Tuesday, January 27, 2009
posted by Harry SK Tan 6 Comments
SIHH 2009 saw the launch of the anti-counterfeiting campaign with the tag line - "FAKE WATCHES ARE FOR FAKE PEOPLE". Having seen limited success in legal prosecution, it seems that the brands are now looking to educate the buying public of the problems with buying counterfeit watches.
The watch industry is not alone being victims of the counterfeiting industry. They are indeed a scourge and continue to impact on the bottom line of businesses.
However, while I am supportive of the view that counterfeiting should be stopped and agree that there is some evidence to suggest that the fakes may indirectly be funding underworld organisations, I am not totally convinced that with their 'everyone suffers' claim.
The luxury goods industry - in recent history - enjoyed huge growth in revenue due to the past decade of growth and liquidity resulting in an ever growing demand for luxury goods (Richemont and LVMH has continued to post double digit growth every quarter until recently - due to the global financial crisis. For the uninitiated, SIHH is an event run by Richemont for their stable of watch brands).
It is this unrivaled success enjoyed by the luxury brands that drew the attention of counterfeiters, and as such have become - a victim of their own success. It seems that successful models of successful brands tend to become the focus of the buyers of counterfeits. Unpopular brands or models are ignored. Hence the attention of the counterfeiters are often targeted at the best sellers. I have yet to read about how any brand had made such heavy losses from counterfeiting activity to result in bankruptcy or business failure. Clearly, its the most successful brands who appear to be losing a portion of their expected revenue to counterfeiters.
There are probably two kinds of buyers of these counterfeit goods. Those who can afford the original and real models and the other that cannot. For the latter, these buyers are never the intended market. For the former, I have yet to meet a serious collector who would readily wear a fake when he has several rare top models in his collection.
Then there are those who can afford the expensive luxury originals but choose not to buy them - and instead prefers the fakes. This category of buyers are the real issue. Would they have bought the original if the fake did not exist? I have yet to see conclusive research on this question and am currently not convinced that such individuals would still buy an original Rolex Submariner if they could not buy a fake? Would public education succeed instead?
In my opinion, it will only work if the campaign treats the buying public as smart individual buyers who look at details. To be taken seriously, the campaign needs to report on real cases of how counterfeiting has negatively affected the industry and the report must be made by independent non-profit organisations and preferably audited as to accuracy. I believe that the buying public who can afford the real thing would need to be convinced that the campaign is not another marketing effort on the part of the brands to keep their profit margins high.
Then there is the other problem that luxury goods companies are facing - counterfeit quality continues to grow better each year and where 10 years ago one can spot a fake with a glance, the top quality fakes are now indistinguishable from the original unless they are inspected up close and with a loupe. The better they get the stronger the attraction for buyers.
How did the other industries deal with fakes and counterfeits? The software industry in the late eighties faced the same issues and had the same problem with piracy. The top software companies employed several anti-piracy measures including developing alliance organisations to enforce their IP rights. I believe the one true solution that worked there was to price their products at a point where buyers are able to feel that the purchase is justifiable.
-HT
Perpetual movement is considered as an engineering impossibility. Continued movement without stopping would require either zero friction or infinite supply of energy. The Atmos however is one machine that seems to have put that engineering truth on its head. The Atmos is indeed one of the horological wonders of the century.
It is a clock that is able to keep time indefinitely without the need of key to wind or weights to turn or power the clock. This engineering feat works on the variation of mere degrees of room temperature through the day to wind the power reserve on this clock. Here are two modern examples of the Atmos with its rotating wheel (like a watch balance wheel) at the bottom of the clock running parallel to the earth to avoid any interference of gravity. These images were photographed at the JLC boutique at the Raffles Hotel Singapore. In the near future, I will be sharing with you some detailed images of the Atmos clock movement as I have been invited to photograph one belonging to a good friend. So do come by to see more about this superlative clock.
- HT
Sunday, January 25, 2009
posted by Harry SK Tan 1 Comments
This is one of the few limited edition Grand Seikos found in Singapore and a good friend and collector recently took delivery of it with great satisfaction. I asked and he readily permitted me to photograph his new GS and its as beautifully finished as I have come to expect from the Grand Seiko series of watches.
Unlike the non-limited version of this watch, this limited edition features blued hands as well as a display back of its very clean movement. Unfortunately due to the bracelet, I was not able to capture much of the movement back with my camera. The dial features the 'GS' logo embossed all over it. Apparently this GS features a new hairspring which is more shock resistent and magnetism-proof and an anchor which is lighter and generates less friction.
While the case is a mere 36mm, it does not feel nor look small on the wrist. Holding in the hand, one cannot miss the fine detail attention given to the manufacture of this watch.
Unfortunately for local collectors who are still considering a GS in their collection, Seiko has raised the GS prices across the board by 10% in Japan and with the jump in the exchange rate, these watches cost considerably more. However, the GS are still hard to come by and are by far amongst the very best in finishing quality making them worth buys still.
- HT
Thursday, January 22, 2009
posted by Harry SK Tan 1 Comments
Further down my blog visitors can see the dreaded image "Bandwidth Exceeded" in place of my images. The Photobucket site which hosts my images have informed me that for the second time in my time using their service, the download traffic for my online material has exceeded the bandwidth allocated to each user (25GB of traffic each month). While its embarrassing, the silver lining is that traffic on my site has been growing exponentially resulting in a need for me to go with a higher bandwidth account or change my online image storage service supplier. Growth is always good and in this case, its most welcomed.
While I contemplate on the alternative available to me, I would seek visitor's indulgence and patience for a couple of weeks for my bandwidth allocation to be refreshed wherein images found on this blog will be available again. I am sincerely grateful and thankful for the support of my regular readers.
- HT
posted by Harry SK Tan 0 Comments
Ulysee Nardin Silicium Sonata from Harry Tan on Vimeo.
Here is a video of a selection of my images of the the Limited Edition UN Silicium Sonata photographed at the local authorised dealer. For collectors of avante garde forms - UN has been at the forefront of both design and materials for watches. The Sonata is quite an imposing timepiece with an automatic UN caliber 67 that features a power reserve of 42 hours. The functions include hours, minutes, seconds, large date, dual time system with instant time zone adjuster, countdown, cathedral gong alarm. The key design change from the standard Sonata is the anchor and escapement wheel which are made of silicium - an a plate of grey silicium on the dial that provides the mirror effect.
The dual time function permits time zone adjustments forward and backward by simply pressing the pushers plus (+) or minus (-) to change the position of the hour hand. The original home time (reference time) stays displayed while the date, the alarm and countdown adjust automatically when a time zone adjustment is made.
- HT
Monday, January 19, 2009
posted by Harry SK Tan 1 Comments
Interpol is reported to have issued a notice to member countries for lookout of Mr Jerry Ee who has been allegedly responsible for the S$7.9million heist last Christmas.
It was also been made known that amongst the 386 watches stolen were a Patek Philippe 3939 white dial minute repeater ($500k) and a complete set of the Vacheron Constantin Les Masque (also $500k). The rarity of these models will make these watches quite difficult to sell on the open market but the other popular models from the top brands would probably find their way into the resale market without much difficulty.
This underlines the risk that buyers of buying used watches from unknown sources. In the case of the stolen luxury watches from Cortina, all the serial numbers have been recorded with respective brand service centres all over the world. If anyone who may inadvertently bought one of these stolen watches without knowing it, brought the watch to be service - may end up being investigated.
So buyers must take precautions when buying from doubtful sources - including auction sites. Always make sure you see the purchase receipt of the original buyer esp when making overseas online purchases. That itself is not a 100% proof of a safe transaction. If you have to buy from an overseas source, the best way is to make sure you buy from reputed sellers.
- HT
posted by Harry SK Tan 0 Comments
Could there possibly a movement that could engender a greater level of admiration than the Datograph? I think the Lange Double Split deserves that claim - even though its not a quantum leap in quality and visual complexity the Double Split is nonetheless an awesome watch from every sense of the word. Its much heavier, larger and with the finishing quality we all come to expect from Lange. There are very few watches I have seen that has greater presence than the Datograph and this is one of them. While the dial features the additional hands of a double split - all wonderfully executed, its the movement that just simply has to be appreciated in the metal. I hope I managed to capture at least a fraction of the presence of this watch in digital form.
Click on the image above to be transported to the Zoomified image of the movement. The Zoomed image allows the visitor a way to explore every small detail of the beautiful chronograph movement. Please be patient as it downloads the very large number of files. As with all Zoomify files, simply click and drag to view the watch.
- HT
Postscript - this beautiful timepiece belongs to gentleman collector and good friend who asked to remain anonymous. My deep gratitude and thanks to him for allowing me to photograph this wonderful timepiece. May you wear it always in good health!
Friday, January 16, 2009
posted by Harry SK Tan 3 Comments
For some unfathomable reason for the longest time, this watch eluded my lens. Understandably, a rare watch but the wait was well worth it as I found the Double Split a watch with great presence. This watch lists at double the price of a standard Datograph but features a complication that is found in very few watches. How this feature is fleshed out in the movement with a double column is a sight to be truly appreciated by movement fans.
Come back soon to see the Zoomified image of the movement of this monumental watch. I am sure you will not be disappointed.
- HT
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
posted by Harry SK Tan 0 Comments
Mr Nic Ong, a professional photographer and an avid collector who also photographs for the watch industry recently produced this wonderful video of the Glashuette Original Senator Sixties - a watch that I too find attractive - revealing much of its wonderful attractive features. It may be just the classicalism or the vintage design that draws me but when one picks up the Senator Sixties, there is that rare unmistakable feeling that the watch reeks of perennial quality. Come back soon to view other videos by Nic Ong as I share his work here.
- HT
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
posted by Harry SK Tan 5 Comments
This is the very rare Andreas Strehler's magnum opus featuring a complex new movement and dial.This piece was photographed at The Hour Glass before collection by a buyer. The images belies its overall presence and craftsmanship. It feels wonderful on the wrist. Unfortunately for me, I found the manner in which to tell time is much too complex. The wearer needs to press the lever onto the crown each time for the watch to register the hour and minutes. I also found the ring design elements on the dial fussy and distracting. Also with fading and aging eyes, the number markers was not clear enough for easy reading. This is especially so for the blue numbers set on the grey circular subdial.
Click on the image above to see the high resolution captures of this watch. If rarity, quality of a watch movement appeals to you, this is indeed a collector's item.
- HT
Saturday, January 10, 2009
posted by Harry SK Tan 0 Comments
This Romain Gauthier Rose Gold arrived just before the new year at the local authorised dealers - The Hour Glass. When the brand was first launched, I was impressed with the immense confidence Romain had of his product and that despite being relatively younger than his contemporaries in the watch industry, he had a very solid grasp of the watch industry and an understanding of the whims of serious collectors. Romain worked with Dufour before and the grandmaster had published many positive comments on Romain's watches. I am particularly entertained by the watch movement as it is deceptively simple yet distinct from other watches. The huge crown sits on the back instead of the side of the case which gives the watch the illusion that its is crownless on the wrist. My only wish for Romain is for him to improve the dial of the watch. I am sure that with that simple improvement, he has a product that has a long future ahead especially from fans of good quality and well finished movements. For closeups of the movement, do a search my blog for Gauthier. Meantime, click on these images to see them in high resolution.
- HT
- HT
Wednesday, January 07, 2009
posted by Harry SK Tan 5 Comments
Some months ago I featured a photomontage set of images of the pre-production of the DB25Sil. The Hour Glass, authorised dealers for DeBethune, called me to let me know that the first piece had arrived and invited me to photograph it. I like this watch for its simplicity and its overall look and feel.
It speaks of classic dial design yet on closer study many aspects and elements of it is new. The design of the lugs, hands and even how the dial has a curved design element rings out. Movement side, its distinctively DB. I have been continually been impressed by how this brand has progressed. The brand is growing with me and I can see at least one of their watches in my collection in the future.
Click on the images above to see the high resolution versions.
- HT
Sunday, January 04, 2009
posted by Harry SK Tan 0 Comments
Horologically speaking, looking back over the past 12 months on WatchingHorology, clearly the watch world continues to grow in leaps and bounds even with the dampening effect of the last half of the year with the global financial crisis. I even read a report online that there has been an exponential growth in the number of watch blogs in 2008.
My personal highlights of 2008 was my two page article in Business Times featuring my images; the launch of the Hour Glass U1 All Black (aka U-Stealth) which I had a small hand in designing; and the consolidation of my collection as well as acquiring one of my long time grail watch - the IWC Portuguese Jubilee.
As predicted, brands resisted releasing multi-tourbillons and super complications and returned to the roots of solid and basic watchmaking. While the top brands continued its strength in complications - going so far as to include tourbillons in sports watches, some brands like IWC re-released their Vintage Collection of simple three handed watches.
The watch industry was not spared of controversies and bad news - the collapse of Peacemark; the financial demise of a few small brands in Switzerland; and the heist of nearly S$8million worth of watches in Singapore. With the financial squeeze globally most markets are seeing a drastic reduction in demand for luxury timepieces. Brands and retailers are hurting and now bracing themselves for an even leaner year ahead. My sources inform me that retailers will be much more circumspect in ordering watches this year at Geneve SIHH and Basel 2009. Even the number of delegates being sent by retailers to these annual events will be dramatically reduced.
Maybe its about time after all, the luxury watch industry had seen unprecedented growth in the past 15 years. I believe that it will take a long time before we see the upturn cycle of the luxury watch market. For serious collectors, this would mean prices will probably come down for most brands. Especially for the overpriced fashion brands.
My horological predictions for 2009 - is that more brands will either re-release some of their more successful historical pieces with today's materials and workmanship or push out more modest models to cater for the tight market. In addition, brands will realise that they need to remain competitive in a downturn market and to keep the interest of customers, probably have an overall restructure of their pricing strategy to bring the customer back. In times of austerity, extravagance is often its first victim. I believe the fancy designs and use of fancy materials will become less popular in 2009 as these often are the basis for the increase in cost of production.
I also believe smart collectors will be watching the pre-owned market like hawks to grab watches at fire sale prices - and I am sure there will be many to be had.
I hope to see the watch bubble burst in 2009. Economically speaking, its long in coming and needs to happen to bring some sense of reality back to the industry in the manner and speed of price inflation. With the continued escalation of prices, yet growing use of China made parts to reduce cost of production and luxury houses continuing its double digit revenue growth, I hope to see the return to honest prices reflecting honest brands - making honest Swiss or German watches. The global financial crisis I expect, would be the catalyst for change.
Whatever happens, I hope that 2009 has in store a wealth of opportunities for WH readers.
- HT
Friday, January 02, 2009
posted by Harry SK Tan 3 Comments
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