THE TIME TRAVELLER
In just a little over 10 years Vogard has gone from a drawing on a piece of paper to one
of the most respected and innovative watch makers in the world. Now with the launch of the Datezoner owner Michael Vogt proves once again he’s a man who’s not afraid of a little complication
In 1997 the marketing director for Ebel watches,
Michael Vogt was travelling on business from New
York to Hong Kong. As he was checking into his
hotel, he received a message asking him to call the
office. The problem was, no one around could tell
him the time back in Switzerland. So as soon as he
could he bought himself a Casio but, apart from the
obvious aesthetic drawbacks, changing from one
time zone to another was still very complicated.
And that’s when the light came on. Someone
needed to build a high end, sporty, travel watch that
could easily change from one time zone to another,
and he would be the man to do it.
Vogt had a couple of things working in his favour. He was no stranger to watches. His home town, Grenchen, lies in the heart of Swiss watch making country and is home to over half a dozen watch manufacturers including Breitling, Epos and Fortis, the makers of the first automatic wristwatch. “As a boy I always felt great pride when I saw an advertisement for, or an article about, a watch made in Grenchen in a magazine from New York or London. I have been passionate about watches ever since,” he says.
Vogt later channelled that passion into marketing positions with Ebel, Tag Hauer and Gucci but it was the sale of his shares of the internet company Aseantic that gave him the start up capital he needed to realise his dream and make his mark on the watch world.
Armed with the passion, the money and the idea, Vogt was like an artist in his need to express himself. “I was also motivated by wanting to craft the best traveller watch ever made. It took nearly five years to go from concept to prototype and more time to actually get in the shops but it was worth it.”
The reason it took so long, and the thing that makes a Vogard so special, is that it’s the only watch in the world that allows you to change between time zones by spinning the bezel. The case itself forms part of the movement and Vogard holds the patent on this technology. In other words, by spinning the bezel around to Los Angeles, the watch hands automatically move to the correct time. There is a beauty in its simplicity and functionality that made the first Timezoner models an immediate hit with travellers. Now Vogard has taken it one step further with the Datezoner which also changes the calendar day as the bezel is moved past the midnight mark.
Behind Vogard’s success is a man that follows his own agenda. “Many people consider the watch market a sprint,” says Vogt. “Truth be told, with a bit of money it is easy to get into the race. My advantage is that I was born into this environment and that has given me a certain perspective others do not have. I know that to be successful you need to run a marathon.” This is why Vogt was not bothered by those who thought his first models were not radical enough. “I don’t want to be a one night stand. This is why so many designers from other fields have failed in the watch industry. Their watches don’t age. I want to make watches people can wear for years. The biggest compliment I get is when someone tells me they wear my watch most of the time. This is what I fight for.”
So who buys a Vogard? “The name is a combination of my name and either of the words avant-garde or adventure. My clients can relate to that, they are not afraid to be different. They are trendsetters not followers. In a world where 80 to 90 percent of the people buy a watch for the brand, I target the other 10 to 20 percent. My clients want to express their individualism. They are independent, internationally minded and many are self-made men. This is why the personalised edition is one of the best sellers. It is their way of commemorating their adventures on a timepiece.”
Vogt is referring to the personalised version of the Timezoner which allows you to choose the cities or places you want to have etched into the bezel. “Instead of the classic New York, London, Tokyo, each person wants something different. They want to use the places that have a special meaning for them. We’ve had famous film directors that have the cities they have filmed in on the watch, diplomats that have put in the embassies where they have been stationed and brokers have put in the different stock exchanges from around the world. We had one gentleman who listed all the cities where he had a lover. There were 14 in all.” And he was not the only person to use the Timezoner as a sort of horological little black book. One Swiss ski instructor requested an extra large bezel to fit his 20 reference points, a record to date.
So what’s next? With Vogard selling well in Europe, the US and the Middle East, (his models grace the wrist of a sheik or two), Vogt says his next great challenge is to expand into Asia. “For Vogard it’s almost completely untapped and we are actively seeking joint venture projects in Japan and China but we need to find the right retailers.”
On the technological front Vogt says, “We have
enough ideas for new complications that we could
bring out a new one every three years for about the
next 20 years.” With the Datezoner just hitting
stores, it will be interesting to see what Vogt has in
mind next. 
