TORONTO—Jorn Werdelin, co-founder of the Linde Werdelin watch and instrument brand, attended the launch of the watchmaker’s first Canadian retailer at L’oro Jewellery in Toronto’s Vaughan Mills on Oct. 20.
Werdelin, together with his long-time ski pal Morten Linde, decided to make watches and instruments after a ski trip to Canada in 2002.
Werdelin, a veteran skier, told the story of how he was walking out of his hotel room and needed to change his skiing gear and gadgets to go have lunch and thought how great it would be if he didn’t have to change his watch.
“What about this, that you have a watch which you can wear all the time and then you go skiing, you go diving, you click on the functionality, but only when you need it,” the Danish watchmaker said at the launch.
“When I go skiing I want to have a really good watch on so that when I go for lunch I don’t have, like, a black plastic thing on.”
One Linde Werdelin instrument, The Rock, designed to be worn when skiing, includes a compass, barometer, avalanche warning, freeze level indicator at different altitudes, inclination indicator, chronograph, and many more functionalities along with an anti-scratch mineral crystal cover. Another instrument, The Reef, is designed for divers.
The instruments are attachable to every Linde Werdelin watch so the wearer can keep their watch on when adventure calls.
“Understanding watches—that’s the key to making a good watch,” said Werdelin.
He noted that the company does very little advertising, and that most of their marketing happens word-of-mouth, mostly in small circles of ski and diving enthusiasts.
The company also publishes catalogues every year with comic strip stories and interesting graphics and characters to engage their customers. “We have ski guides, we have tour guides, we create stories, and people like it.”
The Partnership
Werdelin and Linde met at a trade show in Switzerland and the two hit it off from there.
“A watch is a part of me, I’ve grown up with watches and my father and grandfather had watch shops,” said Werdelin. However, the idea took time to develop. The pair began designing the watches in 2002 but it wasn’t until 2006 that they started making them.
Linde Werdelin make only around 400-500 watches per year. A typical watch making company would produce around 800,000 watches a year.
L’oro Jewellery vice president Haigo Derian believes the underlying principle of the Linde Werdelin philosophy is that there should be no compromise in the pursuit of excellence.
Derian said he felt the business mindsets of the two men aligned. “Before you start a business, you have to have a partnership, you have to have a relationship.”
“When you’re genuine it’s transparent,” he said regarding his confidence in Linde Werdelin watches.
He noted that if customers are willing to spend a considerable amount on a watch, they need to trust the company and believe that the product is reliable and of the highest standard.
For Derian, who fell in love with the design of the Linde Werdelin watches, their unique functionality, reliability, and exclusiveness, it’s important a timepiece is not only of superior quality but also has a personal story behind it.
