The ÉLYSÉE ATTITUDE - Limited Edition

From Pequignet -

Courtesy of Pequignet

This is a new, limited edition from the Morteau based manufacure.

Limited to 300 pieces, this special time machine is powered by the Calibre Initial®. This movement was released in 2021, conceived and made in France.

Courtesy of Pequignet

Here are the pertinents -

Case

316L polished steel
Crown with embossed "RF" logo

Details of the dial

Opaline white with "RF" logo
Rounded hands with stamped decoration in bluish stainless steel
Large date display at 3.00

Type of clasp

one link stainless buckle with engraved "RF" logo

Details of the movement

Calibre Initial®
Bidirection winding
Frequency of 4Hz (28800 Alt./h)
21 jewels
Stop second
Piercred oscillating weight with snailing decoration and embossed "RF" logo

Case thickness (in mm)

9.05

Waterproofing (ATM)

5

Back of case

Screwed with sapphire opening on the movement

Power reserve time

65 hours

The BR 03 CYBER CERAMIC

From Bell & Ross -

Courtesy of Bell & Ross

This is a new novelty from the Paris based brand. This is a 500 piece limited edition, and provides an interesting twist on the BR 03 collection.

Courtesy of Bell & Ross

The case is of black ceramic, and measures 42 mm in diameter. The movement is the calibre BR-CAL.383.

Courtesy of Bell & Ross

Here are the pertinents -

• MOVEMENT

  calibre BR-CAL.383 Manufacture. Automatic mechanical. Black skeletonised main plate and bridges. 25 jewels. 28,800 vph. 48-hour power reserve. Manufacture movement guaranteed for 5 years.

• FUNCTIONS

  hours and minutes. Self-winding movement.

• CASE

  42 mm wide. Black ceramic. Sapphire case-back with black oscillating weight.

• DIAL

  skeletonised. Facetted bridges. Balance at 6 o'clock. Black microblasted hour and minute hands filled with grey Super-LumiNova® (green glow).

• CRYSTAL

  sapphire with anti-reflective coating with logo at 12 o'clock. Metal indices with black gloss effect under the crystal.

• WATER-RESISTANCE

  50 metres.

• STRAP

  black rubber.

• BUCKLE

  pin. Matt black PVD steel.

The Travel Chronometer Desert Red

From Serica -

Courtesy of Serica

This is part of Serica's updated second round of offerings. Like the diver and the field watch, this GMT has a COSC certified Soprod, in this case the C125.

There is no shortage of GMT watches out there, but this one is a bit special. The color codes are a bit out of the ordinary - in the best possible way! Instead of the typical black or blue, the Travel Chronometer sports what is referred to as a desert red dial with a bicolor bezel.

The case is of 316L stainless steel, rated to 200 meters of water resistance.

This is currently on pre-order, with delivery anticipated by the end of this month (January 2024).

Priced at € 1890.00 with the standard strap option.

For a Few Million More...

I want to ask you to indulge me for minute or two. Imagine a time when there were maybe 15 to 20 blogs out there of any real significance. By significance I mean to say that there were enough readers or impressions ('cause let's be honest, true readership numbers are far different than number of clicks) out there to give a brand manager or marketing head the feeling that it wouldn't be the worst idea to spend a few thousand dollars per month to advertise with a given blog.

While I wouldn't say it was a land rush, I would say that there was no shortage of folks who jumped in with varying degrees of success. And the notion of what success was, and is in this format is extremely hard to quantify. Some of the early leaders have fallen away. Watch Anish is one example. In fairness, as a seeming one-man band it/he achieved a great deal of traction and advertising money. There was a magazine, and foray into lifestyle, but that might have been too far of a stretch. In truth? I have never met the man behind the Instagram account, and in fairness? Nothing lasts forever. His Instagram account is still active, but the posting is infrequent, with several months between updates.

Any watch brand knows the name Hodinkee. It continues to ring out, but it is also clear that the awkward funk they encountered a few years ago has yet to lift. And even more curious, if you were to check the masthead of Hodinkee, you would note that there have been more changes. Of the five new editors that were brought in a year or so back, only three remain with Brandon Menancio and Sarah Miller having slung their hooks. Most curious of all is the change at the top of the masthead. Eneuri Acosta had always been top of the page, most recently as the Chief Brand Officer. Whether or not he has moved on I suppose will not be known by the public. More curious is the addition of two new top level people - Niten Kapdia and Evan Price are now top of the page as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer respectively. 

And the real question is, and continues to be, what's next for the media wing of Watch Town? There are no shortage of brands out there who want & need coverage. There is no shortage of potential customers and fans out there waiting to discover these brands. And finally? No shortage of people out there wanting to share this information whether out of passion, out of avarice, or some combination of the two. To be clear, there's nothing wrong with wanting to make a living while being involved with your passion. But ultimately, regrettably, and unfortunately, a select few outlets continue to absorb the majority of revenue, of product and news access, and of largesse from the brands. A simple review of who ends up at Watches and Wonders this spring will bear that out. Rather than inviting several individuals from several outlets, the folks entrusted with the guest list for Journalists will continue to invite the same large number of journalists from the same single outlet/s. 

So lather, rinse, repeat. Let's just hope the money keeps flowing...

Flying into MUC, Bringing in My Personal AP... Please Mr. Custom's Man, Don't You Check My Bag

Okay, cute and snappy title, huh? And yes, it is a bit sarcastic. BUT, the sarcasm is actually directed at the situation, not Mr. Schwarzenegger.

For those of you few watch enthusiasts around the world who slept the last 48 hours, here's a quick link from the Guardian -

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2024/jan/17/arnold-schwarzenegger-detained-munich-airport-over-luxury-watch

Courtesy of CNN.com (Arnold Schwarzenegger was held at Munich airport after failing to declare an expensive watch. Portions of this image were obscured by the source before CNN obtained it.)

Now let's dive right in, shall we? Essentially, Mr. Schwarzenegger was transiting through Munich Airport en route to Kitzbuhel, Austria where he was scheduled to auction off his AP watch with the proceeds to his climate crisis charity.

The statement from the customs folks in Germany was that Mr. Schwarzenegger failed to declare the watch, further that it was an "import", and thus subject to tax. Now this is a point that I am actually in agreement with. If the contention of the tax man is that because the watch was coming into the EU, and would be sold in the EU (albeit for altruistic reasons)

and would therefore be taxable, then fair enough. 

But where (from my naive, American perspective) things got a little goofy was the stern statement from the customs office as cited from the Guardian's article:

A customs spokesperson told Sueddeutsche Zeitung: “If the goods remain in the EU, you have to declare them through customs. This applies to everyone, whether their name is Schwarzenegger or Müller, Meier, Huber.”

Not really sure what the snark from the customs spokesperson was in aid of, because by all accounts, Mr. Schwarzenegger cooperated completely, did not make a fuss or pitch a fit even though the efforts to collect the pre-payment of taxes and fines went more than a bit sideways...

Per CNN's coverage:

The actor agreed to pre-pay potential taxes on the watch and the officers failed to use a credit card machine for an hour until they gave up and brought him to a bank and asked him to withdraw cash from an ATM to pay, according to the source. The ATM they brought him to had a limit too low and the bank was closed.

When he returned, a new officer brought a new credit card machine that worked, the source added.

Now by and large, I am a rule follower. And I understand and respect that when we travel, we are guests in someone else's home. I also understand that many of my European colleagues have one mode of behavior at home, and a different one when abroad - as do we all, I suspect. 

So we've all learned something... maybe... 

We will likely never fully know the nuance or even letter of the law of ever country we may visit, but when it comes to watches, probably best to simply wear a Swatch and avoid the headaches.

Enjoy your watches...at home ; )

The Kinetik Duro Zen

From Defakto -

Courtesy of Defakto

The case is of hardened stainless steel and measures 39 mm in diameter, made by the Ickler family firm. 

The big story here is the dial, per Defakto -

The special dial has fine scratch marks that were deliberately placed by hand and which create an interesting play of light. The individual surface properties were created before a special galvanization in gray and the coating of the indexes with Superluminova. The minimalist design of the Defakto Kinetik Duro Zen 20Atm (39 mm x 45 mm x 9.8 mm, weight 59 g, 20 ATM) watch aims to visually emphasize the interaction of its watch hands and the resulting geometrical constellations. The watch has been upgraded with nightglowing Superluminova (bgw9 and red) coating on hands and indexes.

The movement is Sellita's SW200, and the watch comes with a stainless steel, Milanese bracelet. 

The Kinetik Duro Zen is available direct from Defakto for:

1.389,00 EUR (incl. VAT) // EU Citizens

1.167,23 EUR (excl. VAT) // Non-EU Citizens

The Diplomat

From Hager Watches -

Courtesy of Hager

I've known Pete (Pierre Brown, Hager's owner) for a bit and have been anxiously following the trajectory of this latest member of the Hager collection - the Diplomat for some time.

Courtesy of Hager

It is available in several color options, both center seconds and sub seconds for some versions. For me, the green dials are the pick of the bunch.

Available in stainless, and a gold PVD. Limited quantities of these are still obtainable, but they are going rather quickly - so don't dawdle!

The stainless versions are available for $845 US, with the rose gold PVD version at $895 US.

Here are the pertinents -

Technical Details Small Seconds

Case  

40mm Diameter: Thickness: 9.3mm; Length: 48.5mm

AISI 316L polished steel with exhibition casebook

Scratch resistant domed sapphire crystal

Dial

Convex Gradient Fumé sunburst dial

Movement

HGR 1165 (American Clone of the 2895.)

Functions

Hours, minutes, small seconds (Seconds at Six) hacking

Bracelet

20mm leather strap with a stainless steel tang buckle

The BR 05 Artline Dragon

From Bell & Ross -

Courtesy of Bell & Ross

To help celebrate the year of the Dragon, Bell & Ross has released the BR 05 Artline Dragon, a limited edition of 99 pieces.

Courtesy of Bell & Ross

The case is of stainless steel, but bears a wonderfully extravagant amount of detailed laser engraving on the watch, the bracelet, and even the clasp!

Courtesy of Bell & Ross

The movement is noted as Calibre BR-CAL.321.

This one will only be available from Bell & Ross boutiques, or from Bell & Ross online:

$ 7,900

Available for pre-order only
Delivery in mid-January

Available exclusively from Bell & Ross Boutiques and e-Boutiques.

Family Business

The word came down from LVMH HQ that Frédéric Arnault was now in charge of all things watches within the group. And with all due respect to Hodinkee (and if the comment section is anything to go by, I am not alone in my feelings), Mr. Anault's mercurial rise within the ranks of LVMH's watch division seems unlikely to happen anywhere else in Watch Town. The tone of the coverage from the 'dink was bordering on sycophantic. And not for nothing, it is understood that LVMH has invested in Hodinkee.

Family Business

It is not lost on anyone in the watch business that many of the most successful brands are businesses that have been started and run by individual families. Over time, several family owned brands made the decision to bring in outside talent to manage their brands. The recent departure of Mr. B at Audemars Piguet is a good example of this. AP could have engaged in the DNA Olympics, but opted for competent management that didn't happen to fall off the same family tree. 

It can also be said that there are family owned (and controlled) brands that have (by and large) remained in the family and gone from strength to strength - the name Stern still rings out loud and clear in Watch Town. But it is also important to understand that Thierry Stern grew up in the business, and spent years (not months) learning it. 

The Boss's Kid

I am no stranger to enjoying the largesse of perceived (and possibly real) nepotism. My father was a country club manager and as a teenager a job was arranged for me in the locker room of the Elyria Country Club where I spent my weekends and summers polishing members shoes and cleaning their golf clubs. I wasn't paid any more or less than my colleagues, but my hours were wildly elastic and absolutely to the benefit of my ability to go play in soccer games that my faither was coaching. I was not quite made the CEO of a watch brand, but I suspect the impact of nepotism (both perceived and real) has on the people you work with is a pretty universal and cross cultural one. You will always be judged with more than a soupçon of doubt.

Now it is safe to say that Mr. Arnault did not grow up in the watch business. And that is not necessarily a disqualifying factor. Several leaders in Watch Town came through different channels. But invariably, these folks had other experience in other industries. Mr. Arnault's CV prior to joining Tag Heuer was a little thin. His age at that time was in question by many. For me, in hindsight, I would not point a finger at age, but rather a lack of experience. We fast forward now some several years later, and Mr. Arnault certainly has some experience under his belt (both business and life). But to say that he single handedly made Tag Heuer a success is myopic (sorry Hodinkee). A lot of time and effort from a LOT of people before Mr. Arnault arrived paved the way for the path that Tag was and continues to be on. But as I have learned over more than 20 years in Watch Town, it is more often than not the family heir that receives the laurels as the last person standing.

Reality Check 

Regardless of what watch fans, the business world, or we members of the Fourth and Fifth Estate think and claim to be expert on, there is one simple, plain reality - LVMH is an extremely large, and by all accounts extremely successful juggernaut in the luxury business world. And with all due respect to all sides, it is a business that is essentially owned by the Arnault family. And to put it even more bluntly - Hublot, Tag Heuer, and Zenith were not exactly robust brands on their own. They needed (and still need) the group to support them, there is really no denying it. 

And One Last Bowl of Truth Soup

It is easy to be earnest and nostalgic about brands. It is even easier to shout that "I could do it better!" Watch fans are not entirely unlike fans of professional sports teams - we are a somewhat obsessive, overly opinionated lot that are convinced that if we were given the keys to the castle and a seat behind the big mahogany desk we would somehow know better and be hugely successful. And that just isn't true.

I think Mr. Arnault deserves the opportunity to prove himself now that he has landed in the hot seat. But to the historical revisionists out there, let's not forget that Tag's success is currently more down to the efforts put in prior. It doesn't mean Tag won't continue to prosper, but let's be real about assigning credit when we're handing out the roses ; )

Dear Breitling - Shop Your Closet!

There are a GAZILLION "Sleeping Beauty" brands out there. And seeing as Breitling just "whipped it out" to buy an (let's be honest) essentially dormant brand, let's take a moment and consider what US $69 million could have been directed towards given the presence of an  already existing red-headed step-child living somewhat ignominiously under Breitling's roof. I speak, gentle reader. of Kelek. 

Formerly located just around the corner from Eberhard in La Chaux-de-Fonds, it merged / was purchased by Breitling in 1997. Prior to this time there had been a few iterations, but the short-form is that Kelek focused on mechanical movements and had worked with Dubois-Dépraz. It is also worth noting that in the 90s, Kelek was one of the largest manufacturers of automatic, mechanical chronographs. It is also curious to note that Kelek developed a working relationship with one Seiko (Hattori at the time), thus perhaps foreshadowing the great Tag Heuer 1887 movement fiasco of 2009 ; )

In short? For the price of, well, ZERO, the brain trust in Grenchen could have directed time, effort and a much smaller amount of cash towards rebuilding and relaunching something that would only be on life-support for a short period of time, and out of the "recovery room" even faster. But is also, admittedly, not the stuff of nocturnal emissions (that's wet dream to you) from watch nerds swearing up and down that they would buy a Universal Geneve if it were ever revived. These folks are, by and large, the horological equivalent of the now infamous (and largely fictitious) 400 pound guy "hacking a political party" from his bed. Hypothetically they exist, but it begs the question as to why the supply of vintage Universal Geneve watches are not exactly thin on the ground. 

Okay, that's not fair. I am sure that there are some folks out there, but the majority of watch buyers with ready cash listening to Beyonce name drop AP and SPENDING said cash are not borderline or current AARP members with purchasing decision-making impulses driven by nostalgic erections.

Just saying.

So back to the earlier question - when you have a viable brand already in your house, why go out shopping for something that costs you a WHOLE LOT more money than you really need (or likely should want) to spend? A lot of it is sex appeal - be it real or (I suspect in this case) presumed. But a lot of it comes back to what that other great commentator on the watch business opined in Moneyball, fear of looking bad and an inability to objectively and rationally asses value (both perceived and real) -

“There was but one question he left unasked, and it vibrated between his lines: if gross miscalculations of a person's value could occur on a baseball field, before a live audience of thirty thousand, and a television audience of millions more, what did that say about the measurement of performance in other lines of work? If professional baseball players could be over- or under valued, who couldn't?”
― Michael Lewis, Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game

What is known is that Kelek would have likely made for a fantastic Oakland A. It was, and continues to be a potentially wildly successful brand if the owner / operator would spend one one-hundredth of the time, energy, and money that Mr. Kerns and Breitling are ready to hurl at UG. But then again, when you consider floating an idea like Kelek, you are flying in the face of the marketing logic of a brand that has been worshiping at the altar of stardom (and its reflective glow) for many years. So we'll let Moneyball summarize why activating Kelek would have made a HELL of a lot more sense than spending the kind of money that usually isn't exchanged without the aid of a getaway car.

“The inability to envision a certain kind of person doing a certain kind of thing because you've never seen someone who looks like him do it before is not just a vice. It's a luxury. What begins as a failure of the imagination ends as a market inefficiency: when you rule out an entire class of people from doing a job simply by their appearance, you are less likely to find the best person for the job.”
― Michael Lewis, Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game

And yes, it is a metaphor. The "certain kind of person" is a certain kind of brand - in this instance Kelek ; )