hat’s the secret to keeping your watch in top condition? A daily workout, of course! This is the philosophy of Simon Wolf, heir to a long dynasty of leather goods manufacturers and head of the brand that bears his name, which celebrates its 190th anniversary this year.

To mark the occasion, Wolf has hosted events around the world, showcasing its global presence from Australia and the United States to Switzerland, Italy and the United Kingdom.

Over the course of the year Wolf also unveiled five limited-edition 190^th anniversary creations, each representing one of the five generations of the company founded in 1834 in Hanau, Germany.

What’s the secret to keeping your watch in top condition? A daily workout, of course! This is the philosophy of Simon Wolf.

Europa Star: You’re releasing a book to commemorate the 190^th anniversary of the family company. What discoveries did your research uncover?

Simon Wolf: We could have waited for our 200th anniversary, but that seemed too far away (laughs). Each of the five generations is featured in the book, and each one contributed something unique to their era. For instance, my grandfather Philipp Wolf III invented the iconic ballerina jewellery box that plays music as the dancer rotates. I hadn’t fully grasped its impact until now. I also rediscovered the crucial role played by my great-grandmother Ida, who took over from her husband in the early 20th century, and whom I met as a child. It was unusual at the time for a woman to run a business. That’s how we continue to evolve. Never giving up is part of our family’s DNA!

How would you define your own role in this history?

I opened our US offices in 1988, moved to California in 1992 and then relocated the headquarters back to England in 2020. I adapted our production to a global supply chain when faced with high production costs in the UK and Sweden. But we must never give up; there’s always a solution. We make beautiful products, luxury items, but we’re not a ‘typical’ company. We dream big, which is probably why we’re the only brand in our segment with such a broad international presence.

Most importantly, we work with retailers while many others prefer to focus solely on direct sales, because it’s less complicated. This approach has given us a foothold in over 70 markets, with offices in the UK, US and Hong Kong, plus five warehouses around the world to handle logistics. We’re also one of the few players in our segment to regularly attend trade shows. This anniversary was really about celebrating what we’ve achieved and making sure that everyone knows about our history and heritage.

Today, many brands are asking themselves the strategic question: volume or value? You seem to be active in a wide variety of niches.

We certainly don’t plan to reduce our volumes, quite the opposite. Let’s not forget that Louis Vuitton built a multi-million dollar empire by selling tens of thousands of luxury items, while also offering made-to-measure! Similarly, we want our products to be accessible to all, but we also provide complete customisation for our safes, starting at CHF 25,000.

What’s the future potential?

It’s particularly promising for watch winders. We’re educating people about the importance of winding their watches. We haven’t even scratched the surface of this potential yet, given the number of people who own a watch but not an automatic winder. Every watch should have its Wolf! This will require extensive education, to win hearts and minds... and wrists. As far as markets are concerned, Asia shows the most promise, including the Philippines and Hong Kong, as well as Malaysia, Thailand and India.

Looking further ahead, what about future generations?

My children don’t want to take over the business on their own, but the team is bound to provide continuity. What we need above all to secure our future is to further strengthen our brand image and reputation. We’re fortunate to work with exceptional partners and retailers, and we’re the only brand in our field offering dedicated training for sales teams worldwide. And if we’re talking about the long term, I’d like to highlight the efforts we’re making in terms of sustainability. Our aim is to phase out animal leather completely by 2026. True elegance, the essence of the new luxury, lies in growing leather...