Generally, it takes one thing optimistic to occur for us to comprehend simply how dangerous issues are. Okay, that may sound overly dramatic. Nevertheless, this Grinding Gears is about a difficulty I’ve briefly talked about in years previous, extra lately has been on my thoughts once more, and should completely get out of my system now. Why now? Effectively, the opposite day, Tudor launched a brand new “Flamingo Blue” model of its Black Bay Chrono, a full yr after a pink model — which “shocked” us all by introducing the primary daring shade within the fashionable historical past of the model. This example, the place we wait a yr for a single new shade from Tudor, and a fruitless eternity for one from a lot of its rivals, makes me suppose it’s about time we begin configuring watches like automobiles, particularly their dial colours.
Why My Gears Are Grinding — Oh, And Some Optimistic Developments
All of us most likely know and respect the truth that the watch trade is not like another, in some ways and for a lot of causes. It really works extra slowly, treads extra rigorously, and much too usually nonetheless takes simply one trigger for warning to axe a design, mission, or concept that has a thousand issues going for it. Regardless of all this, the trade as a complete, together with its small and main gamers, has improved tremendously in product launch cycles. This trade has sped up from a one-time dump of recent merchandise at Baselworld or SIHH to launching new references, fashions, and even collections a number of occasions a yr. Some large manufacturers have street maps with a brand new launch each month.
Think about BMW launching the M3 Touring in blue two years after it launched it in black. Wouldn’t everybody suppose, “Are you critical? What have you ever been doing all this time?”
What we gained is not only a sooner product cycle (during which tough-to-sell references are phased out shortly, albeit quietly) however what additionally appears like extra merchandise to select from. Seiko famously launched a brand new reference each single day in 2023 (I referenced this in this article on the aBlogtoWatch Weekly podcast on the time) between Seiko, Grand Seiko, and Credor. That yr, Omega had over 1,400 totally different references on provide concurrently. Plus, we noticed the rise of profitable independents who bombarded us with a roughly fast response to the built-in bracelet watch craze. It’s protected to say, then, that 2023 and 2024 every noticed at the least a thousand new references launched, and possibly much more than that.
Regardless of this new-found push in product improvement, manufacturing, and market introduction, it nonetheless felt as if the collections we acquired had been very inflexible, scarcely ever providing a very good number of choices to select from. What manufacturers did and do is develop a big batch of references (primarily shade and perhaps bracelet variations of the identical mannequin), after which launch these over the course of a number of years. There’s just one factor much less enjoyable than studying multi-page press releases on a brand new dial shade, and that should be writing them.
The much less you pay, the extra selection you might have.
It will be a gross overstatement to recommend that the primary trigger behind Swatch Group’s $8,000,000,000 (that’s eight billion) unsold stock or Richemont’s $567 million stock buyback program (of unsold watches again in 2016-2018) was lack of selection. Possibly although, simply perhaps, a extra numerous product portfolio with extra selection would have helped a bit in shifting a couple of extra of these objects. To be clear, a lot of that stock build-up is because of dramatic shifts in shopper habits — I recommend studying into why watches had been so fashionable within the trade’s primary markets of Hong Kong and mainland China and why these markets promote half as many or fewer watches right now. Many watches had been purchased not for private enjoyment (let’s put it that approach). That mentioned, many different watches with restricted selection and selection remained within the shops just because they had been too acquainted, as a result of “everybody I do know already has one,” or as a result of they seemed previous or unable to match one’s private style and elegance.
Take, for instance, the latest launch of Vacheron Constantin’s extraordinarily well-received 222. To be clear, it isn’t honest to single out anybody model or watch, so please do really feel inspired to maintain your eyes peeled for brand spanking new releases and their selection (or lack thereof) from different manufacturers sooner or later. The Historiques 222 is a stupendous watch that reappeared in 2023 in a type very near its unique model from 46 years again. Regardless of the gold launch mannequin’s overwhelmingly optimistic reactions, it took Vacheron Constantin two full years to comply with up with what seems to be to be the very same watch — in metal, with one dial possibility.
Two years. For metal and blue. Even when Vacheron Constantin doesn’t have the aspiration to pump tens of hundreds of those out, it nonetheless is baffling to see such a closely and arbitrarily restricted launch of a brand new, essential, and fashionable reference. You’re as bored with blue dials as I’m? Effectively, that’s a disgrace. And, not like with, say, the Rolex Submariner, which has had an especially restricted shade palette for many years, don’t suppose for a second that Richemont-owned Vacheron Constantin will restrict the 222 to only one dial shade. These contemplating a 222 should wait months, if not a yr or extra, to see what these different colours will probably be, although (most likely black). Not for an essential product replace, or varied little enhancements to efficiency or wearability — only for a brand new shade that in all certainty is prepared for manufacturing, or has already been produced and is sitting in a drawer as you’re studying this.
As a buyer, I see completely no worth or curiosity in anyway within the delayed introduction of recent colours.
The issue I get at is that I, for one, need to know for a undeniable fact that I’ll by no means be given a selection (as it’s with the metal Rolex Submariner or Daytona the place the previous is available in simply black and the latter in black or white) or have that selection supplied to me proper on the time of buy. As a buyer, I see completely no worth or curiosity in anyway within the delayed introduction of recent colours. Manufacturers have a tendency to supply a brand new dial possibility in bombastic methods, making an attempt to underline how incredible it’s to be braced by the royal fantastic thing about burgundy, or the timeless magnificence of deep blue, whereas, actually, these usually are not worthwhile or significant product developments. Think about BMW launching the M3 Touring in blue two years after it launched it in black. Wouldn’t everybody suppose, “Are you critical? What have you ever been doing all this time?”
What To Do?
Introduce all dial colours directly, enable prospects quick access to totally different dials, and launch significant upgrades to efficiency and wearability down the road as product updates — not new colours. Having adopted the trade carefully, I could have skilled this a bit extra usually than somebody who’s looking for a brand new watch as soon as each couple of years, or extra. Nevertheless, it’s true that I’ve shrugged at sure new collections just because they got here with uninspired shade choices, and by the point an enchanting new shade arrived (years later), I had lengthy since forgotten about that watch and have put different references on my wishlist.
What I might like to have entry to is a configurator that I can go to and revisit to evaluate new mixtures of colours. What manufacturers corresponding to Omega or Panerai do as an alternative is attempt to checklist each doable iteration on their web sites as a special reference, creating immense confusion whereas additionally nonetheless not permitting prospects to have the precise watch they want. Then, prospects both wait, hoping for the launch of a barely totally different mixture of parts that matches their style or transfer on. Curiously, the model producing by far the best quantity of watches (a whole lot of hundreds greater than Omega or TAG Heuer and several other occasions greater than Breitling or Cartier) by some means manages to supply the best configurability. This model has reconfigurability the place not solely the dial shade will be modified, however it may be matched to totally different bezel types and supplies, in addition to totally different center case and bracelet choices. As soon as such an incredible device exists, it’s troublesome for individuals who don’t have it to justify not matching up.
Good match for a G-Shock, most likely not for a lot of others.
I dare not go as far as to recommend that individuals ought to be configuring all luxurious watches to the extent Rolex permits it as a result of there are rigorously judged and essential design codes which might be important to the recognizability and integrity of each the model and the gathering. Likewise, luxurious watches are delicate issues assembled with nice care and are (hopefully) examined rigorously to make sure excellent high quality of match and end. Nonetheless, I additionally suppose we ought to be given a couple of or a handful of shade choices upon launch till the large reveal of a brand new shade years later. I might see primary boutiques and high-profile licensed sellers with after-sales service facilities being outfitted and skilled to carry out a dial change.
Sellers would inventory a big number of dials (which take rather a lot much less house, are a lot simpler to handle, and are cheaper to have as stock when in comparison with full watches) and would have their service heart swap the dial to the specified one. I discovered lately that Rolex not permits a dial change within the first 5 years of possession (whereas the guarantee is legitimate) however used to carry out such dial swaps till not that way back, even after buy. Rolex additionally had strict guidelines as to what dial you could possibly add to which reference — it will not add a platinum-only Ice Blue dial to a white gold watch, for instance.
Why Not?
Let’s sympathize for a second with the watch trade, particularly its product planning, manufacturing, and gross sales departments and groups. It takes 1,000,000 little choices for a watch to progress from the drafting board to the seller’s window. Legibility, high quality assurance, design continuity, and recognizability are simply among the components taken into consideration when making aesthetic choices. To create two, three, or 4 occasions as many variations can take two, three, or 4 occasions as a lot work, which generally is just not doable. And but, as we outlined above, manufacturers have been efficiently rising the speed at which they develop and launch new releases, solely to then resolve to slowly roll these out, even when mentioned improvement and generally manufacturing work had been performed lengthy earlier than.
It’s also a wrestle for manufacturers to maintain their merchandise related, and new shade launches are deemed an efficient approach of attaining this. Whereas that evaluation is essentially right, I want it was carried out with actually particular mixtures of colours and supplies that do have the looks of taking a very long time to develop and produce. Going from gold to metal, or from blue to black, falls removed from that impression.
Final, not each watch assortment, and even model, is ideally suited to have quite a lot of variations. The watch trade wants — as a lot as I detest the phrase by now — its icons. It wants watches which might be recognizable by the plenty as design masterpieces or related props to fashionable tradition. These by definition have to remain true to their unique aesthetic code, as a result of it’s principally by means of repetition that the better public develops the flexibility to determine these watches as essential and noteworthy.
As all the time, many alternative causes could possibly be raised (past these I discussed above) to clarify why the trade may really feel prefer it shouldn’t, or can’t, provide extra selection and configurability. I do, nonetheless, strongly really feel that a lot of right now’s prime 30 watchmakers might, and certainly ought to, provide better selection. What to do with the remaining time? Change the case profile, the motion ornament, the bezel fashion, or replace your bracelet or clasp. Usher in what the automobile trade calls face-lifts or “life cycle impulses” with noticeable modifications to the product — and cease altogether with contemplating a brand new shade a significant or newsworthy product replace.
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