manufacture

Visiting Montblanc's headquarters in Hamburg, Germany, I experienced how the world's finest pen is brought to life, and learned a little something about culture. Let me make you an instant expert on fine writing instruments.

I never thought much about fine writing instruments. The life I tend to live is practical and versatile. Much like my fellow Americans I shed tradition for convenience and economy. The practice of writing words has been done with half dollar ballpoint pens and pencils purchased from a drugstore. My finest "writing instruments" were dutifully sourced from hotels and other easy giveaways. Perhaps this is why I tend to prefer the keyboard. A bit of that changed when I discovered that for just a bit more (and at the right store), I could get pens made in Japan that worked better. With them I wrote more, and seemed to enjoy drawing and taking notes in a new way. Good tools are always appreciated and help you be more productive, but are writing instruments are more than just that?

Is writing like language? Does the process we use to write change what we say and the culture around us? Some academics posit that "language is culture." Then, by that accord is the way we write language a function of that culture? People worry heavily that the popularity of instant messaging via computers and text messaging via phones leads to a distinct degradation in our writing and language. It is hard to argue with this if you have any experience with these communication mediums. So what about the opposite? If casual ways of writing harm formality, do more formal ways of writing increase one's level of sophistication, even temporarily?

This is a really, really interesting branding exercise - and I have no idea if it is a good idea. Frederic Piguet is (I mean, was) Swatch Group's higher-end movement maker. Sort of like a fancier version of ETA. Most of the Swatch Group's higher end brands used Frederic Piguet movements (higher-end brands include Breguet, Jaquet Droz, Blancpain, etc...). That isn't to say that Frederic Piguet made all the movements for these brands, but did many of them. Problem was that all but the most hardcore watch aficionados knew what Frederic Piguet even was. So telling people that their new luxury watch had one of these movements in it required them to first explain what Frederic Piguet was in the first place. Also, I am sure there was some corporate redundancy, etc.. That Swatch was looking to clean up.

So Swatch Group made the big decision to have Blancpain take over Frederic Piguet to make all of the movements. From a facility and logistical standpoint I don't know what will actually change. I understand that Blancpain will "take over the existing manufacturing structures." From a branding standpoint, Blancpain will now be thrust forward as a watch maker as well as an even more serious watch movement maker. Since the economy turned sour, watch brand groups have been carefully looking at each of their brands to figure out what purpose each one has. This is a lot like what GM did when it axed a bunch of its redundant, pointless brands (I am looking straight at you Oldsmobile and Pontiac) in the current market.

Swatch Group announced the move as a "consolidation." This would explain the desire to remove redundancy, but at the same time you usually don't see a movement maker be absorbed by a watch brand. So the decision to have Blancpain look like the big daddy movement maker was highly strategic (most likely). Swatch is trying to give each of its brands a lot of importance. While Blancpain has done a good job of making nice watches, over the last few years the brand has lost a bit of its zest. This moves is an attempt at making them exciting once again. Plus, Blancpain can now assert themselves as a pretty much totally vertically integrated movement manufacturer - something that the Swatch Group doesn't really have in comparison to competitor the Richemont Group.

The new entity will be known as the "Manufacture Blancpain," and (as I understand it) will be making movements for the Blancpain brand, as well as other high-end Swatch Group brands. I am interested to see how the next few years for this new entity will unfold, and the effect it will have on the public's image of the Blancpain watch brand.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

As a limited edition of just 36 pieces (18 of each version) Swiss Alpina will release this new Extreme Tourbillon Regulator Manufacture watch. What exactly is extreme about it? No idea. Perhaps use of the term "extreme" is extreme. Though I do know this watch stems from a long line of "extreme" Alpina watches. Unique in the world of tourbillon movements are regulator watches, which this timepiece is. This is all part of Alpina's own caliber AL-980 automatic tourbillon movement. It has got a silicium lever and escapement wheel in the movement - if that doesn't mean anything to you, don't worry. Though those are good talking points for a luxury watch. The watch will come in two versions. Each has a 48mm wide case. One comes with a brushed titanium case and a pink gold bezel, and the other with a black ceramic bezel and a pink gold case. On the dial you get the large minute style hour markers and skeletonized 'bubble baton' hands in brushed steel for an intended sporty look. The simple style is one of those looks that appears best while being worn. In such a limited edition, pieces like this exist in a large sense to promote Alpina's more reasonably priced timepieces.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Watch making behemoth Rolex is like the Google of the watch world. Why? Because they are powerful and ubiquitous with an industry watching them that both love and hate them. Love them for their timeless designs and high level of quality, and hate them for often epitomizing watch snobbery and sequestering themselves from the rest of the watch industry. Rolex's ongoing theme is to be totally vertically integrated - meaning they will (or already do) make each component of their watches themselves.

A few weeks from now will see the beginning of a massive new construction project whereby Rolex is adding a huge new complex to the manufacture site in Bienne, Switzerland. The goal of the project is to contain the entire watch movement making process to one building. Most of the parts distribution and much of the manufacturing process is totally automated by robotics. Other than just focusing on trivial matters like making watches, the new structure will include features for people too. There will be a waste water treatment plant, underground parking, a restaurant, and cafeterias. The new physical arm of Montres Rolex is scheduled to be completed in 2012. The meaning of all this is that Rolex is totally un-alarmed by the "crisis" that is effecting watch sales, and is using what is likely times of cheaper construction and labor to focus on the brand's future when they will be one step closer to further domination of the mainstream luxury watch world.

Via Europa Star.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.