Dynamic, or flexible, pricing for new watches might seem crazy at first glance and a radical retail strategy, but Ian Skellern thinks it could be the future of retail. Here’s why.
While Ian Skellern had visited German watch brands in Glashütte before, a recent visit to Tutima was his first. And he was surprised, in more ways than one. Starting with that glass floor and finishing in an all-female regatta.
In early June 2018, nearly 200 people from all corners of the planet traveled to the the quiet Vallée de Joux in Switzerland to celebrate independent watchmaker Philippe Dufour’s 70th birthday party. Ian Skellern thought the occasion might make for a nice film and asked a few old friends to help out.
The short documentary film ‘Time Piece’ features two of the world’s best living watchmakers, Philippe Dufour and Vianney Halter. It provides insight into what makes the watches by these masters so special.
Established brands with centuries of tradition tend to basically recreate the past in the, “if-it-ain’t-broke-don’t-fix-or-change-it-(much)” approach to watchmaking. But in not feeling constrained by tradition, Urwerk is one of the young brands consistently presenting us with a steady supply of exciting new models like 2014’s UR-105M. Take a look at it here!
On a recent trip to Bordeaux to check if they were still making decent plonk (yes, job done), I noticed a small coffee shop near my hotel doing a roaring trade day and night despite being tucked away on a small side street. I decided this had to do with its street advertising, and it made me think that watch marketing managers could wake up, smell the coffee, and make us smile more!
I had the good fortune to visit Rome on Thursday for the opening of ‘Watchmakers: The Masters of Art Horology’ at the Maxxi Gallery in Rome, and if you have a few minutes I’d like to share the evening with you and let you know where you might be able to see the exhibition in the near future.
Baselworld 2018 began for the Quill & Pad team on Wednesday, March 21, and from our very first meetings it looked obvious that green was back. But is it the new blue?
The follow day further confirmed that view as we saw one fantastic green-themed watch after another. On remarking on the apparent predominance of green this year over the perennial blue to one brand representative, their reply was, “Green is the new blue.” But two days do not a Baselworld make and blue came back in force.
Many watches hold special significance for their owners. The Jean Daniel Nicolas Two-Minute Tourbillon by Daniel Roth Ian chronicles here didn’t just change someone’s life, it changed his own life. Read on to learn how.
I read my colleague Martin Green’s article on the Nomos Orion de Stijl in Ace Jewelers x Nomos: Celebrating 100 Years Of ‘De Stijl,’ first with interest then with incredulity. And while I’ve used the term “taking the Mickey” in the title here, I really meant something else. Find out what about this limited edition should have been noticed by everyone!