There aren’t many people who can say they’ve worked in the same company all their lives. Even fewer can say that company has been part of their family for 190 years.
But Simon Philip Wolf V is one such person. As the CEO of Wolf, he is the fifth generation to lead this eponymous company – the premier name in luxury jewellery accessories alongside watch boxes, cases and winders.
The company’s patented technology and innovative product design in jewellery accessories and watch rotators, has made the company what it is today – a true global market leader.
Wolf has recently opened the company’s first ever pop-up store in Covent Garden to celebrate its 190th Anniversary: “I am incredibly proud of what my family has managed to achieve over the past 190 years,” says Simon. “And what better way to celebrate the five generations but to open a retail shop, something we have always wanted to do.”
We caught up with Simon to learn more about his journey in the business.
SM: What were your abiding memories from the early days when you first joined the business?
SW: At age 20, my father put me through an apprenticeship of sorts, first working with Tony Cook, a regional sales rep that we had; then spending six months in the factory learning all aspects of procurement, preparation and manufacturing; then on to sample making and photography.
SM: Talk us through your experience as an apprentice?
SW: It was a journey of discovery, each department that I worked in was a whole new world to understand. I remember standing on the production line for hours on end, completing the insides of boxes; you had to press the lining in with your thumbs. I had blisters after the first day but soon got used to it.
SM: What was the most important lesson your father taught you in business?
SW: “Don’t worry, it will be alright” Simple words, but in the end if you worry too much, you get paralysed, and nothing gets done. Each task has to be broken down to its simplest level – and then it's easier to make sense of.
SM: What have been the biggest change you’ve seen during your career?
SW: Technology across all parts of the business. I started back in the 1990s communicating with other businesses using a TELEX machine. Then fax and much later emails. And today, it’s nothing to have a meeting where you can ‘see’ the person you are speaking to in another part of the world. All aspects of the business have changed, and we have had to change and adapt with them.
SM: And what’s been the biggest challenge?
SW: Finding great people. We have them now but it's tough finding the right match
SM: Are there any commissions that stand out for you?
SW: Our recent collaboration with Royal Asscher is a standout for me, a great family business with amazing heritage having real depth. Who else can say that the two largest diamonds set into the King’s Crown came from their family?
Caroline
SM: What’s WOLF’s biggest seller?
SW: In the world of jewellery care and storage, for sure the Caroline collection is a mainstay. For watch care, it would be the multi-piece winders: the 3, 4, 6 and 8 module winders.
SM: Talk us through the most complicated product you make?
SW: The Rocket. The smallest watch winder in the world is complicated; we had to reduce the size of all the internal components so that it would fit in the palm of your hand. Took us two years to get it right.
The Rocket
SM: How do you stand out from your competitors?
SW: We are a true brand; we engage at tradeshows with our customers, we have salespeople calling on our retailers, we participate in as many events as we can.
We support our retail partners through education of the brand and the product. We have been around longer by many decades, and we have technology that they don’t and patents that protect it.
SM: What launches have you been most excited about this year?
SW: We had two 190th year product launches this Autumn – the Philipp, which is a beautiful re-creation of a design that my father had great success with in the 1970s, and then Earth, which is my contribution; it’s a watch care collection of winders, boxes and travel rolls made from apple leather and recycled lining materials. It also has Bluetooth connectivity so you can control your winder from your phone.
Highlights from the Earth collection
To see more, go to wolf1834.com
