Doug from New Mexico
1146
Fascinating post!
An interesting company to look at is Conid, an Antwerp company that produces innovative fountain pens while the parent company actually makes medical devices.
They make pens when time and resources allow, which would not make for a compelling business model.
As a result, they are sought after, and sell for more than list on the used market.
A Perspective In Time: Privately Held Independent Brands VS. Publicly Traded Brands In 2026
This short article quickly explores the thought process between privately held brands and publicly traded brands. Clothes washing machines. Generally a brand in USA called Speed Queen is very popular for their longevity and is very popular in the Americas...
When i read the Title, i thought this is just a post with the link zu the recent watchpro article.
So glad i did click anyways! Amazing analysis, very much on point and just the right amount of a contrarian position, given all the hype around private companys these days. Thank you 🙏
Thank you for the kind words!
There's a lot of misconceptions about private companies out there. For better and for worse. We just need to remember to have a balanced approach on the subject matter!
Fascinating post!
An interesting company to look at is Conid, an Antwerp company that produces innovative fountain pens while the parent company actually makes medical devices. They make pens when time and resources allow, which would not make for a compelling business mod...
Very interesting!
I didn't know this pen company. And didn't know the parent made medical devices. Thanks for sharing!
"No public company would ever green light a $50,000+ belt buckle concept"
Counter argument, vw greenlighted the bugatti reboot and estimated loss per car was almost 5mil eur for the Veyron, so one may argue that with the right board public companies can still make bold move and please enthusiasts in the process (shareholders ma...
Yup! And I am so glad that Piech did that project!
A halo project with real trickle down effects is/are important to a company the size of VW Group!
Great article.....
In the watch biz, and someone who buys rather frugally, the scary part of independents is if they go broke, who's gonna fix/service the watch. Granted some can be maintained by reputable watchmakers but...... I love having something rare and different but...
That is a legitimate fear!
That is a very legitimate fear - especially for complications and brands that are more obscure with proprietary modules or new approaches to watchmaking!
To an extent, being public forces someone to be held accountable to a minimum standard
Sometimes it's a good thing, sometimes it's a bad thing. I think most watch brands simply have TAM that is too small to justify being public, or even part of a publicly traded parents. It often leads them to a tough spot where have to do things that do no...
Very true!
I'm known for my extremely long 3000+ word posts and I really wanted to keep this one as short as possible. So a lot was left on the editing room floor.
While I like what you are writing…
Privately held does not necessarily mean family values or long term orientation. It’s very much a case by case thing and nowadays many adhere to concepts commonly taught at business schools based on completely different industry dynamics. I have seen many...
Very true!
There are definitely a lot of nuances. This short article was intentionally short. And does not go too deep into the subject. That would require a much longer essay as it's a fairly complex topic. But was designed to remind a segment of our audience who w...
Thank you for reading and commenting Salman!
In the context of luxury goods... Some of the best and worse brands have been privately held. Some of the best and worse brands have been publicly held. But so many consumers (including a tiny percentage here on WatchProSite) have been programmed by marke...
Great post, thanks.
The reality is more often than not quite complex. A lot of factors needs to be considered. And when it comes to solving problems, the solutions are often just as complex, at least if one wants a long term solution.
You got it Lm6!
It's indeed super complex. We've been slightly/partially programmed to think that independent is almost automatically better. But we forget the flip side. Being independent during an economic recession can be bad; and the longevity of the firm may be in p...