Source: TimeWerke Videos on YouTube.
Ikepod went silent in 2012 but this watch brand has been resuscitated and brought back to life by Christian-Louis Col who bought the brand in 2017.
Following its revival, the brand is now attempting to sustain itself on one-tenth of its previous “oxygen” intake.
Seriously?
First of all, a new version of Ikepod was launched on Kickstarter in 2018 and more than US$385,000 from over 750 supporters was generated from pre-orders within a few months. The first Ikepod revival was designed by Emmanuel Gueit, credited for creating the Royal Oak Offshore and redesigning the Rolex Cellini. The 2018 Ikepod was a quartz watch.
In March 2020, two years after the new generation debut piece, the second iteration Ikepod, the Megapod, was launched, again on Kickstarter. It is a remake or re-edition of the 1997 model that is said to have made the brand a success then. Former Baume & Mercier artistic director, Alexandre Peraldi, was behind the design of the re-edition Megapod equipped with a self-winding movement.
The 2020 Megapod is housed in a 316L stainless steel case, features the hour, minute and seconds hand and a silicone bracelet “in the spirit of the first Ikepod”. It has a power reserve of 42 hours and the watch is water-resistant to 5 atm (50 metres).
What do we mean when we said that Ikepod is attempting to survive on one-tenth of its previous oxygen intake?
Well, the new Ikepod Megapod costs CHF1,250 as compared to the original of 2008 that was priced at CHF12,500. That represents a mere 10% of the original price of 12 years ago!
How is such costing possible?
The Megapod, with the Japanese Miyota 9039 automatic movement, is being assembled in Hong Kong “at one of the leading watch subcontractors of major European watch brands”, the dials and hands are made in Taiwan
The Ikepod brand was launched by Marc Newson and Oliver Ike in 1994. However, it was “in suspension of payment in 2006” and resuscitated in 2008. Unfortunately, it went dormant in 2012. In 2017, Ikepod was brought back to life when Christian-Louis Col acquired the brand. It is said that Col was looking for an Ikepod in 2016 when he discovered that the brand was up for sale. The rest, as they always say, is history.
Now for those who may be sitting on the fence with the Ikepod Megapod, take note that early adopters (the “first contributors”, according to the brand) will be offered the special price of CHF740 as opposed to CHF1,250, representing a discount of 41%! This is a single-digit percentage or just 5.9% of the original price in 2008!
This truly explains Ikepod’s tagline: “Same quality, same design, new prices”. Yes, seriously.
More information on https://ikepodwatches.com/landing/
Video: Ikepod.