Welcome to the second edition of this email-based journey into the world of watches. First up, the more astute of you might notice a name change. Welcome to Right On Time (gotta get up gotta get up). Don't worry, I'm not planning on changing it every other week -- I'll stick with this one. Pinky promise.
I'm currently tapping away at this looking out at the dusty landscape of Sydney airport and hoping that my flight isn't delayed. But, ridiculous heat aside its been a very interesting trip to the harbour city indeed. You may not be aware, but Australia is in the middle of a boutique boom -- Sydney CBD saw six (6!) new doors open up in the two weeks before Christmas last year. Lange, Hublot, JLC, Panerai, IWC and Grand Seiko. With more on the horizon. They're all pretty impressive (Lange's Martin Place spot is gorgeous), and an exceptionally concrete sign of the watch industry's faith in the Australian market.
Annnnnnyway, it's not all sage insights about local market outlooks this week. I've got more Omega (I promise I'll take a break on them soon), a bit of Dubai, and a spicy hot take on what watch brands should do this year.
Oh hai Dubai
The other week the LVMH watch brands decided to fill the gaping calendar slot that was SIHH with a little middle eastern sojourn. TAG Heuer, Hublot, Bulgari and Zenith decamped to Bulgari's Dubai hotel to show off some new releases and steal a march on all the other watch brands, with the catchily named LVMH Watch Week. I wasn't there, but you know who was? Zach Piña, he of The Pip and some of the best hair in the watch journo business. I asked him for his top-line take on the whole affair and, you know what, he delivered.
“So this is supposed to be the next Baselworld, huh? Warm breeze blowing off the Persian Gulf into the poolside villa where I'm photographing a bunch of new watches? A general tone of optimism amongst well-rested journalists and brand representatives alike? Proper lunches and ample time between appointments to nap, swim, or *gasp* get work done?
I'd hazard a guess that this isn't the "next" Baselworld, because there won't ever be another one to replace it. This "summit" concept is simply too easy, too efficient, and far too cost-effective for a brand to reach its customers and retail network while controlling a short, exclusive slice of the media cycle. Hell, if I were a gambling man, I'd say that instead of another big industry-wide tradeshow rising from the ashes of Baselworld, we're about to see dozens of these different summit events from all the major brands, scattered throughout the year, creating a 12-month news cycle that's more of a slow drip than a bursting dam.
So the tradeshow is dead. Long live the tradeshow, but honestly, thank god. If this is the shape of things to come in 2020, I think it's going to be a very interesting year indeed.”
Knowledge. Dropped.
Omega feedback in 3 … 2 … 1
I asked all y'all what you thought of the new steel 321 the other week, and here's what you said.
"Re-releasing a movement based on nostalgia is pretty disturbing."
"The Omega 321 is priced wrongly ... and it's an old-new movement to boot."
"I know its a special Speedmaster and everyone loves it, but for that much, you can get an actual Ed White in pretty decent condition."
Price and the NOS nature of the movement were unsurprisingly the hot topics, supporting the argument that this one's for the Speedy die-hards. Luckily for everyone else, Omega makes some cracking modern movements too.
The future of watches is to stop looking back.
Two weeks ago when I promised this, I had plans for some sort of significant treatise on the state of the industry. Still, in a classic example of me failing to learn the lessons of vis à vis overpromising and underdelivering the ideas that have been percolating in my head have coalesced into a single point. STOP LOOKING TO THE PAST AND LOOK TO THE FUTURE. Heritage releases are good, but brands have been burning through their catalogues at an exponential rate for the last decade at least. I think we're rapidly approaching a point where the watch-buying public will have had its fill of 'old-radium' SuperLuminova and all the rest. And what then? The few brands that have been keeping their eyes on the present and shaping the tastes of the future will be in a strong position, and everyone else will have some serious catching up to do. Incessant retrospection is leading to the death of good design.
The 30-second review
Dun dun dun dun dun, duh dun dun dun dun dun, DA DAA DAAA DUN DUN DUN! Yup, it's Bond watch time again, but with this number Omega's famous movie tie-in is dialling down the naff, and dialling up the cool. No gun-barrel dials, 007 seconds hand or any of that jazz. Just a very slick titanium case with a straight-end-link titanium mesh bracelet (which is MUCH better than you'd think IRL), that apparently his Craig-iness himself had a hand in. Other than that, the vintage is strong in this one, with faux-lume a-plenty,faux-military caseback details and other patina-friendly details. It's almost 'all a bit too much', but somehow it manages to work. A solid package in its own right (and the best Bond watch yet) made even more solid for that fact that it isn't a limited edition.
(solid bracelet Omega)
The reading list
Moser joins the integrated steel club with predictable polarising opinions (I'm for it). This is why I love anOrdain. Cue more Bond/Beyonce riffs here with the news that Louis Vuitton is investing in a massive rock (1758 carats!). If you weren't content with Zach's take on LVMHWW (Worst. Acronym. Ever) how about Robin Swithinbank's analysis on BoF. Robin is an even bigger gem than LV's latest. In rando watch news, Queen's in-house astrophysicist Brian May has done a collab with Seiko, resulting in a Seiko 5. Odd flex but OK. You know how I was talking about boutiques up top? Well, I penned some thoughts on the pros/cons thereof over on Executive Traveller. My old work buddies Time+Tide are auctioning a bunch of watches for charity. Sweet cop on the 'dink Oris.