July 15, 2020
A little over four years ago we found out about TIMELAB’s new ‘Observatoire Chronométrique+’ certification when visiting the EPHJ fair (for watchmaking, jewelery, microtechnology and medical) in Geneva. Then, after a first visit to TIMELAB in October 2016 we slowly worked towards a concept what is now the Venturist, our sturdy yet refinded tool watch which we placed in the so called ‘adventure and mountaineering’ universe. Based on sketches we made in July 2018, Matthieu Allègre helped to make the design concrete and in October 2018 we were ready to introduce the Venturist.
And now comes the moment we have been waiting for.. We are super excited to announce that our first production batch of Venturist watches has been successfully certified to the ‘Observatoire Chronométrique+’ (OC+) protocol!! Meaning that each finished Venturist was individually tested and checked to the ISO3159 international (chronometer) standard and the other OC+ protocol features; water resistance, anti-magnetism, power reserve and the wearing simulation. For the occasion, we made a short video. Check out our Dare To Venture film below!
The watches are now back in our possession and we are starting to prepare for shipping. We expect to need 2 to 3 weeks for this. Then the Venturists will be send to their new owners around the world! A selection from the list: The Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Sweden, United Kingdom, Liechtenstein, Oman, Austria, United States, etc..
For us, here at Lebois & Co, the Venturist story has only just started. Now that the Venturist is really there, we will start with our sales and marketing. We are going to evaluate the, be it modest, fail rate of the certification process to see where we can do even better to eliminate failures to zero. Because one thing is clear; testing and certifying a cased up watch as an OC+ Chronometer is quite different than ‘just’ using a Chronometer certified movement. We have seen quite different results between the rates of a movement and when that exact same movement is inside a fully assembled and finished watch. This confirms the usefulness of the OC + certification!
Still to come…
The preparations for our equity crowdfunding campaign are progressing steadily. The texts are being written and we are working on a new video. Our intention is to announce the campaign shortly after the delivery of the Venturist. At that moment you can pre-register for exclusive early access to our crowdinvesting campaign!
Shortly thereafter we will also start with Lebois & CoLAB; our collaboration initiative that invites watch enthusiasts to participate in the development of our watches. Preparations are also in full swing for this.
Thank you for reading and talk to you soon!
Lebois & Co
Tom van Wijlick
