Horological Meandering

Fastwong
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Agree completely. This whole thing is crazy. I don't know what's gone on behind the scenes but I've seen a disconnect between old and new GF for years now

I've watched hours of Stephen's interviews and met him briefly, he's always come across as very genuine and confident but sincere. He was the face of the brand, set the narrative, talked to clients, and GF was a brand with huge horlogical gravitas because he created that. Of course the watches are amazing but at that level, the very pinnacle in all the watch world of complexity, innovation, and price, it's not enough for the product to speak for itself, Stephen had to explain the world they had created because it exists nowhere else. The least they could have done was allow him the time to finish his contract and prepare a respectful transition.

When Calce came in and Stephen stepped back I think we saw a new more aggressive and egotistical brand. Ramping up production while closing doors, repackaging and cheapening of legacy movements in pursuit of volume, taking back independence from Richemont while other Indies were figuring out how to structure mutually beneficial investments from groups like Chanel or LVMH, $50k for a titanium bracelet, it all just felt like corporate narcism which isn't uncommon in luxury but felt very different from the more measured but supremely confident brand that Stephen had created.