Feel confident while wearing and telling the time with Kalosdial watches

Yesterday's the past, tomorrow's the future, but today is a gift. That's why it's called the present.

Bil Keane

If you're a keen watch aficionado, IndieBloom 'are right on time' to introduce a new watch brand called Kalosdial ⌚

Time for some action

Specialising in wristwatches that are 'Inspired by a need to create watches that give a symbolic sense of prestige to its wearer', Kalosdial is created in Lagos, Nigeria from the mind of Dele.

I have always been a fashionable person, this I got from my Dad & older brother. The love for wristwatches began when I would go through their watch collections, I was mostly fascinated with the shape of the watch casings, the colour and design of the dials. So when I started working, I started buying my own wristwatches. Building my watch collection with different quality grades of watches, not high end luxury watches though because I couldn’t afford them.

Dele explaining where his fascination with watches started from. Shortly after, him and a friend decided to come together and sell watches because of the positive comments they were getting from people while wearing them. Things were actually doing well in terms of sales, however Dele didn’t feel fulfilled due to the quality of the watches they were selling. 'I wasn’t just interested in building a business, I was interested in building a brand.' From this realisation and being honest with himself he then decided, 'That’s when I got inspired to create my own wristwatch brand, since I already knew the type of quality I wanted in my wristwatches and still get great value for money.'

Due to Dele dabbling within the wristwatch industry since 2010, 2014 saw him and his partner found Elx Stores (now defunct) in which they sold wristwatches and other fashion accessories. While in 2016 he decided to have his own wristwatch brand, in which 2018 saw Kalosdial being conceived.

The word Kalosdial is coined from the Greek 🇬🇷 word ‘Kalos’, which means 'Something beautiful inside and out'. Dele explains that 'The two most vital parts in a watch are the engine movement and the dial.' Further detailing that 'Kalosdial watches personifies the beauty on the inside by using good quality engine movements and not engine movements that cost within the ranges of $3-$10, that a lot of fashion and microbrands use.' While concluding the statement as, 'We also make sure our Dials being the integral part of the watch that invokes visual sensations by their beauty are colourful and creative with each collection we will launch.'

Watch this space

'I will say God has been my inspiration in all things, without Him by my side Kalosdial would not be a reality.' Dele begins when asked on his influences and inspiration. While adding. 'My major influences are other successful entrepreneur stories, it always gives me the zeal to move ahead even in difficult times' 🙏

Have you checked out the various designs Kalosdial have on offer? Any favourites? When we asked the man behind them, 'Hmmm…that’s a tough one. I don’t have a favorite design because I love them all, but I can say I am drawn towards the Marvos Gold Chronograph and the Intrepid Luxe Chrongraph.' While not forgetting to mention, 'The beauty of the Inspire Chronograph Collection, is that there is always a design that tickles someones fancy out of the six watch designs'. Difficult choices.

We also asked the question about Kalosdial digital watches, to which Dele commented, 'I like them a lot and I have a few ideas on creating Kalosdial digital watches in the near future.' Keep an eye out.

Within the models it varies with the individuals based on several factors like availability of funds, manpower, logistics etc. As explained by Dele, 'For me, it took me three years to get the final designs for the Inspire Chronograph Collection.' This was because of changes in designs, quality, part specifications and adjustments, etc. While other factors include 'The production time basically depends on the MOQ (minimum order required), but one can look at between 45-60 working days to finish production.'

Every second counts

Always wanted to know how a watch is made? Below is the process explained in detail by Dele.

Here you work with your designer to draw/design the look of your watch. This process is back and forth basically, because you go over what has been designed over and over again, making corrections where needed. It's not a task you can achieve within days especially when you know what you want. Once the design is done you can move to creating your real life picture renderings of the design(s), making sure it's exactly what you want. These renderings include watch casings, the dials, second, hour, minute hands, dial bartons, the caseback, crown and straps. Once you get all these sorted, you can now move onto your prototype watches. These are actually working watches with all your requirements and specs taking into account from your renderings. They normally take around 20-30 working days to create because individual moulds will be made for each design. Basically it’s a long, intricate process and one has to pay attention to details to prevent delays in the designs which could affect overall production time. Finally once the prototypes are done and have been inspected. Taking into consideration quality control, design defects etc. And it's been signed off, full production can start.

Sounds like a long, stressful process? What's been the toughest for Dele? 'I will say raising funds. It's not easy when you have to do it all by yourself, it can take a long time to achieve.' While adding some positive vibes with, 'But I will say trust in God, believe in yourself, your dream and keep forging ahead.' 🙌

The website is being built as we speak, although Kalosdial also has a Shopify account as well. All coming very soon.

Well once we launch The Inspire Chronograph Collection on the platform called Indiegogo in July and I am confident we are going to have a successful campaign. That’s our springboard to becoming a global microbrand. We have started working on our renderings of our second watch collection and I can tell you it's going to be even better than the Inspire Chronograph Collection. We will also soon start work on our mecaquartz and automatic designs as well. I see Kalosdial becoming a recognised global brand within the next 3 years based on the kind of business strategy we have put in place.

Does Dele have any free time? 'Well when I am not working on Kalosdial, I run my own real estate firm.' A busy man indeed 👨🏿

While being an experienced entrepreneur (along with being a married family man) has been life changing for him. 'I believe what ever steps you take, you will always end up on the path destined for you. What matters is how you relate with experiences you have along the way.'

COVID, a difficult time for everyone. Though for Dele it allowed him more time to research on the wristwatch industry, know what he was not doing right and the best way to create good quality watches. Basically taking him back to the drawing board to create better watches and helping achieve where Kalosdial is today.

Though it's all worth it for him. 'Ah!… That would be when I saw pictures of my prototype watches. I was so excited seeing my dream become a reality.' ✋🏿😊🤚🏿

Thanks to IndieBloom being the first to showcase you Kalosdial. Our first indie to be based from Africa 🌍, do check out their Instagram and Facebook pages while building up to their launch soon. Be bold and live free!