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.

JEANRICHARD : THE FRENCH RUGBY TEAM

This just in from JEANRICHARD -

Courtesy of JEANRICHARD

Team spirit. A willingness to make the effort. The pleasure of the game. JEANRICHARD has numerous values in common with rugby. Its "Philosophy of Life" has developed in the same fields marked by passionate enthusiasm, the readiness to take on a challenge and the desire to go one step further each time. This is why the Swiss luxury watch manufacturer actively supports the field of rugby and thrills to the finest exploits on the pitches of the great stadiums of the game. To strengthen its ties with this exceptional rugby world, JEANRICHARD has chosen to enter into a partnership with various respected players of the game so as to create its own "team" to act as its family of ambassadors for rugby. This "squad" consists of nine players from France's famous Top 14 group of clubs: Vincent Clerc, Brice Dulin, Gaël Fickou, Fabrice Estebanez, Juandre Kruger, Benjamin Lapeyre, Maxime Machenaud, Jérémie Maurouard and Pascal Papé. Developing their careers in clubs all over France and perfectly complementary between themselves since they all play in different positions, these dedicated sportsmen are everyday heroes who accomplish amazing exploits, in the spirit of true JEANRICHARD men. They have a wide range of levels of play (with some who are just starting their careers, while others have a solid record of achievement behind them), and this enriches the human dimension of the team, combining youthful vigour and experience, rising stars and acknowledged masters of their game. They all share the same vision and the same spirit: "I transmit my enthusiasm through hard work and the pleasure I find in playing with my team-mates," explains the young hooker Jérémie Maurouard, while Vincent Clerc, the most experienced of the group, gives his own vision of professional rugby: "You need to be persistent, to stick to your ideas and to be ready to listen to others."

Straightforward, young and dynamic, these players are the new faces of a "Philosophy of Life" for which the world is a field offering challenges, committed play and a spirit of constant discovery. Also known as the JEANRICHARD spirit.

A Few Minutes with Mario Peserico

Rugby player, sports journalist - and watch executive!  Once again I've learned that there is more to someone than their job title!  And now, a few minutes with Mario Peserico -

Courtesy of Eberhard 

Tempus Fugit - What was your first watch?  Was it a gift?  Is there a story behind it?

Mario Peserico - It was an heirloom from my grandfather, a vintage hand-winding watch.

TF - When you were a boy, what did you want to be when you "grew up"?

MP - I always dreamt of being a Carabiniere, the Italian national Military Police, one of the corps with the highest sense of honor; this was my dream until I was 18.

TF - Where did you go to school, what did you study exactly?

MP - After the high school I attended the Bocconi University in Milan where I studied Economics, I then decided to change my course of studies and enrolled in the Political Science faculty.

TF - What are some of the things you did prior to entering the watch industry?

MP - For a few years I was a bit of a sports journalist, writing rugby reports for an important Italian newspaper, “Il Giornale”; at the same time I was also the match commentator for a local Milan TV station.  I have been playing rugby for 15 years and I believe it has really helped shape my personality.

TF - What got you started in the watch industry in the first place?

MP - It was 1993, and Eberhard was looking for someone to handle the external relations and the the dealer contacts.   I decided to leave the job I had at the time to join Eberhard.

TF - Why Eberhard?

MP - My father was a watch collector, and he had an Eberhard model in his collection. This made it easier to make the decision, as it was a Brand already known and respected in my family.

TF - What is it that makes Eberhard special?

MP - Eberhard is a family Company with a great deal of respect for their customers and for the dealers.  Moreover, Eberhard possesses a DNA second to none when it comes to technical evolution.  It is also a great place to work at, a place where producing ideas does not provoke any rivalry.

TF - I realize it might be difficult, but what is your favorite Eberhard?

MP - It is really tough, I like almost all of them, from the historical pieces to the current collections. Having contributed to the creation of them all makes it even more difficult to make a choice. I want to surprise you by choosing  the “120^th Anniversary” model in gold with the brown dial: innovation, elegance and proportion of size.

TF - What are some of the challenges facing Eberhard?

MP - We are proud to have remained independent ever since our foundation, but markets are definitely more and more globalized these days, and it is not easy for a company that is not a "group member" to invest in very expensive territories such as China or the USA.  At the same time, this continuous challenge produces ideas, innovation, and a creative approach that often the “big boys” don’t have.

TF - What is Eberhard's strongest market?

MP - Historically, Italy has always been very important in terms of turnover size and also of consumer taste.  A watch that is successful in Italy always promises to be so in the other markets as well.

TF - How do you see Eberhard developing in the coming years?

MP - Always focusing on the same criteria: identity, technical developments, creativity and service to clients.  Distribution is changing and this is another important aspect, but we will always consider the multi brand shops as our main supporters.

TF  - What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

MP- I live in the country side with many animals and I like spending my leisure time with them, particularly the dogs.  I also try to remain fit by exercising as much as I can over the week-ends (jogging, cycling, paddling, horse riding).  I like contemporary art very much, as well as reading.  And I love food and wine.

TF - If you weren't working with Eberhard, what do you think you might be doing?

MP - I do not see my self anywhere else and I like the watches so I could not be happier.The only different thing I would do, once retired, is living in the country side or in the mountains with no noise and no technology

TF - What advice do you have for the next Mario Peserico out there?

MP - Be unassuming, work hard, and respect others.

In the Graham Paddock

Okay, I have to say that Graham is on a roll!  I had the opportunity to visit them this past Monday at their BaselWorld set-up.

The Men from Graham!

I got a chance to view a lot of the new collection - sorry, no details for now - you will have to stay tuned!


And I also had time to spend with Samir Shah - the Managing Director for Graham USA (He is the one on the right in the photo).  I was very, very impressed by the new additions, and the Graham paddock was a FANTASTIC re-imagination for displaying the Graham collection!  The atmosphere was so close to an F1 paddock I almost expected to turn around and see Jackie Stewart!  I really cannot say enough about it - it was really something!


With luck (and with the kind help of Graham) I hope to be doing another 15 day review in the not too distant future.

Graham London Welcomes Dimitri Szarzewski



Courtesy of Graham

GRAHAM LONDON WELCOMES
DIMITRI SZARZEWSKI

GRAHAM LONDON is proud to announce its partnership
with Dimitri Szarzewski, the French international rugby player.
Dimitri reinforces GRAHAM’s involvement in the world of rugby,
where GRAHAM officiates as official Timekeeper of the RBS 6 Nations.

Famous hooker of the French National Team, Dimitri is a regular
player of the RBS 6 Nations and the rugby World Cup.
He also plays in the Top 14 for Stade Francais Paris where he is
vice captain.



Courtesy of Graham

GRAHAM is delighted to welcome a tough rugby expert to its team.

www.grahamlondon.com