Many people I know are intrigued by the success of Swedish fashion brand Daniel Wellington. The company is owned by John Filip Tysander, who has created an exceptionally successful business model. Primarily this has been done via strategic marketing, which has resulted in volume sales. Even though his quartz timepieces are generic in style they have resonated with millions of youthful buyers because of the affordable price point. However, as much as I admire John Filip Lysander’s entrepreneurial acumen my prime motivation is innovative design. That is why I am more enticed by an artisan craftsman who creates bespoke products. A great example can be found in Mark Gold who is a veteran jewellery designer with 29-years’ experience under his belt.
I first became aware of Mark Gold a few weeks ago and am highly impressed with his work. As a gentleman of a similar age, we have a lot of common interests including horology and architecture. Mark has a British background but was born and raised in South Africa. He jokingly informed me that his teachers said he would amount to nothing and that was the catalyst for his ambitious spirit. Between 1987 – 1990 he studied jewellery design at the Durban University of technology and subsequently worked for a small jewellery manufacturer. Presently, he operates his own business from a small studio just outside Cape Town.
Over the years Mark Gold has won made awards for his exquisite diamond jewellery. However, like most progressive designers he has diversified into new and exciting product lines. In particular, his new ‘Gamechanger’ watch really caught my eye. If you like über-cool diver style pieces, they don’t come much bolder than this one. For a start, the 48mm case is fabricated from specialised superalloys that can be colour coordinated to customers exact specifications. It is also exceptionally robust due to a patented titanium ti5 pod, which protects the mechanical movement.
Another product line that has been very successful for Mark Gold is his range of masculine rings with 8-separate moving parts aptly named ‘High Roller’. I was very fortunate enough to get my hands on one and am very impressed with the quality. What makes this product so special is the choice of materials like surgical grade steel, bronze and even precious metals like gold. The (trademarked) ‘High Roller’ took two fastidious years of research and development. That is why the manufacturing process is very complicated and involves precision tooling. I tried to extract more detailed information from Mark about the assembly technique but unfortunately, he remains tight-lipped.
For more information about Mark Gold follow this link
