It's nice to see a brand offer a way to get a bit closer to its users. Why does one need to own a watch first? What about people interested in the watch? By way of comparison, VC has a nice forum supported by the company, and it's open to all. It was a great place to ask a few questions and find out more about the brand before picking out my watch. Interestingly, the terms of use when one signs up includes the following paragraph: "The content of the News section in the F.P.Journe Club is strictly confidential and intended to the Club members, owners of F.P.Journe watches only. With your agreement, you commit to reveal no information on the F.P.Journe Club to anybody other than its members." So it appears that they're limiting membership because they want to share some news with existing owners in advance. Okay, so why not open the the rest of the forum to all, but hide that section from people who have not provided proof of ownership?