SIT is a project born from the collaboration between three highly qualified Swiss professionals who have come together and created an exceptional timepiece fitting to all life’s adventures. To tell us more about the brand, the concept and the timepiece we speak to Valentin Guidi, one of the founding members of SIT. Read on to find out more…….
Meet Valentin
Valentin is the head of digital and marketing for SIT. After publishing a couple of academical articles about innovation in the watchmaking industry, he graduated from is Master program in Business Administration and Innovation. He started working in a digital marketing agency in London and then decided to run his own projects, first as a digital marketing freelancer and later on creating his own agency. But the ultimate goal was to create a new brand from A to Z and took the great leap by founding SIT in 2019.
Tell us more about how the idea for Swiss Identity Timepieces (SIT Watches) was born?
The idea behind SIT was born during our numerous business trips around the world. When you travel for business or vacation, you always have to make compromises about what you will take with you, because your suitcase will not fit all you want to bring. So we wanted to create a watch that easily adapts within its environment and that can be useful. Smartwatches are a great answer to this but the product development is quite complex, they are not autonomous, and the design is not versatile nor fashionable. This is why we thought about a traditional watch that offers different features whose design is flexible. And I’m proud to say that SIT is the first traditional watch that has different features with versatile design at the same time.
And explain more about your role within the business.
The role I have in the business is first to oversee all the digital and marketing activities of the brand. This includes content creation, digital user experience, communication strategy, and public relation events. I am lucky enough to have partners that excel in domains that are not mine which creates this perfect blend to run our brand smoothly and effectively.
SIT creates timepieces which are designed to fit into all life’s adventures. Tell us more about the process and how this is achieved.
The concept behind SIT is not about the watch itself watch but what it can be used for. You usually have an elegant watch that you would wear only for formal events and business meetings. Also, you would wear a sporty watch for your physical hobbies or activities. With SIT, you can modify your watch based on what type of day you are going to have thanks to the different features of each SIT bracelets.
The watch is designed specifically with travellers in mind with multipurpose functions such as UV warning, mosquito repellent and motion sickness built into the design. Please explain how this works.
Actually, this watch comes in a compact kit that included different bracelets which all have different purposes. The original strap is an elegant leather bracelet which is perfect for your important meeting and formal events or nights out. Then, you can easily switch this strap with the UV warning without any tool needed. This bracelet has an invisible SIT logo which will appear when UV sunlight is too strong. It’s ideally designed for your relaxing time off in the sun when going to the beach or hiking. There is also a 3rd bracelet made in NATO material which will support any insect repellent sprays. So instead of spraying the liquid on your skin, you can simply spray it on this strap (note that we do not provide the spray). Last but not least, we have included an anti-nausea band for travel sickness as our concept is designed for travellers.
What type of traveller is this watch most suited to and why?
We tried to design this watch for the majority of travellers. For example, it is perfect for someone travelling frequently for business but it is also great for people going on holidays that want an easy-going style during the day and a more formal look for evenings. This is what makes it special because anyone can wear it.
It’s early days for SIT but please share any exciting plans coming up for the brand.
As the brand is new, so many things are very exciting for us. We are currently distributing the brand in Europe, but due to the great demand of our early-followers, we are working hard to open the US market which should be done at the beginning of 2020. Also, we are now exclusively selling our products on our website, which is great for convenience and accessibility, but we are planning to open our first physical store anytime soon! Last but not least, we are working on an exclusive product to develop a mechanical watch and add it to the SIT collection next year.
Luxury means different things to different people. What defines it for you?
I think that the definition of luxury can be explored in different ways. It can be a feeling, functional, and exclusive. If I reflect luxury to SIT Watches, I see it as functional because it offers something different from the others and no other similar products come close to this concept.
And what are the key trends you predict for the luxury travel market over the next few years?
One of the exciting trends is to see the different key travel players competing to offer even better products and services without increasing in prices. This is a piece of great news for everyone because travelling is becoming more and more enjoyable in terms of comfort and the range of products developed to make travel easier is exponentially increasing.
Where is your favourite place in the world and why?
I don’t have a specific place in mind but my favourite environment is when I explore different places while travelling for work or leisure, which is what makes me feel great.
Where is still on your travel to do list and why?
My travel to-do list is never-ending. I really what to explore each corner of the world and discover new cultures. But I want to travel across South America, which is the only continent where I have never been. I wish I could take a year-long holiday and visit as many countries as I can while I’m there!
Finally, what is your life motto?
One way to get the most out of life is to look upon it as an adventure. (by William Feather)
Find out more about SIT Watches here: sit-swiss.com
