The Story of Mazarin Watches – A Watchlover’s dream

It’ the ultimate dream for any watch lover to create their own watch. Recently Jordan and myself met a man who has made that dream a reality. Neil Samtani from Gibraltar, together with his friends John Shieh and Shaun Idnani are the people behind Mazarin Watches.

The seeds for the company where planted a few years ago, when realising that none of the watches available to them on the market fully appealed to them. Born was the spark of an idea to create their own watch. Starting with a whatsapp group chat (what could be more fitting for millennial entrepreneurs) a strong discussion ensued filled with passion to turn that spark of an idea into a kindling flame. Soon this idea was granted a name; Mazarin, inspired by a beautiful Japanese storage box.

 

 

What followed next was the quest for the proper manufacturing of their watch. Here it was important for the founders that no compromises where made both in terms of aesthetics and pricing. Inspired by the likes of Audemars Piguet, Linde Werdelin, and Hublot, Mazarin features a modern design. Unlike their inspirational counterparts however it was important to the founders that their watches remained at an accessible price, that being around $500.

The design bears the story of the three in many little elements. Neil spoke with glowing eyes of the tales which inspired the details of their watch. The screws for example are made with 3 strokes to symbolise the friendship of the team, or the grooves on the crown which are modelled after the beat of one of their favourite songs. Regardless of personal taste there lies a certain beauty in their watches which cannot be achieved by more mainstream brands, being a ticking testament of their tale.

 

 

More difficult than creating the actual watch though was defining themselves as a brand in this hyper competitive market. To achieve this the goal was clear from the beginning, focus on making a product that people truly love, rather than trying to appeal to the masses. This was achieved through a strong social media presence which has fostered a dedicated community around the globe. A successful strategy it seems, with the next shipment of watches already being sold out and celebrities like Watchanish reaching out to the three to talk watches.

As Neil said, “All of the challenges faced are worth it in the end, if you have the chance to do something you love”. Something that we at Watch & Bullion can identify with.

 

Neil’s Personal Mazarin

 

The plan for the future is to create a lifestyle brand driven as much by the company as it is by the community supporting them. With an automatic time only watch and a ladies series in the pipeline, we wish Neil, John, and Shaun all the best from the entire Watch & Bullion team, and trust that their heartfelt passion will drive them towards success!

For more on the brand be sure to check out their website here!