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Introducing: Lagado Watches

Unveiling Lagado Watches - a brand new contemporary watch manufacturer one timepiece at a time.

Born with a global DNA and millennial spirit, Lagado watches is the new watch brand on the block. Inspired by Italian finesse and fuelled by the love of style, the brand promises to offer a contemporary design language to watch lovers who are not afraid to wear their personal style on their wrist. Lagado Watches is the brainchild of Milvin George who has had a long-standing history of working with global powerhouse brands like TAG Heuer and OMEGA. His most notable position was being the Managing Director of Middle East and India for Officine Panerai.

Embodying minimalistic elegance and versatility to modern living, Lagado watches unveiled its first-ever collection with three distinctive range of watches for both men and women. It includes the Evolve in 44mm, Tempo in 41.5mm and Tempo in 33mm (for the ladies) available in various case materials with reliable calibres. The timepieces are secured with sapphire crystal glass which provides shatter-proof and scratch-resistant protection. Strapped to an Italian leather or a Milanese mesh strap, the new watches are available online at www.lagadowatches.com with worldwide delivery of 3-5 working days.

During the launch of their collection, we caught up with Milvin George, CEO of Lagado Watches to talk about his new venture and the newly released collection. Here are some excerpts:

WTI: Can you tell a little about the relationship that you share with time?

MG: The best luxury anyone can ask for in life is “Time”. I always find myself looking for opportunities to create timeless memories that reflects an understanding of how to spend quality time in anything you do in life because time is ticking and it never stops.

WTI: Could you tell us about your life before Lagado? When did you get into the world of watches?

MG: I began my career in the luxury goods industry in 1998 when I joined the Chalhoub Group as a Commercial Executive handling Daum and Wedgwood Waterford for the Middle East region. In 2000, I joined the LVMH Group, as the Regional Manager of the renowned Swiss sports watch brand TAG Heuer, overseeing Middle East, North Africa and Indian markets. In 2003, I was entrusted to establish the Omega Middle East Operation (a member company of the Swatch Group) and was appointed as Regional Brand Manager. Four years later, I was presented with the opportunity to extend my experience within the luxury watch sector and acquire a more in-depth mechanical watch making knowledge by becoming the Managing Director, Middle East & India for Officine Panerai.

WTI:How do you think the experiences you have had earlier in your career has helped or inspired you to shape the Lagado brand?

MG: After 20 years of rich experience working with the finest brands and watch & jewellery groups, I saw the need and opportunity to conceptualise qualitative lifestyle watch brand that goes beyond design. One that encapsulates various movements and functions that can be sourced globally to suit the multi-hyphenated lifestyle of our customers. I had this in mind 10 years ago. However, the urge to jump boats and embrace the entrepreneurial spirit peaked by the end of 2018 and I started to work on creating a watch brand beginning of 2019. We worked with international consultants during this time who collaborated with us by conducting research on millennials to understand their lifestyle behaviour in key regions such as Europe, Asia and USA. The research provided us with valuable insights that went into every aspect of our watch design, brand communication and what would suit Lagado in terms of distribution strategy.

WTI: Can you elaborate on the whole idea behind Lagado watches? What does Lagado mean? How did you come up with the name?

MG: Lagado was conceived out of a passion in the watch making industry. The word “Lagado” /’la-ga-do/ was derived from the Spanish word “Legado” which means “Legacy”. With my 20 years of experience in the luxury watch industry, I have seen a gap between affordable but high-quality watches. I believe that quality timepieces should not be compromised and should be made available to everyone. With that being said, each Lagado timepiece symbolises my love for watch making and imprints my legacy in the industry. The star symbol represents the collaborated efforts that Lagado draws from global community of designers, manufactures, marketeers, influencers, content creators, retailers, media who are on a journey of excellence and meeting at Lagado. In fact, the way I see it, the customer is in the centre of our star, where our mission is to deliver excellence in watch making.

WTI: When you talk about the brand having a global DNA, apart from the design, how do you ensure that it caters to a global audience?

MG: We worked with international consultants during this time who collaborated with us by conducting research on millennials to understand their lifestyle behaviour in key regions such as Europe, Asia and USA. The research provided us with valuable information that went into every aspect of our watch design, brand communication and what would suit Lagado in terms of distribution strategy. We collaborated with the best manufacturers, suppliers, photographers, agencies and influencers. We have always intended to launch the brand online first through the brand’s platform www.lagadowatches.com to give it a global birth since its launched first digitally. Digitisation has been imbedded in the brand DNA for the get-go.

WTI: What was the process of creating the first three collections for Lagado watches? What was the inspiration behind each collection?

MG: We have launched the brand with 2 product lines, comprising of 27 models for male and female consumers: Evolve 44mm is an elegant sports line with a striking, minimalist design and a distinctive identity. The Evolve 44mm collection features a uniquely beveled, sapphire crystal; the ultimate scratch-resistant and shatter-proof protection for your watch, and is available in a wide range of cases made of different materials, equipped with chronograph movements. Tempo 41.50mm & 33mm are our contemporary lines that reflects Lagado's distinct identity with a domed sapphire crystal; the ultimate scratch-resistant and shatter-proof protection for your watch. The Tempo collection offers a diverse choice of unique timepieces with a wide range of cases made of different materials, equipped with quartz analog movements.

WTI: Where do you see the brand in the next 10 years? How are you planning to reach this goal? What measures do you want to take to get there?

MG: Lagado Watches will be a mature brand globally with an established solid presence online and offline, retailed with the best e-retailers and as well as the traditional brick and mortar business. We will aim at providing our customers an exclusive retail experience by launching flagship boutiques that are part of a strong omni ecosystem that is more consumer centric. This system will enable us to remain relevant to our customers and be present where they expect us to be. Technology and digitally oriented systems will ensure that we provide the best online customer experience and provide social media excellence. Product innovation will involve our product development team working on a 3- 5 year novelties plan and managing various projects. This will enable us to continue enriching our watch offering and presenting our customers with a continuous supply of new timepieces with innovative functions and features. It is part of our 5-year plan to introduce jewellery, eyewear and accessories while simultaneously achieving customer service excellence.

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Launched in 2012, WatchTime India is the result of a collaboration between America's most-read watch magazine, WatchTime and, India's leading media house, Malayala Manorama. With an aim to popularise and celebrate the evolving watch culture of the country, the publication is your one-stop destination for everything related to fine luxury watches. From the latest tests to reviews, to exclusive features on the history and horological heritage of some of the most spectacular watch brands of the world, the WatchTime India portal has a lot to offer. Stay tuned for an exciting journey, through the fascinating world of watches!

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