How a Belfast influencer became the loudest man in the watch world

One of the reasons that Nico Leonard, the foul-mouthed Dutchman from Belfast, has become the most popular luxury watch YouTuber is his penchant for dumping Swiss brands.

“This is a fashion watch for people who have more money than sense,” Leonard says in an interview. 2023 videos entitled “Why I Hate Hublot”.

In another rant about the company – part of billionaire Bernard Arnault’s LVMH – his advice is even more blunt: “Next time just burn your money.”

Attacking Hublot is part of Leonard’s gimmick to help him amass more than 2 million subscribers on his YouTube channels and more than a million followers on TikTok. Among the most popular videos are his annual brand rankings, which range from “God Tier,” which includes both Rolex and Casio, to “Meh” and, at the bottom, “Hublot.”

For Swiss watch companies, as conservative as the national stereotype suggests, loud characters like Leonard don’t seem like an obvious approach. And while much of the industry has remained on the sidelines, some of the oldest and most storied firms are beginning to embrace his louder approach and larger social media presence. The move comes as the industry faces challenges slow down following a Covid-era boom exacerbated by falling demand in the key Chinese market.

In June, Leonard appeared in a video produced by Audemars Piguet, the nearly 150-year-old firm best known for the Royal Oak released in the 1970s.

The watch salesman owns and wears a number of models, while praising the Swiss company Le Brassus. He said he was paid to appear.

“We appreciate the genuine dialogue that he promotes,” Ilaria Resta, AP’s chief executive officer, said in response to questions. “We are seeing an entire generation, particularly Generation Z, combining ease in the digital world with a renewed interest in mechanical watchmaking.”

Another social media figure being courted is Mike Nouveau, a New York vintage watch dealer and former DJ. He is considered the king of the so-called “Watchtok” on TikTok, with almost 450,000 followers.

The 39-year-old is a prolific producer of short videos for TikTok and Instagram, many of which feature him stopping people on the street to ask what’s on their wrist, and often finds fashionable New Yorkers ready to roll up their sleeves. Other times, he haggles with a Chinatown used watch dealer named Eagle Chen.

Earlier this year, Cartier, which is owned by Swiss luxury conglomerate Richemont, helped Nouveau pay for airfare to Geneva for the annual Watches and Wonders trade show. There, a helicopter flew him to La Chaux-de-Fonds to inspect Cartier’s production facility in the Jura Mountains.

Oliver Müller of LuxeConsult estimates that Swiss watchmakers spend around 3 billion francs (3.18 billion euros) a year on marketing. As traditional advertising costs decline, more of the budget may go to social media. There are many options for companies like Instagrammers like Georgia Mondani or Austin Chu. The latter previously worked with AP, working on a special Royal Oak for the Chinese market.

Historically, the industry has taken a conservative approach, tending to rely on trusted sources in the watch press. The company has used ambassadors—or “insiders,” as Rolex puts it—as the face of its brands, such as tennis great Roger Federer (Rolex) or movie stars such as George Clooney (Omega) and Charlize Theron (Breitling).

Venturing outside of a traditional space comes with risks. Many social media figures have made their mark with outspoken views or unique styles that may be at odds with the image the Swiss firm has cultivated for decades.

Even if not everyone is like that cocky like Leonard– who had an online spat with US rapper Rick Ross this year – have a good chance of causing controversy and causing backlash against the corporate partner.

Frank Müller, a luxury industry consultant and former CEO of Swatch Group’s Glashütte Original, says that while it makes sense for brands to meet young shoppers in “their modern echo chambers”, there are many challenges, especially if uncivil behavior escalates.

If one influencer “praises his contract partner on social media while criticizing others, competitors can counter with their own messengers, poisoning the atmosphere,” Mueller said.

“Until now, the watch industry’s reputation has been that of respectable gentlemen,” he added. “And that was a good selling point.”

But if companies want to target a younger generation of consumers with disposable incomes who are embedded in the online world, backing select social media stars is an obvious opportunity.

“The reason I became famous and am still the biggest person in the industry is because I am real,” Leonard said. “Most brands have no idea how to talk to their customers, how to talk to new customers and new people.”

AP is not the only Swiss brand collaborating with Leonard. He recently teamed up with Ulysse Nardin SA to promote the company’s “Freak” model. Pride & Pinion, Leonard’s company, sells Ulysse Nardin watches on its website and claims to be an “authenticated dealer.”

Unsurprisingly, a partnership with Hublot has not yet taken place.

When asked about the criticism, the company said it was “known as a troublemaker in the watchmaking world, so it is not surprising that people sometimes express very polarized opinions about our products.”

In fact, CEO Julien Tornare is offering an olive branch by inviting Hublot’s harshest critic to visit its manufacturing facility in Nyon, Switzerland.

“While we respect everyone’s opinions, we believe this experience can offer Nico Leonard a new and, more importantly, informed perspective on our home,” the company said.

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