Arm Candy: Jolie Montre Watches

History of the Company

Mark Levine has been in the jewelry business for twenty years. His focus was in gemstone importing and jewelry manufacturing. Before joining her father, Dawn managed marketing and sales teams on a national level. Now, the two have joined together their complementary talents to take Jolie Montre to the next level.

Interview: Dawn Levine of Jolie Montre Watches

Picture of Dawn Levine and her father, Mark Levine, while in Hong Kong.

Dawn, Jolie Montre watches are really unique and stylish. Who is your target audience for these watches?

We target fashion-forward women. With our wide selection, we really can reach teens to women in their 60’s. The core target with stores would be women 18-49.

Do the watches have any type of warranty? What are some unique features of your watches?

We offer a one (1) year manufacturers warranty. We are unique because we have an understanding of quality and fashion, and the ability to offer both at an affordable price. We have a fashion forecaster and designer on staff that keeps us ahead of the curb, and we use the top of the line materials, movements and batteries available. We also target all women; we have watches that are good for petite and plus size women as well!

What is your most popular model?

Hang Time™ Charm Watches

The Hang Time™, as a concept item, has been our most popular and most unique. These charms are worn from purses, gym bags, diaper bags and pants. Nurses even love them to hang from their badges so they don’t have to wear watches but can always count a heartbeat! In addition, our other most popular watches are Night Out, Spicy and Madison.

I absolutely adore those Hang Time ™ mini watch charms because they of their versatility. Any plans to add to this line in future?

Hang Time™ is our most popular concept item! We started with two designs and now we have over 30 SKU’s in Hang Time™! We will continue to add new shapes and colors. Recently we added a black dress (with a Swarovski solitaire!), Kisses (Lips) and stars. We also feature 3 Hang Time™ that we donate 10% of our proceeds to national foundations: Courage (pink ribbon) for Breast Cancer, Support (yellow ribbon) for our Troops and Red Dress (red dress) for the American Heart Association.

Dawn, your watches are moderately priced. What are the price ranges?

Suggested retail prices are $18-80, with the majority falling between $25-60.

Any plans for higher end watches?

We are very careful with the niche we’ve found. Our higher-end watches in the $50-80 retail range compare with famous brand names found in department stores. When creating our initial collection we felt strongly that there were a lot of cheap watches available and a lot of brand watches in the $80-$200 range, there was nothing that offered fashion and quality in the niche we have focused on.

Any new watches planned for the coming year?

We always introduce new designs and add variations to successful collections. We see more jewelry style watches trending. Embellishments and bracelet style watches are selling the best… as well as our charm watches.

You offer some special features for plus size women's watches, such as removable links. Can you talk to me a bit more about this?

This is an important feature for us. Many plus size women cannot enjoy impulse purchases. We include many watches in our collection with larger bands and removable links. This way it will work for all sizes and can easily be adjusted.

How does Jolie Montre work with breast cancer?

Every yellow ribbon watch sold supports US Troops.

We offer two watches that we donate $1.00 to a national foundation supporting Breast Cancer research. Our Faith watch is a wrist watch with pink crystals in the shape of a ribbon on the dial and genuine pink leather band. The Courage is from our Hang Time™ collection, it’s a pink ribbon charm watch.

Jolie Montre also sells yellow ribbon watches, and a percentage of every one of those watches is given to support US troops.

You work with your father, Mark. What have you learned from him about business?

There is so much I have learned from working with my father. He has always been a mentor to me and because of him I am who I am today. When we opened our company, I had 13 plus years of corporate experienced and he had 30 plus years of entrepreneurial experience. It was a perfect blend to bring together the best of both worlds. My father has built his business on integrity, providing the highest quality at an affordable price, and understanding the value of his customers as the base of his business. The environment in the office mirrors the same, with some people that have been working with him for over 15 years; our team is just that, a team and very much part of our success. My father has also been working internationally for his entire career and he has really taught me how to work with all different cultures. Especially as a woman, this can be very difficult

Would you like to one day work with your own children and pass the business on to them?

I would love for the business to continue to grow and have my own children join our business. But I also know it’s important for everyone to find their own path and passions. As with me, I went out on my own for many years, climbed the corporate ladder, and then later on joined the family business.

In Conclusion

A special thanks to Dawn Levine of Jolie Montre watches for taking the time to answer our questions and sharing pictures of her wonderful watches. If you are interested in learning more about these watches, you can visit the Jolie Montre website for product updates and news.