I'm Calling Bullshit!

You are trying to tell me that Hodinkee, A Blog to Watch and Worn and Wound are ALL more sought after and viewed than The Sartorialist?

I'm calling BULLSHIT!

A Bold Marketing Move, or a Search for a Short-term Solution?

 It would seem that David Beckham has changed jerseys again, moving on from Breitling and now flying the banner for Tudor. 

Courtesy of Tudor

Now in and of itself, big whoop!  Brands have ambassadors, they pay them princely sums to wear and be photographed wearing their watches, and the world continues to go 'round.

Courtesy of Tudor

But this is, in fact, something a bit different.  Apart from their "bromance" with Hodinkee, Tudor has not exactly been out pressing the flesh and pouring coffee in an effort to gain big-name celebrity partners.  And in all honesty, they didn't need to.  There were plenty of bushy-bearded, ironic beer brand drinking, heritage fashion wearing guys (and gals) to buy their watches and spread the message from Williamsburg to the Mission District.  But your typical hipster can only buy so many watches beyond the $2,500 price point.  They need to save some cash for Pabst Blue Ribbon and American Spirit smokes ; )

And in fairness, Tudor actually was quite wise to partner as they did when they reentered North America a few years back.  But life moves forward, and the last two editions of BaselWorld have not had the same urgency or excitement as years previous.  

Having said all of those things, the one thing that Tudor did not do in the past (at least, let's say the past 10 years) was invest money in celebrity ambassador partnerships, to the best of my knowledge, not since they backed a young golf prodigy named Tiger Woods.  IMPORTANT - I may, in fact, be wrong about this and will not feel the least bit hurt if someone out there is familiar with a celebrity partner that Tudor has had more recently.  

What I'm getting at here is that when you've gone so long a certain way, and then suddenly decide to shift gears?  Generally speaking it's not something you do because you feel that everything is okay.  The old adage - if it ain't broke, don't fix it - has pretty much governed much of what Tudor and their parent brand Rolex have always done.  So the fact that Tudor has David Beckham now as a paid "friend" of the brand is not such big news.  The fact that they have ANY paid "chums" is.

Oh, and they've also signed on with the New Zealand All Blacks -

Courtesy of Tudor

So we shall wait, and we shall see.  Hopefully this will be the extent of it and we won't be receiving press releases about partnering with baseball, football, American Idol, X-Games and Mixed Martial Arts fighters.

Things, by their very nature, can and must change.  And whether or not this new strategy is the right way forward for Tudor?  Only time will tell.  Let's hope it is strategic, and not a wholesale shift in marketing philosophy.

Perhaps the Coolest Kickstarter Video...

EVER!!!

Courtesy of Fin Watches

To be very clear, I have not seen the watch up close.  I did get a sneak peek at the Kickstarter video last week, and have been waiting for the opportunity to share it here, because it is really, really great!

Courtesy of Fin Watches

The watch is a neat concept, stainless steel quartz with a "countdown" feature.  Essentially allowing you to factor in how much time you might have left to complete a certain task, or to enjoy a certain time period.  I would encourage you to watch the truly fun video first:

Fin Watch Kickstarter

Pretty swell, huh?

Okay, but let's get back to the watch:

Courtesy of Fin Watches

 The basics are:

41 mm, stainless steel case
Stainless, Gold, Rose Gold or Matte Black finish
Ronda Quartz movement
Dial equipped with pulsometer scale
Hours, minutes, seconds, countdown hand and marker.

Courtesy of Fin Wathces

It is a lovely idea, and something that speaks on a deep idea, but in a whimsical manner.

The Kickstarter  has 30 days to go, so if this speaks to you, you might want to move quickly to get the best rewards before they are all snapped up.




 

Thinking Tools

From Inventery -

Courtesy of Inventery

I am a sucker for a good tag line, and when I saw the words "Thinking Tools" used to describe pens and notebooks?  I had to see what it was all about!

Inventery is (as far as I understand it) a fairly new endeavor based in Los Angeles.  They offer an assortment of design forward products, but what first caught my eye was their pens -

Courtesy of Inventery

A bit of personal background here, in addition to the old man being a pen fanatic, I have come to use a pen and pad more and more over the past several months to ensure that:
A - I don't forget anything
B - I don't forget how to actually write ; )

Courtesy of Inventery

Anyway, back to the Inventery pens.  They are sleek and modern, and wisely provided with a very obtainable Schmidt P8126 "Capless" Rollerball cartridge.  Because let's face it, sooner or later you will need a replacement cartridge.

Courtesy of Inventery

The pen comes without a pocket clip, which is (at least in my opinion) sort of an interesting design touch. 

The pens are made of brass, and treated to achieve the final color and finish.  

Each pen is individually numbered, so you will always have the only one.

Courtesy of Inventery

Sales have been pretty brisk, so don't dawdle ; )

Retail = $90 US

 

What Is Wrong With This Picture?

Some of this is excerpted from a post nearly 3 years old, but amazingly enough, it is still pretty true.  So I thought it might be time to re-heat it a bit -

I will share with you what I think is wrong with the watch industry, our industry, and I encourage reader participation here! This is part one -

Today's topic is:

1.  Unrealistic Expectations -
These exist on several levels and with several "shareholders".

The watch customer believes that "that right watch" is going to change everything!  He'll lose weight. That promotion he's been after will fall into place.  His kids will grow into normal functioning adolescents who can sit still in the same area code for more than 1 minute at a time.  In short, he will be that good looking fellow in the Patek Philippe ad.  Beautiful chronograph on his wrist, tow-headed young scamp by his side actually listing to ANYTHING he has to say.   Essentially the life that we all felt sure we would have, that we now see rapidly disappearing down the hallway of broken dreams.  

But more curiously, the customer believes that the watch (regardless of price point) is going to work flawlessly, is impervious to any sort of manufacturing defect or real-life damage. The customer has oftentimes lost sight of the reality that it is an imperfect world, and sometimes things happen.  This disillusionment can fan into downright frustration, anger and agitation when a service issue rears its ugly head.  Remember the watch store that called you once a week until you bought that moon-phase chronograph?  Now they are avoiding your call like the boyfriend/girlfriend that they just broke up with.  You are a "service" concern now and not their problem.  And to be clear, expecting the retail partner to take care of you after you bought something from them is NOT an unrealistic or unfair expectation. It is, however, unrealistic in the current business climate of sales first, service when we get around to it.

The watch salesperson - who let's face it, might have a tow-headed young scamp of his/her own that they want to make sure doesn't end up in reform school.  They need to make the sale. Moreover, chances are quite good that in fact, your watch salesperson knows about as much about a perpetual calendar as your Cocker Spaniel (and point of full disclosure, me).  I'm right there with your Cocker Spaniel - I am no authority about complications, etc.  No offense to the dog, she works for kibble.

There are a handful of TRULY AMAZING watch sales people out there.  But this is more of a calling for them than a way to pay the rent.  Those who are good and whose talents are recognized can do very, very well.  Those who are phoning it in (and sadly it is likely those are the folks who you might be dealing with) will manage to hit every "frustration button" that you own.  But in fairness, this was not their calling, it is not their "vocation".  It is a job. The point being that the good old days when you could count on your salesperson actually knowing everything that you do (and more) are probably gone.  But in fairness - that is merely an indication that your passion and interest are highly attuned.  The Internet, watch magazines, interest groups, etc. have empowered you as a customer to know A LOT about a potential purchase.  But it is also important that we then align our expectations with reality.   Take what a typical salesperson will be paid, multiply it by your highly developed knowledge, then divide that by the store overhead... you can see where I'm going with this.  As I said, there are some truly amazing sales people out there.  You just might not get the opportunity to meet them.  I worked for Tourneau and enjoyed my time, but realized that it was, at best, a hustle to make your sales goals.  I would like to see the truly exceptional sales people be recognized.  Maybe some day...

The watch brand who wants you to believe that there is this unbelievably close relationship between you and them... but let's face facts.  You are a number.  They are not here to hold your hand and make you feel "empowered" or "fulfilled" by your purchase AFTER you buy the watch.  The only exception to that I have seen is Jean-Claude Biver's participation in the various Hublot fora.  He is the "exceptional exception".  Sadly, he is truly one of a kind in this sense. 
(Editor's note, with the passing of the torch to the current CEO, Hublot's warm 'n fuzzy online feeling has faded).

Otherwise, those "affirmations" were provided for you during the "courtship" phase when you saw each other across a crowded room.  And now the honeymoon is over.  You bought the idea of the watch and what the watch represented.  Sorry, but there typically isn't "couples therapy" for watch & dissatisfied watch buyer.

The REAL OWNERS of the watch brand think a brand is making all of the decisions?  Think again!  The real people calling the shots (albeit sometimes indirectly) are the various boards of directors who are responding to the stock price, sales figures, etc.. Wonder why a seemingly very famous brand with very expensive watches has a "boat-load" of them for sale through grey-market channels?  Simple - produce more, therefore you sell more!  Not always...  But the beauty of the grey-market is that it still counts as a sale!  The board is happy because the CEO listened to their plan. The CEO is happy because he/she manufactured and sold the watches.  The Brand Manager is happy because he/she hit their sales targets.  
(Editor's note - with the over saturation of the grey and light grey market, the old reliable solution of product dumping is no longer viable.  This has led to more than a few heads bouncing down the hallways in Biel/Bienne, Le Locle and other locales where watches are made).
 
The independent retail partner who is dealing fairly - ordering, paying co-op advertising fees, and NOT dumping their watches at 30 - 40% off - well, that's their problem.  And the customer who paid full retail?  Well, let's just say that lately they have been the last puppies at the kibble dish. 

But there is a solution!  Stay tuned!

Introducing Bólido

Courtesy of Bolido

It seems fitting that after yesterday's post, we turn our attention to a new brand on the horizon that is set to do EXACTLY what we talked about yesterday.

Courtesy of Bolido

Bólido is a new collaboration between designer extraordinaire  Simon Husslein, and the man behind the Ventura watch brand, and owner of the coolest eyeglasses in the watch business - Pierre Nobs.  Bólido means meteor en español.

Courtesy of Bolido

The case is very intriguing to me for a few reasons.  Ordinarily, I am not a fan of a crown at 12 o'clock.  But this is one of those occasions where it actually works.  I think a great deal of this is down to the actual design.  You will note that the actual crown is fairly short in stature, and that it is met by case itself which rises up around the crown to create the perfect protector.   It is smooth, elegant, almost organic in appearance. 


 
The case is a monocoque construction which underscores the thought process that went into the Bólido.  The case back is solid, everything goes in through the top of the watch.  It is pretty hard for a watch to get "seepage" when there are no entry points for the water to get in through the back.  This is one of the things that Mido got absolutely right with Commander, and to my way of thinking it represents the type of common sense thinking that is all too often neglected by the watch industry.

Courtesy of Bolido

And there is even more "outside the watch-box" thinking!  As someone who works both sides of the counter at BaselWorld, I can tell you that one of the biggest stumbling blocks to offering a different case design is the "tooling" costs.  And in fairness sometimes those costs are very real.  Other times that are not unlike "dealer prep" or the "undercoating" that the car salesman tries to explain away when the price of your car suddenly went up by $2,000 as you are signing the sales agreement.  So how to get a unique case at a lower cost? Bólido opted to take a slightly divergent path and craft their cases using an automated lathing machine.  And again, this underscores a willingness to look to alternative methods to get the desired outcome at a reasonable price.

The watch will be available in white, black, yellow, red...

Courtesy of Bolido

And my personal favorite - what the folks at Bólido refer to as "pebble" -

Courtesy of Bolido

But beauty is far more than skin deep, and a lot of the beauty of these proposed new time machines is the thought poured into the design -

Courtesy of Bolido

The case has been designed to offer a sort of "sitting up" look to it.  This will allow you to see the time correctly without picking up your hand from the computer keyboard, or taking it off the steering wheel.

Some of the pertinents -

The case is stainless steel, monocoque construction, and the watch when assembled is water resistant to 300 feet (or 100 meters for the rest of you).  My understanding is that the movement is a Sellita (Swiss, self-winding). 

Courtesy of Bolido

The strap is rubber, with what I believe will be a clasp rather than traditional buckle, but I will keep you posted as more details emerge.

This little wrist-bound bijoux will be available through a Kickstarter campaign that is scheduled to launch in June (yes, as it is May 28th, that means just around the corner!), and the price is very attractive!  

How attractive?

Stay tuned!

The Shifting Tides

At a time when Swiss watch exports are down, retail sales are dwindling, and the grey market and it's newborn step-child the "soft grey" market can't absorb all of the overflow, it is curious to relate that this same time period has seen a true resurgence in the "micro-brand".  

The term micro-brand used to be a bit of a back-handed compliment paid somewhat begrudgingly by so-called "big boy" brand reps, managers and CEOs.  A brand that produces a very small number of collections, relies heavily on direct sales, and operate on a shoe string.  Even more interesting to relate that several of those highfalutin guys and gals from the big groups are now in search of new career opportunities as they and their brands could not see that the winds were shifting. 

Now it is important to note and understand that there were precursors to this current trend.  Several of these enterprises were birthed, lived a quick and bright existence, then quietly disappeared into the night.  If we look at the years in question, there was a period of three to five years in the early part of this century (feels weird saying that) where the propensity of watch discussion forums created built in marketplaces to create, promote and sell a brand new watch.  The forums were populated by LOTS of people looking for information on watches and a place to exchange their own knowledge and experience.  

SPOILER ALERT - contrary to some (admittedly humorous) assertions, there were plenty of places to read about watches prior to Hodinkee ; )

But then a shift happened that a lot of these folks did not see coming.  And that was the emergence of the blog and the online magazine.  Where before a small brand owner only had to contend with one forum owner or administrator, suddenly there were more outlets than you could shake a free watch at.  But this took on a whole new complexion when these outlets realized that with a high page view rate (regardless of whether the clicks were legitimate or originating from a click farm in the Asian sub-continent), they could then lure advertising money away from print outlets.  Brand marketing managers got excited, unreasonably so.  So excited that they didn't even flinch when some of these outlets and "influencers" suddenly stopped running their content without the benefit of what we will gently refer to as a "sweetener" in addition to the advertising money that they were already paying to them.  A few outlets were silly enough to create rate sheets ($XXX for a review, $XXXX for a new release, etc.).  A few of these rate sheets fell into the hands of competitors who were more than happy to publish the information, exposing the "disconvenient truth" that payola was alive and well in the luxury watch industry.  And at that point, the little brands could not really survive.  I mean, maybe Richemont and LVMH have $1,000 per Instagram image they can afford to spend...

So at this moment, you might say to yourself - game over!  But then print magazines, feeling the lack of love from their former favorite advertisers started courting small and emerging brands.  This meant content that didn't cost anything other than the time to send some images and spec sheets.  And then one other interesting thing happened - Facebook emerged as the replacement to the watch forum, and to some extent the blog.  Think about it, a watch forum or blog you have to go out and look for.  Facebook is right there on your computer, phone and tablet 24-7.  And it then enabled the owners of these smaller brands to seek out and connect with people who would communicate about their brand - you know, people like me ; )

So the stage was set, but the final piece was somewhat surprising.  It was the steady slide of the big dogs who have been on a 3 year losing streak.  Because this triggered a few more things:

1.  Customers started becoming disillusioned by spending $3,000 US on a new watch from an authorized retailer only to  see it for half or even less than half price on a grey market Internet store that was receiving its stock directly from the brand.  These are folks who probably bought one or two watches a year.  And as they began to peel away the layers of the onion, they realized that to some extent they now REALLY had options.  And they also felt that the brands really did not care about them at all.  The micro brands?  Communicative, friendly and welcoming.  Unrequited love sucks - especially at $3,000!

2.  Some of the micro brands are now being launched by industry insiders.  But what is interesting is that they have shed a lot of the old thinking and are combining their experience with the new ideas brought forth by the new guys.  So you get the warm fuzzies along with the watch making bonafides.

3.  The suppliers that had never given the micro brands a passing thought?  Suddenly these suppliers are falling over themselves to catch the eyes of these smaller, emerging players because the big dogs are cutting off their orders.  And the micro brands owners are now in a position to say no thank you to a bad deal.

4.  A few angels have emerged  - people with the connections who have shepherded several of these aspiring new comers, helping them avoid the potential pitfalls that have bedeviled so many others.  One in particular comes to mind, and what he and his network have done can't really be bought or taught.

5.  Many of us who cover this stuff?  We're ready for something new!


So here's to the micro brands!  

 

Vanitas – L’EPEE 1839

From Fiona Kruger and L'EPEE 1839.

Limited to 50 pieces, and available in the colorful version (above), as well as a "dark" version (below).

Here are the pertinents, straight from the source -

Vanitas 

Display

Hours and minutes 

Power reserve indicator 

Main Structure

Height:
306 mm
Width:
220 mm
Thickness:
86 mm
Clock Weight:
Approx. 5 kg. with 2.2 kg just for the movement
'Dark' version:
Mat Housing in Black Anodized Aluminum with mineral glass
Colored version:
Mat Housing in Black Anodized Aluminum with mineral glass

Movement

L’Epée in-house designed and manufactured movement 
Balance frequency:
18.000 vph / 2.5Hz
Barrels:
5 in series
Power reserve:
35 days
Jewels:
11
Incabloc shock protection system
Manual-winding:
Double-ended key to set time and wind movement on the skull face
'Dark' version:

Mechanism in palladium-coated brass Movement Main plates in black PVD coated brass Multi-layered screen printed white decoration (gloss ink). 
Colored Version:

Mechanism in palladium-coated brass Movement Main plate in brass black PVD coating Multi-coloured screen-printed pattern (gloss ink). Each colour used in the design of the clock was specially selected as it represents a specif- ic meaning pertaining to the Dia de Los Muertos celebration: Blue = Trust, White = Purity, Orange = Sun, Yellow = Death, Pink = Celebration, Red
= Life and Purple = Grief and Black = Mortality (hence the black PVD coating)

Celebrating 250 Years of Watchmaking in Pforzheim

Archimede is releasing a new, very limited watch to celebrate this milestone -

Courtesy of Archimede

This is the Pilot 250.

Courtesy of Archimede

Limited to 50 pieces, the Pilot 250 is special in many ways - including the movement!  A Junghans 687 (hand-winding) movement that has been brought back to modern day life.  

The case is stainless steel and measures 42 mm in diameter. 

Courtesy of Archimede

Here are the pertinents, straight from the source -

Movement:
Historic handwound movement Junghans 687, Made in Germany 

Case:
The high-quality case is manufactured by ICKLER in Pforzheim.
Stainless steel case brushed, sapphire crystal with antireflective coating, screw down case back with mineral crystal, waterresistant to 5 ATM, special pilot's crown, diameter 42 mm, thickness 9,6 mm, lug-to-lug length 51 mm

Dial:
Black, with luminous numerals and indexes
Luminous heat blued steel hands, manufactured by ICKLER in Pforzheim
(Superluminova C3)

Band:
Dark brown leather strap with rivets (wrist size: 18.5 - 22cm) (optional: deployment clasp)

Delivery is estimated to be between 1 - 2 weeks.

April...

Was a little bit better -

Courtesy of the FH

Exports were slightly better in April.  But it is interesting to relate that the export percentage to the US was down by 19%.  Yes, that is a negative - 19%.

Now if we try to read the tea leaves on this one, it opens up some interesting questions about the US and other markets.  May and June are "Dads and Grads" months, as well as Mothers Day.  So it would be reasonable to assume that exports would be up in this market in preparation for these months, but in fact it was the opposite.  And this is sending a pretty clear message about the current condition of the market.  Now it also bears mentioning that quite often the actual exports from BaselWorld appointments don't start materializing until later in the year, because more  often then not, the new releases from BaselWorld don't actually grab their passports for trips to the US until July and August.  But what that also says is that there is little to no demand for current/existing models.

Another interesting shift?  China is in the positive side of the ledger with and increase of +38.9%  and the UK up +30.00%

 So we will see what the coming months might have to show us, but unfortunately a lot of these numbers, and the months that they are falling in start to raise some uncomfortable questions about the outlook for the US market this year.

The Transfer Window Opens

At Corum and Eterna.

Davide Traxler has been relieved of his duties at both Eterna and Corum.  For many of us, the news was delivered by Karl Heinz Nuber through is well-regarded TICK-Talk site:

http://www.tick-talk.ch/city-champ-jewelery-watch-group-faehrt-eterna-an-die-wand-und-sucht-nach-neuem-corum-ceo/

I was able to confirm this news through a contact at Corum, Switzerland.  For those of you (like me) who do not speak or read German, Google Translate can give you a fairly decent version.  I want to thank Karl Heinz for tackling what many other writers would avoid, and I commend him for showing some willingness to take on a touchy subject.

Now, I have a slightly different perspective having worked on the "other side" of the BaselWorld counter, and I agree with a lot of what Mr. Nuber points out.  But I would add some layers that are based on what I have seen and heard not as a journalist, but from some brand management experience.

One thing that we can all agree on is that losing your job sucks. There are generally no good feelings engendered when you are informed that your services are now surplus to requirements.  But the problems at Corum and Eterna did not sprout up overnight and they were never going to be solved in any short-term fashion.  I know that there are a lot of folks out there who feel that the dysfunction is solely down to the incompetence or lack of cultural awareness of the Chinese ownership - Citychamp.  I would have to say that, with respect, I disagree.

The problems at Eterna have been going on for YEARS.  Long before I entered the industry, long before I started covering watches back in 2010.  And the one thing that has always rung true is that there has been a near perpetual lack of self-awareness at Eterna.  And let's be really, really honest, it is a Top - Down problem.  It's interesting to note that through several "regime changes", several key people who were, well, supposed to be responsible for little things like sales, etc. were kept on.  In other words, the head coach kept changing, but some of the key players stayed on.  The other piece at Eterna that continues to hamstring it is a fundamental misunderstanding of what kind of watch company they really are, and what exactly they should do, as opposed to what they could do.  In terms of products, pricing, and how they are perceived in the market place, this is something that has shifted and changed on a fairly constant basis over the last 10 years, leaving the brand identity to drift on an ice floe.

And as we are being honest with each other, let's be clear that Eterna has two solid cornerstones to build (or in this case, rebuild) their brand upon: the KonTiki and movements.  Everything else will only be noise and distraction.  Sounds sort of harsh, doesn't it?  Well, ask yourself - how many collections have been launched by Eterna and, well, sunk in the past few years?  How many marketing campaigns have been pushed away from the shore, only to be lost at sea?  What has hindered Eterna FOR YEARS is a fundamental inability to work on a project, and see it ALL THE WAY THROUGH to the end.  This was true when Calce oversaw both Corum and Eterna, it was painfully true under the tenure of Mr. Dreyfuss, and has been abundantly clear in this latest chapter.  And yes, that is a cultural dysfunction - but that is, regrettably, the Eterna culture.  It  has been there for YEARS.

While I am not the MOST informed person out there, I can tell you that I meet A LOT of former Eterna employees now working at other brands or in other areas outside of Eterna who are now FLOURISHING.  Doing amazing things!  But they all tell a similar tale, and that tale is really more about a culture that is not so good.  And the culture is not Swiss, and it is not Chinese.  The culture is the company culture.

Now consider the role of Citychamp in all of this.  They have come in, they have pumped, literally, MILLIONS of Swiss Francs into Eterna and Corum.  They have trusted the individuals recommended to them - insiders from the Swiss watch industry.  Keep in mind, these were not Citychamp or Chinese CEOs.   It is also worth noting that the key staff that was kept on despite their sometimes indifferent performance were not from Citychamp either.  The amount of debt racked up by the previous and recent administrations points to poor management and oversight.  Put another way, if it were not for Citychamp, there likely would not have been an Eterna for the past several years. 

I think what I find most fascinating in all of this is that what really underscores a somewhat xenophobic attitude of the Swiss watch industry.  I visited Eterna back in 2013.  I stopped at a bakery for directions to the factory and was asked if I spoke Chinese.  Meant as a joke, but to me really underscored a certain unwillingness to accept that a Chinese owner could ever hope to successfuly manage a Swiss company.  Now in fairness, it does seem that Citychamp is having some difficulties in getting these two houses in order.  But I am less and less convinced that this is a question of who owns the brands. 

My point is that sometimes brands just can't get their shit together.  And sometimes it is a question of changing the culture.  Not Swiss, not Chinese, but company culture.

So let's hope that Citychamp will find a team leader who will not only be focused on developing a brand, but developing a team.  A team with a strong identity and a positive, collaborative, and solid culture.

The Starmus Festival

And Omega -

Courtesy of Omega

Sort of a cool story, so I'm going to let Omega tell it in their own words -

OMEGA AND THE STARMUS FESTIVAL

ANNOUNCE A NEW PARTNERSHIP

 

Revealing a new Speedmaster watch for the winners of the Stephen Hawking Medal for Science Communication

19^th May 2017: At a special press conference at the Royal Society in London on Friday, the Starmus Festival announced its new partnership with the prestigious Swiss watchmaker OMEGA.

The Starmus Festival is a combination of science, art and music, and its goal is to help the general public understand and appreciate science. Since 2011, it has included performances and presentations from astronauts, cosmonauts, Nobel Prize winners and prominent figures from science, culture, the arts and music. 

OMEGA’s own pioneering history is filled with scientific accomplishment including the conquests of space and the ocean, as well as revolutionary breakthroughs in magnetic watchmaking and precision. 

Raynald Aeschlimann, the President and CEO of OMEGA, spoke about the new partnership by saying, “As we know in watchmaking, it’s not always easy to communicate new innovation or complex technology. In science, I’m sure it’s the same. That’s why we recognise the importance of the Starmus Festival. It embraces creativity to help the general public understand and appreciate everything about science. OMEGA has a strong history within science and we wanted to maintain our commitment to this important area.”

As part of its partnership, OMEGA is proudly supporting the Stephen Hawking Medal for Science Communication. The Medal recognises those who promote science through three different disciplines including Science Writing; Films; and Music and Art. 

On June 20^th this year at the Starmus Festival, the three winners will be presented with a brand new 18K yellow gold OMEGA Speedmaster watch. On the back of the watch, the brand has included a unique engraving that mirrors the design of the actual medal itself. This includes an image of the cosmonaut Alexei Leonov during the first ever human spacewalk as well as the “Red Special” guitar of Queen’s Brian May.

Professor Hawking himself was at the press announcement and shared his enthusiasm for OMEGA’s support. “I'm delighted that OMEGA is joining forces with us this year and that these watches will be given to the winners. I would like to thank OMEGA for this initiative and for their sponsorship.”

 

Three other important guests were present on the day, including Professor Garik Israelian, the Founder of Starmus;  Professor Claude Nicollier, the first Swiss astronaut and close friend of OMEGA; and Professor Edvard Moser, the renowned Norwegian psychologist and neuroscientist.

 

Speaking on stage, Professor Israelian, the Founder of Starmus said, “Our principal goal is to inspire. This is the base of everything. I'm very proud to announce the partnership with OMEGA and have them helping us with our goals.”

Professor Nicollier was also able to shed more light on OMEGA’s scientific past and reveal his own unique experience with the brand. He said, “I have huge admiration for the achievements of Stephen Hawking. My connection to OMEGA is the value of excellence. So I'm looking forward to Starmus IV and the involvement of OMEGA in the next chapter of science, art and music at the highest level.” 

 

Without doubt, OMEGA will be following the announcement of the Medal winners very closely and is looking forward to Starmus IV taking place this year from June 18 – 23 in Trondheim, Norway.

Courtesy of Omega

About the watch

The three winners of the Stephen Hawking medal will each receive an OMEGA Speedmaster Moonwatch Professional Chronograph. The 42 mm case and bezel are made from 18K yellow gold and the black dial also includes 18K yellow gold hands and indexes. The watch is distinguished by its unique caseback which includes the words “WINNER OF THE STEPHEN HAWKING MEDAL FOR SCIENCE COMMUNICATION”, as well as a laser-engraved medallion that follows the exact design of the medal itself. This includes the Starmus logo and images of Alexei Leonov during the first human spacewalk and the “Red Special” guitar of Queen’s Brian May. The watch is presented on a black leather strap and is driven by the famous OMEGA calibre 1861, virtually the same hand-wound movement that powered the timepieces NASA’s astronauts wore on the Moon.

A Lot of Watch for a Little Money

Laco is well known for their pilot's watches.  And that is understandable owing to a long tradition and a solid collection of fliegers flying to customers around the world.

But...

Not all of us dream of being bi-plane pilots ; )

Cottbus 40

Courtesy of Laco

These are just three of the Classics collection.  It is a pretty simple, and pretty clever idea.  Offer a beautifully simple and, yes, classic design in different options and do it at a reasonable and accessible price.

Chemnitz 40

Courtesy of Laco

These particular pieces are 40 mm in diameter and the cases are stainless steel.

Halle 40

Courtesy of Laco

The movements are self-winding from Miyota.  And the price?   
€ 398,00!!!

 

What Sort of Man Reads Playboy?

If I had a quarter for every time I heard a marketing manager assure me - 

"We won't do anything douchey"...

This is inevitably followed by, to quote Anthony Bourdain - "douchebaggery".

Shamelessly borrowed from the world-wide infoweb

 
This is a new collaboration with Chronoswiss and Playboy of Germany to commemorate the 45th anniversary of German speaking men being able to purchase this saucy yet "sophisticated" publication, and read the "articles" in their native language.

Courtesy of Chronoswiss

So good news for those of you out there who "just buy it for the articles", you now can own and wear a watch that will ensure that you know what time the wife and/or kids are getting back home so you can park your "literary journal" back under the mattress ; )

And the best part?  Scantily clad Playboy Playmates on the back!  You know, so you can wear an object featuring someone objectified on the back!  

Courtesy of Chronoswiss

Enjoy your "watches"...

The Bubble 47 Skeleton

From Corum -

L082/03165

Courtesy of Corum

This is the newest member of Bubble collection and is a wonderfully colorful take on a skeletonized movement.  And I really, really dig it!


47 mm in diameter, under the hood beats the Eterna Calibe 39. Eterna is a sister company in the City Champ group and this is good news as the demand for Eterna movements, or perhaps more specifically the ability to sell them, has not been realized as well as it might be. Interesting to relate, in the spec sheet it is referenced as the CO 082 – Automatic


The case itself is made of stainless steel and is available in either a standard or black pvd finish. It is available in three different versions. The  L082/03165 (above) features green hands, accents and a pvd treated case.

The L082/03162 (below) is perhaps the most subdued of the three with more traditional white hands and a more subtle background.

L082/03162 
Courtesy of Corum

The third is boldly shaded in purple.  It also comes in a black pvd case.

L082/03166 
Courtesy of Corum

Here are the pertinents -

MOVEMENT
CO 082 – Automatic
42 hours power-reserve
Functions: Hour, minute, second
Frequency: 4 Hz, 28,800 vph
Dimension: 11 1⁄2 ’’’
Distinctive features: Plates painted in blue, green or purple 

CASE
Dimension: 47.00 mm Thickness: 18.50 mm
Material: Stainless steel or stainless steel with black PVD treatment
Domed anti-reflective sapphire crystal
Sapphire case back
Water-resistance: 100 meters / 10 ATM 

DIAL
Material: Brass, open-worked
Hands: rhodium-plated or black varnish; white, green or purple Superluminova 

STRAP / BRACELET
Material: Vulcanized rubber
Pin buckle in stainless steel or stainless steel with black PVD treatment