When a metaverse-based community sells out a $2.7mn collection of Swiss luxury watches in minutes, it tells a story of more than just a quirky collaboration.
The release of 100 limited-edition pieces over the summer — born of a partnership between anime-inspired web-native brand Azuki, independent watchmaker H Moser & Cie and US retailer The 1916 Company — is a rare example of a digital-first operation daring to cross over to the world of physical goods.
The partnership also reflects how some traditional watchmakers are continuing to experiment with blockchain-enabled ownership, years after the non-fungible token (NFT) craze has passed.
The Elements of Time collection comprises the $25,000 Pioneer Centre Seconds and the $75,000 Pioneer Tourbillon models, which come with NFTs and technology that helps protect the ownership of each physical watch and its digital twin. This feature is increasingly valued by collectors and in the ever-growing secondary watch market where provenance is important.
The Lightning Centre Seconds
The Fire Pioneer Tourbillon
Azuki, founded in 2021 by Alex Xu, started as an NFT collection based in Los Angeles at a time when the global market had grown rapidly to reach an estimated value of $41bn. “I wanted to make crypto technology a better experience for consumers, and it morphed into a collectable anime-themed entertainment brand with a community of 20,000 with a core storyline and characters,” says Xu, who previously worked at Amazon and Google. “We release collectibles that the community uses to express their fandom, whether digital or physical.”
Members of the virtual Azuki Garden are offered NFT Beanz avatars as well as streetwear and other collector’s items, alongside real-life events. “I’m really interested in the intersection of luxury and anime,” says Xu, who wants to know more about the interests of the high-spenders in his virtual community.
According to Xu, $1.3bn worth of Azuki NFTs are being traded on the secondary market at the moment.
Collaborations between watchmakers and anime or manga characters are nothing new. Over the past five years, Zenith brought out a Lupin the Third model, Gucci sold a Doraemon-themed dive watch, Seiko put Pokémon on dials, and Oris released a Monkey King edition, all characters from the cult Japanese comic genre.
For Azuki, the goal was to provide an appealing product, primarily for its community, and to raise its profile in the watch world.
For Bertrand Meylan, co-owner of Moser, the aim was to take another step into the online world — following the Genesis series that offered blockchain tracking for each watch — and explore new and relevant ways to communicate.
“Azuki was ready to try a new sort of collaboration, and we were trying to understand the amazing universe created around the Azuki brand and how they function, as we constantly strive to explore new territories,” Meylan says.
Despite the partners coming from entirely different backgrounds, the success of the collaboration relies on what they have in common, particularly Azuki’s watch collectors club. “There’s a lot of parallels to the NFT community and watch collectors,” says Xu. “I feel like the audiences are a lot more connected than people may realise.”
A strong and engaged community is a key asset Meylan seeks in collaborations, and in this instance both the Moser and Azuki communities responded positively. “We love that our community understands that we’re trying new things,” Meylan says.
“Moser is known for doing unique things that other brands will not do or haven’t thought about. We are in an industry that is 300 years old, but it doesn’t mean we can’t explore new territories.”
Whimsy is a trait of both brands, and Meylan says his company has a maverick streak. Previous Moser watches include the Swiss Mad watch with a case made of Swiss cheese, a spoof of the Apple Watch, and collaborations with independent UK brand Studio Underd0g and watch design studio Massena LAB.
Azuki’s playfulness is expressed not only in its cartoon metaverse but also in April fool pranks or gold-plated skateboards selling for hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Moser has maintained the same levels of design, quality and finishing in all of its watches, regardless of who it has collaborated with in the past. The Elements of Time watches bear the hallmark of traditional haute horlogerie, yet are water-resistant to 120 metres and have an edgy diver’s bezel, a titanium case and bracelet, a three-day power reserve and, of course, custom dials and an azuki bean-shaped index at 12 o’clock.
The spark for the collaboration came from Andy Zhang, who was leading The 1916 Company’s China division at the time and was an avid Azuki fan. The 1916 Company is a global specialist watch retailer and one of the first to develop an ecommerce operation.
“The personal connection with collectors has always been at the heart of what we do, and we have built natural relationships with watch and collector communities around the world,” says David Kaplan, the company’s chief operating officer.
“This is certainly one of the more unique stories you’re going to see, so I think we can expect to see more collaborations like these.”
Will Moser be making a second series of Azuki watches? Meylan thinks not. “To protect the value of our watches, it’s important to stop these sorts of projects at the right time.”
