BA111OD owner believes in leaving retail to retailers
With Swiss watchmaking running through his veins, Thomas Baillod is better placed than most to talk about the sector’s strengths and weaknesses.
His brand, BA111OD, came about as something of an accident in 2019, he claims, on the back of his views on the shifting nature of watch distribution and channels to market at the time.
As part of an upcoming in-depth interview with Watch Insider, Baillod said that he has no plan to dip his toe into direct bricks and mortar retail, despite having tweaked his business model a little since the brand’s launch.
“I’m good at selling watches, but I’m not a retailer. Leave retail to retailers — they’re good at that,” Baillod said. “Plus, they have invested decades. Why should we change something that works?
“They also might have multiple brands that they divide the risk between and that is how it should be. I’m accompanying those retailers,” he continued.
“We’re selling more direct-to-consumer where we enjoy the full margin. So we’re just mixing those two margins to make regular margins. You are seeing more and more brands selling direct to consumers, enjoying 300% more profit than when they sell through Watches of Switzerland, but they don’t change their prices. On the contrary, they often increase their prices. This is wrong.
“Maybe I’m just naive, but I’m just trying to do things correctly. I take the money I should take for my activity, but not more. It’s based on one very simple thing: respect your customers, respect your product.”
The full wide-ranging interview will be published in the June 2026 edition of Watch Insider.
