No matter how scornful traditional watch brands show, fashion luxury brands such as Chanel and Gucci have shown their determination to seize the complex field of watchmaking.
Competition for fashion watches
Measure one: Fashion brands play design cards
Everyone knows that Chanel has long exceeded the influence of a luxury brand. Especially after it entered the sea across China, every young Chinese girl knows COCOChanel, NO.5-these are attached to Chanel all year round. The symbol itself, another situation that these girls may not know much is that Chanel has quietly occupied a place in the watch industry that men pay attention to. What it represents is actually dozens of traditional fashion brands full of ambition in the field of watches.
Chanel watches
In fact, fashion brands’ entry into the watch industry was still affected by the quartz crisis of the 1980s. That crisis has made Japanese watch brands that are proficient in electronic equipment a big success, and it has also made watch manufacturing less difficult and cheaply integrated. The production of quartz watches actually lowers the barriers to entry for some brands without a watch manufacturing foundation. As fashion becomes more and more the theme of some people’s lives, these watches that look more beautiful and better match clothing are supplemented by The huge value of fashion brands has attracted more and more people.
Gucci watches
It is important to point out that even though many fashion brands are able to dominate the watch market with a very high attitude today, there is still no way to make themselves mainstream in the eyes of the media. Most fashion brands are just staying in order to enrich their product lines and make their accessories more diverse. There are only a handful of fashion brands that really focus on mechanical watch production.
This is why traditional watch brands often sneer at the watches launched by these fashion brands. When all the famous watch brands are showing off their brand stories, fashion watches often feel short of breath for their young. When long-established brands are telling their heritage, fashion watches often can only give themselves points with shallow labels such as design and trend. The most fundamental thing is that when mechanical watches are still the most respected watch category in the field of watches, fashion watches often show timidity. The inability to independently develop the movement is the biggest weakness of most fashion watches, and now they can stand on the market. Stable fashion watch brands, without exception, have one or two core technologies that are worth showing off or exclusive ownership.
Movado watch
Measure 2: Fast fashion brands occupy the market at low prices
其实 But not everyone can afford Patek Philippe or Rolex. Efraim Grinberg, global president of Movado Group, which owns several fashion watch brands, told reporters that the sales of watches launched by the Coach, TommyHilfiger and Hugoboss fashion brands accounted for half of the group’s profit source. Movado owns the watch agency rights of these fashion brands. Compared with last year, Movado’s performance in China is increasing at an increasing rate. This almost shows that the potential of fashion watches is unlimited. After all, China is currently the world’s most important watch market.
Efraim Grinberg is wearing the red series of another important brand Movado, a self-winding mechanical watch specially designed for China. He described to me in detail the styles of the different watches of the group he manages: Coach is very modern , Multi-color, and Hugoboss launched a watch and its own clothing style is very close, suitable for matching. He is optimistic and confident about the watches launched by fashion brands, ‘their brands themselves will attract a lot of loyal consumers, their designs are related to the brand, and their prices are more affordable.’
Armani watch
The power of fashion brands can keep many consumers pursuing them. For example, Amarni watches have a lot of fans from Amarni fashion. GUCCI has invested heavily in fashion advertising. Even if you don’t do any promotion for watches, you don’t have to worry about sales. These seeming successes have led some irresponsible brands to develop watch accessories. In the short term, even if the sales are satisfactory, the quality is indeed not dare to be complimented. To put it bluntly, this is like Sell the brand LOGO.
In this way, even if the watches launched by most fashion brands sell well, they cannot challenge traditional watches. After all, the target consumer groups are very different, so there is no competition. Today, a few fashion brands in the market that can do well in the field of watches are also very taboo to equate themselves with fashion watches. They are born out of the huge energy of the brand and hope to lose fashion after the success of the watch field. LO-GO. ‘Professional watchmaking’ is the word they love to use to flaunt themselves. Pan Jian explained to reporters: ‘In fact, the line between some of these fashion watch brands and traditional watches has been blurred. They all have their own watchmaking factories. They are no longer a traditional fashion watch brand.’
Measure 3: Cooperation with professional watchmaking factories
Chanel’s example is probably the most representative. The posters of the J12 series of Chanel at Pudong Airport can be noticed by anyone passing by from Pudong Airport every day. Since Chanel established the Watch Studio in 1987 to launch their first watch ‘Première’, their reputation in watches has grown. On the official website of Chanel, there are 29 watches in the famous J12 series. The description next to each watch carries such a small word, ‘black / white high-tech precision ceramics’. This technology is hardly worn. The texture of this watch has been increased, and Chanel is strictly distinguished from other fashion brands. From then on, Chanel belongs to the fashion brand that takes the technical route.
Another capital that makes Chanel ridiculous is the cooperation with the famous old Swiss watch Audemars Piguet factory in 2008. The Calibre 3125 in the Chanel J12 series has been regarded as a classic by many collectors. The core ‘Chanel-AP3125’ was actually manufactured by Audemars Piguet. Philippe Mougenot, president of Chanel Fine Jewelry and Watches, once explained to the media: ‘This cooperation is not limited to one product, but a plan. It is Chanel’s A new attempt. We hope to continue to develop in the direction of high-end timepieces and take a different path to make classic and elegant watches in the most traditional mode of watchmaking. ‘
Bulgari can be regarded as another leader after this cross-border development. It has a much longer history in watch manufacturing than Chanel. Since the 1920s, Bulgari has begun to create jewelry jewelry. However, it was not until the 1980s that the manufacture of watches was taken seriously as a professional task. In order to achieve this goal, Bulgari has carried out a series of acquisitions, including two major Swiss brands GéraldGentaS.A. And DanielRothS.A., And in 2008, Bulgari also acquired a Swiss company, ‘Finger’. These brands were previously known for producing sophisticated and complex watches. ‘After acquiring several such technology brands, Gree has carried out a series of vertical chain integration. From the case, the bracelet to the movement are fully produced by themselves. There are few companies in Switzerland like this, and Rolex counts one. In Switzerland, such companies are called ‘workshops’ ‘. In my opinion, it has nothing to do with fashion watches. ‘Pan Jian commented on Bulgari’s development track in the watch industry.
In addition to Chanel and Bulgari, another luxury brand Hermes cooperates with the traditional brand Parmigiani in Switzerland. Dior also has its own manufacturing plant in Switzerland. Cartier has obtained the Geneva Seal of the highest standard in the Swiss watch industry through resource integration. The next ambitious fashion brand to the Chinese market is Swarovski, and next year it will also start to increase its offensive in watches. It seems that working with traditional watches to make traditional watches for fashion watch brands is still the mainstream of the rise of fashion brands at this stage.