FRIDAY WIND DOWN: 13th January, 2017 – the future edition
Felix Scholz
Welcome to the first Wind Down of 2017! And, as much as the last posts of 2016 were all about looking back at the year that was, this one sees us gazing into the future, attempting to part the fog and get a clearer picture of what the year ahead holds. To be honest though, our view will be far clearer by next week, as much of the team is jetting off to SIHH tomorrow, where we’ll quickly get a much better sense of where the wider industry is at. Consider that fair warning: there will be a veritable barrage of new models hitting your feeds next week. We suggest pouring yourself some of the hard stuff to be amply prepared.
What happened?
Before we get down to the Wind Down’s more serious prognostications, do yourself a favour and watch this video for 2:28. And we don’t mean that in a must-watch internet hyperbole sense. Actually watch it. It’s the latest promo video from H. Moser & Cie who, a few years back, rickrolled everyone in spectacular fashion with their Swiss smart watch. Well, they’re back, this time tilting at the windmill of ‘Swiss Made’ as well as managing to make some surprisingly hilarious jabs at money laundering Swiss banks and Donald Trump. Seriously, stop reading this and watch it. We’ll wait…
What really mattered?
Omega embraced the digital world in a big way, announcing a limited edition Speedmaster inspired by a hashtag (!) created by a blogger (!!) that was only available on the internet (!!!). Suffice to say, ‘Speedy Tuesday’ was a massive hit, with all 2012 watches reserved in three and a half hours. We suspect Omega’s will be the first of many ‘novel’ marketing ventures this year, as brands find new and exciting ways to sell watches in a cautious (and jaded) market. Tudor are already onto it too – with their buzzy product releases and clever touches like the numbered casebacks of the LHD. Expect to see more brands disrupting traditional distribution channels and finding fresh ways to engage with key markets in 2017.
Of course the vintage/auction market is a whole other beast, and this overview of the broader collecting space provides some predictions about what’s likely to be on the up over the next 12 months. TL;DR version – Rolex and Patek are still king, but expect to see all steel chronos including Heuer, Cal. 321 Speedies and some Breitling references creeping up.
The week in numbers
210: Minutes it took for Omega to allocate 2012 ‘Speedy Tuesday’ Speedmasters.
15,743,900: The retail value of said Speedies.
3: Sleeps until SIHH 2017 opens its doors
24: Hours of commuting until Andrew and Felix are on the ground in sunny Geneva. Yay.
0: Team members seated together on the flight. No one needs that level of intimacy with colleagues.