This week, we interviewed Tom Morf, the Co-Founder and CEO of Aramedes. He is a versatile top executive focusing on shaping brands and defining their strategies. He is an entrepreneur with a passionate, innovative, and creative mind who brings extraordinary ideas to the table.
His company Aramedes is a watch-making company that combines the power of Swiss mechanical watch-making and high-tech in an unprecedented way. Aramedes is also present on social media Linkedin, Facebook, and Instagram.
Explain the background of you and the company in detail.
I’m a Swiss citizen, and I’ve been in the Swiss watch industry for more than 25 years. I have a background in mechanical engineering and a degree in business administration. Watches were and still are a great passion for me, and my objective was always to find new ways in doing things. Leaving the beaten path is what makes the world go round, and that’s why my partner Pascal Stübi and I have founded Aramedes.
Aramedes is not only a watch brand, but more so a technology company. We’re combining Swiss mechanical watchmaking with high-tech to challenge the status quo. We do things that no one has dared to find solutions so far. Aramedes was founded in 2019, and we had the idea to create premium luxury watches for Muslims with features such as Qibla, Salah, and Sawm indicators.
Not only were the technical challenges our driver and motivation for the project but building a cultural bridge between Switzerland and the Islamic culture with its glorious history was even more important for us. Another important thing needs to be mentioned: unlike most of the Swiss watch brands based in the French part of Switzerland, Aramedes was founded in Zurich. Zurich is not only the Swiss economic powerhouse, with banks and insurance, etc., but also a high-tech cluster. The access of strong brainpower to the high-tech industry was equally important for us.
What are your goals?
Our goals can be described as follows:
- Being different is part of our self-image. That’s why we want to build cultural bridges between Switzerland and the Islamic culture, which should have a lasting impact.
- We want to stir the Swiss watch industry with new, fresh ideas.
- We want to build a sustainable business.
- We want to be a great employer.
- Everything and everyone is important.
What do you feel is the biggest strength of yourself/company right now?
Our biggest strength is the uniqueness of our product with no direct competition. Our USP gives us a competitive advantage, and it can only be copied with a great effort only. We also have a patent granted for our technology. The Aramedes team consists of various experts. From watch industry veterans, high-tech specialists to hard- and software engineers, as well as experts for marketing and distribution. We’re a dynamic organization with rapid decision-making processes, which helps us be proactive in everything we do.
What was the path you/your company took to get to where you are today?
We started with a white sheet of paper with only an idea in mind. We didn’t even know whether the things we had in mind would be doable technically. We started putting together a team of experts and discussing the idea and the challenges involved.
On the other side, we started discussions with friends from the Islamic world and shared our ideas with them. All of them were enthusiastic and encouraged us to move ahead. We also knew it is a very sensitive topic to touch things with an entirely different cultural background, and we were very cautious when we moved ahead.
Our counterparts from this part of the world helped us in many ways. Since 2019 we predominantly developed the brand identity, our products, and the technology, and apart from our personal investment, we were looking for co-investors for the project. End of 2021, we presented Aramedes at the Dubai Watch Week (DWW). In the meantime, we have founded an Aramedes subsidiary in Dubai. We want to be close to the markets in the GCC region to develop the brand in a professional manner.
Why did you start (or want to be the head of) this company?
I’m a very passionate person, and I always want to shape something. I don’t like mediocre things. Leaving my comfort zone is my motivation and drive. I’m leading this company because I have experience in many markets worldwide. You must understand the markets, and especially at the beginning, the right moves are of utmost importance.
I’m the CEO because nobody else volunteered for the job. Just kidding, I’ve been a CEO since 2002 in various companies, and it was clear right from the beginning that my partner is more on the product side, whereas I’m responsible for the commercial side of the business.
What have been the biggest challenges you’ve had to overcome?
For sure, the biggest challenges are the technical ones. We had to develop the entire technology from scratch. The layout and the design of the so-called PCB had to be created. Are the right components available on the market? What can be bought, and what needs to be built? We also had high-quality requirements measured against a high-end audio system. Everything is important. These were the biggest challenges we’ve had to overcome.
Give us one word that describes you the best.
Passionate!
What makes you excited about Mondays?
Monday is a day on which I basically do without meetings, and I can do all the other things that are necessary to build up a company.
What do you value most about your culture and vision?
I don’t know if this has to do with my culture or, rather my upbringing. Being open to many things is an important prerequisite to developing a vision. That helps a lot to deal with new things and to challenge things. But that’s something my parents gave me along the way in life.
Tell us about a project that forced you to be innovative and creative.
In all my professional projects, I have tried to break new ground and look at things from a new perspective. I developed things that were technically innovative, but also implemented marketing ideas that didn’t exist before. I expect the same from those around me. I don’t want them to follow paths that have already been trodden. I have won various innovation awards with my team in several projects.
What are the strategies of your company, and how do they stand unique from your competitors?
Our strategy is based on the uniqueness of our technology, with a high degree of complexity and a clear target group. Due to this, there is no dilution and communicative scattering losses. Thus, our investments in marketing can be kept within reasonable limits.
What are the key values which helped you to overcome the roadblocks/challenges in your career? Tell us something about your memorable incident in your leadership.
My key values in my career are always based on authenticity, honesty, trust, and respect. I don’t measure people by what they say but by what they do. People talk a lot, but they don’t act on it. I’ve had deals fall through because a business partner didn’t stick to clear agreements. Sometimes it is wiser to say no than to leave the negotiating table with an unpleasant feeling afterward. My consistent actions have earned me respect.
How do you see the company changing in two years, and how do you see yourself creating that change?
I would like to see consistent further development for the company, and this serves as the basis for sustainable growth. We are not only talking about quantitative targets here, but also qualitative ones. I also strive for a high level of identification with our target group.
Where is your leadership going? What benefits do your clients get from your company in this competitive world?
My leadership does not aim to decide everything myself but to surround myself with people who are willing to make decisions themselves and take responsibility for their actions. I see myself more as a coach of a team. I want to celebrate successes with the team. Aramedes is not a Tom Morf show but an interaction of different parts. It’s like a well-oiled, run-in gearbox in which every component is important.
What are the services/solutions or products offered by your company as par with the current industry standards? Tell us something about your upcoming products or services.
We are in the process of building our product portfolio and services. Our goal is to offer new services for our watches, which no one in the watch industry has been able to offer so far. We are also working on exciting new products to complete our collection. The product is still one element to success, but we’re convinced that customer centricity holds the key for sustainable growth. We want to have the most satisfied customers because they are the best brand advocates for Aramedes.
Connect with Tom Morf on LinkedIn.