2025 is the year of the Snake on the Chinese calendar and according to Chinese astrology, those born in the Year of the Snake may need to brace themselves for a year filled with change and unpredictability. The stars suggest a period of flux and potential misfortune on the horizon.
However, Snakes can harness their innate wisdom and determination to navigate these choppy waters and even turn the tides in their favor. By focusing their energy on significant life milestones and auspicious undertakings, such as tying the knot, expanding their family, investing in real estate or launching an entrepreneurial venture, Snakes can counteract any waves of bad luck that may come their way.
Fortunately, the celestial skies are also shining down lucky stars upon Snakes this year, particularly in matters of career and finances. One lucky star symbolizes an overflowing abundance of wealth, while another promises to send helpful benefactors in times of trouble. With this cosmic support system in place, even a potentially challenging year holds the promise of balance and blessing. So while Snakes may need to stay nimble and adaptable in the face of change, their prospects for the year ahead remain bright.
Personally, I was born a “Rat” and it is time for Rats to work towards their goals this year, as they will reap the rewards of effort put in. There are two lucky stars that will amplify networking, career and wealth, so much so that Rats will find many friends helping them out when they are in trouble.
Finances will be affected by an unlucky star, so while wealth is amplified this year it should be achieved through hard work and not reliance on luck or speculation. Travel will also be affected by bad stars, so remember to buy insurance before you take a trip this year.
BUSINESS FORECASTING FOR 2025
I am excited about my watch collecting and potential business in 2025. As I reflect on my Freshman year of watch collecting, it turns out 90% of my new watch pickups in 2024 were sourced directly from China or Hong Kong. It got me thinking and believing that Chinese manufacturing and specifically watchmaking, has been going on probably just as long as the Swiss, Germans and French!
Reviewing the watches I have purchased, the consistent thread is HIGH VALUE, uniqueness and no doubt plenty of copy-cat designs. But, manufacturing is a global puzzle of pieces from movements, to steel, to exotic leather straps, to crystals and luminous technologies. I have found several OEM watch manufactures in China that specializes solely in private label watch manufacturing to your specifications, and one watch house has a very interesting in-house movement as applicable. I have some subtle design ideas that I believe would hit the sweet spot for online sales.
With 25 years of marketing expertise, at this point the business model will probably be focused on novelty, unique, quartz-only (VH31 as applicable) in the 36mm, 39mm and 42mm case sizes. The lume must rock as that is very important in today’s microbranding success!
But, I have a secondary vision of once I potentially can get my own lineup going, is to come up with a different platform and produce in high quantity a US Veterans watch that people could donate to a program that we would administer the distribution to approved VA residential homes for those Veterans that need to spend their last years in a community home.
No doubt most of those Veterans depended on a watch of sorts in their active duty, and this would be a daily gratuitous gesture to those Veterans. This could expand to alignments with National Horological Associations, whereas these associations could promote the awareness where people could assign in their will the donation of the watch collections to younger students and Veterans alike.
Step by step, I am hoping to attend the annual Hong Kong Watch show in the hopes of getting a better sense of watch manufacturing in China and Hong Kong so I can plot my next steps. Stay tuned and listen to the SNAKE!
BEIJING WATCH FACTORY
One of the watch factories I hope to visit and potentially do business with is the Beijing Watch Factory. Beijing Watch, founded in 1958, is a national brand with independent watchmaking capabilities. It not only gathers memories and emotions of a generation but also inherits the design philosophy of Chinese style.
As a professional brand with independent watchmaking capabilities, Beijing Watch emphasizes craftsmanship and artistic aesthetics, immersing itself in the modern expression of Oriental aesthetics, perfectly integrating exquisite craftsmanship with cultural connotations. True classics are ahead of their time. The record-breaking “Dancing Dragons” tourbillon with engraved gold, the North Sea series featuring classical 3/4 plates and single gooseneck regulator, the elegant and renowned Suzhou embroidery timepieces, along with many other acclaimed watch pieces, are all modern expressions of Beijing Watch’s Eastern culture, opening up infinite sources of inspiration for the future.
Every Beijing Watch reflects the unique lifestyle attitude of its wearer. Whether collectors or elites from various fields, countless owners of Beijing Watches throughout history have felt the sincerity of Beijing Watch. They uphold the essence of the East, possess a consciousness of “independent innovation” and a pioneering spirit; they are confident, independent, embrace the times, understand how to interpret “tradition” from a new perspective, and present it in a more fashionable and modern way.