When You Go To The Well One Too Many Times

Now in fairness, I will be the first to admit that I am biased. I did work indirectly for DOXA (Via Synchron) for three years. I was an active participant in two (one very notable) efforts to diversify the DOXA collection in North America beyond the SUB. In fairness, the DECO was pretty popular. A flieger was mooted, but removed from the site after only a week. The less said about the ill-fated Ultra Speed the better, that was a vanity project that simply did not pan out. I would be fair to say that, at least 15 years ago, the DOXA buying public had spoken, and they only wanted the SUB.

Courtesy of DOXA

Now back then, there were some sorta' clumsy efforts at branching into dive watches styled and sized for women. One squib was the Coralline. If memory serves it utilized NOS cases and was more of a miss than a hit. But it is also important, gentle reader, to bear in mind that those of us trying to sell DOXAs direct (Synchron) between 2000 - 2018 did so without the benefit of the largesse of the owners providing marketing monies or assistance. The partnerships with Project AWARE (via PADI), the Cousteaus via Ocean Futures Society in Santa Barbara -

When I bumped into Mr. Cousteau in downtown Santa Barbara

We did that on our own.

We had this absolutely crazy idea that relationships with our partners did not necessarily have to be transactional.

But it seems I've veered off topic. Let's right the ship! Today's topic is the DOXA SUB 200T Diamonds. I mean, c'mon! People love the DOXA SUB, and everyone loves diamonds...

Courtesy of DOXA

Now in fairness to the brain trust in Biel/Bienne - they have managed to expand their retail network beyond Watches of Switzerland. Although I will say it was a bit odd to see the DOXA booth at the Wind-Up NYC show not being manned by actual DOXA (or even DOXA adjacent) employees, but rather, they farmed it out to a third party - Analog Shift...

But again, back to the matter at hand -

Courtesy of DOXA

Now as far as jewel set watches go, if this is in your wheelhouse, then by all means on you go!
But this is where the DOXA strategy, in truth, leaves me somewhat baffled. In the (I believe) 5 years since the owning family took back the rights to the SUB, that is ALL that they have put forward. And in fairness, if that is the strategy, and the strategy is working - then more power to them. But with that said, it is sort of tragically ironic that if this is the "new" strategy? It was always the strategy of Synchron. 

Courtesy of DOXA

The SUB 200T Diamonds is available in 7 different colors. It is priced at $9,400 USD.

Here are the pertinents -

MOVEMENT

Swiss mechanical automatic, self-winding
Power reserve 38 hours
Frequency 28,800 vph (4.0 Hz)
Decorated by DOXA

CASE

Stainless steel case
Diameter 39.00 mm x 41.50 mm
Height 10.70 mm
Screw-down crown
Water resistance 20 ATM / 200 meters / 656 feet
Stainless steel, screw down case back

INDICATIONS

Hours, minutes, seconds
Date

FEATURES

Sapphire crystal
Unidirectional rotating bezel

DIAMONDS SETTING BEZEL

107 white diamonds – round / VS 1.30mm-1.50mm / F color
13 black diamonds – round / VS 1.30mm-1.50mm / F color

BRACELET / STRAP

Stainless steel bracelet "Beads of Rice", folding clasp with ratcheting wetsuit extension
Lug width 18.00 mm

DIAL

Mother of pearl dial

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.

On the Street in Santa Barbara

You never know who you'll run into -

On my way to the U the other day, who should I run into but Jean-Michel Cousteau!

Needless to say that whether in the briny deep or the sun soaked streets of Santa Barbara it would seem that Mr. C is a DOXA Man -

On the Street -

Vintage Bulova goodness!

Yes, we're keeping' it real in Santa Barbara!

A Good Deed Rewarded!

So shines a good deed in a weary world.

Willy Wonka

Yesterday I had the very great pleasure of presenting the Frederique Constant slimline watch to Jennifer Ibaven here in Santa Barbara.  Jennifer's name was selected at random by the International Anti-Poaching Foundation from all of the people who donated $50 or more.  Jennifer was kind enough to battle insane traffic all the way from "down south" in the land where traffic lives to visit Santa Barbara and receive the watch.

You can tell I am a wee bit out of practice for these photo-ops, the watch is already on Jennifer's
wrist ; )

Peanut (the official spokes-elephant) and his buddy Samuel (the official spokes-rhino) were on hand to help with the presentation -

And A HUGE thank - you to Frederique Constant for providing such a wonderful thank-you gift. Yes, Yasmina Pedrini, Aleta and Peter Stas - THANK YOU!

And a very big Tempus Fugit thank you to Amy, Matt and Diane of 33 Jewels at El Paseo for hosting the presentation yesterday!

On the Street in Santa Barbara

As seen at Handlebars in Santa Barbara on Saturday.

On the Street in Santa Barbara

So you are the hard-working sales agent for a solar - powered vineyard… what watch would you wear?

Well clearly a Citizen Eco-Drive!

Summer Solstice!

Courtesy of GoS Watches

This weekend marks the Solstice festival here in Santa Barbara.

The Chinese Timekeeper is Coming to Santa Barbara!

If you are in the "neighborhood" come and check out the Chinese Timekeeper this weekend at El Paseo -
814 State Street, Santa Barbara, CA.

A good selection of the Chinese Timekeeper's time pieces to see, touch, hold - and even buy!  This Saturday and Sunday!  No RSVP required ; )

The Chinese Timekeeper in Santa Barbara!

Any watch fans in the LA/Santa Barbara area?

Courtesy of the Chinese Timekeeper

The Chinese Timekeeper will be having an event at 33 Jewels in Santa Barbara on Saturday March 9th and Sunday March 10th. Come check out the collection!

http://33jewels.com/

Support Your Local Watch Place on Small Business Saturday

Now, as I write this I realize that the readership of Tempus Fugit is in fact international - we've even had some North Korean visitors!  But here in North America there is something that has sprung up in the past few years called Small Business Saturday (granted, it is a marketing ploy by American Express) which is a day we are encouraged to shop locally with independent owner operators.  So to do my part, I will be recommending local places for watches in the upcoming week so that you are ready for next Saturday.

So starting in Santa Barbara -

33 Jewels at El Paseo -

Carrying Hanhart, Arcadia and some interesting vintage Rolex pieces this is a great place to find something out of the ordinary.

So next Saturday, if you're in the area, come check out 33 Jewels at El Paseo -

814 State Street
Santa Barbara, CA 93101
(805) 957- 9100

http://33jewels.com

Three Days in Santa Barbara with Hanhart

This past weekend, Hanhart USA in the person of Anthony Siragusa did a bit of barnstorming here in Santa Barbara. It was a three-day Hanhart-fest at 33 Jewels. And for those three days, there was perhaps the largest collection of Hanhart watches and stop watches "in captivity".

And the local watch enthusiasts were out in force.   

And what was really great about these three days was the level of customer engagement. Anthony Siragusa really seems to understand the importance of making those personal connections with the ACTUAL CUSTOMER.

And I am pleased to say that I still have most of the old "moves" from my Tourneau/DOXA days!

Spoiler alert -

33 Jewels at El Paseo is the newest Hanhart Retail partner!

Hanhart Comes to Santa Barbara - An Invitation!

As most of you know, I live in Santa Barbara.  I am very pleased to invite anyone in the area who is interested to a three day Hanhart event at 33 Jewels in Santa Barbara!

Courtesy of Hanhart

Starting Friday afternoon, Anthony Siragusa - Hanhart North America, myself, and the team at 33 Jewels will be sharing the Hanhart collection.  This is not just a "cocktail" party with food and "props", this is an opportunity to meet the Hanhart North America team, check out the watches in person, and even buy them!  This is a three day (technically 2 day and one afternoon/evening) "Pop-Up" store, so for those of you who have been wanting to buy a Hanhart - this is your opportunity!

Courtesy of Hanhart

Anthony Siragusa is a longtime veteran of the watch industry and is often sought out by watch retail stores as a training advisor owing to his knowledge and experience.  And me?  Well, I know a little ; )

So SAVE THE DATE(s)!

Who: 33 Jewels at El Paseo 33jewels.com & Hanhart Watches

What: Special 3-day event to introduce the Hanhart watch collection and North American Team.

Where: 33 Jewels at El Paseo, 814 State St., Santa Barbara, CA 93101 (805) 957-9100

When: Friday, October 12, 2012 from 5–7:30 p.m. with fine Scotch, beer and hors d’oeuveres. 

Reception continues Saturday October 13, 5–7:30 p.m. The collection will be shown all day Sunday.
Regular store hours: Mon.-Sat. 11a.m. – 6p.m., Sunday 12-5p.m., closed Tuesdays.

On the street in Santa Barbara

It goes without saying, Santa Barbara is a destination.  Last Sunday while riding out past Hope Ranch, I took a break to catch my break and look out at the ocean before heading back into town.

A young couple (you hit 44 and suddenly everyone seems young) asked for a photo of them looking out on the water.  In return, I got a picture of his Rolex Submariner -

Shot with my iPhone - but there you go.  Something to be said for the classics, and this Submariner certainly fits the bill!

A re-run - Jean-Michel Cousteau is "all wet"

This originally ran on May 6th of last year, but it is a pretty good interview and I thought I might put it out there again. 

© Carrie Vonderhaar, Ocean Futures Society

James Henderson - What was your first watch, was it a gift?

Is there a story behind it?


Jean-Michel Cousteau – I don’t remember exactly. But I can tell you that when I was a kid, watches were different. They were valuable, expensive – special! You received one at a certain age, and you held onto it forever. It was only later that I realized the importance of a good diving watch. One that would not only tell you the time, but keep the water out.

But things have definitely changed. I think for both watches and the concept of time. I feel that young people today do not appreciate the value of a single watch – just as we do not value our time on this planet to the fullest.

© Carrie Vonderhaar, Ocean Futures Society

JH – What do you mean by that?



JMC – We are spoiled today. We are wasteful. Today we are in such a hurry to buy things, to consume things that we don’t need (and probably don’t really even want)! This doesn’t mean that the standard of living has improved – because in a lot of ways it really hasn’t! Consider for a moment how much we waste – you live here in Santa Barbara, as I do. You know the homeless people who go through our trash, our recycling, and take the bottles and cans to the recycling center to get money? I think those guys are great! As odd as it sounds, they are helping to keep the city clean.



JH - Where did you go to school, what did you study?


JMC – I studied architecture in Paris. And now many years later I am still waiting for my first “commission” 55 years later! But I am a licensed architect. After that, I worked in a shipyard in Brittany because what my real goal was something different than merely building houses and offices. You see, from the time I was a kid, my brother and I were always in the water. We were “wet” at a very early age! 

© Carrie Vonderhaar, Ocean Futures Society

JH – Well, given your famous father’s profession, had you ever considered doing something else?



JMC – I think not really – BUT – I will say that what I do today is a true evolution. I studied architecture with the idea of combining it with life in the ocean – that the future was (and will be) closely linked to the sea. This, in turn, led me to working at the shipyard in Brittany, because I wanted to better understand the nature of structures for the water. But I must say that my father in many ways was my greatest teacher. He was invaluable in helping me work in and produce film and television. Just as in architecture, each project has a beginning, a middle, and an end.



JH - Ocean Futures continues to grow and evolve - obviously a great deal of this is tied in with you and your family's efforts. What does the future hold?



JMC – I am fortunate that my children are involved, but more than this I feel that we have created a strong foundation for others to continue our work. As the population of the earth continues to grow, it is more and more apparent that our quality of life is strongly connected to the health of our planet. And the health of the planet is inseparable from the health of the oceans.



JH - What are some of the biggest challenges you currently face?


JMC – Funding. It is ironic, because people hear, or read the name Cousteau, and feel that we must be rich and that money is no problem. In many ways, the name Cousteau works against us. So I have to be out there, giving lectures, promoting the work of the organization. The single biggest way for us to promote our work is through images – be they video or photographs. To this end, we work tirelessly to compile as many images as possible.


Another challenge for us is education – but this is a challenge that we embrace! We need to get the kids “WET”. We need to introduce them underwater life – whether it’s the ocean, a river or a lake. We need to challenge the young people’s sense of curiosity and adventure.




JH – Okay, as this is a watch blog – favorite all-time dive watch?


JMC – When I started diving there were only a few companies that made true diving watches. Today, there are many choices and we are lucky that several companies have supported us over the years. I did design a watch made literally of recycled materials. It was manufactured for a short time but is no longer available.





JH - Being based in Santa Barbara, I imagine that you enjoy fairly consistent conditions for diving? If you can recall, what is one of your most challening/difficult dives?


JMC – There has been one dive in 67 years that really stands out for me. I was diving in a cave, and I suddenly realized that I would run out of air before I could surface. But – I did not panic. I motioned to my dive “buddy” and we were able to “buddy breath”. This was in Papua New Guinea in 1982 or 1983.





JH - If you weren't doing this, what do you think you might be doing?


JMC – This is the truth – either an astronaut or a farmer! That would really be great if I could have “three lives”. The sea, the land, and space!




JH - What is a typical "day in the life" of Jean Michel Cousteau?


JMC – There truly are no “typical” days and this is what keeps things interesting! For all of us here at Ocean Futures, there are constant surprises and challenges to adapt to.





JH - What do you like to do in your spare time?


JMC – What is “spare time”? (laughs).


© Carrie Vonderhaar, Ocean Futures Society

JH - Who is the next "Cousteau" out there?



JMC – There are many out there! And luckily – they don’t have to be Cousteaus!



Get Wet with Ocean Futures -



http://www.oceanfutures.org/







On the street in Santa Barbara - Comfort Food

Well, not so much on the street as in a store where I bumped into this gentleman wearing a Rolex Datejust.

To meet this fellow, you would understand why this watch is such a perfect fit for him.  He can speak with you extensively on mid-century modern design, in such a way that you KNOW that he GETS it.  Knowledgeable without being intimidating or condescending - a nice guy to have an actual conversation with.  We got to talking about Eames, and Danish modern furniture.  I have never heard someone describe an Eames chair as "comfort food", but the minute he said it, it immediately made sense!  With those two words, he truly explained what for those of us who write about watches realize is the unexplainable.  As a watch enthusiast, it is too easy for us to go to the simple/rote answer:  Haute, manufacture, years of tradition, blah-blah-blah.  But "comfort food" really hit the mark for me.  Nothing we need to sustain us "nutritionally", but nonetheless something that we crave for reasons we cannot always adequately explain.

So, take time out today for some "comfort food"!

Sunday breakfast with the Glycine Airman

Okay, we are now in day 2 with the Glycine Airman - and I am LOVING this watch!  Some early feedback:

COMFORT - this is a very, very comfortable watch.  Sits squarely and comfortably on the wrist.

LEGIBILITY - very, very legible an easy to read - even with my aging eyes (44 is right around the corner pals & gals).

ACCURACY - early days, but within a second.  YES, you heard me - a second!

SUNNY DISPOSITION - okay, I realize that might not be a criteria on everyone's list, but we are going through our annual June Gloom (i.e. marine layer overcast) here in Santa Barbara, and it is nice to start the day looking at a bright dial.  Puts you in the right frame of mind for a great day.

By the way, breakfast was at Handlebars - a new coffee place here in Santa Barbara in the "Gourmet Ghetto".  The owners are former professional cyclists - hence the "handlebars" moniker.

Check them out next time you're in town -

http://handlebarcoffee.com 

Something borrowed, something blue...

So there I was, walking down State street in Santa Barbara, and what do I see staring back at me but a big Rolex sign and display at 33 Jewels.


But on closer inspection, I saw that these were not your "father's Rolex".

Usually, you think of the Date, Datejust and the Air King - it's not unlike the Model T, you can have any color you want, as long as it's black!  Not so -

A wonderfully vibrant blue Air King has already caught Wendy's eye.

But let your imagination go further - a wonderful yellow date, and a beguiling orange/tangerine colored Air King.

And a pistachio green Date.

Now in fairness, I'm sure that many of you have seen these on Ebay, or some online watch sellers.  But I'd never seen one up-close and personal.  They are really wonderfully done, and the results are better than the average "re-dial".  The original watches are taken apart, serviced, and the dials are sent off to something of a spa treatment.  In the words of 33 Jewels:

"Unique Custom Colored Dial Vintage Rolex Luxury Watches from the 1960s and 1970s.  Built to last more than a lifetime.

These one-of-a-kind vintage Rolex watches with custom colored dials are serviced by an expert watchmaker and beautifully restored to the highest level.

The original dial is carefully painted or metal plated, lacquer coated and has the markers reapplied, luminescence reapplied, along with the application of silver indexes and silver 'batoon' hands."

What is particularly nice is that these updated Rolex's are backed by a 1-year warranty.

If you're in Santa Barbara, check them out!

Jean-Michel Cousteau is "all wet"



© Carrie Vonderhaar, Ocean Futures Society

James Henderson - What was your first watch, was it a gift?
Is there a story behind it?


Jean-Michel Cousteau – I don’t remember exactly. But I can tell you that when I was a kid, watches were different. They were valuable, expensive – special! You received one at a certain age, and you held onto it forever. It was only later that I realized the importance of a good diving watch. One that would not only tell you the time, but keep the water out.


© Carrie Vonderhaar, Ocean Futures Society


But things have definitely changed. I think for both watches and the concept of time. I feel that young people today do not appreciate the value of a single watch – just as we do not value our time on this planet to the fullest.




JH – What do you mean by that?


JMC – We are spoiled today. We are wasteful. Today we are in such a hurry to buy things, to consume things that we don’t need (and probably don’t really even want)! This doesn’t mean that the standard of living has improved – because in a lot of ways it really hasn’t! Consider for a moment how much we waste – you live here in Santa Barbara, as I do. You know the homeless people who go through our trash, our recycling, and take the bottles and cans to the recycling center to get money? I think those guys are great! As odd as it sounds, they are helping to keep the city clean.





JH - Where did you go to school, what did you study?


JMC – I studied architecture in Paris. And now many years later I am still waiting for my first “commission” 55 years later! But I am a licensed architect. After that, I worked in a shipyard in Brittany because what my real goal was something different than merely building houses and offices. You see, from the time I was a kid, my brother and I were always in the water. We were “wet” at a very early age!






© Carrie Vonderhaar, Ocean Futures Society


JH – Well, given your famous father’s profession, had you ever considered doing something else?

JMC – I think not really – BUT – I will say that what I do today is a true evolution. I studied architecture with the idea of combining it with life in the ocean – that the future was (and will be) closely linked to the sea. This, in turn, led me to working at the shipyard in Brittany, because I wanted to better understand the nature of structures for the water. But I must say that my father in many ways was my greatest teacher. He was invaluable in helping me work in and produce film and television. Just as in architecture, each project has a beginning, a middle, and an end.


JH - Ocean Futures continues to grow and evolve - obviously a great deal of this is tied in with you and your family's efforts. What does the future hold?


JMC – I am fortunate that my children are involved, but more than this I feel that we have created a strong foundation for others to continue our work. As the population of the earth continues to grow, it is more and more apparent that our quality of life is strongly connected to the health of our planet. And the health of the planet is inseparable from the health of the oceans.



JH - What are some of the biggest challenges you currently face?

JMC – Funding. It is ironic, because people hear, or read the name Cousteau, and feel that we must be rich and that money is no problem. In many ways, the name Cousteau works against us. So I have to be out there, giving lectures, promoting the work of the organization. The single biggest way for us to promote our work is through images – be they video or photographs. To this end, we work tirelessly to compile as many images as possible.

Another challenge for us is education – but this is a challenge that we embrace! We need to get the kids “WET”. We need to introduce them underwater life – whether it’s the ocean, a river or a lake. We need to challenge the young people’s sense of curiosity and adventure.


JH – Okay, as this is a watch blog – favorite all-time dive watch?

JMC – When I started diving there were only a few companies that made true diving watches. Today, there are many choices and we are lucky that several companies have supported us over the years. I did design a watch made literally of recycled materials. It was manufactured for a short time but is no longer available.


JH - Being based in Santa Barbara, I imagine that you enjoy fairly consistent conditions for diving? If you can recall, what is one of your most challening/difficult dives?

JMC – There has been one dive in 67 years that really stands out for me. I was diving in a cave, and I suddenly realized that I would run out of air before I could surface. But – I did not panic. I motioned to my dive “buddy” and we were able to “buddy breath”. This was in Papua New Guinea in 1982 or 1983.




JH - If you weren't doing this, what do you think you might be doing?


JMC – This is the truth – either an astronaut or a farmer! That would really be great if I could have “three lives”. The sea, the land, and space!




JH - What is a typical "day in the life" of Jean Michel Cousteau?


JMC – There truly are no “typical” days and this is what keeps things interesting! For all of us here at Ocean Futures, there are constant surprises and challenges to adapt to.





JH - What do you like to do in your spare time?

JMC – What is “spare time”? (laughs).



JH - Who is the next "Cousteau" out there?



© Carrie Vonderhaar, Ocean Futures Society

 JMC – There are many out there! And luckily – they don’t have to be Cousteaus!


Get Wet with Ocean Futures -

www.oceanfutures.org

The Turkey Test

Yesterday was Thanksgiving here in the US, and as promised the Bianci White Beach Ceramic was pressed into service as I broke out the heavy equipment and spent the afternoon preparing my part of the meal.

So the turkey timed in at exactly 3 hours and 12 minutes.  This verified by both the Bianci and a separate time source.  And the turkey was pretty delicious!  

For those of you who noticed, yes I stuffed the bird with limes.  While I realize that this is non-traditional, I recommend it.  The citrus ensures that the turkey itself will remain fairly moist, as a very subtle flavor, and you don't lose any of that valuable stuffing!

The second major timing event is now only a little over 30 minutes away with the Ducks of Oregon trying to remain perfect.

Bianci has some fantastic offers going on, so check them out as you can buy direct -

www.bianciwatches.com