This week on The Business of Watches, we’re talking to the man behind one of the more successful new watch brands in recent years, Studio Underd0g. Richard Benc is just 33, and since 2020, he’s built his irreverent, approachable-priced, design-driven brand to a significant size, producing about 14,000 watches last year.
Richard Benc (Photo Courtesy Studio Underd0g).
And he’s done it all, not from Switzerland or Hong Kong, but from the U.K. Benc has grown his business with intent, making strategic investments in his supply chain, including buying full control of the assembly and after-sales service company that builds Studio Underd0g’s distinct timepieces.
Studio Underd0g is now the biggest assembler of mechanical watches in the U.K. and isn’t only selling watches with drops and collabs, but is building up stock to make more watches available on its website.
Next up for Benc and his brand is a new physical, public, and retail location. The ‘D0ghouse’ will open in Maidenhead this month and serve as a public showcase for the upstart brand and its operations. It’s another big step for the company that comes with its own set of fresh opportunities and challenges.
And Benc gives us a tease on what may be coming next – there will be a new 04Series of watches that will take the brand to a place it hasn’t been (mechanically) before.
But first, some watch industry business news headlines, including secondary market price rises, executive moves at the big auction houses, and a new record for the most expensive Cartier wristwatch sold at auction.
There’s plenty of watch business and strategy to discuss, and we hope you enjoy the conversations. Be sure to leave any thoughts or questions in the comments section, and we’ll do our best to respond. Want to subscribe so you never miss an episode? This new show is being published to the original Hodinkee Podcasts feed, so you can subscribe wherever you find your podcasts, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or TuneIn.
Show Notes
0:40 Business News: Secondary Market Prices Climb, James Marks Jumps To Sotheby’s, Christie’s Grabs Cartier Watch Record (Hodinkee)
0:50 WatchCharts.com
1:49 The Cartier Crash And The New Value Of Imperfection (MenWith Magazine)
2:42 This Record-Setting Patek Is The Priciest Watch Ever Sold In Asia (Maxim)
3:28 Visit Brighton (Great Britain)
4:40 Studio Underd0g
6:10 A Minions Children’s Watch (eBay) x
9:17 Hong Kong Watch and Clock Fair
9:23 Inside The EPHJ (Hodinkee Swiss 101)
11:33 Studio Underd0g 01Series Watermelon
13:40 Assembled In Great Britain (Studio Underd0g)
17:10 Studio Underd0g Buys Horologium (Watch Pro)
22:30 The Business of Watches Podcast: Christopher Ward CEO Mike France
24:50 Studio Underd0g 02Series
25:08 Studio Underdog 03Series
29:03 A Fresh Passion Fruit Collab From H. Moser And Studio Underd0g (Hodinkee)
41:27 A Quirky Watch Brand Studio Gets Serious (New York Times)
42:54 Alliance of British Watch and Clock Makers Bellwether Report
