Homophobia, Sexism and the Watch Business

Yes, you read the title right.


Breitling's US boss has been accused of homophobia by a former sales executive.  That is bad enough, but this is now public as the sales executive in question - Frederick Cargian has sued and the documents have been filed in Manhattan Federal Court.  The focus of the complaint is Thierry Prissert who oversees Breitling on this side of the Atlantic, and the discriminatory behavior that is alleged to have begun when he took over the US operations in 2010.

To boil the complaint down to some basics - and to be clear I am basing this on what is available through shockingly few media outlets, according to Mr. Cargian's complaint there were a fair number of alleged incidents, but chief among Mr. Cargian's overall concerns are:

1.  Mr. Cargian's complaint asserts that he had been a very successful sales representative.  
2. Mr. Cargian's complaint asserts that he had been responsible for a specific territory that was then reduced with an inexperienced new rep being offered a large part of it.
3.  That Breitling's US boss - according to Mr. Cargian's complaint - encouraged a "boy's club" atmosphere.
4.  Mr. Cargian's complaint asserts that women and (by default owing to his sexual orientation) Mr. Cargian were often excluded from Breitling company activities - most glaringly a "team building" trip to Crewe, England held by auto partner Bentley.
5.  Mr. Cargian's complaint asserts that at BaselWorld male sales team members were billeted together, Mr. Cargian was assigned to share a room with a married female sales team member.

There is more, but let's just say those are some key points and again - this is information gathered from the reporting of Britain's Independent.

Although he appeared to be doing a good job for Breitling and had been with the company for quite some time, he was let go in December 2013 after a "brief" tenure of 23 years...

Okay, those are the basics and you can check out a few articles relating to this here:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/breitling-boss-thierry-prissert-accused-of-homophobia-by-gay-sales-rep-10055004.html

http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/breitling-watches-president-biased-lawsuit-article-1.2119334


So let's see what comes out of this, but I will say that the watch world IS A BOY'S CLUB.  The level of testosterone that wafts around the BaselWorld venues and most particularly after hours parties and drinking sessions is palpable.  Moreover, it doesn't have to be that way.

The BR 01 Turns 10!

It is hard to believe, but the Bell & Ross BR 01 is celebrating its 10th birthday.

Courtesy of Bell & Ross

This is the BR 01 10th Anniversary.

The BR 01 took its inspiration from cockpit instruments creating a timekeeper with undeniable roots in aviation.

This is a large watch, with easy to read indices and hands - and that was the point 10 years ago, just as it is the point today.

Courtesy of Bell & Ross

But this is not merely a re-do of the first BR 01, because times as well as materials have changed.  This anniversary model was conceived of Matte black ceramic with a stainless steel case back.  Measuring 46 mm in diameter, the dial is clean and precise.  Hours, minutes and seconds. 

The movement is the BR-CAL.302.  This is a self-winding mechanical movement.

Courtesy of Bell & Ross

The dial and the back of the case bear the birthday wishes.

Water resistant to 100 meters, the BR 01 10th Anniversary is secured by a black rubber strap with folding black pvd buckle.

Here are the specifics straight from Bell & Ross:

Technical specifications

Movement: BR-CAL.302. Mechanical automatic

Functions: hours, minutes, seconds

Case: 46 mm diameter. Matte black ceramic. Steel case back with the inscription "10th Anniversary" 

Dial: stamped black. Hands, indices and numerals covered with a white photoluminescent coating (Superluminova®) and "10th Anniversary" inscription

Crystal: anti-reflective sapphire

Water resistance: 100 m

Straps: black rubber and ultra-resistant synthetic canvas

Buckle: pin. Steel with black PVD* finish 

The North Flag

From Tudor!

Now point of full disclosure, several of my European colleagues got treated to a very fun preview of this watch the night before BaselWorld. But all jealous feelings aside, I have to say that this was the watch that just about everyone was talking about. One of my colleagues from the magazine that I sometimes write for said - "That is the one watch I would be ready to take out my credit card for."

I got to see this early on at BaselWorld, but I wanted to give it time to sink in before writing about it.  And after seeing everything else on offer from all of the brands, I can honestly say that this made my top 3, no question!

This model is called the North Flag.  A closer look will reveal that the lugs are "integrated" just like those of the Ranger 2 of "yesteryear".  It comes in a few options in terms of bracelet -
stainless steel, or matte black leather with yellow stitching and lining. Secured by a satin finished stainless steel clasp.
The case is stainless steel measuring 40 m in diameter.  The back is a sapphire crystal display.  Water resistant to 100 meters.

And wait - there's more!  Not only is this a certified chronometer, it also utilizes a Tudor manufacture movement!  That would be:
Manufacture Tudor MT5621 
Self-winding mechanical with bidirectional rotor system and COSC certified.  Hours, minutes, seconds, rapid date set and power reserve indicator.  70 hours of power reserve!

If I am honest, I was a wee-bit underwhelmed by last year's Ranger.  But this one, this one I think is a home run!  Well done Tudor!

Tempting Teutonic Timekeepers

from Tutima!  Sorry, just couldn't resist the alliteration ; )

Courtesy of Tutima

This is the Saxon One Chronograph from Tutima.  I got to try it on in person, and it was fantastic!

The case is different - but that is part of the attraction.  Not another round flieger, but something with a bit of sophistication and presence.

The case is stainless steel and measures 43 mm.  The movement is noted as the Cal. Tutima 521.  A self-winding ti-compax chronograph.

I love the case on this series, but I REALLY love the dial and strap combination of this particularly piece.  The daily color is not grey, or metal, or some other "MANLY-MAN" descriptor.  No, in keeping with the unique elegance of this watch, the color of the dial is known as Opalin anthracite.  I like that!

Water resistant to 20 atmospheres with "integrated" push pieces for the chronograph functions.  This watch is special.

Here are the "pertinents", straight from Tutima -

Movement	Cal. Tutima 521
Case	Stainless steel
Dial	Opalin anthracite
Band	Alligator strap with folding clasp
Diameter	43 mm
Height	15.7 mm

Movement details: Automatic movement chronograph. Rotor antique grey with gold seal. 25 jewels. Polished screws. Power reserve when fully wound 44 hours.

Functions: Date display. Hour, minute, small second. Chronograph 60-second counter, 60-minute counter and 12-hour counter. Sweep second and minute counters. 24-hour display.

Case details: Water-resistant 20 atm. Integrated push-buttons. Bidirectionally rotating bezel with red reference marker. Domed sapphire crystal anti-reflective on both sides. Screw-in crown. See-through back with sapphire crystal.

Hoping for a Different Outcome

Insanity: 

doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

The only certainty in life is change, and change is afoot yet again in La Chaux-de-Fonds.  And I am beginning to wonder if maybe, just maybe Girard-Perregaux is actually cursed.   

There, I said it.

In the past ten years there have been so many blunders, so much time and money poured down the sinkhole.  Updating, repairing, promoting... and just when you start to think that things are stabilizing and improving, the music starts and chairs start getting yanked.  It seems inevitable that every few years the tree is shaken again and more people fall out.  Reorganization happens, yet another leader is brought in, lay-offs and redundancies.   And as we are now into the third such cycle that I have seen in my brief tenure covering these things, it just starts to bum me out.  This is a brand with so much potential, so much promise - so many possibilities.  And in the end, they always seem to end up pretty much in the same place.  In essence, all of the personnel changes seem to succeed only in halting progress, stymieing momentum and setting the brand back even further than it was before it made the changes.  

As we often say in the US, if they could just get out of their own way, they might really do something great.

But I have to believe, keep faith - maybe this time...
 

Some More Glycine Goodness

It was encouraging to see the new pieces Glycine is offering this year and to hear the background behind them.

Courtesy of Glycine

Another interesting piece that caught my eye was the Airman DC-4 -

Courtesy of Glycine 

This particular version of the Airman was inspired by the DC-4 manufactured by Douglas.  For you non-aviation folks, the DC-4 was a 4 engine, propeller driven plane that was used in the "Big War" and (even more interesting to me) was pivotal in the Berlin Airlift.

Shamelessly borrowed from Wikipedia

But back to the watch -

It is available in 2 versions - The first is the "purist" version with a standard movement offering 2 timezones per the adjustable external bezel.  The second offers 3 time zones thanks to an added GMT module.

Per Glycine's press release:

It was also the DC-4 which, in 1953, led Glycine to conceive the legendary AIRMAN, the first pilot's watch with double 24-hour display function.

As chance would have it, Glycine Sales Director and aircraft enthusiast Sam Glur was on a flight from Bangkok to Calcutta when he met airline pilot and watch enthusiast Captain Chat Brown who invited him into the cockpit of his DC-4. Captain (Chat) Brown evidently made the most of the time he had with watch expert Sam Glur to explain exactly what was required in a genuine pilot's watch. Sam Glur reported back to headquarters on the very same day, sending a detailed account of the conversation and the specification. According to the brief, what pilots really wanted was an automatic watch with 24-hour display enhanced by the addition of a second 24-hour time zone. And there was no such watch on the market at that time.

The inspiration for the legendary AIRMAN therefore came on the fly, so to say. The market launch of the first AIRMAN took place before the year was out. This pioneering Swiss pilot's watch was the genuine article and was extremely popular with the American pilots. The unique AIRMAN DNA has spawned a further 29 generations based on the original.

The pilot's watch is controlled by an automatic rhodanised GL 293 movement (ETA specification). Following in the purist footsteps of the original AIRMAN, it has an exclusive market position as a 24-hour watch with two time zones. If preferred, however, it can also be used as a normal 12-hour watch with the additional feature of a 24-hour GMT display.

AIRMAN DC-4, Ref. 3904.XXX, Cal No. GL 293

Courtesy of Glycine

• 3 hands, 2 additional time zones or double 24-hour display (purist)
  
• Decorative movement
  
• Water-resistant to 20 ATM
  
• Stainless steel casing, 42mm diameter, locking bezel
  crown at 4H position
  
• Anti-reflective sapphire glass with date magnifier
  
• Screw-fitted back with sapphire glass
  
• Worldwide 2-year warranty 
  

Montres duManège - in Person!

After a year of chasing, I finally got to spend some personal time with the
Montres duManège watches.

And in addition, I got to meet the man behind the watches -

Still early days for Montres duManège, but I suspect great things are coming!

Anonimo is BACK Baby!

So BaselWorld Saturday was spent checking out some new offerings from Anonimo.  And I know that we keep hoping that THIS TIME is it.  Well, hopefully we are now really there.

This is one of their dive watches, the Nautilo.

Courtesy of Anonimo

Now given my past life of writing about and selling dive watches for DOXA, I feel that I am somewhat uniquely qualified in the world of bloggers to speak from a few varying perspectives as to the viability of a dive watch in this price range.

Courtesy of Anonimo

The blue dial was a particular favorite and is available with a leather strap or one in rubber.  The look and feel are quite good, and the finish is impressive.  My only suggestions would be regarding the strap - say maybe an ISOfrane rubber strap.  AND PLEASE - BRING BACK THE KODIAK STRAPS!

But overall it is a good, positive offering.

Here are the details -

CASE & BACK

Stainless steel case & back

MOVEMENT

Sellita SW200-1 self-winding mechanical movement

DIAMETER

44.4 mm

THICKNESS

12.45 mm

GLASS

Domed and anti-glare treatment sapphire glass

INDICATOR

3 hands / Date at 6 o’clock

DIAL

Blue dial

BEZEL DIAMETER

45.5 mm

STRAP

Blue calf leather strap with white stitching/ Rubber

Wrapping Up the Celadon Imperial

Okay, BaselWorld is meant to be a celebration of all things SWISS, but my BaselWorld timekeeper was in fact designed, fabricated and assembled in China.   Now point of full disclosure - my introduction to Celadon was from a former consultant to NOMOS Glashutte.  He said that he was drawn to the look of the watch, as well as the story.  Moreover, he was strongly drawn by the aesthetics, and not being drawn in by an established, famous brand name.  So I did a little digging, and connected and when I got back from the NOMOS press dinner last Wednesday night there was a Celadon watch waiting in my room.

So as many long suffering readers will note, I love red.  Well, the Celadon Imperial did not disappoint!  It is red, but the dial has a wonderful finish to it.

Celadon refers to this as Plum Blossom Guilloche.  And I have to be honest, I really dig it.  The stainless steel indices stand out perfectly from the dial, and the sword shaped hands are a perfect match.

Courtesy of Celdon

Another element that I really appreciate is the absence of a second hand.  It is simple and elegant.

The lugs are a very nice touch as they create a sort of "turtle" look which I love.  The crown is solid, and tactile and easy to use.

The overall fit and feel of the watch is, to quote Goldilocks, "just right".    The case itself is of stainless steel and measures 38 mm in diameter.  At a time where many people feel that 42 mm is just too small, I have to say that I LOVED wearing this watch!  It was big enough without being overwhelming.

Courtesy of Celadon

The lug width measures 20 mm.  And this brings us to the strap.  The strap is wonderfully comfortable and broke in quickly.  The only thing that I might consider changing about the entire watch would be the strap color.  And this is, of course, strictly a personal choice.  The brown patterned "Croco-calf" certainly works well.  A black or even navy strap would perhaps be my choice, but to be honest that would be looking for fault, when in fact this watch was faultless.

The hand wound movement worked flawlessly. The timekeeping was top notch. I did not have the capabilities to do a hard core timekeeping test, but I can say from a casual observance that I was on time, every time. This is important when if you miscalculate your timing you will be spending the night in the Basel train station!

The only thing that was not entirely clear was that this hand wound movement boasts 18 jewels when tradition dictates 17 jewels - but then again this makes it a bit special.  I will be back to the folks at Celadon to get a clarification on the "18th jewel".  The movement is from the Beijing Watch Factory.

 And last but by no means least is the packaging -

It is a very nice presentation, with a padded leather travel case that will actually be USEFUL in the future!  All in all, a very nice presentation.

So let's sum this up - this is probably one of the best watches for the money that I have had the pleasure of wearing for some time.  It is a proudly made in China product that really delivers in terms of quality and finish.

And what was interesting was the responses I got from the watch brand representatives as well as some fairly well-known independent watch makers.  As I was removing the watch to try on their watches, the did a double take.  Several of them picked up their loupes and gave the watch the "once-over" and expressed their appreciation.  Obviously, no names here, but a few fellow bloggers also became fans.

Come Fly With Me!

And Dodane!

While Dodane is growing and advancing, I wanted to take some time today to focus on there more traditional chronographs.  This is going to be mostly visual, so enjoy!


 These are the Type 21s.

Courtesy of Dodane

The Type 21s measure 41.5 mm and are made of stainless steel.

Courtesy of Dodane

A tri-compax chronograph stated to be Dubois Dépraz 4021.

Courtesy of Dodane

Have I Got a Watch for You!

Those were the words of Eberhard chief Mario Peserico when I walked into the booth for my BaselWorld appointment.  I wasn't sure what he meant.  And then Anais, the PR contact said exactly the same thing...

This was me -

Hard to see owing to the lighting and the dark blue background but I was "nattily" attired in a pair of green floral patterned trousers.  That's "Natty" not "Dandy" (which is apparently the domain of Jack Forster of Revolution according the the Paper of Record).

And this was the watch -

This is Eberhard's Contograf Special Edition.

Courtesy of Eberhard

A self-winding, bi-compax chronograph with date at 6 o'clock.  Available on a bracelet or NATO Strap.  

Here are the specs, straight from the source -

CONTOGRAF SPECIAL EDITION

Technical features

Reference:
31069

Movement:

8147 calibre (ETA 7750 131⁄4)

Mechanical automatic‐winding chronograph 2 counters (30 chronograph minutes at 3 o'clock ‐ running seconds at 9 o'clock) ‐ fast‐changing date window at 6 o'clock. Central hand for the chronograph seconds.

Case:
steel

Total diameter of the case:
42 mm

Thickness of the case:
14.70 mm

Caseback:
steel, screwed‐in, personalized with the inscription SPECIAL EDITION

Bezel:
anticlockwise unidirectional rotation, in black or dark green color. Steel base with external teeth, black ceramic insert with numerals, small indices of the hours and 12 o’clock triangle

Water‐resistant:
50 m

Crown:
steel, screwed‐in, water‐resistant, personalized with an 'E' in relief

Glass:
anti‐reflective domed sapphire

Dial:

“camouflage” in green tones, with green counters, 9 applied black indices, faceted. “Special Edition” written in white.
Date window at 6 o'clock, with particular trapezoidal shape, applied outline and date numbers in red.
Minutes counter at 3 o'clock showing the duration of a telephone call unit which lasted for 3 minutes in the 1960s.

Tachometer scale base 1000 km/h.

Hands:
“dauphine” style, hours and minutes in black, with luminescent treatment; leaf shaped counters hands, black central hand for chronograph seconds.

Strap:
in military green rep fabric. Clasp personalized with 'E&C'.

Bracelet:
“Chassis®”, in steel, 3 links. Déclic® deploying buckle – Patented ‐ 

The Transfer Window Opens… During BaselWorld!

Welcome to BaselWorld… You've Been Let Go.

Screaming Jesus On A Ferris Wheel

This was, without a doubt, one of the weirdest BaselWorlds ever.  While there were some people who received bad news the week before BaselWorld opened (which is a BUSH LEAGUE move, by the way), there were a few notable Human Resource catastrophes that played themselves out right in the middle of the day in the booth during the fair!

Now in all fairness, I haven't sat on the other side of the BaselWorld table since 2009, but my common sense tells me that perhaps it is NOT such a hot idea to relieve someone of their professional duties during a busy BaselWorld day and "frog march" them out of the booth in front of colleagues, customers and press.

I am not sure that my Smart Watch app would have been ready for that.

A New Brand from Glashütte

So my friend Mike Margolis will be distributing some interesting brands this year, and one of them is a new player in the field from Glashütte called C.H. Wolf.

So Saturday found me checking out their offerings when a fellow watch lover dropped in.

As a rule, I try to have one very stylishly handsome fellow nearby to detract attention from my weathered, warty appearance.  Adrian was good enough to oblige.

So we started looking at watches.  And while the words "Watch" and "Glashütte" conjure up certain images, let me assure you that these guys are playing in a different game altogether - AND THANK GOD!

Large, colorful and eccentric - just like me!  There are pilot watches to be sure, and of course they are of a typical look and feel.  But the folks at C.H. Wolf want you to have something different, something special.

And if I were choosing any of them for myself, this would be my choice -

Courtesy of C.H. Wolf

I tried to do this watch justice, but my images were terrible so we will go with what the pros provided.

Here are the specs -

41.5 mm of German stainless steel, the movement is self winding with hours, minutes, seconds and date.  38 hours of power reserve.  I believe that the movement is a Sellita, but am awaiting confirmation on that.

So we all decided to strap on our favorites for a group shot -

And strong though the temptation was to sprint for the door, I am proud (but somewhat disappointed) to inform you that all of the watches stayed in the booth ; )

Stay tuned for more from C.H. Wolf!

Hermes - yes, Hermes!

Okay Pals & Gals, I wasn't 100% sure what the "house of H" had to offer, but in fairness, it was pretty cool -

Details, etc. to follow, but for now just revel in the beauty!

The Watch that Haunts my Dreams

Apparently great minds think alike!  I was meeting with team Nivrel at the Ramada this past Saturday and got to try on a watch that will probably drive me to insanity until I save the pennies to call it my own!

My comment to them was "This watch haunts my dreams!", at which Guido Grohmann burst out laughing and said:  "Those are EXACTLY the words that Watch U Seek's Bhanu Chopra used!"

Well, being thought half as eloquent as Bhanu is a very real compliment, so I'll take it ; )


But back to the watch -

42 mm of German stainless steel AWESOMENESS cases the ever-so-fantastic hand-wound Landeron 248.

Courtesy of Nivrel

Sapphire crystals front and back, alligator strap.

YOU KNOW YOU WANT THIS!