Tradition and innovation through time | Marco Tarondo | TEDxUdine

How fundamental is time? Think about it: we are constantly hit by the flow of time, we try to contrast it but it overwhelms us and takes away our present, immediately transforming it into past. Its measure is fundamental for every daily activity: from appointments to geolocalization devices, there would be no control without metering time. Marco Tarondo, clockmaker, will tell us his story.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community.

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Good morning,

I decided to begin with this slide

because it gives me the sense of time

that constantly overwhelms us

and endlessly turns our present into past.

What I am saying right now

has already been
swept away by the current.

I am very fond of science fiction movies,

I enjoy the idea of modifying time,

stretching it, shortening it,

but unfortunately this isn't
something we can do.

However we've been
metering it for millennia,

and in the last 100 years,
we have become very good at that.

If you think about it, measuring time

is a part of our everyday lives,

from dating to geo-localisation,

which obviously operate through time.

Let alone the sat navigation,

which does not always take you
where you meant to.

We can take time
as an absolute metronome of our lives;

it has no religion, no boundaries,

yet it positions us perfectly
within our river of time,

be it present, past or future.

Unlike the animal kingdom,
humans depend on time,

and here is an example:

To your left, there is
my remote controlled radio alarm clock;

to your right, there is my cat Daisy.

This picture doesn't do her justice,

because every time I tried
to take a picture

she moved closer to sniff the lens.

Both wake me up everyday at same time;

should I forget to set the alarm,
Daisy will wake me up instead.

To turn off the alarm, I press a button;

to calm Daisy,

and I can guarantee you
she can be very unpleasant,

I need to feed her.

When the clocks shift
from summertime to wintertime,

the alarm clock sets itself;

Daisy does not.

It takes tens of days for her to adapt.

Daisy also has another flaw:

she is unable to tell the difference
between weekdays and the weekend,

every day is the same for her,

and so she wakes me up
everyday at the same time.

If during the weekend
I wanted to sleep a little longer,

she would still come to wake us up.

How come?

And what's my point now?

Because the measurement of time
has always fascinated me,

it fascinated my father

who conveyed that to me
and then to my brother too.

We are a family of clockmakers;

hence, I will tell you our story.

When I talk about my business,

in the minds of most people
this image takes shape:

a workbench filled
with components scattered around,

a tiny lamp, age-old tools

and an old man with grey hair,
bent over the table,

because elder people
look wise, experienced.

Actually, there are also
many young clockmakers,

and many women also take up this craft;

and what used to be workshops
have now become laboratories.

This one here is a picture
of one section of our laboratory.

We consider it the "clean area"
where the assembly takes place

and where there is also
an air purified from dust.

As you can see, the workbench
has changed a lot over time:

the toolbox is changed;
last generation computers are there

that are custom made for our specific job.

And this is a change
which has benefited everyone,

especially end users.

Mind you, my father started working
when he was 16 years old

in a critical moment
for the clockmaking industry,

which was around the 1950s.

This is important because at the time

clockmakers were the ones making clocks,

but there was actually
not the repairer clockmaker role.

At most there were experts in mechanics

that were jack of all trades:

they would repair clocks,

but they also repaired
cameras, pendulum clocks,

they would repair sewing machines,

often in different contexts,

also because watches
were initially sold in jewellery shops

but also at opticians

because of their affinity
with other measuring instruments.

Mind you, the first wristwatches for women

were made at the end
of the 19th century

because women had no breast pockets

and these were considered bracelets.

To see the first male wristwatch,

we need to wait until World War I,

where obviously, due to war needs,

taking it out of the pocket
wasn't feasible,

and so they started
wearing it on their wrists.

Imagine an aircraft pilot:

they had the wheel and stuff,
no way to get it out of the pocket.

However, before we can see its production
on an industrial scale

we have to wait until the end
of World War II.

Hence, the first half of 1950s
was a truly revolutionary period,

when the first assembly lines
were introduced.

And my father approached this new world,

which always fascinated him
and still does today,

with sound principles

that play the role
of our company main pillars.

These principles are still in place today

and support us in moving
our business ahead.

One of these is the concept
of "Pioneering".

A pioneer is someone that discovers,

that bravely invests in himself or herself

and plots a trail before anyone else,

he is someone that plots that trail
so that others may follow suit.

And my father, like other clockmakers,

closed a deal with clock factories
based in Switzerland

to establish the feasibility

of a potential sinergy
as a local clockmaker,

Of course, this deal was made
with companies that had already started,

but little did know

clockmakers were available there
on such a short notice.

They often hadn't
even considered the idea.

They would say

"Why bother? Let's sell
right away, what do we care?"

Nevertheless, this was the period

where the best deals were struck,
that are still in full force as of today.

Because service is a fundamental
component of everything;

of a loop which must close:

the producer extends his services
to other parties

by training experts,

who in turn, offer
these services to customers

and the satisfaction of that service
strengthens the brand.

How many of you wondered,
when you buy something,

"Oh God what do I do if this breaks?",

since, and I do not want to jinx anyone,

things may work very well

but sooner or later they will break.

We are not eternal either.

It is within this context
that my father created the pre-requisites,

one of the main ones at least,
to start a company.

Of course, this is
only one of the ingredients:

"Investing in Knowledge".

A principle that I deem fundamental

and that should be seen, in my opinion,
in an all-encompassing view.

Let me explain.

Not necessarily
in your fields of competence,

but by nurturing
your appetite for learning,

and especially your knowledge,

the part that goes
beyond your very business.

I have often found myself doing this,

attending, for example, courses

which were not
closely relevant to my craft.

Let me share a secret:

before being a clockmaker,
I studied computer science.

And the very fact that I developed
specific analytical skills

helped me to plan my company workflow

and nurture, sustain
what my father had started.

Be innovators.

Fair enough, one could say
"what a great, magical word";

But innovation can also come
from small things.

Take us as an example,

I used to spend a lot of time
in my father's laboratory

since this was located next to our place -

now we have separate offices,
but clearly I have always been involved.

We need to take into account
that at the very beginning,

repairs were shipped
via hand written parcels

and so were income and outcome registers.

All these procedures were effective
but also very lengthy;

this is why we implemented new workflows

which, through barcodes
or similar IT related system,

enabled us to focus on our job,
which is what we do best.

Plus, I have mentioned workflow,
repairs’ incomes and outcomes;

but also, for example,
we have improved a system

which allows us to keep
our clients updated

about their order status

by sending text messages
when the watch is ready;

and sends others out,

should the customer forget
to come and take it.

Furthermore, to our business customers

that seek our services,

for example jewellery,

we offer a communication portal
that's available to them 24-7,

also when the office is closed.

Why this?

Because offering clients
the best possible service is fundamental.

Always within the spirit of innovation,

a few years ago we thought
of a new business venture.

We talked about it a few minutes ago:
the significance of training, education.

My brother and I did
a CAD, 3D modelling course,

we bought some 3-D printers
for our company as well

and also machines

like 3-D routers, little CNC machines.

One could say,

"You are a clockmaker.
why would you need these machines? "

They proved fundamental instead,

because we were able
to create custom tools -

all by ourselves -

and even some exclusive machinery.

The professional experience
we have acquired -

we are actively listening
to our customers,

focusing on their needs.

And we reinvested this knowledge
in a new business idea

that is the creation
of our own brand of watches,

designed and created by us.

Results of the great experience
we acquired from our clients.

Some would say,

"I can't tell the time very well
as the clock's arms are too short" ;

others would say "I can't read the date";

when I deliver their watches,
they would often say,

Don't even set the date, I can't read it.

And these comments to us
were the inputs we needed,

It's all experience.

Here is another aspect:

there is a rather large
percentage of clients

who have the habit of buying watches
with exceptional qualities,

such as enduring
incredibly high pressures,

or being able to resist
strong electro-magnetic fields,

impacts, vibrations,

then they don't tipically expose
their watches to this environments,

out of their fears of ruining them.

It is as if I bought
an incredible off-road vehicle

but was too afraid to ride it
through a graveled driveway.

What did these clients offer us?

They allowed us to deduce

that there was a niche market
without a product.

Because innovation also comes

from satisfying a niche market
that lacks a product.

Follow your passions.

To me, this is the most
important thing of all,

I see it in my father.

who saw his job as a source of passion

and I am moved to say,
his sons are also just as passionate.

Following your passions is important

because it allows you
to work without pain.

Feed the flame that burns within you all

and you will truly be able
to overcome any obstacle.

We have treasured this way of thinking,

and year after year,

every year we come up with a new idea
and discuss it in the company.

And as a matter of fact,
the next week we will be on the verge

of implementing a new project
on a crowd-funding platform.

What I can tell you today is

to be a pioneer, invest in knowledge,

be innovators and follow your passions,

but most of all, remember that time

is the most valuable asset you were given.

And I hope, personally,
you will all learn how to spend wisely.

Thank you.

(Applause)