What the heck is the AuroChronos Festival?

As I endeavor to bring you the stuff that you might miss from the bigger outlets (you know, actual news, etc.), I was very happy to be forwarded the information about this year's AuroChronos Festival.  I wanted to give the folks behind the fair the opportunity to tell you about it in there own words, so here you go -

 

What the heck is the AuroChronos Festival?

A lot of people asked this question last year when our event appeared for the first time. The word Festival and watches have never gone together. So why now and what the heck is AuroChronos?  The name of the festival is a blend of two words and it expresses the core values of Aurochs, a distant predecessor to today's domestic cattle.  It was an enormous, strong and wild ox whose posture commanded respect. It doesn’t only represent the strength, freedom and the perseverance needed in the constant struggle to make a mark in the watch market, but it also symbolizes the rebirth of an appreciation for watches and craftsmanship in creating unique pieces and the exceptional character of independent brands. The Greek god Chronos is the personification of time and the symbol of creation. Symbolized by an hourglass the symbol of passing time.  For us it is time to return to the roots and the rebirth of the tradition of small independent manufactures with unique style and individuality.

OK, we got that covered, but why a Festival? The International Festival of Independent Watch Brands AuroChronos,  is a hybrid of a watch fair and a festival review. It means that there is an International Jury that selects unique watches and the winners receive AuroChronos Awards. Last year they were premiere watches awarded and this year, there will be interesting new categories such as "Independent Men's Watch", "Independent Women's Watch", "Discovery of the Year" and so on.

AuroChronos is also a place for people who are just thinking about purchasing their first watch and want to learn something more about watches before making a decision. It is a platform for exchanging experiences and opinions on watches and trends and there are numerous presentations, lectures and workshops that are definitely an added value and a magnet for visitors. The year's invitation to Lodz was accepted by several notable people:

• Kalle Slaap - a well-known Dutch watchmaker, advocate of micro brands and founder of a watchmaking school  
• Tomasz Miler - entrepreneur and influencer, creator of Miler Menswear, Miler Spirits and Manumi (classic suits, strong spirits and men's leather accessories)
• The Special Guest of the Festival will be Theodor Diehl. A spokesman and watchmaker of Richard Mille Watches, author of the book "Kari Voutilainen: Horlogerie d'Art" and specialist in independent watchmaking with over 25 years of experience in the industry who will give two lectures at the AuroChronos Festival.

There are strong partners that support our initiative. I’ll just mention some of the most prominent ones: 

• PKO Bank Polski, the largest bank in Poland 
• “Zegarki i Pasja”, the biggest quarterly on watches in Poland,
• The largest and most active Facebook group on watches in Poland “Czasoholicy” 
• The lifestyle magazine “LOGO”.

We have managed to do all of this in just over a year and there would be nothing unusual about it if we were professional event planners. Truth be told, our Festival is organized by two watch enthusiasts from outside of the industry. Maciej Mazurkiewicz - a doctor specializing in oncology and Paweł Zalewski - a trainer and translator.  We are both in our thirties and one day noticed that there was an event missing on the European watch scene. So we decided to create one. Our commitment and enthusiasm to the original idea made the first edition in 2017 a great success. The festival was visited by over 750 guests. This has paved the way for the development and preparation of our second edition. The AuroChronos Festival 2018 will host over thirty exhibitors from Poland, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, as well as Hong Kong and Taiwan.

We hope that you will join us September 29^th and 30^th and visit Lodz, Poland. The AuroChronos Festival 2018 will take place in Expo-Łódź, al. Politechniki 4, Lodz, Poland (Saturday 29^th 10:00 – 18:00 and Sunday 30^th 10:00 – 15:00). For more information visit www.aurochronos.com.

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Biver Leave's the Party - Maybe this Time for Sure...

So you've read it everywhere else, the last emperor is perhaps now finally, really, actually leaving the party.  Well, this time seems more likely than previous retirements.  

Shamelessly borrowed from the world-wide info-web

But to quote that other great commentator on the watch industry, Lieutenant Columbo - 
"Something's still bothering me..."

So I'm going straight up on the "Columbo-tip", and ask a few questions that are, perhaps, not being asked elsewhere.

I held off putting anything out there yesterday because, frankly, I felt that there was more to this than an ill executive stepping aside to focus on his health. Moreover, it was the guy's birthday. A little respect was in order. But remember, we've been down this road before, when he announced that he was stepping down, and returned with an even broader mandate a few months later.

And the fact that there were two names being "mooted" as possible replacements was not accidental. And today's press release from LVMH HQ confirms what I suspected -

After an extraordinary career spanning over 40 years in watchmaking, Jean-Claude Biver, together with LVMH, has decided to relinquish his operational responsibilities and assume the role of non-executive Chairman of the LVMH watchmaking division.

Stéphane Bianchi has been appointed CEO of the Watchmaking Division, with effect from 1st November 2018. He will directly lead TAG Heuer, with the CEOs of Hublot and Zenith reporting to him.

Frédéric Arnault has been appointed Strategy and Digital Director of TAG Heuer.

Okay, let's consider this from LVMH's perspective - You've got a strong, dynamic leader in charge of 1 of your most important brands, and "overseeing" 2 others. But what you also have is a wee bit of a cult of personality. And I want to say something very clearly - that is not a dig at Mr. Biver, it actually underscores his charisma, popularity and ability to lead. But what also happens in this situation is that you then find yourself without a real contingency plan, and more than just a small power vacuum just waiting to happen.

Hublot, while having a CEO not named Biver, constantly finds Mr. Biver front and center at a LOT of its operations. Tag Heuer? Mr. Biver has been the defacto CEO for several years, and there still does not seem to be anyone lined up and ready to take the helm, even though he has said frequently that it would be a priority to develop a replacement. And Zenith? Sure, lots of interesting new models, but if the conversation I recently heard two US retailers having about sales is anything to go on? Not exactly punching their weight. Now I also want to clearly state that these points are merely anecdotal. But when taken as a whole, they are worth considering.

Mr. Biver admittedly has been having health troubles, but as one person who knows about these things confided, Mr. Biver has had, and worked through several rather serious health issues for the past several years and has still remained at the helm. Moreover, we are talking about a guy who LOVES what he does, and has worked through similar challenges. And the last point about the health concerns, he has stated in his brief comments that he is now starting to do better health-wise. If so, why leave now?

And more pertinent, if it was really about health, why would the replacement not be starting until November? My sense is that someone at LVMH who has a last name that might begin with the letter "A" has a case of the fidgets.

It bears considering the language used in the release:
Jean-Claude Biver, together with LVMH, has decided to relinquish his operational responsibilities and assume the role of non-executive Chairman of the LVMH watchmaking division.

So at least insofar as LVMH goes, this is the end of a truly dynamic career. And if I am being honest? I think that there will be some changes coming within the brands as well, because when there is someone with that much personal involvement, who commands the type of loyalty that Mr. Biver has? Let's just say that for some, there might be some uncomfortable questions that cannot be ignored any longer.

Another way to look at it is what a person inside the industry has referred to as the "Biververse" or "Biversphere". Meaning that at the center of it all, you have Jean-Claude Biver, and orbiting around him are the satellites, such as Ricardo Guadalupe. There have been others, who have seen their career trajectories greatly altered once they have been uncoupled from the mother ship. The rare exception to this perhaps being Jean-Frederic Dufour, who landed perhaps one of the safest and most secure gigs out there when he landed on the Green Planet, Rolex. Aldo Magada is laboring on an obscure and dark planet with Anonimo and Vulcain. Stéphane Linder who resigned unexpectedly from Tag Heuer (which led to Mr Biver taking over at Tag) stopped for a glass of Tang at Gucci (less than 2 years) a brief stint as a consultant, then off to Breitling-World where he is now piloting the LEM with Georges Kern, potentially arguing about who will be the first to walk on the moon. What has not happened in recent years, which had happened in previous Biver regimes was the development of new talent. Many people felt (and rightly so) that a stint at Biver U could help develop someone to lead a brand of their own one day. This explains the 2 appointments announced by LVMH today. I do not claim to be a great friend or confidant to Mr. Biver, but I feel confident is saying that I think he would have looked for someone with actual industry experience, and probably would not have looked to promote based on family connections.

I think to sum it up, in many ways, Mr. Biver was the patron of the watch making peloton, and while you couldn't really argue with the overall results, it eventually led to a set-up that was entirely too dependent upon him to oversee, and as such it was inevitable that it would end. Sooner or later time is called on all of us, we just don't always know when it will be, or how it will come about.

Now on to the two New-Jacks. Per the LVMH announcement -

Stéphane Bianchi has been appointed CEO of the Watchmaking Division, with effect from 1st November 2018. He will directly lead TAG Heuer, with the CEOs of Hublot and Zenith reporting to him.

This breaks the Biver model, because while Mr. Bianchi might have been a titan in the cosmetics/perfume industry? This is quite a different thing and goes contrary to what Mr. Biver has said in more than one interview, and I quote particularly from an interview he had with Wired, essentially? You have to learn the ropes before you try to take command of the ship. He often reflects back to his beginnings and his stint at Audemars Piguet where he was put through an internship at half-salary for one year to learn the inner workings of the business. Something tells me that Mr. Bianchi is not taking a similar path. You could argue that at his age that would be unreasonable, but then again we do need to consider the title that he has been given. Time will tell, but from an outside perspective, I suspect that this appointment was driven more by the LVMH folks and was probably not taking into account too much feedback from the folks who actually work in this particular sector within the group.

And as for Arnault the "even younger"? Firstly, age is not necessarily a requirement for ability. Having said that? Well, it is interesting that Arnault the "slightly older" was invested with a luggage company, and now another family member is being inserted into a fairly high level position within the group in a company that he has spent some time with, but in an industry that he has very little actual experience in. So again, we will see what develops and how things go, but it doesn't hurt that he shares the same last name as the owners.

But if anything is abundantly clear given today's announcement, it is that LVMH is making a fairly serious change in how the watch brands will be managed, and I suspect that while this is a very big shift, there are more to come. And in this instance, I do not think that we will see Atlas shrug.

The KLOK-01 Midnight Blue

This is a long-awaited release for kloker's fans, the KLOK-01 in Midnight Blue -

Courtesy of klokers

This is the latest addition to the klokers family and I think it's safe to say that it will be a crowd pleaser.

Here are the pertinents -

Courtesy of klokers

KLOK-01 MIDNIGHT BLUE DIAL WATCH-HEAD

• Dimensions: Ø 44 mm, 11.5 mm deep
• Casing: 316L stainless steel
• Glass: transparent polymer with built-in magnifying lens
• Water tightness: Water Resistant
• Swiss Made
• Driven by a high-tech Ronda movement (high precision Quartz movement)
• 1,5 V battery
• Two-year warranty against all production defects
• The klokers key: a pushbutton at 8 o'clock to unlock the watch head from its base
• Color: midnight blue dial

Lemming!

An exciting new watch brand has been announced!  I received this release from a special correspondent (RG) -

Introducing a revolutionary new watch brand. Are you the kind of person that doesn't want to stand out in the crowd? When you go to a restaurant do you wait to order last and then ask, "what is everybody else getting?" Then do we have the watch for you! Introducing - Lemming watches and our first release, the "Bandwagon"

Courtesy of Lemming

Some watch companies brag about their low production numbers and exclusivity, how silly! The Lemming Bandwagon is a limited edition of 7.6 billion pieces (for our A series that is) that way every human on earth can have one! We've taken a lot of time to consider our pricing too. We were going to price it at $10,000 but we know how desperately you'll want to look like your neighbor so your price will be $20,000.

Now let's get to the movement. We experimented with multiple barrels to get the longest power reserve but it wasn't enough. We tried various batteries but it still wasn't enough. The Lemming Bandwagon runs off the power of your desperate need to be accepted which is endless!!

Now, what about our watchmaking credentials? Who gives a shit! Celebrities wear our watches and our name is on boats and planes. Doesn't that tell you enough? We thought so.

See you soon at the Lemming convention! Well, only if you're going!

The New Team at Fortis

In the interest of full-disclosure, I have worked for and with one of the subjects of this announcement before, and am therefore a wee-bit biased ; )

Word reached Tempus Fugit HQ that Fortis has new ownership and a new CEO.  And while I am very happy on a personal level as Mr. Aebischer, the new CEO is a friend, I am happier still because he is someone who actually "gets it" and can help put Fortis back on the right track.

Now I am not here to paint a false, rosy picture.  Fortis has been pretty grossly mismanaged for quite some time prior to the new ownership coming in.  Moreover, it has been peddled like some cheap, throw away product by the company that previously represented it in the US.  A lot of damage was done.  Having said that, I honestly believe that this is a much deserved second chance for a brand that has so much to offer, and I for one am anxious to see how things progress.

Here is the press announcement, as it was received -

Jupp Philipp - Courtesy of Fortis

FORTIS WATCHES AG is pleased to announce that, from 1 September 2018, the traditional brand‘s continuing operation under a new leadership is secured and will also be expanded: Jupp Philipp, entrepreneur and passionate wearer of FORTIS watches, will take the reins.  

Lorenz Aebischer - Courtesy of Fortis

In order to put this vision into practice, Mr. Philipp will bring in experienced support from the industry: Mr. Lorenz Aebischer (previously working for renowned brands such as Auguste Reymond, Mido and Tissot) will manage FORTIS WATCHES AG.

The direction is clear. The first and foremost vision: "Every customer is entitled to value preservation and it is our duty to ensure this." (Jupp Philipp) This guiding principle describes succinctly – almost philosophically – the cornerstones of the future focus and shall forever constitute the creed for all strategic and operational decisions.

Initially a precise analysis and strategy development with all of its components will be in the foreground. "Of course, it should be clear to everyone that such a process will take its time. Nevertheless we will immediately get together on 1 September and start to work on the individual topics over the coming months as a team.  It will take some time to create the foundations, organize the FORTIS network and make everyone believe in the guiding principle.“ (Lorenz Aebischer)  

Casio Visit Day 1 - Part 2

Day one continued with visits to several specialized Casio G-Shock retail outlets. 

I live in the Metro Boston area and work in Boston proper.  And if I am being honest and objective?  The G-Shock is a very popular item on area wrists, but not quite so easy to track down in it's retail environment.  To be very clear, we (media types) were joined by three very successful retailers on this visit to Japan, and these guys sell a LOT of G-Shocks, but Boston-proper, for whatever reason, is a little bit limited in terms of outlets.  But having seen and experienced both the G-Shock boutique and a few "shop-within-shop" concepts I have to say that maybe Boston could benefit from a wee, little G-Shock pop-up to test the waters.   
note to Casio, I know the perfect location on Newbury street ; ) 

We have all seen shop within shop concepts, particularly with the big dogs from SWATCH, LVMH and Richemont.  But very seldom do we see a more affordable brand hop on the board and paddle out to these deep waters.  But to Casio's credit, they have done something very special with their concepts.

The author, about to get "G-Shocked"

Visit any uni-brand boutique, and it is not going to be able to hold absolutely everything available.  That is just a fact of life.  But to Team Casio's credit, they have created a very welcoming space with a fairly comprehensive selection of what is available both in their boutique, as well as their store within store concepts.

But G-Shock has grown and evolved beyond watches.  It has grown, in many ways, beyond merely a Casio brand to its own identity.  But it is even more than that.  G-Shock has become something of a cultural touchstone for several generations and continues to attract new customers from virtually every demographic.  I am a perfect case study of this.  As I said, the somewhat thin population of G-Shock retail outlets in Boston proper had really not prepared me for the sensory, visceral onslaught that I felt when wandering through these G-Shock specialist locations.  And it became very clear to me that G-Shock is not merely a brand, it has become something of a movement.

Every movement needs an icon, and G-Shock has a few of them.  

G-Shock men, both small...

The author, mid-sentence

and large protect and promote the spirit of the G-Shock.  It is a bit of a whimsical idea, but I can tell you that on our travels, these G-Shock men were probably the most photographed items.  And in many ways that sums up what (for me at least) is the spirit of G-Shock.  Very serious, very durable, but still fun.  You could almost see the G-Shock man staring in his very own action film.  And the spirit of fun is also found in the bright, colorful range of offerings.  

More than a few requests were made to purchase the small G-Shock mascots, all were (politely) declined.

What several of us were on the hunt for was what I have come to refer to as the G-Shock unicorn, the GMW B5000 -

Courtesy of G-Shock

And in answer to this query we were told:
"Yes, it was available.  Yes, it might still be available.  No, we do not have it."  
ごめんなさい (sorry)

And that is one very positive thing to say about getting disappointed in Japan, everyone is really, really polite about it and downright apologetic for your disappointment.  

Fast forward to my last day in Tokyo, I walked to the department stores to check their watch collections on the off-chance that I might get lucky and find one of these digital, steel bijouxs.  And...

I DID!  

In a certain department store, right above Shinjuku station, I found the rare and elusive GMW B5000 in its natural environment - the display case!  I crept up slowly, so as not to startle it, and made my enquiry -

この費用はいくらですか  (How much is this?)

and was somewhat surprised to hear that it was 60,000 Yen (about $535 US, not including the tax).  Now to a collector, who is seriously trying to lay hands to something, a $35 - $45 up-charge is really not such a big deal.  And in hindsight, it might be that this is the established retail price for Japan.  I took a moment to remind myself that I was in Japan, not at home, and things worked differently here.  And after about 15 minutes of back and forth, I had made up my mind to bite the bullet and pull the trigger.  So I said okay, I'll take it!  
And then I heard those dreaded words -

ごめんなさい (sorry)


It seemed that this particular item was simply there for display, and that while I could indeed purchase one, I would not be receiving it for several months.   And then I had to smile, and laugh to myself.  Of course!  This is a highly sought-after, highly desired item.  It made perfect sense for them to keep a display model in the case, and it makes perfect sense that if you really want one, you should be willing to place your order and get in the queue.  Desire, when properly managed, is perhaps one of the strongest marketing tools out there!  So well done G-Shock and very well-done to that department store watch department!  It worked, I now have a (rather intense) desire for that watch.  

And on a larger scale, I think that this is something that Casio and the G-Shock team have figured out better than most brands out there.  For a watch or brand to take hold of the consumer, it is not necessarily about luxury, it is not necessarily about "artisanal" craftsmanship.  It's about desire.  In truth, Casio could pass the word to G-Shock and say that seeing as demand is so great, let's quadruple the production of this one model.  That would be a very Swiss, very American solution.  The result would be a loss of the very thing that has made this particular model so sought-after, its scarcity.  But the folks at G-Shock understand that it is not necessarily such a bad thing to have a limited supply of something that everyone wants.  So I will wait, as patiently as I can.

More to come, stay tuned!

 

About as International as IHOP

STOP THE PRESS!

The International Chronometry Competition of 2019 has been announced.  Granted, the copy provided was a bit dodgy, but that's just part of the fun!

But what was even more jarring than the awkward English, was the declaration that this was the - International Chronometry Competition.  

I would draw your attention the word International.  

To be sure we had an unbiased notion, I turned to the good folks at Mirriam Webster -

international

adjective in·ter·na·tion·al \ ˌin-tər-ˈnash-nəl , -ˈna-shə-nᵊl \

Definition of international

1 : of, relating to, or affecting two or more nations

• international trade

2 : of, relating to, or constituting a group or association having members in two or more nations

• international movement

3 : active, known, or reaching beyond national boundaries

• an international reputation

Now this is particularly important when we consider that this competition is open to...

only Swiss brands!

Now I am not a geopolitical expert, but unless there was an overnight revolution in Switzerland, and Zug finally ceded from Switzerland in more than just operating policies, then this chronometry competition is about as International as the International House of Pancakes.  And while I am no expert, I am fairly certain that watches, and movements are designed and manufactured in countries other than Switzerland, but I guess the Germans and Japanese were not told that this was the International Chronometry Competition...

But as ever, I will let you read and judge for yourselves, here is the release in all of its "unique" language, straight from the source -

In 2019, the International Chronometry Competition
Amazing this competition launched by the Swiss City of Le Locle! The mere fact of being nominated is already a triumph! It is to watchmaking what a F1 Grand Prix is to the automotive world. Each watch at the start is already a pinnacle of precision.
Montreux, September 13, 2018, Stravinsky stage converted into a scientific platform open to the presentations of the Study Day of the SSC, the honourable Swiss Chronometry Society: in this leading watchmaking centre, Philippe Fischer, President of the Organizing Committee of the International Chronometry Competition, has just officially announced the 2019 edition. Faced with around 800 watchmaking professionals, he revealed the calendar, between March and December 2019, the new features of the regulations as well as the indisputable reasons for participating.

The precision tour in 80 days...
If a timepiece is taking the start of this Grand Prix, this contests, it is thanks to the fact that it has successfully completed the first precision test according to the ISO 3159 standard. What happens next is a mix between a speed and endurance competition, a mountain rally and a triathlon.
During 80 days, participating watches - registration deadline 31 March 2019 - will be subject to a battery of tests and validations: if the results of the first precision test allow it, the " nominee " status will be awarded and the name of the watch will be announced during the official launching ceremony of the competition. For the other timepieces, the rest of the operations and the transmission of the results will be done anonymously. Thus, despite the fact that these un-nominated watches remain real mountains of watchmaking know-how and expertise, the organizers are able to guarantee brands that no negative rumours will cause even a slightest damage to their image.

World-renowned Swiss precision: four accredited institutes
In 2019, only watches that satisfy the Swiss Made criteria will be eligible to compete. After the first precision test conducted by the COSC Office in Le Locle (the Swiss Official Chronometer Testing) the nominees' watches will be exposed at the Timelab Foundation in Geneva to invisible attacks by strong magnetic fields (ISO 764 standard).
From then on, and this time on a trip to La Chaux-de-Fonds, the competing watches will be embarked for 21 days in the intentional horrors of simulated accelerated ageing. This is the famous battery of tests epitomized by the Chronofiable® label, a protocol renowned for the harshness of its treatments. The pieces that will emerge unscathed are heroic watches. Moreover, a third and final chronometry inspection according to ISO 3159 will be conducted this time back in Le Locle, in order to evaluate the impact on the reliability of the "chronofiable" attacks suffered. The fourth accredited institution, the supreme authority, is METAS, the Federal Institute of Metrology, which chairs the Jury of the Competition.

One category, three distinctions
The final ranking will be determined by the results of the watches. Whether they are

Tourbillon, chronographs or similar to "simple" three hands, the winners will be divided into three shades of excellence each time defined by a lower threshold. This leading group will make the headlines, it will be used for years or even decades as a prestigious trademark. Because if the International Chronometry Competition is not a label in itself, its reputation as a title acquired through measurement and without any hint of human interventionism, remains the most indisputable of signatures. A phenomenon of radiance that begins as soon as the competing watches are announced.

 

The endorsement of History

As the heir to one of the most prestigious watchmaking traditions, this competition does not allow any human appreciation to interfere. It is the scientific expression of the science of chronometry, i.e. the ultimate quest for precision, the most subtle and successful calculations of which it expresses. Before quartz came to shake things up, these competitions were real highlights in the past. They were as promising as the Universal Exhibitions, which sometimes served as their showcase. Even today, brands still use their aura in their current advertising. They sometimes get thrilled at the exceptional value increases that such titles bring to their historical models in auctions.

 

The skills of the adjustment in the spotlight, thanks to Le Locle
What better place than the SSC, whose statutes include one of the last adjustment competitions open to students from all watchmaking schools in Switzerland, to launch the 2019 edition of the International Chronometry Competition? Because the precision of the precision is reached thanks to the calibrators, these watchmakers capable of magnifying exceptional calibres. When it started to relaunch this historic event in 2009, the City of Le Locle, City of Precision, was successful in promoting the ultimate virtues of the human hand.

Trademark Infringement Case - Independent Jeweler vs Hublot

So what has been bubbling away on the legal back burner for the past few years and today it is finally being aired out to the general public. 


I personally do not have a dog in this particular fight, so owing to this, I am going to put out the release exactly as I have received it.  

AND - I sincerely welcome comments from you all!

LANDMARK TRADEMARK INFRINGEMENT CASE PITS CELEBRITY JEWELER AGAINST LUXURY FASHION CONGLOMERATE

LVMH MOËT HENNESSY LOUIS VUITTON

The Jeweler vs. the Giant:

Celebrities such as NBA Legend Gary Payton and

Grammy Award-winning artist Shaggy set to testify in an L.A. courtroom

Los Angeles– September 12, 2018 Legendary jeweler, watchmaker to the stars, and black entrepreneur Chris Aire is preparing for one of the biggest fights of his life as he heads to court seeking to protect his creativity, livelihood, and craft against watchmaker giant Hublot, owned by luxury goods conglomerate LVMH Moët Hennessey Louis Vuitton.

The Nigerian-born American citizen Aire, well known in the luxury and celebrity world, built his company Solid 21 from the ground up, focusing on sourcing and selling conflict-free gems from mines where he is personally invested, and working to eliminate child labor in the mining industry in his home country. Solid 21 soon attracted a huge roster of high-profile clients such as the late Muhammad Ali, Will Smith, Jay-Z, Eminem, Angelina Jolie, Ellen DeGeneres, Courtney Cox, Cindy Crawford, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Miley Cyrus, Liam Hemsworth, and Jamie Foxx, to name a few. The business grew as his stunning collections of jewelry and artisan timepieces were sold around the world.

In 1989, Aire began branding a line of watches and jewelry using the moniker RED GOLD®. He believed his male clientele would rather purchase items branded with a more masculine moniker, rather than something that was traditionally called "rose gold." The strategy worked, and the line was a huge success. In 2003, Aire officially trademarked the term RED GOLD® and continued selling jewelry and watches under this new mark. Doing this expanded his male clientele, attracted media buzz, and proved to be wildly successful. “Through innovation, integrity, social responsibility and hard work, Solid 21 created a strong, magnetic brand in RED GOLD® that revolutionized the watch and jewelry industry and is highly coveted by Hollywood celebrities, sports stars and titans of industry,” says Aire.

By 2005, the Swiss watch industry took notice of the line’s success, and began misappropriating Aire’s trademark. Hublot, having previously used the term “pink gold,” began using Aire’s RED GOLD® brand to advertise its watches. This caused massive customer confusion, including with many of his existing clients.

“While some major watch brands inspired by our brand emulated our signature RED GOLD® product line,” Aire says, “Others, like Hublot owned by LVMH Moët Hennessey Louis Vuitton, decided to infringe our intellectual property rights instead. We have used the RED GOLD® brand for almost 30 years and were awarded the registered trademark 15 years ago, years before Hublot decided to begin misappropriating it.”

Aire filed suit against Hublot in 2010 and its luxury giant parent, LVMH, and was met with stiff opposition. The luxury giant not only denied any infringement, they argued that the RED GOLD® trademark was not valid, despite incontestable status from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Aire says, “For almost eight years, Hublot and its parent company LVMH attempted to use every trick in the litigation playbook to prevent a jury from hearing the story about this injustice.  But we persisted, and we overcame every obstacle thrown our way. We strongly believe that the jury will help right this wrong.”

The Solid 21, Inc. v. Hublot of America, Inc. case has wound its way through trial and appellate courts, and is now set for trial in Los Angeles on October 23, 2018. Representing Aire are intellectual property powerhouses John Pierce and David L. Hecht of Pierce Bainbridge Beck Price & Hecht LLP, who previously represented Samsung in what was called the “patent trial of the century” case against Apple.  “This isn't a normal competitor case,’ says Hecht. “It's a David v. Goliath case that will include a parade of celebrities and notable figures who will testify that Hublot's use of the RED GOLD® mark caused confusion, including the misconception that Chris Aire and Solid 21 had some relationship with Hublot.”

The witnesses Solid 21 plans to call at trial include NBA legend Gary Payton, Grammy winning recording artist Shaggy, NBA/WNBA super agent Aaron Goodwin; and Robert Filotei, formerly President of Piaget and Vice President of the Wholesale Division of Cartier Inc., New York, and former President of The American Watch Association.

Solid 21’s counsel contends the damages in the case are significant, and could be in the tens of millions of dollars. “Trademark law allows for disgorgement of a defendant's profits, damages Solid 21 is seeking in this case. In addition, Solid 21 is seeking another remedy, corrective advertising in the form of monetary relief,” says Hecht.

The Robe du Soir

From Hermès-

Courtesy of

Hermès

Here are the pertinents -

Limited and numbered edition of 12

MOVEMENT
Manufacture Hermès H1837 movement Mechanical self-winding, Swiss made Diameter: 26 mm
Thickness: 3.7 mm
Power reserve: 50 hours
Number of jewels: 28
Frequency: 28,800 vibrations per hour / 4Hz 
Decoration: Mainplate with circular-grained and snailed finishing, bridges and oscillating weight satin-brushed and adorned with ‘sprinkling of Hs’, Hermès Paris engraving 
Functions: Hours, minutes

CASE
Shape / Size: Round, 41 mm diameter
Material: Rose gold
Glass: Sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment Water resistant: 3 bar

DIAL
Leather mosaic. Motif inspired by a Hermès silk scarf designed by Florence Manlik

BUCKLE
Rose gold pin buckle

STRAP
Electric blue Swift calf skin 

Casio Visit Day 1 - Part 1

So here we go!

The first day of my visit to Casio started off with a visit to the company HQ.

And HQ is located in Shibuya-ku, Tokyo.  Shibuya is one of Tokyo's more well-known "cities within a city", and a short bus ride from our hotel in Shinjuku.  So we all hopped on the bus, and off we went.  

And within HQ there is a well laid out area that tells the story of Casio.  It bears mentioning that Casio is (believe it or not) more than just a company that makes watches.  

Casio started out quite differently.  In fact, the proper name for the company is Casio Computer Co., Ltd. and in its first incarnation it was known as Kashio Seisakujo in 1946.  But this was just a starting point, and (if Wikipedia is to be trusted) Casio Computer Co., Ltd. launched in 1957, the result of an idea to design and manufacture calculators.

The item shown above is a calculator.  Clearly, technology has advanced and sizes have shrunk significantly.  In addition, today's Casio also makes electronic keyboards, e-dictionaries, and is an industry leader in projectors.  And they also make a few watches ; )

Now just to be clear, Casio is not known, by and large, as a "classical" watch maker.  By that I mean mechanical movements.  And to be just as clear, it is evident that Casio has no desire to enter that area.  The Casiotron marked their entry into the watch business in the early 1970s.  

And from that moment, Casio indelibly marked the evolution of watches not just in Japan, but the world at large.  

Calculator watches are seemingly trivial items now, but back in the 1980s they were a cause for panic in high school math classes and it is rumored that during one SAT exam in 1986, a young aspirant was forced to hand over his watch to the proctor mid-test, or face having his scores voided.  
Editor's note - this is actually more than just a rumor, as I was in that exam session (Elyria, Ohio).

But Casio was constantly moving forward, with innovations in functionality and durability.

The shapes and styles evolving with the trends of the day.

While I personally am loathe to speak of company "DNA", it is safe to say that what runs constant through the story of Casio's development as a watch brand is constant evolution despite what some would deem radical, sudden, revolution.

The Casio of today embodies a group of brands, not the least of which well-known is G-Shock.  We will be going deep on G-Shock tomorrow as "supplemental reading".  But suffice it to say, today's G-Shock while a big step, was in many ways a logical next step in the constant evolution of Casio's watch product development.  

More to come later, but for now we will close this first portion.  


 


Stay tuned! 

Magical Mystery Tour - Visiting Casio in Japan

Okay, this is more of a preamble than the actual report.  And fair warning, the actual report is going to be several installments as there is far too much to cover in a single go.  I was fortunate enough to be included in a group of media and retailers to visit Casio's HQ this past week.

The tour itself included HQ, the R & D center, as well as a manufacturing center.  And although Casio embodies several brands, the main emphasis was on G-Shock.

I even got "G-Shocked" at a few specialty boutiques throughout the Tokyo metro area. 

We're going to spool it out for you over several days, so stay tuned!

The Back Door - from Truck to Store

So a brief smile crossed my lips yesterday morning as I read someone waxing lyrical about the addition of yet another "prestigious" brand joining website X's (also) "prestigious" stable of "curated" brands selling their authorized pre-owned collections.

So a little inside baseball for all of you fans of bargain priced watches.  In this instance, prestigious means about as much as you, the customer are willing to invest in it.  

And the word curated?  Let's face some realities.  We are talking about a Internet sales channel, not the Louvre, Tate or MOMA.  The watches you are seeing are only curated in the sense that brands Y and Z had surplus stock.  Surplus either due to over-production that has partially gone out to grey market sites already, or pieces re-po'd from retail stores where the brand either had to do a buy back (okay, these didn't sell, so if you agree to continue carrying our watches and accept this new model, we will take these back in trade), or as is more and more the case?  They closed a store's account.

It is easy to think that you are having an experience like buying a factory authorized pre-owned BMW.  Maybe 10 (more like 15) years ago this was more likely.  More and more you are buying overstock that has been dispatched by the brands themselves.  In some instances, in order to try and preserve brand integrity, they will platoon out their overstock under the guise of pre-owned so that although it is going at a discounted price, it is not being sold as new through a known grey-marketeer.  For the brand?  They get the same margins, and to the outside world the perception is that they are merely re-distributing watches that were "traded in".  The truth?  9 times out of 10 these watches are pre-owned only in the sense that they were in one distribution center, and now they are in another.  Because, if we are being honest about this, you don't tend to see too many watch brands incentivize you to trade in your watch towards a new one.  Watch stores?  Absolutely!  But that is a completely different thing.  

So here's to those carefully curated pre-owned collections!  Takes some of the stigma away from saying grey-market, doesn't it ; )