For lifestyle, outdoor and sports brands
HTIMES develops watches for lifestyle, outdoor and sports brands whose customers already live in their products — on the bike, on the trail, through the week. The watch is built in your colours and marks, for the way your customers actually use it, and sold alongside the rest of your range. You bring the brand; we handle design development, sampling and production. Once the sample is approved, most first runs are between 100 and 300 pieces per design.
Why Lifestyle and Sports Brands Add a Watch
Your customers need the time mid-activity
Riders, runners and hikers check the time constantly. Reaching for a phone in a pocket is awkward — and often unsafe.
It belongs in a range that grows
A brand that already sells apparel and accessories can add a watch the same way it adds a new jersey or bag.
It keeps developing
A watch can be refreshed with each season’s colours and become a lasting category, not a one-off.
What Usually Holds Lifestyle Brands Back
| What brands worry about | How we handle it |
|---|---|
| “Smartwatches already do everything.” | Your customers already carry a bike computer or a phone for data. A simple, readable watch in your colours does one job well — and it carries your name. |
| “It has to survive real use.” | Straps and case finishes are chosen for sweat, weather and long days, and confirmed on a physical sample before production. |
| “We don’t want a one-off product.” | The watch is planned into your yearly range development, so it can grow with new colours and editions. |
Case Study: A Cycling Brand’s Watch That Matches Its Kit
The brand. A cycling brand with bicycles, apparel and accessories, whose range grows every year.
The challenge. Riders check the time on every ride, and reaching for a phone in a jersey pocket is awkward and unsafe. The watch they wore came from someone else.
What we developed. A simple, easy-to-read watch on a proven base, with three parts developed for the brand: a dial with kit colours as accents and the brand mark placed so the time stays readable mid-ride; a case finished in the brand palette; and a sports strap that handles sweat and weather, coloured to match the kit.
The result. The watch sells in the same collection as the brand’s jerseys and accessories, so riders buy it with their kit — and it is now a continuing category in the brand’s yearly range development.
What We Develop Around Your Brand
- Dial — your colours as accents, with your mark placed so the time stays easy to read
- Case — a proven base, finished in your palette
- Strap — sports materials that handle sweat and weather, in your colours
- Functions — kept as simple as your customers need
- Packaging — built for your brand, or your own
How a Collection Comes Together
| Stage | What you approve | Allow |
|---|---|---|
| Brief & NDA | Your brand, references, target retail price, quantity in mind and launch date. The NDA is signed before any artwork is shared. | First week |
| Design & approval | Renderings, revised with you until the design is final. | A month or more |
| Sample | A physical sample in final materials. Confirm your quantity now, so production can start the day the sample is approved. | Around 30–45 days |
| Production & delivery | Every piece checked against the approved sample. | Around 45–60 days |
For most brands, a first collection takes around four months or more from brief to delivery. Once the sample is approved, most first runs are between 100 and 300 pieces per design. See the full timeline.
What You Can Count On
- Your design stays yours — an NDA before any artwork is shared, renewed annually. Drawings are split by component, so no supplier ever sees the complete watch.
- One approved reference — every production piece is checked against the sample you signed off.
- Clear quotes — a one-time development fee per design, from around $500 and often around $1,000, plus a unit price itemised by component. We quote after seeing your design. How we quote.
- Compliance — CE and RoHS as standard.
Questions Brands Ask First
Does the watch need smart functions?
Usually not. Most of your customers already carry a phone or a bike computer for data; a simple, readable watch in your colours is what they don’t have yet.
Can we start from an existing case?
Yes. Starting from a proven base and developing the dial, case finish and strap is often the quickest way to a first watch.
How many pieces is a first run?
Once the sample is approved, most first runs are between 100 and 300 pieces per design.
Do we need any watch experience?
No. You bring the brand and approve each stage; we handle design development, sampling and production.
How long does it take?
Around four months or more for most brands: a month or more for design and approval, around 30–45 days for the sample and around 45–60 days for production.
Related reading: When diversification works for lifestyle brands · Timing a launch around major events · Semi-custom or full custom?
Tell Us About Your Range
Share your brand, how your customers use your products, the quantity you have in mind and your launch date. We’ll tell you which approach fits and how long to allow — including when watches aren’t the right next step.
