Ranging from the total exclusiveness of Timesafe down to your more accessible goods, lately you’ve surprised all your aficionados by shattering two of Scatola del Tempo’s taboos, with your latest creation, Softline. As it happens, not only have you introduced an “entry level” product as far as its the price goes, but you’re also selling it directly online. Why make this “revolutionary” choice?

With Softline we had a younger customer target in mind, not necessarily collectors of complex watches, as our habitual customers tend to be. We wanted to give the owners of automatic or complex watches – though not necessarily very expensive ones – a chance to buy a quality product at a far more accessible price. This can be done precisely thanks to online selling, which has no intermediary steps. It’s clearly a Scatola del Tempo product, but there are obviously some substantial differences with the high-ranging series. Considering what that can be found today on the market, the main idea was to offer a Made in Italy product of quality at a decidedly competitive price. Another aim of our exclusively online sale of Softline models is to acquire a larger slice of the American market. At the moment there’s a vast offer of online winders but in the majority of cases the quality is mediocre. We thus hope that with the arrival on the market of models such as Softline, many clients will gravitate towards Made in Italy goods, buying a reliable product at an affordable price.

Talking of being Made in Italy, by now the brands that have truly remained faithful to the Made in Italy philosophy are few and far between. In other words, even many of the most prestigious Italian brands have outsourced their production to countries with a cheaper workforce. Today, in such a difficult climate for world economy, what does it mean to remain faithful to a production line entirely carried out in Italy?

It’s true, we’re part of a small clique of oddballs and we’re proud of it. It’s often difficult and always laborious, but we think it’s a choice you can’t compromise upon. Made in Italy isn’t just an abstract notion but really a product really made by us Italians. There are realities in Italy that unfortunately, due to the philosophy of outsourcing, are disappearing or worse, have already become extinct. Unfortunately, many still don’t realize that this is a heritage that’ll be lost to Italy forever. I’m talking about the experience of innumerable small craftsmen, who’ve worked their entire lives in their workshops, making Italy grow and making us great in the world, and all that experience will be lost forever. Unfortunately I’ve already seen this happen in the textile sector and it’s spreading to other fields, which is something that frightens and pains me very much. As far as we’re concerned we have no intention of changing our ways and I hope, from the bottom of my heart, that many others out there will do the same. The only way forward to us is preserving the real Made in Italy, leaving future generations a huge and unique heritage of expertise acquired through the centuries, which has made Italian products some of the very best in the world.