Just for Fun
Popular YouTube channel The Unknown Vlogs posted one of its biggest videos yet: a new edition of “How Much Is Your Outfit,” featuring Drake. The video catches Drake and his OVO crew before he’s about to go on stage at 02 in London. Drake clearly knew the video was coming and was fitted up for the camera. He starts with a custom-made Brioni jacket, and goes all Tom Ford under that, looking extremely clean and professional. But it’s the watch that made the ensemble a $1 million fit.
Read MoreI first came across Merci Instruments through an Instagram post by @mrgrandseiko. He was showing off this trio of beautifully simple field watches that I’d never seen before. Sure, they looked a little like the Timexes or Hamiltons I so often see, but there was something about these that made me stop scrolling for just a second (no small feat). The guy behind this account is always taking great photos, but even this one caught my eye. Turns out the group of watches I was looking at is made by a 10-year old French brand named Merci. It’s a retailer with one shop in the Marais neighborhood of Paris.
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This week, eBay is auctioning off (click to check it out) a group of luxury watches in its “Time to Treat Yourself” auction. There are 51 watches total, ranging from Oris to five-figure timepieces from Rolex, Patek Phillipe and Audemars Piguet. Frankly, I see a lot of nice watches on eBay every day (and a lot more duds), and it’s unclear why some of the watches were included in this promoted auction. But, there are a few headliners in the auction worth pointing out.
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In a decision in Swiss court that can’t be surprising, Swatch prevailed over Apple in a long-running dispute over Swatch’s “Tick Different” watches. The watches are no doubt a direct reference to Apple’s Think Different ad campaigns from the 1990s and 2000s. The Swiss Federal Administrative Court said Apple’s slogan was not well enough known in Switzerland to warrant protection.
Read MoreGuides
Are you an investment banker, lawyer, consultant, or young professional looking to make the right impression with your bosses and clients? There’s no better way to do it than having the right watch on your wrist. In professional, hierarchical settings, it’s important for young professionals to have the “right” watch. This means your watch can make a statement, but you can’t be flexing on your boss. It can signal to other watch enthusiasts that you’re into watches, but you probably shouldn’t be wearing around your (or your boss’s) grail yet.
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It was big news back in 2015 when Ian Rogers jumped from Apple to become the new chief digital officer at LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moet Hennesy, which owns watch brands including Bulgari, TAG Heuer, Hublot, and Zenith). Jing Daily (a publication focused on digital trends in China) has a brief interview with him, in which he discusses his move from Apple to LVMH, how to do luxury online the right way, and what “luxury” means.
Read MoreJust for Fun
We’ve covered Jay-Z’s passion for watches a few times here. He’s a tastemaker in every sense of the word: he jumped on Hublot Big Bangs and iced out Pateks, and the rest of the rap world followed. Then he swerved for subtle, sometimes vintage pieces like a Jaeger LeCoultre Reverso or Patek Grand Complication, and everyone followed. This time though, he’s flaunting a piece that no one else can copy.
Read MoreOne Watch
And just as quickly as the blog boys descended upon Baselworld a week ago, they were gone. Now all were left with are a few great watches, a bunch of press releases, and a few more names on the local Rolex AD’s waitlist. Admittedly, it’s difficult to tell when all we have are a few photos and a spec sheet, but these are the watches I’m most excited to see in the metal. These are our 10 favorite everyday watches from Baselworld 2019.
Read MoreJust for Fun
For this second Talking Watches, Mayer brought out some heavy hitters. His Rolex Daytona collection is likely second to none, and the other vintage and concept pieces he shows off tell the tale of a man deep into it in every way.
Read MoreAnalysis
As I’ve detailed before in Brands, Marketplaces, and the Battle to win the Consumer, the value chain for any industry — including the watch industry — is divided into three components: suppliers, distributors, and consumers. The best way to make out-sized profits in a consumer market is to either gain a horizontal monopoly in one of these three parts or to integrate two of the parts such that you have a competitive advantage in delivering a vertical solution. In the pre-internet era the latter strategy depended on controlling distribution. For example, in the watch industry, a company or brand would focus on manufacturing (i.e. supplying) watches and then build out an exclusive network of distribution, namely by signing on authorized dealers to sell the company’s watches on the ground.
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Reporting from Baselworld, Reuters quoted a number of watch industry executives who said they expect to continue to see strong growth in 2019. This is despite a slow start to 2019 in which Swiss watch exports have risen just 2.1 percent in the first two months of the year. In 2018, Swiss watch exports rose 6.3 percent.
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In late February, Swatch Group filed a complaint against Samsung Electronics, saying the company infringed on Swatch’s trademarks for various watch designs. A number of Swatch Group subsidiaries, including Blancpain, Breguet, Jaquet Droz, Omega, Tissot, and others are named as plaintiffs in the suit — Samsung didn’t seemed to be just as happy copying from the low as from the high end of the market.
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In our Brief History of Universal Geneve, we concluded by hoping for an eventual rebirth of the brand.
Well, since we wrote that article in November 2018, a few developments pointing towards a rebirth of the Universal Geneve brand have happened. As someone astutely noted in the comments section of that article, Universal Geneve’s website, universal.ch, is now fully functional. It only features a history of the brand and a “contact us” form, but it’s definitely something.
Read MoreRecommended
If the New York Times writes a longer-form piece on a trend, is it a bubble? If so, vintage watch lovers might want to watch out.
In a new article, the Times calls out vintage watches as “yet another easy way for the rich to make their money into more money”.
Read MoreGuides
Getting to know vintage Grand Seiko.
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After a stable January, Swiss watch exports grew 3.4% in February 2019. This is even despite a high comparison base, as exports grew more than 10% in February 2018. it’s a good sign that there may be additional room to run for the Swiss watch industry. Total exports totaled CHF 1.8 billion in February 2019, slightly higher than January’s CHF 1.6 billion total.
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The blog boys are already going crazy. Baselworld 2019 hasn’t even officially kicked off yet, but a visit to Watchville will tell you that it must be that time of year. With article after article of regurgitated press releases singing praises of a watch that the writer has put his hands on even less than he’s put his hands on the finer sex, it’s high season for kissing ass.
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Garmin has announced the launch of its new premium smart watch, the Marq Collection. The collection of watches, ranging in price from $1,500-$2,500, is certainly a move into the luxury watch market by Garmin, which has been a leader in the fitness-focused smartwatch space for years.
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Hodinkee’s managing editor gets interviewed by one of the best fashion podcasts around.
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