Fratello On Air: Don’t Believe The Hype!

Watch and learn, but do your thing

May 16, 2023

comments 6

Fratello On Air returns with a rip-roaring episode where we ask you, dear listeners, to step away from the hype. There’s a lot of it around these days, and it can be overwhelming. We’re here to talk about it and have a little fun along the way.

Don’t believe the hype! No, this isn’t a discussion about Public Enemy. Rather, it’s a discussion about watches and some of the brands that have been making their way back into the mainstream. The hype is well orchestrated at times — a little too orchestrated, as we’ll see. It doesn’t mean that the watches are bad, but are they the second coming? We have our doubts.

Handgelenks Kontrolle

We kick things off with some discussion around the recent Geneva auctions. There were some interesting lots, but the weekend felt a bit muted. The hordes of “AquaNautilus” and Royal Oaks seemed to dominate the scene, which got a bit snoozy. Vintage was there but to a relatively small degree. Mike discusses his impressions after watching some of the proceedings over the weekend, and we even chat about certain lots. For the Handgelenks Kontrolle, Balazs is wearing his 1970 Grand Seiko 5646-7010, which leads to a discussion on a Seiko Duotime that Mike owns with the same base movement. Mike is back to his trusty Rolex 1016 because he’s in comfort mode.

Gérald Genta Retro Fantasy, circa 1998 — Image: Christie’s

The hype machine is alive

The main focus of our show today is to discuss brands that have been inundating our Instagram accounts, the web, and now the auction circuit as recently as this past weekend. Daniel Roth and Gérald Genta are LVMH brands that have received a lot of press coverage recently. In our eyes, they were niche at best and controversially designed at a minimum. Should you be as excited as the collective wants you to be? Then, we see heavy dealer activity on brands like Franck Muller and vintage Piaget. Is this where we’re heading, or does the push boil down to hype? We discuss and hypothesize why this is happening. The hype is real, folks.

We hope you enjoyed today’s episode. If you have thoughts on topics for upcoming shows, don’t hesitate to let us know.

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Fratello On Air: Don’t Believe The Hype!

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KANON MINASE says:

May 16, 2023 at 09:42

To avoid Hyping, First of all just forget and do not watch those Youtubers talking about watch, recent years they just hype Grand Seiko again and again, Even video has no business with GS, they will choose GS watch as cover, weekly push Video about Grand Seiko Repeating that GS is one of the most underrated brands, GS performs beyond what you think…blablabla, while Other brands never get the same treatment. Every video about GS repeats a similar phrase, and once GS comes out with a new color palette or so-called limited edition, they have the opportunity to have another boring hypin and puffing.
There are also things like a couple of Youtubers getting together at a charity dinner, but it happens that everyone is wearing a GS, what a clumsy acting and advertising.

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CL
Cavscout123 says:

May 16, 2023 at 15:28

It is interesting to think about hype. I found the best way not to let it get me down is to ignore the various people, social media accounts, publications, and events (among many other things) that exist to play into it. I have paid attention to it in the past, and I always felt worse about myself after partaking. I understand that the content that pushes the hype is carefully curated to be addicting, to play on our most animal desires, and to keep us rolling along with whatever trend is next. It can’t affect us if we don’t pay attention.

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1. Enuona says:
  
  May 17, 2023 at 13:02
  
  It’s the nature of human beings.
  
  We prefer herds, and we gather around whatever provides us with the feel of community and belonging. Like relatives, a tribe, a football club, a flag or a brand. Like with other herds, we don’t always see the leaders of the pack. Sometimes we don’t need to, sometimes we don’t want to. As long as we can be a part of the herd, we are happy tagging along.
  
  If it’s good or good enough for whoever leads the herd, our own thinking doesn’t really need to play a part.
  
  When someone that follows someone that follows someone that follows some leaders have concluded something is good or desirable for some reason, it is good, and nothing anyone outside the herd may think, matters.
  
  Herd or hype, sheep we are.
  
  Reply
SC
AnPucaGlas says:

May 18, 2023 at 10:54

Brilliant episode. A timely reminder that for every website saying “buy what you like” there are three saying “buy what we tell you”.

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EB
EDDI2142 says:

May 18, 2023 at 12:13

I agree with you and the other readers, don’t buy the hype, buy what fits you and your taste.
That being said, I read a comment on a youtube video of a guy that used to work at an AD and he said that what hurt him the most, was selling watches to people that could clearly not afford them (f.ex. because they took loans or some other forms of financing). And I think this is a very sad aspect that can also come from following the hype. Young people buying expensive (hype) watches in order to “belong” to some group or to portray a “status”. Sadly it seems as if some brands really tap into this in order to maximise profits (and no I don’t see the the Moonswatch hype as a similar issue, since that watch is rather affordable).
Looking at the brands that you mentioned in the podcast, as you pointed out, they’re not particularly eye-catching. Also I can’t imagine that their designs would become “timeless” and therefore would keep their value. But perhaps this is the goal, hype the brand so that people think it’s an investment, sell them a few watches and move on.

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1. SC
  Tam O’ Banter says:
  
  May 24, 2023 at 01:26
  
  e.g. means “for example”
  
  Reply