Watch Brands: Past as Burden or Richness?

amanico · 2010-02-10T06:37:58Z

Is a brand's past a burden or richness? Explore how heritage impacts luxury watchmakers like Patek Philippe, JLC, and Panerai, and the debate on tradition versus innovation.

amanico

WPS member · Horological Meandering forum

45 replies10727 views0 photos

Amanico's thought-provoking post delves into the complex relationship between a watch brand's heritage and its contemporary identity. This article explores whether a rich past serves as a foundational strength or an inhibiting burden for luxury watchmakers, sparking a vibrant community discussion on brand DNA, innovation, and the weight of tradition.

We often speak about the DNA of the brands, when we mention some names like Lange, Vacheron, AP, JLC, PP, and some others.

Is it a good thing or a bad thing to refer to their DNA?

When we think about it, the weight of the Past may be associated to a kind of Legitimacy in the fine art of making watches, providing to the passionate customer some confidence in the current product.

We often see some slogans like " Founded in 1755 ", " Since 1833, 1846, 1860 " and so on...

It is obvious that the brands- if not all of them, let's say most of them- underline their age in their communications ( Press Files, Catalogues, Books etc ... ).

This link to the Past is also noticeable in the modern watches:

There are so many " Icons " borrowed from the " Heritage " of the brands.

Patek and the Calatrava :

5196 / 96

The World Time:

Modern and Vintage:

Credit pic: Antiquorum:

JLC, with the Polaris, the MUT, the Triple Date, the Memovox, and the Reversos:

Vacheron Constantin, and the " Les Historiques " Collection:

Rolex and Panerai, with some strong examples like the Submariner and the Radiomir:

All these Heirs ( and of course there are many others which would have deserved to be mentionned ) are indeed convincing Ambassadors of the Richness of the Past, and illustrate the benefits for every brand to " dig " into their own Patrimony.

BUT, on another side, isn't the Past a too heavy burden for the Brands?

In clearer words, doesn' the Past " stick " too much to the brands.

One example is Panerai:

Panerai is well known for their Military Watches...

If now, you make an improbable mix of Military and High End watches, what would you think?

Good, or Bad?

Isn' it a " disturbing " surprise to see Panerai releasing such a Military watch housing a Tourbillon ( ! ) or a Celestial ( !! ) complication?

Panerai is not known as a Manufacture, but as a Laboratory of Ideas.

That is the weight, the Burden of their past.

With Longines, the Burden of the Past has a name: Nostalgy.

We still have in mind the prestigious releases of the Past, like the gorgeous 13 ZN or 30 CH Chronos, the Pilot Watches, and the Chronometers.

Where are these Legends now, in the current offer?

Of course, the Longines Legend Diver is a nice tribute, but it may be a bit isolated, and not at the same level than a 13 ZN, or a Chronometer, for example.

Sometimes, the Past plays a bad trick to the Brands...

An example?

The latest JLC Extrem Lab II so called ... " Tribute to Géophysic ".

While learning that JLC would release another " Géophysic ", everybody began to dream about the Vintage model, an example of Sobriety, and simple understated elegance.

If you only keep the name " Extrem Lab II ", you know what you'll have, a great technical watch.

If you have in mind the Géophysic, you're deceived.

While the watch doesn't deserve such a reaction, as it is a very interesting one.

So, what do you think?

Is the Past a good thing, and a way to perpetuate an interesting horological Tradition, or is it rather a lack of Inspiration and Creativity, a Burden which sticks too much the Brands into their vision and development?

It's up to you.

Best,

Nicolas This message has been edited by amanico on 2010-02-10 06:38:42 This message has been edited by AnthonyTsai on 2010-02-12 09:16:09

Key Points from the Discussion

While history provides legitimacy and confidence in a brand's current products, it can also create a burden, especially when brands deviate from their established 'DNA' or when modern interpretations fail to meet nostalgic expectations.
The past is an asset, showcasing a brand's capabilities and implying continued excellence, but it can also lead to disappointment if a brand's current offerings don't align with a connoisseur's specific historical expectations.
Unlike fast-moving industries, the history of a watch company is crucial because watches are considered works of art, requiring generational skills and craftsmanship that validate their heritage.
Some brands, like Panerai, have successfully evolved by supplementing their tradition with innovation, while others, like Longines, struggle to recapture past glories in their current offerings.
The emphasis on history can be a transparent marketing tool rather than a genuine reflection of conviction, leading to skepticism among consumers.
New companies face the challenge of establishing credibility without a historical past, often starting as assemblers before evolving into movement makers, mirroring the early stages of many established brands.

The Discussion

Ir77

Feb 10, 2010

each of the listed brands, has the reputation today because of the day's of yesterday. all but panerai, which never made commercial watches and the marketing machine of today back-filled any history needed. all the "major" companies today commend the price/respect because over the decades, centuries in some cases, they have provided a product with which customers could identify and are obviously willing to spend the money on. are some new creations disappointing? recently have many companies tri

Craig LA

Feb 10, 2010

Great post Nicolas. I had the exact some conversation last night with the manager of the Panerai Boutique in BH. I, for one, applaud Panerai and embrace their continuing evolution. The key for me is that Panerai has NOT abandoned its tradition and history. Rather, it has supplemented it. Panerai continues to manufacture models that reflect the roots of the company – models that embody the historical aesthetic – models that are a natural continuance of the lineage. Therefore, Panerai’s history an

Dr No

Feb 10, 2010

. . . would be in a position of continual reinvention. What if the 'reinvention' falls flat? That would be too much of a risk for any of the manufacturers to take, except perhaps for Rolex. My sense is that the manufacturers consider tradition to be an asset; for privately held Patek and Audmars, goodwill might be the most important asset on their balance sheet. I don't feel the past is as much a burden as much as it is a definition . . . cordially, Art

aldossari_faisal

Feb 10, 2010

good question you asked mate, i believe its a blend of the factors which leads a brand to recreat a succesful model from the past, however recreating is not an easy job, it requires double the load of work and dedication which was done back in the past, regardless if the out come will be up the to the levels of success of the old model gained in past, recreating is definitly not the easiest choice a brand would consider. Faisal

watchme

Feb 10, 2010

for OP, I think they needed to expand because how many of the same basic dial can you buy? Customers quickly look elsewhere. For a brand like JLC, they keep the past, and push the envelope into the future, and their legitimacy is that they've been making movements for the TOP brands for decades. I think history is good as a starting place. What I don't think makes much sense is totally breaking with the past and creating a new legitimacy and expecting that the cognescenti will accept it (i.e.: M

donizetti

Feb 10, 2010

... ideally, it should give you an identity and a place of origin from which to get your bearing, and an inspiration to excel and add your own handwriting and style to a continuing tradition (Lange, JLC). Quite possibly you need to consciously face, and come to terms, and maybe reconstruct for yourself what this tradition means to you now - as I have written before the Breguet La Tradition (sic!) has that connotation to me. Or your history can be a burden and then you might try to be different j

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