Waiting for Alain Silberstein

Life, by its very nature, is not a stationary occupation.  As a watch observer it is easy to lose track of people and brands.

I first laid eyes on an Alain Silberstein watch traveling from Helsinki to London.  It was the GMT alarm with the trumpeting angel on the dial.  I still hold out hope that someday I will find that watch and be able to own it.

I have, in many ways, been chasing Alain Silberstein.  First as a potential buyer/customer, and now as someone anxious to write about him and  his watches.  He and his watches have taken on  an almost mythical quality for me.  I have met him once - very briefly - at BaselWorld 2011, and since then I have not seen or heard much.

His website says "see you soon!" so I hope that means just a bit more patience is required.  For now, we are waiting for Alain Silberstein.

Searching for Biver - Part 2

It can be frustrating to be an outsider.  I suppose on some level we all feel like an outsider at some time or another.  But sometimes it is the outsider who has the clearest vision, and the strongest drive

The upper-echelon of the watch industry is a pretty tight little community, without a lot of room for interlopers from outside of Switzerland.  But there are always exceptions, particularly when someone exceptional is involved.

Enter Peter Stas of Frederique Constant and Alpina.

Courtesy of Frederique Constant

It is not every electronics firm expat that goes on to form one of the strongest young brands - and base it in Switzerland!  Now let's keep a few things in mind here, Frederique Constant makes watches for normal people.  By that, I mean you have a hope in Hell of actually being able to afford one without making a questionable decision in these financially uncertain times!  But that in and of itself is easy, isn't it?  Make an affordable watch - lots of people do that.  But how do you make it desirable?

Well, it is safe to say that a watch can't stand up and speak for itself.  Even mighty Patek Philippe is dependent upon its history, and frankly, its name too!  Don't believe me?  Remove those two magic words from the dial, and you will lose a large portion of your audience.  I'm not saying that's right or wrong, just human nature.

So how do you truly start from nothing, and build something so strong, and so well respected that even the Watch Snob himself must grudgingly give his approval?  Not merely assemble watches, but manufacture movements?  Well, if it were an easy answer we'd all be doing it.  It takes a special sort of person.  And a great deal of this success is down to accessibility, Mr. Stas is out there.  As we say in election season, he's shaking hands, pouring coffee and kissing babies.  You become excited about Frederique Constant and Alpina because HE is excited about it.  You find it interesting because it interests him, and he is interesting to you.

The Watch Industry and the Transfer Window - Jean-Claude Biver

I first ran this story back in January when the news first broke.  It is hard to believe that nearly a whole year has now passed since Jean-Claude Biver handed over most of his CEO responsibilities at Hublot, but as we are nearly at the end of the year, it seems a good time to look back.

The last emperor has left the party

News has now spread that Jean Claude Biver has decided, in the words of several (including Valentino)  to leave the party while it is still full.  I recall reading the news release when Mr. Biver took over Hublot.

In his discussions with the former owners prior to joining, he stated emphatically that the big idea behind Hublot was not a gold and rubber watch - it was FUSION.  In other words, the combination of seemingly unlikely design elements or components.  And it has been fusion that has carried the day at Hublot ever since.

As I write this, I am reminded of the past 18 months - in other words, the time frame which I started this blog.  During that time, at least to me, there was a noticeable change in Mr. Biver.  The excitement and joy for Hublot was there, but the volume seemed somewhat dialed back.  At BaselWorld last year (March 2011) a few of us thought that this announcement might be coming sooner - it just didn't seem like the same Hublot, and it didn't seem like the same Mr. Biver.

If you are an Hublot watcher like myself, you would have perhaps seen the stage being set for his retirement for the past 2 years or so.  Hublot TV - which was right up there with Burn Notice on my must watch list has slowly petered out.  A social media guru was brought in, and barely had time to have a cup of coffee before he was shown the door.  What had been a consistently solid image was becoming unclear, shifting and with the launch of Hublot Nation seemed even more discordant.

Perhaps to put it more precisely - from 2007 to early 2011, Hublot had captured the imagination of the watch world - not just the attention of those who would likely buy it.  This did not happen organically, and it didn't happen solely because of products - the watch industry offers up seemingly hundreds of interesting and desirable creations each year.  It was fusion, to be sure.  But the key fusion was Mr. Biver and opportunity.  In other words, he is certainly a visionary - but more than this, he is evangelical in his zeal.  In the past, listening to Mr. Biver was like listening to the most convincing preacher you had ever heard.  It was light years BEYOND selling, and was well beyond marketing.  This was passion ratcheted up to such a level that you became a convert just by being in the same room.  Perhaps a new word should be added to our lexicon - "Biveresequa".  Does this mean that there is no Hublot without him?  Of course not, there was an Hublot before him, and there will of course be one after.  The question remains - what will Hublot be without him?

And ultimately, we are of course all left to speculate.  Is this really the last stop?  Since 2008/2009 several of Mr. Biver's fellow pioneers in the rebirth of the Swiss watch industry have left the party owing to prior appointments with their maker - more than a few of them quite suddenly while in the office.  I suspect that he is not the type of person who, on his death bed would regret not spending more time in the office.  He certainly does not need the money, and he has quite a few other interests to keep him busy.  But something tells me, there might be at least one more party for Mr. Biver to join, one more challenge left.  We shall see.

Ernest Borel's Jules Borel

Courtesy of Ernest Borel

This is from the Jules Borel collection.  Very often when we think of Ernest Borel we think of the cocktail watch, but this one definitely is a departure from that!  Limited to 688 pieces.  Here are the details, straight from the source -

Model: GS9238-4922

• Swiss made 9094 automatic movement
• Elaborate polished
• Geneva stripes
• Rhodium plated movement
• Date retrograde indication
• Day indication by hand
• Power reserve indication
• Stainless steel case and bracelet
• Sapphire crystal
• See-through back
• 50 M water resistant
• Limited numbered edition 688 pieces

www.ernestborel.ch

Is it Local? Some Thoughts on Origin and Pricing

First, have a look at this -


If the image doesn't load - use this link:
http://www.ifc.com/videos/portlandia-is-it-local

Video is courtesy of IFC - the series is PORTLANDIA.

So now hopefully you're all feeling light-hearted and enjoyed a good laugh.

But I also suspect that many of us (yes me included) have had the same feelings about watches.  Where are they made?  Are they REALLY all SWISS, GERMAN, etc.?  By now it is known to anyone who really takes the time to do their homework that the notion of 100% SWISS made is becoming a very challenging notion.  The "SWISS MADE" parameters allow plenty of room to maneuver, and considering that we live in a global economy - fair enough.

We tend to vote with our wallets.  I don't get the sense that VW loses too many sales because a Jetta is NOT assembled in Germany.

But what I find fascinating is that when a company goes out of their way to source locally wherever possible, to be transparent about origin - and to charge accordingly - not outrageously - we cry foul.   We criticize, we complain, we try to find fault.  We say "there's no way it should cost that much!  I'm going to go buy a ____.    It's much better value!  These people are crooks, they're just out to make money!"  And it's that last line that always has me shaking my head.  Because we are fans, because we love watches, we feel that the people making our watches should be in it for love - apparently not for money.

So if we all went by that notion, we would agree to a 30% (standard expectation for discount when buying a watch here in North America) wage reduction because, in fact, that's what our time is considered to be worth by someone else.  I don't know about all of you out there who read this, but I for one am not prepared to accept 30% less for my daily work - why should we expect - and in some instances demand that people creating, producing, selling and servicing our watches accept 30% less?

This is not to say that I feel that all watches are RATIONALLY priced.  RATIONAL and FAIR are two different things.  FAIR is only an issue when we talk about essentials.  We can live without a nice watch, but we can't live without clean drinking water, or heat in the winter.

I for one am glad that there are high level artisans like Roger Smith and Stepan Sarpaneva out there.  I don't think we really question their work or their prices.  But I am also glad that there are brands out there that are truly making sure that "Yes, it's local" as much as they possibly can.  There is a reason why a 100% certified organic chicken costs more than what you pay for a "factory bird" at Walmart when they "roll back" the prices.  And there's a reason why a well made, small production watch costs more than something mass produced.  

Searching for Biver - Part 1

So we are almost at the new year.  2012 has been full of surprises and developments - comings and goings.  A few more "goings" are sure to be announced shortly.  But with all of the day to day noise, new products, anniversaries, break-through technologies... I am still waiting for the next great communicator out there.  I know she or he is out there somewhere.  I have said many times before, Jean-Claude Biver is perhaps the "most perfect creature" when it came to making a watch company into something from virtually nothing.  It was not just the message - but the messenger.  You can have great and interesting products, but you also need that evangelical zeal to get people excited about it.  You not only have to get people's attention, but you have to hold it.

So who will we hear big things from in the coming year?

I think certainly Vincent Perriard might actually fit the bill.  Now in fairness, HYT at the moment is very much a work in progress - but the progress so far has been impressive.

Courtesy of HYT and Chronopassion

I think that what is exciting about HYT is that Vincent Perriard is EXCITED ABOUT IT.  So I might be premature here, but I think 2013 could be the break-out comeback year for Vincent.  Now the bigger challenge will be to see where he can grow HYT from here.  Stay tuned!

Something Special from Longines

I am a sucker for a classic chronograph - and Longines has two chronographs from their Heritage collection that caught my eye this morning.  Column wheel chronographs power both of these beautiful pieces, so let's be clear, this is not just your run of the mill "homage" piece - dressed up to look vintage!

Courtesy of Longines

This is the Telemeter -

Case

• Shape: Round
• Material: Stainless steel
• Glass: Scratch-resistant sapphire crystal, with several layers of anti-reflective coating on the underside
• Case back: Transparent case back with sapphire crystal
• Dimension: Ø 41.00 mm
• Water resistance: Water-resistant to 3 bar

Movement and Functions

• Caliber: L688, Self winding mechanical column wheel chronograph movement beating at 28'800 vibrations per hours and providing 54 hours of power reserve
• Function: Hours, minutes, small second at 9 o'clock and date. Chronograph mechanism: central 60 seconds hand, 30 minutes counter at 3 o'clock, 12 hours counter at 6 o'clock.

Dial and Hands

• Color: White lacquered polished
• Hours markers: Painted Arabic numerals
• Specificities: Telemeter scale
• Hands: Blued steel hands

Bracelet

• Material: Alligator strap
• Color: Black
• Buckle: With buckle

Courtesy of Longines

And this is the Tachymeter 

Case

• Shape: Round
• Material: Stainless steel
• Glass: Scratch-resistant sapphire crystal, with several layers of anti-reflective coating on the underside
• Case back: Transparent case back with sapphire crystal
• Dimension: Ø 41.00 mm
• Water resistance: Water-resistant to 3 bar

Movement and Functions

• Caliber: L688, Self winding mechanical column wheel chronograph movement beating at 28'800 vibrations per hours and providing 54 hours of power reserve
• Function: Hours, minutes, small second at 9 o'clock and date. Chronograph mechanism: central 60 seconds hand, 30 minutes counter at 3 o'clock, 12 hours counter at 6 o'clock.

Dial and Hands

• Color: White lacquered polished
• Hours markers: Painted Arabic numerals
• Specificities: Tachymeter scale
• Hands: Blued steel hands

Bracelet

• Material: Alligator strap
• Color: Black
• Buckle: With buckle

The Watch Industry and the Transfer Window - Part 2

Although this news has been reported elsewhere, I wanted to follow-up for
confirmation and comments, so apologies if you've already read this elsewhere.

Peter Roberts has been working as the Consultant Technical Director with Bremont for the past four years.  But with a new year come new challenges and he will be moving on to pursue the design and manufacture of his own collection through Peter Roberts Watches -

Courtesy of Peter Roberts Watches

www.peterrobertswatches.com

Here is the announcement from Peter Roberts Watches -

"As is known, Peter Roberts has been serving as Technical Director with Bremont Watches on a consultancy basis for the last four years.

It is with regret that Peter is announcing that he is withdrawing his services and has resigned from his position as Consultant Technical Director with Bremont from January 2013.  Peter wishes the Bremont team every success in the future.

This change does not effect Peter & Marie-Louise’s involvement in the watch industry. They will continue to produce new projects and assist and help in the regeneration of the British watch industry."

And the folks from Bremont were kind enough to provide their comments and best wishes -

"We started an amazing journey together and his expertise was invaluable.  We wish him every success for his future and thank him for his time with us."

So, more changes happening and I have no doubt we'll see more in the coming weeks.

15 Days with the GAVOX Curtiss P-40

A knock at the door on Christmas Eve, and a new GAVOX Curtiss P-40 (Ref. 350) had arrived for review.  And so, 15 days with the GAVOX Curtiss P-40 begins now.

Stay tuned!

Some More Boxing Day Leftovers - Zenith

This originally ran over a year ago.  I think a lot of it is still true, and it seemed like a good time to look back -

Why Zenith Matters

Zenith...

I will not speak false flattery here, there was a brief time prior to the current management team at Zenith that really made me scratch my head and wonder.  A wonderful brand had been turned on its head.  In all fairness, the name of Zenith grew incredibly fast, gaining renewed interest here in the US.  But it was done at a great cost.

And then change came about again with the arrival of a new management team who still looked forward, but did not abandon the past.

Think about the company as a whole - this was the sort of place where a watch maker was not merely asked - but ORDERED to literally throw away all of the mechanical movements in his possession.  And instead of following those instructions to the letter, he hid them!  And thank goodness that he did!  Sort of reminds me of the scene in the Red Violin when the violin is hidden during the cultural revolution in China. 

And it seems fitting, and in that spirit that I will share with you perhaps the main reason why Zenith matters - they are in the PEOPLE business.  It just so happens that they make watches.  What do I mean by this?

So a quick homework assignment before you complete reading this post.  Visit this link at watch - u - seek, and read this story - http://forums.watchuseek.com/f457/special-package-switzerland-le-locle-mr-dufour-498563.html

Okay - homework finished?  Welcome back!

I have to say that I am jealous of Mick Mooren, not because of the wonderful interaction he had with Zenith and Mr. Dufour, or his abilities as a budding watch maker.  No, I am truly jealous of his ability to tell a story.  It makes me re-think my chosen profession!


But why this matters?  Let's be honest, there was NOTHING in it for Zenith to do what they did.  It's not like Mick was a customer, but Mr. Dufour and the people at Zenith clearly understand something that many of the the "Big Dogs" seem to have forgotten.  The watch business is not simply about sell-throughs, moving stock, etc.  It is about people, and the relationships that come with them.  That relationship moves beyond the watch itself, and instills a real connection to the watch owner.


I have never owned a Zenith - but now I want one.  Not owing to the history of the movement manufacturing, the legend of the El Primero, or the status.  No, I want a Zenith, because now I have an idea of the sort of people working there, and the sort of person running the company.  I like them.  Don't get me wrong - Zenith is wonderfully innovative, dynamic and historically significant.  But so are a lot of manufacturers.  No, Zenith is in the people business.  And that is why Zenith matters.

Glycine's Combat 6 Automatic 36 mm

This is the latest interpretation of the Combat 6 Automatic from Glycine - it is now available in a 36 mm size.  This is an interesting and promising development not just for Glycine, but for the industry in general.  36 mm is a nice size and this does not mean that they are abandoning their larger version!  But they are taking care of their loyal fans and customers by offering something a little smaller.  Well done Glycine!

Courtesy of Glycine

Here are the details -

Combat 6 automatic 36 mm		Ref. 3916
Movement Caliber: Swiss automatic movement Functions: hours, minutes and seconds, date display in window Size: 11 1/2" Jewels: 25 Power Reserve: 38 hours Hz: 4/28'800 vibrations per hour Finish: nickel coated oscillating weight on ball bearing, decorated "Côtes de Genève"

Case, Dial & Hands
Material:	stainless steel
Diameter:	36mm without crown
Height:	10,45mm with see-through back
Finish:	satin/polished
Waterproof:	5 atm
Back:	screwed see-through mineral glass
Glass:	domed mineral or sapphire
Dial:	black with Index SL, black with arabic figures SL, blue with Index SL, brown with arabic figures SL, silver with Index SL
Hands:	nickel with SL
Crown:	sticker crown

Leather strap
Material:	calf
Colours:	calf sewing: black, light brown, brown, blue calf croco style: black, light brown, brown, blue
Width:	20mm horns / 20mm buckle
Buckle:	belt
Bracelet
Material:	stainless steel
Finish:	satin
Length:	177.2 mm without endpieces
Width:	20mm horns / 20mm buckle
Clasp:	butterfly with pusher

www.glycine-watch.ch

Get the Jump on Your Valentine's Shopping with Perrelet

Courtesy of Perrelet

This is the Diamond Flower from Perrelet.  It is also available in white or black, but I think seeing as we are now looking forward towards Valentine's Day, red is the most appropriate.

88 diamonds decorate Perrelet's latest confection for the ladies.

Boxing Day - Savoy

So you didn't get that new watch you were hoping for?

Savoy's got you covered!

Courtesy of Savoy

This is the Savoy Icon Extreme Chrono -

Case Size	45mm
Movement	Swiss Made Chronograph ETA G10.211 / counters 1/10s, 60 seconds, 30 minutes
Case Finish	Stainless steel 316L with black PVD plating and ss screws and crown
Bezel	Stainless steel with tachymeter
Crystal	Sapphire with 5 anti reflective coatings
Dial	Black pattern with raised indexes and silver sub dial rings
Strap Bracelet	White rubber
Buckle	IP black folding clasp
Straps Insert	Black croco pattern
Water Resistance	100 m/330 feet

$1,450.00 - Direct from Savoy

PR Memories - Bob Roll Revisited

I still really treasure my DOXA days!    This was back when the dinosaurs walked the earth, and Facebook was just getting rolling.  We were smaller, and had to try harder, and did not have LVMH style advertising budgets.

It was a great job!

I had the opportunity to meet the folks at PADI, get the Project AWARE watch made, and later helped negotiate the partnership with DOXA and Jean-Michel Cousteau's Ocean Futures Society here in Santa Barbara.  Pretty fun stuff!  But perhaps my favorite was one that while not producing the "INK" we were hoping for, did give me a chance to meet one of my cycling heroes.  So as Boxing Day is a day for leftovers, I'd like to re-heat this one today -

Giving Stuff Away

Perhaps one of the best parts of working in Public Relations is that every now and then you get called upon to give stuff away.  In my first year with DOXA I got to meet one of my cycling idols - Bob Roll and present him with a DOXA SUB 1000T Divingstar - yellow of course! For those of you not up on cycling, that is Bob on the right ; )

While many people know about Bobke from his cycling commentary covering the Tour de France, Tour of California and other notable races - I urge all of you to check out his two cycling collections - Bobke and Bobke II.  There is particularly great story on his Tag Heuer.  For Bob, this was the definitive answer to the question - when is a watch more than just a watch?

In his own eloquent words Bobke answers that question -

The Watch
When I signed my first pro contract, I got two things: a passport and a wristwatch. I vowed to race until all the pages of my passport were filled with stamps (like Sidney Poitier's Virgil Tibbs in In the Heat of the Night) or it had expired. In a lame attempt to expedite border crossings, most European countries no longer stamp your passport, and since mine doesn't expire for a couple of years, my original vow will give me an even decade as a pro. The wristwatch came from one of the team's co-sponsors. Not just any watch, but a TAG-Heuer titanium-and-gold piece of exquisite Swiss art.

That wristwatch exploded off Tour de France prologue time trial ramps from Paris to Berlin. That watch saw my arms and legs turn blue and counted 12 beats of my heart for one sweep of the minute hand during blizzard Giro stages in the Dolomite mountains.

That watch's crystal face glistened with citric acid from the peels of blood oranges in desolate hilltop Sicilian towns, and mirrored the vision of my jagged teeth turned crimson from the juice of the orange. That watch shook hands with Eddy Merckx and Gino Bartali, and feasted from the floors of Rio Grande pueblo homes. It was splashed with holy water in Lourdes and measured out 1:57:00 by the second in absolute terror on a flight from Chicago to Denver, during a wicked thunder-and-lightning shower while Richard M. Nixon sipped Shirley Temples in the first-class section.

In cycling, sponsors come and go and the jerseys change colors and names. Over the years, that watch passed from normal team swag into a rare living heirloom of suffering and deliverance. So this winter, when I lost my watch, I felt a sadness that made my bones ache, a sadness that hurt to the core.

"The Watch" - reprinted by kind permission of the author - Bob Roll, and Velopress.
"The Watch" first appeared in BOBKE II, copyright 2003 Bob Roll

There is, of course, more to the story! To read it in its entirety, and his other cylcing exploits you can get a copy of Bob's book at:

http://www.velopress.com/cycling_history.php?id=21


Bob Roll's two cycling collections - BOBKE and BOBKE II are both published by Velopress

Meridian - Dual Time from H. Moser & Cie.

Courtesy of H. Moser & Cie.

This is Moser's Meridian-Dual Time.  Available in Gold or Platinum.  The large display at 12 o'clock is not a large date.  It allows the wearer to differentiate their "home time" between AM and PM.

Courtesy of H. Moser & Cie.

Here are the specs straight from H. Moser & Cie.

REF. NR. 346.121-023

• MOSER MOVEMENT CAL. HMC 346.121
• SECOND TIME ZONE DISPLAY
• 12- AND 24-HOUR DISPLAY
• AUTOMATIC MOVEMENT
• POWER RESERVE OF AT LEAST 3 DAYS WHEN FULLY WOUND
• MOSER TOOTH SYSTEM IN WHEEL TRAIN AND PINIONS
• DOUBLE PULL CROWN MECHANISM
• HACKING SECOND
• MOSER INTERCHANGEABLE ESCAPEMENT
• ORIGINAL STRAUMANN HAIRSPRING® WITH STABILIZED BREGUET OVERCOIL
• PALLET FORK AND ESCAPEMENT WHEEL MADE OF HARDENED SOLID GOLD
• SILVER-PLATED DIAL WITH SUN PATTERN GROUND FINISH
• THREE-PART, ROUND CASE IN ROSE GOLD
• DISCREETLY CONVEX SAPPHIRE GLASS
• SEE-THROUGH SAPPHIRE GLASS BACK
• ALLIGATOR LEATHER STRAP WITH SOLID ROSE GOLD FOLDING CLASP