CEO Who Started A Watch Company In Ghana After Circle Repairer Ruined His Late Father’s Watch Gets $600k Deal
- The chief executive officer of Hourhand Co., Patrick Amofah, started his watch company in Ghana after a local artisan nearly destroyed an inherited watch from his late father
- In an exclusive interview with YEN.com.gh, the young watchmaker revealed that he is entrepreneurial, hence it was easy to settle on watchmaking when he saw the need
- Patrick Amofah spoke about the art of watch making and how he won the trust of his high-end clients to build a successful brand in Ghana
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Necessity is the mother of inventions, they say. A young Ghanaian man who always dreamt of becoming a pilot was forced to take chances and pursue a career in horology after an unforgettable experience with an unskilled watch repairer in the busy town of Accra, Ghana.
Source: Instagram
In an exclusive interview with YEN.com.gh, Patrick Amofah, the founder of Hourhand Watch Co., shared how he nearly lost one of his priced jewellery that was given to him by his late father in 2017 and the risks he took to set up his business after completing Zenith University with a degree in Business Information Systems.
Patrick Amofah talks about his journey to becoming a horologist
After continuous training and practical lessons, the former Swedru Senior High School graduate and horologist started his business in 2020. He recounts how a local watch repairer used the wrong materials to fix his late father's watch, almost destroying it in the process.
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In 2017, my father passed away. He loved watches and left quite a few of them.
I intended to wear a particular one but it was broken. I had trouble locating a reputable watchmaker to repair it in Ghana. I eventually found someone but he destroyed the dial by attempting to use super glue to repair the missing marks.
To be honest, I can’t go past this reason because I never took that lightly; it was something from someone that I loved and knew wouldn’t meet again so I wore it with a lot of sentiment. That therefore, became the pinnacle of my decision to indulge in watchmaking.
I started by understudying different watch repairers in Accra. I sat by them and watched them work few hours daily for some years.
I spent more hours on YouTube, however, learning about the art of watchmaking.
I bought old and spoilt watches from family, friends and strangers and worked on them to master my craft.
I also underwent a phase of experimenting, until I was able to disassemble and reassemble one of my old Seiko watches.
But I’m currently undertaking a certificate program at one of the prestigious watchmaking institutions in the world.
Patrick Amofah shares the motivation behind his successful business
As the old saying goes, better late than never. After his frustration and persistent attempts to fix his late father's watch, Patrick's passion led him to inquire about the watch market where he realised that a niche existed which needed to be tapped.
I believe in entrepreneurship and have always seen art, creativity and innovation to be a part of our daily lives; even in the simplest things that we do.
While navigating through that period, I met other people who had similar experiences which made me realise the need for a proper watch repair establishment to bridge that gap.
Patrick Amofah talks about setting up his business
While most people are closing down their shops to operate strictly online, horologists need a physical facility for their trade. This is necessitated by the import of making customers feel comfortable and confident enough to leave their precious possessions in their care.
"HourHand" was chosen to represent the ideas of precision and craftsmanship. The phrase "our hand" literally emphasises our handiwork.
I operated on a strictly online basis for about 6 months but our customers, most of whom had strong sentiments towards their watches, were often cautious. Although we had a swift and reliable delivery system, they were often on edge about sending through their watches.
So, there was an obligation to find a physical location. This way, our customers felt more confident in leaving their watches with us to work on.
Initially, we operated from a friend's apartment. He believed in our goals and mission and decided to share his apartment with us because of the high demand. His house was in a prime area which helped customers to locate us easily.
We worked from there until we managed to put up our own office space together at Greda Estates, Teshie, in 2021.
Patrick Amofah opens up about investing in his business
As a young CEO of a growing watch company in Ghana, Patrick invested all his profits into buying high-standard machines to improve the quality of his services.
We started as an online business, so the capital was relatively modest for the repairs - somewhere around GH¢4000-GH¢5000.
But we had to quickly move away from that and invest in the right tools for operating and establishing ourselves as an A-list watch company in Ghana, which is relatively capital-intensive.
The major challenge for us was building our reputation in a relatively competitive industry because most people did not have the best experiences with some of the watch services (primarily repairs) in Ghana.
Horology is lucrative and we have been able to re-invest in the business steadily and explore more added services, like our handcrafted leather watch straps.
Patrick Amofah shares how social media has promoted his brand
Indeed, time will tell. Through team efforts and hard work, Patrick built a successful online brand that became one of the sought after brands for watch enthusiasts, watch collectors and high ticket clients. He managed to do this through continuous posts on social media and online promotions.
Social media or digital marketing is an effective tool in business today. We have benefited from its ability to help reach new customers and create brand awareness. Our Instagram page is more active than those on the other platforms though.
Patrick Amofah talks about his services
As one of the privileged watchmakers to fix an expensive $600,000 Richard Mille McLaren watch in Ghana, Patrick Amofah has a bragging right over other competitive brands in Ghana.
One of our success stories was when one of our clients recommended the brand to a wealthy businessman who owns one of the 600 pieces of watches in Ghana.
With our watchmaking precision, innovation and craftsmanship, it took us two weeks to fix the watch and I was so proud of my team.
We are into general watch repairs and provide a wide range of activities such as: genuine parts replacements, battery replacement, inspection & cleaning, movement servicing and overhauling, band and case refinishing, links addition/removals and vintage timepiece restoration. We repair all types of watches and brands be they automatic, mechanical or quartz.
Patrick Amofah shares some advice for young students who want to pursue horology
It would be cliché to say you have to work hard, persevere and commit to whatever you’re doing but there’s this piece I like and I think it sums up my thoughts, “Time is not linear; it keeps to the true known laws of nature like most things. That which you practice, you get good at." If you practice the effective application of time, you compound that time. If you call a master craftsman to do a piece of work, he can do in a minute what a novice can’t do in a year. It’s because he’s collapsed time on itself. Time is non-refundable; use it with intention.
Ken Sarpong: Meet the 26-Year-Old Ghanaian Jeweller Who Started His Business With Zero Capital
Previously, YEN.com.gh wrote about Ghanaian entrepreneur Ken Sarpong who opened up about how he started a jewellery business with no capital.
In an exclusive interview with YEN.com.gh's fashion editor, the University of Ghana graduate shared his trade secrets with young entrepreneurs.
Ken Sarpong talked about some general challenges faced by most jewellers, especially those operating online.
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Source: YEN.com.gh
