Every year, this client goes to comic and anime expos with one goal: finding the next intellectual property it wants to work with. Film franchises, anime series, characters, celebrity names. Some are newly popular; others have decades of fans behind them.
The client is a watch brand that builds collections around licensed IP. Over the years that has included major Hollywood studio franchises, well-known animation properties and anime titles. Once a licence is signed, watches become one of the most important products in the programme.
Why watches, of all licensed products
Licensed products run on fan economy. Fans buy things that let them carry what they love into everyday life, and they’ll pay more for a product that does it well.
Licensed IP can go on almost anything: T-shirts, mugs, keyrings, figures. For this client, watches stand apart for two reasons.
The first is margin. A well-made licensed watch sells at a far higher price than most licensed merchandise, which makes it one of the most valuable products a licensee can build from a deal.
The second is function. A watch gets used every day. Fans aren’t buying a decorative item that sits on a shelf. They’re buying something they wear and use, with the character or story they love built into it. That gives a licensed watch a place in a fan’s daily life that most merchandise never reaches.
Those two reasons explain why good IP, new and established alike, is so fiercely contested, and why watches are at the centre of the plan once a licence is secured.
Every IP is its own project
No two properties translate the same way. An anime series, a superhero franchise and a classic animated film each have their own visual language, their own fan expectations and their own details that matter. The watch has to capture what fans recognise, whether that’s a symbol, a colour scheme, a character or a moment, without turning into a costume piece.
That’s why each licence becomes its own development project rather than a logo added to an existing watch. The design starts from what makes the IP recognisable: its colours, its logo, its characters and imagery, and above all the elements fans are most attached to. Those are carried into the dial design and the strap colours, so the watch reads as the IP at a glance.
Working to the rhythm of a licence
Licensed programmes run on fixed windows: the licence term, a film or series release, the key selling season. The watches have to be ready for those moments, and design details usually need the licensor’s approval before production.
Because the client signs new IP every year, the work never really stops. New properties arrive, new collections are developed, and established ones are refreshed.
The outcome
Watches have become a core part of the client’s licensing business. They’re the product the client plans around when it signs a new IP, not an add-on considered afterwards.
IP also gives the work continuity. A licence doesn’t end with one launch: when a new film is released or a new event or campaign is announced, the client launches new watches to go with it. Each IP becomes a series of collections over time, not a single product.
Related reading: How Entertainment Brands Extend Their World Into Watches
Questions brands ask about projects like this
Why are watches a strong product for licensed IP?
Watches combine higher margins than most licensed merchandise with everyday function. Fans wear and use them daily rather than keeping them on a shelf, which gives a licensed watch more lasting value for the buyer and a stronger commercial case for the licensee.
Where do licensed watch brands find new IP?
Many licensees find new properties at comic, anime and licensing expos, where IP holders present both new and established titles. Popular film, anime and celebrity IP is highly competitive, so licensees often plan watch collections as a core part of the programme from the moment a licence is signed.
How is a licensed IP watch developed?
Each IP is treated as its own project. The watch is designed around the details fans recognise, such as symbols, colours or characters, and translated so it still works as an everyday watch. Development is planned around the licence timeline and release windows, and designs usually go through the licensor’s approval before production.
Related reading: The Questions to Ask a Watch Development Partner Before You Commit
If you’re signing new IP and thinking about watches as part of the programme, we’d be glad to talk through how your property might translate to the wrist. Start a conversation →