People We Meet On Vacation - Watch Town

It's now been a little over two weeks since I got back from my week in Geneva. For those of you reading, you might be thinking like I once did - "it would be soooooo cool to work for a watch brand!" 

Well, yes and no. It's important to understand that you will be working (literally) 12 hour days for a week straight. And in my case? You are using the vacation time from your day job to do so. So yes, I do enjoy it, but it is not lost on me that this is work.

This is all by way of telling you that one of the things that keeps drawing me back is the possibility of meeting what Billy Kwan (played by Linda Hunt) referred to as the "unmet friend" the film adaptation of Christopher Koch's novel, The Year of Living Dangerously. Now in Billy Kwan's case it was the hope of meeting an idealized version of some confidant you can share everything with. In my case? I like to think of it more like Ted Lasso:

"Congrats, you both just met a cool person".

This year was not different. Several old friends reengaged with, some of the usual suspects coming through, and some wonderful encounters, completely unexpected.

I will be sharing two of those with you, along with the time machines that set them in motion. Stay tuned!

As Clear As Mud...

Some will tell you that Switzerland and the US are about to reach a tariff agreement. Some will tell you that this is down to the intervention of Swiss business types like a few of the crown princes of WatchTown. Some will hint that it might have something to do with Gianni Infantino (who has the moral maleability necessary to run FIFA and cosy up to despots and military regimes around the world) hinting that the first annual FIFA Peace "prize" will maybe be awarded to the person who single handedly put them collectively over the barrel while encouraging them to squeal like pigs. And the tacky as f*&k Rolex desk watch/clock on his desk has some of Watch Town's "smartest and sharpest" looking at their Magic 8 Balls and informing the anyone who will listen that sunny skies are coming.

The truth? It's as clear as mud...

Hayek to Trump - "I've got your tariff right here!"

WHAT IF...TARIFFS? From Swatch -

Courtesy of Swatch

Tragically (and I mean that sincerely), this is only available in Switzerland.

Here's the skinny straight from Swatch -

WHAT IF...TARIFFS?

The inspiration behind the WHAT IF…TARIFFS? model lies in the current events unfolding in today’s world. The unique details on its dial and battery cover hint at the US tariffs imposed on Switzerland. 

Courtesy of Swatch

WHAT IF...TARIFFS? features a square Bioceramic case and edge-to-edge biosourced glass that allows a side view of the watch’s dial. The blue square dial, complemented by an integrated biosourced strap, is adorned with glow-in-the-dark hands. The inversion of Arabic numerals 3 and 9 on the dial subtly references the number 39. Paired with the percentage symbol found on the battery cover, this inversion hints at the US tariffs imposed on Switzerland and the deeper narrative woven into the watch’s design.

The Countdown to Election Day - The Cricket and the President of the United States Part 1

As we race towards election day here in the lower 48, it seemed as good a time as any to air out some actual facts about the Vulcain Cricket and the President of the United States -

The Greatest Marketing Campaign That Never Was (a marketing campaign) - Part 1

For the past 20 plus years, I have been writing about Vulcain, and more specifically the Vulcain Cricket and its relationship to various US Presidents. And what I've learned along the way is that there is a dearth of actual, factual information on how so many US Presidents (Truman, Eisenhower, Johnson and Nixon) came to be Vulcain Cricket owners. Several of my more well-heeled colleagues in the Fourth and Fifth Estate (and to some extent, yours truly as well) have sustained a fairly flawed belief that the Vulcain watch company had conceived of, and launched a marketing campaign to present a watch to each US Presidents. And after a visit to Vulcain HQ and a perusal of what documentation actually exists, it became quite clear to me that I needed a better source...

Well, all I can say is that it's good to have friends! A few calls were made, and Michel Ditisheim invited me to come over and talk about the Cricket, the Presidents, his friendship with the Paajanen family, and even a bit about life.

For those of you just turning in, Michel Ditisheim is perhaps the last, best link to the original Vulcain, the "middle" Vulcain and today's Vulcain. His father was the inventor of the original Cricket. Michel worked with the Paajanen family to help present Vulcain Cricket watches to former US Presidents in the 1990s and 2000s, and he was instrumental in shepherding Vulcain through the rocky quartz crisis and ultimately to its reemergence with new owners in Le Locle earlier this century. His father, Robert Ditisheim, was not unlike the guy who said "What if we slice the bread, before we sell it?" In other words, when he created the Vulcain Cricket, he brought to reality something many people wanted - they just didn't know it yet!

"It was a sensation!"  - Michel Ditisheim.

So what is agreed upon by everyone? The very first Vulcain Cricket to be presented to a sitting US President was given to Harry Truman by the White House Press Corps. It was not a gift from Vulcain. When I asked Mr. Ditisheim why they chose the Vulcain Cricket, his answer was elegantly succinct - "It was a sensation!"

It is important to understand that at the time it was introduced, the Cricket represented something that had not been seen before. A wrist watch with an alarm. What was often referred to as a "secretary on the wrist".  It's interesting that many of us think of alarm watches as useful for waking us up. But for you younger readers out there, back when dinosaurs roamed the earth, and we typed out our correspondence with an Olivetti Lettera 22 -

Courtesy of Wikipedia

We did not receive Google Reminders on our cell phones. Owners of alarm watches would use them frequently during the day to set the alarm for meeting reminders, etc.

Yes, the Vulcain Cricket was indeed a sensation. So it made sense that the press corps would present such a watch to President Truman. But then the history gets murkier. 

So stay tuned, we're going to shed some much needed light!

The Wednesday Night Cooking Club - Dessert and Coffee

I have spent the last several weeks trying to summarize the evening that I spent with the Coolinary Cru. I mean, how do you describe the indescribable?

I can honestly say that everything truly amazing that I have experienced, at least as it relates to watches, Switzerland and France really began just before Thanksgiving of 2015. It was then that at the CAFFÈ SPETTACOLO that I first met Rod Hess, and in the ensuing years he has been kind enough to introduce me to his home town, and I have become somewhat attached to the local teams (in particular the football club) -

But in the process, he has also pointed the way to several "not known by the general press" bits of information that have helped me break some of the better stories on the "Blog Formerly Known as Tempus Fugit".

The past three years have been a bit of a blur for me, from running Tempus Fugit, being offered a big-time job in Watch Town proper, giving up Tempus Fugit, souring on watches and reporting on them... 

But something special happened during this trip. I can honestly say that I rediscovered my love and appreciation for watches, I reconnected with my friends, and in the process, in many ways I reconnected with myself.

So un grand merci to the Coolinary Cru for their kindness in welcoming me to the Coolinary Mansion. It was, and remains one of the best nights I can remember.

And I suppose that this is the best way to close this story. It is about the friends you have, and those who remain, as yet, unmet. A watch can tell time, but it can also capture a moment (literally and figuratively). I had picked up this green time machine at the Swatch Drive-In in Biel/Bienne by the Omega and Swatch campus before heading back to the station and CAFFÈ SPETTACOLO where this who adventure - not just this "Big Night", but in many ways this whole watch adventure really began -

The Blancpain X Swatch Indian Ocean

So that's it for now, and two quick travel tips from your old friend Henki -

• When you come to a fork in the road, take it!
• When someone gives you good advice, follow it!

Now go out and meet those as yet unmet friends!

The Wednesday Night Cooking Club - Main Course

Two chefs, a coffee company sales manager, and a watch industry insider walk into a bar...

Above are three of the members of the Coolinary Cru, hard at work in the Coolinary Mansion's kitchen. You may remember the gentleman on the right from our previous installment. The two gentlemen on the left are both well-known in the Swiss restaurant world. 

Adrian von Weissenfluh has worked in some very impressive kitchens, and on this particular Wednesday evening he was tag-teaming the cooking duties with this guy -

Marcel Möri, noted regional restaurateur and medalist in the  IKA/Culinary Olympics.

The menu was simple, yet incredibly satisfying. Ribs and assorted grilled meat -

And then something magical, which chef Möri
referred to as "Swiss Jambalaya". Rice and shrimp and vegetables jacked with pastis and other wonderful things.

Needless to say, it was very good!

Tune in next time as we wrap this up.

A Watches And Wondering Repeat - You Show Up Late To a Presentation? You Get a Night in the Box!

With yet another action-packed edition of Watches and Wonders nearly in the can, and the whinging and whining of Mr. Dufor regarding "pirates" still hanging in the Lake Geneva winds like a stale fart, I thought I might re-heat this one. It seems no matter who is running the high and mighty Swiss shows, they continue to make the same mistakes, never really bothering to learn from the past. So Ladies and Gentlemen, I present you with this reprise -

"You Show Up Late To a Presentation? You Get a Night in the Box!"

So it was not without some mirth that I was acquainted with the rules that have been set forth by the SIHH by a few different people who are attending.  This was shared over various conversations, so I need to be clear that I am only going by what I was told by some of my fellow members of the Fourth and Fifth Estate who have attended in the past and will attend this year as well.  Apparently, each attendee is provided with a briefing document that spells out the "behavioral" expectations of those members of the press who are attending.  I have been informed it is known as the "Code of Conduct".  And from the way they described it, it did not sound too dissimilar from a dormitory's rules list for a parochial / military boarding academy.  I mean, these are grown men and women traveling from the four corners of the globe to attend YOUR (Richemont's) fair at no small personal expense, and you essentially provide them a briefing document because you need to make sure that their behavior and attendance meets YOUR standards??? 

Anyway, it immediately brought to mind one of my favorite movies about journalistic pursuits in the luxury industry - Cool Hand Luke.  I will be paraphrasing here, so take this with the necessary amount of salt.

Shamelessly borrowed from the World-Wide Infoweb

Captain: What we've got here is... failure to communicate. Some men you just can't reach. 

Translation, you are all grown men and women who have traveled thousands of miles at no small expense, but we can't trust you to act like adults.  So were going to create a set of rules that you better follow, or you'll be spending the next Watches and Wonders with that asshole at the Blog Formerly Known As Tempus Fugit!

Shamelessly Borrowed from the world-wide infoweb

Shamelessly borrowed from the world-wide infoweb

Carr:  First bell's at five minutes of eight when you will get in your bunk. Last bell is at eight. Any man not in his bunk at eight spends the night in the box.
 
Translation, you better be on time for any event you are scheduled for.  And don't try that "I didn't have a watch" excuse!

Shamelessly borrowed from the world-wide infoweb

Carr:  These here spoons you keep with you. Any man loses his spoon spends a night in the box.

Translation, you have agreed to attend ruinously expensive dinners and cocktail parties.  It would be REALLY BAD MANNERS if you don't show up...ON TIME!  Miss or be late at your peril...


Carr:  Them clothes got laundry numbers on them. You remember your number and always wear the ones that has your number. Any man forgets his number spends a night in the box.

   
Translation, suit, tie, formal business wear.  Interesting to relate, one member of the Fifth Estate was banned a few years back for not complying with the dress code.  Calls were made, hands were wrung, tears were shed, and he is back in the fold.  Let's hope that Men's Wearhouse has something in his size (extra lumpy).

Shamelessly borrowed from the world-wide infoweb

Carr: No one'll sit in the bunks with dirty pants on. Any man with dirty pants on sitting on the bunks spends a night in the box.
 
Translation, Richemont and the SIHH is paying for a few nights accommodation for some of you (WHAT THE F*&K?), and not for breakfast and taxes. And for the rest of you, there might still be room at the YMCA, or you can sleep on a park bench.

So thank you for spending your time and your money to cover our brands - make sure you follow the rules, and enjoy your stay!

Shamelessly borrowed from the world-wide infoweb

I Could Do It Better Myself - The Volunteer Media - An Update From Henki

I wrote this back when I still owned and operated Tempus Fugit. A fair bit has happened in that time. I opted out of a job with a brand, I sold Tempus Fugit to someone who handed it to someone else, and it now appears to not be publishing anything, I accepted the job I have now which is working for MassHire - we help people find jobs and train for new careers. It is very satisfying work albeit with very long hours. Owing to this the publication pace and nature of Henki Time is not as manic as others. With that said, I still feel I have something to say, and this piece is one that I think still rings true. So brand owners and brand managers - don't forget to support the volunteer press. 

Even when we say things that might cut a bit too close to the bone ; )

A much younger Henki teaching English in Villa do Conde Portugal in 1995. You might recognize the gentleman on the far right as the current Secretary General of the United Nations.

I Could Do It Better Myself - The Volunteer Media - An Update From Henki

Despite what some folks think, the majority of the press covering the watch business these days is of a voluntary nature.  This is largely the result of brands cutting advertising budgets, and people going back to former occupations, getting married, or finding better ways to earn a living and spend their free (and not so free) time.

So gentle reader, an inside look at a day in the life of Henki -

5:30 - Whether I like it or not, Tallulah (the older cat and Executive Publisher) is awake and waiting to be fed.  Sabrina (the younger cat and Editor in Chief) is waiting as well.  I head downstairs, turn up the heat in the house, and feed the cats.  I gulp down my morning tablets with a glass of water, have the first of several espressos and head back upstairs to the office.

5:45 - emails reviewed, and...
Not a sausage! 
Not only has watch advertising money dried up, watch brands are producing fewer and fewer models, and some have made their PR functions redundant.  News is scant, and unlike some of my colleagues in the Fourth and Fifth Estate, I prefer not to manufacture it.

6:15 - Go down and make a coffee for Wendy who is up and getting ready for work.

6:25 - I receive a follow-up email from the PR manager at Brand Y.  Y for "why won't you write a paid piece about us?", which I have explained a few times - I don't write advertorials.  I realize my unwillingness to do so is probably holding me back financially, but a man must have a code ; )

6:45 - Email in-box pings, and... 

Good news! I am the winner of the Nigerian National Lottery! Maybe I'll buy Watch Time from Ebner so I can finally have my own magazine!

7:15 - Finally I decide that as no news is forthcoming, I will write an editorial type piece. The Grey Market is always good for a few hundred words, and is showing no sign of slowing down.  Oh, wait! A PR staffer from Brand X has sent me a personal email with a story about a watch event featuring their brand, in Marblehead, Massachusetts (which I could literally have walked to from my house as it is the next town over), with several "Important and Respected" watch journalists who were flown in from New York and Europe a few days previous. The PR person feels that as I live nearby it would be great to have a story about this wonderful and glamorous event (lots of swag, 4 star meals, etc.) from a local perspective! I take a beat, decide to ignore the irritation that essentially - this person wants me to write a pr piece about an event that I wasn't even invited to even though my attendance would have cost Brand X $0... and I simply don't reply.

8:00 - Kiss Wendy and wish her a good day as she heads out the door.

8:35 - Hastily showered and dressed, lunch made, it's off to work.

8:55 - Parking lot duty.  Where I work we have very limited parking, and as such the students have been informed that they cannot park in the back lot.  Needless to say, it is a game of cat and mouse as several try to slip in anyway to avoid parking on the street.  This, in turn, prevents other staff members and board members (who have a meeting today) from parking.  While being the Director of Adult Education and Workforce Development has its perks, playing parking lot "sizzler" is not one of them ; )

9:05 - Call with my contact at the Dept. of Education office.  Nothing major, clarifications regarding programming made, and all seems under control.

9:35 - Call from reception, someone is interested in learning English, could I come down and speak with them?

10:30 - Class break time.  I try to speak with each of the four teachers, make sure everything is under control.

10:45 - Back to work on the grant application.  It is due on Friday, signatures are needed from the boss, and I still need to nail down the budget.

12:15 - Text message from brand manager in Switzerland.  Could I recommend a sales manager in Florida.  I file that under "not pressing" and dive back into "grant writing land".

12:30 - Lunch with the teaching team.  Brief ad hoc meeting to review a few items coming up.

13:45 - Call from former student of mine who is interviewing for a job. Would I act as a reference?

2:30 - 30 minute walk around the surrounding area to clear the head.

3:25 - Personal email pops on my iPhone, and I see that the watch from Brand X that three of the big outlets already wrote about 2 days ago is suddenly now a press release for "the rest of us".  I delete the message.

4:15 - draft of the grant application is finally ready to be reviewed by the boss.

4:45 - The phone rings just as I am leaving the office.  Meeting arranged for Wednesday morning to review our proposed adult education program with a new partner one town over.

5:15 - Stop at Trader Joe's for dinner items.

5:35 - Feed the cats dinner, scoop out the litter box, make a coffee and fire-up the laptop.

5:55 - Complete text edit for one of the brands that I "side-hustle" for, and respond to a customer query for another.  Yes, the watch in question is available, yes, it does cost that much, no there will be no discount!

6:17 - Phone rings, it's Japan (not the whole country, but one of the brands with whom I have a relationship) with an urgent request for a special event, could I help organize it?

7:25 - Dinner is nearly ready, and Wendy arrives home after a long day.

9:26  - Story lined up for tomorrow involving a review of a new brand's watch.

10:25 - After 15 minutes of futility, I give up trying to read any more of the book I've been working on since Christmas.  Turn out the lights and off to sleep.  Tomorrow is another exciting day in watch media!

Lost In Translation - A Public Service Announcement

I wanted to try one last time to put this PSA out there for the denizens of Watch Town, particularly those who make decisions on communications budgets and agencies -

Just because an agency tells you that their team is fluent in a given language (English, for example), that does not make it so.

Truth in advertising?
I realize that if your brand is based in a given country (let's say Switzerland) it is easier and more comfortable to contract with a local agency. And it is not unlikely that an agency will assert that their team has native fluency in all of the major languages, English being one of them. And for the brand, this is great news! One-stop shopping, and usually at a discounted rate because the services are "bundled"! But this is not where your problems end as a brand, but where they typically begin. 

Lost in translation 

Imagine your press release goes out to press contacts around the world, with the majority of the contacts receiving the English language version. Now imagine that the press release most closely resembles something spit out by Google Translate. The words are English. The usage, word order, and grammar make it clear that it is the result of a poor translation that was not checked very closely. 

You don't know what you don't know
To be clear, brands need agencies, because agencies have contacts in the press and can help spread your message. With that said, agencies have a responsibility to the brands that they represent. They should be forthright about the true level of their linguistic abilities. And if they don't posses the level of English (or Spanish, Russian, or any other language) that they claim, they should subcontract with native speakers to review their materials before they send them out. This would give the agency the ability to provide their services in an honest, efficient, and affordable manner. And the best part? There are plenty of native language speakers from around the world who could provide this service quickly and affordably, and they are living and working in... Switzerland!

It's more expensive than you think

Agencies charge the type of fees that are usually negotiated with the aid of a pistol and a get-away car. They are truly steep. And if they were delivering on the promises that they were making? it would be a fair exchange of money for service. But as one of the people who receives these releases, I can tell you that a lot of them end up in the Tempus Fugit virtual trash can.

So here are a few friendly (not sarcastic) tips for those of you wanting to get your press releases not only read, but put to use by members of the press:

• Less is more.  Keep the press release focused.  
• WIFM (what's in it for me). The press release is not for you (the brand). The press release is for the press. They will then disseminate it to the public at large. Think about what might be interesting to the public, rather than what is interesting to you.
• Vet your agency. It is likely that you have "friendly adversaries" in the press corps. Ask some of us for honest (confidential) feedback. We'll be happy to provide it to you. 
• The press wants to cover you. But they need to understand you in order to do that. If your press releases are not triggering coverage, it may not be for the reasons that you think (lack of advertising). It might simply be that your releases are getting lost in translation.

Fathers, Sons, And All That Comes With It

If there were a Facebook section for father-son relationships, my status would read:

"It's Complicated..."

I made my debut in Zanesville, Ohio back in the summer of 1968. The day before I dropped, my grandfather presented my anxious soon-to-be father with this -

I had it for a good while, and then I passed it on to my niece who now has a son of her own.

While I don't regret passing it on, I would be less than forthright if I didn't admit to a pang of loss. And in truth, not for the object itself, but rather what that Mido represented.  When I think about my relationship with my father, it is in many ways a play in three acts. The first act would be happiness, growing up in a small town. The second act would struggle as we tried (often unsuccessfully) to maintain a positive relationship after he remarried. The third would be acceptance, as we grew further apart in terms of geographic distance, but reconnected now and again and tried to focus on the positive memories that we shared. 

In truth, this type of evolving relationship is not unique, we all go through it in our own way with our families and relationships. And to some extent, I always connected that first, "happy" period with his/then my/now my niece's Mido. I tried to recapture the feeling with other vintage Midos, but it was really never the same. It almost felt as if I was trying to channel my memories through someone else's horological talisman.

I recently found myself face to face with a relative of my father's Mido, and decided it was finally time to buy one for myself. I waffled back and forth for a minute, and finally made my move.

Now to be completely clear:

No. This new Mido did not make me more handsome, did not make me any smarter, food does not magically taste better, and I am not suddenly capable of tremendous feats of strength or daring-do.

But there is something that this new Mido did do, almost instantaneously - it hit me with a visceral sucker punch that I really wasn't expecting. I felt (and feel) a strange familiar calmness that takes me back to 1977 in that small Ohio town. My sisters and I are under the giant oak tree in the Pierce's side yard, we're playing jailbreak, and Dean Mason is "it", and he is the fastest runner any of us have ever seen so we have to be quick, sneaky, or simply cheat if we're not going to get tagged out ; ). And it finally gets so dark that we have to go inside, and my father is there in the living room, watching another hopelessly cursed Cleveland Indians team end the season in the same morass and ineptitude that have come to be a hallmark for the big city to the north. He comes up to my room to say goodnight. We talk about what we did that day - which really means that I tell him about my day, the ups and downs. And he smiles, gives me a hug and says "don't worry, things will look a lot brighter in the morning!" And with that he turns out the light in my room and heads to bed.

I thought it might be appropriate to wrap this up with a quote from that other great commentator on watches, the poet philosopher - Master Po from TV's Kung Fu:

Shamelessly borrowed from the worldwide infoweb

Caine: Is it good to seek the past, Master Po? Does it not rob the present?

Master Po: If a man dwells on the past, then he robs the present. But if a man ignores the past, he may rob the future. The seeds of our destiny are nurtured by the roots of our past.

Enjoy your watches - and give your dad a call!

2022 - It's On Like Donkey-Kong!

It would seem that we are on the cusp of a wee-bit of a modern day Renaissance! While COVID19 is not fully in the rear-view mirror (more like the rabid dog running alongside the car trying to bite the side mirror off), it does look as if we are finally at the end of a long tunnel and about to cautiously step into the light.

And for many of us, that means an opportunity to travel again, and for the watch shows to come back. Watches and Wonders has made it official, they will be back in the saddle in 2022 in person in Geneva.

And the Fair Formerly Known as BaselWorld will try to finally debut their new name and livery in 2022 - Hour Universe (just in case you forgot, it is apparently still "We Time", whatever the Hell that is supposed to mean).  There was meant to be a live stream announcement today, conveniently scheduled for 10:00 AM Basel Time (4:00 AM NYC, 1:00 AM Los Angeles, but luckily for the Chinese market - 4:00 PM Beijing time).  Needless to say, I had planned to catch it up on YouTube but then got this announcement yesterday -

We regret that due to unforeseen circumstances we see ourselves forced to postpone the livestream press conference that was scheduled for Tuesday, June 8, 2021 at 10.00 am.
We sincerely apologize for an inconvenience this may have caused but promise to give you notice ahead of the new date

Well, grammar and punctuation notwithstanding, I can only assume that if and when the folks at MCH recover their Zoom password they will reschedule and we'll find out the date for BaselWorld 2 Electric Boogaloo - The Revenge of Lausanne! Remember all that money you got screwed out of last year watch brands? Well, they changed their name - (TWICE!) so hopefully you've forgotten all about it!

And for those of you who can't wait that long, just imagine! The thriving metropolis of Neuchâtel is hosting the event that (let's be honest), almost none of us have been waiting for. But let's see if avarice triumphs over common sense. Apparently shuttle service from Geneva will be available if you just can't be asked to hop on the train or rent a car.

The Poya

From Claude Meylan -

Courtesy of Claude Meylan

This one's been out for awhile, but it's still one of my favorites.  

The case is of stainless steel and measures 42 mm in diameter.  The movement is the 6497 from Unitas (i.e. ETA, i.e. SWATCH). 

Time is short - have fun with it!

Here are the pertinents -

Movement

16“ UT 6497

Description

• Stainless steel case
• Ø 42 mm
• Hand winding
• Skeleton
• Crystal back
• Sapphire front crystal
• 3 atm- water resistant
• Leather strap

Left Behind...

What we know:

Rolex, Patek Philippe, Tudor, Chopard, Chanel, Bulgari, TAG Heuer and Zenith have officially left the building (or more specifically, Hall 1).

What we can be pretty sure of:

Seiko, Casio, Citizen (which actually includes more than a few other brands including Frederique Constant and Alpina among others), Bell & Ross, Carl F. Bucherer are probably going to sling their hooks and "Take their talents south, to Lake Geneva". And with those brands, any hope of having a fair in Basel will go with them.

BUT -

There's in fact, more than just one more twist in the tail to this shit-show. Because it bears mentioning that saying you want to leave BaselWorld does not, de facto, mean you will be welcomed with open arms to the Geneva Fair to be Named Later. Because the operating name says it all - FHH. Now it is important to note the language used by the initial breakaway group in their "See ya, wouldn't wanna' be ya" letter:

The new show, which will be linked to Watches & Wonders, organized by the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie, is to take place at Palexpo. The aim is to offer partner brands the best possible professional platform, applying a shared vision to successfully meet future challenges in the watchmaking industry. It will also give crucial prominence to the sector’s expertise and innovations, both in Switzerland and internationally.

Other brands may also be added, according to terms that have not yet been defined. This new event will be geared predominantly towards retailers, the press and VIP customers.

And that is the kicker here.  Because when we talk about the five brands that initially split off, they clearly fit into a certain demographic in terms of "acceptable suitors" to join the Richemont circus.  And then, this is where it gets really interesting and there will be a chasm that opens between "luxe" brands and the rest.  And again, reading simply what is there and not even between the lines -
This new event will be geared predominantly towards retailers, the press and VIP customers.
So that means that a lot of press, a lot of potential retailers and pretty much all of the "great unwashed" (i.e. watch enthusiasts), are not really of interest.  

So we shall wait, and we shall see.

The 17.06 - COPPER

From MING -

Courtesy of MING

Per MING -

The MING 17.06 will be available to order on 19 September, 1PM GMT exclusively from www.ming.watch. The 17.06 Copper is priced at CHF 1,250 and production restricted to 300 pieces per annum.

And here are the pertinents, as received from MING this morning -

MING 17.06 Copper specifications:

• Functions: hours, minutes
• Case, dial & hands:

o 38mm diameter, 10mm thickness, stainless steel 316L with solid caseback, mixed brushed and polished finish
o 43.9mm lug to lug measuremento Sapphire crystal with antireflective coating on both sideso Rigid case without spacer ringso 100m water resistance with triple crown gasketso Composite, multi-layer, three-part sapphire dial in metallic copper
o Hands coated with Super-LumiNova C1o Dial ring printed with Super-LumiNova C1

• Strapso Smooth calf tan with white stitching, handmade by Jean Rousseau Paris
o 20x18mm, quick release with curved fittingo Will fit 160-210mm (6.1”-8.3”) wrist circumferenceo Signed pin buckle

• Movement:o Automatic mechanical movement ETA 2824-2 Top grade modified for MING
o 38-hour power reserveo 28,800 bph (4Hz)o 25 jewelso Hacking functiono Movement adjusted to five positions with a 250-hour test program

• Leather travel pouch handmade by Studio Koji Sato
• Limited to 300 pieces per calendar year
• 2-year warranty against defects
• Made in Switzerland
• Retail price CHF1,250 inclusive of worldwide shipping