Hmmm…

I’m at the Basel fair at the moment, and just wanted to share some thoughts. What I started to feel already last year, seems to be even stronger this year. It looks like I’m a bit tired of the next commercially issued model of the same big watch brand. Again a new Speedmaaster Limited edition, again a new Rolex commemorative edition, again another variation on well known theme. Patek, Breguet, Glashuette – they all bring slightly modified models, and got their inspiration by carefully listening to the market.

One press conference even bigger than the next one, and attendet with even more celibrities and ‘important’ people.

Where are the real watches? Where are the real watch makers? It looks like ‘image’ is all that counts. You don’t buy a product anymore, you buy a feeling. This of course not being anything new, however it seems to dominate the watch scene too much at the moment.

I did the first halls (hall of dreams and hall of desire) now in a glance (that’s where I always use the first day for; to get the feeling), and now I’m off to the hall of emotions and hall of inspirations. This is were the smaller companies are showing there products – I hope to get a better feeling there and find the real product, not the image. I’ll keep you updated.

Cheers,

Gerard