Casquette 2.0 - Electric Boogaloo!

nos·tal·gia

/näˈstaljə,nəˈstaljə/

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noun

1. a sentimental longing or wistful affection for the past, typically for a period or place with happy personal associations.

   "I was overcome with acute nostalgia for my days in college"

   courtesy of Oxford Languages 

As a tow headed Northern Youth my grandfather, in his wisdom, gave me a Texas Instruments digital watch. It easily weighed a pound, and died three times in less than 4 months before being dutifully consigned to the dustbin the week after Halloween. My July birthday present did not live to see Christmas. 

Courtesy of Girard-Perregaux

I don't claim to know how good or bad sales are for GP. I can say that apart from some pieces finding their way onto the wrists of a few journalists, you don't tend to see them "in the wild" on an even remotely regular basis. There are a lot of reasons for this, but chief among them is a fairly significant identity crisis. In fairness to the former managers / new owners, this is not a new development. Without consistent and comprehensive communication, it is quite hard to understand just what GP is trying to do or to be.

 With that said, I had to scratch my head when I clapped eyes on the newly released Casquette 2.0...

Courtesy of Girard-Perregaux

Like pretty much everyone else who writes about watches, I am nostalgic. I sincerely appreciate whimsy, and those who try to do something different.  With that said, $4,700 is a bit further and deeper than I am willing to go to scratch that particular itch. More to the point, it is yet another odd choice made by GP in recent times. 

Should you be aching to put on your leisure suit and splash on some Hai Karate and take a deep dive back to that simpler time, here are the pertinents, straight from the source -

LIMITED EDITION OF 820 TIMEPIECES

CASQUETTE 2.0

39800-32-001-32A

• WATCH
  • CASE
    • Case material :
      black ceramic and titanium, titanium pushers
    • Diameter :
      42.40 x 33.60 mm
    • Thickness :
      14.64 mm
    • Case-back :
      titanium, secured by 4 screws
    • Dial :
      Tubular LED display
    • Water resistance :
      50 m
  • STRAP
    • Strap material :
      ceramic with rubber interior
    • Buckle :
      titanium folding buckle
• MOVEMENT
  • CALIBRE
    • Number :
      GP3980-1474
    • Mechanism :
      quartz
    • Total Diameter :
      26.24 x 25.65 mm (-)
    • Height :
      6.40 mm
    • Frequency :
      32'768 Hz
    • Number of Parts :
      50
    • Number of Jewels :
      0
    • Oscillating weight :
      -
    • Power Reserve :
      -

GP's neighbors up the hill floated a similar idea at a past BaselWorld when Corum came out with an LED Bubble. How well or poorly that particular anomaly sold is a question only Corum will ever be able to answer. 

Now in fairness, for all I know all 820 pieces of the Casquette 2.0 have been sold. I am clearly not part of that demographic ; )

Nostalgia is a beguiling force. But ultimately, I will leave it with that other great commentator on the watch business, Anwan Glover as Slim Charles in The Wire -

Courtesy of HBO / The Wire

You Smell Just Like a Tourbillon!

And this recently in from the Department of Fundamentally Bad Ideas -

Courtesy of Franck Muller

Because there are some things that you just couldn't make up, there is now a perfume to cover the smell of disbelief and bewilderment.

Franck Muller is now, apparently, in the fragrance business.  And if that was not goofy enough, they are not offering just one, but rather several different scents that are all, apparently, connected to different members of the Franck Muller collection.

 

In their own words -

The Master Perfumers

When master watchmakers meet master perfumers, both accustomed to working with complexity and precision, combined with beauty and fascination, the outcome will immerse you in a rich sensory world with perfect balance.

The brand decided to broaden its reach with a fine fragrance collection created in partnership with some of CPL Aromas’ top perfumers Beverley Bayne, Julie Pluchet and Dominique Preyssas. The creative team met in Monaco to explore the worlds of watchmaking and perfumery, discovering similarities and shared passions. The result is a translation of the art of horology into five fine fragrances.

“The intricacies of watch making match the art of creating a fragrance. Perfumery creativity is about precision, balance and using the best quality materials available to produce exquisite fragrances. Franck Muller is dedicated to finding the best materials and the best craftsmen to create watches that push the boundaries in beauty and technology.”

— Beverley Bayne, CPL Aromas’ UK Director of Perfumery

And no watch fans, this is not April Fools.  This is apparently very, very real. 

Courtesy of Franck Muller

So if you are tired of Brut by Faberge, or Hai Karate is making you too much of a target -





Don't worry, the folks at Franck Muller have got you covered ; )

So I am guessing that this perfume is meant to be the "antidote" to combat the watch geek's unquenchable thirst for haute horology.  Simply dab a bit of "Crazy Hours" behind your ears and that watch geek will forget all about watches, and think only of you!

Give me strength...