Nostalgia And Watch Town

If the news reported by Miss Tweed is to believed, it would seem that Mr. Kern has his eye on another mostly defunct brand - Gallet.

Now this is curious, and I suspect that it has been secured for far less than Universal Geneve. Gallet had been force fed through a drip iv for the past 20 years, including one ill-advised BaselWorld misfire many years back. Very expensive chronographs that by all accounts never really took off, the website went dark some time ago, and I suspect that the the person pumping the money in is somewhat relieved that someone else will take Gallet over.

So let's see if the Miss Tweed's sources have read the tea leaves correctly, and maybe Gallet will fly high again.

With the market space in Watch Town already becoming increasingly bloated, I honestly have to wonder if this would be the best move. From a strictly fiscal perspective, there are wiser ways to spend your money. It's a gamble. You go back to the well too many times, things can go South. But on the other hand, everyone loves a re-birthed watch brand.

The truth is Breitling's history, reputation, it's arc as a brand had already been written long before Mr. Kern decamped IWC for Grenchen. But with Universal Geneve, and now possibly Gallet, Mr. Kerns can truly state that these were his, and it will likely be his legacy. And fair enough. We all want to make our mark, and be able to say we were "there when"...

We shall wait, and we shall see.

The Last Man Standing

Well, at Richemont it would appear to be Jérôme Lambert.  For many of us, this had been a forgone conclusion for some time.  It was never going to be a tenable solution for the long term, putting two alpha males at the same perceived level with the ultimate prize only available to one of them.  Not unlike Thunderdome, two men went in, one man came out.

I know that sounds a bit dramatic, but when you are talking about getting the corner office after that many years of service?  Well, let's just say that if you felt strongly enough that you were not going to be at the final rose ceremony, you might set out for potential pastures greener in say, I dunno', Grenchen.  Put more simply, you don't tend to walk away from the biggest pot of your life if you think that you have the winning hand.  

It also bears mentioning, that it is entirely possible that this was not exactly the way it was planned, but Mr. Kern's surprise departure to play Head Pilot at Breitling might have forced Mr. Rupert's (and Richemont's) hand.  

It has been a drama full of twists, turns and palace intrigue.  But for now, it appears that Mr. Lambert has won this particular game of Powerball.