Eleven James

Eleven James – Exclusive Watch Club | Think Rent-the-Runway, but for Watches

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The signature piece of jewelry that a man will ever wear is a watch.  The look, style, and even size of the watch can tell you a lot about the man.  Like women’s shoes, a man’s watch reveals whether there is a seriousness to the day (a Cartier Tank) or if the overall demeanor is about play and relaxation (a Patek Philippe Aquanaut).  Collecting watches has become a past time for many men.  Finding vintage watches with style or having a watch for every occasion is always a task.  Collecting watches include the desire to have the perfect watch for business, for travel, for a special event, for a sports outing or to track time while taking a run.  Enter Randy Brandoff, the founder of Eleven James.  Brandoff is a former Chief Marketing Officer of venerable Berkshire Hathaway’s NetJets.  Besides his business credentials, he is a connoisseur of watches.

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The business concept of Eleven James is that of an exclusive club for members to enjoy luxury watches.  Starting at $249 a month, members work with the Eleven James concierge to establish their watch profile.  Which types of watches are a good fit for their style and personality.  Then each month, the Eleven James member will receive their curated timepiece that is worth at least $10,000 and they can wear it with pride.  At the end of the month, the watch is returned, either via mail, an event, or a pre-arranged pick up.  A new one based on personal fit is delivered to be enjoyed for that month.  There are other levels of membership that provide for additional watches and time for wearing, but based on a higher membership fee.

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In addition to the watches, members are automatically enrolled in a dedicated loyalty program with access to benefits from watch partners.  There are also member only exclusive experiences centered around watch-themed events.
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The two watch collections are Aficionado Collection that includes watches that are classic and sporty.  The collection includes brands such as IWC, Panerai, Rolex, Hublot, and Zenith.  The Connoisseur Collection is refined and features a range of timepieces from companies such as Audemars Piguet, Vacheron Constantin, Patek Philippe, and Girard-Perregaux.

With the launch of Eleven James, men’s watch subscriptions have arrived.  Brandoff sees Eleven James as the introduction of a new luxury service.  As he put it in a recent interview, “The luxury market has evolved – now, the priority lies in access and experiences.  The vast majority of our target customers have also leased a car rather than buying it, or rented a vacation home.  Eleven James translates this trend into another luxury category.”

– Kevin Feather
Kevin is the Lifestyle Editor and a contributing writer for LuxuriousPROTOTYPE.  He is also a contributing writer for the Examiner.com.  He can be found on Twitter @Kfeat and also on Google.

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