –for them, the risk of opening something up in a new market, comparative to an independent, is negligible. Conversely, for an independent, it can be a big risk, but because you have the flexibility it’s just up to you engage your brain and do it in a way that is going to work, basically.

On that point of difference, as fairly new brand, basically forging your way in an industry which is dominated by bigger brands with huge luxury conglomerates behind them or more than a century of history and heritage to fall back on. How do you carve a competitive edge?

Well, I think it’s just because I’m not trying to do what they’re doing, basically, because as you said, I don’t have like a 200 year history behind me. I mean, I’m only just 30.

It’s, like, totally a different thing.

The thing is, when I’m designing the watches, like the current collection is all over in that theme of time and mortality, which is kind of nicely packaged into that skull symbol. Even that, when I was designing that, it wasn’t just based on my own personal memories. The design also stemmed from watch making history, because one of the visits that we did when I was doing the workshop, originally, was to the Patek Phillipe Museum in Geneva. It was actually at there that I fell in love with watches, because their historical watch collection, I think it’s just unbelievable. Like they have watches in lots of different shapes, so they have one shaped like an angel and then another one shaped like a lamb and then there was, like a watch but also kind of animated object, it’s actually shaped like a pistol, and it’s got a bird that comes out the end of it.

So they had all of those kind of objects, and I just thought, okay, so a watch, it does not have to be round and flat, they can actually be anything that you dreamt up. When I was doing my research, skull watches and skeletons have been a huge part of watch making history, actually. If you look back, I think it was in the sixteenth century, skull shaped pocket watches were like the fashion item for women, actually. It was like the same as having a Louis Vuitton handbag.

So it was that heritage that I wanted to bring into the design, and even with future collections, that is something that I always refer back to when I’m designing, because, I think, the history of horology itself is so fascinating and so rich, that for me it’s a really interesting and inspiring kind of tool to be able to use when I’m designing. So, I’m not talking about my own history like a brand would, but I do always refer back to general watch making history. I have a lot of respect for that as well. Which, I think, is something that was quite important. I’m not saying that, oh, that was all rubbish, and I’m going to do something better. It’s more like, kind of picking out the bits from that history that I think are really interesting, and then finding a new way of translating those into a product which hopefully kind of makes people sort of daydream a little bit. That’s kind of what I try to do.

In other ways, honestly, when I started I just didn’t think about the market at all. I didn’t even have a business plan. I just had this product or this kind of prototype from university, and there were some pictures that went up online, and then I started getting emails from people asking where they could buy it. I thought, okay, so there’s more than just me that thinks this is interesting.

That was kind of how it started. So, yeah, it was a very, I guess, kind of gut feeling thing. I think the only reason why I’m still here is because I’m really, really passionate about it and I work bloody hard, and the fact that I’m just blissfully ignorant. If somebody had given me a list of like all the potential pitfalls and all the work that goes into it, I think it would have been: “Oh, never mind with this. I’m going to do something else.”