remarque
808
Thoughts on manufacturer collaborations with the likes of Hodinkee...
Dec 16, 2020,08:53 AM
Regarding yesterday's Blancpain release of a presumably true no-date caliber movement of the Milspec fifty fathoms produced with the Hodinkee brand:
On yesterday's thread by joenghenry, I posed questions as to why manufacturers do these things to the chagrin of us, the customer base, and at less profit to the mother company to boot.
My deductions:
1) Hodinkee provides some huge unknown benefit to the mother company manufacturer, be it financial explicit or implicit, and makes unknown promises as part of said benefits. (Purchasing all produced watches a priori including those earmarked for the boutiques, thus excluding risk to the manufacturer?) (Promising nebulous future increased gain based on past performance?) (If so, the manufacturers know nothing from what one learns about buying stocks!) (Promising increased name cachet, etc etc?)
2) On their own end, the manufacturers completely disregard client (end customer) input (while valuing other perceived brands' voices such as Hodinkee) and have no interest in producing certain items regardless of known interest. Why perform market research only to ignore it? Those in positions to "green light" projects do so only when they perceive it will benefit themselves personally in their climbing the company chain, rather than make decisions that will benefit the company with less personal gain credit... Why would an executive tell the President "Sir, I have a great idea: let's make a no-date fifty fathoms milspec!" The boss would say "We've known that for years... why I am paying you to tell me what I already know and have consciously ignored, you ignoramus!!"
I have had these feelings with many manufacturers, and this is not intended to single out Blancpain...
M