What is the greatest untapped resource of the watch industry? Is it our incredibly skilled artisan watchmakers? The treasure trove of vintage designs from which to borrow from? Or perhaps the increased desire for luxury products around the globe? You probably have a few of your own that you could add to the mix. Which is our greatest untapped resource though?

Luxury watches are just that, a luxury. We all know that they are probably the least effective product available to buy when you want to tell the time. In fact we could go so far as to say that the more money you spend on a watch the less accurate it is likely to be. And yet we sell millions of them per year. People purchase them with reckless abandon and wax lyrical about how amazing they are. It is certainly one of the most passionate products that someone can buy. Combining fashion, art, jewelry, and engineering. My claim is that passion is the greatest untapped resource in the watch industry.

How can passion be an untapped resource you might wonder? Employing people with no interest in our industry is a massive own goal. Take me for example. By day a humble self titled artisan watch technician working for one of the biggest watch companies in the world. Working hard to make sure that the watches he fixes are completed to the best of his abilities because he knows how much these items mean to our customers. Prized possessions, heirlooms, future heirlooms. By night I run an enthusiasts watch website. Engaging with people in my free time both in and out of the watch enthusiast community. Speaking to people on public transport, in bars, restaurants, at functions, and via social media. From the student rocking a Daniel Wellington at a dive bar to the heart surgeon wearing a Patek at a trendy club. I know how much these watches mean to people because I am these people. The added value from an employee like myself is pretty insignificant when you take into account the global watch industry and the number of people we employ. Could it be possible to take this example and scale the unscaleable?

What about the other end of the spectrum? The marketing people who take their wear watches off at the end of their working day and throw them in the glove box, the watchmakers who don’t even wear a watch, the sales people who don’t know a tachymetre from a tacky dress watch. Are there enough passionate people working in the industry to counter balance those who just took the first job they could get or the one that offered to pay them the most?

Wouldn’t it be better if we looked to employ people who are already predisposed to have an interest in the industry? The people who would add that extra 10, 20 or 30% of value to the industry at no extra cost. Not everyone is going to be FP Journe living above his workshop or Jean Claude Biver circumnavigating the globe twice a week but there is still a massive untapped resource available to us. We don’t need an industry of these super stars to make a huge difference. Take a customer service executive who is competent at their job and passionate about watches but is working in the wrong industry. Now move them into the right industry, the watch industry and extrapolate wildly.

There are people out there who already love watches. Love them so much that they would rather buy a watch than take a holiday. The people who wear a watch that costs 10 times more than the value of their car. The ones who buy a watch when their son or daughter is born so they have something to give them on their 21st birthday. They live in every country in the world and work in every field imaginable. They are company directors, web developers, marketing executives, receptionists, customer service advisors, cleaners and retail salespeople. It seems so counter-intuitive to look beyond this obvious gold mine.

Something that I have the joy of knowing but so few others get to experience. If you do what you love then you will never have to work another day in your life. Imagine working in an industry where every single person loves their job and is passionate about the product. Where doing the bare minimum never even enters the employee’s mind. In fact, imagine working in an industry where even 50% of the people are like that. It would change our industry forever.

So if you work in HR in the watch world then it could be time to start thinking outside the box. Make your life a little bit easier and look to employ someone who would actually love the job. The employee who isn’t looking for a reason to phone in sick on a Monday morning. The employee that won’t jump ship for a few extra dollars a month. An employee with a deep connection to your industry before they have even worked one single day for your company.

Alternatively, if this kind of person sounds like you or reminds you of someone you know. It is probably time to start looking for a new job in our world because it could very easily be your world. Turn your job notice board alerts on and come join me in an industry where you will never need to work another day in your life.