From technical evangelist to community manager for Marvin Watch Co.

I recently accepted a position as International Community Manager with a company called Marvin Watch Co. Marvin is a 160 year old Swiss luxury watch company based around Neuchatel. As part of the deal, I will be moving to Switzerland in several months to Marvin’s HQ. Those of you who have followed my past blogging and social media activity might be familiar with my background.


I spent two decades in technology, specifically as a software engineer and developer. Several years ago I left hands-on development and moved to the “other side of the house”, namely Sales and Marketing, and became a Sales Engineer for a new-breed database company. This made sense for me professionally because I always had a hybrid “techno-business” background with heavy consulting and entrepreneurial slants. Most technical people aren’t comfortable in customer-facing and business roles. And most business folks aren’t keen on technology. So when you can navigate comfortably between the two worlds, it’s a shame not to exploit it.  And so I did.


As it turned out, and without realizing it, I ended up becoming what’s called a “technical evangelist” in the industry. The definition of the term remains nebulous in my opinion, but I usually point people to this blog post for a better explanation. I also mention Guy Kawasaki and Robert Scoble as two well-known pioneering giants of the trade. In the process, I learned hard and fast about “social media”. I penned some thoughts about the art of SMM here.


Now clearly, it’s a long way from technology to horology (not to mention from California to Neuchatel) but in a way, not really. To me, beautiful time pieces blend form and function in mesmerizing ways. Ideally, the technology behind a quality watch is as intricate and pure as its design. So I’ve always loved and admired watches, but I never in my wildest dreams imagined I would someday work in the industry.


Marvin is one of the most original and progressive Swiss luxury watch companies in the world. So when they started looking for someone to evangelize their revered brand worldwide using the latest Web and Social Media technologies, they searched for an “outsider”.  Someone with experience, but also an individual who could think outside the “horology box”. With my engineering, business, and technical evangelism background, I was lucky enough to be that person.


Now, let’s face it, the luxury watch industry is not known for its progressive, modern and hip approach to online marketing or community building, as my good friend Sandrine Szabo blogged about recently. And that’s one of the reasons I was compelled by Marvin’s vision and people. It takes insight, vision, brains, and vast amounts of courage to pull off something like this. Marvin’s new owner Cécile Maye possesses all those qualities and then some. I don’t think it’s been done before on this scale. And the opportunity to help create a new “curve” in this industry, and to build a compelling community around Marvin using new age technologies was simply not something I could turn away.


Marvin’s mantra is “New Times, New Codes” – symbolizing a new direction for the 160 year old company whose products once covered the globe. In five years, Marvin’s new management has revived the spirit and market presence of this revered brand now available in 92 countries. I’m excited about being part of this new adventure. 


In subsequent posts, I will be discussing this new experience from a personal level. I was born in Paris, grew up in NYC, became a US citizen, moved to California, and am now headed back to Europe. I think there might just be a few amusing anecdotes behind that saga so stay tuned :)