The Story Of The Jack Mason Brand
In 2025, the Jack Mason brand, established by Peter Cho, will have been around for a decade. Peter is a watch designer by trade and always has been. Among other positions, he was a designer at Fossil in the US and Movado in Switzerland. Jack Mason started as a fashion brand available in department stores all over the US. However, after a few years, the owner began to focus on better watchmaking rather than just an attractive appearance.
The story of Jack Mason
Jack Mason is proudly based in Dallas, Texas, USA. Its logo is based on the Texas Lone Star, while color details in Jack Mason’s watches often refer to colors standard to Texas. A relative of the founder provided the brand name as his name had a natural American feel. As a brand, Jack Mason has always wanted to lean into the American side of its origins in design and image. Due to a changing climate in the fashion-watch industry, the owner felt he was losing control of his brand. To regain complete control over sales and branding, he decided to exit all retail businesses and go all in on the Jack Mason website. At Fratello, we didn’t notice the brand until 2022 when it changed its lineup to technically more sophisticated models.
A brand for watch enthusiasts
As a result, Jack Mason’s watches entered the world of watch enthusiasts. In October 2022, one of our guest writers, Vincent Deschamps, mentioned the brand for the first time on Fratello in an article on the 2022 New York Windup Watch Fair. The watch model he described was the Jack Mason Strat-o-timer. It was one of the first watches on the market to use the Miyota 9075 caliber, offering a flyer-GMT function in an affordable league. We mentioned the Strat-o-timer in a second and more detailed article here.
Based on the Strat-o-timer, Jack Mason introduced the Hydrotimer dive watch with its 120-click unidirectional bezel in 2023. While continuously refining the brand’s identity to make it more Texan and more distinct, Peter Cho presented the classically styled Ellum Manual Wind earlier this year. Only recently was the bar raised even higher, and Jack Mason presented its first Swiss-made-labeled watch with the Canton.
Back to the Jack Mason brand’s story
So far, this brief recap has focused on recently presented Jack Mason models. Now it’s on to the brand’s intentions and values, and who could explain those better than Peter Cho? So I sat down with him for an online interview. Here’s what we discussed.
Why the change in direction?
Gerard Nijenbrinks (GN): Hello, Jack — sorry… Peter. How are you? I understand the change in direction of the Jack Mason brand has something to do with a change in the fashion-watch industry. What exactly changed in that industry to make you change the direction of your brand?
Peter Cho (PC): Hi, Gerard; thank you for the opportunity to talk to you. We already desired to adjust our philosophy. But the change in retail climate, where online sales took over brick-and-mortar sales and the substantial rise of smartwatches hurt the fashion-watch industry mercilessly, pushed us to do so.
What is “customer-centric”?
GN: And now Jack Mason is a customer-centric watch brand focused on watchmaking and aimed at watch enthusiasts. What does that mean, what are the customer advantages, and how does Jack Mason differ from other brands?
PC: For us, “customer-centric” means that customers can give feedback on our products and explain what they expect from our brand, and we will listen. We want to be and will be very close to our customers. There will always be an opportunity to talk to us and discuss concerns and needs regarding our watches and brand. We’ll be close to our (prospective) customers through our roadshows or by attending country-wide watch events. Together with them, we’d like to develop into a true luxury American watch brand.
What can we expect from Jack Mason’s designs?
GN: What about the design of Jack Mason watches? Do you think inventing new and proprietary designs in the future is essential, or can existing watches inspire designs? We know the easiest way to kill a good product or idea is to compare it with an existing one.
PC: I know what you mean. We’ve also seen comments that some details in some of our latest models are reminiscent of existing models. But that was completely intentional. We looked and listened carefully, but that is what people want. The models we release that are truly unique in design are the least successful. People wish for a certain recognition in their watch, be it in colors or shapes. Once our brand is more established, with a strong identity, we will evolve and bring more distinct models. Then, the indispensable recognition will come from our brand image.
A brand for watch enthusiasts
GN: Jack Mason watches are aimed at watch enthusiasts. Please describe a watch enthusiast in your eyes. What makes someone buying a watch a watch enthusiast? And, with the current brand direction, are you aiming at newer watch collectors or seasoned collectors too?
PC: Watch enthusiasts are more critical than people just buying watches. They have a passion for the product and appreciate craftsmanship. And I hope to address both starting and seasoned collectors. I hope seasoned collectors will love our story and be attracted to our Texan roots. Then, I hope to show collectors new to the party how a quality watch feels and gives pleasure.
A technical question
GN: With the last Canton model, you decided to go Swiss Made with a La Joux-Perret automatic movement. In which fields do you think the soigné-grade LJP G100 caliber outperforms, say, Sellita calibers? It doesn’t have to be technical performance only, of course.
PC: The 68-hour power reserve of the La Joux-Perret G100 caliber makes an important difference for us. This feature shows that it’s a next-generation caliber, whereas movements with 38- or 40-hour power reserves have been around forever. It’s also a less common caliber and gives a better feeling of exclusivity. Last, but not least, we were used to working with the Citizen group, of which both Miyota and La Joux-Perret are members.
Future goals
GN: What are Jack Mason’s goals for the future?
PC: We will improve our most popular styles. These will roll out with better design, movements, and value. We are committed to contributing and bringing awareness to American watchmaking; establishing US processes is paramount for improving quality control and servicing. Since we’ve become an online brand, it’s taken away from face-to-face interaction with our community. We will hit the road again, organize more events and meetups, and attend more watch-related events like the Windup Watch Fair. Further, 2025, our 10th anniversary, will be the year of tool watches. Expect field watches, pilot’s watches, and the like.
Conclusion
Jack Mason is one of many microbrands that have sprung up in the last decade. I believe watches should not be chosen by looking at spreadsheets comparing specifications. Learning the background of the companies producing these small-scale watches is essential. What are their mottos, what drives them, and what are their goals? This knowledge will help you choose a watch on a more emotional basis rather than just by comparing specifications. Emotional reasons last much longer than rational ones defined by numbers. If you don’t have an emotional connection with your watch, it won’t last long on your wrist. No depth rating, screw-down crown, or sapphire crystal will help.
Jack Mason’s drive and inspiration come from Texas’s uplifting culture. Peter Cho is proud of what Texas is known for and is eager to show it to the world. If this appeals to you, one of Jack Mason’s attractive watch models will be a good choice. Visit Jack Mason’s official website here to learn more about the brand’s watches and the current model lineup. Please let us know your take on the brand and its products in the comments below.
This post is in partnership with Jack Mason. Learn more.
