Andy Zhang Appointed CEO of The 1916 Company China
Collector turned watch industry executive to lead The 1916 Company expansion in mainland China.
The 1916 Company is pleased to announce the appointment of Andy Zhang as CEO of The 1916 Company China. Based in Shanghai, Zhang will be instrumental in driving The 1916 Company’s expansion into mainland China, giving a major boost to the company’s forthcoming growth initiatives and establishing a valuable resource and community for local watch collectors.
A watch enthusiast since his primary school days, Zhang has been an avid collector since the early 2010s, drawn to the distinguishable design language of brands like A. Lange & Söhne, Patek Philippe, Richard Mille, and leading independent watchmakers. Prior to his arrival at The 1916 Company, Zhang served as the Director of Watches in China for Phillips where he concentrated on sales and business development, and he spent the preceding years at A. Lange & Söhne as the Business Development & Client Director for the APAC and China regions. Zhang is the co-founder of Lange Nation (#langenation), a passionate community born in 2014 in the social media space, and he was an initiator and co-organizer of the 2018 Shanghai Watch Festival, a momentous celebration of horology attended by the emerging new generation of watch collectors across Asia. It was this experience that propelled him to leap from the enthusiast realm to work in the watch industry.
The 1916 Company Global CEO and co-founder Justin Reis said, “Andy brings an entrepreneurial spirit and a true love of horology to The 1916 Company. Our global expansion strategy targets regions with a strong growth forecast for the luxury watch segment and revolves entirely around the interests of our community. Andy’s experience demonstrates a shared philosophy around community, a command of high horology, and grasp of the distinct cultural identity of watch enthusiasts within the domestic Chinese market. We are excited for him to join our team as we embark on this next chapter.”
According to the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry, exports of Swiss watches to China for the period from January through June has positioned the market second to only the United States for worldwide distribution since 2020. Consumer appetite for luxury watches is strong across both the primary and secondary markets, and despite stringent Covid restrictions, the Chinese market has surpassed its pre-pandemic results.
Zhang shared, “I’m excited to work with the global The 1916 Company team to develop a dynamic business for collectible luxury watches in China, adapting to the economic growth in the market, and bringing together the primary and secondary watch markets. My mission is to elevate our watch culture through education, direct collector engagement, and access to extraordinary timepieces as we celebrate the dynamism of the local watch community.”
The 1916 Company will officially open the doors to the Shanghai Collector’s Lounge in late 2022, and services for collecting, selling, and trading watches commence immediately.