Create Your Own Watch Brand

Start the step-by-step guide to branding your own watch

How to Start Watch Brand

Starting a watch company can be a daunting process.

You’ve probably researched and collected hundreds of watch styles, but how do you create your own watch brand? Ctime Watch Company is here to help.

On this page, we will discuss the steps to start your own watch brand.

Options to Consider

At Ctime Watch, we work with you on watch styles, materials, colors, craftsmanship, precision, watch movements, and support your private label watch service.

We customize watches for established watch brands and build watches for emerging watch brands. If you’re thinking about starting your own watch brand for the first time, but don’t know where to start, here’s what you need to know.

We offer 2 options for the OEM Watch (customized watch from scratch) process:

You provide the watch design directly, create a working prototype and go into production at a later date:
You commit to a minimum order quantity, and we begin a step-by-step process of design drawings, prototypes and production.

We offer an ODM process (existing popular style watches, typically hot models from the last 2 years):

ODM watch catalogs can be picked up by contacting our business manager directly.
Choose one or more watches – minimum order quantity of 50 watches can be supported.
Send us your digital logo/image.
We design a rendering of the watch with your logo.
We send you a virtual image for approval.
We manufacture and ship these watches in approximately 4 weeks.

Check out our OEM & ODM Watches page for more information.

Defining Your Watch Brand

The first step in starting your watch company is defining your brand.

Defining a brand goes beyond what your watch looks like. There are other important questions to consider such as:

Who is my target market?
What price do I want to sell my watch for?
What kind of materials and looks do my customers gravitate towards?
How will the brand sell its products (i.e., solely e-commerce, brick-and-mortar stores, wholesale, etc.)?

Answering these key questions early on can help save you time and money in the long run.

Designing a Watch for Your Target Market

Watch design is one of the most important aspects of Create Your Own Watch Brand. It is vital to design a watch that meets the needs of your target market.

When designing a watch, it is important to think about the following questions:

My requirements for the watch movement (e.g., automatic, manual, quartz, digital)
My requirements for the watch material (e.g., stainless steel case, titanium case, alloy case, stainless steel bracelet, silicone bracelet, rubber bracelet, nylon bracelet)?
Functions of the watch (e.g., time only, date window, day window, chronograph, retrograde function, dual time zone function, etc.)
What is the size of the watch, where size generally refers to the case diameter (men’s watch size: 32-50 mm, women’s watch size: 18-40 mm)?
What kind of movement do I want (e.g., automatic, manual, quartz, digital)

Once these parameters are determined, you can enter the watch design stage, Create Your Own Watch Brand progress a big step.

Confirmation of Watch Details

Once the general appearance of the watch is clear, we can take it a step further and determine the details of the watch.

It is crucial to work with an experienced Chinese watch manufacturer where details make all the difference, and the following details are presented inside the watch design draft for easy confirmation by the watch brand owner.

Watch detail options include:

Movement: choose from Swiss or Japanese movement, quartz movement, mechanical/automatic movement, hybrid or smart movement.
Materials: Common materials include stainless steel, titanium, ceramic, carbon fiber, brass or alloy.
Case and band: electroplating process, polishing process.
Bezel: the frame of the dial, or the top ring, which can be affixed with diamonds.
Dial processes: Guilloché, Enamel, Lacquer, Brushed/Satin, Sunburst, Meteorite, Carbon Fiber, Mother of Pearl, Skeleton, Printed/Transfer, Gem-Set, Patina
Hands: Matching the hands to the style of the watch, luminescence can be added.
Crown and Pushers: small knobs on the side of the watch that adjust the time.
Strap: There are various choices, such as stainless steel, leather, nylon, canvas, silicone, TPU, rubber and so on.
Buckle: Match the appropriate buckle to the appearance of the watch, common buckle types include, Hidden Clasp, Butterfly Clasp, Push Button Hidden Clasp, Tang Buckle, Foldinng Clasp With Safety, Leather Deployment Bucket, Bracelet Clasp, Hook Buckle, Buckle, Needle Buckle.

At Ctime Watch, we will provide you with clear and detailed watch design drawings that are detailed with materials, colors, sizes, craftsmanship requirements, and finishes.

Working with us makes it easy to create, design and customize an exclusive men’s or women’s watch that perfectly fits your new watch concept or brand.

Produce Samples of Watches With Your Branding

Once the design details are communicated, the watch enters the production process. The first step in watch production is to design and develop a working prototype. The specific process is as follows:

Create a graphic design of the watch
Create a 3D rendering of the watch (if necessary)
Approval of the design by the watch brand
Creation of the watch production design and handover to the watch prototyping department to produce the watch samples
Courier the watch samples to the brand for confirmation

Once approved, move to the next step: mass production

Manufacture Watches for Your Brand

Once you have approved a large sample of your watch, you enter the large production process, where the appropriate number of watches are produced from the prototype and the final product is delivered to the customer.

We value every process of watch production. All watches are rigorously inspected, tested and calibrated to meet the most demanding standards, and our products meet US and EU quality standards.

With over 16 years of experience in the watch manufacturing industry, Ctime Watch Manufacturers values each and every customer and ensures that every order is delivered to perfection.

Brand marketing for your watch

Brand marketing is one of the most important elements of whether a watch will sell well. We need to think about how to make us visible to our target customers and reach a buying decision. Focus on the following points:

What are the best ways to get my branded watches seen by my target audience as soon as possible (i.e. social media, billboards, magazines, offline promotions)
Emphasize interaction with online and offline customers and answer customer related queries in a timely manner.
Collect and organize customer’s feedback to be clear about what they care most.

Develop a comprehensive marketing plan that showcases the unique properties of your watch and how your brand fits into your customer’s lifestyle.

Contact Us

Get In Touch With Us

Get in touch with China Watch Factory along with your inquiry to know more about our products and the manufacturing, or to start your order with us. We will assist you through the process.