Recidivism and the Watch Industry

Courtesy of Wikipedia -

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recidivism

Recidivism (/rᵻˈsɪdᵻvɪzəm/; from recidive and ism, from Latin recidīvus "recurring", from re- "back" and cadō "I fall") is the act of a person repeating an undesirable behavior after they had either experienced negative consequences of that behavior, or had been trained to extinguish that behavior.

Shamelessly Borrowed from the INFOWEB

Because, frankly, Girard-Perregaux simply cannot seem to get out of their own way...

Today word reached the North Shore that a new "Mr. Right Now" has been selected to pilot both Girard-Perregaux and Ulysse Nardin -

Mr. Riguidel will both manage Ulysse Nardin Inc and Tradema of America Inc and oversee all activities of Ulysse Nardin and Girard-Perregaux.   

What is interesting in this little missive is the silent, "unspoken" announcement that JEANRICHARD if not dead, is most certainly "missing in action".  So we will assume that in the absence of a wedding announcement,  Kering has sent JEANRICHARD to a nearby convent, maybe to be seen in the future, then again maybe not. 

So this latest contestant to play "The Price Is Right" has come over from running Piaget in the Latin American market.  Alain Riguidel has been a Richemont man for what seems to be a long time.  And in fairness to him, he has a lot of experience with Richemont in OTHER markets.  But what he still does not seem to have is North American experience.  It is easy to say that sales are the same regardless of the market.  But the game has changed.  Where watch companies used to virtually print money, those days are long, long gone.

Here is hoping that GP & UN get a different result this go-round.  But let's consider something for a moment - this is the third cowboy to ride the bull since 2012, with the last one not even making a full 12 months.  Even Louis van Gaal has enjoyed a longer run.  

The fidgets can be dangerous to a brand, and sometimes deadly to a promising career.  Positive results take time.  If it was as simple as plopping new players into the team, well then Chelsea would be celebrating a championship season this evening instead of Leicester.  Fear of looking foolish is understandable, but when you are so focused on not losing, it becomes increasingly impossible to win.

Having said all of that, we wish Monsieur Riguidel good luck and God's Speed.  Girard-Perregaux and Ulysses Nardin are both overdue for some good luck.