Are Daniel Wellington Watches Worth Buying?

Lately, Daniel Wellington watches have become a global sensation with almost every influencer showing off this piece of accessory on their wrists. During my recent India vacay, I saw their flagship store at a mall in Mumbai followed by celebrity endorsements and since then I have been suffering from the FOMO syndrome. In my mind, if a brand has reached my home country, it must be extremely popular. I desperately wanted a Daniel Wellington watch as my birthday present until I did some research on the Internet and came across some articles that completely convinced me to not buy this watch. 

Bollywood celebs Parineeta Chopra (L), Aysuhmann Khurrana & Radhika Apte (C) and Kartik Aaryan & Nidhhi Agerwal (R) in Daniel Wellington brand campaigns in India

Before starting, let me tell you that this article is not an endorsement but neither it is meant to criticize any brand or its followers. This article is rather a study on how Daniel Wellington build an empire out of quartz watches followed by the my reasons as to why I have changed my mind on buying one.

In 2009, Swede Filip Tysander, Daniel Wellington's owner, invested only $1500 for kickstarting the company. After 7 years, the company made $230 MN in revenue and $111.5 MN in profit and was soon named as the fastest growing private company in Europe, indicating that the company is running a very successful operation.  So, the obvious question is:

How Daniel Wellington Got An Overnight Popularity?

Image credit: maruhusky (Instagram)

Thanks to the Influencers of Instagram. Daniel Wellington is supposedly one of the first brands to have fully latched on to the power of influencer marketing. The brand sent their watches to the IG influencers to model their watch and post it on their feed. I remember seeing this watch for the very first time on maruhusky's IG feed . The influencers ran their charm with highly creative, quirky, cute and sometimes funny communication of the watch and the rest is history. Note that each time DW sends a watch to an influencer, he/she is asked to communicate a discount code to his/her followers, another smart marketing strategy to create brand awareness on Instagram. This created a huge buzz around the brand, which became iconic among teenagers and young adults, exposed massively to Daniel Wellington watches photos on the gram. Daniel Wellington is the perfect example of a smart pharma- create and spread the FOMO epidemic and then supply the DW watch drug. 

Why Daniel Wellington is such a craze?

Image credit: newsbeezer.com

Everybody loves a 'touchy story'

The gentleman in the above photo is not Daniel Wellington. He is Filip Tysander, the owner of Daniel Wellington. In 2006, Filip was backpacking through Australia when he met a wanderer named Daniel Wellington. This was back before everybody had a smartphone, when people still wore a watch to tell time. This mystery man had a thing for wearing vintage watches on weathered fabric straps, and this so made Filip fall in love that he decided to create a watch brand named after said mysterious gentleman.

My viewpoint: So where is Mr. Daniel Wellington? If a Daniel Wellington existed, then why didn’t he come forth and identify himself considering the brand is so popular in the UK. Moreover, Filip Tysander claimed to not only have met him once, but on numerous occasions between Melbourne and Cairns which makes me feel that the watch came first and then the story. Sounds so much like the Hollywood movie, When Harry Met Sally. I am a believer of true incidents that are backed with evidence. 

Image credit: NASA

For instance, in 1970 the Omega Speedmaster chronograph had played a very important role in helping to bring the Apollo 13 astronauts home safely. The very short story is that two days into the planned moon landing, an oxygen tank exploded crippling a navigation equipment. The crew on board had to execute a 'maneuver' to manually adjust the course of the craft. Since the clock on board didn’t work, Jack Swigert, used the chronograph on his Omega Speedmaster to time the 14-second maneuver that proved critical in returning the crew to earth.  

Strapped to the 'strap'

Image credit: Daniel Wellington

Unlike many watches, it began with the strap. Wellington’s stood out for its strap, a minimalist black-and-gray nylon band, known as a NATO strap, securing a chunky Rolex Submariner to his wrist. Before, Daniel Wellington, hipsters unacquainted with watches had never seen something like this. In their minds, fabrics straps were meant for chunky sport watches i.e. a formal watch should always come with a formal strap. They thought that the mix of formal and casual was refreshingly original.

My viewpoint: The so-called NATO nylon watch strap was first issued by the British military in the 1970s. Traditional watch companies like Tudor, Omega, Longines, Rolex, have been launching models with NATO straps as a key feature that offer better quality and legacy over Daniel Wellington.

DW designs are aesthetically beautiful 

The DW dials are clean, simple, minimalistic and in sync with the latest mid century modern trend- an extremely versatile design that works for everybody and every occasion. This nostalgia immediately appealed to the generation who grew up seeing their grandparents were watches with similar designs. To them, Daniel Wellington is retro and chic just like the remixes of old songs.

My viewpoint: While it is not a crime to draw inspiration from classic designs, I would like to criticize on the total lack of credit to the Bauhaus which inspired Daniel Wellington watches. Moreover, these designs are not new. It's just that the younger generation hasn't seen it on the media that they frequent on and that's precisely where Daniel Wellington has played the marketing game differently. There are brands like TISSOT Tradition and BRATHWAIT The Classic Slim that are comparable to Daniel Wellington in so many ways, perhaps their marketing strategy isn't as 'influential' as DW.

Is Daniel Wellington worth the price? 

I have physically seen a Daniel Wellington watch and based on my observation, here's why I don't think it is worth the price:

-      The cases are too thin and fragile which makes it very hard for setting the time.

-      The Daniel Wellington watches are not waterproof.

-    Made in China- Except for the Japanese standard Miyota quartz movement, everything else is manufactured and assembled in China. In case you are not aware, the Miyota movement in the Daniel Wellington watches is of the lowest grade, i.e worth USD 10 maximum. Hope that educates you as to how much premium you are paying for this brand.

The only value that I think the Daniel Wellington customers may get is from the fun of changing its interchangeable straps, similar to kids dressing up their Barbie dolls. 

Lastly, my husband doesn’t like brands that everybody buys. He likes brands that have heritage and display craftsmanship, brand names that are unheard off, subtle logos that people won’t recognize easily and companies that don’t exploit human labor or natural resources. Note that I don’t mean how much money I have or how expensive the brands are. I mean value for money. I like his choice of brands that portray elegance and intellect. BTW he owns an IWC while Vacheron Constantin and Jaeger-LeCoultre are on his wish list. So when I told him that I want a Daniel Wellington watch on my birthday, he told me exactly that I am going to tell you as well "It's your choice and I fully support the idea of buying whatever you like." 

Even after reading this article if you still want to buy a Daniel Wellington, please be my guest.