How did the collaboration come about?
It started in 2011 when Air Zermatt came to Hamilton to request financial support for a special project in Nepal to train pilots in the Himalayas and share the incredible experience they have in the Alps. When they explained the story to us, we immediately knew we wanted to support them. We believe in this kind of transmission of know-how, so that's where it all started 13 years ago.
Over the course of the partnership, what has surprised you the most about the work at Air Zermatt?
I wasn’t expecting that there would be so much coordination among so many different people and so many different experts. If we just talk about rescue, there are the pilots and the paramedics, but also the mountain guides, which are essential in this environment. But there is also the dog trainer when there is an avalanche, and the mechanics who make sure the helicopters are 100% safe, so there is this massive organization, which I wasn’t expecting.
Do you get input from the pilots and the team at Air Zermatt when creating a watch?
The first watch that we developed with Air Zermatt was the Khaki Aviation Flight Timer, which registered flight time. The pilots used the watch for around six or eight months before we even decided to make it, as we needed to be sure that everything inside the watch was working properly. So, they are quite involved in the development of the watches. We also like to work with people outside of the watch industry because they have no constraints. They don't start a product with restrictions. We as watchmakers always start with the constraints.
You have this new boutique that you share with Air Zermatt, can you tell us about this?
It started during COVID when we had the opportunity to take over a space from one of our retailers, so we talked to Air Zermatt about creating something together. It began as a pop-up store two years ago, and it worked so well as it gave visibility to Air Zermatt in town, which they don't really get. It also enabled us to share the story of what they are doing and it was good for us too as it was a great location in Zermatt and it enabled us to express our partnership together.
Do you have any plans for the future that you can share?
We are looking for a bigger location already, as we believe we can always do better. And in 2026, it is going to be our 15th anniversary with Air Zermatt, so that's something that we are starting to think about. We have created a lot of watches with them, we celebrated the 10 years of partnership with them, and we did a special watch for the 50th anniversary of Air Zermatt. So, I would expect that in 2026 we will have a special product for Hamilton Air Zermatt, which will not only be for the Zermatt boutique – like the Khaki Aviation X-Wind Air Zermatt Limited Edition that we are launching today – but worldwide so we can spread the word about Air Zermatt to Japan, the United States, Italy, France, Germany, and beyond, which would be wonderful.
