Full Transcript for How Jack Mason Evolved Into One of America's Top Enthusiast Watch Brands | Peter Cho

didn't know existed, and it just so happened to be the absolute perfect product category for me, just because I'm just a ⁓ detail-oriented person. so ⁓ in millimeters and looking at tiny little finishing details and all that sort of stuff, it really was right on my alley. So that's how I first got into it. Justin Dorfman: That's very cool. And I had seen that you spent time at both Movado and it looks like Fossil as well. So you got sort of that experience that, I mean, I guess these are the two major ⁓ US based watch in our generation, right? Tell me a little bit about that experience at both companies and sort of what it exposed you to and what you took from that experience that sort of fed the rest of your journey you went on to build Jack Mason and build your own brand. Peter: Yeah, so for starters, Movado Group and Fossil Group, yes, as you mentioned, the two biggest sort of players in the US, mainly due to the fact that they own so many licensed brands. So at that point in time, when you think about all the fashion watches that you see in malls, like Hugo Boss, Tommy Hilfiger, DKNY Michael Kors was a huge thing a long time ago. Justin Dorfman: Welcome to The Micro Collector, a podcast where I talk with the founders and operators behind some of the most exciting microbrands and watch companies. I'm your host, Justin Dorfman, ⁓ and today's episode, I'm joined by Peter Cho, co-founder and designer of Jack Mason, a Dallas-based independent watch brand that has become one of the most exciting American enthusiast brands in the space today. Jack Mason's story is a fascinating one. Peter: these kind of dominated that, least that, that fashion watch space. And so ⁓ my at Movado, I bopped around several of their brands, intentionally trying to gain experience. And ⁓ actually one ⁓ during my time Movado, I was fortunate enough to spend time in Switzerland in ⁓ La Chaux-de-Fonds, which is kind of a mecca watchmaking. Justin Dorfman: because in many ways it mirrors the emergence of the modern microbrand watch segment itself, from the rise of direct-to-consumer and enthusiast-driven brands the increasing focus on thoughtful product design and deeper connections with collectors. Before launching Jack Mason in 2015, Peter spent years designing watches at both the Movado Group and Fossil Group, giving him unique perspective on both the traditional watch industry Peter: and they had a Swiss office there. So I spent some time working out of that office and working with more seasoned watch designers. And it was at that point when I really started to grow an appreciation for more of the art and design side of watches. they just kind of, I ⁓ we all kind of know the Swiss culture. They view it ⁓ pieces of art. And so I a lot of, I grew love ⁓ for it. Justin Dorfman: and the changing landscape that would eventually give rise to today's enthusiast-focused brands. In this conversation, talk about the journey of building Jack Mason, from launching the brand out of a

restored Airstream and landing Nordstrom as an early retail partner, to the pivotal launch of the Strat-o-timer GMT and the brand's evolution into one of the standout American enthusiast brands. We also discuss Peter's long-term vision for Jack Mason. Peter: at that time and knew this is what I really wanted to do for a long time. so ⁓ returning to the US, ⁓ spent a couple more years at Movado and then I I needed to gain a little bit more experience with regards to different types of brands and different types of demographics. And so I was focused on men's watches. And the last project that I actually worked on at Movado was ⁓ Justin Dorfman: and its role in helping reestablish America as a global watchmaking powerhouse. If you enjoy the episode, be sure to subscribe for more conversations with the people behind these incredible watch brands. And with that, please enjoy my conversation with Peter Cho of Jack Mason. Peter: ⁓ a really exciting one. I don't know if you're familiar, but there's a, line in Movado, which still exists today is called Movado Bold. And Movado at that time, was ⁓ completely, a completely different new, category for them because, they wanted to target more of the younger demographic and infuse more color into the product because. it's, Movado was always known for, ⁓ it's old, it's for old people. I mean, very much Northeast kind of style and all that sort of stuff. so this was a really cool, innovative ⁓ of approach to ⁓ brand. And myself a couple of other designers, we were tasked with launching this brand. And so we did the whole, we designed entire collection and we were able to go to market with it and it was a raging success. And from there, I then decided, okay, well now I want to learn a little bit more about the women's watch industry. And so ⁓ a job on the Michele watch, Michele which was owned by Fossil Group. And that's what brought me to Texas, Dallas, Texas. And it was when I started to be more exposed with the women's side of the business, which is completely different. And not only was it women's brand, ⁓ It was very much about the glitz and glamour. was all about mother of pearl. It was about using little diamonds and things like that. was honestly, it was a lot of fun because it was so much more about cosmetics than it was functionality and ⁓ like that. yeah, and then from there, I on, ⁓ participated several other brands. At that in time, Fossil was a mega giant group and they kept bringing on additional brands. during my time there, they brought on the Karl Lagerfeld brand, which I helped launch the Tory Burch brand, which I helped launch. So I kind of had a knack for being able to launch new brands due to my experience, which was really great. then, you know, all throughout the years of my experience, I kind of always had an idea in the back of my head of what my own brand look like? And I knew this was the direction that I've always wanted to go in. And it just never materialized until I a couple of other ⁓ then became my business partners and the timing and everything kind of worked out to where ⁓ decided to launch Jack Mason in 2015. Justin Dorfman: Wow what a journey. You know, I had one of those Movado Bold watches. I remember buying it at Nordstrom actually, I'm pretty sure. And it ⁓ was cool. ⁓ I ⁓ had eyeing it for a while. remember it. I think I still have it somewhere. It was like an all black watch. So black case and black strap. And then it had this like bright purple sort of the circle, you know, the little circle that, ⁓ and it was one I remember sort of staring at. Peter: ⁓ cool. Yeah. ⁓ Yep. That's right. Yeah. Justin Dorfman: over and over again every time I went into Nordstrom and then eventually made that purchase. So I remember that very, very clearly. And I'm also very familiar with some of the female, the brands that you mentioned. My wife is really into watches. ⁓ she's had Michele, she's had Michael Kors. So a cool experience because I think you've gotten, you got both sides, right? You got the launching of... ⁓ Peter: Yeah, yeah, that's cool. That's cool. Thank you. Justin Dorfman: of new brands, got the Swiss background, right? And being able to see how it's done in sort of the Mecca of Swiss watchmaking. And then you've got, know, the, think from the women's watches, you know, the proportions, the materials and all of these different things that I think, you know, as I think about Jack Mason, I start to see how things come together ⁓ that brand. Tell a little bit about that, more about that. So, you know, ⁓ I could see that sort of yearning to create something of your own. It's not the usual thing, right? Especially at that point in time, there weren't a lot of people branching out and starting their own watch brands, right? So what gave you the confidence to do it and sort of, yeah, what was that moment where you're like, I'm ready to actually take this leap and start my own brand? Peter: Yeah. So at that time, know, ⁓ Movado group and Fossil group were just absolutely thriving in the fashion space, fashion watch space. And you walk into an Nordstrom or any sort of big box retailer, the the case ⁓ is pretty 50-50 owned by Fossil or Movado. And so what that meant was a lot of the watches started looking same because it's all trend driven. And in fact, these companies were so big, they They literally had the power to shift trends because they owned eight or 10 brands each. And so if they decided one day, Hey, you know, purple is going to be the new trend. Well, then they just give the directive let's do purple across the board. And then all of a sudden that's the trend, you know? And so, um, and you know, during that time, I, uh, uh, as I mentioned, I kind of started conceptualizing ideas on you know, what really, what was it that I personally liked? And me, generally speaking, I'm an extremely classic kind of guy. I'm not really huge into the latest trends and from a fashion standpoint and all that. And I typically

are, I'm more drawn towards the classics. And so, you know, as my time at these more corporate environments started coming to an end, it, that point in time, ⁓ knew, look, if I were to start my own brand, I want to start by just sticking to the classics and executing really well. And so that's when the idea started popping up of, well, a lot of these brands that owned by Fossil and Movado are fashion houses. They're massive fashion companies that just launch ⁓ watches as an accessory. And so none of them are actual original watch companies. And so we thought, well, why don't we enter the market as an independent watch brand from day one, but in that space ⁓ and something that's a little bit of higher quality. And with, of course always budget, but not trying to think about high margin dollars ⁓ per you know, let's really make sure the product is right. And so our timing happened to be impeccable, which was not necessarily on purpose. It's just one of those lucky things. And so we felt, okay, this is the moment in time we got to do this. And ⁓ we ⁓ market. And I launched with these different buckets ⁓ watch classics. So an aviation watch. a sort of a nautical watch, a dive watch, a field watch. And so we really started going after this kind of land, sea, air type of concept, which, you know, more of the classic brands, the heritage Swiss brands, they kind of cover those. And so we thought, well, let's bring this sort of structure into more of the fashion space. so, so yeah, and we, you know, thought, yeah, I'm prepared to start the brand. And from a product standpoint, absolutely. I was prepared. But what nobody tells you is the business side of things. And that just hits you ⁓ a freight train. you're like, ⁓ my god, there's all these other variables where it's not as easy as it sounds. It's more than having a nice product. The product isn't going to sell itself. So yeah, that's kind of how the genesis of Jack Mason started in my transition into it. Justin Dorfman: And as I said, sort of the beginning, ⁓ think this was sort of like ⁓ little bit of foresight into where this microbrand space was going to go, right? Because, you know, what you sort mapped out in terms of your catalog, right? The pilot watch, the dive watch. Again, these are things that brands, traditional watch brands had in the past. It kind of had disappeared and the fashion watch had taken over and Now, if we fast forward to today, it's actually more common, That, know, microbrands and independent brands, enthusiast brands is actually more what I like to call them, have that sort of a layout. So I think you were a little ahead of your time in a way, right? And like you pointed out, the business model wasn't quite there yet in terms of where we are today and the microbrands and how they operate. So it sounded like, I'm not mistaken, the way that you approach your go-to-market was much more like a traditional Fashion watch, you know getting into sort of retailers and so on and I think if I if I remember there's an interesting story with a airstream right where you guys took a road trip Maybe you can tell us a little bit about that that story and I know there's also like a Nordstrom part to that So I'd love to to dig into that Peter: Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. Yeah. Definitely. Yeah, definitely. Yeah. just, we launched Jack Mason, the business was ⁓ it was ⁓ about wholesale distribution, working with big box retailers. didn't, ⁓ even at that point in time, this was 2015, e-commerce was not really a thing, you know, ⁓ which is kind of crazy to think about because it wasn't that, this is like 10 years ago, 11 years ago, e-commerce was ⁓ ⁓ the, ⁓ like on the rise. Social media was just. social media influencing or influencer marketing was on the rise. And that's actually right around the time we started was also the time when MVMT started and they were obviously pioneers with social media marketing and all that sort of stuff. so, but we started the business as a wholesale business because that's where we all came Myself and my other business That was also the industry from more of a sales and operations side of things. ⁓ all came from the fashion watch industry. So of course, you know, this is what we knew and that's how we decided to launch the brand. And so when I put pen to paper, this was January of 2015. What was ⁓ kind of for us was there wasn't a whole lot of time conceptualizing and actually designing, because I already knew exactly what, like visually it was all up in here and I just to get it out. So we went from January to our first trade show in July to actually launch the brand. was a show, it was a men's fashion and accessory show called Liberty Fairs, which was in New York City. But in the midst of all that, we had this 1971 Airstream that was completely restored and modified to be a mobile showroom. And we had, the whole thing, had these really cool watch cases in there, like display cases. ⁓ It had, it smelled of wood because it was all reclaimed wood and, you know, things like that. And we drove from to New York ⁓ in that Airstream. ⁓ we had all kind of cool marketing on the outside of it that said, hey, launching soon. and we're going to be in New York, blah, blah. And it was kind of cool because along the road trip, people were taking pictures of it thinking like we were up. remember we stopped at a gas station and this guy was like, are you guys in a band? ⁓ Because mean, it makes sense. Why would you roll up ⁓ in big airstream? And anyway, we go to New York and it's extremely nerve wracking because, I mean, ⁓ know, on big risks to you put a lot of time and energy into this brand and we go. in New York, it was ⁓ a show. was a really, I don't think at that point in time we had written actual orders, but it was really great exposure. Shortly after that, I think it like two months after that, that same show ⁓ also happens in Las Vegas, which think is August, September, something like that. And so after New

York, we drove back to Dallas. and then reloaded, and then we drove to Las And that where we landed our account, which was ⁓ Nordstrom. And ⁓ way that was really It's a moment we'll never forget. We were ⁓ inside the and of course you have all these buyers walking in and out of it. then, and typically at these trade shows, know, everyone, has these badges, these lanyards with badges on them. And typically the ones who are more of the more important buyers, they have their badge flipped the other way around. So you don't know who they are. And this group of people walked in and sure enough, they had their badges and around. And we go through the whole presentation, they look at the product and, and then they reveal that they're Nordstrom buyers and they were extremely excited and that they wanted to have a meeting in Seattle, which is where they were based. And at that point in time, it was pretty much a go. Like we want to carry you. that moment was, it was unforgettable. We were ⁓ jumping and down, trying to we were trying to hold our faces to contain our excitement during that moment in time. ⁓ But after they ⁓ we were, it it was cool. We all cracked open a beer after the show and just kind of celebrated because we knew that this, this is exactly what we were striving for. And to be able to land an account like Nordstrom. was had sort of hit our goal. Justin Dorfman: That's really cool. I feel like that could be a movie, the road trip on the Airstream and all that stuff. Very cool. So you hit the pinnacle, you hit your goal. At what moment did you start to realize that there was a shift going on in the market and that's the fashion watch space and wholesale and being in retail stores was not going to be the future? Because that's a big, you grew up in that world. Peter: Yeah. Justin Dorfman: and you finally get there and then to make a decision that actually we're gonna change our ideal customer, right? It's not the normal fashion buyer, it's the watch enthusiast and we're gonna go direct to consumer. That's a big decision, right? And it's probably a hard decision to make, right? Like, especially coming from your background and sort of what you've experienced and seen, what were some of those signals or those signs that made you really believe that that was the right move to make? Peter: Yeah. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah, so there were a couple of moments in the history of our company that were, I would say, just pivotal and lucky. but one of that, that first moment where we completely our business from wholesale to direct to consumer came from a number of on more of the kind of business and operations side, the partners that I was working with. they start to realize, not making any money this way because that whole business model is, it's It's all about ⁓ volume. all about get those orders, send them out the door, get those orders, send them out the door and then sell through. And ⁓ the of the day, you got to pay ⁓ all these people and you have no money left. so, for a very long time, mean, to be transparent, the company was not making... not making much. it wasn't making money at all. We in debt. were really struggling. so my partner, name is Craig, he, from a business standpoint thought, okay, we need to shift to direct to consumer to have higher margins and all that sort of stuff. And then from me on the brand side of things, being in all these retailers was cool. we had like, think over 200, close to 300 different accounts all over the country. that point, we were also working with distributors in Japan, Australia, the UK, all this sort of stuff. So exposure was huge. But you're not really making much. so, ⁓ but from the brand standpoint, having all these people involved, we start realize you have no brand control. have no, we should be our time building an actual brand. because that's what I really cared about is brand. And I like to tell people we're not a company that makes watches. There's a lot of those. We really try to create a brand that actually means and stands for something and has a story behind it. so from that standpoint, if we were to go direct to consumer, we can take control of the brand more and really tell the story our own way instead of having some random ⁓ sales associate on the floor of Nordstrom. trying to sell a product they have absolutely no, they have no knowledge about, you know? And so this was, this was a really, I think a smart decision that we had made. The lucky part of that was the timing. We switched this business model in January of 2020. We did not know what would happen in March of 2020. The whole world changed obviously and ⁓ it was in hindsight, the absolute luckiest move because had we not done that, we most likely would have been out of business because all of our, it's like many other, companies, all your inventory is out at retail, ⁓ no, allowed to go shopping, you know? So, you know, had we not set up more of an online, ⁓ store ⁓ and start into more digital marketing and things that we would have no way of. ⁓ making revenue. so, so that, that happened in 2020. And then even at that point in time, we were not in the enthusiast space. And so we were still kind of a, in the, in the fashion watch space. And then, there was one, another lucky moment. And this is the moment that changed the company completely into the enthusiast space. And that was the launch of our Strat-o-timer GMT. more importantly, it the opportunity that Miyota gave us with this movement. This was which I can't believe it was actually that long ago, ⁓ thinking back on But 2022, ⁓ had a ⁓ our quarterly meeting Miyota. Now ⁓ being... in the fashion industry, we use millions of Miyota movements. You know, was just that standard. so, you know, although I've never, I wasn't always in the enthusiast space from a product design, product development, supply chain standpoint, it was all, I already had that all ready to go. The that I had built with Miyota personally, our factories,

our supply, everything was already set. And so, had visited our office and the of our meeting, they pull out this movement and says, hey, we've been working on something new ⁓ that nobody about really. And we want to be a launch partner for this. And they extremely selective. As I'm sure you know, when the ⁓ Miyota 9075 movement came out, it wasn't widely available. And so they were actually hand selecting which brands ⁓ to work with. ⁓ And then they worked with us. And when we received that movement, that was another moment where I thought, okay, this is something really special. And I can't just put this into the types of watches we were making before. We have to create a completely new watch, ground up. And not only we have to really elevate our game in terms of quality, the construction. uh, just everything, A to Z. but before we did that, we spent a lot of time, myself, the team, we were scouring the internet, scouring, going on all the watch forums. I mean, hours and hours and hours of taking notes and understanding what is it that enthusiasts like, because it's a completely different customer than the customer we were selling to before. This is the customer we were selling to before is just a a mall shopper, right? They're just looking to spend a couple hundred dollars on a watch and be done with it. Whereas now we're really going to start selling to someone who understands watches, you know, more than me to some degree. so that Miyota 9075 movement really changed the game for us. That was extremely lucky. I mean, that was not planned. I didn't know they had made that. And we seized the opportunity. And in 2022, at Our first Windup was in New York City. We launched that movement and we were the only, I believe we were the only brand in the US who had this at that time. Justin Dorfman: ⁓ You kind touched on this a little bit, but ⁓ what are some of these changes that you have to make when you shift from FashionWatch? You kind of touched on, obviously, there's going from ⁓ in-store to online. There's change in sort of the product and how the product has to be developed and the quality expectations, but also the way that you engage community as well, right? Maybe you can give us a little bit of ⁓ the core pillars of changes Peter: Yep. Sure. Justin Dorfman: one has to make to make that shift. Peter: Yeah, the from Fashion Watch to Enthusiast was, I think the biggest, one of the biggest changes ⁓ is way we, the design process changed. You spent a lot more time going through every single detail, really scrutinizing everything. And the thing is, from the years of experience that I had designing watches, designing a watch was not the difficult part. It's just, this is what I've always done. And so the difficult, I would say the hardest change for us ⁓ was to change the narrative that we are more than capable of making an enthusiast based watch that's on par, if not better than most of the microbrands that are out there. And ⁓ this was a giant mountain to climb over. And it took a lot of work and again, a lot of hours on the internet, on forums, just chiming in here and there, really explaining our process, you know, and trying to sort of prove ourselves that just because we came from this fashion watch space doesn't mean that we don't know how to make a really nice watch, you know? And it was just that we We were, a business, were producing product for a completely different customer. Now that we shifted, all do is recalibrate and then just, make better product. Again, me being a designer, I think the difference is when you are, I know a lot of microbrands are enthusiasts who end up launching their own brand and you're working with suppliers, you're working with in-house design team and you don't have to total full control you're using off the shelf parts and sort of piecemealing and watch together. I'll tell you, even as a fashion watch brand, not a single component was off the shelf, even as a fashion watch brand. every hand, crystal, case back, strap, bracelet, everything was we pay for our own tooling. We paid for all that product development costs that go into it. It was all original. not as there has not been a single time in the history of our company that was an, like a bin or off the shelf part, because I'm an industrial designer. And so I'm going to design what I feel like is right for the product. so, so it, that's why when you look on our own YouTube channel, we have this little series that we call Design to Watch where I really start going into, this is how you design it. This is what's going on. So we had to really create more content to really show. Hey, this is what's going on behind the scenes. know, this is, as mentioned, that was probably the hardest. It took years. It took years. I would say probably last year ⁓ was when started to realize, okay, people are starting to understand and view us ⁓ as someone more of a serious contender in this microbrand space. ⁓ And, ⁓ even today, see. ⁓ comments here and there, which is fine. I mean, the history is out there. It's never going to change. saying, ⁓ what, they, they shouldn't charge these prices because they used to be a fashion brand, which that makes no sense. ⁓ But, you ⁓ but I it. I get that it's hard to, and the comparison that I like to use is when you look at the Kia cars or Hyundai cars, they were all about entry level cars. And now ⁓ Kia, Hyundai, they're making 50, 60, $70,000 cars, which are unbelievable, you know? But I understand it's hard to sort of shift your mind to, why should I pay for that? But I can tell you right now that we put so much attention and care into our product today. And something else that you touched upon was the community aspect. This was something that we had no idea about. We didn't know that we would grow a community like we have today. We have an incredible sort of army ⁓ Jack Mason customers and loyalists and fans who want to see us win, especially as an American brand. So yeah,

that part has been absolutely fantastic. Justin Dorfman: In a way, I feel like you had the DNA of a enthusiast brand. The market opportunity just hadn't presented itself yet, right? Because a of the things that you even talked about at the beginning, right? How you built the collection in a way where it was, ⁓ know, ⁓ pilot dive the way you constructed the collection, ⁓ the fact that were investing in the product more than the average fashion brand would, right? And even the way that you launched your product and sort of the story that you were trying to tell with the Airstream and all that stuff, you had all the ingredients, I think, to become an enthusiast brand. was just sort of the right market opportunities, I think, that perhaps pushed you to take that leap. And I can tell you from a collector standpoint, I think maybe harder for you to see as you're living it day to day, but I think you guys have done an amazing job at making that leap. Peter: Yeah. Yeah, for sure. Justin Dorfman: I was at Windup Dallas and I felt like in a way that was your home event. I know it is, but I felt this energy around your booth, where this is the home team, ⁓ this brand encapsulates environment and this ⁓ group, this enthusiast group. It felt like there was this energy and this Texas vibe that was just Peter: Yeah, it was. Justin Dorfman: oozing out of your booth, right? Which was really cool. And there's music playing and all that stuff. So I think you guys have done an amazing job at that. Maybe very quickly, you can tell us a little bit about the collection today and some of the ⁓ or the models, let's say, that best reflect this shift. Because I know there are some models in your collection that, again, there's the dials, the attention to detail, the ⁓ finishing, movements that you've invested in that really reflect that shift. What are some of the? ⁓ Peter: Hahaha Justin Dorfman: the few that you would point out that people can go to and check out to really see that outcome of that shift that you've made. Peter: Yeah, no, absolutely. You know, the first, ⁓ first, our of flagship model is our, is our Strat-o-timer, which I have here, which everyone will kind kind of recognize. And ⁓ it's, it's of because, and there's a story behind this, this watch. Of course, at first people are to think Rolex Master II, ⁓ is by design. But when you break it down, if you were to look at this watch and a master two side by side in black and white, they're alike. Yes, we have a Jubilee style bracelet, which is seven links. But outside of that, the case is more of a shaped, more vintage style case. We have this ⁓ boxed crystal there. I'm a big fan of the seventies watch design. I love. Like for example, the use of these are more this bold, big rectangular. I liked sort of the attitude from that era And so put lot of my own personality into this watch. But it was a decision to put this sort of red, the red and blue, the iconic and blue Pepsi bezel on it. Because I knew Justin

Dorfman: Yeah. Peter: right out of the gate, this thing needed to sell. know, with this, are putting, cause not to mention when we first launched this, was a thousand dollars. Before that we were, the highest priced watch we sold was $400 quartz watches. And so I, it was like I said, a business decision to make it feel familiar. But if you were to break it down objectively, it's a really good watch. And so since that day, I mean, can barely keep these in stock. They're great. And from there, we iterated into this version, which is, this is our, it's all titanium, but it's our Strat-o-timer but it has a dive bezel on it versus a 24 hour scale. We moved the 24 hour scale to the dial, but it really translated into a really nice dive watch, but it still has the Miyota 9075 movement in there. And so this is a pretty good example of when you take this you remove the red and blue and you put a dye bezel on it, you does this look like a Rolex? Probably not. So, ⁓ you this this, ⁓ this platform been really nice to just come up with new iterations and we'll continue to do so. my favorite watch I'm actually wearing. right now is pilot. We call the Pursuit Pilot. I put it this nylon strap here, but this watch is ⁓ extra special because ⁓ we first started Jack this watch was the first watch that I designed for the collection. was a put because I was, ⁓ and still today, I absolutely love IWC brand. I just think their design language, their eye for proportion and scale and everything is just so spot on. And so when I first launched the first collection I thought, you know what, let's do a version of that. And in fact, last year, and we had discontinued this watch for several years and we essentially reissued it last year because last year was our 10 year anniversary. And we came out with this version, which is all titanium. a lot of people think it's a California dial, but when you look closer, it's just the 10. to celebrate our 10 year anniversary. So this was really cool. You can see kind of the case back. It had a big X on it saying 2015. Really, really. This is a special piece for me personally, it's just, because there's ⁓ story behind it. And then there's this other watch that we don't carry in the collection right now. We did one point, but it was the Ellum. And so the Ellum was a 38 millimeter dress watch that was only nine millimeters thick because we were using a Sellita hand wound movement. It's a beautiful movement. ⁓ But yeah, 38 millimeters, and this camera's probably not gonna capture it, but it has a linen dial on it. And so the design inspiration behind this, when you kind of look at it, was the old 50s and 60s kind of era, which again, I love the simplicity that time. And so this was kind of our version of it, but we'll probably bring it back at one point. ⁓ just... ⁓ Justin Dorfman: Yeah, very beautiful. Peter: I'm sure, know, dress watches aren't as popular as like a dive watch, for example. So, we're, working on some different concepts there. ⁓ we're, you know, we have our classics. We have those Strat-o-timer GMTs. We also have our Canton, which is our kind of gada watch. We have Pursuit Pro, which is kind of the big older brother this. And so now we of have these buckets and ⁓ you will start to starting this year, the collection really start to kind of. like twist into more executions ⁓ of the right now ⁓ it took three years, three and a half years to set this core foundation of the classics, the day-to-day kind of bread and butter stuff. And now we're going to start doing different materials, different colors. And ⁓ it's ⁓ the year, ⁓ things start look a lot different. Justin Dorfman: That's very cool. Yeah, I can definitely see how you have this foundation now to build off of and I'm really excited to see what comes next. I guess, where do you see yourself in 10 years? What's the long-term goal, long-term vision ⁓ this point? Because I think ⁓ gone through a lot of changes through the years and ⁓ was just getting out there, becoming a known brand, there was then shifting to become a enthusiast brand and all the changes that need to happen there. ⁓ Peter: Mm-hmm. Justin Dorfman: I feel like you guys have successfully crossed those milestones. ⁓ the next major milestone for Jack Mason? Peter: Mm-hmm. Yep. Yeah, it is trying to do as much as we can as an American watch brand and do grow operations and watchmaking at scale in the US. I think this is our unique angle. Obviously, we're not the only American watch brand out there. There's lot of ⁓ amazing microbrands which are dear friends of as well. And we often talk to each other to figure out what can we do on a larger scale together to bring more awareness ⁓ more credibility, honestly, to American watchmaking. And so ⁓ us being in Texas, which like as American as it gets to some degree, I ⁓ know lot of people who are born or raised think, you know, that Texas is its own country. I mean, big enough to be one, ⁓ but, but know. ⁓ All jokes aside, really trying set a here in Dallas. And I want to be responsible for that. I want to be able to set up a, ⁓ a comprehensive sort operation when it comes to watchmaking, servicing, and, you know, to degree, even manufacturing components because As is saying today, watch components in the US is technically impossible. It doesn't exist. Now, course, you can a CNC machine to carve out a case, but the finishing, that is extremely hard to do. And the biggest problem that we have yet to solve as an industry here in the US is being able to produce these components at scale. at a cost that's actually reasonable. is the issue. And really has the answer right now, but hopefully we can get there. But in the meantime, we control what we can control. ⁓ And is the watchmaking, which is where a lot of the skill comes in, is really putting those pieces together, making sure the quality is up to par. The servicing aspect as well. So that's actually really, I think, special. ⁓ If you get... If you go by

yourself on Omega and need to get a service, you're probably going to have to ship it back to Switzerland and wait five, six months or whatever. Whereas being local or domestic, should say, you can send it in to us our watchmakers would be like Rolex certified watchmakers and all this sort of stuff, but it's all US based. And so from an operations standpoint, I think that makes it ⁓ cool for intents and purposes. Yeah, the components might not be manufactured here, but it's built, it's made in the US. You know what I mean? I mean, when you look across other industries like the automobile industry or technology, anything like that, yeah, I mean, there's a reason why, you know, certain parts are made elsewhere, especially in China. But the thing with China is, I understand it gets a bad rap because of course there is a lot of just... Poor quality, you it's all about production, scale, you know, ship it out. But I've been to China many times to the factories that make watch components and it will blow your mind. How advanced they are, the amount of attention to detail, the care, the cleanliness. I mean, it's unbelievable. And I wish that there was a little more education around that so that... they get the credit that they deserve, also way ⁓ doesn't make, especially microbrand space or even ⁓ not even microbrand, the entire watch industry, a little more like of, you know what? This is just it's made in China doesn't mean it's a bad piece, you know? And so anyway, the 10 year sort of goal is us to be able to. control what we can control and really make a mark when comes to American watchmaking. I'm trying to build a legacy here. That's why brand is extremely important. want to make sure that's why we lean into our Texas roots. You see everywhere. In fact, we just signed a deal with USA Cycling. ⁓ It's ⁓ three-year heading into the Olympic Games in LA in 2028. Justin Dorfman: Cool Peter: We're working on a USA cycling watch, which is really cool. And that'll release later this year. And also coming up in July, there's America's probably one of the biggest holidays is America 250. So this year's extra special. So we will latch onto those kinds of moments as a country that's special to the country and try to do something, you know, unique. And so we'll have Justin Dorfman: Very cool. Peter: a special piece for that to celebrate that holiday. Justin Dorfman: Very cool. Peter, this was, as I said at the beginning, a cool journey, ⁓ amazing story and an amazing future I think that you guys have ahead of you. Thank you so much for taking the time today to ⁓ walk through it with us. ⁓ folks want to follow along, they want to learn more about Jack Mason, we're some of the best places for them to go to ⁓ more and engage as well. Peter: Of course. Of course. Yeah. website is jackmasonbrand.com. Instagram is also jackmasonbrand. ⁓ we're extremely active on there. but one community, the community that built our Facebook group. ⁓ if you go, it's a, you got, it's a private group, but you just, you know, ⁓ requests to join in, but it's an amazing, community that we built that we moderate ourselves actually. And so I myself engage with. with people in the group and the team. there you will learn everything about the brand, talk to others who have experience with the brand and all that sort of stuff. So on Facebook, I would highly recommend if you use it, that's the place to be. Justin Dorfman: I'm definitely gonna check that out. And I know that many that are listening and watching will as well. So thank you so much for again, taking the time, walking us through this story and we're excited to see where Jack Mason goes next. Peter: Thank you. Thanks for having me on again. was a joy.