Audemars Piguet

and my latest boutique visit proves it. Although I would consider myself a loyal AP customer owning a few nice pieces procured over a distributor the boutique does not seem to recognize any of that history. Surely I am not the only one in this situation b... 

This is news to me - must have missed it - do you mean that APs are now only sold in their boutiques? Best E.

Now, they've closed multiple retailers in many markets with the plan of creating AP Houses or AP Boutiques in major markets. Some stores are corporate owned, some are partnered with a local distributor. For instance, AP in Dubai is done through the Seddiq... 

There is too much business in the watch business these days. Best E.

But it allows the manufacture to capture more of the margin, and it makes the business partner more invested in the brand. If you look at it from the manufacture's perspective, it's mostly a win, it's just there's a lot more cost because you have to hire ... 

All that is self-evident. Doesn’t mean I have to like it. I am throughly sick of talking about “brands”. I’d rather talk about manufacturers, or watchmakers. Words do matter, and unfortunately the Marketing department has won - the brand is what counts as... 

These executives are more focused about how to play the marketing game than about improving the watches! The brands see that it's more important to keep up with marketing spend and marketing influence with other brands. To the point that they care more ab... 

Couldn’t agree more. You can really see the cynical effects here. For me it’s very sad, and why so many of the ‘mainstream’ companies are becoming so unattractive…to me at least. Best E.

The executives are paid based on how many units they sell, margins, revenue, profit, and marketshare. Whenever these numbers are bigger, they get bigger bonuses. However, this doesn't mean that the Francois Bennahmias at AP can just tell them to make more... 

Generally I'm in favor of brands that can go boutique only to do so because it creates the opportunity to control their brand, establish and longer looking customer experience / relationship, and cancel all the shenanigans we here about at ADs. If anythin... 

I agree on every count! And yes! For once Macy's is doing well! It hasn't always done well. But the past year its EBITDA earnings have been great!

You’ve got it, that’s how it works. That which gets measured, gets done. Best E.

It is a trend.

They don’t even recognize purchase history from an AP boutique when they open a new AP House. That’s how they’re doing it in Zurich: AP boutique (managed by Bucherer) customers start from scratch at the new AP house. Very irritating to say the least ... 

which is what is accessed and seen by all of the boutiques? Unless the AP houses use a different system that isn’t interoperable. But that wouldn’t be optimal given the implications for their established customers.

They saw that I had an AP on my wrist and afterwards all that mattered was bundling. If I wanted to get a certain piece, I had to buy an 11.59 or whatever before. They didn‘t care at all about my history or my registered timepieces or anything else. Didn‘... 

when an SA is speaking with you, do they come straight out and essentially say “you have to buy an 11.59 if you want to get X?” Or are they more ‘suggestive’ like “getting an 11.59 will better position you for X?” I guess the point is the same, but the se... 

A good friend of mine accompanied me one of the two times. After we left she told me, that she was negatively surprised how distant and kind of arrogant the SA treated me, until he saw the 15202 on my wrist.

I really don’t like it when people take advantage of their relative positions of ‘power’ over others and make others feel they are unworthy or lacking

Are you satisfied with the development of tha last 3 years?

how ‘business’ (and in some instances greed) has changed the relationship between many sincere consumers/collectors and the brands at the point of sale. I’m not, nor have ever been a vip, but there are many legit vip people out there who I think have also... 

AP House should be able to see your history.

And I'm sure they don't care one way or the other.

My New Year’s resolution: Ignore those watch brands that are ignoring me!

I bought my first watch from an AP boutique in 2006. I acquired a few others after that time from dealers, but worked mostly with one boutique. AP is not the only brand looking to control their own distribution. But the irony is it was many authorized dea...