Fratello Talks: Watch Marketing — Past, Present, And Future
Welcome to Fratello Talks. This week, you join your host Nacho alongside RJ and Lex to discuss the evolution of watch marketing. The idea of marketing watches has been around since selling them became a lucrative endeavor. Since then, we have seen the watch industry’s efforts take many different forms, from posters to print ads, television spots to ambassadors, and the many different ways that watch brands are involved in the world of sports. Today, the guys examine many of these aspects and discuss examples that they find memorable, effective, and downright cool. They also list some examples of not-so-effective marketing. Finally, they do some wishful thinking for its future. But all this comes after a mandatory wrist check!
Wrist check
We kick the wrist check off with Lex, who’s wearing a Vertex M100A. It’s a modern reinterpretation of the brand’s classic military watch. With a bigger 40mm case and some of the brightest lume out there, it’s an impressive field watch with a dash of vintage charm. Its design refers to the watch that Vertex produced as part of the “Dirty Dozen,” the story which you can read here. Worn on the seatbelt-style OEM strap, it’s a combination ready to take on anything you throw its way.
Today, on RJ’s wrist, we find a gold Omega. This may not sound too surprising, but those of you thinking it’s his trusty gold Speedmaster will have to think again. It’s actually a vintage Omega Constellation ref. 168.010 that belonged to RJ’s grandfather, who also had the gold bracelet custom made for him by a jeweler. It’s a beautiful combination that elevates this rather dressy watch. It also gives it an extra helping of wrist presence.
Finally, Nacho is wearing a watch you may have spotted on his wrist earlier this week. It’s the new RZE × Fratello Resolute Pro Contour. This is Fratello’s latest limited edition and also happens to be the most affordable to date. However, you might not think so by looking at the spec sheet alone. The watch features a 40mm hard-coated titanium case with drilled lugs, 100m water resistance, a screw-down crown and screw-in case back, a premium Miyota 90S5 movement, a bracelet with toolless micro-adjustment, and an AR-coated sapphire crystal.
The standout feature is its unique carbon dial, which incorporates stainless steel powder to form a “Damascus” fingerprint pattern reminiscent of that found on topographical maps. Do you want to know all about it? Check out the introduction article here. Do you want one for yourself? Pre-orders will go live today at 16:00 CET in the Fratello Shop. A cheeky bit of watch marketing in the article hosting an episode of a podcast on watch marketing; who would have thought?
Fratello Talks: Watch Marketing — Past, Present, And Future
Indeed, the guys are talking all about watch marketing in this podcast, taking it way back to some of the earliest ads and ambassadors. As Lex reminds us, it all started with Abraham-Louis Breguet and his efforts in marketing his watches to the world’s elite.
They also explore product placement in movies and outright gifting of watches to ensure their visibility on some of the most important wrists out there. Whether on or off the silver screen, watches and the wrists they appear on have symbiotically coexisted for decades. These marketing efforts can be very effective. They have resulted in iconic pairings, such as James Bond and his Omega Seamaster, Captain Willard and his Seiko diver, and many more. But this is just one of many facets of watch brands’ marketing efforts (just within the entertainment industry).
Off the screen, the guys talk about brand ambassadors, starting with the British swimmer Mercedes Gleitze, who reportedly wore a Rolex Oyster on a necklace when crossing the English Channel. They highlight George Clooney’s long-standing partnership with Omega, Roger Federer’s work with Rolex, and finally give Ryan Gosling’s recent efforts for TAG Heuer a nod.
Finally, they dive into the presence of watches in the world of sports, from Hublot in football (soccer) to Rolex, TAG Heuer, and Tudor in Formula 1 and Tissot with MotoGP and the Tour de France. There’s almost no sport left unexplored by watch brands. Even the Olympics and World Athletics Championships have worked together with Omega and Seiko, respectively, for decades at this point.
Finally, we wrap things up with environmental causes that brands support. These range from Blancpain’s Ocean Commitment initiatives to beach clean-ups with Oris. What are your thoughts on watch marketing? Is there a brand that comes to mind as doing a particularly good job? How about a brand doing the opposite? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
