FRIDAY WIND DOWN: 4th August, 2017 – the fashion edition
Felix Scholz
Bear with me this week as I go a little off script. This week’s Wind Down is less about watches and more about all the stuff around them. Fashion. Technology. Business. Fine watchmaking manages to neatly intersect all these areas, informing and being informed by them. On a day-to-day level though, it’s easy to miss the linkages, so this week I’m going to ask a few of the big questions. So settle in, pour yourself a drink, and get ready to ponder.
Could the watch industry ever embrace the fake?
The prevailing dogma of ‘The Industry’ is that fakes and counterfeiting are anathema to the legitimate watch industry, and should be wiped out like the noxious weeds they are. And rightly so. But still, some of the big luxury brands seem to have recently been taking a more flexible than usual approach to the sanctity of their labels and logos. Don’t believe me? Well, don’t take my word for it, take Mr Porter’s.
Though on second thought, perhaps the winds are shifting already? After all, a few years ago who would have imagined Bamford going legit?
What happens when fast fashion meets tradition?
Fashion is, by definition, fleeting. But these days it seems fleeter than ever, with the bridges between cutting edge, mainstream and mall becoming smaller and less distinct — and all of it’s fuelled by the wonders of the internet and social media. And while some elements of the watch world are seemingly impervious to this (a Submariner is, and always will be, a Submariner after all), the big brands are starting to pay attention. Speedy Tuesday, The Autavia Cup — these sort of initiatives are just the beginning of a potentially massive shift in the traditional model.
The week in numbers
1: Very cool Omega on the wrist of Tom Hardy in Dunkirk
6: Tech founders we tracked down to discover what they wore on their wrists
352: Days Andy has spent lovingly staring at the shimmering green dial of his watch. How are you celebrating the first anniversary Andy? Flowers? A romantic date at the RSC?
1997: The year Andrew is currently stuck in if you believe the post (and that awesome mobile phone)…