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Breitling acquires Universal Geneve

fizz
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fizz fizz
On the whole, this is largely welcome news because Breitling is ultimately a watchmaker of considerable pedigree. Whether they will do the UG heritage justice remains to be seen but they have gone and mined their back catalog with some great reissues (like the 806) rather well.

The problem seems to be a fear of either using mass market movements to make the UG relaunch models accessible or taking a more refined approach which potentially results in an expensive (and alienating) result. It's a dilemma either way and no one will be happy but let's wait to see what they inaugurate with (something tells me it might be a Polerouter - I just hope it's not sexed up 40mm in diameter, 13.5mm in thickness version in salmon dial monstrosity).
I don't want to say I predicted it, but I predicted it 😀::psy::
 
Verdi
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Starting price 16k usd!!!! Wow.
Read the full interview on monochrome.
IMG_6604.webp IMG_6603.webp
 
Edantony
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I have an Eric Clapton, wondering what impact to prices on vintage pieces this will all have.
 
bgrisso
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I'm sure everyone is wondering the same thing. Don't believe anyone that tells you they know what will happen, only time will tell. But it seems to me more likely that high quality vintage examples would go up in value, rather than down, based on the the brand relaunch.
 
Verdi
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I think this is gonna be interesting.

Cheapest UG is more than double the price of the cheapest Rolex (OP36 is 6400E)….. twice the price of an Omega Speedmaster or Globemaster. (7500E each model)
They better deliver Patek and Vacheron quality if they want to charge that much. Otherwise it is gonna be a flop.
 
bgrisso
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I don't think its so much about quality as perception. They will need to successfully create brand perception that supports the price point. With luxury goods it's not like something that costs 10x the price of something else has to be 10x the quality, it just has to be 10x the status.
 
pdxleaf
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Assuming the new brand makes quality pieces, they could make watches exactly like the originals, or nearly the same but with modern materials or new dials colors and new movements. For example, a speedmaster with a 3861 or a heritage navitimer or a new Ed White.

If the price is at or below a comparable vintage piece, people might say why buy vintage when I can get new?

There could also be people who don't know the brand and decide to seek out a vintage watch after seeing the reintroduction.

My sense of the new Ed White is that it slowed the vintage EW market, even though the entire vintage market was also slowed recently after inflation was targeted.

There's always a market for nice condition vintage. Poorer examples generally have fewer buyers when a person can now buy a new example. But even excellent examples of vintage may take longer to find a buyer after a new release.

I could be 100% wrong. Consider this perspective as coming from a typical watch guy in the middle of the herd.
 
bgrisso
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pdxleaf pdxleaf
Assuming the new brand makes quality pieces, they could make watches exactly like the originals, or nearly the same but with modern materials or new dials colors and new movements. For example, a speedmaster with a 3861 or a heritage navitimer or a new Ed White.

If the price is at or below a comparable vintage piece, people might say why buy vintage when I can get new?

There could also be people who don't know the brand and decide to seek out a vintage watch after seeing the reintroduction.

My sense of the new Ed White is that it slowed the vintage EW market, even though the entire vintage market was also slowed recently after inflation was targeted.

There's always a market for nice condition vintage. Poorer examples generally have fewer buyers when a person can now buy a new example. But even excellent examples of vintage may take longer to find a buyer after a new release.

I could be 100% wrong. Consider this perspective as coming from a typical watch guy in the middle of the herd.
Its a good potential example, but I think that high quality vintage EW prices were at or above the modern 321 re-edition? So the new release potentially undercut vintage? (I could be wrong about that, don't track that particular market).
With UG I'm not sure that's a likely problem, as it sounds like new releases will be priced ABOVE current high quality vintage examples?
 
Edantony
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I do think that above and beyond the actual watches, they will make a push to rebuild brand awareness and perception (to bgrisso’s point). That will put the spotlight on the brand and trigger appreciation of the vintage.
 
pdxleaf
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bgrisso bgrisso
I don't think its so much about quality as perception. They will need to successfully create brand perception that supports the price point. With luxury goods it's not like something that costs 10x the price of something else has to be 10x the quality, it just has to be 10x the status.
This is true in general. Would it be different for a brand that is being reintroduced as opposed to a brand not seen before?

In this case, collectors have high regard and thus expectations. If the reissued brand doesn't deliver, there's likely to be a loud outcry, even if it's only from a small group of collectors. That seems like it might hurt the target audience of the new UG? But then it might not matter at all for the wealthy. Afterall, someone paid 6.5 million for a banana taped to a wall.
 
Verdi
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bgrisso bgrisso
I don't think its so much about quality as perception. They will need to successfully create brand perception that supports the price point. With luxury goods it's not like something that costs 10x the price of something else has to be 10x the quality, it just has to be 10x the status.
That’s right.
We buy Omega, Rolex, Patek cos they are regarded as good watches, gives us status, certain quality, resale….

UG has a lot of work to do to make itself known to the general public…..so it is perceived as a product that is worth that much and ticks the boxes.
UG is unknown to the general public. It has years of work ahead.

Imo, they are starting very high at 16k usd for the cheapest model….
There are so many other amazing models from established brands at that price tag. New and pre-owned.

I think they should have steel models under 10k.
 
bgrisso
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pdxleaf pdxleaf
This is true in general. Would it be different for a brand that is being reintroduced as opposed to a brand not seen before?

In this case, collectors have high regard and thus expectations. If the reissued brand doesn't deliver, there's likely to be a loud outcry, even if it's only from a small group of collectors. That seems like it might hurt the target audience of the new UG? But then it might not matter at all for the wealthy. Afterall, someone paid 6.5 million for a banana taped to a wall.
I was just reading about the banana. It's a crazy mixed up world out there 😀
The banana would just keep rotting. I guess you just keep duct taping a new banana to the wall every week, and you are paying 6.5M for the concept, not the object? Sometimes it gets rather silly at the upper price points.
 
pdxleaf
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bgrisso bgrisso
I was just reading about the banana. It's a crazy mixed up world out there 😀
The banana would just keep rotting. I guess you just keep duct taping a new banana to the wall every week, and you are paying 6.5M for the concept, not the object? Sometimes it gets rather silly at the upper price points.
At least it's cheap to service a banana! Just 35 cents for a new one. 😜
 
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