Unashamedly spitting in the soup that has fed you? A former watch designer for brands that have added some prestige to his CV, Claudio d’Amore, founder of Code 41, exists by calling others bandits.
By Joël A. Grandjean, Editor in Chief JSH Magazine & Swiss Watch Passport
In “It’s going to get out” mode, the designer turns himself into a community builder and, to get there faster, kicks down open doors, enthroning himself as a transparency guru.
Denigrate to exist
In terms of transparency, Switzerland is the only country that has written into its law the conditions for obtaining the Swiss Made label, i.e. what is produced there in terms of watchmaking. Claudio d’Amore launched a brand that, apart from the number 41, was initially Swiss only in the red of the line that he keeps crossing. He declares Swiss Made unsatisfactory, arguing that some cheat or flirt with the 60% limit. Above all, he praises the skills of Chinese subcontractors while promoting Japanese calibers.
It’s impossible not to come across his ad… While criticizing traditional advertising expenses in the final price of a Swiss watch, it is everywhere on the web. Better still, he was taunting the watch industry and other brands even in the tramways leading from Basel station to the Messeplatz and Baselworld.
His method? Code 41 tells you “that you are not told everything”. That apart from her, they are all con artists who rob you by the margins. According to Claudio d’Amore (photo 2020, official website), a direct sale to a community would clean up the market. To the gullible who follow him, playing the Robin Hood of watch redistribution, he shoots point blank those who, from the simple retailer to the most honorable distributor, would live on the backs of a consumer who is being cheated! The shortcut is creepy.
Then suddenly, after having involved his devotees, he knocks them out of the water by increasing the price from a few hundred francs to almost CHF 5,500.00. Strange, its caliber in participative mode is announced “manufacture”. It is indeed Swiss (at least Code 41 promotes it as such), including careful finishing. Its pre-sale fundraising exceeded CHF 3 million, the X41 is scheduled for summer 2021.
Lire le sujet Code 41 dans JSH Magazine Juin 2019 (page 70)
Lire également le sujet publié sur Linkedin
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