John Simonian, founder of Westime, is recognized as a visionary, an innovative businessman, and an ambassador to the world of horology. Both his father and his great uncle worked in the watch business, and they gave Simonian an insider’s view to the world of watchmaking at a very young age. Simonian began making deliveries for his father when he was a boy, and he quickly developed a fascination for the time and the energy it took watchmakers to create watches. By the age of twelve, Simonian was accompanying his father to the Swiss watch factories on a regular basis. He seemed to be genetically predisposed to follow his destiny and change the watch industry to what it is today.
Throughout his career, John has worked in all aspects of the Swiss watch industry. Nearly four decades ago he founded luxury watch retailer Westime, which specializes in offering the most exclusive and complicated watch collections as well as highly sought-after Swiss timepieces. Today the company consists of three locations: Westime Beverly Hills, Westime La Jolla north of San Diego, and Westime Miami in Brickell City Centre. With master watchmakers on site and a staff that is fluent in more than 10 languages, Simonian is committed to providing unparalleled service to Westime’s international clientele.
With more than 40 watch and jewelry brands available at Westime’s stores, the locations have served as “laboratories” that help Simonian analyze brands, marketing strategies, and new products. This unique perspective became the catalyst to Simonian’s next venture—distribution. In the new millennium he began introducing some of the watch industry’s most unique timepieces to new markets. Today he is president and CEO of Richard Mille Americas, and he also represents such independent brands as Urwerk as the distributor in the region. In 2020 he expanded the company’s luxury portfolio again by bringing the French perfumer Henry Jacques to the USA.
In 2010, Simonian expanded the retail side of the business, this time with his first monobrand boutique: Richard Mille Boutique Beverly Hills. Now monobrand boutiques under Simonian’s purview include 12 Richard Mille boutiques in the Americas, as well as multiple Breitling, MB&F Lab, and Henry Jacques boutiques in the USA.
Throughout his career, Simonian and his businesses have supported local and national charitable efforts. Most notably, he joined the board of the After-School All-Stars national charity in 2013 and initiated an annual fund-raising event in partnership with ASAS Founder Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger the same year. Since its inception, their annual event has raised more than $25 million for ASAS.
