Customer Service, YouTube, and Building a Business Selling Watches that Fill in the Gaps — An Interview with Marc Frankel
Photo provided by Marc Frankel (pictured from left to right: Tina, Marc, Melinda, Mike, Clinton, Ryan, Sylvio)
I remember when I started researching the watch community, moving beyond my limited knowledge of Fossil, Rolex, and Timex. I recall the person who taught me how to change straps and remove those pesky pin and collar links from my Seiko Presage: Marc from LongIslandWatch.com. For many of us, Marc is an institution within this community and industry we love. As an online watch retailer and brand owner, he’s synonymous with a wealth of knowledge and impeccable customer service.
A bit of context:
Chris and Marc meeting for the first time at WindUp Watch Fair 2022
Marc’s commitment to the community and attention to detail are unrivaled. My first encounter with Marc was at WindUp NYC 2022, and it was a surreal moment. I had not yet begun writing about watches; I was just another nerd with a watch-themed Instagram account. I was about 20 feet away when I saw Marc at the Islander booth. Feeling a bit nervous about approaching him, we made eye contact, and Marc called out to me, “Hi, it’s Chris, right?” We had only had a few interactions through comments on his Instagram posts, so I was shocked that he remembered my name. Over the last two years, we’ve kept in touch occasionally, and my respect for Marc and his business has grown over time. So, when I was coming up with a list of folks I wanted to interview at the launch of this new site, Marc was at the tippy top.
The Interview:
I caught up with Marc on the day of his first solo flight as he progressed toward getting his private pilot’s license, which greatly excited him. This was a couple of months ago, and he has successfully obtained it since then. This has been a bucket list dream for Marc, exemplifying his fortitude in overcoming each challenge he chooses for himself. Fans of his content surely know that Marc comes from an engineering background. I won’t pretend to understand the ins and outs of being an engineer, but my father has been an engineer his whole life. I can say with relative certainty that it’s a more comfortable route than deciding to start and own your own business—especially in an industry that was reluctant to sell its products online at the time of Long Island Watch’s conception. Marc needed to persuade brands to allow him to sell their products online, enabling his business and platform. He was also an early adopter of the watch YouTube scene, which became a significant part of his business, as that is when it began to showcase Marc’s personality more overtly.
Posted on Instagram at @LongIslandWatch. Marc received his private pilot’s license after 2.5 years.
I asked Marc if he foresaw that Long Island Watch would adopt its owner as its personality. Did he know that creating a YouTube channel would be so successful for his business?
“No,” Marc chuckled, then repeated, “No, no. […] If I had known it was going to be so successful, I would’ve started on YouTube in its infancy. But in earnest, I started in 2014, and it was really just to showcase watches I carried on the site. Something I often said at the time was, ‘if a picture is worth a thousand words, then a video is worth a million.’”
He spoke about how it was actually TGV, The Urban Gentry himself, who sparked Marc’s interest in creating a YouTube channel to begin with. He recalled a time when he went to Queens, NY, to watch TGV film a video. “At that point, we had developed a friendship, and when I watched him making his video, I thought, ‘Wow, this doesn’t seem too difficult. I should be doing this.’” After a decade of creating content, Marc understands he can use his videos to generate business or followers, and he knows exactly what types of videos will pull viewers in either direction. “Creating video content is the most important marketing component for the business, more than emails and other things. I can release a video and immediately, within 10 minutes, see the response on the website. The product I promoted is the product that sells.” And while Marc has learned to wield his channel to fight for the business outcomes he’s looking for, he’s also thankful for how much closer this has brought him to the community.
“You know, we have 50 or so people who comment on every video, and we see them. I’m grateful that we have such a loyal core group of followers. My repeat business is very high, around 30 to 40%. I’m honored and amazed by that.”
The next step was to engage with consumers physically at conventions and trade shows, but this only happened due to the development of the Islander brand. Marc has discussed the creation of Islander extensively in multiple videos on his channel. Essentially, he recognized the need for well-built watches with great specs, for an affordable price. Seiko was discontinuing models like the beloved SKX, and there was truly nothing to replace it. Many of Islander’s watches pay homage to classic, affordable pieces like the SKX. However, he has also started creating watches with unique designs and details, like his best-selling Islander Northport.. “Islander definitely did what it needed to do. It filled the gap, but then it just friggin exploded.”
Photo by Jason Nofsker (@watchrolling) of the Islander Northport in Seafoam Green
Marc attended the WindUp Watch Fair in 2016 as a representative for Squale, a brand that Marc loves and carries in his shop. In 2019, when Marc released Islander, his employee Ryan suggested doing a trade show for their own brand. “He had to convince me to do it, and it turned out to be a great choice.” As of October 2024, Marc has attended seven WindUp Watch Fairs with his Islander brand. If you’ve ever been to a watch convention where Marc and the Islander brand were present, you’ve seen how crowded the table gets—filled with people wanting a chance to try on the Islander watches, as well as those who just want to say “hi” and meet Marc.
“I’m floored that people want to meet me […] It’s overwhelming and kind of shocking sometimes. It means a ton to me.” Marc shared an anecdote about a guy who told him they purchased their first watch from him 18 years ago when they were in high school, and they were now pushing around a stroller. He shifted in his seat a little and reminisced over the math. When this gentleman was in high school, Marc’s son was born, and he’s now in college. “I can see it. I get it. It’s just tough for me to believe, maintain, absorb. It’s just shocking.”
Photo provided by Marc Frankel: the YouTube Plaque for surpassing the milestone of 100,000 subscribers
While this may still shock Marc, one thing needs to be understood about the hobby of watch enthusiasm: it’s built on storytelling. I believe that understanding one another is best achieved through storytelling—and maybe also food. In our hobby, every watch tells a story, and some people become stories themselves. Marc Frankel, through his Long Island Watch and Islander, has become part of many watch enthusiasts and collectors' journeys; therefore, he is as much a part of our story as he is his own.
At this point, I wanted to explore more deeply how Marc’s story began. Marc is the youngest of three siblings, with an older brother and an older sister. When Marc was a kid, his father owned a hardware store in Manhattan.
“My father inherited the hardware store from his father. He did not want any of us to follow in his footsteps and take over the store because it was such a rough life. It was a long drive to get to the store, and for him to go to and from work every day. It literally killed him. He retired, but he didn’t last long afterwards. […] I never really talked to him about it. But all the advice he could give me, I just absorbed by sitting in the hardware story for 20 friggin’ years and watching him operate a business. He did everything extreme. The way he ran the business…I mean, forget the financial side because that was a mess…but the customer side, he always kept the customer happy and that’s what I learned. I remember a guy came into the store and asked to cut a piece of wood for him. My dad went downstairs and cut it. When he brought it back up the guy asked what he owed him and my dad said ‘nothing, it took me 10 seconds.’ The guy came back in the next day and bought like $500 worth of hardware. So, I guess you can say that I didn’t really seek advice from him, but I got everything I needed to know from him without asking questions.”
Without conducting any research and based solely on my knowledge of many community members who have purchased watches from Long Island Watch, I believe this type of service is exactly what Marc is known for and reflects the transparency he displays in his business. Since I know how transparent he is, I asked him if any of the brands he sells at Long Island Watch were concerned when he started his own watch brand with Islander.
“I wouldn’t say they’ve expressed concern. You know, just about every brand I carry I’m friendly with the owners. The bigger brands, obviously ‘no.’” He then took a moment and chuckled to himself before saying that, “one of the brands I really like asked me to dinner one night and he said ‘I tell ya why you don’t sell any of our watches, you’re too busy selling your own damn brand.’ He was right, but he said it jokingly and in kindness. People understand that if they all had the same opportunity they would do exactly the same thing.”
Since many of Marc’s Islander models specifically pay homage to Seiko, I was also curious to know if they’ve ever expressed concern, knowing that Marc still carries Seiko in his store. “Oh, they don’t care. Compared to Seiko, I am a piece of dust on an index, on a dial, in a factory. The amount of pieces I make in a year, Seiko makes more with just one SKU.” It all comes back to the transparency element. Marc understands that he is the face of his brand and that people put a certain level of trust in him. When watching his YouTube videos, he does not hide the fact that he is trying to sell the showcased watches.
Like any dedicated business owner, he is always working. “The alarm goes off at 6am to get the kids to school, and I’m already flipping through my phone, answering customer emails.” I asked Marc if he takes some time for himself, acknowledging that I knew he was getting his pilot’s license, but also checking to see if it has added more stress to his life. He laughed and said, “I’ve definitely checked emails while I’ve been in the air before. Just real quick. But I wasn’t the one flying!” He also mentioned that he exercises regularly on the elliptical and has finally started streaming some shows that we all watched ages ago, like Breaking Bad.
Long Island Watch Facilities:
“I know that I’m the face of the brand I trust myself to maintain that level of customer service. I have a cast of characters that I couldn’t do any of this without, but if something happens it falls on me, and it’s a lot to be responsible for. I have customers in Europe, China…until I close my eyes at night, it never stops. I’m sure it will drive me crazy one day, but I’m not there yet.”
While Marc gives his business his all, he delegates many tasks. Clinton handles his marketing, and Marc allows him to "go wild,” but he doesn’t get involved much. Half of the Islander watch design is performed by Ryan. Marc’s wife, a CPA, manages all the business's finances. Marc’s sister also works for Long Island Watch and handles all returns. His brother-in-law, the longest-serving employee, manages all packing and shipping. Meanwhile, Marc runs the rest of the business and answers most emails. “I realize my strength lies in domain knowledge, which many seek from me. I’m not sure I can transfer that knowledge to anyone. It would take me 20 years. You can tell the model number to a Citizen, and I can tell you what bracelet fits it. It’s all in here [Marc points to his head]. It’s kind of unfortunate, but that’s the way it is.”
In his explanation of how he runs his business, Marc recounted the time he spent with Teddy Baldassarre in Cleveland earlier this year. He was in awe of the amount of time Teddy dedicates to his videos and how he carves out that time for himself. “That’s what he’s good at. That’s where the magic happens. That’s his brand. What I excel at is customer service. That’s why I don’t feel bad answering those emails personally all the time. The knowledge, the service — that’s what makes me, me. And that’s what makes Long Island Watch, Long Island Watch.” Marc is the guy with all the answers, and when people reach out to Long Island Watch, they know that’s who they will get.
Photo provided by Marc Frankel: Marc and his father in the hardware store
“My sister and my mom have always said that ‘Dad would be so proud of everything you’ve done,’ and I’m sure he would be. I guess I learned it all from him.” Marc has applied the valuable lessons he learned from his father and his passion for watches and the surrounding community to successfully build his business. This is a business that many of us carry a torch for because we understand that it’s something built by an enthusiast like us, a company that has been a cornerstone of this hobby and one we hope will continue to be there for us in the years to come.
Transparency
As stated above, Marc and I met in 2022 at the WindUp Watch Fair and have kept in touch ever since. I reached out to see if he would be interested in an interview and helping launch my website, and he was all in. This is not a paid advertisement.
