The Transfer Window Opens...

At ochs und junior.

Let's hop in the "WABAC" machine and hurtle back in time... to November 29th, 2019 -

Shamelessly borrowed from the worldwide infoweb

November 29th, 2019
Beat Weinmann, ochs und junior’s longtime CEO, has decided to leave the company. The Board of Directors would like to thank him for his strong contribution over the years and wish him much success in his new endeavors. Along with Kurt König and Ludwig Oechslin, Beat co-founded ochs und junior in 2006. He has been instrumental in elevating this company to where it is today. His dedication, commitment and expertise will be missed. Beat’s successor and the company’s new organization and products will be announced shortly. In the interim, Marc Bernhardt (oj@ochsundjunior.swiss) will act as a consultant for the company in order to ensure the continuity of operations and services. We would like to thank all of our customers, partners, and friends for their ongoing support.

-The Board of Directors

Then fast forward less than 120 days -

March 16th, 2020
After managing the affairs of ochs und junior for the last three months, we are pleased to announce that Marc Bernhardt has permanently joined ochs und junior as new managing director. His appointment coincides with our imminent move to the new premises in La Chaux-de-Fonds.

And then just this past Friday -

November 27th, 2020
Marc Bernhardt, director of ochs und junior since the beginning of the year has resigned from his post, effective November 30, 2020, to pursue other professional challenges. Marc was instrumental in facilitating the transition and move from Lucerne to La Chaux-de-Fonds. The Board would like to sincerely thank him for his work and dedication during this important period and wishes him all the best in his future career and professional activities.
We would also like to announce that we are pleased to welcome three new people to our ochs und junior team: Christian Gafner, Design / Design consultant, Violaine Baudouin, Marketing, and master watchmaker Masaki Kanazawa, who works for us on a part-time basis on Ludwig Oechslin’s special ochs und junior projects.
We wish all of our new colleagues a successful start and look forward to our collaboration.

Last but not least: We are intensively working on two new watch launches, coming soon this December. We will keep you informed on our website, Instagram and Facebook.

With kindest regards.
The board and team of ochs und junior

Okay, a lot of news there, but it left almost as many unanswered questions. First and foremost, it's not lost on this guy (and I am assuming some of you readers) that Mr. Bernhardt's departure is for all intents and purposes a year to the day that Beat Weinmann departed. One thing indeed may have absolutely nothing to do with the other, but it is curious nonetheless.  

So the question now becomes - who will steer the ship? 

Beat Weinmann moved on to Chronoswiss, where it seems he has adapted the idea of creating a personal relationship with the buyer - never a bad idea.  And there he is "under the wing" of Patrik Hoffmann who has the role of "Mentor" to (I assume) the ownership and one would assume not holding the warmest and fuzziest feelings for his former employer - Ulysse Nardin.

In listening to a podcast with Marc Bernhardt from earlier this year, he did actually say a lot of things that gave me some hope for the direction that ochs und junior might take.  One key thing he mentioned was increasing the turnover.  He said it much more politely than I would (and certainly more politely than I have previously). It does not take a world class economist to read and understand a balance sheet. But it does take a willingness to adjust to realities. And the one thing that I heard Mr. Bernhardt mention was the need to make ochs und junior more "knowable", more discoverable. And on that score he is right. Because with more awareness will come more sales, and with more sales will come more turnover. More turnover - well I think you get the idea.

Now whether or not he might have turned things in a more cashflow positive direction, we will never know.  And as of this writing, there was not any indication from the ochs und junior website as to who would replace him, or if he would be replaced at all. 

What had been clear previously (per the website) was that although ochs und junior was primarily owned by Ludwig Oechslin and family, it was financially backed by Ulysse Nardin. It is clear that this is what precipitated the move southward. But it is not clear what precipitated the departure of Beat Weinmann or later of Marc Bernhardt. And as with so many things, in the final analysis, it probably doesn't really matter. 

And that is what makes the curious case of ochs und junior even more curious. Because while there is discussion about new models and enthusiasm for a path forward, it remains a bit fuzzy as to what the future will fully hold.

So watch this space, and I will do my best to report.

The Transfer Window Opens...

At ochs und junior -

Courtesy of ochs und junior

From their "News" tab:

16. March 2020
After managing the affairs of ochs und junior for the last three months, we are pleased to announce that Marc Bernhardt has permanently joined ochs und junior as new managing director. His appointment coincides with our imminent move to the new premises in La Chaux-de-Fonds. Here’s his reaction:

“I am absolutely thrilled to be joining ochs und junior, which right from the beginning in 2006, has done things contrary to the rest of the traditional watch industry. It shuns the world of hyper marketing, uses Ludwig Oechslin’s genius to create remarkably uncomplicated complications, treats its customers like friends of the family, and only makes watches as it and its customers see fit. I have come to appreciate ochs und junior’s often quirky supporters and have fallen in love with its timepieces. There is something genuine and brutal about them (I mean the watches), which is something that traditional watchmaking often lacks. There is no talk about “lifestyle”, or that you ought to wear the watch during the Battle of Britain or that a reincarnation of Mr. Breguet has magically worked on your watch. Going forward Ludwig Oechslin will continue to be the brain of the company and Jost Schlatter, whom we will profile in a later blog, is our skilled watchmaker putting together our unique time companions. My experience hitherto with ochs und junior can be summarized as follows: Ochs und junior may be a “strange animal”, but the more time you spend with it, the more you will discover that there is actually no other way to tell time. You will learn to tell time gradually, then very suddenly!”

It's weird to think about it now, but I was there in Lucerne now nearly 8 years ago when the new store had just opened -

Courtesy of ochs und junior

That's a younger, less grey me without beard looking thoughtful.

But life moves forward, doesn't it?  If the word around the campfire is to believed, Beat Weinmann has landed at another brand in a new role, and I guess the store formerly known as the "ochs space" will revert to whatever creative/artsy project is next in its future.

So good luck Mr. Bernhardt, let's see if you can make it a horserace.

The Transfer Window has Opened...

At ochs und junior -

And it would seem that Thursday/Friday was a pretty squirrely day in Lucerne, with Beat Weinmann announcing that he (as CEO) and four other employees (i.e. pretty much everyone connected to the brand itself) had dropped their papers and would stop working for ochs und junior (and therefore Ulysse Nardin and Kering) effective immediately.  

Now while I realize a lot of regular readers have probably already digested this news as it was not-so-subtly leaked on social media, essentially the message was:
We quit, and we're Audi 5000!

And then either as a reaction to, or an attempted preemptive strike, the shot callers at UN (read the folks who actually pay the bills at ochs und junior) dropped their own version -

News

29. November 2019
Beat Weinmann, ochs und junior’s longtime CEO, has decided to leave the company. The Board of Directors would like to thank him for his strong contribution over the years and wish him much success in his new endeavors. Along with Kurt König and Ludwig Oechslin, Beat co-founded ochs und junior in 2006. He has been instrumental in elevating this company to where it is today. His dedication, commitment and expertise will be missed. Beat’s successor and the company’s new organization and products will be announced shortly. In the interim, Marc Bernhardt will act as a consultant for the company in order to ensure the continuity of operations and services. We would like to thank all of our customers, partners, and friends for their ongoing support.

-The Board of Directors

Now while there was a time when I knew Beat a bit and it would have been fair to call us friendly, that was some years ago and I have not been following ochs und junior or covering them for quite some time. So I think I can 

objectively posit some possible theories as to what may (or may not have) happened. 

It is worth noting that to a large extent, ochs und junior is as much Beat Weinmann's baby as it is Dr. Oechslin's.  To my understanding, they have a longstanding friendship and as far as I know they have worked in close tandem not only on this, but on the first MIH watch, with a connection going back to Mr. Weinmann's days selling watches at Embassy in Lucerne. Some have compared it almost to a marriage of sorts, so it is fair to say that this is not an insignificant event.

1.  Ownership - as in there might have been a desire on the part of Mr. Weinmann to receive some equity or portion of ownership of the brand.  Maybe even a possible purchase of the brand was mooted, and not pursued any further.  This is not as crazy as it might seem, brands of all sizes are bought and sold every day and it is not inconceivable that potential investors were sought out, and a proposal was put together.  As far as can be understood from the now updated ochs und junior web page, both Oechslins appear to be staying put with Kornelia Imesch Oechslin remaining in her position as President and member of the Board of Directors and one would assume Ludwig Oechslin remaining as the creative driver.  

2.  Slow and limited growth - It is important to note that I am in no way trying to imply that ochs und junior was under performing as a small macro/micro brand.  If the well-wishes and "say it ain't so" messages on social media are any indication, ochs und junior has a dedicated fan base.  But it is also important to put numbers into perspective in terms of sales, and to put sales into context in terms of operating expenses. Keep in mind that ochs und junior had 3 - 5 full time members of staff.  It is not unreasonable to assume that when you take that number, plus the rent on the storefront/studio in Lucerne, marketing expenses (yes, there undoubtably were some of these) material expenses for the watches themselves, Dr. Oechslin might have been getting paid a little bit, the President, and then those pesky investors wanting some return on their investment?  

That's a lot of mouths to feed.  

3.  Thanks!  We'll take it from here -  As has happened at another brand recently, the shot callers from the parent company may believe that if a handful of people can do something, why not replace the handful and do it yourself?  

4.  Winding Down - Stranger things have happened.  It is possible that UN feels that they have pumped enough money in, and they are going to wind down the company and welcome Dr. Oechslin back into the fold, or fully absorb ochs und junior into the larger format of Ulysse Nardin.  One other thing to consider,  Dr. Oechslin is 67 years old if Wikipedia is anything to go by.  The watch industry is full of people who keep going on well past retirement age. But then again, not everyone wants to go on forever.

5.  Lured Away -  One other possibility, and this is absolutely an "out there" notion - perhaps Mr. Weinmann was lured away by another brand and will launch a new venture with the team coming with him.  

Yeah, like I said, "out there"

The thing is, in situations like this it is often very, very difficult to know what the true reasons for a separation like this are.  And sometimes a resignation is motivated by rather fractious circumstances.  Moreover?  Sometimes a resignation is not exactly willing.  And truth be told?  It really doesn't matter at this point.

What does seem fairly clear is that one way or another, this has probably been in the offing for some time, and it seems that things finally came to a head.  It's not every day that an entire company (no matter how big or small) walks out en masse.  A boss leaves and others trickle out over the next few days?  Sure. Everyone on the same day at the same time?  Not so usual.

What can we be sure of?

For better or worse, Beat Weinmann was in many ways more responsible for the success of ochs und junior than anyone else.  It was a charming, unique little brand that blazed its own trail.  I use the past tense here, because even if ochs und junior continues onward, it will be a very different brand than it was.  I suspect the space in Lucerne will be closed, the espresso machine sold, the production shifted to UN, and apart from one person as yet to be named who will lead the whole thing, it is likely that marketing, communication and sales will shift to UN, and an effort to break into retail with a specialist retailer.

And keep in mind one other possibility -

We just might see Mr. Weinmann pop up again with a new brand.  Or maybe he will return to the world of bicycles, or even try something completely new. New chapters can be scary, but also exhilarating.  

So good luck and God's speed.

Tempus Fugit

Classico Horse from Ulysse Nardin

This just in from Ulysse Nardin -

Courtesy of Ulysse Nardin

The Year of the Horse is upon us, and Ulysse Nardin pays tribute to the animal spirit with the Ulysse Nardin Classico Horse. Like the wild horses, it is a timepiece of independence made with the free-roamer in mind.

Graceful with power, self-determined with emotion, and untamed with control, the horses on the watch’s dial appear to gallop with liberty. Expansive plains and majestic mountains in the background meet their arrival. 

Love or Money?

Okay, hopefully I've got your attention.  For the next little while, I want to take as many chances as I can to talk about people not only in the watch industry, but in fashion, etc. who are in it for love, not for money.

Today I will kick things off with watches - and as is often the case here at Tempus Fugit we turn to Lucerne and ochs und junior.

Courtesy of ochs und junior

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter !

So a Watchmaker Walked into a Gastro Pub...

So as regular readers might remember, I grew up a Northern Youth on what at least the local media referred to as the North Coast of America - just south of Cleveland, Ohio.  And I mean no offense to what the nice folks at Ball Watch would have you believe - but the Ball watches of today have about as much to do with my backyard (Oberlin, the Kipton train disaster and Cleveland) as Paula Deen has to do with healthy dining.  It is a gimmick - tied to a disaster - in my backyard.  So no, I will probably not be purchasing a Ball watch in the foreseeable future.

Do not fear loyal readers, I do not think that my gas tank will be filled with sugar  - as near as I can tell, the nice folks at Ball have no idea I even exist - but maybe now we'll be able to tell  ; )

So let's talk about what is real.  What is honest, what is original.  For me, there are a few new, original movements in watchmaking - and no that is not a pun!  We have watches that are made from the "remains" of historic disasters, we have watches that are "powered" by alternative methods.  But when we really boil it down, when we really get down to brass tacks - there are a handful people IN THE WORLD who are trying to do something unique - who perhaps like Frank Lloyd Wright or Courbusier  have a very specific vision of how they see things.   And after many years of reading about it, several years of working in the industry, and finally nearly 3 years of reporting on the industry I can say that there are a few people flying the flag of originality.  I want to be clear that originality is not about being "independent" or making everything "in house".  No - it is about a clear vision, and not being afraid to follow the vision - to see it through - damn the outcome!

So Ochs und Junior - not surprising for many who read this regularly - they are the first entry.  They are flying the flag for change.   And I want to say something loud and clear - there is nothing wrong with the establishment.  They have been doing things the RIGHT way for a LOT of years - that is why they are the establishment.  They have indeed earned the right.  AP with a Crazy Expensive steel sport watch - the Royal Oak, this was thought to be the idea of a truly crazy person when it debuted.  Patek with the Nautilus, Breguet with, well - almost anything they came up with back in the day - these were ICONOCLASTS!  So in many ways, there is a proud tradition. But the challenge was, and is still - don't just make noise - make something of value.  While the temporary, the vulgar - the "of the moment" will not endure, there is something to be said for taking all of what has come before  - respecting it - and still offering something that pays due respect to tradition, but does so while following its own path and offers something different.  And that is what Beat Weinmann and Ludwig Oechslin are doing.  They are taking complications and distilling them down.  To quote Mr. Wonka - they are the music makers, and the dreamers of dreams.

So if you haven't done so already - check them out!

www.ochsundjunior.ch

A "First Night" at the ochsenspace

It is good to have friends!  I consider Beat Weinmann a friend, and despite knowing me for over a year, he still invited me to the "First Night" of the ochsenspace as "supper club".

Photo courtesy of Bea Weinmann

A fantastic meal was enjoyed and more friends were made!  If your travels ever take you to Lucerne, make a point of dropping by, having an espresso, and making some new friends.

Photo courtesy of Bea Weinmann

Lea Montini led the crew in the open kitchen and prepared a first class meal.  Lea is working hard to bring the concept of "pop-up" dining to Switzerland - and hopefully to Santa Barbara - we have a spare room for you when you come!

It's SPRING!

Thank you Beat, Bea, Lea and everyone!  Here's to the ochsenspace!

Size is everything…

Courtesy of Beat and the ochsenblog -

39 mm diameter is Ludwig Oechslin's favourite size for a wristwatch. Elegant, balanced and timeless. We also have friends in the Netherlands who like that size. That's what finally convinced us! 

Spring 2012, then, will find us offering the tinta collection in both sizes, 42 mm and 39 mm.

We'll start with the selene, the due ore and the mese tinta. The anno tinta in 39 mm will come a little later. We're already getting orders in for the new smaller size, which will be wrist-borne by the spring. They'll be sent out by FedEx or collected from us in person at our new place. Photos of the latter coming soon... ;-)

Easter egg hunt

Happy Easter -

A true Paneristi

So I have come to the conclusion, that if reincarnated, I want to come back as a customer at Embassy's Lucerne store!  Beautiful store, fantastic items for sale, and without a doubt, some of the most stylish people I have seen in a long time -

I LOVE Panerai - and apparently I am not alone!

Post

And some more color from Basel!

Eterna donates first Madison Eight-Days to the MIH

Eterna donates first Madison Eight-Days with Eterna Spherodrive to the MIH International Horological Museum

Photo Courtesy of Eterna

Grenchen. On Tuesday, 7 December 2010 Eterna donated its very first Madison Eight-Days equipped with the Eterna Spherodrive technology to the MIH International Horological Museum in La Chaux-de-Fonds. Present at the event were Mr. Ludwig Oechslin, Director of the MIH, and Mr. Jean-Daniel Pasche, President of the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry (FH). With the spring barrel rotating on ball bearings, the Eterna Spherodrive innovation represents a revolutionary advance in terms of mechanical efficiency, reliability and longevity.

Photo Courtesy of Eterna

The Eterna calibre 3510 movement, also features a major innovation: the patented Eterna Spherodrive. By reducing most of the problems caused by friction and wear at critical points of the watch movement, the Eterna Spherodrive system provides the calibre with operational regularity, longevity and mechanical efficiency. Mounted on ball bearings, the series-coupled spring barrels featured in the Eterna Spherodrive system guarantee no fewer than eight days of exceptionally smooth power reserve. To safeguard the movement’s highly precise rate, incorporated in it is an automatic cut-off that halts the balance wheel after eight days’ continuous operation. Fitted with the Eterna calibre 3510 movement, the Madison Eight-Days embodies to perfection the spirit of the Eterna brand. With the understated elegance of its stainless steel case featuring discreet lateral decoration, and the choice and layout of its functions, the Madison Eight-Days is eminently suited to the life of the busy traveller.

Photo Courtesy of Eterna

Today sees Eterna donating the first example of its new Madison Eight-Days with Eterna Spherodrive to the MIH International Horological Museum in La Chaux-de-Fonds. Mr. Ludwig Oechslin, Director of the MIH, attended the premises of watchmaker Eterna in Grenchen to receive the brand-new timepiece from the hands of Eterna Chief Technology Officer Mr. Patrick Kury. The official presentation over, the invited guests toured the Eterna premises to admire the variety of traditional handcrafts on display.

The MIH aims to preserve and conserve the greatest pioneering achievements in watchmaking. Its collection comprises items dating from the 16th century all the way to the present. As an active contributor to the development of the mechanical movement, it is only natural that Eterna should want to share its latest innovation with visitors to the museum.

Photo courtesy of Eterna

Concluding the presentation ceremony, Mr. Daniel Pasche, President of the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry (FH), spoke about Eterna's innovative spirit and invited the company to continue playing an active role in the advancement of the mechanical watch going forward.

www.eterna.com

Preview

Tune in this evening for the whole story...

A hint about tomorrow...

Tune in tomorrow when all will be revealed...