article to read

[Oceanklassik]

Business Times, Friday, September 15, 2017

Zenith CEO goes against the grain for greater gain

He is also revamping Zenith's website and plans to shrink the physical distribution network by as much as 30%


A DUSTY attic at the Zenith watch factory in Switzerland bears witness to the company's near-death experience and rebirth. Four decades ago, a gutsy foreman hid the dies and punches used to shape the myriad tiny parts that make up a mechanical timepiece, defying orders from the US owners to junk them.

The move saved the company when the Swiss industry, after nearly ruining itself with a wholesale embrace of quartz technology, reverted to mechanical movements a few years later for its high-end pieces. Zenith was able to tap its mothballed tools as watchmakers realized that survival depended on updating their heritage of craftsmanship, not jettisoning it entirely.

Now a new Zenith boss, chief executive officer Julien Tornare, is leading the latest attempt to revive the watchmaker as the industry recovers from the biggest slump since the quartz crisis. He's bucking some of the industry's conventional wisdom, this time with the blessing of the brand's current owner, French luxury conglomerate LVMH.

Surrounded by reminders of 1970s foreman Charles Vermot's actions, he's taking care not to move too far from the traditions of a watchmaker known for conservative designs like its plain-faced steel Elite Classic 3 Hands starting at 4,900 francs (S$6,864).

"If we don't want to become a museum industry, we need to evolve," said Mr Tornare. "Zenith is lacking brand awareness, is perceived as a bit dusty, a bit old-fashioned."

While exports are climbing back after a downturn caused by a crackdown on corruption in China, the rise of the smartwatch and terrorism in Europe, the industry faces a conundrum. Steeped in heritage and the antiquated manual assembly of mechanical watches, it's got to keep the history alive while embracing the demands of a new breed of buyers who might be eyeing Apple Inc's latest watch instead.

While LVMH sister brand TAG Heuer and some Swiss makers have introduced smartwatches, Zenith has no plans to do so, Mr Tornare said. Instead, he's introducing a new mechanical watch that features the first new oscillator since 1675, streamlining the roster of retail partners and encouraging fans to customize Zenith's watches - something that's frowned upon at most high-end labels.

Zenith, a 152-year-old brand whose timepieces sell for an average 7,500 francs, this year became the first Swiss watchmaker to officially partner with the UK's Bamford Watch Department, which modifies and personalizes pieces for clients. Zenith supplies it with components and in turn gets to validate the final product. The aim is to cater to the whims of clients like one collector who seeks watches with three yellow parts in them, Mr Tornare said.

Watchmakers have generally balked at customization for fear of losing control over their design and image. Germany's Blaken GmbH, which modifies and customizes Rolex timepieces, giving them a black tint, notifies visitors to its website that it's in no way connected with or licensed by the Swiss brand.

"It's just the beginning and very complicated to manage logistically," said Mr Tornare. "But it's like when people said they would never sell on e-commerce. You can't say you're not going to do it. If we claim we're innovative, it must not just be the product, but also the culture."

Mr Tornare joined Zenith in May after 17 years at Richemont's Vacheron Constantin, whose watches are considerably more expensive. Forward thinking is needed to attract what the Zenith chief described as a second generation of Chinese buyers - young people who are choosier than their parents and no longer willing to buy anything at any price.

For consumers everywhere, 10,000 francs has become a "psychological barrier" regardless of their financial means, he said. Early sales of the new Defy El Primero 21 range, which starts at 9,900 francs, have been the strongest for any Zenith watch in a long time.

The new CEO is revamping Zenith's website and plans to shrink the physical distribution network by as much as 30 per cent in the next 12 to 18 months, from more than 800 points of sale. Zenith will cut off retailers who don't promote the brand effectively, while looking for new store locations in Beijing and, eventually, New York and London.

Almost all markets are starting to recover, Mr Tornare said, reflecting the broader rebound seen in Swiss watch exports over the past few months. "We see good signs and more optimism on all levels. And the noise around our brand is positive."

- Bloomberg

[Oceanklassik]

IMG_4813.jpg

BELL & ROSS RS17 TRILOGY

Last year, Bell & Ross entered the F1 arena and launched its first collection of watches with Renault, RS16. This year, it is following up with the RS17 trilogy. Reminiscent of an F1 steering wheel, these chronograph models feature different colours found on the steering wheel of the Renault F1 racing machine.

There are three models. The BR 03-94 (500 pieces at $9,000 each) has a ceramic case and a sporty carbon dial, making it light but sturdy. The start-and-stop push button is rendered in yellow and anodized aluminium, the same hue used by Renault since it entered F1 in the mid-1970s. The BR X1 (250 pieces at $34,900 each) is a new take on the brand's iconic BR 03, with a skeleton mechanism which can be admired through grey-tinted sapphire crystal. The bezel has a tachymeter scale for calculating racing speeds, while the dial flange has hour segments in different colours.

And if you have the means for something unique and different, the BR X1 Tourbillon (above) has a glorious tourbillon movement inside a cage that is fitted on a hub but looks as though it is floating on air. The stunning piece, of which there are only 20 pieces, goes for a cool $245,000.

IMG_4814.jpg

IWC INGENIEUR CHRONOGRAPH SPORT EDITION 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF MERCEDES-AMG

This is a new Ingenieur collection launched at this year's Goodwood Members Meeting (Goodwood is a famous venue for motor sport in the United Kingdom). First introduced in the 1950s, the Ingenieur line was developed by IWC to offer protection against magnetic fields generated by modern gadgets such as TV and radio receivers. Magnetic fields can negatively affect the precision of mechanical watches. Boasting elegant classic lines, the new collection runs from a basic Ingenieur Automatic up to a perpetual calendar.

F1 enthusiasts will probably zoom in on the IWC Ingenieur Chronograph Sport Edition 50th Anniversary Of Mercedes-AMG limited-edition model (above). Equipped with the calibre 89361, the caseback has holes drilled in a circular formation to make it look like a brake disc. The words Tribute to One Man One Engine are engraved on the soft iron cage, referencing the fact that every AMG engine is put together from scratch by just one mechanic.

IWC has opted to use red, white and anthracite for different features to reflect the colour schemes found at race tracks all around the world. The 50th anniversary Ingenieur model retails for $17,900.

- by Wong Kim Hoh

[Oceanklassik]

The Straits Times - Thursday, September 7, 2017

Formula One timekeepers


Watches are integral to the motor racing event and both go back a long way


Luxury watches are small and refined; Formula One cars big and brash. But they make good bedfellows and it is not hard to see why. Both are marvels of great design and even more impressive engineering, and both have a big and loyal fan base.

Their relationship goes way back. Time-keeping is a crucial part not just of Formula One, but also of motor racing in general, and has been so ever since the first documented motor racing event more than 150 years ago.

Without time-keeping, there will be no recording of lap times or race times and no way of determining winners and losers. Wristwatches in motor racing came into the limelight in the 1930s, thanks to the late Malcolm Campbell, a famous racing motorist and motoring journalist, who made headlines for breaking records, sometimes in unsafe vehicles.

On Sept 4, 1935, he set a new land speed record of 485kmh on the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah while wearing, he proudly proclaimed, a Rolex. The first F1, as we know it today, took place in 1950 but it was not until 1968 that commercial sponsorship was allowed.

Among the many companies that forked out wads of cash to have their logos emblazoned on racing cars were Swiss watchmakers including Tag and Heuer, which were originally two different companies. Tag even bought a stake in McLaren in 1983.

Three years later when it bought over Heuer, Tag Heuer went into a collaboration with McLaren which went on for 30 seasons. During this time, the watchmaker produced a whole range of F1 timepieces, many in limited editions. Over the decades, many of the biggest names in watchmaking have sponsored F1 teams and produced watches for the event.

Although global TV viewership has waned somewhat, the event still reels in more than 400 million today. The Singapore race attracts an average international viewership of more than 80 million.

Partnerships on the horological grid this year include Tag Heuer and Red Bull, Hublot and Scuderia Ferrari, Bell & Ross and Renault, as well as Richard Mille and McLaren-Honda.


Race watches to look out for

IMG_4811.jpg

TAG HEUER CARRERA HEUER-01

Mr Jean-Claude Biver, chief executive officer of Tag Heuer and president of the LVMH Watch Division, says F1 is deeply rooted in the brand's DNA. In addition to three watches under its Ayrton Senna Limited Editions, the brand has also come out with a head-turning chrono in Red Bull's striking colours of red and blue. The forceful 45mm diameter watch comes with a bezel which sports a tachymeter scale in blue ceramic, a blue skeleton dial and a sapphire caseback which allows you to admire the mechanism within.

There are two versions: one in a steel bracelet and the other in a blue leather strap with red top stitching (above). Prices are $8,200 and $7,950 respectively.

IMG_4812.jpg

HUBLOT BIG BANG FERRARI UNICO TITANIUM

Hublot's partnership with Ferrari began in 2011 and the collaboration has yielded some arresting timepieces. The Big Bang Ferrari is a new edition of the iconic watch, with a minute counter and date window designed like a car tachometer and style of date inspired by a Ferrari speed dial.

Equipped with a Unico movement, the watch's bezel has countersunk notches for the six screws while the crown - marked with the Hublot logo - reminds one of the Turbo Performance Engineer in the middle of a Ferrari dashboard. The 45mm watch comes with a black strap made from black alacantra on black rubber, with red over-stitching like that seen in Ferrari upholstery; or in black Schedoni leather to reference the design of Ferrari seats.

The titanium edition (above) - of which there are only 1,000 pieces - costs $37,200. There are also editions in King Gold (500 pieces) and uni-directional carbon (500 pieces).

[Oceanklassik]

This is another article of the Paul Newman Rolex Daytona in today's Business Times:

IMG_4783.jpg

[Oceanklassik]

The Straits Times, life (Monday, September 4, 2017)

Paul Newman's rare Rolex surfaces to go under the hammer

IMG_4782.jpg

New York - Who would give the time of day to a 1968 Rolex Daytona once owned by actor Paul Newman?

Maybe not the cellphone-toting masses who think of mechanical watches as anachronistic devices once used by their grandparents. But to the swelling legions of watch geeks worldwide, who think of vintage timepieces as fine art, a Paul Newman Daytona is the one watch that seemingly every self-respecting collector needs to own.

It is coveted all the more because for decades, no one outside the Newman family seemed to know where it was. Well, the secret is out. On Oct 26, the lost masterpiece will go on sale as the centrepiece of a watch auction in New York.

Mr Andrew Shear, a prominent New York vintage watch dealer, said: "I could see it selling for US$10 million (S$13.6 million)."

No one would be more baffled by the commotion than Newman himself. The actor, who died in 2008, may have been a marquee-topping Oscar winner and global sex symbol, but in his daily life, he was the antithesis of Hollywood, said his daughter Nell.

For decades, he lived a quiet life with his family in Connecticut, often driving a Volkswagen Beetle and wearing a three-piece patchwork denim ensemble when circumstances forced him to dress up. Back then, his watch was similarly low-key. Although a modern Rolex Cosmograph Daytona costs US$12,400, the models of the 1960s and 1970s cost about US$250 and were little more than timekeepers for motoring enthusiasts, featuring a stopwatch for timing laps and a tachymeter for calculating speed.

Newman's 1968 model was a gift from Joanne Woodward, his wife of 50 years, when he became consumed with auto racing. The back was engraved "Drive Carefully Me". Even so, the 6239 model that Newman would make famous (he owned at least one other version later) was distinctive and relatively rare. There may be only a few thousand in the world today, dealers said.

Regardless, the actor apparently thought so little of it that he handed it to Mr James Cox, Ms Newman's boyfriend at the time, in 1984. Mr Cox's first inkling that his watch was valuable came at a trade show in 1993, when a Japanese man approached him and excitedly blurted out, "Paul Newman watch".

The legend continued to grow with the rise of the Internet, when vintage shots of Newman, with his rugged good looks, no-nonsense air and cool watch, became a staple of style blogs and Pinterest boards. Not that anyone besides Mr Cox knew where the watch was.

Three years ago, watch site Hodinkee listed it as one of the 12 Greatest Missing Watches, alongside Spanish painter Pablo Picasso's Jaeger-LeCoultre Triple Calendar, ex-Beatle John Lennon's Patek Philippe 2499 and Cuban revolutionary Fidel Castro's Rolex GMT-Master.

Mr Cox, who runs a company that makes sunglasses for pilots, was only dimly aware of the hubbub. "At some point about eight or nine years ago, I realized that my watch had its own Wikipedia page and that there was this 'where did it go' question and all this stuff," he said.

But "I've always erred on the side of trying to keep the family as private as possible, and that was just the classy thing to do".

Finally, however, after discussions with watch experts, he spilled the secret in June, when he came forward with his decision to auction off the watch and give "a big Nell Newman Foundation, which focuses on environmental issues.

It is time now for watch collectors to act.

- NYTIMES

[Oceanklassik]

It's probably just me. Still prefer bronze on green

[triton]

bronze and blue dial - the new trend?

bronzes cases with blue dial is the new trend?

read it here

will you bet on it?

[triton]

perform artist are now new ambassdors

this performing artist is born to dare. can you guess who?



click here to read who is next artist to be targeted for watch endorsement

[Oceanklassik]

The Business Times - 25 August 2018

Luxury watch market ticks up ahead of time, thanks to Chinese orders

A BIG jump in orders from China has put the global market for luxury timepieces back on its feet sooner than expected, after having languished for more than two years. This should be good news for the Singapore market, which is among the world's 10 biggest, and one of four among the 10 to have posted growth so far this year.

Switzerland is virtually the sole supplier of such timepieces, and the Chinese snap up the bulk of them; not only do the Chinese import the watches, they buy them on their travels to major watch markets such as Singapore.

Sales of Swiss watches went into free fall during the 2008 global recession, but this didn't last long. Strong orders from China and Hong Kong in the following year arrested the dive and pulled Swiss exports up 22.7 per cent year on year. The slump in the market in the last two years was due in large part to China's crackdown on corruption, which shrank Chinese orders.

But it looks like China has come to the rescue of the Swiss once more, as Richemont Group chief financial officer Gary Saage told financial analysts in mid-May: "Mainland China has been really quite strong and has been for nine months." Richemont is one of the two biggest Swiss producers of luxury timepieces; the other is the Swatch Group. Mr Saage's remark came at around the time the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry reported that shipments to the mainland surged 39 per cent in April. This strong double-digit growth continued for the next three months; shipments in July saw a 22.3 per cent jump.

In the first seven months of this year, Swiss watch exports to China rose 21.8 per cent to 850.1 million Swiss francs (S$1.19 billion), said the federation. Swiss watch exports globally have yet to return to their pre-slump level, but they have been growing for three straight months so far. Shipments were up 3.4 per cent in July; in the first seven months of this year, Swiss watch exports expanded 0.7 per cent to 10.31 billion francs.

The expansion in value terms was backed by mechanical watches, which grew 2 per cent; quartz products lost ground (minus 4.5 per cent). Gold watch shipments fell in value but exports of steel timepieces expanded; exports of platinum and bi-metal models also rose.

Watches priced under 200 francs (export price) were the only category to decline, shedding 11.2 per cent in value. Those in the 200-500 franc price range rose 3 per cent; watches priced above 500 francs posted a 1.3 per cent gain.

Among the top 10 markets, Swiss watch exports were still down in the US (minus 4.8 per cent), Italy (minus 9.9 per cent), Germany (minus 3.3 per cent), France (minus 3.7 per cent) and UAE (minus 7.4 per cent). But the Swiss watch federation thinks the worst is over - and sooner than expected. It said: "Although Swiss watch industry exports are not equally dynamic everywhere, their overall trend has stabilized...This stabilization had not been expected before the end of the year."

Swatch chief executive Nick Hayek predicted in March that Swiss watch sales would rise by 5-10 per cent this year. Richemont chairman Johann Rupert, who thinks the root of the problem is over-production, envisages a gradual recovery. Thanks to a favourable base effect, Swiss shipments to Hong Kong (Switzerland's biggest watch market) jumped 16.8 per cent in July and 2.9 per cent between January and July.

Even the UK, which registered an 8.5 per cent fall in shipments in July, grew 12.1 per cent in the first seven months because of an under-value pound. Swiss watch shipments to Singapore rose 3.8 per cent in July, and by 0.9 per cent in the first seven months to 574.5 million francs. Exports to Singapore barely grew in 2015 and tumbled 10.4 per cent in 2016.

Singapore retailers now no longer moan over poor sales, but are remaining cautious. "Prudent growth" is the catch phrase for The Hour Glass this year. Singapore's largest retail watch chain reported that, for the financial year ended March 2017, sales shrank by 2 per cent to S$696.1 million, and after-tax profit fell 7 per cent to S$49.6 million.

Cortina Holdings, the next biggest local watch chain, halted two straight years of decline to announce that sales climbed 6 per cent to S$390.8 million for the financial year ended March 2017. Net profit jumped 47 per cent to S$12.5 million. It put this down to its new and refurbished stores and marketing efforts.

- by Chuang Peck Ming

[Oceanklassik]

IMG_4711.jpg

[Oceanklassik]

Straits Times, life - Thursday, Aug 24, 2017

COLOURFUL TIMES

Many luxury watch brands have brought out the paint palette, using colours to be more creative and reel in younger customers

If you do not know already, this year's colour is "greenery". The Pantone Colour Institute has decreed that the zesty yellow-green hue - or, more specifically, Pantone 15-0343 - best represents the mood and attitude of 2017.

As has been the case since 2000, when the institute first declared a colour of the year, players in the design industry, from fashion to architecture, beavered away to inject this hue into what they do. But even before the announcement in December last year, watchmakers have been playing with various shades of Kermit.

They include Swiss luxe jeweler de Grisogono, which gave its Allegra watch lime-green rubber straps; and Hublot, which did a green take with one of its Big Bang Tutti Frutti models. Rolex has a fabulous green Submariner, while Tag Heuer, in a collaboration with footballer Cristiano Ronaldo, rolled out the Formula 1 CR7 in a fetching shade of green too.

In fact, many high-end watch brands have, of late, ditched conservatism and brought out the paint palette.

Trying economic times call for more vibrant strategies and creative approaches, one of which is to marry horological smarts and street cred by taking a chance on colour. Opening the paint box is also one way of reeling in younger buyers.

At the Baselworld watch and jewellery fair this year, many of the headturners came in an assortment of hues, from scarlet to turquoise.

Bulgari flaunted its vibrantly coloured Serpenti collection and launched an app that allows customers to pick their own dial, case and strap. Hublot also introduced a new collection, Spirit of Bog Bang Moonphase, in colours including pink and purple.

If you are thinking of getting some colour on your wrist, here are some options.

IMG_4710.jpg

IMG_4712.jpg

[Oceanklassik]

...speaking of which, watch this short interview - who wears a Citizen watch?

[triton]

millionaire ditches rolex for smart watch

another similar article to Oceanklassik's article found in todays ST

this article titled - this millionaire CEO chooses to wear fitbit over a rolex.

now, will you ditch your rolex for a smart watch like fitbit?

[Oceanklassik]

Today in the Straits Times, Digital

Smart move to place your bets on smartwatches

While the market may not seem to be rosy now, signs are pointing to such devices remaining relevant

Is the smartwatch still relevant? Wait, you don't know what a smartwatch is?

For the uninitiated, a smartwatch is a wristwatch with "smart" functions that alert you when there is an incoming call, a new e-mail message or an upcoming appointment. It usually connects to your smartphone via Bluetooth. Some even have built-in cellular capabilities that allow them to be untethered from a smartphone.

Being a tech geek and a watch lover, I feel the smartwatch is the greatest thing since sliced bread. I bought the first-generation Motorola Moto 360 smartwatch before it was launched here. I also bought the original Apple Watch in Tokyo before it reached our shores.

I like that I can read messages and incoming e-mails on my smartwatch whenever I stop my car at a traffic light. I like my smartwatch telling me to stand up when I have been sitting for too long. I also like it guiding me through a range of breathing exercises and showing me how many steps I have taken a day.

I have even stopped buying new watches because of the smartwatch (OK, I still do - but don't tell my wife). It just feels funny and unempowered to have a "dumb" watch on my wrist. But the smartwatch market is not looking rosy at the moment.

Apart from the Apple Watch, which seems to be doing well, there are a number of worrying signs for the smartwatch market at the moment.

After running into financial issues, smartwatch poster boy Pebble no longer exists. It was bought over by fitness tracker giant Fitbit last year, and no longer sells new Pebble smartwatches. And Fitbit itself has yet to launch its rumoured Blaze smartwatch (at press time).

Google's smartwatch operating system Android Wear 2.0 - announced last May - took nearly a year after its announcement to be on the market. LG, Motorola and Huawei are not expected to launch new smartwatches any time soon. Huawei's current CEO Eric Xu even admitted during an analyst summit in April that he never saw the "need to wear smartwatches".

Such developments prompted many critics to question the relevance of this fledgling device. But I think the smartwatch is still relevant. For one thing, the forecasts for smartwatches remain optimistic. Research firm Canalys predicted in a March report that the smartwatch market will grow 18 per cent this year, compared with last year, with an expected shipment of 28.5 million units. By 2021, more than 50 million smartwatches are expected to be shipped.

Rumoured cellular-enabled smartwatches from Apple, which reportedly will be launched later this year, are also expected to give the market a boost, according to a Canalys report this month. Smartwatches might not be churning up a tsunami that some analysts have predicted, but they are making tiny waves in our digital lives.

A friend recently got herself an Apple Watch Series 2. She is now totally into it - and she's not even a watch person - because it motivates her to go for runs and be more fit. With the Apple Watch Series 2 and Samsung Gear 3 smartwatches, you can also make mobile payments. And with the recent launch of the EZ-Charm Wearable that can be attached to a Gear 3 or Gear Fit2, you can even pay for public transport using your smartwatch.

I feel the main problem with many early smartwatches is that they are made by inexperienced start-ups or tech companies. Thus, you mostly get a gadget that you wear on the wrist, instead of a wristwatch. And people want to wear a wristwatch that feels like one, or at least a pretty one that does not feel like a gadget.

But, in recent months, we saw the launch of new smartwatches from fashion and luxury brands such as Louis Vuitton, Montblanc and Tag Heuer. With their vast experience in watchmaking, they will be the prime mover of the next generation of smartwatches that consumers will want or even lust for.

If smartwatches are not the future, I doubt that these watchmakers will be jumping on the bandwagon.

- by Trevor Tan

[E_mor3j]

I feel atm a good model to buy would be the Patrizzi Dial Daytona..

Paul newmans have reached a bubble already i feel. I think every collection should have a rolex day date!