How best to store your watches when you’re not wearing them? Maahir Savlani, who’s behind the BezelHold brand, has some ideas.
You’ve just spent tens or perhaps hundreds of thousands of dollars on a really nice watch, you’re flexing it on your wrist, drawing admiring gazes from people seated 1.5 metres away from you at your favourite restaurant. Then you head home — now what? Where do you house your new, shiny and unscratched timepiece? It’s a frustration deeply felt by Maahir Savlani, who set about creating a business around watch storage two years ago. The result, BezelHold, is the product of his background as a product designer and watch collector, inspired by passion and the belief that collectors today deserve better options for display, storage and protection.
Here, Maahir Savlani talks about his new company, Bezelhold.
Why did you start Bezelhold and was it something you’ve always wanted to do?
I founded BezelHold due to a personal need which I realised afterwards was also a necessity in the horological world. Being a collector myself and feeling that watches deserve respect and adoration, I noticed that the options for storage and protection were limited; this led to the belief that surely the modern collector deserved more.
After graduating from University in 2017 with a degree in Product Design, I was given the responsibility of a leading role in my family business. Over the next three years, under the apprenticeship of my dad, I was able to better understand how to nurture several privately operated, product-driven businesses. This allowed me to gain first-hand experience while managing the production and supply chains of the brands from our global clientele.
Having acquired these skills, it became apparent that the time was right to present my own brand and collection of products. After much thought and consideration, a clear idea began to form. I knew it was important to focus on an industry which I felt passionate about. As for a brand to progress and eventually thrive, it must have real value-added across its designs. With a deep admiration for watches, it was only natural that the perfect line of products to develop was within the same sphere.
As a watch collector, what were your biggest peeves about existing watch-storage products?
The first word that comes to mind is complacency. There are a few brands in the space which have been dominant in the industry for a long time. Through my personal shopping experiences, paired with my own extensive research before presenting BezelHold, it was evident that the existing designs hadn’t been enhanced for several years. There was a need for more finesse and the attention to detail that modern collectors are looking for. Since Apple launched the iPhone, the global standard for product, branding and packaging has been elevated, with the result that the end consumer’s palate is far more refined. Following on from this, BezelHold aims to revolutionise the watch-accessories industry, making it accessible and desirable for a new age of watch collectors.
How do your designs solve these existing problems?
To gain appreciation, designers must highlight and improve the functionality of their products. One of the drawbacks we found in watch storage was in the cushions used, which are often designed as “one size fits all”. This is impractical because wrist sizes vary, the obvious differences being between men and women. With clear design principles, each of our products offers the option of an adjustable cushion size. This was accomplished through extensive R&D, which allowed us to offer the compressible and belted cushions that are found across our collection. It’s just one example of how BezelHold aims to find solutions that we hope will eventually push watch accessories forward.
Focusing on our watch winders, discerning collectors will find that our designs feature a “door sensor”, which ensures that when the winder is opened, the watches will always come to rest at the 12 o’clock position. It embodies the characteristics of an intuitive product that understands the needs of the collector and aims to enhance the experience.
What’s in your own collection?
Perpetual Calendars are at the top of my collection, because of the awe they inspire at the mathematical depths and intricacies the watchmakers must tackle in order to produce these movements. Notably, there’s my IWC Da Vinci Perpetual Calendar (ref 3758). Introduced in 1985, the Da Vinci collection offered a new insight into the IWC lineage. It featured a perpetual-calendar chronograph movement that was one of the manufacturer’s most complicated designs in modern times. This watch can be seen as one of the “faces” of the BezelHold campaign. It also holds a special place in my collection, as it was produced around 1995, the year I was born.
Another jewel in my collection would have to be the Girard Perregaux WW.TC (ref 49805). The world-time complication is phenomenally practical; here, it’s indicated by an inner rotating bezel, which presents 24 cities and their corresponding time zones. The watch also features chronograph and date functions, which enables the wearer to start, stop, reset and reflect.
Where can we find Bezelhold?
We’re honoured to announce that our complete collection is now available at MisterChrono Hong Kong, a leader in the watch-accessories market that represents only the finest and most sought-after brands.
We’re also pleased to announce we’ve forged a strong relationship with WritstCheck, a pioneer in the Hong Kong watch-collecting market. Our watch rolls are now on display and available at its Landmark Atrium boutique.
To underline the importance of this partnership, we’ve designed a limited-edition, Navy-camouflage watch roll available exclusively at WristCheck in Hong Kong.