Just When I Thought I Was Out...

Lip pulls me back in!

Courtesy of Lip

Okay, a few factoids about me (Henki), Lip, and Besançon.  Back in 2015, just before Thanksgiving, I visited Besançon for the first time. It was right after the Paris attacks, and I was truly moved by the energy and spirit of the people I encountered. I visited Lip's HQ, toured the facility, had a great lunch with the sales team and the owners - the Berards, and left with the feeling that Lip was about to do some really great things. I went back four years later, and great things were beginning to happen. And then COVID hit.

When it comes to the current owner, Pierre-Alain Berard, I must say that he is without a doubt one of the kindest and most straight forward people you will ever meet in the watch business. During lockdown we had a few conversations and I was struck by two things - his care and concern for his team at Lip, and his belief that they would come out of the other side with some renewed energy.

And the latest step in this evolution is the Nautic 3. A 39 mm diver that hit me square between the eyes with a visceral sucker-punch. The first watch I ever bought for myself was when I was 17 and I walked into May Company at the Midway Mall and bought myself a Swatch Calypso Diver. And it's like the folks at Lip dove into my subconscious and pulled this beautiful diver out!

Courtesy of Lip

It measures 39 mm in diameter, and is assembled in Besançon. Most intriguing is the movement. Under the hood you'll find what is described as:

Franco-Swiss analogue mechanical automatic HD G100 Manufacture Lajoux-Perret

And the price is particularly attractive - 

€1,099.00

There is more to come about this watch, this is just a brief introduction. But if this watch along with what I call the Titanium TV is anything to go by? Lip is about to be BIG!

Summer Repeat - Yogi Berra on Brand Management

Editor's note -

This post originally appeared in 2017. As Geneva Watch Days gets ready for another "what the hell did I spend thousands of dollars to travel to Geneva to see what I already saw at Watches & Wonders" event, the word around the campfire is that several lofty heads are about to roll in the form of CEOs and senior managers who apparently are now surplus to the requirements of the service. And right on schedule, another unscheduled call from a brand manager seeking feedback this past week. At least this time the call was during normal "daylight" hours ; )

For better or worse, what was true then remains the same today. The ways in which watch brands seek to fill leadership and management positions is antiquated. When and if an appeal to reason and rational thought will prevail remains to be seen.

Repeat - Yogi Berra on Brand Management

I originally came out with this just over three years ago.  At that time I was in Malmo, Sweden for the launch of Kronaby.  After a fairly successful launch, followed by a strong BaselWorld 17, and  a BaselWorld 18 that was off the chain (the booth was jam-packed and I saw someone in front of the booth with with a can of grease and a crowbar trying to get more people in), shortly prior to BaselWorld 2019, word leaked out that Kronaby was, in fact, toast.  Now it's funny looking back, because at the time I was somehow thinking that maybe the folks at Kronaby (and let's say that's the four shot-callers and a few key employees that, in hindsight, never should have been anywhere near a watch brand), might be approaching things differently.  Shortly after launch, it began to become clear that, in fact, that was not the case.  Just prior to their first full-on BaselWorld (I'm talking about a week prior) the brain trust in the marketing department thought it made sense to cancel a large chunk of media appointments that had already been booked.  The result, a lot of press took that particular fuck-you at face value and not only didn't bother to re-schedule, but wrote Kronaby out of their collective consciousness.  Ironically, that BaselWorld found all four of the shot-callers hanging out in front of their booth, not unlike used car salesmen prowling the lot, looking for a possible mark.  Curious to relate, the next year was quite good, with people literally spilling out of the booth!  So what happened?  Well, a few things and some that parallel another fairly spectacular fall from grace, Klokers.  And if and when I am asked to deliver a Ted Talk I will endeavor to boil it down to ten minutes or so ; )

But for now, it seems like a good time to re-heat this one!

Yogi Berra on Brand Management

A late night (in Malmo) Face Time call came in waking me from a peaceful slumber.  Clearly I need to figure out some sort of "out of office" message for that when I am out of the country ; )

Worrying that it could be Wendy and there might be something important, I picked up.  At first, relief as it was not Wendy but a fairly senior fellow who works for a company in Switzerland that produces, markets and sells watches.  We had not spoken in 11 months and he was unaware that I had moved to Salem, MA and was no longer in California (and clearly he did not know I was in Sweden).  This turned into the semi-annual call where X (no names, so don't ask!) was on his latest talent hunt.  It generally starts out with some pleasantries:

X:  "How's Mary?"
Me: "Who is Mary?"
X:  "Your wife!"
Me:  "Well, that's news to me as I've been calling her Wendy since 1992."

So let's just say that X's memory is not razor-sharp, and therefore it is safe to say, he's not so good on every detail ; )

X:  "We're looking for a brand manager for  (no names).  Any suggestions?"
Me:  "What happened to (no names)?  You were so sure they were perfect."
X:  "Well, it turns out that (no names) was not a good manager."

And then X split open like an over-stuffed piñata.  And out it flowed.  X shared all of the problems and I listened.  And to quote that other great commentator on the luxury industry, Yogi Berra:

It's like deja-vu, all over again.
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/y/yogi_berra.html

"It's like de-javu, all over again."

You see, X and I have a very similar conversation approximately every 18 months.  It is not always exactly the same date, but generally tends to fall between the close of the year and JCK.
And every 18 months I tend to ask the same thing:
"Why do you keep hiring the same type of person and expect different results?"
Long time readers will know that Moneyball is my default reference, and I even gave a copy to X as a gift a year or so back.  I don't think he ever read it and it's pages were probably used to start a fire in his swanky ski chalet.  So I thought I would dumb it down in the hopes that he might get it this time.  So without further delay, here's some hiring advice from Yogi Berra himself -

"We made too many wrong mistakes"
As an English teacher, I realize that this sentence makes no sense.  But look a little deeper and you will find a kernel of wisdom.  Essentially it reminds me of the anxiety and fear of looking foolish that compels recruiters, hiring managers and even CEOs to go with the same type of candidate again and again.  Simply put, the belief when hiring a brand manager in North America (I honestly can't speak to the other countries) is that they (usually he) must be a sales person.  Now, in and of itself this is good because, you know, you need to sell watches.  But there are several other elements that oftentimes get overlooked:
Management/coaching/mentoring.  Sales is, by its very nature, a fairly solitary pursuit.  While sales people get managed, it is very seldom that they have been called upon to manage the diverse group of personalities that typically make up a brand's office.
PR/Marketing/Media.  Again, frequently a lack of understanding of ROI vs. money actually spent.  If brand managers had a better understanding of this, then certain magazines and "influencers" would probably stop attending BaselWorld as the gravy train would clearly be shut down.  In addition, certain brands would not be the watch world equivalent of "Christmas/Easters" (i.e. people who only go to church two days a year).  Some of us call them Basel/Vegas.  You will only hear from these folks just prior to these two events.
Customer Service. Again, dealing with angry customers is an alien experience for a lot of these folks.

There are some people who, if they don't already know, you can't tell 'em.
Simply put, X, and plenty of other shot-callers in the industry just can't bring themselves to believe that there might be a different way to approach things.  As a friend of mine who works behind the scenes as a very in-demand consultant in Switzerland put it -
"these guys at Richemont, Swatch, and a lot of the others?  They're like trains running on the tracks.  They only move one way, and that's because the 'station master' (i.e. senior management) is following the same schedule they always have.  Which works great in normal times, but quite differently in a heavy snow storm".  And that snow storm started a few years ago and is still screwing up traffic ; )  Perhaps it is time to invest in an alternative "vehicle"?
Now X will probably go out and hire another big group loyalist who is expecting a base salary of 6 figures, business class travel, and a very deep marketing budget.

X:  "But they worked for Cartier for 20 years!"
Me: "So they are still with Cartier?"
X:  "No, but they were there from 92 - 2012."
Me: "So, essentially you are telling me that they have not worked for 4 - 5 years?"

At the risk of sounding mean, there is usually a reason why these people are available.

Nobody goes there anymore.  It's too crowded.
At the risk of sounding crass, X has a boner for big name, fancy retail partners.  The logic being that If you are in "so and so's" store in Las Vegas, LA or New York you will have made it big.  Sounds good, but the realities are something very, very different.  Those stores will most likely be MEMO. (Our old friend of the watch retailer meaning the brand provides the watches and waits for them to sell, and then maybe the retail partner will pay for them.  Then again, maybe not.)  So essentially the brand is acting as the bank, as well as the "supplier".  And if you think that is the only expense, consider the travel to visit the retail partner to do the safe count, the money that will be demanded for co-op advertising, the POS collateral materials that the retailer needs.  In other words, a shit-ton of money that the brand will be putting out there without any confirmed sale in sight.  And once the brand is in the store, they are fighting for case space, because frankly there are just too many brands.

So my strong advice for X after a few hours of sleep is this -
If you come to a fork in the road, take it. 
This is a perfect opportunity to consider a different approach.  There are plenty of talented people (some of them are even female) who despite not being solo artist salesmen might have exactly the talents and more importantly, the temperament to steer the Good Ship Watch Brand through the stormy seas of North America.

Or, you can go ahead do the same thing again, hoping for a different outcome -
Even Napoleon had his Watergate.

The Mayor of the Ramada

I have a lot of memories of BaselWorld. Curious to relate? The majority of them took place in the Hotel formerly known as the Ramada - the Hyperion. Anyone who had ever visited BaselWorld before it ceased operations would know about the lobby of that hotel. It wasn't necessarily glamorous, at least before it became the Hyperion. But what it did have? It had a lot of tables. And these tables in the lobby became the epicenter for where the real deals at BaselWorld would take place. You want to negotiate a deal? You sure as hell wouldn't do it in a booth in Hall 1! You'd go somewhere the press wouldn't find you because they were too busy running around the booths. But the Ramada/Hyperion was more than just a spot for confidential business rendezvous, it was also a spot for small independent brands to pitch their tents and introduce the more intrepid journalists (like yours truly) to their brands. And the undisputed Mayor of the Ramada was Daniel Simon Dreifuss -

I first encountered Daniel at my first BaselWorld visit as a member of the press, back in 2011. The blog formerly known as Tempus Fugit was by no means a known quantity by any stretch of the imagination. But Daniel had reached out via email on my second to last day and we arranged to meet.

And I introduced him to a few other journalists while I was at it ; )

But what Daniel would go on to do at subsequent fairs was emblematic of what made him so well known in Watch Town. Daniel realized that the best, most time and cost effective way to spread the word about Maurice de Mauriac was to plant a flag in the middle of the second busiest intersection at BaselWorld - the lobby of the Ramada. The lobby of the Ramada was not unlike Rick's Bar in the movie Casablanca. It was the one place, that sooner or later, everyone would pass through.

And it was there you would see Daniel, wearing something colorful and fun, jumping out of his seat to shake your hand, and then dipping into his signature leather tote bag to bring forth his latest watches, along with NATO straps of every color and pattern.

The last time I spoke with Daniel was September, 2021. I was returning home following a consulting trip in Neuchatel and had a day stopover in Zurich. He was running late, so I checked out the watches, and spoke with his sons. In the end he came in somewhat flustered from all of the errands he was busy taking care of that morning. If I remember correctly, he was in the process of either building or refurbishing a home in Italy.

Word reached Henki Time's North Shore offices early this morning that Daniel Simon Dreifuss had passed away. And if I am honest, this marks a fairly big turning point. Daniel was a larger than life personality - but in the best possible way. He made a lasting impression on everyone he met, and he will be sorely missed. 

His two sons had already taken over the business, and I suspect that they will continue on, making those human connections.

So what is there left to say? Well, thank you Daniel. You made Watch Town a whole lot more interesting! You will be missed, and certainly not forgotten. 

Go easy, and God's speed.

The PEREN REGIA

This the latest offering from PEREN. For those of you unfamiliar, PEREN is the creation of Andy Bica.

Peren is one of those wonderful little brands that sail just under the radar of most folks, ensuring that if you are lucky enough to discover it, you are part of a unique circle.

This is the the REGIA. It is 39 mm in diameter, and of stainless steel. Under the hood is Sellita's SW200=1. It is available on three different strap / bracelet options -

Courtesy of Peren

On a rubber strap, described as FKM vulcanized synthetic high performance rubber.

Courtesy of Peren

On a steel bracelet.

Couartesy of Peren

And on a fabric strap.

This is currently available as a pre-order item.

Pricing?

Pre-Order price: 693 CHF
Retail price: 963 CHF

Here are the pertinents, straight from PEREN -

Production
Swiss Made
Limited Production: 300 pieces worldwide, individually numbered
Assembly: In-house hand built in Switzerland
Warranty: 2 Years International
Packaging: Sustainable premium cardboard box

Case
Diameter: 39mm
Height: 12.80mm
Lug to Lug: 45.30mm
Case: Marine Grade Stainless Steel
Finishing: Bead blasted / hand polished
Bezel: Stainless Steel, straight knurling, circular serration
Bezel Insert: Aluminium
Functions: Rotating unidirectional 120 clicks, Diver / 12H GMT
Crown: Screw-down, concentrical serration
Crystal: Scratchproof Flat Sapphire with 3 anti-reflective layers
Caseback: Bead blasted Stainless Steel, individual serial number
Lume: BGW9 Swiss Super-LumiNova®
Water resistance: 200m/660ft

Movement
Movement: Swiss Automatic Sellita SW200-1, in-house regulated
Power reserve: 38 Hours
Frequency: 28'800 A/h (4 Hz)
Complications: Date at 12H / hacking seconds
Info: 26 Jewels / Nivaflex® mainspring / Anti-Shock / Color-matched date wheel /Stainless Steel encasing construction

Dial
Dial: Metal, embossed indexes, Date at 12H, Black
Hour Indexes: 3D SLN Blocks
Lume: BGW9 Swiss Super-LumiNova®

Hands
Hands: Steel, white, diamond cut
Lume: BGW9 Swiss Super-LumiNova®

Strap
Strap: 3 different options:

Fabric, FKM vulcanized synthetic high performance rubber, Steel bracelet
Buckle: Stainless Steel, laser engraved

What If We Controlled the Means of Production... And Distribution...And Consumption?

I promise, this won't be political ; )

Shamelessly borrowed from the worldwide infoweb

News arrived at the North Shore HQ of Henki Time that was, well, a pretty big deal. A small little watch maker you may or may not have heard of whose name starts with an R and ends with an X made the decision to purchase a small little chain of mom & pop watch and jewelry stores known as Bucherer...

Well, needless to say that across the globe there is a collective tightening of sphincters of already established Rolex retail partners. We'll let them stay puckered this evening, and be back to you lovely people with some prognostications tomorrow ; )

Twice Again

The Swatch Twice Again.

People who write about watches tend to skew towards the new, the shiny, the haute.

A bit about me - back when the dinosaurs still roamed the land, I was 25, living in Japan, and just gotten together with the woman I would later marry. It was a beautiful Saturday morning, and I strode into Robinson’s department store in Kasukabe (Saitama-ken) and bought the original version of this Swatch. If you knew me then, you would say that this was a bit out of character for me.

Before moving to Japan I had spent nearly a year and a half struggling to keep myself afloat. I was situationally homeless for a part of that time. When I got the job, I had to come up with about $3,500 (or so) to pay for my flight and have one month's worth of cash to live on until I would get my first pay check.

I sold everything I owned to get there…and that first year I was notoriously cheap. So believe it or not, the 6,000 Yen (less than $60 US at the time) I spent was a big deal. But something told me this was a big moment. Looking back 29 years later, I finally pulled the trigger on that Swatch's replacement, the Twice again.

Watch brands love to try and tug at our psyche, usually with over-priced, instantly forgettable wrist trinkets that will likely be worn for less than a year and discarded as the gift itself held little to no personal connection. With that said, it’s not lost on me that without any marketing efforts, a new $85 Swatch has landed such a visceral sucker punch on me some 29 years later.

Enjoy your watches!

Celebrating 20 Years at Archimede

Tempus Fugit!  

Too soon?

; )

One of the first brands covered by the Blog Formerly Known As Tempus Fugit was Archimede. Based in Germany's Black Forest, Archimede was part of a family of brands owned by the Ickler family of watch case making fame.

 

Courtesy of Archimede

In honor of this big achievement, Archimede has released  a new iteration of their OutDoor Protect 39 with a hardened DLC case.

Available in three different colorways, my favorite is the OutDoor 39 BlackForest . LS.

The retail is: 

€1,280.00 incl. VAT

€1,075.63 excl. VAT

Here are the pertinents -

Movement	Swiss-made automatic movement ETA 2824
ICKLER Case	The high-quality case is manufactured by ICKLER in Pforzheim. Hardened, DLC, sandblasted, sapphire crystal with A/R coating, water resistant to 20 ATM, screw down crown, solid screw down case back with special engraving  Dimensions: Width 2-8 h (without crown): 39mm Width 3-9 h (incl. crown): 42 mm Length 6-12 h: 43.5mm Thickness: 11,2mm Lug-to-lug length: 43,5 mm
Dial	Olive with old radium luminous indexes
Hands	Old radium with luminous hands
Band	Olive Canvas strap with DLC clasp with ARCHIMEDE logo, SUUNTO clipper

Something Completely Different

From Hanhart -

In truth, despite the modern iterations including the PRIMUS, when we think of Hanhart, we think mostly of black dial flieger chronographs. Not that there's anything wrong with that. That's why the new PIONEER Silva is such a revelation.

Courtesy of Hanhart

Available with either a white dial or black.

Courtesy of Hanhart

And on a leather strap or Milanese stainless steel bracelet -

Courtesy of Hanhart

Courtesy of Hanhart

The case is of stainless steel and measures 38.5 mm in diameter with a height of just 10 mm. The movement is the SW 200 from Sellita.
The new Hanhart PIONEER Silva can now be ordered in both bracelet variants for EUR 890.00 incl. 19% VAT.

The Baroncelli Chronograph Moonphase

From Mido -

Courtesy of Mido

I am a sucker for a chronograph / moonphase. It combines something I actually use - the chronograph, with something that I love - the phases of the moon. Mido has just released something that scores very high on the "Henki Visceral" scale.

Courtesy of Mido

The case is of stainless steel and measures 42 mm in diameter. The movement is billed as the Mido automatic calibre 60. Hours, minutes, seconds, day, date, chronograph, and moon phase.

My only critique would be the logo. Dear Mido, pick one and stick with it! As what could best be described as an "early Mido adapter" (my father was given one the day before I was born), I am a little biased towards the original.

Other than that, it is a wonderful watch in every way. No details on pricing yet, but hopefully the Mido website will have some details shortly.

The Cortina 1956 - Refreshingly Cool

This is one of the latest offerings from the team at Echo Neutra -

Courtesy of Echo Neutra

It is the latest iteration of the Cortina collection. A time-only model with a white dial and white bezel insert. 

The case is of stainless steel and measures 40 mm in diameter. The movement is Sellita's SW200-1 providing hours, minutes, and seconds.

It is priced at a very attractive $750

Available direct from Echo Nuetra

Here are the pertinents -

→ DIAMETER: 40mm
→ THICKNESS: 11.9mm
→ LUG2LUG: 46mm
→ CROWN: Screw-down type
→ CRYSTAL: Box-shaped Sapphire glass
→ MOVEMENT: Sellita SW200-1 automatic elaboré
→ BEZEL: Sapphire fixed bezel
→ STRAPS: 2 X Straps included
→ WR: 100m
→ SWISS MADE