"When I want your opinion I'll give it to you"

We live in REALLY goofy times. Watch Town and the members of the Fourth and Fifth Estates who "cover" it have a rather curious relationship. For those desirous of a more close relationship, the more salubrious path appears to be deference, oftentimes bordering on the sycophantic.

Now for my sins, I have been declared excommunicado by Richemont, LVMH, and a liquorice assortment of brands that seem to spend more time thinking about me than I do about them. And some of these brands are downright antipathetic. Almost as if I'd run over their dog and they won't forget it. 

With about 6,000 visitors a day, I accept that Henki Time is not a big fish. And that's okay. But I also have to wonder what loose screw is rattling around the collective PR/Marketing braintrusts in some of these brands that they feel that all reviews, stories, and coverage must be glowing? And no, I am not feeling personally persecuted as I am not alone in this semi-isolation. Astrid Wendlandt (Miss Tweed), Gregory Pons (Business Montres) and others more celebrated than yours truly never seem to get invited to the ball (or more specifically the rather lavish press junkets, etc.,.), or even Watches and Wonders in some cases...

So what's brought all this up? I'm glad you asked! One notable thing happened recently that underscores the problematic rift that exists between some brands and the people who would like to cover them. 

Miss Tweed has been on the outs with Richemont for some time. Curious to relate? She owns stock in Richemont (albeit 1 share) and was recently denied admission to the shareholders meeting. Now let's think about this for a minute, Richemont has already cut her out of any possibility of trying to cover them on a first hand basis by denying her admittance to Watches and Wonders (which is pretty douchey in and of itself). But this latest move shows a certain level of pettiness that is hard to fathom. Now this is just little me, but if I had the resources that Richemont does, I would actually reach out to this person, hear them out, maybe have an actual conversation? The worst that could happen is that the journalist will feel respected for taking the time to ask questions (albeit some of them uncomfortable) and it might just lead to a burgeoning detente. 

But then again, what the hell do I know?

A Belly Full

It is, I guess, a bit ironic that as Tempus Fugit approaches its tenth anniversary, I am struggling with the idea of keeping it going.  

I think it might be useful to share why I started this whole thing.  I had worked for DOXA for the three years previous to the launch of Tempus Fugit.  I was still an extreme watch fan, and if I am honest, I was pretty put-off with the discussion forums that were so popular at the time.  I was also laboring under a delusion that what you read in the watch media was accurate and honest.  It wasn't then, and it isn't now.  When Tempus Fugit started I had a starry-eyed idea of creating a Sartorialist type website for watches.  I was positive, believing, and honestly?  Easily persuaded.

The simple truth is this - the watch brands would be more honest if they sent you all a check for reading the press releases that come to you filtered through the major outlets.  But they don't.  And while the checks used to come to the major outlets, that has begun to dry up as well.  And now the outlets are struggling for oxygen - and that oxygen is the funding that helps to help keep them alive.  The former enthusiasts have now become business owners.  

And?  

I want to say something very, very clearly - I do not criticize any outlets for making money.  But, I do not equate alleged readership numbers (frequently juked) with actual factual content or quality.  It is a broken system, and in all honesty?  There was no other way that this could have gone once people started imagining not having to work a nine-to-five any more.

Do you ever wonder why every big outlet is frequently putting out exactly the same thing on the same day?  Not me.

Some inside baseball - watch brands (both big and small) flush an insane amount of money down the toilet in the hope of getting one of the big (or even not-so-big) outlets to write about them.  Nomos sent me an invite to Germany this past Summer and confirmed it... before cancelling it at the last minute.  Why?  My hunch is this, my email: henkitime@... has led more than one not-so-diligent watch PR person in the past to not read so closely, and assume that I was with a well-known outlet that starts with an "H".  Ironically enough, Nomos did not see the groundswell of influence that 3 round-trip business class tickets on Lufthansa from the US and accommodation might have been expected to pay for.  And the most ironic thing in the entire sad saga?  Nomos was the very first brand I had written about 9+ years ago, and I was one of (you could count the number on not just one hand, but three fingers) journalists who came out to support their stance against racism and support of immigration tolerance. Yes Nomos, me.  

PS: Nomos - you're welcome.

Would I have really enjoyed visiting Glashutte?  Absolutely.  But it made one thing very, very clear to me - watch media has degenerated into Kabuki theatre of the disingenuous.

So, let's cut to the heart of it.  While I often say that I am my own favorite watch writer, I would point to two people out there who are truly offering something you should, dare I say it, you must be reading if you really, actually care about watches beyond what a brand is paying you to be interested in.   

Adam Sofineti is the man behind Watch Paper - http://watchpaper.com   He is one of the few people that clearly loves watches, history, and sharing that passion without his hand in a brand's pocket.  I wish I were as detailed, driven and, well,  passionate.  In many ways, Adam is the writer I would like to be, and who when I have the time, and the muse speaks to me, I hope to emulate.

Gregory Pons I have been accused of two things that actually flatter me - trying to be the Tony Bourdain of watch writing, and trying to be the English language equivalent of Gregory Pons.  Both accusations flatter me, because I am in both men's shadows.

It says something about a true critic that watch brands still pay for advertising, and people actually PAY to read what you have to say when you are not, let's say, kissing the ring.  

I lead a dual life in the watch industry.  Yes, I write this little bloggy-wog, and am in the second tier of the watch media.  But I also work on the brand side, and as such I get to see behind the curtain where the "wizard" lives.  I cannot tell you how many times when visiting Swiss brands where I have seen Business Montres on the screens of the sales, pr and marketing teams.  That says something.  Business Montres has, in many ways, become the Harvard Business Review of the watch industry.  

Check him out at:
https://www.businessmontres.com

So, if you want an actual opinion that hasn't been purchased, or leased?  Please continue reading Tempus Fugit, Watch Paper and Business Montres.

And so that there are no misunderstandings?  There are a few brands out there that I will NEVER be able to be completely objective about owing to friendships, relationships, and in some instances brands that I represent.  

You can rest assured - if there is a relationship, it will be disclosed.  I will be honest with you.  At a very base level, that seems only fair.


Be well and enjoy your watches.