Compagnie Des Montres Lebois & Cie Readies Itself For Expansion
These days, brand revivals are all the rage. But not all revivals are created equal as the founder of Compagnie des Montres Lebois & Cie Tom van Wijlick is keen to establish as he prepares to (re)launch his second brand in five years…
When the rebirth of Lebois & Co became a reality in 2015, few could have predicted the journey that would follow. For Tom Van Wijlick, a watch aficionado dedicated to revitalizing brands that he feels deserve the attention of a modern audience, bringing Lebois & Co back from the dead was a passion project that would lead him down some very creative avenues indeed.
While the design of the initial Lebois & Co model (the Avantgarde) was heavily influenced by a piece from the brand’s history, the 2018 release of the Venturist proved Van Wijlick was willing to take the brand forward into the 21st century. The Venturist used the Avantgarde as a starting point and built on it. A more modern visage and an OC+ certification from TIMELAB (the first watch to be awarded this prestigious chronometer rating by the Geneva-based testing facility) hinted at the brand’s ambition. And why not? The name Lebois & Co has a fine pedigree. Originally founded by the Dodane family, the brand warranted a revival. As does its sister brand Airain, which will be Van Wijlick’s next project.
More to it than meets the eye
The Airain Type 20 Flyback chronograph is a really handsome piece, much sought after by collectors. With the current interest in the watchmaking heritage of the mid-20th century booming, the Airain’s rerelease couldn’t be more timely. But bringing former, almost forgotten brands, back to prominence is not Van Wijlick’s only goal. Rather, he intends to continue building a community that has buoyed the development and release of the Lebois & Co models to date. And he’s got quite a novel notion on how to make that happen.
Unusually, Lebois & Co invited its followers to become investors and/or to get involved in the development of new watches — something the brand rather neatly refers to as CoLAB. This process adequately funded the Venturist and will now be turned towards the production of the next Lebois & Co model (the Heritage Chronograph) as well as the “new” Airain Type 20.
After the success of the Avantgarde and Venturist, Van Wijlick has decided on a slightly different direction for the Heritage Chronograph. It will not be a one-to-one replica of an original model. Instead, it will be a more modern expression of the design codes that have earned plaudits thus far.
A great responsibility
Bringing classics back to life and tinkering with an old brand’s DNA brings with it a great responsibility. This couldn’t be more true of the upcoming Airain Type 20. The new model has the potential to be a runaway success. Timeless design is becoming increasingly popular in an ever more conservative market.
The road to realization did not run smoothly. Oddly, a single French trademark for the brand name existed. But Van Wijlick contacted the owner of the Airain trademark. He managed to convince him to sell the name to his company. Better still, the former owner decided to become an investor in the project!
So how does this investment scheme work?
I’m sure many watch lovers feel the same. The chance to become an investor/shareholder or have a say in how such an important model is reborn is exciting. But how does this investment scheme work? But how to ensure the process runs smoothly and that his backers’ investments are well-protected? For this, Van Wijlick has turned to professional crowdfunding service Eureeca.com:
“Watch brand Lebois & Co is on its way to becoming the most personal luxury watch brand in the world and has been accepted to crowdfunding platform Eureeca.com. The watch brand would like to use equity-based crowdfunding to attract investors and watch enthusiasts and make them part of the brand family. Eureeca is the first crowdfunding platform to be regulated in multiple markets and only accepts campaigns after a comprehensive review and is regarded as one of the most successful and popular platforms in the world.
“In addition to the advantages of being able to acquire watches from high-quality mechanical series at reduced prices as an investor, they also benefit from the company’s growth and even have the opportunity to be active on the brand’s advisory board,” says Tom van Wijlick.
The future looks bright
For me, the most exciting model on the horizon is definitely the Airain Type 20. I say that because of its history, of course, but, honestly, its looks seal the deal for me. The model was originally developed for the French Army in the 1950s. Original models command fearsome prices at auction. Given its clean and classic display (and interesting 12-hour countdown bezel) it is no surprise. Now a modern audience will have the chance to own a watch that very closely resembles the original. Better still, it will have all the benefits of modern manufacturing.
“We want to be the most personal watch brand. In this case, crowdfunding is the only feasible way of integrating people deeply into our project. With our CoLAB we are consistently thinking ahead. People today want to be part of a brand experience instead of just the owner of an interchangeable product.”
Assuming the Airain Type 20 meets with the kind of success its forerunners have already shown to be possible, it looks likely that Compagnie des Montres Lebois & Cie will be able to continue with its mission to revive important historical timepieces for a hungry modern audience that may otherwise have never even realized these pieces existed. Learn more about Lebois & Co here, and check out Airain updates here.
