Icon Status – The Senturion Key is a supercar on your wrist
The supercar on your wrist. We spoke to The Hon Alexander Nall-Cain: Sales Director at Senturion Key to find out what makes this piece the ultimate in wrist attire
Senturion is the world’s first and only manufacturer of limited-edition jewellery and timepieces that work as the key to your supercar. Their watch collections feature some of the world’s rarest materials and are limited to editions of 10 or 30 pieces, and all have the signature red button for supercar key operations. Each piece takes over 80 hours to manufacture by specialist craftsmen in England.
What do your first 30 mins of the day look like, your morning routine? They vary day to day, however there are a few constants – I love my morning coffee as it gears me up for a busy day ahead. Senturion is 24/7 and we have clients from all over the world, so my inbox is full of emails that I deal with first thing, especially matters regarding overnight new orders being commissioned. I’m either on the road, travelling to meet clients, in which case I grab a banana or a power bar for a morning boost, or in London (where the Senturion showroom is) in which case, after 30 minutes are up, I’m in a car and heading to Berkeley Square in Mayfair and grab breakfast in the area or with my colleagues.
How did the concept of Senturion Key originate, and can you describe its core values/ DNA? The main concept of Senturion Key came from the desire to create a brand that combines the passion for supercars and wrist wear, showcasing the very best of performance and fashion. The company wanted to do something no one ever has and that’s why it’s known as the first and only creator of limited-edition luxury wristwear that’s capable of synchronising with supercars and acting as their keys. From the core mission, it’s always been incredibly important to the brand to create unique and beautiful statement pieces for standout individuals within the supercar community, so we only work with the finest and rarest materials, be it more traditional ones like 18 carat rose gold to something truly otherworldly like a 4.9 billion-year-old meteorite! To achieve this, we have a fantastic team of world-leading experts in various fields like jewellery and RFID technology, helping integrate materials from space with Swiss watch movements on an all-British assembly line.
In such a competitive space, how challenging was it to refine the first set of samples and what was optimized to achieve the final products? When dealing with an ultra-luxury item, there will always be obstacles to overcome, however our task was even more strenuous as the technology we have created was initially deemed to be impossible to manufacture. This is why our company has existed as a pure R&D entity for 4 years before ever talking to a single client or even creating a finished product, as we had to work out the feasible ways to create something truly complex. Now, 8 years into our journey, we have two strategic patents for our supercar key technology in all key markets like the UK, EU and the which that enable all of our watches and bracelets to open, close and start your supercar, along with any other functions that your existing car key has. Another incredible challenge we faced was how to manufacture a solid 3D shape from an ancient meteorite, rather than only feature slices and off-cuts that have been done by our competitors, but we’re now proud to showcase the world’s most sizeable solid meteorite wristwatch.
How did your previous background equip you to work with the business and what was the catalyst for doing so? I have always had a passion for luxury wrist wear, and a deep respect for the technological complications that go into many modern-day items, this was an opportunity to merge the two. Also, I have always been interested in people and their individual stories and passions, so my role as sales director enables me to connect with so many impressive individuals around the world and find out more about their affinity for supercars and help them pick out something that enhances their lifestyle. I knew that this journey would be a challenge, as is often the case with disruptive technology and unique brands, but the seven years that I have been with Senturion have shown me that clients from around the world were ready, and excited to find a product like Senturion Key.
Each Senturion Key is crafted from precious materials and, if the customer wishes, laid with a host of diamonds. Can you talk us through the craftsmanship process? Each Senturion is comprised of a minimum 250 individual parts, so to create a finished piece takes over 70 hours of production and inspection by our entirely British assembly line. Once a client
a model of a particular watch or bracelet, then the manufacturing process begins, we do not sell “off the shelf” models – each piece is made to order for an individual client. In terms of the craftsmanship involved, there’s phenomenal precision and detailing in everything. There are the bespoke tiny Sshaped screws integrated into the core and bezel or indeed, the craftsmanship required to set flawless stones as you mention, as well as some other manufacturing techniques like the use of a 15-tonne press to manufacture carbon composite cores or finishing hand-cast bracelet frames to the precision of 1/10000th of a micron by a 5-axis computer numerical control machine. Once the process is finished and a Senturion Key is ready, it will be delivered to the client or they can come into the showroom to collect it, then they are able to drive off wearing their supercar on their wrist.
What is the most interesting piece you’ve created and where was the client based? We have our regular limited-edition items, among which I have my favourites, however, we also do offer bespoke one-off pieces for individuals who truly wish to have something completely unique on their wrist. Bespoke Senturion Key pieces start at GBP 250,000 and depending on what exactly the client is looking to create, can go significantly higher. My favourite piece is actually one I’m not at liberty to discuss very much – for instance, I cannot reveal which country this has gone to; however, I can reveal that it featured our signature meteorite case and featured a client’s own precious stone that he wished to integrate. It was also synchronised to an extremely rare hyper-car that has actually never done any time on the road and the client only has it on display. We matched the strap of the watch to the exact pantone of the dominant colour of the vehicle.
Do you see different buying tastes the globe over and how do clients in the Middle East differ to those elsewhere? Our clients are from almost every continent, though we’re sure that once supercar owners settle in Antarctica, we will get a call! I wouldn’t say that there are vast differences between them, however the Middle Eastern clients will often have hyper cars instead of supercars, we see clients with Bugattis, Paganis, and very rare edition Lamborghinis. Interestingly though, at the other end of the spectrum, we get more Mercedes-AMG G-63 Senturion Key enquiries from the Middle East than anywhere else. The watch and car world in the Middle East is stronger than Europe and America, however, individual tastes are not that far removed from other regions.
What have been the biggest challenges to date since launching and how did you overcome them? The single biggest challenge the company has faced as mentioned was creating the very first Senturion piece that actually worked, as a supercar key and that had taken more than 4 years of R&D work!
Besides that, everything else felt like a much less daunting task, although whenever you’re working with something incredibly complicated and are willing to bring bespoke elements into the process, there will always be new challenges to overcome.
In addition, what has been the biggest learning curve? For the company, it’s definitely been the journey of being able to integrate RFID technology into pieces featuring precious metals, as that’s a remarkably difficult task, but as I’ve mentioned above, not only have we done what was initially deemed impossible, but Senturion has secured patents in this process that help us to offer something unique from our competitors. On a personal level, I’ve actually learned a huge amount from our clients in terms of what is truly important for them in our products, as well as the little details in terms of local customs here and there in terms of how to conduct meetings and best to present Senturion Keys to new audiences.
Which has been the best piece of advice you’ve had in business? When I was just starting out in the timepiece business, I remember hearing Jean-Claude Biver, the head of LVMH’s watchmaking at the time start a talk about the sector with the words: “Who cares what time it is?” and being truly blown away by it as on the surface, it seems really counter-intuitive. And yet, his point truly stands – no one in the luxury industry is selling just surface-level functionality, in this case, people’s iPhones or electronic watches will always be capable of telling the exact time to the millisecond much more precisely than a mechanical timepiece. However, you feel a connection to a brand because of their craftsmanship, their complication and their ethos – this is how you truly differentiate a brand and that’s something that I’ve always remembered along my personal journey in this field.
What has been your approach to scaling the business to date? Less is more. Senturion is not a typical manufacturer that works with a network of global distributors that aims to put as many watches and bracelets on people’s wrists worldwide. On the contrary, we are happy with organic growth within the supercar community and will continue to create truly special pieces made to order for outstanding individuals. As a result, we’ll always want to know our clients personally, so the only way of getting a Senturion Key is to visit our showselects room in London or enquire directly with us via our website, www.senturionkey.com.
What do you believe is the value of social media in business growth relating to luxury and which platform do you feel will next drive most success? Social media has become more and more integral to all business around the world, with viral campaigns and influencers becoming more powerful that traditional advertising. Senturion has worked with some brilliant influencers in the supercar community to help spread news of new releases and unique pieces. For luxury companies for whom visuals are incredibly important, Instagram remains the current runaway leader, but it’s possible that others who also integrate the shopping experience into their platforms more seamlessly and naturally will take over in the future.
What advice would you give to entrepreneurs in the current market? Honestly, just a few words – don’t be afraid, opportunity is everywhere. The fact that the world is always changing is something to be embraced, rather than feared.
When you travel – how do you maintain any kind of routine and what do you always need to travel with? With clients from around the world, many times their finished Senturion Key will be delivered by normal means, however for VIPs or bespoke watches, many times I will travel personally to deliver it. This has brought me to over 30 different countries in the past 6 years. With traveling this often it is important to keep a routine, a healthy diet, being aware of time differences and how long you are exposed to each time zone, and most importantly a small bag that is always in my carry on with ear plugs, a comfortable eye mask to sleep, and hydrating face cream. Still the best tip from excessive travel is to stay hydrated! Who or what is iconic to you? It’s a very good question. I find that the word ‘iconic’ is more easily applied to brands and products, rather than people. For instance, to give our fellow timepiece manufacturers, Jacob & Co their worthy due, they create some one-off pieces that are truly iconic in the watch market – for instance, the Astronomia series. In the supercar universe, I’d go for the Ferrari F40 – any supercar enthusiast has a special place in their heart for the last automobile personally approved by Enzo Ferrari. Likewise, there are some things that roll off the tongue in mass popular culture – look at the way Air Jordan immediately evokes emotion or how some brands have effectively entered our vocabulary as verbs – they’re all worth iconic status. And it is, of course, my great ambition that Senturion Key is also viewed as a truly iconic brand by future generations! When it comes to people, I prefer to look closer to home – family should always be a source of inspiration, regardless of any success, or achievement, a family unit is there to help, boost you in hard times, and inspire you to be the best you can be.