Watches, like other inanimate objects, are inherently neutral.
Sizing, decoration – these are all a product of socio-cultural and historical influences, and preferences similarly the subjective mix of time, place, and individual. It’s why there are trends, why which watches do well can differ between markets, and why special regional editions exist.
So too, is colour.
There have been a lot of green dials over the last twelve months, and there’s no reason to think that this won’t continue until the end of 2021, but there have also been some recent bursts of other bright and bold hues, includ...
Interview by Wei Koh.(reproduced with permission from Revolution Australia Magazine)
Founder and CEO of AVSTEV, Steven Rom with Chief of Operations, Marc Rom
REVOLUTION: What brought you from South Africa to Australia?
Steven Rom: Due to a horrific political experience and with the future uncertainty in the country at the time, I decided to relocate my family to Australia. We feel privileged to have been allowed to call this fine country, Australia, home.
How did you get involved in the watch industry?
I had done a deal to purchase a majority stake in a very successful liquor business, b...
MARC ROM’S first day at his father’s business left no-one in doubt about where the son ranked in the hierarchy: right at the bottom, cleaning out the bins. “Marc has worked his way up,” says Steven Rom, who founded Avstev Group in Sydney in 1999 as the regional distributor for Swiss watchmaker Raymond Weil. “I never gave him any titles.”
Marc was just 21 and had no outside experience, “whereas I’d been in business for 20-plus years in South Africa”, says Steven. He was prepared to give his son a start but not a free ride.
As the company grew – it’s now Australasia’s largest privately own...
How One Small Family Business Is Tapping Into The Luxury Watch Market
In an age of discount online sites and consumers riding the bargain bandwagon, it may seem a tough gig to sell a $1.5 million Swiss watch.
But Steve Rom, who co-founded his small family business The AVSTEV Group with his son Marc, says being a successful player in the luxury business isn’t as hard as you might think.
“It’s a competitive industry, but luxury is not a tough sell in Australia,” he told The Huffington Post Australia. “There are the three giants and then there’s us. We don’t want to compete with them -- we ar...