Cronus: Telling time in style

It is quite rare for a brand to come out with a product that offers the right combination of style, quality, and affordability catering to just about everyone's palate. Where the trend has mostly been to cater Veblen goods to the crème de la crème of society, scooping up huge helpings of "the pricier the better" mind set, Cronus, a semi high-end online watch retailing website, seems to be challenging this marketing strategy in style.

Behind the scenes

Just like any ambitious start up, Cronus has a vision to culminate into something big — for themselves and their customers.

"By reputation, high-end watches are an expensive commodity, and not easily accessible or affordable to many. In order to make that breakthrough between being affordable and stylish — there was but one way to go — minimalistic. That involved a tonne of research into what designs we could bring — something in it for everyone," said Hammad Rahman.

Vision

Each new business has an inherent vision of what they want their product to look like and where they wish to stand in the next couple of years or more. With Cronus, Hammad was very clear, saying, "We want a product that customers would enjoy — not simply something that is skin deep and only there to make money. Customer service is also a big thing for us."

Mark of distinction

Cronus has quickly become known for its exceptional customer service, making its mark in that category very early on in the game. Customers have exchanged belts and accessories, received expensive watches at a discounted price when the lower priced one they initially wanted was out of stock, and have been given no-questions-asked exchange benefits through Cronus. And with such benefits and product quality in store, Cronus is certain their customers will keep coming back for more. 

Hammad also mentioned about their handwritten notes and handing out high discounts to their top customers, or what they call the Cronus Family, to add a personal touch; something not very common with entrepreneurs in Bangladesh.

"True customer service is very rare in Bangladesh, but Cronus chooses to think differently. If something does not feel right to me as an owner, it will not be put forward to my customers. For us, our customers must be treated as well as we treat ourselves, if not better," affirmed Hammad.

A lot of care and thought goes into the development of their products. Even something like choosing the alloy and its ionisation needs careful consideration as this is a humid country. All this for watches that do not cost more than Tk 3000 is unheard of.

Beyond the horizon

Could Cronus ever be equated to one celebrity face? Anyone who embodied the values of the brand? Regarding this, Hammad says, "My brother Nawaz casually mentioned it would be cool to have Dhoni wear our watches someday!" While that may be years away, Cronus has a very methodical approach to brand management and how they plan to get there.

Photo courtesy: Cronus Watches