Hello all,
We’re getting in touch today because you’ve signed up to the anOrdain waiting list, and we wanted to update you on how we plan to manage it going forwards, including the introduction of a reservation system, which is tied to a small fee. You don’t have to do anything now, but please read on to understand what we’re implementing – and why.
To provide some background, we introduced the waiting list last year when demand increased exponentially, something that’s been flattering and daunting in equal measure. Enamelling, as you no doubt recognise, is a time-consuming process, and our team can currently produce 40-50 watches a month, which is around 500 a year. The list, as it stands, is significantly longer than that.
Understandably, people want to know where they are on the list – it’s what we get asked the most, but it’s a tough one to answer. Our promise is that everyone who wants a watch will get one on a first come, first served basis: no lotteries, no timed releases, no limited editions. But, as you’d expect, not everyone progresses with an order when their time comes, which makes judging the waiting times very difficult.
The way to manage this, inevitably, is a reservation system that secures commitment to a purchase. We’ve been giving a huge amount of thought to how this can work in a way that’s simple and fair, ultimately providing everyone who wants an anOrdain watch a secure time for production and delivery. So here’s the plan.
We’re going to temporarily close the list to new subscribers and invite everyone currently on it to select an allocated time – we’ll call this your build slot – for when we can build and deliver the watch of your choice. To make sure we only have people on the list who intend to purchase, we’ll ask for a non-refundable reservation fee of £350 GBP (+VAT where applicable), which will be deducted from the final cost of your watch.
Build slots will equate to annual quarters: we’re assigning a certain number of watches to each quarter. By selecting one of these quarters, and then paying the reservation fee, you will have booked your window to choose a watch, have it made, and receive it. When your build slot arrives, we’ll get in touch to make all that happen.
To get the build slots allocated, we’ll be working our way systematically through the list in chronological order. Each customer will then have three days from the time of contact to select a build slot and pay the fee. If the transaction isn’t completed within the three days, the position in the queue will be forfeited.
We expect this to take a couple of months. We’d love to contact everyone at once, but that’s not viable, as we don’t want a frenzy of people competing for the same build slot. If you don’t hear from us right away, please bear with us: you will be hearing from us, we promise.
Pricing and Currency
Since 2019, our prices have been fixed in various currencies to make life easier and provide you with certainty over pricing, but in these tumultuous economic times, this has been problematic. As of today, we’ll be setting the prices in British Pounds and providing a live conversion rate for international purchases. This means you can pay in your own currency, which will be welcome news for most of you, as it means our watches will become quite a bit cheaper than they have previously been priced. For our British customers, we’ve kept prices as close to what they were as we can, but the increased cost of importing components has forced us to apply an increase of no more than 8% to our products.
Below is a summary of information you need to know about the reservation system, followed by more detailed information. Please do read this to ensure you understand what’s to come in the next few weeks and months.
KEY POINTS:
Reservations and Allocations
- Paying the reservation fee will secure your build allocation for one watch.
- The fee will be deducted from the final cost of your watch.
- The fee is a non-refundable one-time payment of £350 GBP (+VAT for UK-based customers)
- If paying in another currency, the price will be determined based on the exchange rate on the day of purchase.
- Reservations are not tied to a specific model.
- When your name is next on the list we will be in touch to let you know that you can select your build slot and pay your reservation fee.
- You will then have three days (72 hours) to pay the fee; otherwise, your position will be forfeited.
- We aim to invite everyone on the waiting list to select a build slot within the next three months.
Waiting Time
- We have divided the calendar into quarterly build slots, and allocated a certain number of watches to be built in each quarter.
- As your build slot approaches, we’ll be in touch to allow you to specify your order and pay the remaining balance.
- Your watch will be completed and sent out within your chosen build slot.
- You can only select one build slot and one watch.
Purchasing another watch
- Once everyone on the waiting list has had an opportunity to secure their place on the list, we will assess the production schedule before deciding how and when we will reopen our order books for new and returning customers.
Payment and Pricing
- The reservation fee will be payable by credit or debit card.
- If you opt not to pay the remaining balance, you will not be able to retrieve your reservation fee.
- Due to the length of the waiting list and the inflation risk, product prices may rise before you pay the remaining balance for your watch. We’ll cap any price increase at a maximum of 5% per year, reviewing pricing in September of each year.
To provide a little more explanation on our thinking in taking this route, here are a few additional insights:
The waiting list is a fair approach to demand exceeding supply. We have two simple principles with the waiting list. 1) everyone who wants a watch will get one, and 2) the list operates on a first come, first served basis with no exceptions or queue-jumping.
There aren’t any shortcuts when it comes to enamel. We’ve three master enamellers and four apprentices, all at different stages in their development. Training new enamellers reduces our production output, and it takes at least 18 months of intensive work before they can begin to work independently, so there are no quick fixes. Want to understand more about this process? Read our journal entry here.
A simple white enamel dial bought wholesale from a Swiss dial-maker costs more than our most expensive Fumé watch. Such dials are actually graded and priced depending on the number of imperfections, whereas when our dials don’t make the grade, they don’t find their way into a watch.
We currently operate on a markup of less than 0.5. This combination has fuelled demand, but we believe this level of value makes the wait worthwhile.
Your allocation isn’t watch-specific. We’ve a lot of exciting projects underway, and your allocated build slot can be used for any watch that’s available when the time comes. Everything which is available now will be available when you choose, unless we can’t make it due to external supply issues.
We recognise the uncertainty of inflation and the issues surrounding pricing and payment. We promise to keep any increases to our prices within 5% per annum of their current level (as of September 2022). If we fail to deliver on this we can refund your reservation fee in full. The current pricing is listed on our website now.
Below, we have included a graphic which lays out the course of action from the payment of the reservation fee to the arrival of your watch.
What you need to do now:
This email is intended only to provide a general update - no further action is required at this time . We’ll be in touch again shortly regarding your build slot. In the meantime, keep an eye out for an email from us (Monday - Friday), and make sure to enact the following steps:
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Add ‘hello@anordain.com’ to your email contacts so that our email doesn’t end up in your Spam folder.
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Make sure that you can log into your anOrdain account, which is linked to the email address that you used to sign up for the waiting list. If you cannot log into your anOrdain account, get in touch with us by emailing hello@anordain.com
If you have any questions, please reply to this email, and we will get back to you as soon as we can.