PANZERA TIME MASTER 45 CHRONOGRAPH UPDATE INTERVIEW
Following is an Interview with Andrew Herman, Global Sales Director at PANZERA. We are discussing the status of the new Time Master 45 Quartz Chronograph which has been pre-ordered by thousands of customers for delivery in August and September.
TELL US A BIT ABOUT THE BACKGROUND FOR THE NEW TIME MASTER 45 CHRONOGRAPH AND HOW THAT MODEL CAME ABOUT?
The Flieger 46 Quartz Chronograph was our first Quartz Chronograph model and was launched last year. It was a huge success with both our existing and new customers. So, it made sense to bring out a similar but more motorsport focused Chronograph for the Time Master range. Motorsport like aviation is where a chronograph with its ability to measure down to 1/20thof second is very applicable. It also expanded out the very popular Time Master range with a second model. Something we had been planning to do since mid-last year.
WHY DO YOU THINK THE NEW QUARTZ CHRONOGRAPH’S ARE SO POPULAR? AFTER ALL PANZERA HAS TILL RECENTLY BEEN AN ALL-MECHANICAL WATCH BRAND.
Yes, when we first launched the Flieger 46 quartz chronograph, we were nervous as to how our customers and the market would receive a quartz model in the traditionally mechanical range. However, as mentioned the F46 Quartz Chronograph was an overwhelming success with huge pre-orders and follow-on sales. The Time Master 45 Chronograph has already sold twice as many in pre-orders as we did for the Flieger Chronograph when it launched so the customer support of our new quartz chronograph ranges is absolutely amazing and continues to grow!
The reason I believe the new quartz chronograph models have been so popular is firstly the design. The large size of our watches really lends itself to having the additional chronograph sub dials on the face without seeming too busy or hard to read. Also the very modern and contemporary PANZERA look of our watches really suits a more complex dial design that is offered with chronograph functions.
Secondly and most importantly we selected the right high end quartz movement. The 6S20 movement is unusual for a quartz movement in that it still allows a sweeping second hand with four beats per second instead of the use one per second. This combined with the firm mechanical feel to the chronograph start/stop and reset buttons, makes it feel like a high-quality automatic movement rather than quartz. The 1/20thof a second sub dial is also a differentiator. Apart from being very animated when you run the chronograph it also adds to the functionality of very accurate time keeping as required in both Automotive Racing and Aviation. We wanted the watch to be a useful “tool” watch for enthusiasts, not just a watch with the additional sub dials added for decoration.
WITH THE HUGE NUMBERS OF PRE-ORDERS YOU HAVE RECEIVED WILL CUSTOMERS STILL BE OK TO RECEIVE THEIR WATCHES IN AUGUST AS PLANNED?
ARE THERE ANY OTHER NEW MODELS PLANNED FOR 2022?
We have been overwhelmed with thousands of pre-orders we have received since our TM45C launch. So much so we have already sold out our full production allocated for August. These customers should be all ok to receive their watches in August as planned. We are now taking pre-orders for our second production run which will be delivered in September so people do not miss out on the special pre-order pricing.