How We Launched Our Fashion Brand’s First Custom Watch Line

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For any fashion brand looking to step into watchmaking, the road is full of hard, unanswerable questions. We know this firsthand—back in 2023, we were right in the middle of it all, asking ourselves: How do we distill everything our brand stands for into a single timepiece? Where do we find a manufacturer that delivers luxury aesthetics without locking us into rigid, high-volume production runs? What materials will live up to the quality our customers expect? And above all, how do we make something that feels truly ours, in a market flooded with generic, copycat watches?

Our Journey: From A Failed First Attempt To A Clear Vision

We're a rising European affordable luxury fashion label, with 10 years of building a loyal community around our minimalist apparel and leather goods. We'd long dreamed of expanding into accessories, and watches felt like the perfect, natural next step—until our first attempt fell completely flat.

We partnered with a generic watch manufacturer for our first go, and the result was a totally forgettable, "me-too" design. It didn't capture our signature "quiet luxury" ethos at all. Our customers were underwhelmed, and we were left disappointed, wondering if we'd ever get this right.

"Our audience doesn't just buy our products—they buy into our story," our Creative Director said at the time. "We don't need watches that just tell the time. We need pieces that tell our story. But every traditional factory we talked to either pushed generic, off-the-shelf designs or demanded sky-high minimum order quantities just for tiny custom tweaks. We couldn't afford to gamble on a huge production run if the design didn't land with our community."

It wasn't the budget or timelines that were holding us back. It was three critical gaps that made us fear this watch line would never work:

1. Brand Differentiation Risk: Our entire brand is built on a "less is more" design language—muted color palettes, geometric hardware, and sustainable, long-lasting materials. We needed to weave that into every detail of the watch, without falling into the over-the-top "luxury watch" clichés that fill the market.
2. Trial Production Uncertainty: We had zero prior watchmaking experience. We needed to test our designs with as little risk as possible—but almost every manufacturer we talked to turned this down, saying low-MOQ runs were inefficient and not worth their time.
3. Material Consistency: Our customers expect durability that matches our premium pricing. Generic polished stainless steel felt cheap and completely misaligned with our promise of quiet, long-lasting luxury.

How We Partnered With Foksy To Turn Our Vision Into Reality

That's when we found Foksy Watch. We'll be honest—we were skeptical at first. One manufacturer had already burned us, and we weren't ready to get our hopes up again. But from the very first conversation, it was clear this was different. Foksy's custom-only, no-stock model aligned perfectly with our need for exclusivity, and what followed was a collaborative process that solved every single one of our pain points, while never losing sight of what makes our brand unique.

1:1 Creative Partnership: Translating Our Brand DNA Into Watch Design

Foksy assigned us a senior designer with over 15 years of luxury watch design experience—someone who'd previously worked with a major Swiss watch brand—to work directly with our team, 1-on-1. That first meeting was a total game-changer. Instead of pushing pre-made templates on us, their designer asked: "What makes your leather bags feel like you? Is it the stitching? The weight in your hand? Let's translate that feeling into metal."

Together, we locked in three signature design details that would make the watch unmistakably ours, with Foksy creating custom hands and applied indexes to refine the aesthetic even further:

• A slim 38mm case, shaped to mirror our brand's iconic belt buckle
• A sandblasted 316 stainless steel finish (instead of the standard polished look) to echo the matte texture of our signature leather goods
• Our custom brand logo is laser-engraved on the dial, in the same font we use on all our apparel tags

Low-MOQ Trial Production: Testing The Waters With Zero Risk

Our biggest fear, above all else, was wasting our budget on a design that wouldn't resonate with our community. Foksy's flexible, project-specific MOQ approach eliminated that fear entirely. We worked with them to produce a small trial batch of our core design, with interchangeable straps. This let us test two different strap materials—vegan leather and recycled steel mesh—without locking ourselves into a massive production run. For any specialized custom elements, they walked us through potential mold fees upfront, with total transparency, no hidden costs.

We sent the trial batch out to our VIP customers and retail partners, and the feedback was crystal clear: the sandblasted steel finish felt premium and intentional, and the logo detail felt like a natural extension of our handbag line. For the first time, we felt confident we'd gotten this right.

From Trial To Full Production: Scaling With Purpose

Buoyed by the success of the trial, we gave the green light for a full production run—with small refinements based directly on our customers' feedback. We adjusted the case curvature for a more comfortable, ergonomic fit, and upgraded to a Japanese mechanical movement, a request Foksy was able to accommodate seamlessly through their network of over 1000 movement partners.

Using their project-specific MOQ structure, we produced three colorways: navy, charcoal, and cream. We even developed custom packaging to match: a recycled cardboard box embossed with our logo, staying true to our brand's commitment to sustainability.

Quality Assurance: Peace Of Mind At Every Step

Our customers pay incredibly close attention to every detail of our products—so quality assurance was non-negotiable for us. Foksy's ISO 9001 certification and CE/FCC compliance gave us immediate peace of mind, but nothing beat visiting their Shenzhen factory in person. We saw the full stainless steel case production line and assembly facility, all operating under one roof, no outsourcing. That level of end-to-end control meant we could trust every single watch would have consistent, premium quality, every time.

The Outcome: A Sell-Out Success And Ongoing Partnership

We launched our custom watch line in Q4 2023, and in just six weeks, 80% of the production run sold out. Our retail partners told us over and over that customers kept saying: "It looks like it's always been part of the brand."

Foksy didn't just manufacture watches for us—they helped us tell our story, in a whole new format. The 2-year stainless steel warranty has been a huge hit with our customers, and when we wanted to refine the strap design for our 2024 reissue, Foksy's team delivered a new prototype in just 10 days. They get fashion in a way that's incredibly rare for a custom watch supplier.

For Any Fashion Brand Looking To Launch A Custom Watch Line: Here's What We Learned

From our own experience, this is why Foksy stands out for fashion brands like ours:

• Unmatched Design Flexibility: You can build from over 1000 trending designs, or create something 100% unique with 1-on-1 customization—including custom hands, applied indexes, and luminous styles—to make sure your watch is unmistakably yours.
• Genuine Risk Mitigation: Their project-specific MOQ structures, with fully transparent mold fees for custom elements, make testing and scaling your watch line affordable and low-risk, no huge gambles required.
• Quality You Can Stand Behind: Premium 316 stainless steel construction, ISO 9001 certification, and a 7-day return policy give you and your customers confidence at every step.

If you're ready to turn your brand's vision into a standout custom watch line, we can't recommend Foksy enough. Visit foksywatch.com to start your project with a custom watch manufacturer that truly understands the intersection of fashion and horology.