Friday 28th January 2022
Dear Community Member,
I hope you’re well and that 2022 is starting off in a spectacularly great fashion for you, especially on the watch front 🙂
Today, I’m really excited to share some news with you, which trustfully will make it an even better, more enjoyable start to the year in your watch collecting journey. I’m writing to announce the launch of a project I’ve been working on for some 16 months…
THE KEEPER BOX
The Keeper Box is a brand new entry into the mystery watch club realm, and represents my individual vision of what a mystery watch club could be, based on a large amount of research I carried out within the watch community over the last 2 years.
For those unfamiliar, watch collectors globally refer to their current collection (however small or large) as "My Keeper Box".
------> REGISTER FOR EARLY ACCESS <------
WHAT’S THE BIG DEAL, ANYWAY!? WHY ANOTHER WATCH CLUB?
It started with a question I had…
...WHY do most people believe a “Mystery Watch Club” is not an optimal way to collect watches? Or, importantly, why do a majority of watch collectors graduate entirely out of collecting via the “Mystery Method”, and entirely ignore this method moving forward. Historically it's very much a "when you're done, you're done" phenomena.
Well, in surveying 1000’s of members of the community over 16 months, and having yet 100’s more direct discussions with other collectors at all phases of the collecting journey, I realized some key things about that. This concept started one day in October 2020, right in the throes of the Pandemic, and stayed on my office ideas board until this past Fall when it was finally time, with all the data in hand, to get to WORK.
NO DISAPPOINTMENTS!
This club is radically different from what has come before and is geared to allow members to be able to freely enjoy a mystery watch club and luxury wristwatches, with no risk and importantly, no disappointments.
THE FOUNDATION OF THE KEEPER BOX...
----------> 5 REASONS, 3 TYPES and 7 FEATURES <-----------
So back to the foundational pillars of why I built The Keeper Box...
THE FIVE
...There were 5 powerful reasons that people opted out, or stayed away from a mystery watch experience, and these 5 reasons are the true genesis from which I decided to launch this new project, outside of my other business Timepiece Monthly, which is already a pretty complex beast between the multiple mystery watch options, store and watch trading community. With that business' pivot to our custom community platform with fun auctions, trading platform and member content (as well as Mystery Watch Plans from $149 up to $1049), I felt the time was right to push the Keeper Box into reality.
THE THREE
Through the research, we also discovered 3 types of collector who no longer wanted to be part of the “Mystery” watch concept, or ignored it altogether.
THE SEVEN
And finally, we highlighted 7 key features that those “no-longer” or “never” members LONGED for in a watch club but simply could not find in any club in existence. Because it did not exist. So… we took those key reasons, collector types and features… and we damn well built the thing; a true 5:3:7 PROOF CLUB.
Read on to discover the 5:3:7 method…
WHY A NEW CLUB? (This is the 5 REASONS part 😉)
…As we asked members via surveys, “why” they would cancel or not even partake in a mystery watch club subscription, we were met with an almost unanimous pattern of responses (and many would answer with ALL of the below)…
1) I just know what I like now, I don’t want to risk a mystery watch any more
2) It’s a lot of money upfront for a watch I may not love
3) I love the mystery watch experience but when I don’t love the watch I am stuck with it
4) Trading watches is not what I enjoy, so when I get stuck with a watch it feels like a real burden
5) The (pandemic) really impacted me financially and I can’t justify $300-600 per month on a mystery watch that I have to sell on, when I'm done with it.
Most respondents had at LEAST 3, if not all 5 of these answers together, but the overwhelming pattern was that the risk of disappointment that each of the above reasons had the potential to create in them, was the driving factor for moving away from, or avoiding the mystery watch club experience, altogether.
WHAT TYPE OF COLLECTORS DOES THIS SUIT? (This is the “3 TYPES” part of the method 🙂)
There are three distinct types of collector we discovered from our surveys and these types are who we designed this club to serve … each with their own unique needs that are met in our singular and simple mystery club model. Discover the types, and how we serve them, below...
Type 1 – “THE SAVER”. Members who love to save BIG. You get to experience up to $7-12k+ in watches each year on our upper LUXE plan, but you don’t have to spend that kind of money. We source amazing watches from both new and established, superior and high-quality Brands, you get to wear and enjoy the watches, with no obligation to buy.
IF you would like to buy the watch and make it a "Keeper", then you get a simple low, flat rate purchase price of just $279 (MSRP avg $370-600) or $469 (MSRP avg $700-1300+) to save big, yet again.
Type 2 – “THE SEEKER”. Members who thrive on “the hunt” (this is me by the way). They enjoy experiencing new watches regularly and want to build an incredible collection of amazing Brands they may not have had access to or knowledge of, prior to being a member of “the Keeper Box”. The next watch is always on their mind and we serve them with incredible quality and value at an ideal pace, that they control. Our club is designed for this type of collector to simply ENJOY the hunt.
Type 3 – “THE SPENDER”. We’ve all done it. Over-extended just to get “the next watch”. The Keeper Box is ideal for those collectors who want to experience luxury timepieces, without the risk of remorse that a large $500-1500 purchase may bring on the open market, and certainly without any disappointment that may be experienced as a member of any other Mystery Watch club, by the simple fact you are NEVER stuck with a watch. Enjoy luxury watches worth $1000’s with no risk of remorse, and be granted the opportunity to snag the watches you love at a world-beating flat-rate price, should you choose.
SO WHAT IS THE KEEPER BOX? (This is the 7 Features Bit 🤗)
The Keeper Box takes what we all know about EVERY existing mystery watch club on the planet, and completely flips it on its’ head and simplifies it radically to make it a fun, engaging and reliably exciting, entirely risk-free membership experience.
Some of the new and exciting features you can expect, based on research of the community and what they ideally would look for in a watch club of this type, and that I’m delighted to announce include:
- Superior quality watches from fantastic Brands (MSRP $400-1500)
- Simple, low monthly membership plans (Just $79 or $99)
- Straightforward options (e.g. just wear/enjoy and ship back or buy, it's entirely your choice)
- No obligation to buy (You’ll never be “stuck” trading again if you don’t enjoy it)
- Low, flat-rate purchase fees (if you find it is a “keeper”)
- Access to sold out models, Prototypes, LE’s, SE’s and Pre-sale units
- Free random upgrades to higher-spec watches that you can still buy at the low flat rate fee of your plan (e.g. unending excitement as to what you may snag any month!)
HOW MUCH DOES THE KEEPER BOX COST?
2 X PLAN OPTIONS, "EXEC" and "LUXE", as outlined below.
HOW DOES THE KEEPER BOX WORK?
Upon launch, you'll follow 3 simple steps...
STEP 1 – Secure your membership (Setup Account) & Choose Your Plan ($79 or $99p/m)
STEP 2 – Pay a one-time, non-refundable Access/Styling Fee of $279 or $469
STEP 3 – Complete your style profile (i.e. identify the watches you love) & enjoy the ride!
For those lucky enough to get in to the club at launch (we’re running a strictly limited intake Beta launch and will only open membership periodically in limited numbers throughout the year), you’ll follow that super-simple process to secure membership.
SO, DO I KEEP THE WATCHES?
Only if you want to. You can receive, and (really importantly) wear and enjoy any watch that’s shipped to you within your monthly membership plan and then simply ship back to us to receive your next watch (up to 9 per year).
If you love the watch, or get the opportunity to grab an upgrade, Prototype, LE/SE or Sold out model, you can snap it right up for a low, flat rate fee ($279 on EXEC plan and $469 on LUXE plan). So imagine a 1 of 1 prototype lands one month, you have the excitement and power to snap it up there and then for the low flat-rate fee so it's all YOURS!
SO... HERE’S HOW YOUR JOURNEY MAY LOOK as a member over a year…
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"EXEC" Plan ($79p/m with one-time $279 Access & Styling fee)
*10% SAVING FOR ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP
…So imagine (see infographic below for reference)… on EXEC Plan ($79p/m), you receive a Hemel Airfoil (MSRP $499) in month one. You LOVE that one so snap it up straight away for just $279 (a WORLD-BEATING price by the way).
Month 2 you receive a stunning new Nereide by leading Italian Brand, Venezianico. You love it but after wearing it for 3 weeks you're ready for your next watch. You ship the Nereide back to The Keeper Box, we mark it returned and ship your next watch in the next ship window. THAT watch is another Keeper, a stunning pre-sale Ocean X nobody else has! You straight up NEED to keep this watch so you purchase it for a low $279 and we mark it as "bought" on your account and ship you your next watch in the subsequent shipping window. Along the way over 12 months you maybe get one or two free random upgrades to $1000 watches and get to snap those up for $279 too. You can see how this is fun, exciting and has NO DISAPPOINTMENTS, right?
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"LUXE" Plan ($99p/m with one-time $469 Access & Styling fee)
*10% Saving For Annual Membership*
…Now imagine (see infographic below for full year membership example)…
...on LUXE Plan ($99p/m), you receive the Tockr Skytrain (MSRP $1295) in month one. You LOVE that one so snap it up straight away for just $469.
We receive purchase confirmation, mark it on your account and ship you your next watch in the next shipping window. That next watch is a Circula Supersport (MSRP $750). You like that one a LOT, so you wear/enjoy it for 4-6 weeks and then just decide it’s not a keeper and you're ready for a new watch, so you simply ship it back to us and upon receipt, we mark it returned on your account and we ship you your next watch in the upcoming shipping window (1st to 7th of each month).
Next you get an Alpina Alpiner 4 (MSRP $1395), and you snap it up after wearing it for 2 weeks for just $469, and so on and so forth (see infographic below).
One month you might get an Ocean Crawler Core Diver protoype (i.e. 1 of 1 worth $999 MSRP but more as it's a prototype). Maybe you get a pre-sale model from Gruppo Gamma, that isn’t available to the public yet. Another month you may get a free upgrade to a Zodiac Super Sea Wolf Limited Edition which does not sell below it's MSRP of $1395… you get to snap this up for just $469, yet again. Do you see where this is going? It’s about enjoyment, and delight. And DEALS. All with no obligation to buy.
HOW TO JOIN
In building out the concept for the Keeper Box, I’ve shared this concept with a range of our most trusted community members and Brand partners to help refine the offering and tailor it to the collector types I mentioned earlier, and the response has been overwhelmingly positive, due to the different method it takes in approaching a mystery membership club.
Possibly what shocked me most is that many of the people I trade with who often buy watches in the $3-8k range have said they want access to the Keeper Box on day one, due to the way the membership works. They’ve fallen in love with the mystery again, simply because the club runs on a “No Disappointments” ethos with no obligation to buy, alongside access to special models like prototypes, Special Editions, Limited Editions, Pre-Sale and Sold Out Models and free upgrades.
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CAVEAT 1. This is really NOT a club for those wanting to "dip their toes" in the club experience. This club is geared for those who want a VIP experience, and know they are in for some treats over time as a member. If you join the club it should be at least for 12 months to maximize the inherent value of membership. The longer you're a member with The Keeper Box of course, the more upgrades you'll get from us as we reward member loyalty and also, the one-time Access/Styling fee goes away after 12 months of membership. This means your membership effective drops as you go on.
CAVEAT 2. At launch this club will be US-only. To be clear, this in no way means we will not open to Worldwide members in our next intake as I have spoken with many who have asked to join already. However, with the ongoing Global Logistics strain and supply chain issues every product-based industry worldwide is experiencing, we believe it is most prudent to look to ease into worldwide distribution at a later time and work on further plans to optimize the international member experience (e.g. shipping costs, customs fees are of course different). We may in time seek Beta testers from outside CONUS, so please register interest on the website and we'll keep you posted.
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NEXT STEPS...
We will open the doors for registration on Wednesday 16th February, 2022. As we are running a small-batch beta, with strictly limited numbers, we are asking members to pre-register for early access over at www.thekeeperbox.com – Membership cannot be guaranteed as we already have close to allocation pre-registered from our outreach in our Masterminds and networking groups, and as this is our first open announcement of the club, numbers will be tight. However, you also will have a fair shot at getting in on the action as we’ll be emailing everyone in our pre-register list at the same time in the run up to launch.
So, visit the site, enter your email to be kept in the loop with ALL the details and we’ll be in touch in the run up to launch with all the latest details on how the membership works, e.g. shipping procedures, member requirements, condition rating methods, and so on.