1. William Shatner’s Watch
For those of you interested in how startups get the funding to create goods or services, here’s a story from CrowdFund Insider with an interesting watch angle. But first, guess whose signature will adorn the caseback of a new timepiece from watch brand Egard Watches?
OK, the title of this article may have given it away. Actor and “Star Trek” legend William Shatner has collaborated with Egard to develop an interesting concept watch that would have surely stirred excitement on the Starship Enterprise. The creation, called “Passages,” has an automatic movement and an especially unique feature; it is sprinkled “with authentic asteroid dust.” It will carry Mr. Shatner’s autograph.
In order to fund development of the watch, Egard and Shatner turned to Indiegogo, a crowdfunding solution that, according to the company, “empowers ideas and enables people to donate funds easily.” With an initial fundraising goal of $75,000, the partners wound down their efforts last week after raising an impressive $681,721 (we wonder how many of those investors are Trekkies). To learn more about the unique way in which they will market the watch, click here. We also suggest you visit the “Passages” page on the Egard website to get a proper look at the collection.
By the way, here is a nice video of Mr. Shatner’s reaction when presented with the finished product.
2. The Hole-In-One BOSS
In 2013 BOSS Watches in the UK hit upon a novel way to connect its brand to the highly passionate (and watch-interested) world of amateur golfers. It’s called the H1 Club, an exclusive, members only online community “open to any golfer whose club uses HowDidiDo – a web-based social network for golfers – and anybody playing in official club competitions.” There’s just one more thing; eligible golfers must have scored a hole-in-one during club competitions to be invited to join.
In addition to club membership, Stephen Brydon, of MGS Distribution, the UK distributor for BOSS Watches, says in an interview in the Bucks Herald (UK) : “We aim to make it a lot more memorable for them by presenting them with an exclusive BOSS watch, only available to golfers who record a hole-in-one,” so they feel they are truly part of an elite group.
The club itself, which is accessed through a members-only website (parts of the site are open to non-members), enables golfers to avail themselves of select merchandise and other benefits. Golfers are not required to register in order to participate in the competition. According to the Bucks Herald, “all official club competitions are recorded on the HowDidiDo system, so holes-in-one were noted and automatically ratified by the golfer’s club.”
According to the H1 Club website, Avril Schmidt of the United Kingdom, is the first golfer to score two holes-in-one in a single month (in eligible competition), becoming a double winner of the BOSS watch. To date, roughly 1,000 people have received the “commemorative BOSS watch.”
