Amazing are these:
We do have a watch thread here https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...atches-what-do-yall-have-on-your-wrists.6702/
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Amazing are these:
We do have a watch thread here https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...atches-what-do-yall-have-on-your-wrists.6702/
Great video. These companys are obssesd when it comes to mechanical manufactering. With no economic pressure from investors the costs of production is a low priority. The watches are usualy sold before the production even begins. They come not close to satisfy the demand. Which is of course part of the business model…i wish i had the skills for working in this segment..
This provides an excuse to expound endlessly on a topic of little interest to most here. That's just about my favorite thing to do
The notion that the Swiss think of Rolex as a watch for poseurs is rather overstated. It is entirely true that Rolexes have become the status symbols of the wealthy--a sort-of every day watch for those who have money to spend and don't mind that others know it. And it's true that what old Europeans might describe as nouveau riches might 1.) be poseurs, and 2.) be wearing a Rolex (or a Fauxlex).
But it is not true that Rolexes are unpopular with watch collectors, or that it is a brand for poseurs. The fact is that Rolexes are extremely well-made for their apparent functional purpose--durable, serviceable (far moreso than many boutique brands), and accurate (by the standards of mechanical watches). Those who run much higher-end companies often admire Rolex out loud. One such was amazed as to how Rolex sustained such quality and consistency so cheaply (this statement, by the way, predates the last decade of enormous collector-driven price increases). Rolex collectors have lost their minds, but that isn't the watch's fault.
It is true that collectors generally dislike Hublot, for reasons I don't fully understand but certainly related to the way they are marketed. Panerai fits in the same category. Both are enormously popular with just the sorts of people who would buy a Rolex but want something different.
Watch nuts tend to avoid brands that are popular with regular people, for reasons that are frankly not complimentary.
By the way, I don't own an Audemars-Piguet or a Patek-Philippe (or a Rolex), but I do own watches from Girard-Perregaux, Ulysse Nardin, Ebel, Zenith, JLC, Concord, Heuer, Zodiac, Seiko, Movado, Yema, Marathon, Hamilton, Bulova, a few microbrands and one-offs, and probably another half a dozen I've forgotten. All of them were made for those who, in part, were posing. Yes, even the Seiko Black Monster diver, which is hardly more expensive than a G-Shock. And a G-Shock is certainly not styled the way it is because their owners just want to tell time on their wrist.
Here's a fun fact: There were several ways in which family watch-company owners tried to perpetuate their companies beyond their own lives. Jacques-David LeCoultre (grandson of the founder) established a family holding company (SAPIC) to carry on the ownership after his death. That worked for about 20 years, until Henry Leuba rescued a failing Roger LeCoultre and reformed the holding company (as SAPHIR) to fight off a takeover attempt from the previous manager, who parted company, taking with him Vacheron Constantin (one of the Trinity), which before the 60's was owned by SAPIC. They hung on until Gunther Blumlein came along with VDO backing.
Zodiac did not survive its third generation, and Rene Ariste sold out to Dixi Machine (Paul Castella) in the late 70's. Nothing happened with them through several owners until Fossil decided to establish their premium brands as fully Swiss. Zodiac, which they had bought in 2001, was one of those, and it is now surprisingly like it was back in the day. Another fun fact: Tom Kartsotis, the founder of Fossil and a classmate of mine, though I didn't know him, now owns Shinola.
Zenith Watch Company established a corporation to take over after the founder's death, and was owned by the banks until Dixi Machine bought them, too, also in the late 70's (after a decade-long partnership with Movado that was owned by the coincidentally names Zenith Electronics during part of that period). They sold Zenith to Louis Vuitton in 1999, who still owns it.
Movado was an old Swiss company that Dixi didn't want when it bought the Zenith-Movado holding company. They sold the Movado part to a Cuban-American who renamed his company from the North American Watch Company to the Movado Group. Gerry Grinberg's son Efraim is the CEO of this publicly traded company based in New Jersey, but the watch-making parts for their premium brands (including Movado) are all Swiss and based in the same town as Rolex's movement manufacture (and also Omega's HQ): Biel/Bienne.
Patek Philippe was bought by their American sales agency in the late 20's, and the Sterns still own it. Audemars-Piguet is one of the few companies still owned by their founding families.
Now, to Rolex, the purpose of all this: Hans Wilsdorf also wanted a way to perpetuate his company, so he created a non-profit foundation. Wilsdorf only own a portion of Rolex, but he had already bought out the descendants of his original partner's family (Davis). But he did not own the movement factory itself--that was owned by Aegler, who made movements for a time also for Gruen. Rolex and Aegler were joined at the hip, and each owned chunks of the other's company. But Rolex (aka Wilsdorf Foundation) did not fully own Aegler until 2006, notwithstanding that Aegler's buildings in Biel/Bienne had Rolex signs on their roofs for half a century. The two Rolex factories plus their HQ in Geneva make cases and perform final assembly. So, the portion of Rolex owned by the Wilsdorf Foundation is ultimately non-profit, but of course, the employees and trustees of the foundation work for their salaries. But it means that Rolex net profits have done a lot of interesting charitable things over the last half century or so.
In terms of which strategy works for perpetuating a company most successfully, Wilsdorf's business model seems to have ruled the day. Only Omega and Cartier are even on the same planet of production volume for "fine" watches at that general price point.
I don't own a Rolex because I gravitate to watches that are unique buying opportunities, and Rolexes are almost never that. And I'm with Frank in not really liking the fluted bezel of the traditional Datejust. But I would not turn down a Submariner Deep Sea, GMT Master II, or Daytona, should any of you decide to give me one.
Rick "into watch company history at least as much as the watches themselves" Denney
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digitalfrost
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The Chevrolet C8 Corvette
Nothing more needs to be said.
Nothing more needs to be said.
Industrial bathroom floor scale design
View attachment 140777
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digitalfrost
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Uuuh I love heated floors.
I'd love to have a house built with such, refurbishing mine not so much....
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I knew this would be a reply. The Ford protected it's occupant, while the Porsche did not.Nope, that would be a 1950 Ford Deluxe Tudor:
My old friend Hans Mezger's master work RIPPorsche 917K, Type 912 engine, aircooled flat-12:
True but by fortunate happenstance not by design
It is a reminder that driving quickly if there is a fair amount of traffic is risky when somebody not very competent might be around driving something very big and heavy...
This provides an excuse to expound endlessly on a topic of little interest to most here. That's just about my favorite thing to do
The notion that the Swiss think of Rolex as a watch for poseurs is rather overstated. It is entirely true that Rolexes have become the status symbols of the wealthy--a sort-of every day watch for those who have money to spend and don't mind that others know it. And it's true that what old Europeans might describe as nouveau riches might 1.) be poseurs, and 2.) be wearing a Rolex (or a Fauxlex).
But it is not true that Rolexes are unpopular with watch collectors, or that it is a brand for poseurs. The fact is that Rolexes are extremely well-made for their apparent functional purpose--durable, serviceable (far moreso than many boutique brands), and accurate (by the standards of mechanical watches). Those who run much higher-end companies often admire Rolex out loud. One such was amazed as to how Rolex sustained such quality and consistency so cheaply (this statement, by the way, predates the last decade of enormous collector-driven price increases). Rolex collectors have lost their minds, but that isn't the watch's fault.
It is true that collectors generally dislike Hublot, for reasons I don't fully understand but certainly related to the way they are marketed. Panerai fits in the same category. Both are enormously popular with just the sorts of people who would buy a Rolex but want something different.
Watch nuts tend to avoid brands that are popular with regular people, for reasons that are frankly not complimentary.
By the way, I don't own an Audemars-Piguet or a Patek-Philippe (or a Rolex), but I do own watches from Girard-Perregaux, Ulysse Nardin, Ebel, Zenith, JLC, Concord, Heuer, Zodiac, Seiko, Movado, Yema, Marathon, Hamilton, Bulova, a few microbrands and one-offs, and probably another half a dozen I've forgotten. All of them were made for those who, in part, were posing. Yes, even the Seiko Black Monster diver, which is hardly more expensive than a G-Shock. And a G-Shock is certainly not styled the way it is because their owners just want to tell time on their wrist.
Here's a fun fact: There were several ways in which family watch-company owners tried to perpetuate their companies beyond their own lives. Jacques-David LeCoultre (grandson of the founder) established a family holding company (SAPIC) to carry on the ownership after his death. That worked for about 20 years, until Henry Leuba rescued a failing Roger LeCoultre and reformed the holding company (as SAPHIR) to fight off a takeover attempt from the previous manager, who parted company, taking with him Vacheron Constantin (one of the Trinity), which before the 60's was owned by SAPIC. They hung on until Gunther Blumlein came along with VDO backing.
Zodiac did not survive its third generation, and Rene Ariste sold out to Dixi Machine (Paul Castella) in the late 70's. Nothing happened with them through several owners until Fossil decided to establish their premium brands as fully Swiss. Zodiac, which they had bought in 2001, was one of those, and it is now surprisingly like it was back in the day. Another fun fact: Tom Kartsotis, the founder of Fossil and a classmate of mine, though I didn't know him, now owns Shinola.
Zenith Watch Company established a corporation to take over after the founder's death, and was owned by the banks until Dixi Machine bought them, too, also in the late 70's (after a decade-long partnership with Movado that was owned by the coincidentally names Zenith Electronics during part of that period). They sold Zenith to Louis Vuitton in 1999, who still owns it.
Movado was an old Swiss company that Dixi didn't want when it bought the Zenith-Movado holding company. They sold the Movado part to a Cuban-American who renamed his company from the North American Watch Company to the Movado Group. Gerry Grinberg's son Efraim is the CEO of this publicly traded company based in New Jersey, but the watch-making parts for their premium brands (including Movado) are all Swiss and based in the same town as Rolex's movement manufacture (and also Omega's HQ): Biel/Bienne.
Patek Philippe was bought by their American sales agency in the late 20's, and the Sterns still own it. Audemars-Piguet is one of the few companies still owned by their founding families.
Now, to Rolex, the purpose of all this: Hans Wilsdorf also wanted a way to perpetuate his company, so he created a non-profit foundation. Wilsdorf only own a portion of Rolex, but he had already bought out the descendants of his original partner's family (Davis). But he did not own the movement factory itself--that was owned by Aegler, who made movements for a time also for Gruen. Rolex and Aegler were joined at the hip, and each owned chunks of the other's company. But Rolex (aka Wilsdorf Foundation) did not fully own Aegler until 2006, notwithstanding that Aegler's buildings in Biel/Bienne had Rolex signs on their roofs for half a century. The two Rolex factories plus their HQ in Geneva make cases and perform final assembly. So, the portion of Rolex owned by the Wilsdorf Foundation is ultimately non-profit, but of course, the employees and trustees of the foundation work for their salaries. But it means that Rolex net profits have done a lot of interesting charitable things over the last half century or so.
In terms of which strategy works for perpetuating a company most successfully, Wilsdorf's business model seems to have ruled the day. Only Omega and Cartier are even on the same planet of production volume for "fine" watches at that general price point.
I don't own a Rolex because I gravitate to watches that are unique buying opportunities, and Rolexes are almost never that. And I'm with Frank in not really liking the fluted bezel of the traditional Datejust. But I would not turn down a Submariner Deep Sea, GMT Master II, or Daytona, should any of you decide to give me one.
Rick "into watch company history at least as much as the watches themselves" Denney
I agree with all you say and these comments would fit better in the other watch thread in which you proved you knowledge and active postings.
I think it's rather a mater of which fan club you belong to:
I can't see a Maserati owner having a Porsche.
I can't see a Porsche owner having a Lotus.
It's the je ne sais quoi that would pull me off to belong to a category or may be designated as a nouveau riche as you perfectly stated.
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