I bought my husband an MVMT watch for Christmas

But it came with no information, instructions or warranty.  When I wrote the company and asked, I got some of the answer in an e-mail from customer service, and some in an attachment which if printed would be white on black. Really?  So I did what I should have done before I ordered: I looked up the company. It was crowd funded.

“When Jake Kassan and Kramer LaPlante dropped out of college to start MVMT in 2013, they had no clue what venture capital was. Instead, the duo raised around $300,000 in preorders through Indiegogo, the crowdfunding site, to create their first line of watches.

MVMT’s minimalist aesthetic, accessible price points and messaging about cutting out traditional retail middlemen appealed to a segment of millennial shoppers more willing than past generations to try out new brands and not equate high prices with quality.

“Watches are marked by flashy brands and millennials reject that idea,” Kaden, of Union Square Ventures, said.”

                

The watches are handsome.  And so are the founders. The instructions aren’t.

“MVMT was also an early mover in podcast advertising and marketing on Instagram at a time when the media formats were growing in popularity but advertising demand hadn’t fully caught up.

It didn’t hurt that they had picked product categories in watches and sunglasses that boasted big profit margins. Tuft & Needle did, too.

By the end of 2017, MVMT had managed to cross $70 million in annual revenue, mainly through its own website but also dabbling with sales on Amazon.

Along the way, its founders did learn what venture capital was — watching the press attention grow for heavily backed consumer startups like Warby Parker and Harry’s — but still kept their distance. Cautionary tales like that of Jessica Alba’s Honest Company — which raised too much capital at too high of a valuation, while convincing itself it was a tech company — spooked the founders.

“Once you do it one year, you have to do it next year; it becomes this bad cycle,” Kassan, its CEO, said. “I think having the discipline and flexibility was just the secret for us all along.”

https://www.recode.net/2018/8/29/17774878/consumer-startups-business-model-native-mvmt-tuft-needle

https://www.chase.com/news/012617-mvmt

https://www.cnbc.com/2016/12/01/how-two-25-year-old-college-dropouts-built-a-watch-company-that-made-60-million-this-year.html

                                

https://www.mvmtwatches.com/products/bourbon-rose

“The Bourbon Rose takes on a rich brown and gold colorway, pulled from iconic wood tones of California modern design. Italian tanned leather straps, a matte face and domed crystal complete this 41mm stainless steel case. A special exhibition case back reveals the dynamic intricacies of the automatic movement. . .

Automatic watchmaking is a centuries-old and deeply admired practice. Constructed with up to three-times the working parts of our traditional analog quartz watches, automatic movements harness energy through the natural motions of the wearer’s wrist. This powers the intricate series of wound springs and gear trains within the watch to keep time, making the Arc Automatic our most sophisticated timepiece to date. . .

Sleek steel and rich leather embody the core duality of the Arc Automatic. Inspired by the experimental spirit of 1960s architecture, this model explores the tension of modern design and timeless style.
This self-winding machine is distinguished by its intricate mechanical heartbeat. The gears that drive the smooth sweeping motion of the hands are powered by the natural movements of the wearer, revealed by a sculptural exhibition case back.’”

Here’s the small print I didn’t read when we ordered it. . .

“The Arc Automatic is best worn every day to keep accurate time, and should be fully wound before every wear. It’s best to keep in the watch winder when you are not wearing it. Avoid magnets, shocks and water exposure. In the event that water penetrates the case, repair immediately. Avoid setting the date between 9:00 p.m. -- 1:00 a.m. Best to avoid extreme temperatures, as accuracy is compromised below -10°C and above 60°C. Best to service approximately every 3 years to ensure long-term quality performance. In the event of time-delay or other unusual occurrences, service immediately. “