TW Man Of Steel Timing and extreme adventure meet in watchmaker CEO Jordy Cobelens.

Jordy Cobelens has no intention of dying any time soon, but in the meantime, he’s working his way through an ever-growing bucket list. First up: dominate the market for elegant and affordable oversized watches. Tick. Next item: get really close to the sha

THIS MAN LIKES TO LIVE ON THE EDGE,

“but in a good way”. Rough translation: he enjoys the element of danger that comes with extreme sports, the thrilling frisson when he encounters the unknown, the rush of satisfaction delivered by the conquest of another challenge – but common sense must prevail. And yes, Everest is definitely on his hit list.

Chatting to Jordy Cobelens in Cape Town over coffee, it becomes apparent that he’s a man on a mission – a mission that requires him to keep moving. “I’m active even when I’m relaxing. I enjoy the element of danger. I like to do things that make me feel alive.” (We’re informed by colleagues that his fleeting visit to South Africa a few weeks ago, during which he came virtually nose to nose with Great White sharks from the perceived safety of a submerged cage, generated the appropriate adrenaline rush.)

As co-founder and CEO of TW Steel, a rapidly growing Dutch watch brand that revels in its disruptive influence on horology’s world stage, Cobelens is no stranger to stacked odds. He was just 14 years old when his father, former advertising industry executive Ton Cobelens, started designing his own brand of watches in Holland, and the time was hardly ripe for a new player – especially one operating from a basement.

Young Jordy immediately took on the role of sales representative, selling the watches to his friends, their fathers, relatives and anyone else who showed interest. That worked for a while, but by the time he reached his late teens, he had lost some of his enthusiasm, and instead decided to launch his own record store (he was already a “hobby DJ” with a passion for the music industry).

But all that changed when father and son agreed to work together on launching the TW (“The Watch”) Steel brand, working from home. They kicked off with four designs, exploiting Jordy’s contacts in the music industry to spread the word – and spread it did. A trickle of orders quickly swelled to thousands, and the two began to realise that something special was happening. Today, TW Steel sells hundreds of thousands of oversized watches every year to customers around the world, and the brand has become very desirable indeed. That’s prompted associations with teams at the highest level of motorsport (see “Connecting with the adrenaline rush.”)

Are their watches aimed exclusively at people who love extreme sports? Not at all, replies Cobelens. “Although they are unashamedly masculine and make a bold statement, our watches are for everyone. What I can say is that our customers are not boring people.”

The company’s “Son of Time” project would seem to support this statement. It’s the name given to a one-off timepiece and a unique custom motorcycle, described as “testaments to the need to cut loose and be free”. A collaboration between Amsterdam-based custom bike builders Numbnut Motorcycles (you gotta love the name) and TW Steel, it involved stripping a Yamaha XV950 back to the bones in homage to the salt flats racers of the world.

“I loved building this bike,” says Numbnut boss Roderick Seibert. “I believe it stands for old-school cool mashed up with new ideas, and above all, speed!” Ton Cobelens is equally enthusiastic: “The bike is such a great match for the timepiece I’ve built. There’s a fearlessness in both designs that really stand up for what we believe at TW Steel. Attitude is everything, and that’s why we don’t follow the pack.”

From that collaboration emerged the Maverick collection, a strikingly elegant range that made waves at this year’s Baselworld, the leading event for the global watch and jewellery industry, and continues to win devotees across the world. Latest in the company’s line-up is the CEO Adesso collection, pitched at customers who enjoyed the original TW Steel DNA and are looking for a casual, contemporary twist.

Says Cobelens: “Next year, we’ll be doing a lot more in the world of custom bikes. People love the lifestyle, the free spirit, the escape from the dictates of fashion. We’re talking cool and underground. In fact, that’s now TW Steel started – cool and underground – and now we’re returning to our roots. Custom bikes are the core of this lifestyle… the accessories, the clothing, the attitude, going against tradition.”

Jordy Cobelens was named Ernst & Young Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year for 2011, and it’s easy to understand why when he describes how his company disrupted shows in the UK, France and Germany with displays of disarming modesty. “Where the big Swiss brands spent a fortune on glitz and glamour, we had a custom bike in front as the hero, with staff in T-shirts and a coffee machine. Our watches were at the back of the stand, and there was no hard sales pitch. The Swiss corporates just didn’t get it, but the visitors loved us and engaged with us.”

It’s just one of many well-conceived marketing initiatives that characterise the brand and its owners. Another is their newly launched company, Steel Entertainment Group. Described as a 360-degree entertainment group for DJS and producers, it encompasses a talent agency, an events management department and even an in-house label.

By all accounts, it works brilliantly. As a symbiotic partner with the watch brand, it generates extensive publicity through the artists themselves, who function as de facto brand ambassadors and happily share their enthusiasm for the watches across social media channels. Meanwhile, the association with motor racing continues. A few months ago, Struan Moore, driver of the #59 Mclaren 650S GT3 car in the Blancpain Endurance Championship, signed up to represent TW Steel as a “friend to the brand”.

Is Cobelens aware of the subtle differences between need and desire? For instance, you may need a watch to tell the time, but you desire a watch because it looks fabulous on your wrist and makes a statement about you. In reply, Cobelens makes a statement that’s frankly astonishing for a CEO of a big watch company: “When cellphones came out, everyone thought watches would die. In fact, you don’t need a watch, but you want a watch.”

We get it.