Independents

KIH
[Purist]
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Simplicity revisited

The title was too eye-catching, sorry...  I just have been to Shellman in Tokyo GInza, which was/is Japan's distributor of the major independent brands including Philippe Dufour, Haldimann, JDN, etc.  I could fortunately meet Mr. Isogai, the CEO of Shellma, the man who brought SImplicity boom into Japan (70 out of the first 100 were for Japanese collectors).  Most of the order for Japanese collectors are 34mm, FYI.

I thought that since the promised 200 pieces are almost done, and asked what Mr. Dufour was up to for the next.  But Mr. Isogai's answer was rather interesting, so let me share it with you. 

He was going to finish 200 pieces by the end of 2008 and it is already late.  But it is not because he got slow, but because his supplier is getting less competent.  At the beginning, he was making perhaps 25 or more per year as there was little problem about the suppliers.  But these days, it is not uncommon that the entire batch (5 or 6 pieces) get totally screwed because of the bad result (I won't specify).  Normally, I would think that then I would not pay and just let them do it again.  Wrong.  There suppliers do supply other big brands such as Patek, etc., and naturally supposed to be one of the best.  If I would ask them to re-do, then they would simply tell me to go ask someone else.  So, Mr. Dufour pays them with smile and ask nicely to do it again.  He eats the damage, pays for nothing, and re-do what he had done during the previous 3 months or so.  So, while the balance of the order is 15 or 20 pieces, it may well take two more years and Mr. Isogai predicts the delivery of the last piece would be in 2012.

And, oh yes, Mr. Dufour has been thinking of the next model for the past few years already.  Mr. Isogai did not elaborate and I don't know what it is.

So, be patient, those who ordered but not received yet.  The delay is not his fault and the wait will be, I am sure, worth it.



Now the photo of the day.  You don't see the samples of Simplicity anywhere else   Both are 34mm.