Horological Meandering

TANGIBLE FACTORS: These refer to aspects of a timepiece that we can physically see. These include quality of case materials, degree of hand-making, quality and method of movement finishing, complexity of the movement itself in terms of both design and complications, and other related physical factors.

INTANGIBLE FACTORS: These refer to the aspects that we cannot see - for example: brand reputation, marketing, perceived desirability for the particular watch in the broader market, the perceived purchase and service experience, anticipated prestige to be conferred to the owner. etc.

The idea is that, in our head, we work through the relative merits of all these components and their sum equals the desirability of the particular watch. While in most cases, there will be significant factors in both of the above buckets, in certain instances one or other shall dominate. Consider the case whereby the Intangible Factors dominate: for example, there is a wide percentage of the populous that cares little for the details and nuances of watchmaking. Many within this group may not be familiar with the top manufacturers in haute horology but they are familiar with the brand ROLEX, which they view as the pinnacle of watch ownership. So perhaps a certain share of Rolexes are sold to owners who care much more about the brand and perceived prestige of the watch over the intricate details of the watch itself. Richard Mille may be a second example of where a certain percentage of their uber-wealthy owners weighted the desirability of the watch much more on the intangible benefits.

But now let's consider the inverse: A complex watch that is beautifully and thoughtfully created and finished yet carries a brand name that, at best is relatively unknown, and at worst conveys a negative appeal to the timepiece. A watch that is so far removed from what is typically produced by the brand that it leaves potential owners perplexed as to where it actually fits in. Here's a related example:

Do you guys remember the original Honda/Acura NSX? I remember it well, it was 1990 and the year I headed to University. It was this stunning sports car that came out of nowhere and was produced by the most unlikeliest of brands. While it was very well received by the industry press (both Car & Driver and Road & Track made it their Car of the Year) one wonders if an owner, or potential buyer, of Ferrari or Lamborghini would have looked at the car as favorably? A few years later, I'd study the NSX in a business class. It was actually a loss-leader for Honda, they never a penny - in fact it was an expensive investment. However, similar to their involvement in Formula One at the time, it was created as an "Aspirational" car designed to stimulate demand from buyers for the hundreds of thousands of Honda Accords they sold every year.

Okay, back to watches, but hold that thought. Imagine, like the NSX, a watch is produced with the same tangible factors as a Patek or Lange for example, yet carries a much less prestigious brand name on the dial. It, too, may be an "Aspirational" piece designed to raise the reputation of the brand in high horology and stimulate demand for its other lesser collections. How does this affect its desirability? The answer, I'm sure, is a lot, but should it? Do we over-estimate, at times, the importance of branding and under-estimate the actual quality of the timepiece we are considering? This is an interesting question to me as I have never considered myself a brand snob, yet I'm presently considering a beautiful watch from a much less respected brand. This fact is giving me pause as, for the first time in my twenty years of collecting, I am not proceeding with the clear directive of "Buy what you like!". So it's made me reconsider that perhaps branding means more to me than I thought.

So I'm interested to hear if other's have encountered a similar situation? Was there a time when you really liked a timepiece but passed simply because of its brand? They say that "a rose by any other name smells just as sweet" but I'm questioning in the realms of human desires if that statement is actually true? Well, perhaps the flower is just as sweet, but our nose adjusts its conclusion based on the flower's name

Thanks for reading.

NickO

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