Sometimes it is the unexpected twists and turns in life that put us on the right path.
For Elizabeth Doerr, who was born in Detroit, this included winning a scholarship to study in Germany, where she would meet her future husband, start a family and be introduced to the world of high-quality mechanical watches.
Now, as co-founder and editor-in-chief of the seven-year-old website QuillandPad.com, she focuses on independent and high-end doers who live in a suite on the top floor of their house in Karlsruhe with a view over the rooftops and rock music in the background.
Ms. Doerr, 54, recently spoke about the coverage of the industry and what the near future might bring. Your comments made by email and phone have been edited and compressed. – SUSANNE FOWLER
What attracted you to watches?
It wasn’t a conscious choice. My interest developed through my work at a German publisher, which in 1991 published a magazine about watches called ArmbandUhren. The more I learned, the more addicted I became. There was a real sense of community that I loved too.
They handled some of the most complicated and expensive watches in the world. Do you remember your first one
It was a gift from my mom, but it got lost in college and I can’t remember if it was a brand. It was certainly quartz and inexpensive. My first notable watch was the Movado Museum Watch, which I won first prize in a tennis tournament in 1990. I later bought an Oris “Beginner Automatic”, widely recognized as a stepping stone into the world of mechanical watches.
You and your business partner, journalist Ian Skellern, brought Quill & Pad live in 2014. You said that is “800 in online years”. What was the industry like back then?
The watch world has gone through a couple of things that I would overwork as extreme. When I started in 1991 it was very intimate. You could walk into the Patek Philippe Basel stand as a stranger and actually talk to people. As a beginner, I was even allowed to handle the rarities. Even today I can’t touch the really rare items. There was little interest in mechanical watches, really of no global importance.
Progress from then to now has been greatly changed by the conglomerate of brands – a large part of the historical brands are now part of larger luxury groups with goals that replace just making one great watch. However, this has really allowed the independent scene to come forward.
Have you also seen an increase in women working in this male dominated field?
When I started there were next to no women in watches other than PR. But I see more of what is fantastic. There are now some high profile female CEOs and more women in key design, marketing and sales roles.
While the majority of watchmakers in a given factory are often women – 50 percent or more in general – they tend to be in very simple jobs. There are a few female watchmakers and technicians who make their way up the ladder, but those are few.
Others have built businesses from the ground up. This includes Kathleen McGivney, CEO of RedBar Group, the world’s largest organized collectors group. And Livia Russo, the less extroverted partner of star auctioneer Aurel Bacs, who together run Phillips’ watch auction department.
Now for the crystal ball. Predictions?
I think the big groups will continue to deepen their commitment to e-tailing, which they were very slow to adopt and suffer from during the pandemic. The independent brands did much better because their online boutiques were already in place.
Last year auction houses did great business when people were “shopping” online. I suspect the continued interest in vintage and used cars coupled with the need to shop securely online will continue.
I’m not surprised if some brands hold back very intricate or very expensive pieces in 2021 until buyers can touch and feel them again. And I think sporty and casual will continue to be a big topic in high-end watchmaking.
Like most online businesses, we’ve seen an increase in traffic. But I see that we really need the sensitive side of meetings to understand clocks. At least I do. So I hope the masses aren’t dead. A watchmaker’s enthusiasm for a project or a technical element can really ignite a fire in me. Inspiration is contagious.
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