The Idea

Alexander: 'My fascination for airplanes was the reason I stumbled across a small pilot watch ad in an aeronautics magazine back in 1998 which kickstarted my addiction for mechanical watches in the year after. Fast forward to 2017, I found myself, probably similar to many of you, being happy to own a collection of more than a handful of timepieces stored in a box. Surprisingly content with the state of the collection (no more flipping reflex for once...), I looked for a way to highlight, admire and honour my watches while storing them safely. This should involve my own creativity and work, so I imagined a kind of assembly of many identical wooden supporting structures on a big base. I was inspired and guided by typical watch display stands in jeweler stores where you see a maximum of the watch itself and less of the element in direct contact with the watch. I combined this with an aesthetic and rigid structure underneath that could serve as an interior design object when no watch was on it. The spark was lit...'

Feasibility and prototyping

Steffen: 'When Alexander first told me about his array of watch stands on a big base to highlight his collection, I was immediately thrilled. He showed me first sketches and talked to me about the idea. We both knew from our aeronautic studies how metal and plastic are to be machined. However, Alexander told me that the material wood was mandatory for him and his idea; a material with a soul, as also found in mechanical watches. Fortunately, I had quite some experience in working with wood from my own model plane design activities. So we looked into the first design and I found it feasible, even if one or the other tool or machine would be needed that, at the time, I did not have in my private workshop. This already presupposed that we would follow a complete DIY approach for all parts needed; something we were inherently clear about from the start without even discussing it. We then worked on a refinement of the first design, still thinking this was going to be a one-off prototype for private use and for our enjoyment on the way of manufacturing it.'

Commercialisation

Salome: 'Knowing my husband Alexander and his catching passion for watches, I was fascinated by his idea right from the start. These two guys being engineers, they switched immediately to the typical problem/idea => solution/realisation mode. However, at that time Steffen and I had just founded the company KruGaTech GmbH in Germany, initially for research support work of German Aerospace Center DLR and prospective further activities in research, electronics and aeronautics. This work involves prototype manufacturing and very small batch production. We planned to set-up a company workshop anyway, so I thought: why not transfer this private endeavour to the company and make it a commercial product? This could be another pillar (pun intended) for KruGaTech. Besides, it would be an amazing product development and simply a lot of fun for us three working on it along the way. The only question to be answered was, if it would be promising enough concerning the market situation. After some research on watch stands and displays, I found that Alexander's idea would fit into a niche, if only the quality of the product in design, material and excecution would be top notch. I then told the guys to go and raise the bar in the definition of luxurious and handmade concerning watch stands, as I discovered a surprising difference in the definition of these words concerning mechanical watches. Why should anyone first pay four, five or even six figures for a luxury timepiece and then have to lower his obviously important artisanal and passionate requirements that much? ... Challenge posed!'

Design and trademark

Alexander: 'Challenge accepted ... being motivated and encouraged by the reactions of Salome and Steffen, I evolved the design and focused on an intial single watch application. However I quickly realised that a wonderful product is not enough for what we were aiming for, so I started to think about creating a true brand and make it a protected trademark: name, logo and design. Ideally, I would find a way to connect all three with someting that did not yet exist, even on social media and the awfully wide interweb ... AND it should still make some sense! After countless tries I had a dream (ok this sounds odd or made-up, actually both :-P but still...) and I imagined my current design iteration viewed from directly behind... SNAP! I saw the letter P and worked from there, on the brand name and the design of the watch stand as well as the logo. All came together with WatchPillar®, a word that is now protected as well as the watch stand design and the wP logo. Best of all: figuring this out in my leisure time was so much fun and rewarding in so many ways that I consider it a win no matter how commercialisation is developing. THAT however is seen a bit differently by Salome and Steffen wearing the KruGaTech company hat, and it should be of course! It is also their baby now.'

Series production

Steffen: 'An initial scepticism concerning this side task of a product commercialisation within KruGaTech was followed by a burning enthusiasm as soon as I got aware of the design/branding that Alexander did and after hearing Salomes challenging plea. I wanted to bring in my knowledge and experience in production technology to make WatchPillar® happen! Let's be honest, a three digit price tag for such a complex poduct in our region is only possible if there is some sort of precision machining automation and smart design adapted to it. Also, many prototype structures would be needed, as also found with watch manufacturers that have their own tooling department. Together with Alexander, I went through the complete CAD design and checked each and every part and feature for manufacturability. Some features require special devices which in turn have to be manufactured seperately. These were designed subsequently as well. CAM programming was done and optimised. We ended up with the ability to produce a sufficient number of watch stands in a certain time while keeping the original design. No compromise concerning quality and in-house approach. Time to select the wood and finish it by hand, time for quality control and some inevitably manual tasks is gained by smart machining using our workshop's equipment. We are very pleased with the final process and the resulting product. Pride and joy, really.'

Market launch

Salome: 'From 2018 to 2020 we faced some bigger challenges with Alexander and me moving from central Germany to Munich, where Steffen was already based for some years. KruGaTech was now fully Bavarian, but of course it took some time to change jobs, flats and find a place to set-up a workshop. When the pandemic hit we had just started to equip the workshop and optimise the WatchPillar® design. Of course it was tough, but we managed to continue working towards our goal of market launch. The homepage design was also done in-house during that time, following our philosophy. We were set for 2022, hoping the best for the recovering markets and societies. We launch our product initally in two versions with complementing colour schemes and certain possibilities of customisation. Hopefully other versions, limited and non-limited, will follow; complemented at the ultimate top end by individual luxury watch stand creations as unique pieces with high customer interaction in the future.'