Horological Meandering

bernard cheong
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4 Macromania Intentions and failures

Greetings.

Especially to Mods.

Also to the watch collectors and those department heads involved of brands.

Macromania was an idea I mooted to the brands I met in 2009 after I persuaded Massimo Landi to help me recreate the Geneva GPHH, I discussed over a lunch with Mr Cologni in an FHH meeting in 2010 or 2011, but was shelved, until 2014...when I reactivated it on my own volition.

I felt that many brands began to talk about (1) Tastes of their customers (2) How their watches were made and (3) redrawing parameters of what is traditional.

This would interfere with values of what needs to be sold, for retail. And what owners need to sell off to buy newer stuff, if they wanted. Me included.

I doubted the "management consultant approach".

Reasons:

(1)  Product evolution from tool to object of various interests. Advertisers and reviewers were not in the hot seat, of deciding to buy, or to sell off. Especially what emotional factors were in play.

(2) Interviews of brand CEOs were repetitive of history, art and craft, often forgetting that our readers here know what the movements were derived from. And recently, 2010 to now...customer profiling.

(3) Interviews before my time, please...don't mistake this for megalomania, focused on history and function, but actively avoided art and prices, costs and R&D and customer profile.

My personal original plan was to have me share openly, bluntly and agressively so as to improve or provoke reader engagement. Which worked well with their vision of developing more avenues to admire a work of tech, or of art, and even later...of much more.

My life story was often used and opened to the public because it was to encourage others to do so, at least in a small way, besides the cars they drove. The car and watch thing could only make the haves and have nots worse.

Personally, I wanted to develop a watch market that was like stamp collecting, more than a gentleman's club. To my face, brands agreed...but no papers signed.

Toys and hobbies and life experiences shared were valued info, even how they shared it, from which angle.

This was to provide useful insight into what customer buys what watch, and what mattered etc to the makers.

It was not to boast about my sucess. I was hesitant in 2008, specifically because I felt that because it was so much off the tangent and that I was too atypical. However, like many before me....I like money.

Most thought I was to be encouraging to collectors as well as non watch people because I came from a lower class. It will be an example that we are not trapped in our backgrounds, that we can shape our lives.

Was I paid? Yes. Of course...but only for sharing my life....not bad, I told myself. I didn't have to promote products.

Did I lie and make up stories? No.

My life, according to the brands was already on google's master plan of gathering life examples of topics...in my case, they made this: "site on google.com", err...you can search for it.....if people bothered, if I was worth it, there were no secrets.

A few errors, but on the dot 99%.

The comment someone made on 3 Macromania about me not knowing/meeting people and dropping names was anticipated, but all true, I did not wish to use it. I forgot and posted it like a braggart....and I suddenly realized I was now caught in a trap. I cannot back out.

So...I recall that I told those involved that I would be wasting my time writting to, sharing on a forum, with people who don't matter to me...like most of the Mods except for the now expelled SJX.

And..Thomas Mao...who I like.

Why would I destroy my very restrained form (people who have met me, talked to me etc, usually 100% avoiding and hating talking about sucess and money, when people were suffering from a lack of money.

But...I was greedy, again money.

I predicted that it would lead to people who have not met me...which is the whole world at the site...with few exceptions, hating me. I like to believe there are no envious people here. Actually, I still do.

Anyway.

But, the responses, that can be discovered, the raw truths of consumer and forum readers likes/dislikes will open.....I was drawn to that, this one, by real enthusiasm.

The deal was...I must be raw. I must be honest. I must draw attention.

Otherwise, watchmakers who will be claiming that one can tell a person by his watch, usually men owners, will be talking sheer guesswork with no references or even clues.

People who buy Omegas like me, love animals...my rabbit.

Now..Macromania has been well recieved on the  one side, but has been bashing me in on the other, which I was sure it will.

It's too early.

However, I meant no harm. But caused harm.

I wanted the world to know not only the watches, but to get 1% of an idea of what the buyer was like.

That's why I was putting in the human side, my life...my stuff, things I bought, people I like and don't like...all of that. The downside was that most of them were expensive...

Also, I often had the tedious task to repeat and do it again, for new comers...as your site grows.

Also...many didn't meet or know Gunther Blumlein, Max when he was at HWRT, Hamdi, Dufour, Roger, Steven, Genta, etc.

Note that I have not even mentioned Rolf. The UN Freak.

Many will have no knowledge of how Patek hates me.

They should know that history.

Many will have only the good things to read, but none of the plans behind the scenes, like now.

Of course I will look like a braggart, I don't like that.

I wish I could bluff and say I don't own that watch, but it will harm the brand...notice I write about smaller brands, and stay away from Patek....if I wanted fame, I would write about Patek. AP and RM and Panerai.

I hope this clarifies things, and I am not removed from being a juror at the GPHG ever again....FP Journe hated what I did...and so did RM.

I am sure my 2 years, I did more for the small guys than in 20 years of adverts.

See Vianney's youtube.

Do I need therapy? Yes. Most people like me, do.

Do I like to be hated? No.

I will minimise the personal pov and the stuff that I buy from my future posts, and the politics.

It's what this site has firmly requested.

My apologies for all the trouble I caused.

I do hope Marcus and pplater and Drno and more...that they stop hating me..or my posts.

It has been fun.

Will there be 5 macromania?

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